I formatted this book where you can click on each individual link to the left, and you will

be taken to that topic in the book. Some of you may have to hold down the Ctrl key and click, depending on which version of Adobe you have. Peggy.

Its not about you what every Christian should know (Volume 2)
A study of the last church generation

by Rick D. Wynn
Copyright 2008

Click HERE to read Revelation 3:14-22.

Graphic found HERE.

Its

not about you

what every christian should know Volume 2

its

not about you

what every christian should know the heart of matters
a study of the last church generation | volume 2

rick d. wynn

Its Not About You vol.2 Copyright 2008 by Rick D. Wynn. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked Msg are taken from The Message, Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked TAB are taken from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament, Copyright 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation and The Amplified New Testament, Copyright 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from The New King James Version / Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. Copyright 1982. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America ISBN: 00.00.00

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface Introduction 1. Pride and Prosperity Gods Place of Provision Curing a Debilitated Mind Our Destiny Walk Whats Being Taught on Prosperity How Rich We Think We Are We are All Connected Through Christ The Law of Sowing and Reaping What Are You Focusing On? Trading in Your Riches in Exchange for Gods Who He Sends He Provides For Knowing What We Stand to Lose The True Legacy of Tithes and Offerings Storing Your Treasures in Heaven 2. The Evil Veil and Perilous Times Technology vs. Lord the Savior Technological Failure and Rampant Sin Gods Revealed Plan 3. New Creatures in Christ Get Ready! A Transparent Moment of My Experience Helping Them Get Ready A Note to the Young in Christ Preventing Opportunity for Deception 4. Am I Saved If I Say Im Saved? Does Jesus Know You? The Seal of Christ Overriding the Seal God is ReallyReally and I Mean Really Serious Taking the Righteous Path Christianity Demands Activity 5. Pagan Tradition and False God Worship The Kingdom of Babylon, The Great Apostasy What Has Christ to Do With Mass? Birth of Christ vs. December 25 Birthday Celebration in The Bible Gifts unto The King

Modern Day Christmas 6. Choosing God Over Tradition A Terrible Taste in His Mouth 7. Ignorance, The Demon From the Pit of Hell The Antichrist Revealed Coming of ChristThe Rapture The New World Leader Tribulation of The World The Mark of The Beast A Lukewarm Body The Victory 8. Jesus Says, Come Out! Walking in Holiness Why Return From Whence We Came? 9. Christian Accountability to God

Preface

Throughout the time I spent writing volumes one and two of this book, I had to overcome many battles. Sometimes it seemed as if there was some menacing plot purposely designed to thwart the project. The closer I came to the completion of the book, the more prevalent became weird happenings to my work. There were occasions, for instance, when Id spend hours typing pages of information on my computer, when suddenly my work would vanish. My screen would go black, the computer would lock up, and I would have to reboot the system. Even though I periodically saved my work as I typed, nevertheless a whole days worth of work might end up gone, deleted, poof!just like that. Oddly, sometimes within a couple of days the pages would simply reappear. I can also recall one of several devastating occasions where I actually neglected to save my work. I distinctly heard a gentle voice within me that day urging me to save my work. Though I should have listened to this voice, I didnt. I was so absorbed in what I was doing that I didnt want to break my flow. I wasnt about to allow anything to interfere with my train of thought. Besides, I figured I would eventually take a break and could save it then. Some hours later when I finally got around to taking the break I, of course, forgot to save the work. I ended up doing a few small chores, thinking to myself, oh yea, I need to save my work. Grabbed a bite to eat and something to drink, thinking, Rick, you need to go save that cause I have a funny feeling. Finally, I get back to my computer intending to save my work and the phone rings. I answered it and while in conversation, I reduced the file containing the manuscript document on my computeragain forgetting to save the updated informationto search the Internet for an answer to the persons question on the other end of the line; got it. Happy to have been of some assistance, I gave the information over the phone, chatted a bit and hung up. Immediately, it dawned on me that I still had not saved my work. Ill do it now. I mouse clicked the icon to pull up the file containing my document, and to my surprise its gone. Mildly baffled, I opened all the screens I had been working on, but to no avail. Though I was telling myself that all was well, I could feel my heartbeat picking up the pace in a rather erratic rhythm as I feverishly began searching for the document I worked on just moments before. I couldnt find it anywhere. Panicked, my heart pounded in my chest like a jackhammer against pavement. In hopeful anticipationor was it desperation, I now frantically searched. Mentally, I was telling myself to remain calm and was trying to keep my cool and composure. Surely, there had to be a simple explanation as to why I could not find my work, yet not one explanation came forth. My mind was already telling me the worst. Oh God, please . . . I am begging you! Lord, please let my work not be gone. Please let it be that I am simply overlooking it. Oh, God, pleaseplease please! If you allow me to find it, I promise I will immediately save it. I promise that I wont ever ignore your voice again. Finally, I just sat there dumbfounded, staring at the empty screen, completely stillsilent, afraid to move. The agonizing silence perhaps was a revelation that the work wasnt going to be found. It simply vanished without a trace.

When I reduced the screen to get on the Internet, perhaps I inadvertently closed out of my work without noticing the prompt to save it. I wasnt sure. All the work I had done that day was gone. It was as if the entire world ceased to exist and there was only my computer and me, which there it sat with its empty screen staring back at me. Frozen in a state of stupor, mouth gaped, tongue dry, I felt utterly helpless. I sat just there shocked and mesmerized by the simplicity of a small prevention that I chose not to take. All I had to do was a simple thing. It was just a click of the mouse and I wouldnt be in this mess. My heart, no longer pounding in my chest, now felt as if it was thumping in the pit of my stomach and I felt as if I would double over from the pain of despair. Discouragement set in my gut like a heavy block of iron and instantly I became weighed down by depressing thoughts of quitting. Whats the use, whod read it anyway? Feeling like I might vomit, yet at the same time explode with an incredible fierce anger, I somehow managed to calm myself in the midst of knowing that there was no way I was going to retrieve from my memory thirty to forty pages of typed information. I remember a pastor saying that whenever he was under the Holy Ghost during his sermons, it wasnt an uncommon thing for him to not necessarily remember everything he preached if called to repeat it. Therefore, he had all his sermons taped and was often amazed at what the Holy Spirit would speak through him when hed listen to his sermons. Now, of course I understood what he meant. In the back of my mind, I heard a sinister voice say, You disobeyed Him; now what are you going to do? After what seemed like an eternity of sitting there practically comatose, I thought to myself, wait a minute; God gave me those words and the scriptures to back them. If He had that to give, then theres a lot more where that came from. I remembered that God is a God of increase, so Hell even go above and beyond what Hes given me. Comforted, I repented for having disobeyed God. It was He, after all, who was telling me to save my work because He knew the enemy would attempt to steal it away, but I didnt listen and sure enough, that funny feeling turned out to be accurate, yet not very funny. I became so absorbed in my work, which ironically was about the heart of God, that I had literally ignored the presence of God. I told the Holy Spirit that day, Lord, Im busy. Dont bother me right now Ill save the material later. Thus, my work that day profited me nothing. Gods love and mercy however, endures. He helped me up, brushed me off and I am back in business. He gives me greater the second time around than even the first (hint: Its Not About You - Volume Two), and this time I save the work after every paragraph. Everyday, I had to fight the good fight of faith in believing that God had given me something to say. I had to believe that I was a vessel used by God. I had to believe that I was like a voice in the wilderness purposed to reach the lost, especially the lost believing themselves to be found. I had to believe that God had given me a ministry outside the four walls of the building called the church. I had to believe that I wasnt being delusional with grandeur thinking. I had to stand on the Scripture of 1 Corinthians 1:27, which says But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. I had to stand in the knowing that according to the Word of God, He deliberately chooses things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. In other words, despite some peoples foolish and erroneous decisions in life, despite their shortcomings, failures and inadequacies from the worlds point of view, God nevertheless

may choose to use and anoint such people for His purpose. Everything the enemy tried to say to me to get me off track from my mission, God would instill in my heart His Word, a Scripture to speak into the situation and the devils ploys against me would cease, at least for a short while. Soon, a new battle would emerge, for the devil throws a couple punches, runs, and then throws a couple punches and runs. Of course, it didnt help that my life was the epitome of 1 Corinthians 1:27. In the natural, there was no way I should have been qualified to answer Gods call. Wasnt I after all foolish for thinking I could write a book entitled Its Not About You when I had lacked what most people would expect Christian authors to have? I was far from having all my ducks in order. I didnt have it all together. In fact, in many respects, my life and even my marriage was a mess during much of the time I spent writing this book. I had not been to school for literary composition nor did I hold any academic degrees. I didnt have a staff of ghost writers. I had not preached all over the world. I didnt pastor a church or have thousands of congregational members. I didnt have the vast following of people and Christian partners from a televised ministry. I was unknown in the Christian community. I was unknown in the book publishing industry. My name was not a famous name and neither did I have the popularity of some of the giants in ministries today. I had not even been saved for some thirty, sixty, or hundred years. So, who was I? Perhaps I fell short in many areas of my life from the worlds point of view, but I had a relationship with God. The craziest thing about the entire experience was that the closer I became to being finished with book project, the more overwhelming became the presence of insecurity and inferiority, which God did not give me, so where did these things come from? There was a time when I felt so inadequate that I didnt want to tell others that I was even writing a book. I feared that people would question me about the content of the book, which would then lead to more questions about my credentials and authority to speak on such matters. I felt inept in my knowledge and understanding of Scripture, teaching ability, and certainly in my ability to write a book. Though God led me every step of the way, I still managed to botch up quite a few things. Almost three years before the book was to be officially complete, I decided within myself that the book was complete and before I even knew what I was doing, I began searching out literary agencies hoping to fulfill a dream. The irony about this ordeal was that God had given me the title Its Not About You, and yet here I was trying to cash in on my own desires and dreams. I had a lot of growing to do even in the midst of writing this book. Again, I had disobeyed God, this time by refusing to wait patiently on the Lord. The first agency I contacted, accepted my manuscript right from the start. I thought wow! Look what the Lord has done! Shortly thereafter, I found out that it wasnt the Lord, but simply me trying to do things my own way. The Lord showed me how this particular company was not legitimate and that they had defrauded many writers for money. In fact, I had already sent them a hefty check myself before I found out the truth. In addition, I signed a contract with them, which would keep my work bound to them for a minimum of two years. I initially did not know that this company was indicted and convicted on charges of security fraud. God however, again had mercy on me. I wrote a letter to the owner of the agency explaining to him what I had found out about his agency and politely asked him to make void the contract and return my money, which to my surprise he did. Another battle won, but I would find out soon enough that the battle was not over.

Later when I began again to research literary agencies and book-publishing companies seeking to have my manuscript published, I found that most of them were only concerned about my credentials. They were more interested in my bio as opposed to the content in the book. Perhaps I was a bit nave to consider this an irony, but again I thought this was rather odd seeing that the title of the book was Its Not About You, yet their focus was entirely upon me. Until I could prove to them that I possessed stature or that I held a Christian household name, they were not even remotely interested in the book. It didnt matter if the books material could literally transform lives, usher people into the presence of God, and help people become free from the religious and legalistic church. They wanted to know what my credentials were. They wanted to know how many books I had successfully published, the history of my book sales, the popularity of my name, and if my name was bankable. Their number one focus boiled down to money. What is really interesting about this is that many of these organizations considered themselves Christian organizations. Of course, I understand that even Christian organizations must function in a financial capacity, but it would seem that God would require Christians in every capacity to operate in faith and not by the financial prospects of individuals or clients. It didnt take me long to realize that if the book were going to be published at all, certainly it would be by the hand of God because basically I had no sellable bio and neither did I have impressive credentials. I purposely did not intend this book to be a typical non-fiction book about Christianity or an editorialized opinion concerning the Word of God. My heartfelt inclination was to speak a prophetically anointed message that I believe God has been speaking to the World since the beginning of the dispensation of His grace. I believe that within His message is a spirit of correction that brings about conviction, which even affected me to such a degree that many times I simply wanted to quit in the midst of writing this book, for even I struggled with much of what the Lord spoke in these pages. Writing such a book was certainly no easy task especially considering the challenges in my life during the beginnings of this endeavor, not to mention the depth of my credentials, which except for the Holy Spirit were virtually none. However, when I considered 1 Corinthians 1:27, I knew there was hope. I thought, according to that scripture I was the perfect candidate for such the job of writing this book. What should it matter my educational level, preaching ability, televised appearances, number of Christian conventions and seminars Ive attended or spoken at? What should it matter the prefixes or suffixes attached to my name? What have these things to do with what God desires to do through us by His sovereign power? Are Christians not His vessels? In the natural, I often felt very inadequate in comparison to those whom the church saw as accomplished ministers of God. Sometimes, I wouldnt open my mouth to speak because of my feelings of such inadequacy, yet I knew God was telling me to speak. What a struggle this was for me to overcome. In this battle, I came to realize that I was not the only one dealing with perhaps what can be construed as the insecurities of being a Christian. Thus, it has been my endeavor to reach such people in addition to the world. Simply stated, God uses the foolish to confound the wise.

Introduction
I believe that this book in addition to the first volume of Its Not About You was timely and necessary because many of us have forgotten about what is important. We have forgotten about God. This sequel volume edition picks up where the first book left off. It focuses first on the most evasive, cunning, sensual and provocative abomination of them allPRIDE. As the chapters unfold, the book serves to come against the consensus, which says that unless you are a Christian of notable prestige, stature, and popularity, you are just a weak voice without credibility. We give a lot of credence to the man behind the pulpit, or the famous name, yet God said He uses the seemingly insignificant and foolish things in the world to get His point across to the world. This is not to speak against those behind the pulpit, but to access a peculiar perspective of Gods point of view. This book represents a modest insight on the importance of all Gods people from His perspective as opposed to our own viewpoint of whom or what is important in the eyes of God. Through pride, Christianity has become accustomed to a false belief that says God is a respecter of persons. If He chose to use a donkey to speak to a man (Numbers 22:28), then we should understand that God will utilize whatever or whomever He deems necessary to get His message across. This certainly includes using not only strangely odd and peculiar people, but also even the underdog to change the hearts of others in the world. Perhaps you know or seen someone who fits this description. They are usually happy in spirit regardless of physical and emotional circumstances. They can be construed as very resilient people. Those around them tend to mock and ridicule them. In general, the world is cruel to such people, yet their resilience to love persists. The Word of God says that such people shall inherit the kingdom (Matthew 5:3). They are the rare whom God finds in mourning for human anguish and the lost. Their heart cries out to God on behalf of those who dont know God. They intercede on behalf of others by seeking Gods forgiveness and mercy toward all people. The Word says they shall be comforted in heaven (Matthew 5:4). These weirdoes, not only humble themselves before Him, but also live their lives in humility toward all people. The Word says they shall inherit the treasures of earth in addition to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:5). God recognizes the peculiar heart of those who recognize that only God can fulfill their deepest need. For them, no need is greater than living the righteousness and holiness of God, which is proof of spiritual rebirth. They hunger and thirst after His righteousness. God says they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6). Such people represent Gods mercy. The Word says because they are merciful, they shall obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7). They are willing people in the process of transformation by the grace of God into the image and likeness of God. They are the truly saved, not only hearers but also actually doers of the Word of God. They are the pure in heart that are set apart from those claiming salvation, yet possessing no inward or outward proof of living a Christian life. The Word says that those who are set apart shall see God (Matthew 5:8; 2 Corinthians 6:17). People who belong to God look and seem foolish to the world, but He sees them as ambassadors to the kingdom of heaven. In addition, they are at peace with God and have a desire to live in

peace with all men. They are the peacemakers who bring Gods message into this troubled world. The Bible says they are the children of God (Matthew 5:9). The people that God will use are those who are willing to suffer persecution for the sake of His Word. Living for God causes us to live in direct contrast to the world. He, who does not endure persecution for the sake of the kingdom, is not of the kingdom. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). God says for those who are willing to suffer persecution, they are the citizens of the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:10). From the worlds perspective, these individuals may even be the poor, destitute, homeless, divorced, living within broken families, financially unstable, social rejects, prostitutes, outcasts, unemployed, undereducated, undesirables, derelicts, misfits, even ex-criminals and ex-substance abusers. They may consist of those who have fallen through the proverbial cracks of society, and social governmental systems. They are the accused and persecuted. They are people who, from the worlds point of view, would be the least capable of leading others toward the kingdom of God, but unbeknownst to the world they call out to God in humility. God is no respecter of persons; He is a respecter of the heart. Regardless of your lifes circumstances, what do you carry in your heart? Once, as a member of my churchs praise and worship team, we accompanied our pastor to a prison in northern Michigan to minister to the inmates. During that service, the power and presence of God was such that I had never experienced. Their desire to be in His presence was so strong that when they prayed with us it was if the building shook. The presence of God was so strong that even some of the hardest hearts in the room were broken and healed that day. On another occasion, I visited a church where the humility of the pastor was exceptional. Before my wife and I were out of the car, there was this man standing just outside the car door with an umbrella to shield us from the rain. Once inside the church, this same man then took our coats and hung them up for us. What a delightful surprise it was to see this same man give Gods message to the congregation as the Pastor of the church. This man of God was also a very wealthy entrepreneur yet in humility, he parked his beautiful Mercedes Benz at the end of the parking lot. Some churches will have your vehicle towed for parking in the pastors spot, which I have seen many closer to the building than the parking spots for the physically challenged. Unfortunately, such humility and leadership qualities among most today are becoming more of a rare phenomenon. Ministry leaders for instance, tend to see themselves as leaders not servers. I saw one very well known Evangelist surround himself so thick with armor bearers at a conference I attended, for instance, that you couldnt get near him with a ten-foot pole simply to shake his hand. He was invited as a guest speaker. Before he even entered the sanctuary, secret service-like-men dressed in black, wearing dark shades and earpieces came in and literally scanned the place while he waited in his limousine. They made sure he had ample room to walk down the center isle by removing chairs, roping off several rows of seats and closing off all access to the center isle. Upon his entrance, they surrounded him so tightly that you could barely see him until they dispersed after he sat in his seat. Then they posted themselves around the church and kept watch as if someone might attempt to assassinate this man or something. I thought to myself, what is happening in our churches today? Is this the way Jesus would enter a church or was there actually a threat on this mans life? God judges each of us by what we do according to His will (1 Peter 1:17), which has everything to do with what one chooses to keep in his heart. It doesnt matter how great we may become in

the eyes of man. What matters is what we look like to God, who is not impressed by our worldly accomplishments, stature, prestige, wealth, glory, or fame. Following this religious mentality of the modern church, churchgoers across the nation seek to find their place in the body of Christ. Christians are in constant competition with each other for positions of power, prestige and honor in the modern church. Many ministries teach or imply that having a position in the church makes one more holy, spiritual, and even favorable in the eyes of God. This fierce competition not only destroys relationships, but also the church itself causing them to collapse from congregational splits, animosities between board members, boards and pastors, pastors and their congregations in addition to the conflicts within the congregation itself. Jesus, who laid down His deity and took the form of man, was the greatest gift to all through love, humility, and His willingness to serve others. He taught His twelve disciples that it was His obligation as master to serve them and that they too should serve others as leaders (John 13:5). He rebuked the Pharisees who saw themselves as masters. They were only interested in self-satisfaction, being served, praised, and honored by others, which today is a familiar site in scores of ministries across the nation. According to Jesus, the servant is not greater than his Lord is (John 13:16). If Jesus who is God was willing to serve even to the degree of lowering Himself to wash the disciples feet then how much more should we be willing to serve? To love is to serve. We hear all the time that if you want to be a great leader, you must first be a good follower, but what did Jesus exemplify? Jesus demonstrated that in order to be a great leader you first must be willing to be the greatest server. Then of course, are the ministry leaders, for instance, who would not even consider entering your church building unless there was a hefty amount of cash paid up front. These people also usually require a guarantee that their invitation will be cost effective to accept. In other words, they base the financial feasibility of their trip to anothers church on the amount of people they can get to show up and then ante up, for they require large love offerings. I have seen wives neglect their husbands for the sake of serving their pastors. I have seen husbands at such the disposal of their pastors that they neglected their wives and family. Of course, nothing is wrong with taking care of our leaders and pastors, but congregations are not necessarily learning how to do this by their leaders examples. Leaders are teaching the congregation how to treat and serve them. They teach their congregation that there is a gap between the head of the church and the ordinary church member. They exalt themselves over their congregations using Scripture for their justification, yet God made all His people co-heirs to His throne with Christ. Today, people in the church believe that the church must serve the gift. God has given us the gifts of the FiveFold Ministry consisting of the Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Evangelist and Teacher but actually, He expects His people in these offices to be the greatest servers of all because they have the highest call. Like the Pharisees who relished in the adulation and honor, which they demanded from the people, many people in offices of ministry today also enjoy their platforms of prestige, which they have trained their people to build. They too, outwardly and verbally demand service. Perhaps they do not understand that the greater the gift you are, the greater the servant you are called to be. They dont necessarily see themselves as servers. They see others as their servants. This fact is also representative of offices held outside the church. Our American Constitution, for instance, says We the people for the people. Our original government establishment was

by the people for the people. In other words, the government was the people. Clearly, this is not so today. Today, people serve the government and the government tells them what to do, it is not the other way around. This new order of servitude has infiltrated the church. America today is becoming more of a government dictatorship despite its established democracy among its people. Some who actually desire to abolish the American Constitution are determined to see church and state meshed into one. In fact, if one were willing to take a serious and truthful look, he would see that church and state actually is meshed as one. Thus, todays church reflects the image of the world. Christians tend to focus more upon the superstars of ministry today. Thus the local and/or small Christian heroes and mentors seem far and few in between. Its not that they dont exist; they do. We tend not to notice them because they are small in comparison to the ministry icons of the world mega church. They are small in comparison to the enormity of religious dogma springing forth out of world religion. God causes the simple to do the greatest feats and only a few will actually notice of the insurmountable feats they actually accomplish. Some who head powerful ministries today have come out of that simplicity, but many have since forgotten the place from which God brought them. There was a time perhaps when they were great servers, which was the mark of their extraordinary leadership. Today, their names are great among people and nations, but they have forgotten their roots with God. They have left God behind in their blind ambition to increase their wealth and prosperity. They have left God behind in their endeavors to win souls through methods, gimmicks, and messages of prosperity. They have forgotten that only the Holy Spirit converts the souls of people. No person can convert a soul toward salvation, no matter how rich, famous or popular he may be. If we consider the servants in the Bible whom God used for His purpose, none of them represented grandiosity. None of them had all their ducks in order. None of them had a clue as to either what they were doing or what God desired to do through them. How could Abraham see the big picture concerning the birth of the twelve tribes of Israel whom would be the descendants of his son Isaac or even our world today consisting of Christians, which spiritually are his heirs? How could Abraham have known what God meant when He told him to number the stars, which his seed would be like the number of stars? Though God told Abraham that by his seed he would father many nations, Abraham and Sarah still sought to help God along by bringing about Ishmael through Hagar because they couldnt quite see what God was about to do through them. Though Abraham didnt entirely understand, he nevertheless chose to believe and anchored himself in Gods Word, which happened exactly as He said. There was no other on the face of the earth who was found to be more meek than Moses (Numbers 12:3), yet he still questioned Gods sovereignty and ability (Exodus 4:1-14). He did not understand Gods intent concerning freeing the Israelites. When he returned to Egypt, the Pharaoh and his people literally laughed at Moses and mocked the works of God through their magic and sorcery. Yet God freed the Israelites from bondage through Moses. Collectively, Christians are leaving the task of spreading the gospel into the world in the hands of the leaders in ministry because they are more or less being told and sold on the idea that they dont have the ability or credentials to perform Gods missions. They are being made to feel less than the superstar. The ordinary Christian may feel unqualified toward helping others because perhaps he is not behind the pulpit, or on the best sellers list. Perhaps God didnt call

him to teach or preach the Word of God to vast congregations around the world. Other than showing up for church and reading the Bible from time to time, what is the average Christian to do? Until we can understand what God is saying about His people, we will continue believing and buying in to the deception which says that God is only interested in the names of people who have amassed great fame and fortune in the world of religion. They will continue to fall short of completing their given assignments and missions set before them by God. This book is your wake up call.

one

Pride and Prosperity

Gods love and mercy allow us to come to His throne where He is just to forgive us.

