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PropheZine #99
July 15, 2000
Bob Lally Publisher
Lori Eldridge Senior. Editor
Bob Ippolito Asst. Editor
To Subscribe, Unsubscribe or Change email addresses see notice at the bottom
of this newsletter.
======================================================
IN THIS ISSUE
----GREETING FROM LORI ELDRIDGE
----MINISTRY NEWS
----ARTICLES
Berit Kjos..... Harry Potter Book shares pre-sale frenzy with D&D
(Dungeons & Dragons)
Bob Wilkin..... Putting the Gospel Debate in Sharper Focus
Warren Doud..... Heresy and Apostasy
James BeauSeigneur..... The Fifth Trumpet Judgment
---An Explanation through Dramatization
Dr. Dale Johnsen..... You Can Understand Prophecy
Dr. David R. Reagan..... Excerpt: Living for Christ in the End Times
----DEVOTIONALS
Spurgeon..... Salvation must be of grace
----POETRY
D. Sadler..... The Coming Storm
----SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
----SUBSCRIBE and UNSUBSCRIBE
----PRIVACY NOTICE
======================================================
GREETING FROM LORI ELDRIDGE
======================================================
Greetings Everyone,
Several people have asked me what Lordship Salvation is all about
since our last issue so I have provided a brief explanation in
"Putting the Gospel Debate in Sharper Focus" by Bob Wilkin in this
issue. We'll have more in-depth articles in future issues.
In these trying times, when even the elect can be deceived, we need
to be even more aware of false doctrines infiltrating the Church and
thus we will be including more articles along this vein in the
future. We have in this issue an article describing heresy and
apostasy as well as another article giving us an overview of endtimes
prophecy and also another exciting installment of James
BeauSeigneur's Trumpet judgments.
Be blessed,
Lori Eldridge
lorel@ior.com
Senior Editor
======================================================
MINISTRY NEWS
by Bob Lally
======================================================
Shalom!
PropheZine News Bites: Because of the popularity of the News Bites many web site owners have asked to reproduce them, placing them on their web site. We have agreed to let this happen and are writing special software to allow this to work. If you own a web site and would like to feature the PropheZine News Bites please send an email to Bob (bob@prophezine.com). We should have this feature ready in about 2 weeks.
ARTICLES
======================================================
Harry Potter Book shares pre-sale frenzy with D&D (Dungeons & Dragons)
by Berit Kjos
======================================================
(For background information, see Bewitched by Harry Potter
http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/Harry9-99.html )
The world of imagination and fantasy can help pass on to the child
cultural and social messages [and] function as a way to experience
vicariously things an individual could not do first-hand. (Amanda,
C. "Fantasies and imagination in mildly and moderately retarded young
people." International Journal of Adolescent Medicine & Health. 1995
Apr-Jun. 8: p.103-106 )
Wand making, broom decorating, tattoos, owls, costumes and pajama
parties.... These book store gimmicks are just a few of the feasts
and marketing tactics scheduled for July 8 in anticipation of the
mysterious Book 4. Though its title, Harry Potter and the Goblet of
Fire, was a close-guarded secret until June 28, a spellbound world
had already sent book sales soaring into the heights like a magical
broomstick.
While Harry's fans prepare to celebrate this global event, Amazon.com
claims its own share in the feast: its record-setting sales of the
world's most popular fantasy. While cloaked in secrecy and marketed
without a review, J.K Cowling's latest book tops the Amazon.com's
"not-yet-published" bestsellers list.
That's no surprise. Nor do we wonder why the list includes the
corresponding Harry Potter audio cassettes and the release of the
Book II paperback version. But why does Amazon also list Dungeons &
Dragons 3rd Edition Player's Handbook as best-seller #6? What common
threads have raised Harry Potter and D&D, "the bestselling adventure
game of all time,"[1] to the peaks of popularity?
Consider these points:
1. Both immerse their fans in a plausible, well-developed fantasy
world, replete with an evolving history, a carefully mapped
geography, and wizards that model the thrill-packed and power-filled
way of the mythical shaman.
2. In this fantasy world, adults and children alike are led into
imagined experiences that create memories, build new values, guide
their thinking and mold their understanding of reality. (See D&D
role-playing game
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/LearnAboutDnD.asp)
3. This process is reinforced by a myriad of other occult images and
suggestions created by an entertainment industry eager to please a
global market -- a worldwide base of potential customers that favor
"inclusive" and "tolerant" pagan entertainment and turn their backs
to Biblical values.
4. In the toys and games industry, two trans-national giants have
been swallowing up most smaller companies: Mattel and Hasbro. The
latter bought Wizards of the Coast, which makes and distributes
role-playing games
http://www.wizards.com/rpga/Welcome.asp and cards for Pokemon, Magic
the Gathering, and D&D fans around the world. What's more, Warner
Brothers -- producer of the Harry Potter movie scheduled for release
next year -- granted Hasbro licensing rights to produce a variety of
Harry Potter toys and games. Pagan fun has become big business!
The World of Witches and Wizard.
To compare the mystical realm of D&D with the Wizard-filled world of
Hogwarts, I visited a local fantasy store. The young storekeeper
seemed eager to help. "Which is your favorite game?" I asked him.
"Dungeons and Dragons," he answered. "Easily!"
"What's your character in the game?"
"A priest." He seemed pleased that I would ask.
"Ah. Then you can choose almost any one of the world's religions.
Which is your god?
He hesitated a moment, then answered, "A sun god."
"Like the one in the Aztec and Mayan religion?"
"No, those are too violent. It's more like a Celtic god."
"The Celts were pretty violent too."
"My god wants to make the world better for humanity and the environment."
That's certainly a politically correct form of paganism, I thought to
myself as I scanned the shelves in the store. I finally left with a
packet of information titled Forgotten Realms, [Advanced Dungeons &
Dragons] Campaign Setting. It would provide the information for the
chart below.
This chart contains a sampling of similar words and practices, but
don't assume that J. K. Rowling borrowed her ideas from D&D. Its
eclectic blend of pagan beliefs and practices has already seduced
young and old around the world. We have become a global society on
the fast track to a "common ground" that excludes such "separatist"
beliefs as Biblical Christianity. The myth-making messages in these
two books will surely speed the process.
[see Berit's web page for a better version of the chart]
Harry Potter (Books 1 & 3) is listed first and Dungeons and Dragons
comparison listed second
GOD-LIKE VOLDEMORT "not being truly alive, he cannot be killed."
Needs human devotees to do his work:
---"The greater powers are the most powerful deities that interact
with and are dependent on the worship of mere mortals." (p 45)
SCHOOL FOR WIZARDS:
----Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. (page 66)
==="The magic universities... house many wizards and sages with
various specialties." (p 15-Forgotten Realms)
SPELLS & CURSES:
----Hogwarts teaches Spells and Potions, Curses and Counter-curses,
Divination, Transfiguration, etc.
==="All manner of spellcasters... relearn their spells daily form
spell books..." (15-FR)
SHAPE-SHIFTING WIZARDS:
----"It's a shape-shifter... It takes the shape of whatever it thinks
will frighten us most." (133) "Transfiguration... turning something
into something else." (125)
==="Shapeshifter" is defined and mentioned at least twice in Dungeons
& Dragons 2nd Edition Player's Handbook. "Transmuters, the masters of
the alteration school of magic...." (16-FR)
EVIL WIZARDS:
----"But when a wizard goes over to the Dark Side..." (Book 2- 207)
==="The Red Wizards of Thay... are evil and paranoid to the
extreme...."(120-FR)
GIANTS:
----"I would trust Hagrid with my life." ....He was almost twice as
tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide... and so
wild...." (14)
===Giants are "battlewise, lore-filled, and capable with both weapons
and craft." (13-FR)
MAGIC ALPHABET (Rune):
----"Hermione's rune translation...." (251)
===Wizards develop a signature rune.... used in all spells that
require writing..." (15-FR)
DRAGONS:
----"They say there's a dragon guarding the high security vaults."
(Book 2-64) ==="The Keepers of the Secret Hoard... [possess] "a ring
of dragons. .... to protect themselves against assailants." ( 25)
UNICORNS:
----"The cloaked figure reached the unicorn... and began to drink its
blood." (Book 2-256)
==="her appearance marks a rise in power and importance of the Unicorn." (24)
DIVINATION:
----"Crystal gazing... relaxing the conscious mind and external eyes
so as to clear the Inner Eye and the Subconscious." (297)
==="Diviners... specialize in the divination school, particularly in
spells of higher than 3rd level." (16-FR)
CONJURING:
----"He was conjuring stretchers and lifting the limp forms of Harry,
Hermione and Black onto them. A fourth stretcher... was already
floating at his side." (Book 2-412)
==="Conjurers are specialists in conjuration/summoning magics." (16-FR)
SOCIAL ORGANIZATION:
----"The Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can
become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become."
(351)
==="The Heralds are recognized as being the official arbitrators of
precedence and correct armature." [2]
The Transforming Power of the Imagination
Immersion into this fantasy world builds imagined experiences that
create memories and often establish new values more effectively than
real-world experiences. Hard to believe? Just look at contemporary
television ads.
Captivating stories that prompt people to identify with another
person's experiences have proven to be far more powerful tools for
manipulating behavior than mere facts and data. That's why most ads
tend to offer funny or feel-good glimpses of human behavior rather
than boring facts about a product's worth. Stirring the imagination
instead of the mind, the producer can implant all kinds of false
memories and unwanted desires into receptive minds.
Today's onslaught of entertaining suggestions change the minds of
adults as well as children. The two studies below show the power of
the imagination to distort reality and create false memories in
people of all ages:
When adults vividly imagine the occurrence of events that took place
in their childhood, they become increasingly confident that these
incidents actually happened to them. This phenomenon has been called
imagination inflation. This study assessed the imagination-inflation
effect in 94 college students (mean age 21 yrs).�[3] (Journal of
Psychology. 1999)
"This study seeks not only to replicate what has been called the
imagination inflation effect (IIE) in 2 samples (98 undergraduates
[mean age 19 yrs] and 106 middle-aged [mean age 46.9 yrs] factory
workers) but also to identify individual difference variables that
could predict susceptibility to suggestibility. The 2 experiments
tested the extent to which locus of control for reinforcement,
dissociability, and a hostile/self-controlling introject
(self-concept) could predict the IIE. Results indicate that: IIE is a
robust and replicable phenomenon with young adults.[4] ( Applied
Cognitive Psychology. 1998)
Confirming the persuasive "role of imagination in effecting spiritual
transformation," a third study concluded that:
Spiritual transformation... is mediated through a person's religious
imagination. This study was designed to explore, describe and
illustrate the central role of the imagination in effecting and
sustaining spiritual transformations. The author espouses a holistic
approach to spiritual direction so Jungian active imagination and
various types of body work were employed as ancillary methods of
accessing the imagination and eliciting spiritually transformative
images. [5] (Humanities & Social Sciences. 1998)
Ponder the words, "accessing the imagination and eliciting
spiritually transformative images." They describe the effective power
of the Harry Potter experience and the D&D role-playing games. Those
"transformative images", in turn, can change beliefs and behavior.
Meanwhile parents wonder why their children have turned their backs
to the Bible, church and God.
For most children tutored in paganism by popular authors and computer
programmers, there will be no turning back. Aldous Huxley summarized
it well in The Doors of Perception: "The man who comes back through
the Door in the Wall will never be quite the same as the man who went
out."
Aldous Huxley and his brother Julian, the first head of UNESCO,
helped lay the foundation for the UN education system which is now
established in America.
http://www.crossroad.to/Books/BraveNewSchools/Contents.html They
spread the message that that civilization could not long survive
without social solidarity and spiritual consensus. But God warns us
that such earth-based unity will bring an end to the peace and
freedom we have long enjoyed:
"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for
the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget...