He

desires to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. People however, still struggle to simply repent and begin again afresh. Why is it so difficult for some of us to confess our sins to God? Why is it so difficult for people to confess their faults one to another? The Word of God tells us that if we confess our faults and pray for one another there is healing (James 5:16). Confessing your faults to others is a willingness to admit that you are not above the nature to sin. Everyone has faults. In other words, the Word is saying its okay to be real. We all mess up. When confessing our faults one to another, I believe that often we learn that we are not necessarily alone in some of the challenges we may face. We find that others perhaps can relate because they too have been down such roads. The confession of your faults to others can give them hope and vice versa, which can ultimately lead to freedom. It opens a door that allows others to stand on your behalf against the enemy through intercession. The Word says . . . The effectual fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much: (James 5:16). Previous to this verse, the bible says, The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him (James 5:15). Confessing your faults allows another to pray over you. There is nothing wrong in asking that Brother or Sister in Christ to pray for you. The Word of God says that when the righteous prays over you his prayer will avail much. This prayer is packed with the power of God. If we understand that God is willing to forgive and make us clean from our sins, then why is it still difficult for believers to bear responsibility and repent to God when they fall? Our sins do not astound God nor knock Him off His throne no matter how great those sins may be. He anticipated that we would fall short of His glory even before He created the foundations of the earth. Pride is like a sweet tasting fruit that becomes rotten in the belly. Pride was the ultimate sin ushered in from the fall of man. Lucifer first formed it in his heart when he considered his own beauty in conceit. Through Adam, he spread it throughout the entire world. Pride gave Adam the audacity to blame God for his sin, for he said that God gave him the woman who caused him to sin. It was pride that had shown through Cain when he insisted that God should receive his offering of fruits, flowers and herbs from the very ground that God cursed. Pride filled the Pharaohs heart after he let the Israelites go and thus pursued them to the Red Sea where all his

equestrians perished. Jesus called this last church generation a lukewarm church due to the pride in the hearts of the people. The apostate nature of this church generation sprung forth from the abomination of pride. The modern church is literally enamored with prosperity, wealth, lavish buildings, gargantuan sized congregations, and a name it and claim it mentality while claiming its loyalty to Christ. The Word of God says, Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth (3 John 1:2). God makes it clear that He desires us to receive all that He has to offer. He said, above all things. This is His wish. God also gave us every spiritual blessing before the foundations of the earth. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). The Word says, who hath blessed. This even speaks past tense. He already blessed us. We already have all spiritual blessings. Jesus nevertheless called this church generation lukewarm. So whats the problem? Why is Jesus not pleased with the modern church according to Revelation 3:16? The answer is found in Ephesians 1:3. The blessings are located in Christ. They are contained and kept in Christ. The covenant establishes that through Christ we are partakers and are able to receive what belongs to God. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end (Hebrews 3:14). Though it is okay to desire in our hearts, people fail to realize that God has an order to everything He says. He will never forsake His order, which He established in the beginning with Adam and Eve. In other words, the majority of people including those belonging to the church pursue their dreams, goals, and hearts desires outside the realm of God. In a literal since, they interact with the external world either believing that it holds the answers to their prayers or is the culprit to their dilemmas in life. Few seem to realize that they actually create their reality from the inside out. God is within from which through Him all things are made possible. Another way of gaining our desires is through external manipulation, competition, and operating from the vantage of believing in scarcity. Thus, the majority tends to do what they must and by any means in order to get what they want, even if it means to steal, kill, and destroy. God wants us to be prosperous and successful in every area of life. However, He has a distinct order that we must be willing to abide in before the manifestation of His blessings can appear in our lives, yet His order is simple. People have desired to acquire wealth and prosperity according to their own order, but Gods order is about Him being first. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). The Word says to delight in the Lord, He will give

us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). You must be willing to delight in Him first. . . . For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6). When you sincerely seek God, He will then reward you. Every good thing from above added to your life comes after the diligent seeking of the Lord. The treasures of God manifest in our lives from our pursuance of God. Such treasures of God do not come by way of our pursuing things, such as prosperity and wealth. Is it possible to become rich without pursuing God? Many people mentioned in the Bible who were wealthy did not seek God. One in particular was the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17). In fact, the majority of people today who have become financially successful in their lives acquired their riches and wealth without a relationship with God. This vast majority also includes many wealthy believers, for not all believers have a relationship with God. Later, you will read in this chapter how Jesus addresses the rich. There are two kinds of wealth and prosperity. One is of the world, and the other is of God, yet both are connected to a law that God created. Some believers naturally assume that because there is a level of prosperity and wealth in their lives, such riches and wealth automatically came from God. As you continue reading through this chapter however, you will find that this is not always necessarily so. God gave us such powerful imaginations that once a mind begins to imagine nothing can hinder it except the person who holds the vision (Genesis 11:6). God establish a universal law. This law enables us to call nonexistent things into a manifested reality. Generally, we do this by way of our heart-felt thoughts and feelings, which stems from our belief system. Christians usually refer to this as faith. According to the book of Ephesians, God already gave us all spiritual blessings. That which is spiritual is the foundation for all physical manifestation. All the treasures God desired to give His people He made available through Christ, but by faith. How then do others gain such treasures of wealth and riches if not through Christ? Ironically, many who have great wealth and are familiar with the law God created behold it as a secret. Even centuries ago, the elite did everything in their power to keep this secret hidden from the people in order to keep them enslaved. Unbeknownst by most, this is still happening today. I believe that perhaps the greatest agent utilized in this scheme today is the educational system, which industrializes the minds of children well into their young adult years. By the time they reach college or adult age, they are almost irreversibly conditioned to believe that industrialization or the job is the only means of financial stability, health, happiness, and survival. This is true throughout just about every structured society in the world. All potential thoughts and ideas pertaining to the effortlessness of attracting what is desired simply by a process of thinking and believing is removed by a reprogramming of the mind. Parents all around the country, for instance, actually believe that they are raising up their children, but are they really? Even before they send their children off to school, many send their children to childcare facilities. Today, the childcare workers are witnessing the childs first step. They are the ones who hear the first uttered words from the lips of the children, not the parents.

We call it normal when our children reach their teenage years and are rebellious toward their parents, perhaps because it happens on such a grand scale. No one seems to ask what the common denominator is among our youth concerning such rebellion. The commonality is that they have been educated in a world system away from the home, care, and supervision of the parent for a minimum of 14 years and even additional years for those who began their life in a babysitters home or childcare facility. God said that we are to train up our children so that when they are older they will not depart from that training (Proverbs 22:6). In other words, whatever we put in our children is what they will keep so whatever you put in your child you want to make sure that it is truth and Godly. Now consider what happens when someone else trains up your child for several years, say a system that is void of truth and the goodness of God? Whatever we program in a childs mind is what that child will keep. There is no aspect of the world system that now has nor will ever have a shred of true love and compassion for your child. Even those who work in the system who do love and have a passion for teaching the children truth are subject to the pressures of compliance placed upon them by the system, which they themselves are enslaved. The best way to control a society, country, and eventually the world via a one-world order is to destroy the family unit by ruining marriages and obliterating relationships between parents and their children. In other words, destroy the early bond process that takes place between the child and parent. Chances are that most parents are not able to fully bond with their infants and children today. How can they when the child is placed in a childcare or educational facility while parents are spending 60 to 80 percent of their time away on their jobs? Today, many parents, especially single parents, receive incentives from the government for being single parents with children and placing their children in childcare facilities via social services, and childcare tax credits, etc. People must work because our entire society is predicated upon industrialization, which means that people must work in order to earn a living. In other words, parents are forced into separation from their children to earn a living in order to take care of their children. How can anyone walk away from such a system? Very few do. Those who are able to walk away perhaps see the system for what it actually is and choose to live their lives in a different manner. In other words, perhaps they understand at least on some level that it is a trap. Thus, they create businesses and ultimately become investors where the business then works for them. If I were to tell you that the system of industrialization in practice today is predicated upon deception, would you believe me? Understandably, most people would certainly not. The educational system inevitably eliminates the truth in the minds of children and replaces it with the controllers fabrication of truth. The children eventually grow up and then do exactly what their parents did who were also conditioned and trained since infancy. They too eventually get a job, go to work and send their children off to childcare facilities and educational institutions. The vast majority of people in this country exist in this perpetual cycle believing that it is the only way of progression toward economic stability and success. Parents consider it normal raising their children this way regardless of their own struggles, failures, disappointments, and loss of hope. The system didnt work for them, but somehow they expect it to work for their children.

The establishment of such industrialized minds insures little to no resistance from the people of the world. The deception runs do so deep that even many of the few who do happen to resist it end up actuality creating more of what they are attempting to resist. Few realize that the elite, for instance, do not educate nor raise up their children the way everyone else does. It is a well-known fact that the majority of people today have come out of dysfunctional families, which we also deem as normal. Folks, a dysfunctional family is not normal. A dysfunctional family is not something that God intended, purposed, or designed. Dysfunctional families are being created via the educational process that children are forced to go through, including that which is also learned outside the classroom. In other words, children today are being groomed for rebellion, infidelity, divorce, poverty, promiscuity and early pregnancy to name a few. Eventually they grow up, perhaps get married, and have their own childrennot necessarily in that order mind youand then raise their children according to the conditioning of their own minds. The irony in that the elite beholds the Law of Attraction a secret is that within this law is a secret that God deliberately put there. I believe that those lacking a relationship with God cannot see nor understand it. The world mocks God believing it has Him figured out. They have even utilized His law for the sake of their own pleasures, lusts, and agendas excluding Christ entirely, but God will have the last laugh. Not all things are what they appear to be. By utilizing this law one can achieve and receive whatever he desires if he believes. In fact, this law even works when we focus upon what we dont desire. This law works for everyone whether Christian or sinner, regardless of race, creed or religion, and all walks of life. It operates continuously without exception. Even though all people utilize this law on a daily basis whether realized or not, it does not necessarily mean that those who have acquired wealth are Christian or have some form of relationship with God. In fact, many involved in New Age for example, who utilize this law call it a cosmic awareness, universal intelligence, or having a connection to All That Is. In other words, not everyone acknowledges the Almighty God, Jesus the Christ or the Holy Spirit in his or her utilization of this law. How exactly does this law work? Before we get into that, bear with me a moment and I promise you that we will go into the explanation in detail. By the time you get there, it should be very clear to understand. What will also become clear are the illusions and deceptions that the majority of the world lives by.

Gods Place of Provision

Before we go any further into this chapter, it is important to point out that God has established for everyone a place of provision. Many people unnecessarily seek prosperity through worldly ideas and concepts because they dont understand that God has already stashed away unlimited abundance and prosperity specifically for them. If every person on planet Earth understood that God, in advance, established each person with his own account of limitless abundance and treasures beyond what he could even think to ask for, then everyone would understand that there is no such thing as competition. The deception of lack or not enough to go around could not

exist in the minds of people. A lie has infiltrated the entire earth that says there is lack. It is believed therefore that in order for one to gain another must lose. In order for one to succeed, another must fail. If one were to study economics at university level, for example, undoubtedly he would learn about scarcity, which means not enough to go around. In Christ, there is no such thing as scarcity. One way that God desires to lead you to abundance and prosperity is through the gifts and talents He created in you. He uses these very tools to orchestrate a flow of prosperity and abundance into your life. Through your gifts and talents, the God kind of prosperity can manifest through many doors. Your God given prosperity cannot manifest through anothers gift and talent. He has given you your own unique gifts. Operating within your gifts invigorates you with life and reason to accomplish His purpose. Utilizing such gifts makes us become purpose driven in Christ. The abundance of prosperity that God has already given you in spirit forms out of the desires He planted in your heart. He put the desire in you to operate in the gift He established just for you. He made it so easy. He allows us to acquire His Kind of wealth and prosperity by actually doing what we love to do. Have you ever thought how awesome it would be to live a holy life doing exactly what you love doing and being prosperous at it at the same time? You were born to perform the gifts and talents He planted in you. He also gave you what you have in order to show His glory through you. When we seek God, He gives us visions, the desire to carry out those visions, and the necessary tools to complete the visions. He then rewards us for having succeeded in such endeavors. The Lords greatest desire above all things is that His people are prosperous in spirit, soul and body (3 John 1:2), yet most of us never move beyond our wishes and dreams. Though we can sometimes feel the intense desire He put in us, not all of us will step into it. Most people will stand on the edge of the proverbial cliff wishing they could soar like the eagle, but fear paralyzes them from taking flight even though God has given them the wings. God dares us to soar. He dares us to prove Him. With no boundaries in respect to our gifts and talents, He says go for it! People, who trust God desiring to serve His purpose, position themselves to receive treasures from Him that others cannot fathom. The Word says Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us (Ephesians 3:20). When you step into your God given gifts and talents through faith, God will cause you to soar higher than you could have ever dreamed. Until you take that step in faith, you will never know the immense power He put in you. Every person has been equipped to do incredible things, yet most people do not realize this. They refuse to step out on the proverbial ledge and take the leap of faith. They refuse to imagine and hold the vision in their minds. They refuse to believe. God has deliberately hidden abilities in you, yet has made them available to you through your faith in Him. The only way to unleash your true potential is first believe that you not only have potential, but that the potential is actually not from your own power, but the power of God. Let that sink in for a moment. This is

very exciting news because how can we lose when our potential is the power of the Holy Spirit who has no limitations. If you are unsure as to what your abilities are simply ask God to show you what they are and when He shows you, believe Him. Gods people receive visions from Him all the time concerning the abilities He has given them, yet very few actually believe and act on them. Instead, they inevitably dismiss them. Finally, listen and do what He tells you to do. God will never leave you hanging. He finishes what He starts. Faith is operating by the advance information God gives you, which you cannot see. We are to live from faith to faith. Once you utilize faith for a given thing, you cannot use that same faith for the next thing. New faith is required, but as you witness your faith at work seeing and experiencing the results for yourself, utilizing faith becomes easier and easier until it becomes an actual lifestyle. Faith is now, not yesterday nor tomorrow. If your mindset is in the past or future, yet you think you are utilizing faith understand that this is not how faith works. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith substitutes or becomes that which has not yet manifested. Faith is invisible to you, but to God it is a substance. He uses this substance to mold, shape and design into the exactness of what you have desired. Faith does not ask questions nor attempt to figure out the difference between peoples desires or non-desires if they should confuse the two. It doesnt question whether your thoughts are good or bad. Faith is a substance that becomes the form of only that, which you are focusing on from the perspective of your heart. If your thoughts cause you to feel good, the form becomes that which causes you to feel good. If your thoughts cause you to feel bad, the formless substance becomes that which is undesirable. All manifestations in your life are the representation of what you have allowed yourself to focus upon from the perspective of your heart. Whatever is there is what you get, no exceptions. God is willing to take you higher and higher in prosperity through your gifts and talents if you are willing to step out and believe Him in faith. Your level of success, He leaves up to you. He dares you to step out and believe Him. He will not let you fall, for He has given you wings like the eagle to soar. People tend to give up on God because they may not see immediate results. The problem is that they fight the process of change, which they must allow within themselves before they can receive their manifested desires from God. The impact upon the lives of others is Gods purpose for your success. Therefore, your greatest contributions to the world will always be your willingness to grow in the understanding of the magnificent abilities God has given you. You cannot have a genuine, positive, and lasting impact upon another until you are first willing to change from the inside out. All change must begin from within. Consider this example of the simplicity of what God wants to do in our lives concerning our gifts and the joys we get to experience from it when we simple let go and trust Him. One thing that I have always loved to do is play the piano. The sound from the combination of keys simply fascinates me. Such sounds can literally take me into a world of memories, jettison me to places of paradise, make me feel as though I am flying, and even drop me to my knees in emotional

tears. In addition to other instruments such as the violin, cello, and acoustic guitar, I am moved viscerally whenever I hear certain combinations of musical notes on the piano. When I was about five or six years old, my parents sang in the church choir and my siblings and I would have to sit up front where they could keep an eye on us from the choir stand. Whenever possible, I always made sure that I sat behind or near the piano player and I watched his every move. On those particular Sundays, I couldnt wait for church service to end so I could run to a classroom, jump on a piano, and mimic the songs I had just heard during service. I did this just about every week. I didnt know that God had given me a talent, which was an ear for music. All I knew was that I just wanted to create the sounds I had heard. I wanted to be a part of that beautiful music. The desire God gave me continued to increase and eventually I developed my own style. Throughout my childhood into young adulthood, I had no piano nor was I properly trained to play the piano. I knew very little about reading music, finger positioning, or even the basics, yet I played. Still today, I do not know the proper mechanics of reading music or playing the piano for that matter. In fact, whenever I over concern myself with the thoughts of how, I struggle in my ability to play. When I let go and not think about it, I can then play with ease. It is as if God is saying, Its not necessary to figure it out Rick, just enjoy the gift. Years later, I joined a church and one day, unexpectedly, the pastor said he felt in his heart that I needed to play on the worship team. Neither he nor anyone in the church had ever heard me play. In short, I started playing on the worship team and God anointed the music that came out of me, which He put in me. From there on other opportunities came where for a season God presented me with the opportunity to praise and worship in song with other musicians where we formed a band. This was a dream come true for me. Repeatedly, I saw this and experienced it in my mind for years despite the fact that I hadnt had lessons, despite the fact that I didnt have a piano, and despite the fact that I had no experience whatsoever playing with others. The church purchased one of the most expensive top of the line keyboard systems specifically for me. Later, when we formed the band, another ministry purchased a keyboard and organ specifically for me. In fact, on both occasions they asked me to pick out whatever I wanted and suggested that I get the best, which I graciously accommodated their request. It just so happened that every musician I played with also had similar gifts. Though we were all musically inclined with various instruments and vocal capabilities, none of us read music or took lessons. All of us played by ear. I say all this to say two things, one, I was operating in Gods law of attraction, yet I didnt even realize it and two, people started coming up to us and asking if we would be willing to tape our music or put it on CD, that if we did they would be willing to pay for it. None of us considered our ability to play to be anything special; we were just having a great time worshiping and praising God. There was hardly any effort at all on our part other than enjoying the gift and stepping into it, yet the anointed songs ushered in the Holy Spirit, hearts were touched, and people were lead into the presence of God. Most people determined to succeed attempt to do so with only their agenda in mind. Their purpose and reasoning behind their desire is incongruent to Gods purpose for their life. God did not just haphazardly create. Everything He does is with precise intention and purpose. Because God created a universal law that allows us to attract to ourselves what we desire, some people

achieve their dreams despite Gods intent and purpose for them. Such people may have wealth and even abundance of prosperity, but they do not have a relationship with Christ. Because they do not belong to Christ, thus have rejected Him, the Word says that in a single day their wealth, prosperity and way of life will crumble. Despite their worldly riches and prosperity, they will one day awaken to see the terrifying reality of their existence being separate from God (Psalm 73:17-19). It has been said that your waking life is actually the dream and your reality is when you sleep (die). God Himself also acknowledges this in the book of Psalm and other places in the Bible (i.e., Luke 23:43; 16:1925). Those who live according to the flesh the Bible says suddenly they will be utterly consumed in terrors (Psalm 73:19). Paul said that to die unto Christ is to gain. Dieing to self is to live in Christ where there is life. Walking in the flesh is to function only according to interaction with the external world ignorant of its source, which is the person or the logical mind of humankind. We create our reality from the inside out whether by conscious intent or unconscious intent. God has even given us power, if you will, to create a reality where we can choose to make Him absent. This is why some people have a very difficult time believing that there is a God and that He is real. Thus, we should not construe worldly wealth to be the actual fruit of God. Jesus said, I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you (James 15:5-7). Out of the few in the world who have actually understood the law of attraction, some have sought to use it for their own vantage. What they do not understand however, is that utilizing this law without God as the equation, creates for them in addition to their desires an invisible curse. Did you get that? This is the embedded secret within the secret. What I mean by invisible curse is that initially perhaps they will not necessarily see it or even feel it. Perhaps on a deeper personal level their rich lifestyle will be riddled with pain, despair, sickness, grief, separation, divorce, loneliness, etc. To others their lifestyle may seem like a heaven on earth, but God has revealed to us in His Word that the day will come when such a curse will become very apparent. Consider what Jesus said about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-23). The rich man fared sumptuously everyday. Clearly, he lived a life of having more than enough, yet ended up in the flames of hell. If a person gains even the entire world, what has he really gained if he looses his soul? Have you ever considered the fact that everything God gives you is automatically equipped to prosper? The only reason why we may not prosper is that we get in the way of what God desires to do. We get in the way by the way we think. Most times the way we think is indicative to that which we see. Because we tend to believe what we see, we often assume the worst. If a person sees his bank account most times being at zero, for instance, he assumes himself poor. Gods picture of him however may be entirely different. What we think often creates bad feelings. Bad feelings always and without exception attract undesirable circumstances into our

lives. The undesirable circumstances in turn produce failure. It doesnt matter how you slice it or dice it, our failures are always the result of what we think. They are never, ever, the result or effects of other people. Other people can never cause you to fail unless you allow it. When we change the way we think to the way God thinks, then we get His kind of success. We can of course gain worldly success without God, but this kind of success is actually an illusion. Success without salvation is short lived. A persons life would nevertheless be a product of eventual death and separation from God. Did you get that? God said in His Word that His wish above all things was that we would be prosperous with divine health, that even our souls would prosper (3 John 1:2). He said that this was His hope or desire above everything else. However, God can only wish that we would have understanding. He can only wish that we would believe Him. God does not force anything upon us. He leaves it up to us to believe Him in faith or we can choose not to believe Him. When all hell breaks loose in your life in the midst of your believing better things from God, whose report do you find yourself believing? Do you tend to operate from the perspective of whatever your circumstances dictate or stay true to your trust in God despite your circumstances? You cannot have it both ways; you believe either one or the other. The outcome will always reflect whichever you believe. When we think to ourselves how awesome it would be to become prosperous in life doing the things we love doing, God is excitedly saying, Yes thats it! Unfortunately, the thought of a prosperous life for most does not transcend the dream. Even though some may have a strong desire to do what they feel God has gifted them to do they often lack the necessary confidence or faith in God to take the step. They can only see the external circumstances representing an opposition to everything they are visualizing. Instead of believing God who says that whatever is asked of Him will be given, they believe in the given situations and circumstances of their life. To them, the external circumstance of their life is reality and their vision is the illusion. Have you ever felt in your heart a strong desire or an intense inspiration to act upon something? Have you ever experienced a burst of energy exploding within you from an awesome idea that ran through your mind, which seemed to have come out of nowhere and you knew it was a winner? In fact, the idea was so awesome that you could not believe it could have come from you. Perhaps you couldnt get it off your mind, couldnt sleep, or think about anything elsebut the idea just seemed impossible, so you talked yourself out of it before you got started on it. Still, you couldnt shake the feeling that something about it was right. You couldnt shake the knowing that it was from God. The irony is that the idea or inspiration initially came because you desired it. In other words, you asked for it the moment you saw in your mind that you could be happy, successful, wealthy, prosperous, or healthyyou fill in the blank. The moment you made the request was the moment you received exactly what you desired in your heart. Because people tend to accept or believe the impossible instead of what is possible, they gradually allow their inspirations to fade through inaction until every lingering thought about it is gone. I believe that every time we allow this to happen a part of us dies along with the inspiration God gave us.

The next step is to receive by stepping into the action brought on by the idea or inspiration. Most people do not understand the power of their thoughts and are thus unaware that they attract that which is desirable and/or undesirable to themselves. People place their thoughts and feelings on autopilot, which causes them to believe that whatever comes into their life enters by default. In other words, they dont believe that they can control the circumstances of their lives or change them. In this, they develop a victim mentality. Thus, they do whatever they can to get by in a mundane life of lack and mediocrity, which they created themselves. They live their lives in fear and complacency in an external world instead of creating a life that reflects their heart desires. The external world, which they allow to govern them, is the manifestation of their own conscious and subconscious thinking. Instead of observing reality from within out, they interact and respond to the opposite. What they perceive outwardly affects and causes them to change inwardly. Attempting to remedy only the external problem and situations will never change the core from which the circumstance arose. People who set out to change the world from the perspective of the external without giving thought to how the world became such the way it is may create change, but ultimately that change will cause the conditions of the world to become even worse. Such change perpetuates the illusion of external reality. God wants us to know what our true potentials are. The problem however is that when some of us find out we tend to talk ourselves right out of it or allow others to. Usually the visions that God shows us just seem too impossible to handle. In fear, we question our own abilities. We tend to listen to the voice of others instead of God. Consider what you were perhaps told by a teacher or your parents during your childhood: if you want to make lots of money you have to get a good education so that you can get a good job. But is that actually true? Did you know that statistically the majority of millionaires and even billionaires in this country never acquired any degrees through college education? In fact, many did not even complete high school. I have personally met and to this day know several very well educated individuals, who are barely making ends meet. Why should I listen to a person concerning his expertise on financial wealth, for instance, if he himself does not know how to attain financial wealth? Yet people tend to listen to others who say that you must get a good education in school to make good money despite the fact that perhaps those very people did exactly that and yet are struggling to make ends meet. Someone else will always control the amount of income that you will earn even if you happen to own your own business. A business requires consumers. Subtract the consumer and you get zero for profit, net, and income. However, no one else can ever control the wealth that you can create for yourself by the power of your thoughts derived out of the abundance of your heart and your faith in God. God has already given you the wealth through all spiritual blessings, which He placed in Christ. True wealth is not about what you do or the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not about the method or gimmick that you can come up with nor your level of education, smarts, or intelligence. True wealth is a mindset. It is predicated upon not only what you think, but also what you believe. True wealth and earned income are not compatible in any respect. Few people consider the fact

that all their life (to the degree of their faith) they were somehow taken care of. They may not have lived in the mansion, drove the Rolls Royce, dinned at the nicest places and wore the trendiest outfits, but God sustained them everyday even when they couldnt see that they were actually being sustained. In other words, they were given exactly what they needed exactly when they needed it on every occasion. Imagine a life where you give in to this understanding having faith in God for all your needs and desires to be met. Peoples worries and concern about their lack of material things such as money, would then become obsolete. The material things mentioned such as the car, house, etc., are simply material things. God said that all things would perish except His Word. Peoples value of wealth and prosperity are based upon material things. Such things are not at all important to God. Some Christians nevertheless believe that the culmination of all their material things have to do with their relationship with God. Sadly, they will soon find out how wrong they actually are. God would rather give you substance that transcends the things. That substance is His wisdom. Having His wisdom can cause the material things to come to you, yet you have understanding that the things are actually only temporary things, which have no value at all. Mainstream Christianity associates worldly wealth, riches and materialism to God, yet Jesus said that such things would eventually perish so what value does their material possessions actually have? Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away (Matthew 24:35). But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment [Earth and everything on it will be burned up and found destroyed]. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames (2 Peter 3:10-12, NLT).

Peoples belief that having more money, homes, cars, clothes, recreations, etc., is the key to being set free living comfortably in style and luxury, is an illusion. In the Day of the Lord, such things will pass away. God places no value upon such things, yet people do all the time. In fact, people believe in their possessions to such the extent that they have found not only comfort in them but also even security. They are utterly unaware that the world is headed toward cataclysm, that in a very short time their possessions will turn out to be worthless. Their false security found in their wealth and riches will not even be able to sustain them, let alone save them. Many today who earn high incomes are nevertheless financially enslaved. If you dont believe me, then let them quit their jobs or whatever they do that brings in their earned income. Let the adjustable interest rate on their mortgage continue to increase. Better yet, let them stop making their mortgage or auto payments and see what happens. They will quickly find that their possessions such as their homes and cars just like the financially lower class possessions are

nothing more than borrowed. People better wake up and realize that today even the social middle class is being financially exterminated, yet it doesnt have to be this way. When laying your treasures up in heaven, how can the world system steal them away? Frankly, when you trust and allow God to be your treasurer as opposed to placing your faith in your bank account, you find that your financial survival isnt dependant upon your bank account, credit cards, and material assets. You also find that even the combination of all your liabilities does not shut you down. We need to at last wake up and realize that we possess more control over our lives than we have been lead to believe. We have such control when we choose God. Though most believers tend to think that they are choosing God, they are actually choosing the material things and the material world. This is exactly why wealth and prosperity messages preached in churches around the world today is the buzz of the Christian nation. Literally millions of people who say they belong to Christ are caught up in it.

Curing the Debilitated Mind with Wisdom

Unless people learn and I mean fast, there will ultimately be two classes, that of the wealthy and that of the slave who works for the wealthy. You may not want to hear or believe this, but simply look around you and see what is happening in the very society you live in. Those who interact and predicate their lives only upon the systems of the external world are subject to the woes, failures, and fallacies of the external world. If the systems of the world should debilitate peoples abilities, which it obviously does, then whats left other than peoples enslavement to the systems of the world? Do you actually think that the education handed down to the children of the wealthy is the same education given to the poor? Do you actually think that the elite rich vaccinate their children? Do you actually believe that the elite stand in line to receive their flu shots? If so, you had better think again. The elite of the world (that small 1% who owns practically all the wealth of the world) debilitates peoples opportunities for successful living through divine health, wealth, and prosperity by keeping the truth hidden while saturating the entire world with deception pertaining to who the people really are in the eyes of God. Remember, Gods wish above all things is that the people are prosperous in every area of life (3 John 1:2). They debilitate them by monopolizing the wealth where they control the Central Banking System, which is the Federal Reserve, which is about as federal as a local grocery store. They inform the world that there is a shortage of money, gas, oil, food, water, fossil fuels, etc. They debilitate them by paralyzing the minds of people via media, entertainment, and education. They debilitate them by destroying their immunity system, which keeps the people weak, sickly, even causing many to die. Within their system, the poor educates the poor and the rich educates the rich. If the poor educates the poor then how can the poor ever know what the rich know? The poor must be willing to break away from the perpetual cycle of learning the deceptive lies of the world system. They must be willing to embrace something entirely unorthodox, yet Godly in nature in comparison to their current understanding. They must be willing to learn and accept that the

reality of their physical life is nothing more than an extension of what they hold and maintain in their heart. When people change their heart, they will immediately see the change in their life and no external world, event, or devil can stop it. Operating through faith in God is a very interesting thing. Lets say you are ascending stairs in the dark and you can only see a step at time. In order to get to where you are going your focus remains on your destination, which is the top of the stairs, yet you take a step at a time. You do not concern yourself with the entire stairwell, which you cannot see. Walking in faith is exactly the same kind of confidence, it is intending and believing in your desired destination, yet leaving the how aspects in the hands of God. We dont question how electricity works before we turn on a light switch, we just turn on the light switch and we get light. People however, tend to feel safe according to what they can control, yet faith is about relinquishing that control entirely to God. Having faith is to understand that some forms of control are an illusion to begin with. How can one trust God and attempt to control the how aspects of something at the same time? What would then be the point of trusting in God? Most people are so adamant to figure everything out that when they cannot figure out the ramifications of how something can be done, they automatically tend to dismiss it believing that it cannot be done. What this says to God is that we believe His ability to solve is either less than or no greater than our own ability to solve. Thus, the problems or issues never become resolved. The irony is that Christians for the most part, who operate in this belief, nevertheless believe that they are having faith in God. I believe that there is only one thing that God expects us to get under control, which is our thoughts but this requires us to recognize the way God thinks and align our thoughts to His. What good are any persons thoughts if they do not align or agree with Gods thoughts? Getting your thoughts under control is not necessarily monitoring your thoughts or trying to stop thoughts from coming into your mind, this would tend to make a person crazy. Getting them under control is keeping things in perspective in addition to carefully and selectively choosing that which you will give your focus. Getting your thoughts under control means to observe the reality of a given thing or circumstance as opposed to automatically reacting to your perception of a given thing or circumstance. Often peoples perceptions are very different from that which is real because their perceptions are based upon the outcome of their history of experience, which from the onset could have been inaccurate. Until you get your mind under control, it will run amuck guiding you to the external and keeping you there. It will be the brain center of everything you do, which perhaps from your own experience you found to be all the wrong things. When has your focus in the external world ever worked in your favor on a long-term basis? Your own thoughts created every undesirable circumstance you have ever experienced or let me put it this way; the way you reacted to such circumstances is how you chose to react, which brought about the reality you experienced. Your willingness toward accepting this truth is the first step toward changing your life. There is a difference between what you think from the perspective of your mind and what you know from the perspective of your heart. You cannot arrive at the level of experiencing reality

based upon deliberant intent from your heart until you get your mind under control. You cannot intelligently formulate your desire for the things that will benefit not only your life but also others, until you can manage your mind. It is your responsibility to arrange your thoughtful desires into a coherent whole and then impress this whole upon the formless substance where God has the power and the will to create for you exactly what you want. Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45). He also said, For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36). Jesus verifies here that not only is it possible for people to gain without having a relationship with God, but also those who do can indeed lose their soul. Thus, understand that Gods law works regardless of whether you are a Christian or a non-Christian. What separates the two is salvation. Those who belong to Christ will have salvation, and those who do not belong to Christ will not. No persons level of prosperity and wealth for instance determines their salvation in Christ. If you keep your focus on whatever it is you are thinking long enough, what you think will eventually sink into your heart, which you will eventually speak out of your mouth. Failing to align ourselves to Gods thoughts causes the tongue to be set aflame by hell itself. Not only does this cause praise and cursing to roll of our tongues in a single breath, but it can set aflame the course of your life and defile the entire body. The Word of God tells us that this should not be so (James 3:5-10). God told us to get His wisdom because it is the principle thing (Proverbs 4:7). Everything else should be left entirely in His hands. Your ability to think is the most precious commodity you have. Even more precious is this ability when you are willing to allow your thoughts to become saturated by the wisdom of God. Receiving His wisdom feeds and nourishes your spirit, which in turn calms and directs the flow of your thoughts. Your own thoughts create your daily reality so why not utilize Gods wisdom as much as possible to ensure the best and most blessed reality. God is not the one who controls what you end up receiving or experiencing in your life whether good or bad, you are. He gave you that ability through your thought process. He even gave us the ability to know in advance whether our destination will provide desirable results or undesirable results. For instance, however you feel about your life this instant is your greatest indicator as to what is in rout to you in your life in addition to how you will feel when it arrives. Peoples thoughts produce either good or bad feelings regardless of how we may label them. Good can only attract good and bad can only attract bad. If you are feeling neutral then mediocrity is what you get. A mediocre life does not present feelings of joy, peace, abundance, love, and prosperity. In fact, mediocrity is nothing more than a struggle of barely getting by. It is like a perpetual frustration. Mediocrity is the mundane. It means having just below enough. God simply allows what you allow whether desired or undesired. He prefers you to live above mediocrity and having that which is desirable.

Often we fail to recognize that when God gives us a vision that seems impossible, He is making a deliberate point. The vision is supposed to be impossibleto us. All things however are possible to God. Lets say that God gives you an assignment or dream and the inspiration to carry it out, yet you have no earthly idea how such an endeavor is to be accomplished. You dont even know where to begin. This is exactly how God planned it. In fact, He does not want you even to concern yourself with how the task is to be accomplished. Endeavoring to figure out the how aspects, removes you from faith and causes you to rely instead upon yourself. Having goals is necessary, but goal setting is not figuring out how something is to be done. It is simply seeing only the successful result. How could God be glorified in the eyes of people if He gave you visions that you could handle? If you allow yourself to trust God, then the inspiration, vision, or mission you receive from God will become a successful reality in your life. You will display to the world exactly what God desires the world to seeHis Glory. The times that we may think little of ourselves concerning our abilities to do what God has gifted us to do are the paramount times in our lives when God is trying to awaken us toward our potentials. We bring those potentials into a reality by understanding, utilizing, and allowing His ability of expression to work through us. As we call upon Christ for our needs, He endues us with His power. Operating in your gift is about God and His glory, which He seeks to have through you. God rewards those who diligently seek Him. He gives them whatever their heart desires (Hebrews 11:6; Psalm 37:4). There really is no true prosperity for you outside of Gods unlimited provision regardless of what the world may show you. People, including Christians however, seek prosperity outside this provision. A man can create a business and though it can become financially successful, he may suffer tremendous misery concerning that business because He is not in alignment with Gods provision. Thus, has he actually gained prosperity? A person has true wealth and prosperity when he is satisfied in every area of his life via peace and joy. I am not saying that just because a person steps into his place of provision he will no longer have challenges. However, even his challenges will be predicated upon his thought process, just as your challenges are today. Because he has allowed God to position him, he will peacefully stand despite the challenges he may face. He will see all his challenges from a different vantage. The peace he feels in his heart is his anchor in God resulting from his trust in Gods ability, not his own. Once he understands that his success is predicated upon Gods ability and expression working through him he can simply focus more upon enjoying life. Generally, people trust in their own ability and when it fails them, they blame God. In the palm of His hand, God keeps your place of provision protected. You can sow a seed for every need you have and attain worldly wealth, but if you are not where God has called you to be, you will always thirst for something more. The harvested seed alone will never be enough. Outside of Gods provisioned place for you, nothing will satisfy your thirst. The grass will always seem greener on the other side. Nothing you attain will ever suffice. Gods purpose for your life is hidden within your gifts and talents. Perhaps you do not know what your gifts and talents are but if you ask, He will show you. Chances are you have already been doing them all your life because your purpose in life was to perform your gift. However, God wants you to utilize your gift for His purpose. He will give you witty inventions to package

what you have so that you can prosper in it if you can believe Him for it. It is Gods desire to bring you into your destiny walk concerning your gifts because your destiny walk is going to have a major impact upon His kingdom on earth.

Our Destiny Walk

Many Christians mistakenly believe that they are walking in their destiny because they attend church every week, they attend a bible school, or perform on the praise and worship team or because they are faithful to their church ministry and pastor. Many believe they are on this path due to their tithing record or nobility toward others. I would venture to say that the majority of Christians are probably nice people, yet they nevertheless are in many ways hurting, especially in areas of their finances and marital relationships. They are sick, depressed, dealing with anxieties and all kinds of unwanted junk in their lives. They are praying to God just as I once did, saying, But Lord, I go to church and Im faithful and diligent in everything I do. I am on the praise team. I attended bible school and have studied your Word. I have never missed a church service, and I even read the Bible everyday. Furthermore, Id boast to God about my tithing record, my giving in offerings, and my good heart toward others. Im doing everything I know how to do! Lord, what could I possibly be missing? Yet each time Gods answer was clear and simple. Hed say, You are disobeying Me. You are not functioning in your purpose. I struggled with that for years though I knew exactly what God was saying. He was calling me out, but I wanted to stay hidden where I felt safe. He gave me a voice to speak, but I didnt want to speak. I wanted to stay quiet. Ironically, before I became a Christian you couldnt shut me up. I had what people call gifted gab, but the things I spoke then had nothing to do with God and His kingdom. I was in agreement with the world. As a Christian, I didnt want to deal with the risk of being proverbially stoned or ridiculed for opening my mouth. Initially, I feared the idea of people possibly not agreeing with me in what the Lord had given me to say. I wanted to adhere to the thoughts and ideas of mainstream were I felt safe and could be like everyone else. My mind would second-guess what God said and taunt me causing me to contemplate the what ifs if people were to disagree. For years, there was this nagging agonizing voice in the back of my mind, which never had anything positive to say about anything. It questioned my ability in everything, everyday without fail including writing this book. It would say to me, who do you think you are? Who made you an authority on anything? Who made you the expert or teacher? Relentlessly, I beat myself over the head with these questions. Well exactly what are your credentials, mister hotshot? How many people do you have in your congregation? How many churches have you established, how many have you been in pastoral over? How many books have you published? Whom do you know or who has heard of you? I dealt with this horrible voice posing these questions constantly. Fear had a strong hold on me and I remained paralyzed for several years. These questions reflected my fears of what everybody else would perhaps demand to know in their rejection of me. When I was finally able to overcome my own doubts, I then had to battle against the doubts of

people who asked the same questions concerning my ability and authority to write this book. This was yet another pattern of attraction that I had established myself, but I didnt realize it at the time. I was not dealing with the reality of the situation. I was merely acting according to my perception of the situation through my own constructed barrage of fears and doubts, which eventually became the new reality. Despite knowing what God had spoken to me, I ignored God and instead listened to everybody else. What He wanted seemed too large, too impossible for me to handle, so for years I did nothing. I recorded notes pertaining to what He said, but I kept quiet about it. Even when all my notes began to take form into the volumes of books and articles, I still had hardly even considered the idea of being published. According to normal standards, I didnt have the credentials to be published so initially I simply dismissed the idea. Yet not a day went by when I wasnt in turmoil over what I was refusing to do, yet I was also confused because I did not know what to do. I didnt know the first thing about writing a book. I knew nothing about query letters and proposals, which I found out that most of the literary agencies and book publishing companies required. In my research concerning book publishing, I read many horror stories about people who for years attempted to get their works published only to be repeatedly rejected. I read about all the hoops writers were expected to jump through such as additional training, entering contest, joining writing clubs, and spending top dollars on different writing seminars, workshops, and conventions just for the slight possibility of a referral to a publishing editor. In addition, I read up on the statistical probabilities of a persons work actually being accepted for publishing considering the competition. The odds of such a thing happening even for professionals with years of writing experience and the highest levels of education were small, so who was I to think that I could publish a book? I took in all the negative circumstances of the different people I had read about and made their shortcomings and miseries my own reality. When it stopped me dead in my tracks, the first thing I wanted to do was blame God. Had He not given me the unction to carry out such a task in the first place, I wouldnt have had to deal with the agonies of doubt, frustration, feelings of inadequacy and lost. I got caught up in the external, which is where I also looked for all my answers. I knew that Gods system of operation was greater than the worlds because that is what I had heard and learned in the church but like most Christians, I had no revelation. To make matters worse, I presumed that I was operating in Gods system, even though actually I didnt even know what His system was. Initially, I didnt understand that in Gods system all things are possible and that the success ratio was 100% in favor every time, without fail. I saw the entire scenario of my dreams, which God gave me from the perspective of my own ability. It took me quite a while to realize that God endued me with His power and ability to perform my gift and that this was the only way I would be able to accomplish the task. In reality, my responsibility was only to have the desire to step into it with belief that it was possible. I was trying to control an outcome that I could not see as opposed to simply taking a step at a time and allowing the direction to unfold. I had to learn that being faithful to operate in what God gives us means it doesnt matter what

other peoples experiences are. It doesnt even matter what they think. I had to get over their rejection of me, my rejection of myself, and realize that the Lord accepted me. I had to stop reading the dos and donts of this and that. I had to learn to stop listening to the horror stories of peoples failures and incorporating them into my own outcome. I had to learn to move away from my own past and realize that my past and even my present did not define me, but that it only represented whatever thoughts I had previously sent to God. God said that we could have whatever we say. I had to realize that I had been saying, thinking, feeling, and believing all the wrong things, that all of it was simply a choice. I had to learn to focus only upon that which was good and desirable as opposed to bad and undesirable. It took awhile before all of this sunk in but over time, I finally got the message. Meanwhile, when I finally did embark upon the idea of getting my book published, I eventually arrived at a point where several literary agencies and publishing houses had turned down my manuscript. Everything I had read about concerning peoples failures in publishing was becoming a reality for me. I remember one day I was really down, my hope was just about gone, and I started questioning God. Why He would lay so much on my heart, yet not show me an avenue to get the word out was something I could not understand. I knew in advance that the information God had given me could benefit others and me in more ways than I could imagine. Nevertheless, there the manuscript sat unpublished. Had I been so lost in the eyes of God that He actually meant for all this information to be entirely for my own understanding? Would all this work just end up sitting on a shelf collecting dust? I could not make sense of what was going on. Forever it seemed, I remained stagnant and depressed in this place of doubt until finally God had to shake me a bit to help me snap out of it. He simply said, Rick, why are you listening to them? The assignment actually wasnt about me; it was about God doing His work through me for the benefit of His kingdom, yet I was trying to maintain control by attempting to figure everything out. I wanted His answers, but only according to my own terms. God wanted me to understand that not only was He the answer, but that He had been the answer all along. God designed our gift attributes for His purpose, but He allows us to choose how we will use what He has given us. Not everyone chooses to honor God with the gifts and talents He has given them. When people refuse to use the gifts and talents God has given them, I believe that they rob the kingdom of God. When they utilize their gifts and talents in ways that do not honor God, they also rob the kingdom of God. We should be willing to reduce ourselves so that God can be increased in us through everything we do. People in the world however, increase themselves and reduce God in everything they do. They call or attract to themselves their desires and say the universe did it or that it was some cosmic energy or higher self from within. Like Satan, they even call themselves god. God does not fear, get sick, worry, die, have difficulty in controlling his thoughts, create unconsciously, make blundering errors nor destroy his environment or the nature of Himself. He is not evil nor can he lie, just to name a few things, which people often do. Who has a better track record than Jesus? How dare people have the audacity to compare themselves to the Almighty God placing themselves upon a throne and calling themselves a God just because they can manifest a car or a house. God who created the universe commanding it to sustain us allows

such abilities within them. He hung the sun upon nothing. He positioned the moon, the planets, and all the stars upon nothing placing them in precise positions whereupon the universe sustains even itself, by His command. He is the creator of dimensions and phenomena that has yet to be revealed and the designer of laws and matter the size of quarks and even smaller, which we can barely grasp, yet people compare themselves as enlightened as Godabsolute rubbish! I believe that such people considering themselves being like a god have the same spirit of the antichrist who will proclaim that he is God according to the book of Daniel. Such people steal Gods glory. Any person, who thinks of himself as a god, should seriously read and study the book of Job. They will quickly find out how infinitesimally small they are in comparison to the one true Almighty God. God designed your gifts and talents to reach, impact, and change lives, but the main ingredient needed in order to accomplish this fully is God. Our responsibility is simply to love the gift God has given and He has even given us the desire to do that. He made it so incredibly easy! It is as if God does everything for us and then rewards us for it. I believe that we walk in our destiny when we operate in the gifts and talents that God gave us. This awesome path is the only place you will find fullness in your life. Every blessing God has given you personallyin advancesince the foundation of the earth, is located on this path. It is where God stashed all your harvest and heavenly riches, which you have access to right now on earth. I believe that many Christians lose their way and backslide because they are not in their destiny walk. Perhaps they too were once diligent in everything concerning their position in church, but nothing seemed to work or make a difference so they said, whats the use? They dont necessarily see the differences between their life and the sinners even though they may be a participant in a church. There are people who have been saved for many years, for example, yet are not reaping the fruits from their destiny walk in Christ regardless of their diligence in attending church and participation in the ministry. The Word of God commands us to assemble ourselves with each other to worship and glorify God (Hebrews 10:25), so they are not wrong in their diligence of Christianity. Perhaps the problem is that the majority of Christians who attend church do not actually understand what this assembling actually means. Most Christians take Hebrews 10:25 to mean the assembling of people to worship and praise God in the church building. They believe that the validity of any relationship with God is only within the confines of the church building that if you do not belong to one (if you do not belong to a ministry) your relationship with God is false. In fact, many Christians believe that those who do not go to church will go to hell. Thus, they do not forsake the assembly for fear of falling away from God. Their connection to God is not necessarily prayer, praise, and worship. Their connection to God is the building, which is where they have prayer, praise, and worship. I have a close Christian friend who boasted, Even if my legs were cut off, Id find a way to crawl to church on Sunday if I had to because you dont miss church. A noble statement indeed, in fact it actually sounds a lot like Peter boasting his allegiance to Jesus, whom Jesus proved wrong every time. What does such a belief or statement truly say in essence about a

relationship with God? It says that God either does not have the capacity to meet him exactly where he is at that moment in his leg-less state or that God is a tyrant who would punish him if he didnt show up at the church building despite his crippled condition. In addition, it boasts a message to God that is much more heinous. Paul spoke about the spirit of the antichrist, which he said is already in the world. Many Christians today actually operate in the spirit of the antichrist, yet dont even know it. Jesus is the only bridge that stands between you and God, there is absolutely no other. Your church is not a bridge. Your pastor is not a bridge. Your priest is not a bridge. Your tithes and offerings do not serve as a bridge. The works you do is not a bridge. There is only Jesus who is life, the resurrection, and way to the Father. One who says in his heart that going to church is the only way to receive salvation or believes that salvation is possible through any other means than Jesus, is operating in a spirit of the antichrist. A man with no legs even, can call out to Jesus right there on the spot and there Jesus will be. Forsaking not the assembly of others, as stated in Hebrews 10:25 is essentially talking about Gods people being in a collaboration of agreement, unity, and one in Spirit with Christ. When I sit on my living room sofa with my wife and we discuss Jesus, the Word of God, have prayer together, and speak the goodness of God, we are assembling ourselves together in agreement as one spirit in Christ. If a group of people was at my home and we did the same, we would thus be assembling ourselves together in reverence to Christ. If a man in Michigan is in prayer and another man on the other side of the world in New Zealand is in prayer toward Christ, they are one in spirit with Christ. There is no distinction of time and space with God. He sees the assembling between the two being connected to Him via His Spirit, which is one spirit living in the two men who happen to live on opposite sides of the planet. God is omnipresent. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth [earthnot church] as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where [anywhere] two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:19-20). [Emphasis mine.] Perhaps another reason Christians are not reaping the fruits from their destiny walk in Christ is that they are only spectators in the body of Christ, yet they believe they are doers because they are showing up for church service. A spectator is not necessarily someone who has no function in his church. A spectator is a Christian who is not fulfilling his destiny call from God in his personal life. He is one who sits back and watches time and life pass him by having no effect upon those God called him to reach. There should be no separation between church and your everyday life because you are the church, not the four-walled building. Until you are planted in your place of provision, you will not grow. Until you are planted, you are likened to a seed tossed onto cement. Without a deep root that seed is at the mercy of nature. What I have experienced concerning the subject of spectatorship in the church is that ministries tend to correlate being planted in the church to their specific ministry or denomination. They say that if you are not planted in your church you will never grow. I dont believe thats entirely accurate. Being planted is not about your position in your church building or church ministry. Being planted is about your position or being rooted in the body of Christ. It is your answer to