Otherwise... your heart will become proud.... You may say to
yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this
wealth for me.'... If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow
other gods...you will surely be destroyed." (Deuteronomy 8:10-20)
Does that "good land" sound like America today? This warning was
given to ancient Israel, but God tells us in Corinthians 10 that
these principles hold true for us today.
While God always can and sometimes does override the sobering odds,
we would be foolish to ignore the restless cravings stirred by
imagined experiences in forbidden realms. A little dabbling in the
occult usually fuels urges to explore other practices. It doesn't
matter whether seekers pursue Eastern pantheism, Western witchcraft,
or create their own personal blend. They all fit together. Packaged
for our youth as D&D or as Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry, they desensitize their captive fans to the dangers of
occult forces. They can become irresistible.
Powerful partnerships in the global toy trade
While Hasbro Inc. has gathered coveted brands such as Monopoly,
Scrabble, and Furby under its wide and powerful wings, it is hardly a
household name. Though it has won the licensing rights to Star Wars
cards and role-playing games, its subsidiary, Wizards of the Coast,
seems to have gained more fame by producing Pokemon, Magic the
Gathering and D&D products. But Hasbro continues to grow. A Corporate
Press Release dated February 11, 2000 announces a more recent success:
"Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer Products today announced that it has
awarded Hasbro Inc. the licensing rights to a wide range of key
entertainment categories for the global literary phenomenon Harry
Potter.
"Hasbro category leaders -- Wizards of the Coast, Tiger Electronics
and OddzOn -- have been selected to create products that will capture
magical moments central to the Harry Potter story line... [including]
trading card games, role playing games, trading cards, candy and
youth electronics.
"The millions of Harry Potter fans around the world are going to love
seeing literary references to things like cards and candy come alive
through our exciting range of offerings, said Alan G. Hassenfeld,
Hasbro's chairman and CEO. 'We are thrilled....'"
Those millions are multiplying fast -- for D&D as well as for Harry
Potter. D&D has captivated an older group around the world, but that
may change with its televised cartoons and upcoming movie. Judging
from the letters we receive from both Harry Potter and D&D fans,
those who love spells and wizards have little tolerance for children
who, for the love of God, reject their favorite fantasies.
Resisting the pressure to conform
Biblical Christianity doesn't fit today's quest for spiritual unity
and mix-and-match religions. Paganism does. That's why schools,
communities, business... even churches are trading genuine Bible
study for consensus groups and earth-centered celebrations. (See
Earth Day Joins Easter
http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/Easter-Earth.htm)
This blended spirituality welcomes a compromised distortion of
Christianity. When "Christian" leaders remove the "offense of the
cross" -- when they set aside Biblical truths that hinder their quest
for the world's acceptance and favor -- their church is no longer a
threat to the world. (See Conforming the Church to the New Millennium
http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/ConformingChurch1-00.html)
But God's Word can't be compromised, and the world can't accept its
wisdom. That's why Paul wrote, "The message of the cross is
foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved
it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18)
In fact, those who follow their Lord don't fit into the world. That's
not a criticism; it's reality. The world wants us to approve its
cravings, but God tells us, "do not be conformed to this world."
(Romans 12:2) The world wants our participation in its forbidden
delights, but God asks,
"What part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has
the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living
God.... Therefore come out from among them and be separate." (2
Corinthians 6:15-17)
This politically incorrect attitude has been equated with
intolerance, separateness, mental dysfunction and hate by UNESCO and
the World Health Organization. (See Clinton's War on Hate Bans
Christian Values
http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/cwhbcv3-98.html and The UN
Plan for Your Mental Health
http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/MentalHealth2-99.html)
Long ago, a beloved Christian pastor and author, Oswald Chambers,
explained why:
"....there is an essential difference between you and the world which
rouses the contempt of the word and the disgust and hatred of the
spirit that is in the world." (Oswald Chambers)
His insight came from Jesus, who warned His disciples,
"If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because
you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore
the world hates you.... If they persecuted Me they will persecute
you... because they do not know Him who sent Me." (John 15:19-21)
To follow Jesus through today's rising flood of spiritual suggestions
deceptions, consider these guidelines:
1. Immerse your mind in His Word so that God, not the world, will
mold your thinking: "... be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will
of God." (Romans 12:2)
2. Remember God's warnings: "Beware lest anyone cheat you through
philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men,
according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to
Christ." (Colossians 2:8)
3. Stand immovable on His promises: "Be strong in the Lord and in the
power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual
hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the
whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand." (Ephesians 6:10-13)
4. Maintain the a heavenly perspective: "Therefore we do not lose
heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man
is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but
for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen
are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2
Corinthians 4:16-18)
When we see reality from God's high vantage point, everything looks
different. Obstacles no longer block our vision. Thrills and
treasures can't confuse our faith. Neither friends nor foes can
deceive our minds. Problems seem smaller, we see light ahead. We have
hope when things look hopeless and a purpose in the midst of pain.
Jesus showed us the way. When facing torture and death for His
uncompromising commitment to an eternal purpose, He turned to His
Father and prayed. We would do well to remember His words: "Now My
soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this
hour�? No, for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your
name." (John 12:27-28)
Every time we say "no" to the temptation to accept the world's
counterfeit gods, idols, thoughts and ways, we honor Him and build
perseverance. When we set our minds to know, love, and follow Him, He
gives us power and perseverance to triumph over the world's
counterfeit promises, tempting deceptions, and painful persecution.
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through
God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ...." 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Footnotes:
[1]Amazon.com's Editorial Review: "The Player's Handbook is the
definitive rulebook for the Dungeons & Dragons(r) game--the
bestselling adventure game of all time, redesigned for a new
millennium.
"The Player's Handbook contains complete rules for the Third Edition
D&D(r) game. It is an essential purchase for anyone who wants to play
the newest version of the quintessential roleplaying game. "Third
Edition D&D is the clearest, most innovative manifestation of the
game that launched an industry. Featuring a new, more versatile rules
system playtested by over 600 players worldwide. "New characters and
more flexible character classes are easier than ever to create using
the new CD-ROM character generator included free with every handbook.
Dungeons & Dragons is the name in fantasy roleplaying."
For a relatively mild introduction to D& D through its promotion of a
children's TV series, click on website, then on the dragon's head.
For Wizard of the Coast's D&D role-playing-games, click on
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Welcomex.asp and
http://www.wizards.com/rpga/Welcome.asp. Remember, Wizards is owned
by Hasbro, which owns the rights to make Harry Potter RPG games. They
will turn out to be both global and super-popular -- just like D&D.
[2]Note: We will update this chart with new quotes when we have
bought and read Book 4 in the Harry Potter series.
[3] Paddock, John R.; Noel, Mark; Terranova, Sophia; Eber, Herbert
W.; Manning, Charles; Loftus, Elizabeth F. "Imagination inflation and
the perils of guided visualization," Journal of Psychology. 1999 Nov.
133 (6): p.581-595
[4] Paddock, John R.; Joseph, Abigayl L.; Chan, Fung Ming; Terranova,
Sophia; Manning, Charles; Loftus, Elizabeth F. "When guided
visualization procedures may backfire: Imagination inflation and
predicting individual differences in suggestibility." Applied
Cognitive Psychology. 1998 Dec. 12 (Spec Issue): p.S63-S75.
[5] Lancaster Theological Seminary, USA, UMI Order number: AAM9822985
Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities & Social
Sciences. 1998 Jul. 59 (1-A): p.0201
by Berit Kjos
This article can be found in html format at the following URL:
http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/D&D&Harry.htm
To prepare your children to resist paganism read Under the Spell of
Mother Earth (Victor Books 800 323-9409) and Brave New Schools
(800-829-5646). Available through Christian Bookstores or order by
phone. As a special offer to thereaders of PropheZine, Berit will
personally autograph your copy of "Brave New Schools." But to get a
autographed copy, you must write and send $15.00 (Shipping and
Handling included) to.... Berit Kjos, PO Box 60524, Palo Alto, CA
94306
======================================================
Putting the Gospel Debate in Sharper Focus
by Bob Wilkin
======================================================
I have found that many on both sides of the Free Grace/Lordship
Salvation debate are unable to delineate clearly the major
differences between the views. In addition, I have discovered that
most are unable to clearly articulate differences within each view.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE VIEWS
The Free Grace View.
All holding the Free Grace view have four beliefs in common.
FIRST, the sole condition of eternal life is trusting in Christ as
one's Savior. None of the following are conditions of eternal life:
turning from sins, being willing to turn from sins, committing one's
life to Christ, baptism, doing good works, or persevering in the
faith.
SECOND, the promises of God's Word are sufficient for assurance.
While one's works can have a confirmatory value, they are not
essential for assurance. Any believer can have 100% certainty of his
salvation if he but looks to the promises in God's Word to the
believer.
One can have firm assurance of salvation and yet walk in sin. Sin,
while a grievous thing, does not necessarily weaken assurance. Only
if sin results in a person taking his eyes off of God's promises can
sin weaken assurance.
THIRD, the Gospel of John is given great weight in formulating one's
view of the Gospel.
FOURTH, eternal salvation once gained can never be lost.
The Lordship Salvation View.
All those who believe in Lordship Salvation disagree with the first
three Free Grace positions stated above. The following three points
are held by all in the Lordship Salvation camp.
FIRST, the condition of eternal life is more than trusting in Christ
as one's Savior. One or more of the following are also conditions of
eternal life: turning from sins, being willing to turn from sins,
committing one's life to Christ, baptism, obedience, and persevering
in the faith.
SECOND, the promises of God's Word, while necessary for assurance,
are not sufficient. One must also look to his works. No believer can
have 100% assurance of salvation merely by looking to the promises in
God's Word to the believer. (Indeed, most, but not all, in the
Lordship Salvation camp say that 100% assurance is impossible since
no one's works are perfect.)
It is impossible to have firm assurance of salvation and yet walk in
sin. Sin necessarily weakens assurance.
THIRD, care is taken not to give undue weight to the Gospel of John
when formulating one's view of the Gospel. The Synoptic Gospels and
the NT Epistles are felt to be at least equally as important as the
Gospel of John in gaining a proper perspective on the Gospel.
Lordship Salvation advocates are divided on the eternal security
issue. Reformed Lordship Salvationists, in agreement, with Free Grace
Salvationists, believe in eternal security. However, Arminian
Lordship Salvationists do not.
DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE VIEWS
Three Free Grace Views
Free Grace #1: Antinomianism
Holds to the four essential Free Grace views. Believes that
perseverance is not guaranteed; apostasy is possible for the true
believer; and that the believer is not under any set of rules or laws
today.
Free Grace #2: Basic Free Grace
Holds to the four essential Free Grace views. Believes that
perseverance is not guaranteed (however, many if not most in this
view hold that all believers will produce at least some good works
sometime somewhere, even though those works may not be evident to
others or even themselves); and that apostasy is possible for the
true believer. Unlike the above group, the basic Free Grace position
holds that believers are under rules and laws today. This group tends
to have a strong view of accountability and the believer's future
judgment.
Free Grace #3: More Reformed Free Grace
Holds to the four essential Free Grace views. Believes that
perseverance is guaranteed (with a strong view of perseverance which
excludes the possibility of carnality lasting for a very long time
and which asserts that all believers will produce good works which
are clearly observable to themselves and others), and that apostasy
is not possible for the true believer.
Three Lordship Salvation Views
Lordship Salvation #1: Mild Lordship Salvation, Reformed
Holds to the three essential Lordship Salvation views. Says that only
a willingness to turn from sins and a willingness to commit all to
the Lord is needed for eternal salvation. Has the same view of
perseverance and apostasy as the previous group. Holds to eternal
security.