the call of God on your life, which extends beyond the four walls of your church building. It is performing in your gifted talent all the days of your life. We are called to do things in the body of Christ, and we must fulfill that calling. The call is your gift. If you are fulfilling Gods call upon your life, then perhaps you are not bothered by the fact that you may only have a seat in your church. All of us have assignments, yet not all of us were meant to sing on the praise and worship team or preach behind the pulpit. Because God calls us beyond the four walls, ministries need to be careful not to assume that someone is missing it with God just because the individual may not be doing what the ministry thinks he should be doing in their church. A church ministrys responsibility should be to train people up and send them out to affect the world by the Gospel learned in the church. The church should be raising up the five fold (Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors, Teachers, and Preachers) and sending them out like soldiers, but churches today fall mightily short in this area. Not only are they not sending the people out, but also they scorn the learned that leave when the church instead should be rejoicing. The learned usually endeavors to spread the Word of God further into the world, which should be the main purpose of the church. This is why God may prompt many to leave their respective church. Unfortunately, even many of the learned miss it because they carry the heavy burdens of church influence, which comprises guilt and condemnation. Instead of going out and sowing the Word into the world, they quickly join another church and start the entire cycle over again. They too were conditioned to believe that all true Christians belong to a church. They too believe that God terminates the relationship unless they attend a church and that they will loose their covering under the headship of their pastors, yet Jesus established the covenant with them. He did not make His covenant inaccessible to those who do not necessarily have a church or pastor. Many Christians attending church today tend to keep the gospel to themselves in their church. They continuously teach and preach to the choir so-to-speak. They believe that the call of God on peoples lives that belong to their church has everything to do with their church. Gods vision however, expands far beyond the walls of a given church building or ministry. I am not saying that people should leave their church or that people do not need church. God plants us for His purpose and for the benefit of our learning and growth, but He requires us to continue, not necessarily park and become stagnant. I am talking about keeping things in perspective. First and foremost, there is God. Nothing should be placed before Him, yet most Christians tend to believe that they can only associate themselves to Christ via the church building or ministry. They tend to believe that the only way they can convene with God is through the pastor or priest. Such things are relative to the Mosaic Law, which no one should be in abidance to today, for Jesus died on the cross and established a new covenant. Today, Gods people themselves can enter the Inner Court, the Holy of Holies. We no longer need the priest to do this on our behalf. When we allow anything or any person other than Christ Jesus to stand between us and God believing that such things are the link between us and God, we are in essence operating in the spirit of the antichrist. Any person or anything on earth that stands between you and your salvation with God confirming that it is the only source through which one can come to Christ is

indeed a form of an antichrist. This may include perhaps even the church, which you belong. Paul said that the spirit of the antichrist will not only come but is already in the world and that there were many antichrists in the world (1 John 2:18; 4:3). Ministries boasting their gimmicks, methods, prayer cloths, conventions, and sales, for example, as your ticket to the kingdom of God are operating in the spirit of the antichrist. Their contention is that you need them and that unless you sow them your seed, sacrifice yourself by giving up the cash you are lost. One who denies the Father and Son is also one who says, You must go through me in order to access the Father and the Son. This is exactly what Christians say about their church for many believe that those who do not attend are going to hell. Thus, the nature of the modern global church is incongruent to that of the universal spiritual church established by Christ. The modern church is of an apostate nature. Our call is also to assemble ourselves with one another to worship and glorify God in one accord. God never said establish denominations, separate the body of Christ, or compartmentalize yourself from other Christians because you belong to this church. He never said only perform your gift for this or that specific group. Time and space is not an issue for God. When two hearts are focused upon Him, yet the two people stand on opposite sides of the planet, this is a form of assembling oneself with another to worship God. They are of one Spirit and that Spirit is the Holy Spirit. The Bible does not say anywhere that assembling with others to worship and glorify God means being a member of a physical church, specific denomination, or ministry. Please understand that I am not referring or speaking about a tolerance concerning all religions and beliefs here. I am talking about true Christianity, those who are saved who have pledged their lives to Christ, who have not only genuinely confessed with their mouths and believed in their hearts that Jesus is Lord according to the Word of God (Romans 10:9-10), but are also doers of the Word of God. A Christian denomination that alienates itself from the body believing that it is the one and only true denomination sets itself up to be slaughtered just as the compartmentalization of all Christian groups. It does not matter how right-on their teaching may be concerning Gods truth. Alienation among Christianity is a weakness, not strength. Christianity is to alienate itself from the world, not among one another. The body of Christ is one body, not several bodies split up into denominational sects, and theological philosophies. For centuries, deception has encroached upon the church causing literal disassociation between the global church and Christ. The modern church has been broken into pieces. The church body today stands in the midst of alienation and separation. Until the church learns once again to become that single body, it will remain apostate in nature. It will stand opposite to the universal church that Jesus described to Peter, which He said the gates of hell would not prevail against (Matthew 16:18). Those belonging to the body of Christ should be one in Spirit with Christ. If the church is splintered, how can we call it the collective body of Christ? Throughout history, Satans plan of attack has always been to divide and conquer. Whatever he can split, he can overtake. This is why churches today are broken and weak. The stronger churches have compromised with the world. Most church attendees have a weak relationship with God and do not live their lives by faith, but through carnality and false security established by their leaders who spout religious and

even blasphemous doctrines in the church. When I was growing up, there was strong unity between the church my family attended and other churches in the community and outside our community. The common factor the churches had was that their goal and desire was to praise and worship God. Churches would come together as one body where they praised and worshiped in one accord. This is almost unheard of today. Today, everyone is into his or her own church, oblivious to the fact that the building or ministry is not the church, the people are. Today, the church resembles the world. On our streets, right in our own neighborhoods, people living right next door to each other, dont speak to each other. No one trusts anyone, and everyone keeps to himself. I remember years ago when it was very common to have what we called block parties, families hung out with families, and everyone knew everyone in their neighborhood. There was cohesiveness in our neighborhoods and in our communities. Resulting from this unity, people felt safe in their towns and cities because they could count on their neighbors. All the people in the neighborhood would watch out for each other. Those times however have changed and the modern church is a reflection of those changes. Christian people comprise the church or the body of Christ. Every person has his specific assignment within the body just like the cells of a given human body. Some cell functions of the human body however, go unnoticed and are either ignored, classified unimportant, or even deemed a nuisance. Consider the tonsils, which are located in the back of the mouth, for instance, for decades they were like a mystery. Few understood the actual function of the tonsils. Thus, it became a common thing simply to have them removed either when they presented problems or as a prevention of forecasted problems. I remember my parents having my tonsils removed when I was six years old, yet I do not recall ever having any problems with my tonsils. Parents would have their childrens tonsils removed for preventative measures against tonsillitis, etc. It was just the thing to do because thats what people were told to do by the medical profession. Because most people are conditioned to do as they are told regardless of truth, tonsil removal is still being performed today despite the fact that today many understand that tonsils are an important aspect of our immunity system. We know that they are the front line of defense against foreign organisms that can cause one to become ill. Tonsils function as filters protecting the entire human anatomical system against viruses and bad bacteria. We know that they have the tendency to swell up at times, which indicates for the most part that they are functioning properly. Having them removed weakens our immunity system. Now, why would someone have you remove probably one of the most important functions of your immunity system? Keep reading and perhaps before you finish this book, you will know why. We tend to ignore or give very little attention to what we either cannot understand or see, yet give our undivided attention to the most popular or plausible suggestions given by those we dont personally know or know hardly anything about simply because of their respected position or held office. People automatically assume such people correct because of their professional credence, status, and power. Who questions doctors, for instance, the media, government, even educators? Generally, very few people actually do. Most assume that whatever they say is

correct. The camouflaged evil that has infiltrated the church seeks to shut down the front line of defense of Christianity, which I believe are the assignments that God gives His people. Gods assignments are always relative to turning others toward His kingdom. If one person can defeat a thousand enemies according to the Word of God and two ten thousand, how many can a thousand or more prevail against? We will not always see every assignment that God may give to others or us. Some people in the midst of congregations are on fire for God, yet the feats they do in Christ are invisible to the congregation. Perhaps they are the silent warriors who pray constantly in intercession on behalf of that pastor, their city, state, country, world, or even you. Their positions are far from the glamour of the pastor, bishop, or praise and worship leader and therefore may go completely unnoticed, yet they fulfill Gods purpose. Generally, because others dont necessarily see what some do, they tend to dismiss them, or assume that they are missing it with God. This is an excellent example of Satans subtle schemes against us. When we make such assumptions against people, we in essence disassociate ourselves from them. We forget that they too are nevertheless a part of the whole body. Have you ever left a church, for instance, and because of this lost all your Christian friends even though your relationship with Christ remained? Have you ever distanced yourself from another because they left your church? All of a sudden, it seemed as though you had nothing in common, nothing to talk about anymore whereas before you were very close spending lots of quality time together. Confined to our thoughts predicated upon the four-walled building, we forget that there was a time when there was no such thing as the church building, yet there was the body of Christ. When Jesus spoke to Paul about the church being built upon the rock, He was speaking of something spiritual, not a physical building. In fact, there are no indications anywhere in the New Testament Bible where God instructed anyone to actually build a physical building and call it a church. God gave King David the inclination to build the Temple of God, which was to be the House of God. Davids son Solomon carried out the building of this temple. God however, did not command that there should be other temples built all around the world. Only man fabricated such ideas as building the church building. God actually had nothing to do with it. The Temple of God was destroyed by earthquake when Jesus died on the Cross. The veil, which separated the Inner Court from the Holy of Holies, was torn in half. God came out of the Temple and went into the hearts of people where He established His temple in us. Today, we are the Temple of God. Thus, the Christian himself is the church and the physical building, which we call the church, scripturally has absolutely no significance in Christ. When the restrainer who is the Holy Spirit living in us is taken out of the way, every Temple (person) of God of whom the Holy Spirit resides will also be removed. The physical building called the church will remain. God is not interested in the church building that you perhaps belong to; He is interested in His people. Because we cannot see the entirety of Gods plan, we need to be careful not to make assumptions about others in what they are either doing or not doing. Otherwise, we infringe upon business that belongs to God. There are people who fulfill Gods plan in their lives practically everyday.

They are walking in their destiny with God, yet their church may not recognize it and thus assume that they are missing it with God. In other words, these people may not necessarily have an interest in the position or assignment the church ministry says they should be in. We also need to consider whether God called us to be in those positions. Let me point out an example of how easy it is to judge a Christian or even condemn ourselves concerning our effectiveness in the kingdom of God. In a church service I once attended, the pastor asked the congregation rather there was anyone who was discipling another. Two out of about thirty people raised their hands. I was not one of the two. Immediately, I thought whoa, perhaps I am not doing enough for the kingdom of God. Sure enough, when the pastor saw the results she said, see, some of yawl need to get busy. A week later, I still could not shake what she said. What exactly is being busy for the Lord? The Holy Spirit eventually answered showing me how God works through His people when we are willing to yield to Him. This is the first keyyielding to God. The Lord told me that not always do we even have to speak or let our presence be known, yet the will of God is carried out. The Holy Spirit showed me this example at a utility company where I stood in line to pay my utility bill. When I got there, one woman stood in line while another woman was at the cashiers window paying her bill. I stood behind the woman in line and immediately felt the presence of God come upon me. The stronger the anointing was upon me the more the woman in front of me became agitated. Though I stood behind her minding my own business, she kept glaring back at me as if I was disturbing her. Humorously, I figured either I severely stunk or I carried a cleansing of brightness that no evil could endure. Eventually the woman standing in front of me got out of line and left the building without even paying her bill. I had seen things like this before. When the anointing of God is on you, you will affect people in one of two ways. They will either become compelled to draw near you because of the power of God upon you or they will be repelled by you because the darkness in them cannot stand being in the presence of lightthe power of God upon you. When light enters an area of darkness, the darkness immediately disperses. Interestingly, when the woman in line who stood in front of me left, the atmosphere in the room changed. The woman who was at the window speaking to the cashier was near tears pleading not to have her power turned off. Even though the woman behind the window seemed sincere in her apology of the rules and policies, her hands were tied. Unless the woman paid what was due, the utility company would shut off her power. The customer agreed to pay what little she had knowing that the small amount would not suffice. To the customers surprise, the cashier looked at her computer screen once again and unexpectedly told the woman that there must have been an error, that actually she was paid up to date. Even the cashier was a bit surprised that she had not seen this information on her computer screen before. Furthermore, the woman would not need to make another payment for another two months. The woman having received back the money she paid, thanked the cashier and left never even knowing I was there. Perhaps she had no idea what God had just done. As I walked out the building moments later, the Holy Spirit said, Can you understand how its not about you? I know the needs of My people better than anything you can ever say or do. I just need you to be My vessel to work through. I am not saying that Christians should not open their mouths to

speak Gods Word. However, we do need to be cognizant of the Holy Spirits desire to lead us in everything we do because God already has everything figured out. We spend so much time trying to live for God, that we miss the fact that God would rather you allow Him to perform His Word through you. Those who endeavor to live for God not only constantly fail in such endeavors, but also are generally oblivious to His desires for them. They incessantly focus on all the wrong things, yet believe their focus is entirely upon Jesus. We spend so much of our time in guilt because perhaps we have not led anyone to the Lord in months or we are not on a street corner preaching the gospel. God has called specific people to do such things and they have a bon-a-fide desire to do such things. Perhaps your assignment in the kingdom is different. I have a friend, a minister, who has a special gift for getting people saved. Within seconds, this man can have people who have never known the Lord crying out to Him and accepting Jesus as their Lord and saviorin public. In his spare time, he sold magazine subscriptions via phone as a telephone solicitor and used his gift during his conversations with customers. He was actually getting people saved while soliciting over the phone. I would imagine that most solicitors hardly get a word in edgewise before they hear the click and ominous tone from the other end of the line, yet this person had the ability to witness the Lord over the phone and steer people to salvation. Another friend asked me on a few occasions if I would be interested in going with him door to door to get people saved and each time I said, No. My response may have perhaps seemed a bit base, but this was never my intention. My desire to see people saved was every bit as strong as his, but I wasnt blessed with the anointing to go door to door any more than I was blessed with the anointing to call up strangers on the phone to witness the Word of God. God does not anoint all His sons and daughters to function in the same capacities. The desires and assignments God put in my friends were not necessarily the same ones He put in me. God did not call everyone to preach. Not everyone is called to teach. Not everyone is called to write a book or called into the five-fold ministry, yet every Christian has a call on his life from God. Such callings from God will always, without exception be something you desire to do. While doing it, it will seem as if time stands still and you could bask in it all day long. The passion, peace, and rewarding joy that you will experience in such endeavors will overwhelm you. In other words, you will feel as if you cannot do it enough nor wait until you can do it again. If you feel that your call or gift is frustrating, disappointing, or a chore, then you need to understand that what you are doing is perhaps not your call from God. I had doubts about how I was supposed to go about presenting my gift to others, which cause quite a bit of frustration, but the actual doing of writing this book was nothing less than sheer bliss. My doubts stemmed from my desire to control. The control was indicative of me endeavoring to live for God as opposed to allowing God to simply do His will through me. In other words, I was deciding how things should be done or would get done instead of simply enjoying my gift and allowing God to handle the rest. I cannot express the joy, passion, and overwhelming sense of Gods presence upon me as I wrote and pieced together the information in this book. Some of us are so busy trying to copy others and figuring out the best methods of getting people saved that we are not hearing God who tells us simply to trust Him. He never meant for us to do our assignments or conduct our Christian

lives according to our own abilities. If we look at the assignments God has given us from such a perspective, it seems much easier just to do what everyone else is doing. In fact, if we are not careful to listen to God, others will dictate what you need to be doing. They will tell you what your assignments are, which could be entirely different from Gods purpose and plan for your life. Many people in the church today are in assignments they have no business being in, for God did not anoint them to do what their leaders have told them to do. I have seen associate pastors, for instance, who God obviously did not call, preach sermons before congregations and speak things that God never said in His Word, yet because of the friendship between the pastor and the associate pastor, both the pastor and the church deemed the persons position acceptable. I have also seen in the childrens ministry, for instance, teachers and care workers handling children, yet having no anointing to handle them. The last place Id want my child to be is in a Sunday school room or nursery with adults who have no anointing to handle children. Just because they may have children of their own does not mean God gave them the gift of handling yours. Some can hardly handle their own children, yet because they have children, they are asked to work in such capacities of taking care of yours. We need to have Gods anointing to do the assignments we do in the kingdom of God. So, even though I did not raise my hand in church that particular Sunday, I was still used to fulfill Gods mission at the utility company. Because I allowed Him to operate through me, another ended up blessed. God could have been preparing that womans heart for salvation by showing her a light of goodness in the midst of her darkness. I praised God and gave Him His glory. The church never knew that this matter took place. The point here is that sometimes God works though His people in ways unawares to them. His presence on you can get on another you just happen to walk by, yet God directed you to be in that strategic place at that precise moment. He already knew what that passerby needed and thus set the whole thing up. God was able to perform His purpose through you because of your willingness to yield to Him. Through you, they got what they needed without you even being aware of what Gods plans or intentions were. When the power of the Holy Ghost was on Peter he walked by people and his shadow caused them to be healed (Acts 5:15). That Holy Ghost is the same Holy Spirit that resides in Christians today. The second key is your being in the position with God that His presence can be upon you. In order to fulfill your mission you must have a relationship with God. Otherwise, you will strive to do your own thing and miss the divine appointments that have been setup for you. We cannot assume that the will of God is not being carried out through someone just because that person is not doing what the church ministry says he should be doing nor should people make assumptions based on what they can or cannot see. Maintaining our focus upon God eliminates the tendency to concern ourselves with what others are doing. Individually, we need to stay focused upon what God has assigned us to do. Ninety-eight percent of the congregation did not raise their hands when the pastor asked about discipleship, but that doesnt automatically mean that the people were necessarily failing God in their endeavors to win the lost. It also doesnt necessarily indicate that God is not getting through from His end. Christians however do need to be cognizant of Gods will from their end.

They can only succeed in this through a relationship with Christ and living their lives holy unto Him, which is allowing themselves to be reduced as He is increased in them. No church ministry has the panoramic view into the heart like the eyes of God. Therefore, no church ministry has the right to judge anyone in his or her affairs concerning God. Only the Holy Spirit causes the conversion. Our responsibility is to obey God relinquishing ourselves entirely to Him. Then we can become whatever He desires that we may fulfill His mission. I believe that the greatest ministry throughout all the earth is living your life holy unto God and waiting on the Lord. It is not about your preaching, your teaching, your prosperity, wealth, or the size and grandeur of the church building or congregation. It is about your trusting God and allowing Him to operate through you. Your place of provision or destiny walk with God may have nothing to do with your position in your particular church building. God did not give you your talents only for the sake of the church ministry you belong to, but for the benefit of His entire Kingdom. Your gifts and talents are going to touch lives. Divine appointments have already been set up and you need to get to those appointments because many lives will not get a kick-start until you walk through their door. The many lives that you will touch are lives that you will not find sitting in the seats at your church. Going to church should be the place of celebration in Christ. Church is where we go to get fueled up in order to progress throughout the week. Church is not the place where the rubber meets the road. God is much more interested in what goes on in your life outside of church service. In church, we get the principles by which to live our lives and the inclinations to study those principles in the Bible at home through our relationship with God. Outside of church is where we are tested in our gifts and abilities to overcome and defeat the enemy by being obedient to God in everything we do. Many churches today see things rather backwards. Churchgoers are pumped up thinking theyre all that in the eyes of God. They continuously brag on themselves concerning their wealth and riches, boast about how smart they are concerning the Word, but fail to actually leave the building and plant the seeds of the Word where it is needed the mostin the world. Instead, they take the seed and plant it back in the church. Many are holier than thou in the eyes of their brothers and sisters in Christ during the service, but at home or in public places, where the world views them there is little to no distinction at all between their lifestyle and that of the people belonging to the world. Their ways are secular in nature, yet they are Christians. From Sunday to Sunday, they exist in a perpetual cycle. Come Sunday morning, they get their praise on, shout Glory to God, and run laps around the sanctuary, drunk in the Holy Ghost (if their church is anything like some Ive attended). What is interesting is that most of the people in the church, Id venture to say, do not praise and worship God in such manner in their homes. During the week, they are consumed with their everyday life and problems, which they have forgotten that God can handle. Instead of believing God for anything, they doubt Him in their thoughts about practically everything. During the week, they are not reading and studying the Bible. Some even forget where they put their Bible from last Sundays service only to find it underneath the seat in the car while driving to the following service.