Lordship Salvation #2: Strong Lordship Salvation, Reformed
Holds to the three essential Lordship Salvation views. Says that more
than a willingness to turn from sins and a willingness to commit all
to the Lord is needed. Major sins must be forsaken and all must be
committed to the Lord before salvation can occur. Has the same view
of perseverance and apostasy as the previous two groups, with the
exception that this group sees failure on the part of the true
believer as very rare and very short lived. Holds to eternal
security. Does not emphasize the doctrine of rewards and the
believer's future judgment.
Lordship Salvation #3: Strong Lordship Salvation, Arminian
Holds to the three essential Lordship Salvation views. Says that more
than a willingness to turn from sins and a willingness to commit all
to Lord is needed. Major sins must be forsaken and all must be
committed to the Lord before salvation can occur. In addition, other
conditions of salvation like baptism, confession of sins, and good
works are added by various representatives of this group. Those
holding this view believe that perseverance is not guaranteed and
that salvation is lost if and when one fails to persevere. Apostasy
is also viewed as possible for the true believer and again loss of
salvation is considered to be the result.
CONCLUSION
While there is a spectrum of beliefs within each camp, the lines
between Lordship Salvation and Free Grace Salvation are clearly
drawn. I am grieved by the efforts of some today to blur the
distinctions. Unity is a fine thing; but not at the expense of our
lifeblood, the Gospel!
Bob Wilkin is the Executive Director of Grace Evangelical Society.
ges@faithalone.org
Grace in Focus Newsletter
http://www.faithalone.org
======================================================
The Fifth Trumpet Judgment
---An Explanation through Dramatization
by James BeauSeigneur
======================================================
"The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had
fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the
shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like
the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by
the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down upon
the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.
They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or
tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their
foreheads. They were not given power to kill them, but only to
torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like
that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those
days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die
but death will elude them.
"The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads
they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled
human faces. Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were
like lions' teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron,
and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses
and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails and stings like
scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for
five months. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose
name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon." (Revelation
9:1-11 NIV)
Anyone who has followed these articles in PropheZine might quickly
notice the similar feature of a "star" which appears in this
judgment. In the first article (PropheZine #96), I showed how the
events of the first trumpet judgment (Rev. 8:7) could result from an
asteroid passing through the earth's atmosphere. The second article
(PropheZine #97) dealt with the effects of what the Apostle John
described as "a huge mountain, all ablaze ... thrown into the sea"
(Rev. 8:8-9). In that article, we saw how each of the effects John
described could result from a second asteroid striking the earth in
the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean.
Describing the third trumpet (Rev. 8:10-11), John specifically tells
us of "a great star" falling from the sky. In the third article
(PropheZine #98), we considered how the effects which follow the
"great star" could be attributable to a third asteroid, as well as
how the darkness of the fourth trumpet would follow in the combined
aftermath of the earth's encounter with asteroids.
It might surprise the reader, then, that I do not to see in the fifth
trumpet's "star" a fourth asteroid. Despite the temptation to
continue the pattern, the hypothesis of a fourth asteroid simply does
not fit with the description of the fifth trumpet. Additionally, the
"star" of Revelation 9:1 differs from John's earlier descriptions in
that it is not a star which John sees falling, but rather John says,
"I saw a star that HAD fallen from the sky to the earth," (emphasis
mine). That is, at the time of John's vision, the star had already
fallen.
John's further description makes it clear that this "star" it is an
angelic being. He later identifies the angel as Abaddon or Apollyon.
A great deal has been written by others about this being, so I will
only note here the similarity of John's "star that had fallen" to the
reference in Isaiah 14:12. There Isaiah says, writing of Lucifer,
"How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the
nations!" (NIV)
John gives us a detailed description of the locusts and their power
to afflict mankind. The most unusual feature of the locusts' attack
is that while their sting is so painful as to cause their victims to
want to die rather than endure the pain, "death will elude them." Is
this solely a feature of the stings of the locusts or are there
additional features which come into play? To understand this,
consider the cultural times in which we live and the logical
extension of that cultural path, especially if the Church has been
taken out of the world in the Rapture. Based on what we see today,
can anyone doubt that in the times of the Tribulation euthanasia
clinics will be at least as common as abortion clinics are today? And
if such death clinics (which might euphemistically be called "life
completion clinics") are common, would it not be in keeping with what
we know of government to assume that only certain methods of inducing
death would be approved?
A small but extremely significant feature of the locusts' attack will
mark a key change in how the world views the events of the
Tribulation period. Until this point, the events of all of the
judgments of Revelation (wars, plagues, famines, asteroids) could be
explained away by stubborn, sinful man as being man-made or natural,
though certainly unusual. The locusts, however, are given free reign
to attack everyone except "those people who did not have the seal of
God on their foreheads." Some have argued that this refers to all
believers during the Tribulation, but I am inclined to believe the
reference is to the 144,000 of Rev. 7 and 14 who have the seal of God
on their foreheads (Rev. 7:2-3), which is the name of the Lamb and
his Father's name. Whichever you believe, it is at this point in the
Tribulation that even the most skeptical non-Christian will have to
recognize that these events have a spiritual component. For how else
could they explain why only those with the mark of God are not
attacked by the locusts? And with this recognition, persecution of
those who follow Jesus will begin in earnest.
The following dramatization of the fifth trumpet judgment addresses
each of these issues. It is adapted for PropheZine from chapters 9
and 10 of BIRTH OF AN AGE, Book 2 of THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY
(available through the PropheZine Bookstore at
http://www.prophezine.com/bookstore/james.html). In the three
previous articles, it was possible to avoid any discussion of the
main characters of the Trilogy and to focus exclusively on the
events. In this article you will be introduced to a few of the main
characters. What role they play throughout will be left to your
imagination. Also briefly mentioned are the Koum Damah Patar (KDP),
that is, the 144,000. [An interesting note about the number 144,000,
which was first identified in my novels THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY, is
that when written in Hebrew characters, the number 144,000 spells out
the Hebrew words Koum Damah Patar. The meaning of these words and
their significance to the 144,000 can be found in ACTS OF GOD, Book 3
of THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY.]
SWARM
July 11, 2022 -- New York
Decker Hawthorne tipped the driver and got out of the cab in front of
the U.N. Secretariat Building. It was a hazy, dreary day as were most
days, but it was getting better. Much of the volcanic ash had settled
and the temperature was now only eight degrees below the normal
average, but only infrequently was the sun seen clearly. Grass was
growing again: there was that much to be thankful for. And while the
diminished sunlight had stunted the growth of grain grasses, there
would be at least a modest harvest.
As Decker approached the revolving doors into the Secretariat's lobby
he heard what sounded like a helicopter approaching and looked up.
But instead of a helicopter it seemed as if the volcanic ash cover
had suddenly become a thick gray liquid, slowly pouring out upon the
earth. He squinted, hoping to get a clearer focus, but to no avail.
As the darkness descended, the sound intensified. Decker ran and
ducked for protection under the overhang of the building in front of
the door and then looked up again. The sound was now a roar that
seemed to fill the sky over the entire city. The bulk of the dark
mass was a hundred feet above the ground, but parts of it had already
reached the tree tops. Around him Decker heard sudden shrill screams
and then he saw what it was: an immense swarm of insects of a type he
had never seen before. They were as large as small birds and there
were millions of them.
Decker ran for the door but a dozen of the insects had already landed
on him. He made it inside, but in doing so he allowed a hundred more
to fly past him into the building. Most of the insects on him clung
to his clothes but one climbed up his collar to his neck. Decker
reached up to knock it away but it was too late. Searing pain nearly
knocked him off his feet as the creature simultaneously stung him
with a stinger in its tail and bit into the soft flesh of his neck to
feast on his blood. In the lobby people screamed and swatted
desperately as the insects bit and stung their exposed flesh.
The pain seemed unbearable but Decker tried again to grab at the one
on his neck, hoping to crush it in his hand. It was larger than he
expected, nearly filling his palm. Unable to crush it, Decker ripped
it from his neck and flung it to the floor and stepped on it. He put
his full weight on the creature before its exoskeleton finally gave
way, spitting guts and blood -- some of it Decker's -- onto the floor.
Outside, people ran through the streets, vainly hoping to escape or
to get to an open door. Those inside the building, fearing the
insects would enter along with the fleeing people, locked or blocked
the doors, leaving the unfortunates to fend for themselves. True to
the prophecy, only those who had �the seal of God on their foreheads'
-- the members of the Koum Damah Patar with their bloody sign of
membership written above their brow -- were spared. A pair of KDP
members who had been across the street from the U.N. when Decker
arrived stood watching the attack, completely untouched by the
insects.
All around Decker the screams and swatting increased as more people
from the plaza area in front of the Secretariat came in the revolving
doors, each time letting in more of the insects. In his agony, Decker
was totally unaware of the additional insects which still clung to
his clothing. Then suddenly he felt another fiery sting on his left
ankle just above his shoe, and then immediately another on his left
thigh, and then another on his right calf near the back of his knee.
They were all over him, chewing and thrashing at the fabric of his
suit with their teeth and spiny legs, digging their heads and
stingers down into his flesh. As each one stung he grabbed at it and
threw it to the floor, but the pain had become too excruciating for
him to step on them. As they hit the hard tile floor the insects lay
stunned for a few seconds and then reoriented themselves and either
flew to another victim or reattached themselves to Decker. Finally
Decker fell to the floor, writhing in pain as two more insects
crawled inside the back of his suit coat and began tearing at his
shirt. He was in too much pain to continue to fight, but with all the
strength he had left he managed to roll over on his back, hoping to
smash them. It only drove the stingers deeper.
There was a stampede to get away from the lobby: people were pushing
and shoving and climbing over each other. Those who could find an
open door ducked into offices, locking the door behind them to keep
others out.
Lying on his back unable to move, another insect landed on Decker's
face. As it was about to sting him, Decker passed out. When he did,
the insect strangely seemed to lose interest and flew away. The
others on him did the same. The two on his back beneath him released
their hold and scratched and squirmed along his back trying to get
out from under him. As entomologists would discover later, the
insects would not attack a victim that had already been driven into
unconsciousness by their stings.
Outside, thousands of the insects flew into the plate glass, trying
to reach the people inside. The collision only seemed to stun them
and the sidewalk below the window became alive with the wobbly
insects attempting to regain their bearings and fly away.
Perhaps the insects' greatest weakness was their persistence; once
they had landed on a victim they would not cease their attack until
they had drunk their fill of blood or until the person fell
unconscious. This persistence added to the fierceness of their attack
but it also made them �sitting ducks.' By the time additional
security personnel from all over the building began to reach the
lobby, most of the insects had already attached themselves to their
selected victims, and except for those withdrawing from unconscious
victims, few were left to interfere with the security personnel's
efforts. As one group of the security force ensured that no more
insects would get in the doors, others attempted to help the victims
and quickly found, as Decker had, that the best way to kill the
creatures was to pull them from their host, throw them to the hard
floor, and then to step on them with their full weight.
Soon afterward teams from the U.N.'s medical facility arrived and
began helping the victims. Scores lay unconscious on the floor while
others screamed in pain from the welts that rose where they had been
stung. A security guard who had captured two of the insects alive
held one in each hand by the backs of their strange trunks as they
squirmed and struggled in his hands, trying in vain to reach some
part of his flesh with their stingers. He had pulled the insects from
the face and leg of an elderly woman as they sucked the blood from
their nearly unconscious victim. Someone would no doubt want to have
a look at the peculiar creatures. Standing there, he began to wonder
where he would find a glass jar large enough to put them in.
Outside, the rumbling of the insects' wings suddenly grew louder as
millions of them began to fly away. Within thirty seconds they were
all gone: headed for another part of the city and fresh victims. The
sidewalk and street were littered with unconscious people lying in
crumpled heaps.
There was no consensus and not even very many guesses among
entomologists as to the particular species or even genus of the
insect. Whatever it was, it was something no one had ever before
reported -- a strange mutation without explanation. The insects
ranged from two and a half to three inches in length and were
approximately three-quarters of an inch across the back, and slightly
less than that thick. Their wings were sturdy but transparent with a
wingspan of a little more than six inches. They were covered with a
thick dark gray exoskeleton over most of the body, giving the
appearance of heavy armor. It was this aegis that made crushing the
insects so difficult. Over the head of the insect the exoskeleton was
spiny and luminous gold with perhaps a hundred inch-long soft fibers
extruding from beneath that looked remarkably like human hair. The
insect's face bore an eerie resemblance to a human face but was
somewhat flatter. Its mouth, which, relative to a human face was
easily twice as wide, exhibited fearsome-looking fangs which it used
to rapidly chew through clothing and then bite its victim. The tail
of the insect carried a large stinger, used to inject its victim with
an unidentified poison.
The insects traveled in immense swarms up to fifteen miles across,
and stayed in one place just long enough to feed off conscious
victims before moving on. The swarm that had descended on the United
Nations Plaza was now moving northeast, but it was just one of
hundreds of swarms that had appeared suddenly throughout the world.
In areas of the world where shelters were constructed of materials
less substantial than concrete, steel, and glass, far more people
were bitten and stung by the creatures than had been in New York.
Laboratory dissection revealed an additional feature that added to
the entomologists' confusion about the origin of the insects: they
had absolutely no identifiable reproductive organs.
Five hours later Decker regained consciousness. In his arm a needle
fed his vein with saline solution to prevent dehydration. He was in
the U.N. medical facility surrounded by other victims, some
conscious, others not. Like Decker, those who were conscious wished
they were not. The shrill cries of agony had yielded to sorrowful
moans, not because the victims had obtained relief from the anguish
but because they were too exhausted to cry out. The U.N. medical
facility was not designed to handle anywhere near this many patients,
but the New York hospitals were all filled beyond capacity with other
victims. There was simply nowhere else to put them.
All around him there was moaning and weeping, but Decker didn't care.
A few were pleading for termination. But Decker was in too much pain
to be distracted by someone else's problems. Huge welts, six to eight
inches in diameter, covered his body in sixteen places from his neck
to his ankle. His temperature had risen to 103 degrees as his body
fought the poison. Never had he experienced such pain. Decker was
whimpering and tears rolled down his cheeks but he didn't even know
it. The doctors had tried the maximum dosages of a dozen different
pain killers but nothing provided any relief. Every second was like
an eternity. Torment was all he knew.
Beside his bed, amidst the forest of IV stands with their clear
plastic vines, a familiar face looked down upon him, but Decker could
not see it. Christopher Goodman looked around to be sure there were
no doctors or nurses nearby and then reached down and touched Decker
on his forehead. As he did, a wave of sweet relief immediately swept
over Decker's body. He was exhausted but in that instant the pain and
fever were entirely gone.
"How are you, old friend?" Christopher asked with a smile.
Now Decker wept with relief. "Thank you," he cried as he reached out
to touch Christopher's arm.
"I came as soon as I found out," Christopher answered.
Decker looked around at the others who still lay there, and then
looked up at Christopher. Christopher nodded and left Decker. Quickly
he moved among the other patients but, unlike he had done with
Decker, as he touched each person, Christopher softly whispered
"sleep," and they slipped into a quiet peaceful rest, unaware of the
gift they had been given.
Decker struggled to keep his eyes open and watched as Christopher
left the room to go to other patients. Then he fell asleep.
July 13, 2022 -- New York
Decker awoke to find a team of U.N. doctors examining the places on
his body where he had been stung. His welts had disappeared, as had
the welts on the other patients. The doctors could not understand it.
Everywhere else in the world, the victims from the first day of the
insects' attack were still suffering. The research on the insects'
poison indicated that it could take five days to a week for the pain
to subside. But here was a single isolated group of patients for whom
the norm mysteriously did not hold true. Not only were they no longer
suffering; they were entirely recovered, some reporting that they
felt better than they had in years.
Decker sat up. Some of the other patients had already left. "How long
have I been here?" he asked the doctor in charge.
"Two days," she answered.
"And the, uh . . ." Decker struggled, not sure exactly what to call
the insects that had attacked him.
"Locusts?" the doctor said, completing Decker's question. Decker
nodded, a little surprised at her choice of terms. "They've moved on
for now but they're still with us."
Decker found his clothes and shoes in a cabinet and started to dress.
It was a new suit and he was distracted by the holes made by the
insects. He dressed and looked in the mirror. Between the two-day
growth of beard and the ruined suit he looked pretty unkempt. He
could clean up and change clothes later, though: right now he wanted
to see Christopher.
"I'm so glad you're all right!" Jackie Hansen said as she ran to hug
Decker when he arrived at Christopher's office at the Italian
Mission. "I visited you in the medical facility, but you were in so
much pain, I don't think you knew I was there."
"I don't remember much of anything except pain," Decker said,
returning the hug. "Is Christopher in?"
"He just stepped out. I expect him back any minute. You can wait in
his office if you like," Jackie offered.
"Thanks," Decker said, and started toward Christopher's door.
"Secretary Milner is waiting for him as well."
"Oh," Decker responded. It seemed anymore that Milner could almost
always be found near Christopher.
"By the way, nice suit," Jackie added with a smile, as she put her
little finger in one of the holes left by the locusts.
Decker rolled his eyes.
When Decker entered, Milner was at Christopher's desk on the
telephone. Milner looked up at him and seemed to be inspecting him
unapprovingly; it wasn't just the holes in his suit or the two-day
growth on his face. There was something more.
Decker nodded in greeting, not quite sure what caused the strange
reaction from Milner, and then walked over to look out Christopher's
window. The street below was nearly deserted. There were fewer than a
dozen cars and only a couple of quickly-moving pedestrians. A moment
later Christopher walked in. "Decker, how are you?" Christopher asked
with some excitement in his voice.
"I feel wonderful," Decker answered. "Thank you for what you did. I
guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I didn't know you could do that."
"I didn't either," Christopher answered. "It just seemed like the
natural thing to do at the time."
Robert Milner got off the phone and was about to join the
conversation, but Christopher spoke first. "Welcome back," he said,
looking in Milner's direction. "I thought you were in Spain."
"I was," Milner answered, "until I heard about what happened at the
U.N. medical facility."
"You mean people know what happened!?" Decker interrupted.
"No," Christopher answered calmly. "Not exactly. They just know that
for some unexplained reason the people in the facility had an
unusually quick recovery."
"Christopher, you cannot be taking this kind of chance," Milner said.
"What if someone had seen you?" Milner's voice was raised but it was
clearly out of concern, not anger.
"When I heard that Decker had been stung I couldn't just leave him
there," Christopher insisted.
"No," Milner said, frowning and shaking his head as he looked over at
Decker. "I guess you couldn't. But did you have to heal everyone else
while you were there? It would be a lot easier for doctors to
overlook one person who had a miraculous recovery, but a whole
facility?"
"They were in so much pain. I had to do something."
"Christopher, people are in pain all over the world. Over 400 million
died in the China-India-Pakistan War; hundreds of millions more died
because of the asteroids. China is starving because millions of acres
of farmland along the coast are ruined by the salt left behind by the
tsunami. The west coasts of North and South America are wastelands.
What's left of Japan, the Philippines, and all the other countries
that used to depend on the Pacific for fishing, are having to ration
food and are deep in economic depression. The crop harvest all over
the world is a fraction of what is needed . . ." Milner discontinued
the list, though he could have gone on. "But you know as well as I
do," he concluded, "this is part of the process. It's like labor
pains. It's a necessary part of the birth of the coming age. If you
subvert that mechanism of change, you may remove the pain but you
also risk undermining the birth process."
"Bob, it was only a few people," Christopher reasoned.
"From what I hear, it was over a hundred."
"But that can't possibly make any difference in the overall scheme of things."
"It might, if anyone saw you."
"I was very careful."
Milner sighed; he had made his point and didn't care to argue
specifics. "Well," he said, and then sighed again, "I guess there's
nothing we can do about it now anyway."
"It'll be okay," Christopher said.
"But you can't let this happen again. I know it's hard when you see
the suffering up close, but you cannot let your heart rule your head."
"I know, Bob, I know," Christopher answered. "Thank you for being
here to remind me."
"And you're sure no one saw you?"
"I was very careful."
There was a pause and Decker took the opportunity to try to get
answers to some questions he had. "The doctor at the medical facility
called the insects �locusts.' Was that just a coincidence or do
people realize that John and Cohen are behind all of this? I mean, I
assume that those things are the �locusts' that John and Cohen
prophesied."
Robert Milner pulled a copy of The New York Times from his briefcase.
Nearly the entire front section was filled with articles about the
�locusts' -- where they had attacked, estimates of how many people
had been stung, protective measures to seal homes and other buildings
to keep the locusts out -- and an international poll showing that 66
percent of those polled said they thought John and Cohen were
responsible for the locusts. Milner pointed at an article titled
"Search for �Prophets' Continues in Israel."
"They won't find them, of course," Milner said.
Decker sat down and quickly scanned one of the articles. The swarms
of locusts had struck throughout the northern hemisphere and the
tropics. The only areas of the world that were spared were in the
southern hemisphere where it was late winter. Apparently the locusts
were sensitive to cold climate. The swarms were so large that they
were easily tracked by satellite and radar, enabling the World
Meteorological Organization to provide some advance warning to
inhabitants when a swarm was approaching a city. However, it was
never really safe to be outside because smaller swarms of stragglers
became separated from the larger swarms and their movements were
impossible to track and predict. So far the use of U.N.-approved
pesticides had been unsuccessful on the insects.
In addition to the agonizing pain it caused, the locusts' poison also
caused the victim's kidneys and liver to go into overdrive, and
though this did little to eliminate the poison, it rendered
painkillers of no benefit. Ironically, it had the same effect on the
U.N.-approved thanatotopic (death inducing) drugs, and for an
as-yet-unknown reason, even sodium potassium ATPase inhibitors were
ineffective. So it was that, though many victims would have gladly
chosen "life completion" rather than enduring the pain, none of the
drugs approved by the World Health Organization for completion
assistance at the life completion clinics was of any use to them.
"I have a meeting in Barcelona in four and a half hours," Milner
said, as he closed up his briefcase. "I need to be on the next
supersonic out of Kennedy."
Decker looked up from the paper. "Be careful getting to your car."
"My driver is picking me up out front. It's relatively safe as long
as you're not out for more than a few minutes. Besides, they tell me
you can hear the locusts coming."
"Well, yes," Decker said from experience, "if they're in a large swarm."
"It will only take me a few seconds to reach the car. I'm sure I'll be fine."
"Okay," Decker said. "But believe me, you do not want to get stung by
one of those things!"
"I'll keep that in mind," Milner said.
Decker went back to the article he was reading while Christopher
walked out with Milner. When Christopher returned, Decker offered,
"Well, I understand what you did. And I appreciate it."
"He just wants what's best," Christopher responded. "He's looking at
the big picture."
"Sure, but I don't know how he can expect you to just stand by and do
nothing if you can stop someone's suffering."
Christopher shrugged. There was nothing more to say on the matter.
"What are your plans?" he asked.
"Well, I'd like to go home and get cleaned up and change clothes but
I'm not too excited about going back outside. It was bad enough
running over here from across the street," he said, referring to his
route from the U.N. to the Italian Mission. "I'm not real comfortable
about running three blocks and up a long flight of stairs to the
Hermitage." Decker's apartment in the Hermitage was conveniently
close to the U.N., but it meant he had no need for a car, and there
were few cab drivers willing to risk going out with the locusts. If
Decker wanted to get home, it would have to be on foot.
Christopher's phone beeped, indicating an intercom call from Jackie
Hansen. "Mr. Ambassador, Ambassador Tanaka is here to see you," she
said, referring to the ambassador from Japan who served as the
Primary member of the Security Council from the Pacific Basin
countries.