Most churchgoers tend to keep their praise and worship to God reserved only for the church service because they do not understand that the service isnt the church, they are. They deem the church the necessary place to go to praise and worship God not realizing that they are the manifested praise and worship of God. The Lords sole purpose for creating His people, His angels, even all of the glory of the worlds and heavens was for the benefit that He might be praised. Jesus even said that if the people dont praise Him, the rocks will (Luke 19:40). Church is twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. Real church does not ever cease. World doctrine however teaches that you cannot have a true relationship with Christ unless you are a church member belonging to a church building, which is absolute nonsense. God will navigate you to the very place where He has stashed your rewards of prosperity. In everything God does, there stands a purpose behind it. His purpose is greater than your reasoning for not fulfilling what He has called you to do. Every move of God toward His people will come through people. Chances are very slim that you will see a big physical hand come out of the sky to fix someone on earth. His hands are within your hands. You and I are His movements. If we choose not to abide in what He designed us to do, His hand cannot thoroughly work through us to reach othersand reaching others is what ministry is all about. I have seen pastors who have amassed great financial prosperity teach their people that what is on him (the anointing for success) must come upon the congregation. This may be true, but in order for this to actually happen, all the factors must first line up. Some pastors are not necessarily aware that the reason behind their financial prosperity has much to do with them being in their destiny walk with God. They are obedient doers in their call from God. They are also givers and for the most part, have learned how to walk in love and are releasing faith to God. Anyone who does these things will see incredible results and increase in their lives. In other words, that pastor is operating through his gifts and talents, which is where God placed his prosperity. This is why he is prosperous, yet he teaches his congregation how to sow seed in order to bring about the resolution of their need. He sows after all and look at his results. The understanding is that if the Lord does it for him then the Lord has to do it for the congregation as well. Like the pastor, we can sow seed for our needs, but this doesnt mean that the harvest will ultimately satisfy and give us the fullness of life that God meant for us to have. It is also important to understand that we can sow seed like the pastor, yet, unlike the pastor, reap absolutely no harvest, yet the Word of God in Scripture is truthful. So that youd understand that I did not just make a contradiction, let me reiterate that the factors must line up in order to produce the same results. Some Christians have been sowing for many years and are still experiencing very little to no fruits. Is it because the seed does not grow? God commanded the seed to grow. If the seed obeys God, yet the sower does not reap a harvest then something is obviously wrong. A misunderstanding about the anointing on the head coming down upon the body is that congregations seek to receive the anointing their pastors have, or the pastor seeks to receive the anointing his spiritual father (mentor) has. There is nothing wrong with desiring the anointing from the head, but what is misunderstood is that followers are trying to duplicate their leaders. Let me explain: To a degree, there is nothing wrong with duplication. I heard a minister speak once about his earlier days of ministry as an apprentice. His pastor who he studied under could

not give the sermon one Sunday morning due to an emergency. Thus, the pastor told the apprentice that he would have to give the sermon. The pastor, who was a powerful man of God, had a strong anointing in laying of hands. People received healing, and the signs and wonders that followed this man of God affected and changed lives. This particular Sunday, there was supposed to be a sermon on healing and there was supposed to be a prayer line where the pastor would pray and lay hands and people would receive healing. Petrified, the apprentice who had never experienced such an anointing, asked the pastor what he should do. The pastor simply told him to do exactly what he would do. In other words, the apprentice was instructed to duplicate the pastor. That Sunday morning he preached a sermon that the pastor would have preached and acted just like the pastor. The anointing his pastor carried was the same anointing that came upon him. People received healing in the prayer line just as they did whenever the pastor would perform such sermons. This kind of working anointing really has nothing to do with the apprentice duplicating the pastor. God actually performed healing not the man. Therefore, it was okay for the student to duplicate his pastor. God already knew what He was going to do before the sermon even took place. On the other hand, people are trying to duplicate their pastors and leaders for the sake of acquiring wealth and prosperity, which their pastors and leaders have acquired. This is the area where many Christians are walking in confusion. As a result, many give up. Some even leave the church. God never said that we were to duplicate another. He made us unique. He made us new creatures in Christ. Every person has his own uniquely designed gifts and talents. Like fingerprints, no two are alike. Self-esteem and self-confidence can become shattered when we neglect to consider our own gifted abilities and instead focus and compare ourselves to others. Many Christians are so caught up in trying to emulate others that they lose sight of what God is calling them to do. God wants us to function in the gifts and talents He has specifically given us. The tools He gave every individual have their own set of prints that are like no others. He desires us to have our own identity that links us to Him, not duplicate someone elses. Congregations follow their pastors and attempt to do what they think he is doing, but they are not really doing what hes doing. They dont necessarily see or realize the entire picture involving their leader and his place of provision. The pastor, for instance, was called to preach the Word of God among other things, and he is actively doing this. I am not saying that congregations should become pastors, but merely illustrating the difference between what a prosperous Christian is doing in comparison to one that is not prosperous. The difference is that one not only believes that he can have his desires, but also he is a doer of the Word of God and the other attempts to copycat or ride the coat tails of the doer in order to come into prosperity. The God kind of prosperity does not work this way. Though some Christians try to use Scripture concerning God not being a respecter of persons, they do not consider the fact that they must be willing to do everything the other person did in order to get what the other person got. Everyone desires success, but not everyone is willing to believe God and if necessary even endure the price that may accompany the enjoyment of that success. Though people desire to have the success of others, most of them are oblivious to the battles and obstacles that had to be overcome. They do not understand the perseverance it took to get through the challenges in order to have that success. They think it is justifiable that God should automatically zap them

with success, riches and wealth just because it seems that He did it for another. God desires all His people to live in His riches and wealth, but we must be willing to step up to the plate of faith and Gods provision. Sometimes faith entails patience. We must be willing to endure in order to run the full race that God set before us. The race has to do with understanding and receiving what has already been given to you. What you have actually been given is above and beyond anything you could ever dream to ask for. A finish line actually exists at the end of the journey that you are on though you may not necessarily realize this. Therefore, the challenge is not to get off track, other wise the journey can indeed be long and exceptionally difficult. In fact, one could even end up lost forever. This race is not about a competition between you and someone else. There is no competition in Gods kingdom. In His kingdom, everyone can live in victory. God never said that it was impossible for a person to live a perfect life right here on earth today. He said that whatsoever our hearts desire He is willing to give it to us. The Word of God tells us that all things are possible to God. I would venture to say that everyone who is truly successful in his or her gift has a testimony. Every person that answers Gods call on his life will inevitably have a testimony. The Bible says every witness in the cloud has a testimony (Hebrews 12:1). Whoever says to God, Your will be done, and mean it in their heart, will have a testimony. Our testimony acknowledges the triumphant power and Glory of God to the world. It is why all Gods children will ultimately have a testimony. This is why one Christian cannot ride the coat tails of another Christian in order to access his given abundance of wealth and prosperity. He must be willing to endure the race himself for the prize. With this in mind it should be understood that when you say to God Your will be done, then you have also agreed to relinquish to God all your desires of wealth and prosperity. This is not a contradiction in His law of attraction, but willingness on your part to give literally everything you are to God, yet trust in Him for all your desires. God may call you to a mission for ten years somewhere in the jungles of Cambodia where your home is a small hut made of mud and straw. In comparison to what people construe as wealth, does God see such a person fulfilling his call in this capacity as anything less than rich? Gods view on wealth and prosperity is not the same as the worlds view. What He thinks of as bountiful rich, for instance, a person may see through his own understanding as poor and destitute. God doesnt count dollars, people do. Some ministries have led many Christians to think that something is wrong with their faith because they do not live in that luxury home or drive that expensive car. Perhaps, they dont have the purchasing power to buy whatever their heart desires. Many Christians also fall into the trap of deception by not realizing that they have the ability to receive from God just as anyone else does. The material life that people may see themselves in lack of may be the result of their own faith toward that which they actually do not believe. Thus, God desires to show us how we must position ourselves so that we may line up with what we desire. In other words, lets say you prayed that God would bless you in your finances, yet you are overwhelmed by thoughts of your inability to pay your bills. Such thoughts generate a bad feeling, which induces fear and doubt. Instead of getting the blessing, you get that which corresponds to the outcome of your feelings,

which is debt. Regardless of what you ask God for, if your feelings generated by your beliefs are not in alignment with what you are praying for you will not receive from God what you are praying for. You will receive only that, which is found in your heart. What you feel mirrors what is in your heart. Generally, what you feel is often very different from what you may outwardly think, classify, or describe. In other words, what you truly think (in your heart) is not only what you actually feel, but also what you will eventually become. A woman may say, My shoes are killing me. In other words, her feet are in pain resulting from her shoes being uncomfortable. Though she describes the pain as death, this notion of death does not come from the depths of her heart. This is simply what she outwardly thinks in correspondence to the pain she feels in her feet. Because such thoughts are not generated from her heart, she does not drop dead resulting from her shoes hurting her feet. God hears the voice of your heart (thank God), not necessarily the words that come out of your mouth. Do the desires you speak to God out of your mouth match that which is in your heart? Regardless of whatever your mouth speaks, God only hears the voice of your heart. Whatever is there is what will ultimately manifest in your life. God allows what you allow because He gave you a free will to choose, which you do on a daily basis whether realized or not. Thus, your life is the exact manifestation of the thoughts in your heart. Perhaps thats a hard pill to swallow for some, but the Word of God is very clear about this. A person becomes exactly what he thinks he is in his heart (Proverbs 23:7). God is not a respecter of persons; He is a respecter of the heart. Thus, what you feel in your gut, rather dreadfulness or confidence, good or bad, is a true representation of what you actually believe regardless of what you may speak or ask from God via the perspective of your brain. This is why it seems that most peoples prayers are never answered. They have allowed their carnal intellect or brain to be the mastermind behind everything they say and do. Most often, peoples brains do not agree with their hearts. Thus, their mouths speak one thing to God, but their hearts speak something entirely different. If better finances is what you desire, until you learn not to doubt, but trust God, such blessings of finances cannot manifest in your life. You cannot believe and doubt God, yet think that you will acquire any desirable thing from God (James 1:6-8). God is willing to grant our request the moment we ask, but we deny our own blessing the moment we give our focus to that which we deem impossible. All things are possible to God. Another snare of deception is that Christians tend to become caught up in what others think about their financial status or lack of material things. Only what God thinks matters. A person who truly means what He says to God in his willingness to submit is not affected by his lack of material things in life. Those who are truly committed to God understand that God does not measure their status or relationship with Him according to their material possessions. If a man were genuinely affected by his material lack, then this would certainly explain why he finds himself lacking in the material things. God does not care about your having material things, but allowing yourself to become inundated by what you think you dont have testifies toward your true position in your relationship with God. In other words, what are you focused onGod, or

what you think you lack? Whichever it is, is what you will find yourself receiving more of. Lets be honest. If you have given your heart to Christ and have vowed to yield to Him, then why should God bless you with what He knows you will put before Him? Your placement of anything before God will inevitably cause you to fall. Rather than let you fall, He simply desires to save you from the unnecessary troubles that you would inevitably face, which would be far greater than your worries of lack. Thus, what you see as your lack, God simply views from the vantage that you have yet to understand that you must align yourself to that which you are asking for. As soon as you do, here comes the blessing because He already gave it to you. He said yes the moment you asked. You may think, Well, what about the sinners? Most of them seem to have more than Christians. Ideally, this is truein the natural, but the sinner never said to God Lord, Your will be done, not mine. Even though God created the law of attraction, He is not the author of their wealth and prosperity. Because He is not the author, regardless to how it looks on the outside, it is like an infestation of worms on the inside. What they have may look extravagant to the world, but it is filth in the eyes of God. They took His law and perverted it for their own use and interests. There should be no comparison between the Christians blessings of prosperity, and that of the worlds. Regardless to where you stand in your life, if you belong to God then what you possess is far greater than the richest sinner on earth. Relinquishing everything to God is the key to receiving everything from God. Until you can fully give up your life to Him, you cannot fully glorify Him. The pastor, for instance, has found his niche in what the Lord called him to do. It is where God provisioned him to be. Your gift may be that of a teacher, making pizza, a business owner, inventing machines, working with children, or making music. Regardless to what your gift may be, obeying God by operating in your gift places you where He provisioned you to be. Where He provisioned you to be is where you will find your prosperity. That is where God stashed your loot so-to-speak and the Holy Spirit endeavors to help you get there. Satan strives to keep you far removed from such a place. God not only means for you to have prosperity spiritually, but also physically. Contentment in God is vital if one is to be lead by the Holy Spirit to his place of provision. Often, we tend to want to get ahead of God believing that we can make things happen faster, but we should fight if necessary to restrain ourselves for the Lords timing is impeccable. Contentment, by the way, is not the same thing as complacency. Complacency is like a lethargic laziness where there is no motivation to do anything, or move beyond. Unfortunately, many people are stuck in this bleak, unfruitful, desolate place called complacency. They have parked their cars, unpacked their bags, and pitched their tents with the intent of camping out indefinitely. Contentment, on the other hand is a persistent willingness to progress, yet trusting and having patience in Gods perfect timing regardless of where you stand. (Think of Moses situation at the Red Sea) God desires no one to be stagnant, but wants us to move from faith to faith and from glory to glory. Like their leaders, many Christians have been bon-a-fide givers for years. I have seen God give seed to some of these sowers, yet no harvest. I too have sowed like others, yet no harvest. Again, I too cried out to God like others asking the Lord where I may have missed it. Why am I

sowing, yet receiving nothing in return? Where is my harvest? Men of God who I highly respected would say things like The Word of God says that we are to consider our ways, so I straightened out my life as best I knew how and wrestled with my motives to ensure that I was giving with a pure heartno harvest. I would repent for my sins, even those I didnt know I committedno harvest. I would go out of my way to walk in love to the best of my abilityno harvest. I gave believing that my reasons were based upon the fact that it was what Jesus would dono harvest. I believed I was giving out of love, yet still no harvest. They told me to consider if I had faith, yet didnt explain to me what faith actually was. They told me that I needed to give more. They said it was because of unforgiveness in my heart, and many other things that led me further and further away from understanding. All the answers the leaders told me or those I read about could have been true, but no one mentioned anything about two very important things. The first is that you cannot believe God for something and yet be in turmoil over your current predicament concerning that which you are supposedly believing from God. If you truly believed that you actually received what you prayed for at the very inception of that prayer, then how could you be in turmoil over your current predicament concerning that very desire? The moment you believe that you have received from God, the predicament is over. Your past thought pattern landed you in such a predicament to start with. Your new thought concerns your new lifestyle, which is based upon your belief that you received from God the moment you asked. You cannot dwell in the old negative thought while believing on God for the manifestation of your current blessing at the same time. If you doubt God even in the slightest degree, you may as well kiss the blessing goodbye. People say, Well, maybe thats true Brother Rick, but the physical bill that showed up today, that debt is still there. What do I do about that? The answer is quite simple. First, do not react to the debt according to your emotions because however you feel about it is exactly what you will get more of. In other words, like a magnet you will attract even more things into your life that causes you to feel what you currently feel about your bills. People tend to react to their affected emotions pertaining to a thing or circumstance rather than the actual reality of the thing or circumstance, not to mention the fact that you can change the reality to whatever you want it to be. This is exactly what you are doing when you feel depressed or worried about a debt. You are then changing the reality of that circumstance, which then becomes increased debt, collectors calling, law suits, bankruptcy, and the list goes on and on. I know this is true because I experienced all these things myself before I wised up. I am even embarrassed to say that I even attended and participated in church services that had the congregation bring their bills to church where they would throw them on the floor, stomp on them, and in the name of Jesus declare that they were now out of debt. Another thing they would do would be to place the bill in the pages of the Bible so that the anointing of God would saturate the bill and make it go away. I have seen even more stupid things than this done on television ministries. These are nothing but ridiculous powerless rituals that never nor could ever work. Not only will you not find such rituals written anywhere in scripture, but such practices also only perpetuate and can even escalate the persons financial situation because they keep the person focused upon the problem, not the solution. Imagine the mindset of the person toward Jesus when the bills actually do not go away, but increase.

One thing I learned to do was to get excited over my bills because the creditors obviously believed that I had the money to pay it, right? I mean, think about it; they dont ever doubt whether you can pay your bill. As far as they are concerned, its a done deal. Otherwise why bother sending the bill? So, I figured why not believe what they believe? Thoughts become things. I simply allowed my thoughts to line up with theirs and guess what happened. The money always came and I was always able to pay my bills. The world always utilizes the principles of God in perverted manners for its own benefit and interest. I was using the principles of God through which I started beating the world system at its own game. This may sound too simple to be true, but it works. Your heartfelt thoughts design every circumstance in your life. Your entire life becomes what you think without exception. The reality of the bill is that it is just a piece of paper with a number on it and it has no power over you. How are you believing and trusting in God when you are worried and depressed about your debt? You must choose which report you will believe (Romans 10:16). Second, people need to understand that whatever we ask and immediately receive from God (in spirit) has absolutely nothing to do with neither our current circumstances nor what we currently have or lack. The current debt for instance, is nothing more than a manifested negative thought from your past. Such created circumstances do not define you, your today, or your future, unless you let it. The debt has absolutely nothing to do with the un-manifested blessing you just received from God. In fact, the financial blessing you now have from God (even though it has perhaps not yet materializedyou are operating in faith here) can literally wipe out the old debt if you believe. God does everything in His time for His purpose, but we also extend that time until we align ourselves to that which we are requesting from God. My experience has shown me that the faster I can do this, the faster the blessing comes. One last thing I want to mention is that so many people operate in a mindset that they desire to get out of debt. Having a desire to get out of debt is noble, but the reality of this desire that people keep in hopes of getting out of debt is exactly what keeps them buried in debt. As I said before, thoughts become things. Considering debt from any angle never produces good feelings, but only bad feelings. Sometimes, it is very hard to love when you owe. When we are not loving, we are usually feeling bad. Emotions are much more powerful than we give them credit. It is your feelings that attract to you that which will always be compatible to what you feel, not what you necessarily think or even deserve. People need to get out of the mindset of getting out of debt and instead into a mindset of having abundance. What would your life look like or be like if you had more than enough? Persistently locking your mind into these kinds of thoughts is what will bring you out of the circumstances of debt. Thinking in terms of getting out of debt is not your answer. Even if you were to succeed, you would only end up in debt again because your thought pattern would once again attract debt to you. Being in debt is not the real problem; it is only a byproduct of the real problem. What people allow themselves to think is actually the real problem. Your thought pattern must be changed. If debt is on your mind affecting you emotionally even if you think that you are excited about

getting out of debt, then you had better brace yourself because debt is in rout to you. You cannot be focused upon debt and yet think you will actually escape it. That which you give your focus to is what imprisons you. Similarly, whatever you give your focus to can also set you free. The trick is to focus upon the right things. To move away from debt would obviously be the desirable thing to do. Therefore, you want to see your life from the perspective of being financially free as opposed to always looking back at your debt? Remember, your life is like a journey that should move in a direction toward Christ. Jesus said that he who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). We must always look forward toward the prize or destination never allowing our minds to become stagnant in where we are today or where we were yesterday. Aligning yourself is simply acting as if because you actually believe that what you have received from God is real even though it is not yet tangible. If you knew that you won the lotto, for instance, the evidence that you won would be that your ticked matched the numbers picked. Would you then doubt that the prize is real and yours? If so, Id be more than happy to take your winnings off your hands and prove to you that it is indeed real. Chances are also that you would not doubt your prize even though you have yet to see the physical check in your hand. Rather the winnings were physically in your hands or not, you would still believe that the prize is yours and Id bet that youd even become quite euphoric about it. There should be no difference in a believers reaction with God. Believing that you receive when you pray is your notification that your numbers so-to-speak match. In other words, this is the alignment of your faith in God for what you are believing Him for. The time between God granting your request and its actual manifestation is identical to the faith you have that your lotto winnings will actually show up because the numbers matched. The only obstacle that can ever get in the way and cancel your blessing is your own doubt. Incidentally, it might astound you to know how many unclaimed lotto winnings there actually are amounting into the multi-millions of dollars because people literally did not claim their winnings. Perhaps they had so much doubt about winning that they never even bother looking at their ticket or even worse, lost it. Years ago, I would purchase lotto tickets at times, but I wouldnt look at the numbers for months because I was so afraid that I wouldnt win. I figured that as long as I didnt look, there was still hope, but the not knowing was just as agonizing as loosing and how could I actually believe that there was any hope of winning when I was afraid to even look, let alone believe? Well, suffice to say, I never won. This is similar to what most people do after they pray to God. From the onset, they dont believe that they can have their desires from God. The moment God said yes, they could not receive it or acknowledge that their blessing from God was a real event and denied their own blessing. The second important thing that no one ever mentioned to me was that the harvest that God brings out of your sowing would spring up in the very place He provisioned you to be, that if you are not there you will miss your harvest. How can we endeavor to do our own thing yet stand in our God-given place of provision at the same time? If God destined your harvest to spring up in your provisioned place, then He wants you to be in that place. It is not God keeping the harvest away from His people. The people keep themselves removed from the harvest by endeavoring to do their own thing. They resist the call upon their life. They refuse to operate in their gifts and talents to benefit the kingdom of God. If you are busy doing your own thing, you cannot be in

the place God provisioned for you. Being out of the will of God will cause you to lose your harvest. God wants to lead you to the place where your own personal bountiful harvest exists. He wants to lead you to where there is a thirty, sixty, and hundred fold return (Mark 4:20). It is indeed possible to gain a worldly kind of wealth and prosperity without God, but this is not what He desires for you. Prosperity derived from the flesh may look like the kind of prosperity God gives, but fake prosperity never lasts. A counterfeit prosperity keeps you in a perpetual thirst for more regardless of how much you have. The thirst is the result of emptiness despite your bottomless consumption. A counterfeit prosperity induces greed, yet never brings satisfaction. It can never suffice. The worldly rich will always strive to become richer even if it means bringing sorrow, despair, and death upon others. In the book of Revelation, Jesus addresses the worldly rich. He said they boast about their wealth and their riches, but they are wretched, poor, and destitute without even knowing it. Such people, mind you, operate within the laws of attraction. Though they attract their desires, Jesus calls them wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked (Revelation 3:17). The place that God provisioned us to be is the only place where we are able to receive every spiritual blessing He stored in Christ for us. It is where we can find divine health, refuge and protection. When you dwell in your place of provision, the devil and his devices cannot steal away your blessings and prosperity from God. Consider Jesus teaching about the sower who went out to sow: And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts (Mark 4:15). If we follow another to duplicate his ability and talents in order to receive wealth and prosperity from God, then our focus is not on Gods leading, it is on what the man is doing. Satan can then easily snatch the Word up before it takes any root because we have not allowed ourselves to be in the position to receive it. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the words sake, immediately they are offended (Mark 4:16-17). Though I have seen this often in the church, this Scripture reminds me of how I ended up snared, and thus almost blown right out of Christianity. The Word came and I became so excited that I emptied out my wallet and gave up my entire paychecks in offerings, yet had no faith to back up what I was doing. There was nothing behind the excitement because I was not operating in faith. By the time Id get home from service, I felt as if my stomach was full of rocks. The agony and heaviness I experienced when all the excitement wore off was unbearable. I lost a lot of weight during those days because there was no money to buy food. There was no money to put gas in the tank, no money for the utilities, phone, or rent. Overzealous for the mans doctrine, I had no root in myself for I was not truly interested in the Word of God. I was more interested in

following anything anyone would say in hopes of gaining answers for my life and creating a fast buck. When they repossessed my cars, shut off my utilities and threatened to evict me from my home, I blamed God. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful (Mark 4:18-19). Ministries have taken the cares of the world, deceitfulness of riches, the lust of worldly things, and have actually incorporated them into sermons and are now preaching them around the world today. People who are following these doctrines are being led further and further away from God. Christians desiring to duplicate their leaders are neglecting the gifts God has distinctly given them. They have become so enamored with prosperity, riches, and the lusts of the world that the Word in them is choked. Though they are giving in tithes and offerings, they are more concerned about their invested returns and the mans recognition, which they desire to receive from having given. God says this recognition shall be their reward. Thus, their giving is unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some a hundred (Mark 4:20). When we operate in our gifts and talents, we are not only productive in our personal lives, but also productive in the kingdom of God. God commanded the seed to grow. Therefore, the seed (good or bad) must grow. No obstacles exist that will stop it. A planted seed will even cause cement to crack as it sprouts and grows amidst the hard crevices stretching beyond the cements surface toward the sky. Satan and all his demons cannot stop your seed from growing. God gives seed to the sower (2 Corinthians 9:10), not necessarily the Christian. He gives seed to whoever is willing to sow it into fertile soil. The fertile soil is your heart. Many Christian leaders will tell you that the fertile soil is the successful man of God or the successful ministry. Ministries are teaching that you are to sow upwards to receive a more blessed harvest. In other words, they say that the successful man of God or ministry is who you should be sowing into in order to receive the best-blessed harvest. I have heard some also say that it is okay to sow into the poor, but dont expect any harvest. Some construe this as sowing downward or sowing into those who are cursed. Jesus ministered to the poor and the lost. The Word of God says that God is not a respecter of persons, but a respecter of the heart. When we sow into another by way of love, we open ourselves to receive a harvest of a hundred fold. Love is God that emanates out of a true Christians heart. You cannot get more fertile than that. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or

naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (Matthew 25:35-40). Jesus said what you do to the least in love is what you have done unto Him. In our giving, we give to Jesus. When we sow, it comes back to us multiplied. The greater the love in our hearts toward those we give to in our sowing, the more fertile the soil becomes, thus the greater the blessed harvest. The size of our harvest is dependant upon the fertility of the soil, not necessarily the amount of seed you sow. The Bible talks about sowing sparingly and reaping sparingly as opposed to sowing bountifully and reaping bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6). We naturally interpret this to mean that we should always sow whatever we have even if its everything we havebut wait a minute, the Bible says that God causes our cups to overflow. He tells us to give from a cheerful heart and not out of necessity. Therefore, 2 Corinthians 9:6 is speaking of those who have the excess to give, yet does so sparingly. How can one give out of his overflow if he is barely making ends meet? Most Christians are not experiencing an overflow. Most Christians sow sparingly because they are too broke to sow otherwise. The church then condemns them for their lack of tithes and sowing, which ultimately catapults them into further guilt and condemnation, which compounds their dilemma of fear and lack of faith, which further compromises their ability to stand financially, for they are not in alignment with their desirable request to God, which is to have an abundance of overflow. Take a breaththus, they intern give sparingly out of fear of not having enough. Once the Christian is on this vicious cycle, it is very difficult to get off. God does not bless fear. Because He does not bless fear, most people receive no returns from their sowing. Because they receive no returns from their sowing, they are not increased financially. In fact in most cases they experience decrease, yet the church still demands them to tithe and sow bountifully. It doesnt take a genius to see that this formula clearly doesnt work. Second Corinthians chapter nine and verse six also demonstrates the necessity of sowing out of love. Sowing sparingly is representative of a lack of love in ones heart toward another in his sowing. In other words, sowing sparingly is also sowing for the benefit of oneself instead of another. In Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus speaks about the love behind the giving or sowing. This is why He says that what you have done unto the least is what you have done unto Him. To love another is to love Jesus. Instead of ministries teaching about faith and the unconditional love of God, they are allowing condemnation to spread throughout the global church. A farmer can sow a multitude of seeds but if the fertility of the soil is bad, his crops will grow sporadically and damaged regardless of the quantity of seeds he may sow. Thus, he will reap sparingly. The fertility of the soil is totally dependant upon the love of God we allow to emanate from our hearts in our giving. Sowing through a heart of love is what brings us the blessed harvest, but we must be where God provisioned us to be in order to receive it. A farmer can also sow a multitude of seeds for acres and acres of crop in a given town, but he cannot harvest what he sowed if he is in another town. He must be where his harvest is. Thus, we must be where