"I wasn't expecting anyone," he said, but it would have been a
serious breach of etiquette to keep the Ambassador waiting. "Send him
in," he said after a moment. Ambassador Tanaka was a slender man in
his mid-seventies. He had been a Primary member of the Security
Council for the past seven years and an Alternate member for two
years before that.
"Mr. Ambassador," Tanaka began when he came in. "I apologize for the
intrusion, but I . . ."
"It's no intrusion, Mr. Ambassador," Christopher assured him
politely. "What can I do for you?"
The Japanese Ambassador looked uncomfortable, as though either he
didn't know how to begin or that what he had planned to say now
seemed inappropriate and more difficult than he had anticipated.
Christopher waited.
"Mr. Ambassador, as you know, I have long been a supporter of the
fine work of Secretary Robert Milner and the Lucius Trust. For many
years Secretary Milner has talked of the coming of a �Krishnamurti,'
the Ruler of the New Age." Ambassador Tanaka was obviously
uncomfortable talking about this, but even more he was intent upon
completing the mission he had begun. Decker tried not to show his own
discomfort at where it appeared Tanaka might be going with this. "It
was said among those at the Trust," Tanaka continued, "that both
Secretary Milner and Alice Bernley would see the Krishnamurti before
their deaths." Tanaka paused again and then continued. "Director
Bernley is dead." Ambassador Tanaka stopped and looked down at the
floor. Decker looked at the ceiling and bit the inside of his lower
lip, now certain he knew where Ambassador Tanaka's soliloquy was
leading. "Please," Tanaka pled, "my granddaughter has been stung by
the locusts. She is near death. She was here visiting from Japan and
. . ."
"Mr. Ambassador, no one has actually died from the locusts' stings,"
Christopher said, but the interruption did not deter Tanaka.
"Ambassador Goodman, are you the Krishnamurti, the Ruler of the New Age?"
Decker dropped his head into his hand. He was glad that Ambassador
Tanaka was not looking at him. He was sure the look on his face would
have given away the truth. Peeking through his fingers he was
relieved to see that Christopher was handling the question more
calmly.
"Ambassador Tanaka," Christopher responded, "Secretary Milner has
told me of this prophesied ruler as well, but I'm afraid that . . ."
"I know that you healed the people in the U.N. medical facility,"
Tanaka interrupted.
Christopher fell silent. Tanaka continued. "Ms. Love told me that you
were seen leaving immediately after the healings occurred," he said,
referring to Gaia Love, who had taken over as director of the Lucius
Trust after Alice Bernley's death. "Please, if you are the
Krishnamurti, you must heal my granddaughter. She is very young, only
eight years old. She was stung eleven times."
At that moment the door opened and Decker and Christopher saw Jackie
Hansen attempting to block the path of a Japanese man in his early
thirties. In his arms he carried the limp body of a young girl -- the
ambassador's granddaughter -- tightly wrapped in a thick blue cotton
blanket because of her fever. "Sir," Jackie Hansen was saying, "you
cannot go in unannounced."
"It's all right," Christopher said after a moment. "Let him in."
Jackie let the man enter and closed the door behind him. "This is my
son Yasushi and," Tanaka lovingly pulled the blanket from his
granddaughter's face, "this is my granddaughter Keiko."
Christopher looked at the girl for a moment and then pulled his gaze
away, turning sharply to look out his window. "I'm sorry," he said
finally, "there's nothing I can do. She should be in a hospital."
"The doctors say there is nothing they can do," Tanaka countered.
"But you can heal her."
"I'm sorry," Christopher said again.
A look of defeat slowly replaced the look of hope that had been on
the ambassador's face. For a moment Tanaka just stood there as
Christopher continued looking out the window. Finally, Tanaka looked
at his son and then down at the floor. "I'm sorry to have bothered
you, Mr. Ambassador," Tanaka said, and motioned toward the door for
his son to exit. Christopher continued to look away as Ambassador
Tanaka, his son, and granddaughter left, shutting the door behind
them.
Christopher turned and looked at the door and then at Decker. Then
suddenly, he went to the door and opened it. "Mr. Ambassador," he
called after them. "Ambassador Tanaka," he called. "Please come back."
Tanaka was back in the office immediately, followed quickly by his
son and granddaughter. Christopher stood by the door and closed it as
they came in. "Mr. Ambassador, you have put me in a very awkward
position," Christopher said.
"Then you will heal her?" Tanaka asked, hoping to secure a positive
response before Christopher could change his mind.
"I will heal her," Christopher answered. "But I must have your word,
and that of your son, that you will not reveal any of this to anyone.
Especially not to Secretary Milner or Ms. Love," he added almost
under his breath.
"Yes, of course. Anything," Tanaka said, and then turned to his son,
who also agreed.
Christopher walked over to the little girl. Carefully, he pulled the
blanket back from her face to look at her. One of the welts was on
her right forehead, causing the whole side of her face to swell and
horribly distorting her tender features. Touching her where the
locust had stung, he whispered in Japanese, "Naorimashita," meaning
�you are healed,' and immediately the swelling was gone. Decker
looked at Christopher and was struck by what appeared to be a
momentary look of foreboding that swept over Christopher's face. He
had seen that look before.
Ambassador Tanaka pulled the blanket back to see his granddaughter.
All of the welts were gone, as was her fever. The look of
astonishment was obvious on Ambassador Tanaka's face. It was clear
that even though he had come to Christopher asking for a miracle, he
did not entirely expect to see one. Dropping to his knees and bowing
at Christopher's feet, he began repeating something in Japanese which
Decker took to be as much worship as it was gratitude.
Christopher bent over to raise him up. "Please, Mr. Ambassador,"
Christopher said, "this is not necessary. Just do as you have
promised. Take her somewhere for a few weeks where no one will ask
any questions."
"Yes. Yes. Of course. Just as you say. She will return to Japan today
with my son."
"Decker," Christopher said, "would you please have Jackie -- as
nonchalantly as possible -- clear the office of any of the staff,
then escort the ambassador, his son, and granddaughter out. Make sure
that no one who might have seen them come in sees them leave." Decker
nodded and left the office to do as Christopher had asked. A moment
later he returned and led them out with the ambassador's
granddaughter covered as she had been when they came in. As they
reached the door, Christopher stopped Ambassador Tanaka. "Mr.
Ambassador," Christopher said, "one question:"
"Anything," Tanaka responded.
"Do you have any idea who it was that saw me leaving the U.N. medical
facility after the patients there were healed?"
"I believe it was Ms. Hansen," Tanaka answered.
"Hmm. Okay. Thank you," Christopher said. "I assume I'll be seeing
you at the Security Council meeting next Thursday?"
"Yes," Tanaka said and then bowed to Christopher. It was a very low
bow, especially respectful considering that Ambassador Tanaka seldom
kept with the Japanese tradition of bowing when he was out of his
country.
When Decker returned, Christopher had already called Jackie into his
office. Decker assured Christopher that the departure had gone well,
and then Jackie continued her explanation.
"I was at the facility trying to comfort Decker," she said. "I had
been there for about a half an hour and I left for a moment to go to
the rest room. When I returned, I saw you leaving and assumed you had
been to see Decker. But when I got to his bed, he was well -- they
all were. The welts and fever were gone. I didn't know what to think.
And then I found out the poison was supposed to take a week to wear
off. I was going to ask you about it, but I wasn't sure exactly what
to say, so I just kept putting it off. Then yesterday, I went to the
Lucius Trust, as I often do to meditate during lunch. While I was
there -- I guess I looked like I had something on my mind -- Gaia
Love asked me what was troubling me, and I talked to her. I tried to
be vague but I guess she figured it out. I hope I haven't caused too
much trouble," she concluded, with a great look of concern on her
face.
Christopher shook his head. "No, it's all right," he said
reassuringly. "Just don't say anything to anyone else. And, please,
if you have any more questions, ask me first."
Jackie nodded agreement and then started to leave but turned before
she opened the door. "I do have something I'd like to ask," she said
hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"Did you heal the people in the U.N. medical facility?"
"Yes," Christopher answered directly.
"And Ambassador Tanaka's granddaughter"
"Yes."
"Then . . . are you the Krishnamurti, the Messiah of the New Age?"
"Yes."
Jackie threw her arms up then covered her mouth with her hands. "I
knew it. I knew it," she said.
"Jackie," Christopher said firmly. "You must not repeat this to anyone."
"No, sir, I won't," she promised. It occurred to Decker that having
known him since he was only 15 years old, Jackie had never called
Christopher �sir' before, except in public.
"Thank you, Jackie. Now see if you can get things back to normal with
the rest of the office."
"Yes, sir."
Decker waited until Jackie left. "I hope that was the right thing to
do," Decker said once the door was shut.
"I don't think I had any choice," Christopher answered. "I was going
to have to tell her sooner or later. If I had told her sooner, this
would not have come up in the first place. Besides, I'm certain I can
trust her."
Decker thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Oh, well," he said
after a moment, "there's another matter we need to work on as well:
What about Gaia Love?"
"I guess I'll have to call Secretary Milner on that," he said as he
reached for the phone. "She'll do whatever he says. I can probably
catch him before he gets to the airport, and he can call her from the
plane."
"Are you going to tell him about Ambassador Tanaka's granddaughter?"
"No. There's no reason to worry him about that now. Besides,"
Christopher said as he began dialing the phone, "Tanaka may not be
our only worry. I �neglected' to mention that two of the people that
I healed at the U.N. medical facility were wives of Security Council
members."
James BeauSeigneur
<sr@selectivehouse.com>
The three books of THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY (In His Image, Birth of
an Age, and Acts of God) are available through PropheZine at
http://www.prophezine.com/bookstore/james.html with a percentage of
each sale going to support the on-going ministry of PropheZine. Mr.
BeauSeigneur's other published works include technical manuals on
military avionics and strategic defense technology.
Reviewer Jay Carper says of The Christ Clone Trilogy: **Apocalypse
fans, here is your Hobbit. Every turn was unexpected. The characters
were real. The plot was real. And never have I seen the Seven Seals
broken with such clarity and imagination. . .**
http://www.prophezine.com/bookstore/james.html
Reviewer Bob Lally (PropheZine): **The most exciting end-time story I
have ever read. I have read the trilogy two times in the past 18
months and will most definitely read it again this summer.**
http://www.prophezine.com/bookstore/james.html
======================================================
You CAN Understand Prophecy!
Dr. Dale Johnsen
======================================================
A group of young men met together in a school gym one night a week to
play basketball. Each week, the school janitor would sit and read his
Bible while he waited patiently for them to finish their game. One
evening, one of the men stopped to ask him what he was studying. The
old man answered, "the book of Revelation."
Surprised, the young man asked the elderly janitor if he understood
such a complicated book.
"Oh yes!," the man replied, "I understand it. It says that Jesus is gonna win!"
That is what prophecy is all about. The prophecies in the Bible tells
us about a coming world leader who will at last bring peace and order
to our troubled globe to replace all the chaos and confusion that now
plague this planet. The name of that leader is not antichrist; it is
Jesus Christ. Antichrist will rule the earth for seven years, but
Jesus Christ will defeat him and then rule the earth for a thousand
years. It�s true. "Jesus is gonna win!" You can bet your life on it.
Professional prognosticators and futurologists correctly "predict"
the future about thirty to forty percent of the time. In stark
contrast, God�s "batting average" is a perfect 1.000. Not one of His
prophecies has ever been a "dud." You can have total, unwavering
confidence that every other prophecy that is still yet to come will
likewise be a sure-fire "home run."
Why? Because as 2 Peter 1:20-21 teaches this: "Above all, you must
understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet�s
own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of
man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit."
All Bible prophecies originate directly from God. They unfold in
history in a literal, precise and accurate way, with perfect
precision, right on schedule. Not one of them can ever fail.
Here are some important definitions for prophetic terms:
RAPTURE. The word "rapture," while not found in our English Bibles,
comes from the Latin word rapio, which means "to snatch; to seize; to
catch away." Jesus Christ will suddenly and unexpectedly enter our
upper atmosphere, hovering over the earth in the clouds, and call for
His Bride, the church, to meet Him in the air. All true Christians
living on earth will be instantaneously "airlifted" to heaven by
Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:52 says this will happen "in a flash, in the
twinkling of an eye . . . the dead will be raised imperishable, and
we will be changed." Christians who are alive at the time of the
rapture will be transported to heaven without ever experiencing
death. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says they "will be caught up together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." I expect Christ
to remove His church from the earth shortly before the cataclysmic
forces of the seven-year tribulation begin (Revelation 3:10).
ANTICHRIST. The Bible clearly predicts in Revelation 13 that an
incredibly popular and powerful world leader will arise to lead the
world after the rapture. This "beast" will be acclaimed as a savior
or messiah who will rescue the nations from chaos. He will provide
such wise and firm direction that earth�s population will
enthusiastically embrace him as their one world ruler.
TRIBULATION. Sometime after the rapture, the antichrist will make a
seven-year peace treaty with Israel (Daniel 9:27). The first half of
these seven years will be peaceful and prosperous. The revived Roman
Empire will come to power in Europe and create a powerful alliance
between the world government and world religion. 144,000 Jewish
believers will be busy preaching the gospel throughout the world.
Unsaved people will assume that "peace and safety" is here to stay.
Three and a half years later, in the middle of these seven years,
things will change drastically. The antichrist will demand that the
entire world worship him. To force it, he will impose an economic
"mark of the beast" universally that will establish people�s
allegiance to the beast.
In response to this idolatrous evil, God will unleash His holy wrath
through three waves of judgment, the seals, the trumpets and the
bowls during the final three and a half years (called "the day of the
Lord"). The antichrist will attack and destroy the apostate world
church and will exterminate two-thirds of all the Jews. In response,
God will bombard the earth-dwellers with intense waves of punishment
for their rebellion against Him, decisively defeating all foes.
ARMAGEDDON. At the end of the tribulation, the nations of the world
will gather for World War III at a place known as Armageddon. Christ
will descend slowly from heaven to earth with His saints. All of
mankind�s nuclear arsenal and cruise missiles will be aimed at each
other, ready for the final battle, but once they see Christ coming
through the atmosphere, they will turn their missiles to the sky and
attack Him and His white-robed army, just like they would attack an
incoming asteroid. All their weapons will be utterly useless against
Christ�s sovereign power.
MILLENNIUM. God will install His chosen King, Jesus Christ, on the
throne of David in the city of Jerusalem, to rule as the omnipotent
dictator over the earth for one thousand years of peace (Revelation
20:1-6). All of God�s promises to Israel will at last have their full
and literal fulfillment. Christ will literally reign on earth as its
supreme political and spiritual leader. Disease will be totally
eliminated. The curse of sin will be removed from the physical earth.
People�s lifespans will be extended for hundreds of years (Isaiah
65:20). Jerusalem will be the capital of a perfect universal
government in which war will not exist (Isaiah 2:3,4). This is the
utopian "Kingdom" we pray will come so that God�s will may be done on
earth as it is in heaven.
JUDGMENT. After the one thousand years is completed, there will be
one final rebellion led by Satan. This will be followed by Gods�
Great White Throne Judgment when all the unsaved are cast into the
lake of fire, which is hell. Then God will create a new earth and
bring the city of heaven down to rest upon the new earth forever.
Believers will enjoy eternity in the presence of the Lord.
When Will the Rapture Occur?
One of the most hotly contested theological debates of our generation
is, when will the rapture of the church take place? Here are ten
reasons why I expect a pretribulational rapture.
One: IMMINENT RAPTURE. The Bible indicates that there will be no
specific signs or warnings to enable a person to accurately predict a
date for the rapture (John 14:1-3; 21:21-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:18;
Philippians 3:20-21; Titus 2:13). It can occur at any time, without
warning.
Two: A BLESSED HOPE. Our expectancy of reunion with Christ (Acts
1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1
Timothy 6:14; James 5:7-9; 1 Peter 3:3-4) encourages us to look
forward to seeing Christ at any moment, rather than seeing the
antichrist.
Three: ELDERS IN HEAVEN. In Revelation 4:4; 5:8; and 19:7-11 24,
crowned human elders sitting on thrones represent the rewarded church
in heaven before the tribulation begins.
Four: CONTRASTS WITH SECOND COMING. Many differences can be discerned
between the rapture and the second coming of Christ. Christ comes for
His Bride, to bring her to heaven to marry her in His Father�s house.
In contrast, at His second coming, Christ comes with His Bride, to
bring her back to earth and to judge the unsaved world and rule over
His kingdom from Jerusalem. After the rapture, only unbelievers will
be left on earth. After the second coming of Christ to the earth,
only believers will be left on earth. Paul�s vivid description of the
departure of the church from earth in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
indicates not that we go up and then immediately back down to earth,
as though we are on an elevator, but stay with the Lord, in the air,
forever.
Five: NO CHURCH IN REVELATION 6-18. Throughout Revelation 6-18, which
describes the tribulation, there are no references to the church or
to the Bride of Christ at all. This is a loud silence, a very
conspicuous absence. Revelation 13:9, spoken during the reign of
antichrist, warns us, "He who has an ear, let him hear." A very
similar exhortation is found seven times in Revelation 2 and 3, only
there it says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says
to the churches." The omission of the phrase "to the churches" in
13:9 is significant because it implies that the church, the body of
Christ has already been raptured away.
Six: BABIES IN THE MILLENNIUM. A logical reason for believing in a
pre-tribulation rapture is the issue of "Who is going to be left
behind to populate the millennial kingdom?" If all believers are
raptured just before God�s final judgments when all His enemies are
destroyed, there would be no one left on earth to have babies to
populate the millennial kingdom. All of the saved will be in their
resurrected glorified bodies, and they can�t have babies anymore,
because glorified bodies no longer reproduce (Mark 12:25). All of the
unsaved who are judged to be unworthy to remain alive on earth will
be punished with death (as described in Matthew 25). However, during
the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth, Isaiah 65:20 states that
many babies will be born. That is only possible if there are saved
people still on earth in their natural bodies when Christ returns to
the earth. Those who have babies during the millennium are saved
after the rapture and remain alive after Christ�s return to earth.
Seven: FOCUS ON ISRAEL. The tribulation is called "the time of
Jacob�s trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:24). God resumes focusing
His attention on Israel instead of the Church.
Eight: JEWISH WEDDING STAGES. The seven stages of a Jewish wedding
directly parallel a pretribulational rapture. Once a betrothal
covenant was made (=Lord�s Supper), the bridegroom returned to his
father�s house to prepare living accommodations for his bride by
building her a home. This is what Jesus said He would do for us in
John 14:2-3. Christ did not say He would come back and join His Bride
so that they could be together where she is (on earth), but that He
would bring her to where He was, which is at His Father�s house in
heaven.
Nine: KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TRIAL. Before a nation will declare war
on another nation, the first thing it does is evacuate its
ambassadors. Because Christians are ambassadors of Christ (2
Corinthians 5:20), it makes sense that God will airlift us off the
earth and bring us safely to heaven before He declares war on the
earth. In Revelation 3:10, Jesus promises that He will keep His
church "from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole
world."
Jesus points ahead to an unspecified future time of unprecedented
universal, worldwide trouble, the final Day of the Lord, when God
will judge all the unbelieving inhabitants of the earth. Revelation
3:10 doesn�t say that Christians will be protected from God�s wrath
"during" the tribulation, nor guarded "through" the tribulation, but
delivered "from" or "out of" the "hour of trial." Thus, the church
will be removed from the earth before the time of this trial begins.
Ten: NO WRATH ON THE CHURCH. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 clearly states, "For
God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:9 echoes, "Since we have now
been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from
God�s wrath through him!"
Since the tribulational woes are universal in scope (Revelation
6:17), no one on earth will escape them. However, those who are part
of the Bride of Christ, whose sins have been paid for fully by the
blood of Christ, are exempt from ever suffering God�s wrath (Romans
3:24-26; Colossians 2:13-14; Hebrews 10:14).
God rescued Noah from the Flood (Genesis 6-9), and rescued Lot before
destroying Sodom (Genesis 18-19), showing that God does not pour out
His wrath on believers. Therefore, logic dictates that the church
will not be present on earth during the universal outpouring of God�s
wrath.
But What About....?
One crucial passage used to argue against the pretribulation rapture
is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4: "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ and our being gathered to him [the rapture], we ask you,
brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy,
report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day
of the Lord has already come. Don�t let anyone deceive you in any
way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the
man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He
will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God
or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God�s temple,
proclaiming himself to be God."
The Thessalonians were "scared out of their wits" with sweaty palms
and white knuckles, fearing they had somehow missed the rapture and
that the day of the Lord had arrived. Paul wrote this section in
order to correct their misconceptions.
Apostasy and Antichrist
According to this passage, two events must precede the "day of the
Lord" when God pours out His wrath during the Great Tribulation.
First, the "rebellion" must occur. Second, the "man of lawlessness"
must be revealed. The "rebellion" in Greek is apostosia, which means
"apostasy," "departure," "falling away" or "total abandonment."
Following the rapture of all true believers, all those who remain
behind in the organized "Christian church" will be unbelievers only.
Without any "conservatives" with biblical convictions to hold them
back through the preaching of the gospel, unsaved churchgoers will
quickly dive into deep doctrinal apostasy and completely abandon the
true faith. The "man of lawlessness" refers to the future world
ruler. The antichrist will be revealed when he establishes a
seven-year covenant of peace with Israel. Three and a half years
later, when he demands to be worshiped as god, his identity will be
unmistakable.
So, the two events that precede the wrath of God in the day of the
Lord are apostasy and antichrist. Many people assume Paul states that
the rapture will not happen until after these two events have taken
place, but he does not. All he states is that the "day of the Lord,"
the judgment portion of the tribulation, will not begin until after
these two events occur.
What this implies is that there will be a gap of time between the
rapture and the day of the Lord (which starts in the middle of the
Daniel�s seventieth week). This gap will extend for at least three
and a half years. During this gap of time, after the church is gone,
the apostasy will occur and the antichrist will arise.
The seven-year tribulation will not begin on the day of the rapture.
The seventieth week of Daniel 9:27 begins only after the antichrist
has gained sufficient power to enact and enforce a peace treaty with
Israel. Since the antichrist won�t be revealed while the church is
present on earth, additional time is needed to allow for his rise to
power. Therefore, the rapture will occur more than seven years prior
to the second coming of Christ to the earth.
Who Holds Back Antichrist?
In 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, Paul tells us that the antichrist is now
being held in check by a powerful Person: "And now you know who is
holding him back [the restrainer], so that he [the antichrist] may be
revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is
already at work; but the one who holds it back will continue to do so
until he is taken out of the way."
Who is holding back antichrist? In the Greek text, He is mentioned
once with a neuter particle and once with a masculine pronoun. This
fits only one Person, the Holy Spirit. This change from neuter to
masculine gender is an important, hidden clue to His identity.
Galatians 5:17 and Romans 8:5-9 teach that the Holy Spirit�s job is
to counteract the effects of evil. Genesis 6:3 identifies the Holy
Spirit as the One who restrains sin. Clearly, it is the Holy Spirit
who holds back the antichrist at the present time. Only omnipotent
God is powerful enough to restrain satanic evil.
Question: What actually happens when the Holy Spirit is "taken out of the way"?