God provisioned us to be in order to receive blessing and abundance from God. This provisioned place can also be construed as being in alignment with God, having faith in God, and being in an intimate relationship with God in our Christian walk. Being in your provisioned place benefits the kingdom of God, which in turn benefits you. Your place of provision is where you will find your prosperity. Only there does your real harvest exist. God commanded the seed to grow so therefore the seed must obey. Another thing to consider is what Jesus said to His disciples. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life (Mark 10:29-30). Jesus says that he who gives himself for the Lords sake will receive blessing, but with persecutions. Some people have given in to the persecutions and have thus cast down their faith in God. When persecutions come, these are the times in our lives when we need to press in and actually do more to stay hooked up with God. Though it may sound crazy in the natural, these are the times when we actually need to give more, but with understanding. The act of giving is not exclusive to your wallet as so many of our ministries teach today. Giving is ultimately about what God has equipped you with to give. A musician for instance, gives his song. A teacher gives her wisdom. A minister gives his heart. A friend gives a listening ear. Giving is also about your willingness to sacrifice your time for the benefit of another. God has given us all different kinds of ways to give. In your giving blessings can flow from God, but Jesus warned us that with those blessings will also come persecution. Persecutions are never easy to deal with and will most often show up right before the prize. Persecution comes in order to get you out of faith, stop the flow of your seed, and keep you in bondage to fear, condemnation, and guilt. The purpose of the persecution is to prevent you from ever receiving your inherent prize. The power of persecution rests not upon the fact that Jesus said that we would experience it, but where your frame of mind lies. However powerful the persecution may be in your life, you need to realize that you are the source that literally generates its power. In other words, when persecution comes you can shut it down lickety-split! Satan has nothing but a bow. He has no arrows. He shoots blanks. In other words, whatever ammunition he uses against you is only the ammunition he gets from you. You have always been the supplier of his ammunition in your life. Stop giving him ammunition. Terminate his supply. Did you know that Jesus said to be glad in the midst of persecution? He even said to leap for joy! The persecution is a sure sign that the prize is very close. God blesses you who are hated and excluded and mocked and cursed because you are identified with me, the Son of Man. When that happens, rejoice! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient

prophets were also treated that way by your ancestors (Luke 6:22-23, NLT). When you get excited in the face of persecution, you render it entirely ineffective against you because rather than give the persecution your focus, which actually empowers it, your focus remains on God the creator of your desires. Religion has taught us that seed is all about money. However, every word you speak from the abundance of your heart has much more to do with seed than any money you could ever sow. Your spoken seed without exception is going to return to you exactly that which matches or aligns to what you feel. Your reality is not necessarily in what you say or can convince other people of; it is the result of what you think from the perspective of your heart. What you think produces feelings that attract either desirable or undesirable results. Jesus spoke His Word (seed) to the people; He didnt hand out dollar bills. The sower, who went out to sow according to Jesus parable was a man who went out to proclaim the gospel. He did not go out and give people money. Those who received the Word or seed, benefited in blessings from God. Multitudes of people in the church today believe that their harvest is totally dependant upon the amount of money they give to the ministry in tithes and offerings. This belief in the church has taken precedence over the seed of the Word of God. Christians are putting their faith behind the amount of money they put in the offering buckets in order to have their blessed returns from God. They are neglecting to put their faith in God. Earlier, I mentioned that the Word speaks about the blessing coming in addition to persecution. People must understand that the harvest from their seed belongs to them, but they might have to fight in order to get it. This is simply because the enemy does not want you to have what God has already provisioned for you. In simplest terms, what God gives is for the purpose of His kingdom. Satan wants to steal, kill, and destroy everything pertaining to Gods kingdom. The devil will not sit idly by and watch you receive blessings that will ultimately destroy his kingdom. He will stop at nothing to stop you. This is why the persecutions come. A good example of the enemys tactic to foil your blessing would be to cause events to occur in your life to get you to disbelieve that God has actually answered your prayer concerning your desire. He may do this by bombarding your mind with negative and opposite information pertaining to what you have asked for or attempt to convince you that because it has yet to manifest it doesnt exist. He desires that you define yourself by the outcome of yesterdays negative thoughts, beliefs, and actions. Your assurance in victory of receiving everything that God promised you is your faith in His Word. In simplest terms that means regardless of what the persecution may speak to you, believe God instead. Jesus said seek first the kingdom of God and all these things (your wants and desires) shall be added unto you, but with persecution. Most Christians dont want to deal with the fact that they are going to have to fight for what is already theirs. They tend to place their thoughts and feelings on autopilot assuming that their fears and doubts will somehow miraculously get worked out. Moreover, they then do not understand why the blessing never seems to come. The devil endeavors to encroach himself upon your blessings and will not just willingly let them go. His intent is to destroy it or steal it all away.

The enemy is behind every persecution you will ever face in your life. Though God has already put the victory in our hands, most Christians literally give up and walk away from their harvest because all they can see is the persecution. Thus, they believe the evil report of the enemy and deny their own blessings from God. God gave the Israelites the promise land, but they refused to go in and possess it because they did not want to face the giants that inhabited the land. This is indicative to what is happening in the body of Christ today. The giants are liken to the schemes of the devils persecution in our lives, which are designed to make people want to give up and quit, forfeiting their harvest and blessings from God. All we have to do is engage in the fight, and then sit back and watch God do His thing. He said that He would fight all of our battles for us (Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 1:30; 3:22; 20:4; Joshua 23:10; 2 Chronicles 32:8; Jeremiah 1:19), but it is up to us to engage in the attack. This engagement allows God to perform His Word. To engage is an act of faith that evidences to God our belief that He will fight all our battles. Thus, if God goes before us, who can stand against us? Christians should be attacking the kingdom of the devil on a daily basis to take back what he has managed to steal. To engage is to speak the Word of God against the enemy and his schemes against you, but you cannot do this if you do not know or believe what the Word of God says. You cannot do this if you do not know who you are in Christ. Once you find out, you can then no longer blame even the devil for the devastations in your life. For you will understand your God given right and power to overcome every scheme of the devil in your life. One of the greatest weapons you have is your mouth that can utter the Word of God, but such utterance must come from the abundance of His wisdom in your heart. It is not enough just to speak it out of your mouth as so many ministries today teach. Jesus says that what you bind on earth is bound in heaven and what you loose on earth is loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18). God endued His children with power to bind Satans schemes against them and release what he has stolen from themwith interest (Exodus chapter 22). God backs up His Word spoken from your lips and performs what you say when it is believed and spoken from the depths of your heart. Speaking Gods Word in faith is like a double-edged sword coming out of your mouth that annihilates any evil thing that stands against you. The blessed harvest belongs to Gods children. Never has it ever belonged to Satan. What it all boils down to is this; the ammunition people tend to give Satan has everything to do with their thoughts and feelings. Jesus commanded that we are to walk in spirit, not in flesh. The devil rides and thrives on your negative emotions. In fact, I would go even further to say that he feeds on your negative emotions. Your worries, fears, and doubts empower Satan and reduce Gods ability to help you. In other words, via your worries, fears, and doubts, you are choosing to believe the enemys report instead of Gods Word. Thus, the Word of God becomes ineffective in your life, for its ability to function in your life is predicated upon your faith in it. You cannot have faith in Gods word and believe the devil at the same time. As for those who do not know or believe the Word of God, please understand that there is no happy medium between God and Satan. God said you must choose whom you will follow. Regardless of what you may prescribe to i.e. your own report for instance, you are operating only from a state of

mind as opposed to the spirit. God is Spirit and Truth. He does not communicate with your brain, but your spirit. The Word of God seems foolish to the majority in the world because they cannot hear Him. They cannot hear God because they are incessantly determined to understand God through their carnal intelligence, which God does not answer. The schemes Satan perpetrates against you he does through you, via your thoughts and emotions. If your heart is not in alignment with God, it is in alignment with the enemy regardless to what your life may look like. Many for instance may live luxurious lives, but their souls belong to Satan. They are living it up now, but they cannot take what they have with them when they are gone. Their life is like a dream, but one day God will cause them to wake up (Psalm 73:1-20). We give Satan power over our lives when we give him access to our minds. We give him access to our minds by way in which we think, feel, and believe. Earlier I mentioned the fact that God empowered us with ability to exclude even Him from our lives entirely if we choose to do so. He also empowered us to exclude Satan from our lives entirely. We do it by submitting ourselves to the wisdom of God. Ultimately, we do it by choice. Jesus already defeated Satan, thus the devil has no power over you unless by choice you give him that power. It doesnt occur to most of us to consider what lies beneath our choices of thought. To entertain anger, bitterness, resentment, hatred, helplessness, victimization, weakness, etc., for example is to entertain something much darker, sinister, evil, even death. Such things remain hidden until like a volcano, the built up pressure causes an explosion. Consider why God desires you to forgive others, love those who seek to do you harm, pray for those who persecute and hate you as opposed to retaliating. God desires you to choose love because love frees you from the enemys grip. Your pent up emotions concerning your pains, disappointments, anger, and bitterness connects you to Satan, who then has the legal right to afflict your life according to the invitation, which you gave him. People believe more today than ever before that money is the answer to their problems and prayers. Money however is simply a tool of exchange. It does not make you a better person in the eyes of God. It does not make you more holy or spiritual. It cannot quench an unsatisfied thirst for want nor can it usher in the peace of Jesus. It is a documented fact that even the wealthy have their share of addictions, sicknesses, depression, and suicides. Money may buy you temporary options, but it cannot buy you peace or salvation. When you operate in what God has provisioned for you, God will go beyond meeting your financial needs and cause your cup to overflow. He will fill your life with substance that transcends money. Your life will become the recipient of more than what you could ever think to ask from God (Ephesians 3:20), but with persecution. God however, has given you the grace and ability to overcome the persecution. Have you ever stopped and considered what the persecution actually is in your life? Again, Jesus defeated Satan at the cross, so unless you give him power the devil has no power over you. Thus, the persecution is actually derived from your own thought process. In other words, you are your own worse enemy. Fear opens the door to persecution. Persecution is not only about you being on trial per se, but also about the questioning of your self worth. Many people actually feel unworthy of their desires. They feel unworthy of Gods forgiveness. They feel unworthy of love.

Our prosperity is hidden in the gifts and talents that God has already given us. When you step into your place of provision and persevere in these gifts with all your might, soul, and heart, Gods prosperity will begin to manifest in your life. The reason why most believers never see such manifestations in their lives is because they were taught to pursue prosperity outside of their gifts and talents. Christians are trying to mimic their leaders. They are trying to acquire wealth by sowing seed to satisfy their need. God gave seed to the sower to sow outward into the lives of others so that they may be lifted, edified, blessed, nourished, and given hope. We spend most of our lives chasing the dreams of others rarely taking the time to notice or consider the dreams God has given us. For many, Gods provisions for their lives have taken the back seat. He never told His people to pursue prosperity. He commanded us to seek Him. Most people do not know where their gifts and talents lie because they have never truly considered them or trusted in them. Christians also compare themselves to sinners saying in their hearts, I could never accomplish what they have, yet God never called them to accomplish what the sinners have accomplished. When we refuse to perform in our own assignments from God, we tend to feel empty, bored, restless, and drained. Like roller coasters, people who live their lives outside their place of provision are up one moment, down the next, in love with God one moment, cursing God the next, in love with their spouse one moment, screaming divorce the next. Operating from your place of provision brings equilibrium, joy and peace into your life. Gods will is for you to live in His kind of prosperity through your unique gifts and talents, which He gave you. He wants you to be prosperous in every area of your life. This is His wish above all things.

Whats Being Taught on Prosperity?

There is another universal law that God created, that of sowing and reaping, which has served as the basis for many prosperity-based teachings and preaching. Even though God is a giver of prosperity and wants us to live in His prosperity, not all of the prosperity teaching we hear today is from God. Peoples ideas and interpretations have arrogantly colored Gods message in this area causing literal confusion and financial devastation among many Christian lives. The Bible says Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (Ephesians 3:20). This Scripture tells us that God will even go excessively and abundantly beyond what we ask of Him according to His treasures, which cannot be exhausted, no matter how great the request. Therefore, it is highly evident that God wants us not to lack in anything, but He is very adamant about how we are supposed to go about gaining His kind of wealth and prosperity, that it may be beneficial to His kingdom. The Word says that whatsoever a man sows, that too shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7). This

Scripture gives us also a warning not to be deceived. Many people mistakenly assume that every seemingly good thing they reap from sowing automatically comes from the kingdom of God. God established the law of sowing and reaping and made it an irrevocable law. This law works for not only Christians, but also the sinner. The verse following says, For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting (Galatians 6:8). This Scripture tells us that it is possible to sow to the flesh and reap. Therefore, sinners sow and reap too. Though they reap corruption, initially it is sometimes difficult to distinguish a corrupted harvest from a blessed harvest. Corruption can appear like a blessing. It is how Satan snares people in deceit. God, however, will always reveal the truth to those who are willing to see. Christians will look at the harvest of the sinner and desire it because of its cosmetic appearance. They will drive down streets in upper classed neighborhoods gawking at the fabulous homes saying in their hearts, wow, I wish I had what they have. They will look at the sinners life with envy because it appears that the sinner has it all and the Christian has nothing. Some Christian leaders even teach prosperity by making comparisons between the Christian and the sinner. They say, The sinners are ahead of us in prosperity, just look at how they are livingand they dont even know Jesus. Whats wrong with us? Were the Christians; were the ones whos supposed to be living like that. This teaching establishes that seeking God isnt really necessary because look at everything the sinner has, who doesnt happen to even know God. Based on this teaching, why should a person seek Christ? The teacher has made it clear that knowing Christ is not a prerequisite to receiving riches and wealth. Prosperity messages today teaches people that the true blessings of God are the material things one can obtain in the world through sowing and reaping. I heard a preacher say in his sermon that when you go to the throne of God to make a request, God will tell you to give Him a seed, meaning money. I personally have never seen such a Scripture in the Bible speaking to this affect. God requires faith. He never told us to put our faith in the seed (money). Jesus said to have faith in God (Mark 11:22). Only faith pleases God, not your seed (Hebrews 11:6). If you listen closely to the testimonies believers are speaking today, you will notice that the majority of their testimonies are not about how they were able to have an impact on the lives of others through the power of Gods blessings upon their lives. Their testimonies are all about them. They say, Look at what the Lord has done for me. Their testimonies are all about the I or the me. I got out of debt. God blessed me with a new job. I inherited money, I got a new car. I got . . . I have, etc. Rarely do we hear their testimonies about what God did through them to affect another. How are you affecting others by what the Lord is doing for you? The affect upon others by the influence and blessings of God upon your life is what true testimony is really about. It is this testimony that truly glorifies God. We usually dont hear much about Gods orchestration and flow of good things. In other words, what did you do with what He gave you? How did you invest in others what God gave you in order to benefit His Kingdom?

I believe that God meant for all His blessings to continue. He never meant for His blessing to stop just because it reached you. People tend to be oblivious to this because they see their relationship with God being all about them and God. They dont necessarily understand that their relationship with God should also be about them and others whom God happens to love. People may not see Gods desires, which He purposes through them for the benefit of another. Perhaps this is a reason why He causes our cups to overflow and expects us to give out of that overflow. Christians may receive the Word in church, but only a few will actually take that Word, which is the real seed, and sow it into the world. The majority keeps the seed in the church because they believe that everything the Lord speaks, illustrates and demonstrates to those belonging to the church is strictly for the benefit of only those in the church. Their contention is that Jesus is only interested in the righteous who attend church. This is why they look at you sideways in judgment if you happen not to go to church. They cannot fathom the possibility of anyone having a true relationship with God unless that person belongs to a church. It doesnt even seem to matter if the church abides in truth, for most believers automatically tend to assume that all churches (similar to theirs) do abide in Gods truth. Many people who leave their respective church endeavoring to spread the gospel into the world are even criticized, ostracized, and ridiculed by their respective church. Some are also viewed as backslidden. Yet the function of the church body, according to God, should not only be to worship and glorify Christ in one accord, but also to train up Christian soldiers that they may go outlike the sower in Jesus parableand proclaim the gospel to the world. Jesus said that He came to save the lost (Matthew 18:11; Luke 19:10). Figuratively speaking, where are the lost? Are they in the church or in the world? I belonged to a church for several years, for instance, that had no ties at all to its own community or other churches outside the building. Jesus died on the cross for every person throughout the entire world, including the sinners outside the church. He said that only a few would find His righteous path, but the majority will not. From this, we can gather that only few take the privilege of seeking God in diligence to gain a perspective on His point of view. The majority of believers are blind, yet that same majority believe they see (John 9:39). Perhaps they believe they see because they go to church every Sunday, read the Bible, or spend hours a day in the prayer closet, and for some, even because they preach the Word. None of these things necessarily denotes an open heart or submission toward God. In fact, I would venture to say that many attempt to live for God merely as an acclimation of tradition. In other words, their parents went to a specific church, belonged to a specific denomination, as their parents and so on. Thus, they too follow in that tradition. The Holy Spirit will not force Himself upon anyone or coerce anyone to hear and receive what He speaks. Jesus said he who is willing to hear, let him hear. Therefore, a person has to be willing to receive from God; he must ask God for truth. Not all believers ask nor are they necessarily interested in the truth, especially when it opposes the things they desire to keep, such as their own wisdom.

Most people never get around to asking God for His truth. They may spend countless hours with their nose in the Bible or in the prayer closet doing all the talking, but they neglect to ask God for such a simple thingHis truth. People tend to assume that they already have it because they spend the countless hours reading the Bible, talking to God in the prayer closet, or my personal favoritethey studied specific scriptures for fifteen to twenty years and are thus well informed (as if being in error from bad interpretation for twenty years is an impossibility). The church body has been around for much longer than any persons years of scriptural study, yet Jesus called this generation lukewarm, warning that He will spew the church from His mouth. It is through foolish arrogance that some people believe that God should be impressed by their years of scriptural study. The Bible says that God redeems the time. If God desires, He can impart a thousand years worth of accurate knowledge in a mans heart during a single nights sleep. What are years to God, and who said that just because someone studied for ten, fifteen, or even fifty years, he is automatically entitled to be correct? Despite Jesus warning, people are still inclined to interpret Gods Word from their own point of view. To them, Gods perspective on wealth and prosperity, for instance, seems no different from that of the world. Why else would a Christian take an interest in the wealth of a sinner to say, Look at what they have and they dont even know Jesus? Were the Christians; were the ones who are supposed to be living in that kind of wealth. Christian leaders are teaching and preaching such things behind pulpits in the churches across the globe. What believers walk away with from doctrinal teachings that compare the material wealth of Christians to sinners is perhaps a discovery that they dont necessarily need to have faith in God. Whats the point of Christians having faith if the sinners, who have no faith in God nor are serving God, are blessed more in prosperity, riches and abundance than they are? Many leaders in the church today cater to the itching ears of congregations and multitudes of people who subscribe to these leaders false doctrines set themselves in competition with the sinner. They boast about their seeds for their needs and determine through their sowing to gain what the sinners have. In the process of doing such, most Christians become financially broke, but the ministries they belong to and the leaders they serve get rich. Christians should never compare themselves to sinners; instead, they need to understand Gods view of wealth and prosperity. His view is entirely different from that of the world. God does not base your faith in Him by the material possessions you have. He bases your faith level through your willingness and obedience of submission toward Him. Your willingness to praise and worship God, especially through circumstances seeming impossible to overcome, testifies to your level of faith in God. He bases your faith level on your ability to believe Him even though you cannot see or necessarily understand what He says. Jesus told Thomas, His disciple, that because he could see he believed, but blessed are they who have not seen, yet believe (John 20:29). Your faith level can only be derived by hearing the Word of God, which is like containers of faith (Romans 10:17). Gods system of operation is invisible. Therefore, what interests God is your willingness to believe and act on what you cannot see, not on those things you can see. He is interested in how you conduct your life based on your faith in Him, which has nothing to do with your wallet or material possessions.

Nowhere does the Bible stipulate that the more money or possessions you have the greater is your faith. Sinners also have money and possessions, yet they do not belong to God. They have no ability to give God faith, which is the only thing that pleases Him. If a Christian looks at prosperity from the perspective of his own understanding, then it is difficult to understand why sinners seem to prosper while it seems that the faithful hardly ever do. God views wealth and prosperity in a different manner than the world does. He addresses this very issue in the book of Psalm. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such a painless life; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They arent troubled like other people or plagued with problems like everyone else. They wear pride like a jeweled necklace, and their clothing is woven of cruelty. These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for! They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others. They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth. And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words. Does God realize what is going on? they ask. Is the Most High even aware of what is happening? Look at these arrogant people enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. Was it for nothing that I kept my heart pure and kept myself from doing wrong? All I get is trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain. If I had really spoken this way, I would have been a traitor to your people. So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! Then one day I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I thought about the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, swept away by terrors. Their present life is only a dream that is gone when they awake. When you arise, O Lord, you will make them vanish from this life (Psalm 73:3-20, NLT). Though an apple looks delicious on the outside, the inside can be rotten and full of worms. There is a difference between sowing and reaping of the spirit and of the flesh. We must take our focus off the sinners harvest. Christians must stop comparing themselves to sinners or anyone else and focus on what God is calling them to do. Sinners, even regardless of their material possessions, are on the path to destruction. That is their bottom line. Neither their material possessions nor all the wealth in the world can save them. They may get by in this life, but they will not get by after death. Instead of envying the sinner, we need to have compassion and love for them. We need to pray and intercede on their behalf because they cannot see the path theyre on.

How Rich We Think We Are

Christian leaders may boast about their material wealth, congregation size, and fabulous church buildings, yet there are individuals sitting right in the midst of their congregations who are financially devastated, hungry, losing their homes, dealing with repossessions, and evictions. Some have lost their jobs, their marriages are in ruin, their children are hungry, and their families are torn apart. They are lost and do not know how to ask for help. They come to the church seeking answers for their lives, but what many receive is rejection, guilt trips, fraudulence, condemnation, and deception. Ignored, no one notices them and no one helps. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). The preacher who boasts about all his riches and material wealth is really bragging on himself, not God. God is not interested in receiving credit for the Shepherds harvest when his harvest does not affect the sheep. What good is your harvest if it only benefits you? Yet, this is exactly what is going on in the body of Christ today. You cannot turn onto hardly any Christian channel these days and not be bombarded by the send us your money offers. You send in your thirtynine ninety-five and you might get a tape cassette, a video, or DVD with information that is going to ratify your life and bring you closer to God. They get richer and richer and the faithful giver gradually gets poorer and poorer despite their promises that God will make you wealthy only if you send us your money! Three times, Jesus told Peter to take care of His sheep (John 21:15-17). How can a Shepherd care for the sheep, when he robs the sheep? How are people benefiting from those who God blessed when the blessed are only interested in benefiting themselves? God blesses you so that you can be a blessing to others. Your blessing to others in turn enables them to be a blessing to others and so on. The purpose of Gods blessings is that they flow and never stop. Many Shepherds today, especially in America, are living in the lap of luxury, but the majority of their flocks are destitute in comparisonwhy? Consider the parable Jesus spoke concerning the Good Samaritan. . . . "A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance a Jewish priest came along; but when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt deep pity. Kneeling beside him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two pieces of silver and told him to take care of the man. If his bill runs higher than that, he said, I'll pay the difference the next time I am here. Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits? Jesus asked. The man replied, The one who showed him mercy. Then Jesus said, Yes, now go and do the same (Luke 10:30-37, NLT).