Answer: Where does the Holy Spirit live on earth? He lives within the
bodies of Christians. Believers� bodies are temples of the Holy
Spirit. The universal church collectively functions as one temple in
which the Holy Spirit dwells on earth. Therefore, when the church,
the Holy Spirit�s temple, is raptured from the earth, the Holy Spirit
is also "taken out of the way."
As omnipresent God, the Holy Spirit will still be present everywhere
on earth. He will actively bring people to salvation throughout the
tribulation. His other ministries will continue just as they did in
Old Testament times before the day of Pentecost. With the church
removed, the Holy Spirit will be removed only in His role of holding
back antichrist through His indwelling of Christians. His role of
preserving society from decay and destruction through the salt and
light of Christians in the culture will be over because the Church,
which He indwells and fills, will be gone.
After the Holy Spirit is "taken out of the way," 2 Thessalonians
2:8-12 adds: "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the
Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by
the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in
accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of
counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil
that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they
refuse to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends
them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so
that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have
delighted in wickedness."
Once the rapture occurs, God�s restraint of evil on the earth will be
lifted. The church, through which the indwelling Holy Spirit now
preserves the world through its influence of moral principles and
gospel preaching, will be gone. Without the Church here to stop him,
the antichrist will ascend to prominence within a short time. The
false prophet, promoting a one-world religion that wows the world
with Satanic miracles, will champion his rise to power.
People who have heard and rejected the gospel in these final days
before the rapture will be deluded to swallow this deception hook,
line and sinker. They will embrace the new "United Religions" that
likely will combine apostate Christianity with Islam under a false
Pope. In their spiritual blindness, they will worship the antichrist
instead of the true God. This will lead to their condemnation under
the holy judgment of God.
The final seven years of history before Christ�s return to earth will
not officially begin until the antichrist has gained sufficient power
to enact and enforce a seven year peace treaty with Israel (Daniel
9:27). Once he signs a seven year covenant with Israel, guaranteeing
her security from Islamic attack and permitting Israel to rebuild her
temple in Jerusalem, the final seven year countdown will begin.
Many people discount the idea of a pretribulational rapture by
arguing that no one taught this view until 1830. That�s not true. In
373 A.D., Ephraem the Syrian, a major theologian in the early
Byzantine Eastern Church, taught this: "For all the saints and elect
of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and
are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to
overwhelm the world because of our sins."
This conclusively proves that at least some Christians believed in a
pretribulational rapture even in the early days of church history.
It is reasonable to expect a pretribulational rapture. We must be
fully ready each day for Christ to whisk us away in the twinkling of
an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52) to meet Him in the air.
Cosmic Cleansing?
How will it be explained when millions of Christians suddenly
disappear and leave their clothing in a heap?
- As a mass abduction by aliens in UFOs?
- As a "cosmic cleansing" of mankind, surgically removing from earth
"the cancer" who would interfere with mankind�s next evolutionary
quantum leap?
- As spontaneous chemical combustion of bodies sparked by nuclear
stockpiles and toxic air pollution?
- As Mother Earth eliminating from Gaia�s soul all who have a negative
and narrow state of consciousness?
- As a deliberate purging of the population to save planet earth from
ecological destruction?
We can�t know for sure what the official explanation for these mass
vanishings will be. But we do know that many who are left behind will
surrender their freedom to a humanitarian savior in order to embrace
his false offer of peace, prosperity and security.
Revelation, the 66th book of the Bible, is neither an impossible
puzzle nor a playground for fanatics. You don�t have to be scared to
death to read its 404 verses. With the Holy Spirit as your Teacher
and Guide, God can use this final prophecy to radically change your
life.
Revelation teaches that beyond all the scenes of judgment, and beyond
all the terrible descriptions of blood and slaughter and darkness and
heartache and sorrow and misery, there is coming a new day, a
wonderful day of victory and joy - a day when Jesus will win. The
utopia that men have dreamed of for centuries will become a reality
when Christ personally returns to the earth.
When Jesus Christ came to earth the first time, He was just a
vulnerable baby. When He comes the second time, He will be an
invincible warrior. The first time, only a few shepherds saw Him. The
second time, every eye will see Him. The first time He came, a single
star marked His arrival. The second time He comes, all the stars will
fall from the sky, and He Himself will light the world.
Two thousand years ago, men made bold predictions about the future.
These detailed, specific predictions are being fulfilled at an
astonishing rate, with dazzling accuracy, right before our eyes.
Skeptics used to scoff at the Scripture�s nightmarish predictions of
a globe exploding with catastrophes and tottering on the brink of
extinction, but no one�s laughing anymore. The idea of a fiery
incineration engulfing the globe is, for the first time in history, a
very serious threat.
God is now arranging the world stage for the final act of human
history. When a benevolent messiah figure arrives to mesmerize the
world, it will begin the most dramatic, deadly drama of all time. The
world stage is still empty of specific actors, but the props are all
in place, and the house lights are beginning to dim. The world is
focused on a bulls-eye called Jerusalem. It is unmistakable. It is
real. It is happening now. The rapture of the church is about to
occur very, very soon.
What are you supposed to do about it? Should you go on wasting 30
hours a week in front of a TV set, complacently assuming it will
never happen in your lifetime? Are you to pretend that these things
are not really happening around you? Not on your life.
The Lord Jesus Christ expects you to watch, witness, worship, walk
and work until He comes.
When you see the downtown merchants decorating for Christmas, you
know that Thanksgiving is near. In the very same way, when you see
the world stage being set for the tribulation, you know that the
rapture must be near. It won�t be long until "we're outa here!"
------
To help with your further examination of prophecy, here is a helpful
outline of the book of Revelation. Notice how the entire book centers
on one Person -- Jesus Christ!
1:1-8 Christ Is Coming Back Soon
1:9-20 Christ Is In Charge Right Now
2:1-7 Christ Counsels His Church on Love
2:8-11 Christ Counsels His Church on Suffering
2:12-17 Christ Counsels His Church on Compromise
2:18-29 Christ Counsels His Church on Tolerance
3:1-6 Christ Counsels His Church on Apathy
3:7-13 Christ Counsels His Church on Embarrassment
3:14-22 Christ Counsels His Church on Complacency
4:1-11 Christ's Father Is Wholly Holy
5:1-14 Christ Is Our Worthy Lion and Lamb
6:1-17 Christ Opens Six Seals of Judgment
7:1-17 Christ Calls 144K To Save Millions
8:1-9:21 Christ Sends Six Trumpets of Doom
10:1-11:19 Christ's Two Witnesses of Warning
12:1-16 Christ's War with Satan the Serpent
13:1-18 Christ Permits Antichrist To Emerge
14:1-20 Christ Harvests Souls from the Earth
15:1-16:21 Christ's Final Wrath In Seven Bowls
17:1-18 Christ Kills the Scarlet Harlot
18:1-24 Christ Destroys Proud Babylon
19:1-10 Christ Reigns - Sing Hallelujah!
19:11-21 Christ Returns In Complete Victory
20:1-6 Christ Rules For 1000 Years of Peace
20:7-15 Christ Sends Satan to a Lake of Fire
21:1-22:6 Christ Creates a New Heaven and Earth
22:7-21 Christ Invites You to Come to Him
============
This article is adapted from the Dale Johnsen's new book, "What To Do
Until Christ Comes: Five Ways to Get Ready for His Soon Return!" For
free sample chapters of this new book, and for information on how how
may purchase a discount copy, see the web site at
http://UntilChristComes.com/
This book has been enthusiastically endorsed by J. Dwight Pentecost,
Tim Timmons and Ramesh Richard (Professor at Dallas Theological
Seminary). Comments may be emailed to the author at
johnsen@untilchristcomes.com
============
Dr. Dale Mark Johnsen
11502 Sara Loop Road
Yakima, WA 98908
FAX: 509-965-8096 Home: 509-966-1889 Office: 509-965-0445
http://UntilChristComes.com email: johnsen@untilchristcomes.com
======================================================
Heresy and Apostasy
by Warren Doud
======================================================
The words "heresy" and "apostasy" are two of the most often used
words to refer to doctrinal error and practice in the Church Age.
Any Christian is subject to error in his thinking about spiritual
matters. The presence of the sin nature in the soul guarantees that
we will have a constant
battle to distinguish between human and divine viewpoints. Error may
be the result of ignorance, of a lack of doctrine, or of deliberately
adopting some
point of view or activity.
The open-minded Christian who is positive to the teaching of the
Bible and who is willing for the Lord to deal with him in doctrinal
matters will find that
his erroneous ideas will be replaced with the truth of the Word of
God. As he grows in Christ, he will avoid heresy and any deliberate
apostasy.
Heresy itself, which is the result of making a wrong choice among
competing ideas, may have been entered into as a result of being
deceived (EPH. 4:11-18)
or of falling into a snare of Satan. Heresy becomes apostasy,
however, whenever a person deliberately decides to reject Bible truth
and maintain and
promote false ideas. This paper is written to help believers avoid
error, heresy, or apostasy.
HERESY
The word "heresy" comes from the Greek (hairesis) meaning, "a choice;
a taking for oneself; a sect or school of philosophy". Hence, in the
Bible, it
means, (1) a chosen course of thought or action; (2) dissensions
arising from diversity of opinions and aims; or (3) doctrinal
departures from revealed truth,
or erroneous doctrinal views.
The apostles warned the church continuously against such non-Biblical
views. Note particularly the stern directions to Titus regarding the
correction of
problems caused in Crete by Judaistic heresies.
In the Apostolic Age we find three fundamental forms of heresy. These
have appeared in one form or another in every generation since.
Judaistic
Judaistic Christianity is the false counterpart of Jewish
Christianity which insists on combining Jewish practice with
Christianity. This tends to cause
Christianity to sink to the level of Judaism in that it makes the
Gospel merely the perfection which they suppose can be obtained by
keeping the Law.
Judaism regards Christ as a mere prophet, a second Moses; it denies
His divine nature, His priestly function, and His kingly offices.
Judaism holds that circumcision, sacrifice, etc. are to be binding on
Christians and necessary for salvation. There is no conception of
Christianity as a new,
free, and universal religion. Judaism appears in the 2nd Century A.D.
in a more fully developed version under the name of Ebionism.
Gnosticism
Gnosticism spread through the whole church during the first two or
three centuries after Christ. This heresy was an opposite reaction to
Judaism. It
separated Christianity completely from Jewish influence with the
result that it tried to eliminate any connection to the true
historical foundations of
Christianity. Gnosticism denies the humanity of Christ, and it
adulterates Christianity with pagan ideas and practices.
Syncretism
Syncretism combines Judaism, and then Christianity, with heathen
philosophies, especially those of Pythagoras and Plato, so that,
under the Christian
name, there appeared confused combinations of these opposing systems,
forming either a paganized Judaism or a Christianized paganism,
depending on
which element prevailed.
Whatever the differences in the heresies, all amount to a distinct
denial of the Gospel, the incarnation of the Son of God for the
salvation of the world.
They make Christ either a mere man or a mere superhuman phantom; they
allow no real and lasting union of the Divine and human natures in
the person of
the Redeemer. Heresy disturbed the unity of doctrine and of
fellowship in the early church, which was therefore forced to exclude
those holding false
doctrine from it communion (TITUS 3:10). Once excluded, however,
heretics formed societies of their own.
Heresy becomes apostasy when there is a deliberate holding to error
in spite of knowing the truth of the Word of God. A heretic becomes
apostate at the
point when he hears the truth and decides against it.
APOSTASY
Apostasy is the deliberate act of a professing Christian who
knowingly and deliberately rejects revealed truth regarding the deity
of Jesus Christ,
redemption through His atoning sacrifice, or any part of the
doctrines related to Salvation. The apostate is in revolt against
God. He maintains an outward
profession of faith and a facade of true spirituality; but he departs
from the faith. Apostasy, then, is insidious, subtle, and quite
devastating.
Some of the characteristics, or synonyms, of apostasy are mentioned
in the Bible, including: seducing spirits, doctrines of demons,
hypocritical lying, a
seared conscience, forbidding of marriage and meats, and a form of
godliness without the power thereof. The rest of this paper contains
a number of points
about apostasy along with an extensive listing of Bible references
for further study of the subject.
1.Satan is the author of apostasy, JOHN 8:44, "Ye are of your
father, the devil..." and 2 COR. 4:4, "In whom the god of this world
has blinded the
minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ should shine unto them."
2.Demons help to carry out apostasy in the world, 1 TIM. 4:1.
3.Examples of apostasy in the human race mentioned in Jude are:
Cain - who rejected the Word of God and went religious.
Balaam - who accepted a bribe to curse Israel and fell victim
to slavery to the details of life.
Korah - who led a revolt against authority, was anti-establishment.
4.Religious apostasy has many facets:
False gospels: GAL. 1:6-12; 2 COR. 11:3,4
False doctrines: 1 TIM. 4:1,2; 2 PET. 2:1; 1 JOHN 4:3
False messiahs: JOHN 5:43; MATT. 24:5
False prophets, teachers, and evangelists: 2 PET. 2:1; 1 JOHN
4:1; 2 COR. 11:13-15
False ritual: 1 COR. 10:20,21; ROM. 11:9; ISA. 1:10-14
False Gods: 1 COR. 8:5; 10:19-21
False righteousness: Phil. 3:9; Matt. 5:20
5.Characteristics of apostate doctrines:
They repudiate the Person and work of Christ, 2 PET. 2:1; 1
JOHN 2:22,23; 2 JOHN 9,10
They repudiate the veracity of the Word of God, 2 PET. 3:3,4
They ignore the judgments of God, 2 PET. 3:5,6
6.Apostasy appeals to the trends of the sin nature; the trend
toward asceticism, 1 TIM. 4:1-3, and the trend toward licentiousness,
2 PET. 2
7.Apostasy is judged by God:
Angels were judged for their apostasy, 2 PET. 2:4; JUDE 6.
Civilizations are judged for apostasy, 2 PET. 2:5.
Cities and national entities are judged for apostasy, 2 PET.
2:6; JUDE 7; JER. 23.
8.Apostates are described in the Bible as:
Animals of instinct, minus doctrine and minus morality,
operating on emotional impulses and licentious desires, 2 PET. 2:12.
Fruitless trees that are twice dead; they are spiritually dead,
and they will go to the Lake of Fire, JUDE 12.
Waterless clouds, unstable, driven by the wind, 2 PET. 2:17; JUDE 12.
Vicious waves of the sea, dangerous and to be avoided, JUDE 13.
Wandering stars, living in delusion and error, JUDE 13.
9.Apostasy is prevalent in the last days of each dispensation:
Age of the Gentiles, GEN. 11:1-9.
Age of Israel, REV. 13; 2 THESS. 2
Church Age, 2 PET. 3:3; 2 TIM. 3:1.
10.Apostasy is prevalent in the last days of a national entity,
JER. 23:9-40.
11.There will be no apostasy during the Millennial Kingdom, REV.
20:1-3; COL. 2:15; ZECH. 13:2,3; ISA. 2:1-4; ISA. 11:9.
12.A brief period of apostasy will follow the Millennial reign of
Christ, REV. 20:7-11.
There is no charge for Grace Notes Materials.
The ministry is supported by Christians who pray for the work and
share in the expenses.
http://kaleidoscope.bga.com/~wdoud/library/heresy.html
Grace Notes
Warren Doud
1705 Aggie Lane
Austin, Texas 78757
wdoud@bga.com
======================================================
Excerpt: Living for Christ in the End Times
by Dr. David R. Reagan
======================================================
Dr. David R. Reagan, founder and senior evangelist of Lamb & Lion
Ministries in McKinney, Texas, has written a new book entitled,
Living for Christ in the End Times. The book is scheduled to be
released by New Leaf Press on July 1st in time for promotion at the
Christian Bookseller's Convention which will be held in New Orleans
in mid-July.
The first section of the book is entitled "The Descent into
Paganism," and its two chapters spell out in detail the unique nature
of the challenge that confronts Christians at the beginning of the
21st Century. One of the chapters deals with the decay of society;
the other, with the growing apostasy in the Church. Both chapters are
very specific and are likely to stir considerable controversy.
Here is an excerpt from the chapter about the decay of society:
A nation that once honored God has plunged into a moral abyss. And
the decay has reached the point where, in the words of the prophet
Jeremiah, the nation "does not even know how to blush" (Jeremiah
6:15). The descent has been swift. When I was born in 1938 �
�� Abortionists were considered the scum of the earth and were sent to prison.
�� Homosexuals were still in the closet and were thought of as queer.
�� Pregnancy out of wedlock was thought of as scandalous, and "living
together" was unthinkable.
�� Drugs were something you bought at a pharmacy (or "drug store").
�� Alcoholism was considered a sin, not a disease.
�� Popular music was free of demonic beats and words.
�� Movies were devoid of nudity, passionate love scenes, mindless
violence, and filthy language.
�� Eastern religion was still in the East.
�� The corrupting influence of television was non-existent.
�� Pornography was something that circulated underground.
�� Public school students prayed in their classes and read the Bible,
and creation could still be taught as an alternative to evolution.
�� High school graduates could read their diplomas.
�� The Ten Commandments were still legal.
�� AIDS was a gift of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:28 refers to the
gift of aids or helps, depending on the translation).
�� Our governments � local, state and national � still promoted
Judeo-Christian values rather than lotteries, horse racing, and
casino gambling.
�� Christian teaching focused on sacrificing for Christ rather than
confessing materialistic success.
�� Governmental authority was respected. Police were held in high esteem.
�� Houses and cars were never locked.
�� Social security was a job. Living on welfare was considered a disgrace.
�� Language was civil. Manners still prevailed. Women were treated
with dignity and respect.
Looking back over the last 60 years, the old Virginia Slims cigarette
ad seems to sum it up best: "We've come a long way, baby!" Yes, we
have, and it has been in the wrong direction.
��� Today, we are murdering 4,000 babies a day in the name of
"freedom of choice" for women.
�� We spend more on gambling each year than we do on food.
�� We are assaulted by a glut of pornography in books and movies and
on the Internet.
�� We are consuming 55% of all the illegal drugs in the world, even
though we constitute only 5% of the world's population.
�� Our families are being destroyed by an epidemic of spousal
violence, child abuse, and divorce.
�� Our prisons are overflowing because of a breakdown of law and order.
�� Our cities are jungles of violence where people dare not venture
out at night.
�� Our homes are fortresses with bars on the windows, guns in the
cabinets, and electronic security systems monitoring the doors and
windows.
�� Our schools are filled with drugs, rebellion and violence.
�� Our governing bodies are shot full of corruption.
�� Our churches are apathetic and compromised by worldliness.
�� Our entertainment industry has become a purveyor of violence and
immorality, and as we export its products
Even more controversial and hard-hitting is the chapter on apostasy
in the church. Dr. Reagan prepares the reader with these words in his
preface:
��� "This book deals with secular and spiritual paganism and how
Christians should respond to both. In dealing with spiritual
paganism, I have some harsh things to say regarding both Christian
leaders and churches. I do not relish making such statements. I have
felt compelled to make them because the stakes are so high. Souls are
in peril because of widespread heresy and apostasy in the Church
today. I don't think we can any longer afford the luxury of
'tip-toeing through the tulips.'
��� "The Bible says that the end times will be a period of great
deception (Acts 20:28-30, 1 Timothy 4:1 and 2 Timothy 4:3-4). I feel
that those whom God has called to be watchmen on the walls (Isaiah
62:6) must put a face on heresy and apostasy by naming names."
He then proceeds to present a panoramic survey of apostasy among
Christian leaders and denominations and points out how this apostasy
is leading to the formation of a one world religion. In the process,
he presents a detailed analysis of the apostasy of Robert Schuller.
The second part of the book is entitled, "The Christian Response to a
Pagan World. It consists of ten chapters which outline in detail what
Christians must do to live victoriously in these end times. The
topics covered included the following: Standing on the Word of God,
Believing in the Power of God, Relying on the Holy Spirit, Practicing
Tough Faith, Ordering Priorities, Keeping an Eternal Perspective,
Standing for Righteousness, Persisting in Prayer, Surrendering in
Worship, and Clinging to Hope.
The chapter on hope spells out the glorious promises that God has
given the redeemed for the future. It explains what happens after
death -- both for believers and unbelievers.
The third and final section of the book is entitled "The Victory over
Paganism." Dr. Reagan points out that paganism is destined to triumph
briefly under the Antichrist. But then, in two chapters dealing with
Bible prophecy, he shows how the victory over paganism will be
obtained when Jesus returns triumphantly. One of the chapters,
"Living on Borrowed Time," surveys the signs of the times that point
to the Lord's soon return. In this chapter, Dr. Reagan focuses
particularly on modern day signs that have never existed before. The
final chapter is entitled, "Looking for Jesus." It presents the
evidence for an imminent rapture of the Church.
The book should be in bookstores by the end of July. It will retail
for $10.99. Dr. Reagan's ministry is providing the book during the
month of July for a cost of $10, including shipping. To order a copy,
call 1-800-705-8316. Further information regarding the book can be
found at <http://www.newleafpress.net/>http://www.newleafpress.net/
DEVOTIONALS
Spurgeon's evening devotions, Evening, June 12
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling."
- 2 Timothy 1:9
The apostle uses the perfect tense and says, "Who hath saved us."
Believers in Christ Jesus are saved. They are not looked upon as
persons who are in a hopeful state, and may ultimately be saved,
but they are already saved.
Salvation is not a blessing to be enjoyed upon the dying bed, and
to be sung of in a future state above, but a matter to be
obtained, received, promised, and enjoyed now. The Christian is
perfectly saved in God's purpose; God has ordained him unto
salvation, and that purpose is complete. He is saved also as to
the price which has been paid for him: "It is finished" was the
cry of the Saviour ere he died.
The believer is also perfectly saved in his covenant head, for as
he fell in Adam, so he lives in Christ. This complete salvation
is accompanied by a holy calling. Those whom the Saviour saved
upon the cross are in due time effectually called by the power of
God the Holy Spirit unto holiness: they leave their sins; they
endeavour to be like Christ; they choose holiness, not out of any
compulsion, but from the stress of a new nature, which leads them
to rejoice in holiness just as naturally as aforetime they
delighted in sin.
God neither chose them nor called them because they were holy,
but he called them that they might be holy, and holiness is the
beauty produced by his workmanship in them. The excellencies
which we see in a believer are as much the work of God as the
atonement itself. Thus is brought out very sweetly the fulness of
the grace of God.
Salvation must be of grace, because the Lord is the author of it:
and what motive but grace could move him to save the guilty?
Salvation must be of grace, because the Lord works in such a
manner that our righteousness is for ever excluded. Such is the
believer's privilege-a present salvation; such is the evidence
that he is called to it-a holy life.
POETRY
The Coming Storm
He comes in the dance, in a whirlwind of fury
He kicks with His Feet creating the storm
Calling the west wind to do His bidding
As He circles, He flashes and the hurricane's born.
He thunders His Voice and it resonates terror
While the sea rages with waves very high.
Stomping His Feet, He lowers the pressure
Intensifying as His Coming draws neigh.
Awake from your sleep, awake from your slumber !
At the sound of the shofar, He will gather His own.
Rise up from your graves a mighty army
For the set time is coming when He takes His Throne.
Come light your lamp with the Oil of The Spirit
Make sure you have your wedding clothes on
For in a flash resurrection is changing
And in a twinkling, in a moment were gone.
D. Sadler
The Messianic Poetry Lady
MailTo:sadler@digisys.net
Copyright 1995
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