Many of us have read Jesus parable concerning the Good Samaritan, but not all of us have understood it. A different kind of Christian mentality exists today that boast wealth and prosperity, but who are the true benefactors of the wealth and prosperity that is coming into our hands? Notice that Jesus said a Jewish Priest came along, but when he saw the wounded man lying beside the road, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. This is a perfect example of the church leader who boasts about his position or relationship with God in addition to his wealth and prosperity, yet many in his congregation are in despair. Later a Temple Assistantchurch goers in the position to help, but never dosaw the same man, walked over and actually took a good look at him in his condition. He then also continued on the other side of the road. What is interesting here is that the temple assistant replicated the actions of the priest. When the man of God boasts about all his stuff, yet does nothing to sooth the wombs of the afflicted, he inevitably teaches his congregation to do the same. People in the church today will come up to you, take a good look at you in your mess, and proceed to judge and explain to you why you are in the mess youre in. Like the temple assistant they too cross to the other side of the road and continue about their business, expressing no love, compassion or interest in helping you become free from the mess youre in. Churches across the nation caught up in prosperity and wealth are literally ignoring the cries for help in the midst of their own congregations. If the church is blind to help its own, then how could it see to help those outside of it? I heard a pastor tell a story about another pastor who was trying to teach his congregation something about loving your neighbor. He said this pastor deliberately disguised himself as a vagabond. He showed up to church wearing a shabby, smelly, torn-up coat soiled with dirt and grime. His ugly, dingy pants were full of patches, holes and were a couple of sizes too small exposing his long johns underneath and his sock-less ankles. Duct tape held together his dirty lace-less, worn out shoes, which prevented them from sliding off his feet. His face smeared with mud and grease, appeared to have not been washed for days and greasy, dirty, bodiless hair strung down from underneath the old baseball cap he wore on his head. When the congregation began to show up for service that morning, they noticed this vagabond sitting on the curb right in front of the church. Several of the people attempted to shoo the vagabond away. They told him that he did not belong there and that if he did not leave, they would call the authorities. Not a single person invited the vagabond into the church. Not a single person ministered to the vagabond. No one offered him food or water, and no one showed him love, compassion or kindness. Eventually after the people entered the building, they began asking the whereabouts of their pastor. Lo and behold, here comes the vagabond down the center isle straight to the altar where he then stood behind the pulpit. One can only imagine the looks on those faces that Sunday morning when they discovered who this vagabond actually was. How are Christians affecting lives by the blessings the Lord has given them? The church body today has lost sight of the purpose behind Gods blessings of prosperity and

wealth. The purpose was that it would be used as a tool to steer people in His direction, but people have taken the blessings of God and hoarded them for themselves. Jesus said take care of my sheep. He commanded that we are to love our neighbor just like the Samaritan. Perhaps there are still some good Samaritans today, but they are too few and far in between. Christians often attempt to be that Samaritan, but their own overwhelming interest, desires, needs, and ambitions often get in the way. Do they experience joy in their giving because they are giving through agape love or are they overjoyed because they have a fixed picture in their mind concerning the increase they now believe is coming to them because they gave? When we cease to operate from the heart of God, our acts toward others are never greater than noble. Nobility is good, but nobility is very often short-lived. Nobility eventually wears off because it is an act of the human heart. When people operate from their own heart, they often end up doing more harm to the afflicted than could have been done if the afflicted were left alone. We need to seek and acknowledge Gods wisdom in everything we do, even when we give. This indicates the importance of having a constant relationship with God. Believers can bring great destruction into another persons life through their giving when they neglect to consult with the Holy Spirit first. If a person sowed his car into anothers life, for example, yet did not hear a word from God to do such a thing, on the surface level his deed may seem great in the eyes of the recipient and others. However, in a short time, that very gift could end up being devastating to the person who received it. Perhaps the reason the person was without a car was because he could not afford a carfor reasons the Lord was already aware of and working towards helping the individual through change. In other words, God divinely allowed the man to be without a car. Given the car, he is now faced with the costly burdens of upkeep, repairs, gas to operate the vehicle, licensing and registration, insurance, and every other expense that goes along with owning a vehicle. Perhaps receiving a car was not his solution. Thus, his financial state eventually becomes far worse than it was before he received the car and his initial excitement turns into a nightmare of misery. Obviously, this is not the blessing of God, but merely someones noble act. Meanwhile, the person who gave the car is oblivious to the situation of the individual he just blessed. The possibility of the recipients predicament becoming such the state just mentioned never even enters the mind of the person who gave him the car. Perhaps the giver simply wanted to do the Christian thing. We must realize however, that doing deeds from the perspective of our own heart falls short of the desires God may have for us. Our own endeavors in the name of Christianity can bring about disasters in other peoples lives. God distinctly told us to Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). This Scripture tells us emphatically not to be wise in our own eyes. Perhaps the giver had his mind fixed upon his return from the very beginning. In other words, His giving was not predicated upon love, but selfish gain. It never occurred to him to seek God

before he embarked upon giving away his car. It didnt occur to him to endeavor to make sure that his gift would in no way hinder or hurt the one he desired to bless. Neither did it occur to him to allow God to orchestrate the giving through him. Perhaps the giver only considered his prize, which would result from his sowing. Had he sought God first, perhaps God would have instructed him to not only give away his car, but also take care of the cost of the upkeep of the car, licensing, registration, gas allowance and insurance for two years until the person was able to stand upon his own two feet. Perhaps this is also a fundamental example as to why many Christians dont bother asking God to orchestrate their giving. Perhaps what God would ask of them would be too much for their flesh to bear, yet in faith, God equips us with everything He asks us to give. He then rewards us for having obeyed Him. The Good Samaritan covered the cost of all the accommodations for the man he helped. He didnt drop him off at the inn and say to the man this is as far as Im willing to go, youre on your own. The point here is that most people who give do not necessarily do so because they heard from God or because their true desire is to love their neighbor; they give because they are convinced that their giving will bring them a return harvest that is greater than what they gave. Their true interest is in their seed and their harvest, not necessarily in the person they blessed with an offering. Thus in their giving they end up wrecking lives instead of blessing them because their giving is not from the heart of God, but rather from their own heart. Such results from offerings that people make today lie beneath the wealth and prosperity messages taught in the church. Unbeknownst to most, multitudes of people end up financially devastated by such teachings. Christians who follow mans doctrines on prosperity messages are becoming more interested in sowing seed to gain wealth, which is ultimately geared toward benefiting them and their needs. This has become the popular trend behind the motives of sowing seed. Their action of sowing is increasingly having little or nothing to do with love or caring for the needs of others. Every harvest derived is from either the flesh or the spirit. What determines the kind of harvest you will have depends on your motives behind your sowing. God is always looking at the motives in your heart. If peoples motive behind their sowing is about their need, then how can their trust be in God? Such a persons faith is in his seed, not God. The Bible instructs us to come to the throne of God to obtain mercy and grace in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). In other words, when we are in need we can go to the Father and ask Him. Jesus said that whatever you ask God for in His name, God will give it to you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you (John 16:23). When we come to the throne of God, we are casting all our cares upon Him. All our needs become His responsibility. God wants that responsibility of taking care of all your needs. When a person sows a seed to gratify his own need, he is rejecting Gods ability to be the supplier of his needs. He is instead putting his faith in the seed, which is his money. Thus, his sowing is of the flesh and nothing good can come out of it. If a multi billionaire came to me and said, Brother Rick, all your financial needs and obligations will be met for the rest of your life. Im setting up an account for you right now with unlimited

cash resources, spare no expense. Here is the checkbook and the account is in your name. I will see to it that it is kept full far beyond what you could ever spend, no matter what you buy. From a financial perspective, there is no need to do anything to gain something for myself because a multi billionaire took care of all my financial needs. Now, when I sow into others I can do so without any consideration about my position, my condition, or my circumstance. Now, let us consider the same example through the will of God. In the book of Philippians, Paul said God shall meet all your needs according to His riches and Glory (Philippians 4:19). Excitement comes easy just thinking about the possibilities of a billionaire taking care of all our financial needs, yet we practically dismiss what God says to us in His Word. How much greater is God than the billionaire and his riches? According to His Word, God is willing to meet and satisfy every need in every area of our lives far beyond what we could ask or think. If He is willing to satisfy all my needs, then why do I need to sow a seed to gratify my own need? At least three things propel us to sow seed for the benefit of our own need. The first is laziness, the second is greed, and the third is lack of faith. In many respects, people suffer from all three. Lazy Christians are spectators in the body of Christ, who refuse to lift a finger to do what God has called them to do. Instead, they endeavor to ride the coat tails of their leaders and others who are doers. Some of these spectators are the same people having high positions in their church ministries. Their contention is if God did it for another, then Hes got to do it for me. The greedy are those who eagerly swallow wealth and prosperity messages completely, without question. Instead of any interest in the true Word of God, they can only see dollar signs. They are bent on sowing seed, but only to gratify their own needwhich is never quenched. They believe the more dollars you sow, the more dollars you will reap. For the greedy, sowing from a heart of agape love is either secondary or simply doesnt compute. Lastly, we can become easily excited about the billionaire concept because that would seem more real to us than having to believe that God could or would handle all our needs. Sowing seed to gratify our needs does not require faith, but it does take real faith to believe that God will supply all your needs. It takes real faith to believe that whatever you ask God for in Jesus name, He will give it to you. Because believers lack the necessary faith in God in order to receive from God, many attempt to sidetrack faith. Thus, they sow seed to benefit their need, which does not require faith. Even though most Christians perhaps inadvertently tend to bypass the issue of faith, most of them boast that not only do they have faith, but also are walking in it. God is always working toward bringing His people into faith because faith is the only thing that pleases God. Living a lifestyle of faith, at least in the beginning, is the hardest thing a Christian will ever do, yet is by far one of the most rewarding things in this life a Christian could ever experience. As the Christian grows in faith, he will begin to rejoice in his lifestyle of faith because through faith, he will see first hand the works of God in his life. Living a lifestyle of faith, one experiences first hand the revelation of manifestation in calling those things into his life which were not, but now are (Romans 4:17).

If we are willing to believe through faith that our needs are already metfor we have already been blessed with all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3)then we should not have a problem believing that our needs were met even before we sowed the seed. Christians who believe they must sow a seed to gratify their own needs substitute the necessary faith in God with the law of sowing and reaping. Sowing and reaping does not require faith in God. It is an irrevocable universal law created by God. Sinners for example, do not have faith in God, yet they are still able to reap from sowing. The only thing that pleases God is faith (Hebrews 11:6). A harvest reaped does not automatically imply faith nor does anyones riches automatically suggest that they are pleasing God. Pauls needs were met by the Philippians, but only because his faith was in God. The Philippians obeyed God, and Paul trusted in God. Therefore, God was able to use the Philippians to bless Paul and in return reward the Philippians because they obeyed His instruction. Ultimately, God blessed Paul and the Philippians. God gave us seed, but He meant for us to sow the seed for the benefit of others, not for ourselves. Your faith in God, and peoples trust and obedience toward God allows His perfect will to orchestrate the flow of giving. He orchestrates this flow based upon the whole picture He is viewing. Because God sees the entire picture, we must allow Him to direct our every step. It is why it is so imperative for us to have faith and patience in Gods timing. His timing is impeccable. We do not necessarily see the entire picture or connection in what we do. God may show us small aspects of the whole, which only seems to affect only us. Therefore, it takes an obedient heart of faith to give when God says give.

We are All Connected Through Christ

Every time God speaks to your heart to do something, you can bet it will have a tremendous impact upon anothers life for the good. Because we dont necessarily comprehend the magnitude of Gods plan behind the assignments He gives us, we assume that that its not such a big deal when we disobey God. Ultimately, we tend to think that Gods plan is all about me. After all, He spoke to me, my assignment. Therefore, He must be trying to bless me and do something great in my life. God does have blessings in store for you when you obey His Word, but what He is after doesnt stop with you. He is also looking beyond you. His picture is whole. God sees the totality of His creation and the grand connectedness throughout the entire body of Christ. We really have no idea of the phenomenal impact we may have upon another persons life when we simply hesitate in doing what God tells us to do. While you wrestle with God in your giving, for instance, another in dire need of what God desires to get to him may be hurting and on his last leg of hope. What God desires you to give may have no connection to that particular person in a direct sense. In other words, several people may end up affected by your actions weeks or even months before it even reaches the individual on his last leg of hope. Thus, a domino effect ensues. In addition, your giving may have nothing to do with your money. Perhaps, it could be your voice in a song or a word of wisdom in an authored book. Finally obeying God, you perform and complete His mission. Because you obeyed, the person whom God assigned you to receives exactly what he needed. His breakthrough causes him to

make a positive move that he otherwise would not have made. I say again that we are not always aware of those whom God assigns us and vice versa. Therefore, we should never take on His assignments with an attitude of nonchalance, but rather maintain a tenacious diligence to get the assignment done. This person needed something that only you could have given him. Once he received what he needed from you, he was then able to perform his task from God and so on and so forth. His accomplishment ultimately affects the man who was on his last leg of hope. Thus, this person now experiences a breakthrough. His breakthrough experience opens his heart toward Christ and immediately his life begins to change. No longer on a last leg of hope, he now desires to serve God. You never met the person who needed what only you could give. He never met the person who received the breakthrough. Each of you was oblivious to the other and to Gods ultimate plans toward benefiting yet others. Years down the road, the person who initially was on his last leg of hope becomes a minister of God whose mission focuses on the youth. He does an inner city outreach revival for troubled teens and your daughter happens to be there. Through him, the Holy Spirit speaks into her heart giving her exactly what she needed. He gets her delivered, and she gives her life to Christ. Though she became a born again Christian, which was the answer to your years of long hard prayers, you never knew your connection to her being saved. God took care of her the moment you obeyed Him even though she was just a toddler at the time you began to embark upon your assignment from God. God already knew what you were going to need well in advance. Thus, your obedience to Him even years in advance to your daughter having grown into a troubled teenager saved your daughter. God is able to do a great many things in other peoples lives through your obedience. This example is just a minutely small-scaled scenario of how God views us and operates in our lives. When God answers prayers or begins to work through you, He never does anything with only you in mind concerning His way of doing things. God always has a higher plan than your prayer, no matter how great the prayer. The Word says, He does exceedingly and abundantly above what you can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). This goes beyond Him just blessing you. Gods love is toward all people, not just you. What He does for you also has a greater benefit toward all. What God will do for you, He will use to affect others. Therefore, He has much bigger issues than what you would even know to pray. When God answers prayers, He goes beyond what you ask or think because you are not capable of praying for the right things from the vantage point of what God wants to do. The Bible even says that we do not know what we ought to pray for (Romans 8:26), but the Holy Spirit helps us out. Did you know that the Holy Spirit in you (provided that you are baptized in the Holy Ghost) can intercede on your behalf in a spiritual language, unknown to the mind, which lines up with the will and heart of God? God answering your prayers that only benefit you would create a flaw in His overall system of connectivity and synchronicity. He has an agenda that He intends to accomplish. His agenda includes the entire body of Christ and the world of sinners. The Word says that the prayers of the righteous availeth much (James 5:16). We naturally understand this to mean that our prayers will bring back to us powerful results for the things we

pray. By faith, this is true. However, I submit to you that there is more. That availeth much is significant of the total power of Gods Word over all things. Prayer is the agreement between you and the Word of God spoken from your heart to God. Your speaking forth His Word in faith releases His Word so that He can perform what He says. God totally understands what He says, but you and I do not. Therefore, one can only pray to the degree for which he understands. Gods response, however, can go beyond what one understands because prayer is essentially about His Word released from your mouth in faith. This is why it is necessary to pray according to Scripture. The true power is in the Word of God, not necessarily in the prayer itself because our prayers can only match the extent of our understanding and faith in God. This also explains why it is so important to pray in the spiritpraying in tongue. Christians tend to have small faith according to Gods standards. Remember, Jesus told Peter that his faith was small despite the fact that he, for a moment, walked on water. How much smaller is our faith than Peters faith? I dont know about you, but I know of no person today whose faith is equal to even that of Peters little faith. What exactly is speaking in tongue? Many Christians do not understand what praying in the spirit actually is. I have heard some people even call it evil. Praying in tongue is speaking a spiritual dialect directly to God. This prayer uttered by the Holy Spirit within bypasses the understanding of the mind. It is like an encrypted code that neither the mind nor enemy can crack. So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance (Romans 8:26, TAB). Your mind cannot communicate with God, only your spirit can. Speaking in spirit is allowing the Holy Ghost in you to utter a spiritual dialect through you directly to God without any interference or filtering from your mind. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:27-28, NLT). We dont always know what to pray, but the Holy Spirit always knows exactly what to speak to God. Praying in the spirit is the highest form of prayer and worship, but one must be filled with the Holy Ghost, thus baptized in the Holy Ghost in order to speak to God in the language of the Holy Ghost. The Bible says that he who lacks wisdom can ask God for it and He will give it. This covers the interpretation of your prayers in spirit. We can ask God to reveal to us the interpretation of what we speak in tongue and He will give you the interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:13). Every Christian should know about the power of prayer in the Holy Spirit because it is the

highest form of prayer and the highest form of praise and worship. Briefly, with that said, it is necessary also to understand that praying in the spirit is to build oneself up in relationship with God. In other words, it is not necessarily beneficial to a church body to pray in tongue among each other unless there are interpreters among them (who also agree) who can interpret the prayers in understanding terms. The Apostle Paul said that it is better to prophesy amongst the body because a word of prophesy builds the church body in relationship with God. As cells, muscles, and appendages formalize the human body, Christians form the body of Christ. God sees our connection to each other as a whole body. Because we are connected, one Christian disobeying God ultimately causes a ripple affect throughout the entire body. Consider your own body. If you pull a muscle in your back, it can cause pain not only in your back, but also in your head, neck, arms, legs, and even in your feet. Yet, the afflicted area was your back. Every cell in your body has a connection throughout all the cells in your body. Yet, every cell in your body has its own function for the benefit of the whole body. There is no jealousy among cells, no competition or insecurity, and no inferiority. One cell does not dictate to another. Each knows and understands its own place within the body that makes up the whole. Every cell functions in a harmonic flow with every other cell. If one cell does not carry out its specific function, it can cause the entire body to weaken, shut down, or even die. Every cell is dependant upon the others and no cells were designed to function without connection to another. The body of Christ is no different. Sometimes it is difficult for us to understand why God may do what He does in our lives because our understanding falls short of His whole picture, which concerns His entire creation. Most times, we cannot see beyond ourselves. Regardless to what you can or cannot understand, God fully understands what He does. Not only does He view the entire picture, but also He sees it from the perspective of the end to its beginning. Thus, we live in the past tense of what God has already seen. There is no denying the power of being in one accord or one voice to God, but how can we be in one accord if our frame of thinking is its all about me? How can we be one voice if our only interest is about what God is doing in my own personal life? How can there be one accord and one voice if our desire is to gratify our own needs through the seed we sow? . . . they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea . . . (Acts 4:24). Because they spoke in one accord with God, He endued them with His power to heal the sick and they performed signs and wonders in the name of Jesus (vs. 30). When they prayed the place was shaken where they were assembled and they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31). God confounded the language and scattered abroad the people who attempted to build the Great Tower of Babel because they were of one accord. Even God acknowledged that because they had become one, nothing could be restrained from what they had imagined to do (Genesis 11:6). Assembling ourselves one to another is about becoming one with God (Hebrews 10:25). Within

the assembling to worship God, His power manifests and His glory is acknowledged. God even reserves a corporate anointing specifically for the assemblage. A finger cannot operate under its own volition separated from the hand, which is connected to the body and neither can a leg stand or walk on its own accord detached from the body. What good is the head without its body? What good is the body without its head? People who choose to function in the body of Christ, yet alienate themselves from the rest of the body, which is connected to Christ, are in essence saying that they can survive as a branch without the vine. Jesus said that branch would eventually dry up and die. Like the cells that make up the human body, we are one body in Christ, one voice, and one accord unto God. A metaphorical analogy of our design in Christ is similar to a school of fish swimming in the ocean. The way they swim is like an awesome display of Gods perfection. Like a moving artistic design of shimmering radiance gliding effortlessly through water, quickly shifting and changing in smooth wavelike patterns, each fish maintains a perfect precision to the next. Whales and dolphins also tend to swim in a formation of precision. Even certain flocks of birds and some insects fly in this formation where an orchestration exists within their every movement. The slightest curve or bend is imitated by all simultaneously. It is impossible to determine which is leading and which is following. When the body of Christ is in one accord to God, we are that beautiful design of orchestration in His eyes. Our excitement about the prosperity and wealth is great, but what is happening to the prosperity and wealth once we get it? All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own; they shared everything they had. And the apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's great favor was upon them all. There was no poverty among them, because people who owned land or houses sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need (Acts 4:32-35, NLT). Here is Scripture that you probably dont hear preached on a regular basis in church. Today, the money that congregations bring into the house of the Lord to give to the leader rarely goes back out into the hands of those in need. The church grows structurally, materially, and the leaders become powerfully wealthy, but the needs of the people remain far from being met. Can you imagine, selling everything you own, sharing it with those in need, and allowing God to raise you in His riches and favor? The people in that day either had incredible faith or simply did not concern themselves with the materialistic cares of life or perhaps they can be attributed to both. Can you imagine vast ministries successful in areas of financial prosperity literally taking care of its people in such a way that their financial burdens are literally removed? Did Jesus not say that what you give up for His sake, He would restore to you one hundred-fold in this life (Mark 10:29-30)? See, it all comes back to faith. It boils down to our choosing to either believe or not believe God. I believe that most churches today do not really believe God. If they did, there would be no reason for their tenacious diligence at becoming rich at the expense of their congregations and others. As Paul said, they have the zeal, but they are trying to do things their own way. They refuse to allow God to do things His way. Why else would Jesus be calling the last church generation lukewarm, not fit for His belly and thus will spew out of His mouth?

Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything he own and give it to the poor, take up his cross and follow Him (Mark 10:21). And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? (Luke 9:2325). What did Jesus really mean when He told the rich young ruler to sell everything he owned, give it to the poor, take up his cross and follow Him? I believe He meant exactly what He said. Jesus said for those willing to follow Him, let them deny themselves. Are Christians deliberately denying themselves today in order to follow Jesus or are they doing just the opposite? Based on much of the prosperity teaching in the church today, many Christians believe that the more riches and wealth they possess the greater is their faith and the closer they will be to Christ. Thus, they give in tithes and offerings with expectation that the windows of heaven will pour upon them great blessings from God. Leaders preach that the tithe only opens the windows of heaven, but if you want blessings to actually pour out you must give them large monetary offerings as well, for it is actually the offerings that causes the blessings to flow. This religious doctrine is from scripture that has been perversely twisted such as the scriptures Satan spoke to Jesus in the wilderness. Those lacking materially or financially are even made to feel as though they are faithless having no or hardly any relationship with Christ. Most ministry leaders today teach very little about denying the self in order to follow Christ. Instead, they teach that in order to follow Christ you have to have wealth and riches. Consider the fact that wealthy ministries have become the icon of Christianity. Many who follow the leaders of such ministries indoctrinate their words, sermons, and books, into their own teachings, lessons, and sermons. Because these icon leaders are materially rich and pastor over perhaps thousands in their churches, the Christian body tends to esteem them the highest in Gods arsenal of the five-fold ministry. Jesus said whosoever does not bear his cross and come after Him cannot be His disciple (Luke 14:27). Bearing your cross is not only about enduring the pains and sorrows of life. It is also choosing to lay down your life and even your desires of having the riches of the world. It is choosing to love Christ more than your father, mother, spouse, children, and your own life. Those who strive in Christianity to acquire personal gains at the expense of others do not hate their lives. They stop at nothing to save their lives. God said whosoever tries to save his life shall lose it, but those who are willing to lose their lives for His sake shall save it (Luke 9:24). The poor and meek belonging to God will have the last laugh, not the rich and prominent of the world. In the eyes of God, the poor and meek are the rich and prominent. Gods view of wealth does not agree with the worlds view of wealth. Please understand that I am not condemning the larger ministries or wealth, but I am making a point that God does not automatically regard larger and/or wealthier ministries greater than say the smallest home ministries. He does not automatically regard the rich man as having greater faith than that of the poor. Every ministry

should be predicated upon Gods purpose. His purpose is not about the ministry itself, the grandeur and wealth of the person behind it or even the prosperity of the church; the purpose is all about the full picture, which only God can see. God gave us a very important and fundamental demonstration in the Book of Acts chapter four and verse thirty-five. He said, There was no poverty among them, meaning the entire congregation. Today, multitudes of Christians are in poverty though they may belong to very wealthy ministries. Leaders of some of these very ministries may spend multi-millions of dollars on new lavish buildings, luxury jets, multi-million dollar homes, yachts, and cars with hundred thousand dollar price tags. Jesus said the Shepherds who love Him would feed and take care of His sheep. When a ministry puts on a conference, for instance, and that conference has a three to five hundred dollar price tag for a weekend, to whom is the conference really catering too? What happens to the people desiring to go who cannot financially afford to go to such a conference? When the preacher wont even show up at your church unless he is paid four to five figures up front, to whom is he catering too? What happens to the lives that could have been touched through a word he may have brought, yet were lost because he construed his payment more important than those lives? There is a significant difference between todays Christian, who may have the means to help another, yet does not, and the apostles who shared in everything believing it all belonged to God. Who or what changed from the Word of God? God certainly didnt change His perspective on the prosperity of His people. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), so that leaves us. Our perspective about prosperity and its purpose in the eyes of God changed. What we once shared among each other for the benefit of all, changed to the serving of ourselves for the benefit of ourselves. Ministries across the nation are becoming wealthier than ever before, yet the overwhelmingly majority of the people belonging to these ministries are just as broke as the financially poor who do not have Christ in their lives. I do not believe that God is against ministries being wealthy, but I do believe that God has His own way of causing those ministries to become wealthy for His purpose, not theirs. When we rely and patiently wait upon the Lord, He rewards us with His wealth and riches. The Lord causes our cups to overflow. In the garden, the Lord allowed Adam and Eve to enjoy richly every blessed tree of fruit except one. Similar, He gives us abundance to keep, yet expects us to give from the overflow of that abundance. God purposed that what we give does not have to affect what we have. A teacher who teaches does not lose his knowledge because he gives his knowledge away. When Jesus fed the multitude bread and fish, His supply did not diminish as He gave it out, it increased. Adam and Eve did not lack because they sacrificed the one tree. Satan however, convinced them that they did lack and they ultimately took what belonged to God. The overflow God creates in our lives belongs to Him. Stewardship has everything to do with the obedience of giving unto others from the overflow that God purposely gives us, which should benefit others. The awesome thing about this is that even though the overflow belongs to God, giving it away in obedience to God brings back to us His hundred-fold return. As Satan tricked Adam and Eve, so too in this day does Satan convince people that if they give, they will lack. Thus, people refuse to give or do so with selfish intent. The premise to seed and harvest is that when one sows with the heart of God He brings forth an inexhaustible harvest. Some Christians

however, are hording all of their riches unto themselves including their overflow. When the Christian disobeys God by sowing for his own benefit, his harvest becomes indicative to the sowing of the flesh. All of his riches and wealth is then predicated upon the world. People boast, Look at what the Lord has done for me as they seem to increase when in actuality the Lord had nothing to do with what was done for them. They actually did their own thing and rejected what the Lord wanted to do.

The Law of Sowing and Reaping

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting (Galatians 6:78). A preacher bragging about his riches through his sowing and reaping, yet neglecting to tend to the needs of those hurting in his flock as Jesus commanded, is missing it with God. Instead of boasting about what he has, why not boast about the lives changed because of his blessed fortune. I heard a pastor once bragging about his faith. He explained that because of his faith in God, he was able to fill his closet with clothes. He boasted about the number of suits he had in his closet, which he had enough to wear a different one everyday of the week, for a month okay fine, but who cares! What has the number of suits in his closet to do with the kingdom business of God? People need to see the effects of your blessings upon the lives of others. The whole purpose of prosperity, wealth, and riches is about the Glory of God. If your blessings from God have no positive affect on the lives of others, then how is God glorified? Many people receive wealth and prosperity messages with excitement desiring to believe that the money cometh, but the testimonies of lives actually changed by these messages are very few. In fact, statistically, thousands of people are walking away from churches everyday because they can see the cozenage behind some of our leaders facades of holiness in the church. In other words, ministries are becoming more predicated upon riches, wealth and prosperity, and are turning away from the Word of God. Such ministries ridicule, persecute, and even condemn people based on their financial predicament doing it all in the name of Jesus. They dont love the people as Jesus commanded. On the lighter side, some churches have their core agendas surrounding the outside functions of the church, such as church outings, community entertainments, recreation, activity groups, etc. I visited a very wealthy church once, which hosted every extracurricular activity one could think of, yet the message taught in the church concerning the Word of God was pitifully weak at best. It was very apparent that the leaders regarded their extracurricular functions more important than people being fed the Word of God. Such churches are perhaps fun to attend because they cater towards emotional excitement and entertainment, but do the congregations actually grow in Christ? Do such churches today even concern themselves with such issues as actually having an intimate relationship with Christ?

Even though believers tend to be nice toward others and are perhaps great in their works, I believe that most have little to no relationship with God because the church neglects to teach them the importance of having that relationship with God. An additional thing about the church I noticed was that hardly anyone carried a Bible or any means to take notes. In other words, there seemed to be no hunger among the people for the Word of God. Instead of coming into the house of the Lord to learn and receive the wisdom of God, people seemed more interested only in being emotionally stimulated and entertained. George Barna of the Barna Group, a Christian based statistical research firm, wrote in his book Revolution (Tyndale) startling statistical observations. He wrote that since 1991 the number of adults not attending church doubled. Figuratively, it rose from 39 million to 75 milliona 92% increase. He also stipulated that 12.5 million (16%) people no longer attending church claim to have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Are all these people necessarily lost or backslidden individuals? Many of these people are no longer worshiping God within the fourwalled building called the church. Instead, they are worshiping God in their homes and among small groups and communities outside the proverbial building. These profound findings testify to the virtual inability of todays church to transform lives into the likeness of God. These statistical findings also testify toward Jesus comment about the failure of the last generational church in the book of Revelation. In essence, it could be said that the greatest abomination in the eyes of God today is the church; not in the sense of what Jesus intended when He initially told Peter that the church foundation would be built upon the rock, but in the sense of the apostasy, which the church has become. The real church, however, still exists, for Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. The real church comprises the few that Jesus said would find the righteous gate. The few belonging to the real church understand the correlation of the Word of God and His view of the world, which we live. These individuals understand that their life and Gods Word are not separate entities. They understand that everything God speaks in His Word is the true reality of their life, that all other things are simply dreams and illusions. God made mention that there will come a time when people not belonging to Him will awaken to find the true reality of their lives. Perhaps they will have believed that their worldly prosperity and wealth was their true reality. God however, is going to show them that such things were nothing more than an illusion (Psalm 73:20). One cannot have true peace and prosperity, which are eternal attributes, if he does not know God. Now, many of course belonging to the world who believes they have found peace, prosperity, and wealth would argue against this, yet they really have nothing to compare their wealth and riches. They dont know Christ who owns all the wealth. They dont realize that what they have is actually temporary and will ultimately amount to nothing (Revelation 3:17). The few belonging to the real church are on the rooftops shouting Gods truth, even risking their lives to help others to understand His truth. They are exposing the truth about the happenings in our world such as the herding of cattle (people), who are being slaughtered, tortured, controlled, and even used for slavery by hidden evil forces in the world today. The few belonging to the real church discern the evils working behind the grandest schemes of tradition, political power,

education, technology, medicine, science, and even religion, to name a few. They are being laughed at and rebuked by Christians who have never taken the time to look beyond their church building in order to recognize the deceit in the world around them. The message of those belonging to the true church is debunked by the church of mainstream theology. Though the members of the true church are exposing the world for what it truly is, they are rejected, outcast, proverbially stoned, and crucified by not only the people in the world, but even more so by the mainstream church who believes it belongs to God. History is repeating itself right before our eyes, folks. The mainstream church today is the shadow of that same mainstream body of believers who in Jesus day not only crucified Christ, but also condemned, persecuted, and murdered the followers of Christ. The majority of churchgoers today are unaware that a counterfeit church exists and that the vast majority of such churchgoers have actually pledged their allegiance to this counterfeit or apostate church. They believe that this apostate church is the real church. Many Christians have experienced financial devastation because they believed the man behind the pulpit. They listened to the evangelist and preachers on TV asking them to send in their money or use their credit cards for easy installment payments in order to receive their blessings of getting out of debt. Ministries sowing the Word of God with an attached agenda to get money from followers using godless tactics affecting emotions in order to guilt or hoodwink people into giving, is flat out wrong. The majority do not recognize that God did not release or send such ministries. Those who head these ministries will surely answer to God. The Word of God establishes that you should Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again (Luke 6:38). If God establishes a return from our giving according to His Word, then why do Christians feel the need to focus so much on their getting as opposed to their giving? The Bible says it is far better to be excited about the measure of giving out of the heart of God, rather than receiving. An individual sowing seed to a degree may meet a recipients need, but what does his sowing look like to God who peers into the heart of the sower? In other words, why did he sow? Was his motive love and compassion? Did he sow in order to benefit another life or did he sow to benefit himself? Prosperity messages today are teaching Christians how to sow to benefit the self. Meeting the need in others through Gods blessings has become secondary. The outcome of your harvest will ultimately reflect your position with God. The New Living Translation Bible states it this way: Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit (Galatians 6:8). Those who sow for the wrong reasons may experience a harvest, but ultimately that harvest will

start to decay in death. Your harvest will always be a reflection of your true position with God. If you are a pastor of a church ministry amassing millions, yet people in your own congregation are destitute and going hungry, this is a reflection of your true relationship with God from His point of view. If your aim has been to merchandise the anointing, using guilt tactics to get your congregation or television viewers to give, this is a reflection of your true relationship with God from His point of view. How does sowing seed for our own need, edify God or His kingdom? If a Christian desires a house, a car, more money, financial freedom, clothes or even wealth, church doctrine teaches him to sow seed for such things. They believe that the greater the dollar sown, the greater will be the harvest. But, is this what Jesus actually said? Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on . . . . (Matthew 6:25, 31). God already knows what your needs and desires are. The Word says But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). In the next verse, Jesus continues that we are also not to concern ourselves with tomorrow because God sees to it that we have the sufficiency to handle tomorrow if you believe. If Jesus tells us not to concern ourselves with material things, He certainly would not transgress His own Word by telling us to sow seed specifically for material things. Jesus said instead of being mindful of the material things to seek Him and He will simply give you the things. If more people were willing to believe and have faith in God with the same level of diligence and tenacity that some of us are willing to seek wealth and prosperity with, there would be no need to pursue material things. Most people do not believe that seeking the kingdom of God will cause God to reward them with whatever they desire. He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6) and gives those who delight in Him the desires of their heart (Psalm 37:4), but He does this in His timing. Most people either do not understand or do not have the patience for Gods timing. They do not understand the essentiality of waiting on Him. They simply want what they want, and they want it yesterday. They are not necessarily interested or are oblivious to Gods purpose through the blessings they desire to have. Ignorant to Gods plans, they set out to acquire their desires on their own accord. In fact, many men and women of God in leadership positions are leading the way in these selfish endeavors through their messages of wealth and prosperity, for even they do not understand. Prosperity preachers tend to correlate the seed and the farmer. They teach you to consider how the farmer sows the seed in the field explaining how at harvest time he reaps a great harvest. Though the farmer analogy can be an excellent example to use concerning sowing and reaping, most teachers neglect to consider one very important matter; the farmer does not sow the seed for himself. The farmer sows the seed, God brings forth the harvest, and the farmer takes the harvest and removes the best seed for the bump crop the following year. Afterwards, he ships the

products out, which end up variably in retail for consumer purchases of products and produce. The farmer sows the seed into the soil for a harvest, but the harvest is ultimately to benefit the consumer, not him. People pursuing their own needs do not move God. He wants there to be a distinction between His way of sowing and reaping and that of the world. God created the law of sowing and reaping for His specific purpose, which was to benefit His kingdom. People who belong to the world have taken the principles of God and have used them for their own ambition and greed. God said to love each other and care for each other. He blesses us to be a blessing to others. Whenever you use His seed to bless others, it brings forth a harvest that will be available for you on earth and even in eternal life. Jesus taught that when you give your focus should never be upon yourself, but upon the recipient through love. He teaches that if you are willing to strive to meet the needs of others, God will meet your every need, and then some. This was the premise to why Paul said to the Philippians, My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Pauls gratitude was innocent of any greed for their money. He assured the people that his desire was not about trying to get their money, but to see the fruits of God accruing to their account (Philippians 4:17). He was interested in their prosperity, not his own. Because the Philippians unselfishly met his needs in generosity, God looked upon their gift to Paul as an odor of a sweet smell and an acceptable sacrifice, which was well pleasing to God (Philippians 4:18). The Philippians gave without any consideration for themselves. Paul assured them that because the Lord was aware of their sacrifice, God would surely supply all their needs according to His riches. The motive behind their giving to Paul contained no selfish intent. They gave out of a heart of love. They gave because they truly believed that God would take care of them. They did not give because they were looking to gain something in return; they simply gave in faith. Think about it; how can your gifts to others be like the odor of a sweet smell, a true sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God if your purpose for giving is really about satisfying your own needs? Christian-based teaching on sowing and reaping has succumbed to the worlds way of sowing and reaping. That is to say, Christians are taught, If you have a need, sow a seed. Only the enemy will tell you to take care of number one, yet this is what Christian doctrine is teaching us today. Believers may sow seed and even reap a harvest, but are the motives in their hearts right? God is not a respecter of your harvest; He is a respecter of your heart. Sowing a seed in order to fulfill your need will never satisfy in you what God can satisfy. The power in sowing and reaping comes from the sowing of our lives into others without the frame of mind that I sowed now give me mine, attitude. Sowing into fertile ground produces the prosperity of God. What makes the ground fertile is the love of God emanating from your heart toward those you bless with your seed. Jesus never sowed seed for Himself to cover His own needs. Having a need and sowing a seed for oneself does not bring upon you Gods treasures. If you sow into someones life seeking to get yours, then youve missed it. The moment you sow God is right there looking into your heart. He can see your motives and He will see to it that your harvest reflects the motives in your heart (Galatians 6:7-8).

Our responsibility and obligation is to have faith in God that He will provide, just as Paul said to the Philippians. The Philippian church blessed Paul with an offering through love. They didnt count the size of their own wealth; they instead recognized Gods wealth. They understood that what they possessed actually belonged to God. When the Lord instructed them to give it to Paul, they did. Paul wanted them to know that they were in good hands with God because of their true heart. God never allows the unselfish heart to go unrewarded, and the true heart toward God never looks for personal gain. God wants us to be prosperous, wealthy and in divine health. He said, Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth (3 John 1:2). He desires us to be prosperous in spirit, mind and body. This means that God desires us to be rich and prosperous not only in the spirit, but in the material realm also. Jesus said, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life@ (Mark 10:30). He is not only talking about the hundredfold return from what we may have sacrificed, but also financial prosperity as well. God wants us to be well in every area of our lives, but He is very adamant about how we are to go about bringing the manifestation of prosperity and wealth into our lives. The Word of God does not instruct us to pursue riches, wealth and prosperity. The Word of God instructs us to pursue the Kingdom of God and all righteousness, and then Gods riches, wealth and prosperity shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).

What Are You Focusing On?

Jesus commission was all about reaching out toward others, loving others, taking care of others, feeding others, blessing others, praying for others, bringing others into the kingdom of God. All of His teaching was predicated upon taking the focus off ourselves and placing that focus upon another. Even the anointing we receive from God is not for us, but for the benefit of others. The Word of God tells us to seek the kingdom of God and all things shall be added unto us (Matthew 6:33). All things include God taking care of every need you have. The Word of God instructs us to come boldly to the throne of Grace in our time of need. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). The Word does not instruct you to sow a seed in your time of need, but to come boldly to the throne of Grace in time of need. If you sow a seed because of your need, then what are you focused on in respect to your sowing? How do you measure the fertility of the soil you are sowing into if the need behind your sowing is all about you?

The prideful heart of many believers has grown in defiance against God. People boast about their wealth, increase of riches and goods, and believe they need nothing from God. Yet Jesus says that they do not even realize how cursed, blind, poor and destitute they actually are (Revelations 3:17). In this response, Jesus was not speaking to non-believers. He was speaking this to the Laodicean Churchthe last church generation. Many Christian leaders boast about their material wealth, their great businesses, nice homes, fine cars and fat bank accounts, chucking it all up to Gods prosperity from their sowing and reaping. Some even scoff at Christians who are financially and materialistically less fortunate, calling them cursed or faithless because of their lack. We should keep in mind that sinners also have great businesses, nice homes, fine cars, and fat bank accounts. In this respect, what differentiates the sinner from the believer? Pride has led some to justify or measure themselves according to what they have attained materialistically from sowing and reaping. This same pride has become the mastermind behind the judgment of others in the body of Christ based on the quantity of their material wealth and possessions. I heard a pastor say once that a man was cursed because he happened to be driving an old beat-up car with bald tires. His contention was that anyone who drives such a vehicle was carrying on him a curse because this was nothing God would allow for His own. When he said that, most of the people in the classincluding me, shrank in our seats. Half the students in the room drove older beat up cars. Steel rods were showing through the rubber on at least two of my tires. In fact, one night on my way home after leaving that class, one of my tires actually blew because it was that worn out. Did this mean I was cursed? Some of us actually had awesome relationships with God, full of His anointing, excited and on fire for God. Were we all really cursed just because we drove older cars with bald tires? Why would the Holy Spirit inform this pastor of the persons condition if not to pray for him? God doesnt take our junk and throw it in the middle of the street for everyone to gawk at and ridicule. What could have been the Godly gain to surmise that this stranger was cursed because of the auto he drove, if not to pray on his behalf? He could have been driving his sisters car perhaps he loaned her his better car. What was the point of the teacher sharing this information with the people in the class if it were not his intent to ask us to pray or intercede on behalf of the person he considered cursed? This is a perfect example of how pride works, not the love of God. Chances are, several people that day probably left that room battling with doubt and condemnation. I know I did. The saddest thing is that even though many people in the class perhaps questioned their own faith in God, having listened to the teacher, mostly everyone still agreed with him despite their spiritual discomfort in what he had said. Just about all of them were giving their Amens and Hallelujahs. They were in agreement with him because of who he was and their adulation of his status and wealth. They were in agreement with him because of the office he stood in and because of his respected position of authority in the church. What the students did in that class that day is indicative to what Christians are doing in ministries around the world. Instead of heeding the voice of the Holy Spirit within, who says, Wait a minute, I didnt say that, people tend to dismiss Him and follow the man in honor of his prestige and status in the church. Because of his respected position, people automatically tend to assume that he must be correct. In other words, people tend to put more faith in the man rather than the

voice of God speaking within them. To a degree, I was right along with them, but I couldnt get over the lump that had begun to form in my gut telling me that something wasnt right. I battled with myself questioning my own faith in God. How could I truly believe that I was blessed when I was driving a car that was probably worse than what the pastor saw? How could I believe that I was truly blessed when it seemed that I had so little of anything including finances and wealth? I had to learn that my faith was not dependant upon what car I drove. It was not dependent upon the clothes I wore. I had to learn that my faith was dependant upon the Word of God that I was willing to hear repetitiously in order to gain understanding. I had to learn that my faith was about believing, and acting upon that which was invisible. There is no such thing as true prosperity outside the will of God. People get rich in the world all the time, but Jesus made a clear distinction between the God kind of wealth and the worldly kind of wealth. Christians who are drawn to both prosperity messages and the people who teach them are easily snared by the worlds idea of prosperity and riches. Such people tend to focus only on the wealth of these ministry leaders and their song that says, Look what the Lord has done. What they possess tends to become more important to them than God. The Word says that seeking God is the only path to the true riches of His kingdom. If you take any other routand there are many, it will not lead you to His Kingdom, regardless to what the circumstances say or how they might appear. Most times, we become so excited about any financial increase that we rarely stop to consider its true source. Naturally, we tend to assume that because it is increase it must be God. Sometimes what we perceive being increase really isnt increase at all but something resembling that inevitably begins to decay. On the other hand, whenever we dont see any physical manifestations of wealth and prosperity, we assume that we are either faithless or walking in a curse, or both. We have to remember that Gods ways are not our ways. His thoughts are well beyond ours. If our focus is truly on Jesus, then we dont take so much notice that a man is driving an old beatup car with bald tires, but our hearts are open if God were to say, bless that man with new tires. We dont naturally assume that he is cursed, but our spiritual ears are open if God were to tell us to intercede in prayer on his behalf.

Trading in Your Riches in Exchange for Gods

God allows us to sow and reap. He allows us to experience wealth and prosperity rather it comes out of His order or out of mans order. In short, He allows what we allow. When the rich young ruler approached Jesus and asked Him what he could do to attain everlasting life, Jesus told him to sell everything he owned, give it away to the poor, take up his cross, and follow Him. When the young ruler walked away from Jesus grieved in his heart because he could not give up the things he attained (Mark 10:17-22), Jesus did not forcefully seize all his possessions. If you choose to hang on to your worldly things, God will allow you to keep them. However, Jesus said that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. He was not saying that if you are rich then you cannot enter His Kingdom. He was saying that the only riches one can have and enter heaven are the riches received from God. One cannot enter heaven holding on to the riches of the world.

Most Christians do not understand the difference between worldly riches and the treasures of God. If your focus is not on God, you are defenseless against the deceptions Satan will use against you. He deceives people through whatever they lust after most. Wealth and riches would undoubtedly be at the top of the list. This is why the Word of God is so adamant about staying away from the love of money and not pursuing anything except the kingdom of God and all righteousness. Pursuing anything else, yet thinking the prize will be the kingdom of God is deception. God never told us in His Word to pursue wealth and riches, yet this is exactly what many Christians actively pursue. Those who pursue wealth and prosperity instead of God are in deception even if they should obtain what they pursue. God requires His people to receive prosperity and wealth from Him through faith. That is, seeking Him and all righteousness while believing with patience and contentment that God will meet all the desires of your heart. The Word says that God has already given all spiritual blessings to His people, but we have to allow God to position us in place where we can receive it. We often try to get there ourselves, but in and of ourselves we cannot see Gods master plan. He must ordain our every step. He is the only one who knows the way and has the power to open the door, which no one else can open. The door to Gods kingdom is Jesus the Christ. The world gives the illusion that there are many doors to eternal life, which causes people to believe that they can go around God bypassing faith. What the world offers, however, is a counterfeit. The enemy bamboozles those who seek riches outside of God. They are pursuing what God has already given them. In the Garden of Eden, Satan convinced Eve that she had no wisdom even though she already possessed the wisdom of God. When people pursue what God has already given them believing the devil who tells them that they lack, they in essence call God a liar, for God said He has given us all spiritual blessings before the foundations of the earth (Ephesians 1:3-4). In their sinful condition, for they call God a liar, their expectation is that God will reward them with the highest returns. When the blessings do not manifest in their lives they hold God accountable and denounce His Word as truth. God rewarded King Solomon with riches not because he asked for riches, but because he sought the kingdom of God by asking for wisdom. And God said unto him, because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days (1 Kings 3:11-13). This Scripture is like Ephesians 3:20 in the working. God gave exceedingly and abundantly above all that Solomon asked for. Solomon asked for wisdom, but received in addition to wisdom, great wisdom, riches and honor that were greater than all the wisdom, wealth and honor on the earth. God rewarded Solomon in such a way because he kept His order. He sought not wealth and riches, but wisdom, which is the Almighty God. God desired him to be prosperous,

but His order must come first. Gods order is always about the pursuit of Christ and His kingdom and never the pursuit of personal gain. Because Solomon pursued the kingdom of God and righteousness, God simply gave him all the riches, prosperity, and wealth in addition to great wisdom. When Jesus told the rich young ruler to give away all his worldly riches, take up his cross and follow Him, He was trying to teach him how to pursue the kingdom of God. Jesus was trying to make an exchange with Him. The young man saw himself so lavished in wealth and riches that he believed that even Jesus would be impressed. He did not understand that the worldly wealth, which he represented, could never measure up to Gods standards. Though Jesus loved this man greatly, He saw him polluted in the filth of his own righteousness. Clearly, this man was not interested in the righteousness of God. Instead, he believed that his own righteousness had everything to do with his prestige, status, and wealth, but he would first have to be cleansed of all of it before he could enter Gods kingdom. Gods disdain toward worldly wealth and prosperity is no different from His view of contemptible believers who choose to live their lives according to their own righteousness. God called our righteousness filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The filthy rag refers to the cloth that women used during their menstrual cycles in that day. To get an idea of the uncleanness that God views concerning our own righteousness, try visualizing a person submerged in a septic tank full of waste. Now, theoretically one could shower with lots of soap and thus be clean, but God is in essence saying that this filth is actually the substance of your heart (spirit) when you lack the righteousness of Christ. Without His righteous blood, such filth can never be cleansed. A persons every thought and action is derived out of such filth when he is separated from God. Considering this, it is not surprising that so many live their lives in misery including the wealthy. Because people are captivated by their own righteousness, it is not surprising that most people especially the richsee themselves as beautiful and extravagantly adorned in their wealth and prosperity. They are oblivious to Gods point of view. Jesus said that the mouth would speak out of the abundance of the heart. Whatever is in your heart is what will manifest in your life. Peoples lives are the product of their conviction of thoughts, which produces feelings that causes them to utter the words that come out of their mouths. One who says continually in his heart, Im a success in everything I do, is successful in everything he does. One who believes that he is a failure and thus condemns himself as such undoubtedly fails in everything he does. The success or failure of an individual does not automatically imply that he either has or lacks the righteousness of Christ. In other words, it is possible to have an intimate relationship with God, yet lack in given areas of your life. The lack is indicative of that which you believe, which stems from the abundance of your heart. On the other hand, it is also possible to have tremendous wealth, yet have no relationship with Christ at all. The wealth is also indicative of your belief system stemming from the abundance of your heart. God allows what you allow, but we must not construe this to mean that He automatically agrees with everything you do. He simply honors your free will. Success may mask a heart of filth from the view of people, but nothing conceals the heart from Gods view. The rich young ruler thought he was impressive to Jesus because of his possessions.

However, he reeked of a stench that could only be cleansed by the blood of Christ. People often see themselves in an entirely different manner than the way God sees them. Jesus simply wanted to lavish the young ruler with Gods wealth and riches. He wanted to adorn the young man in the clothing of God, which is clean and pure. Blinded by his worldly fortune, the rich young ruler could not see what Jesus was offering him. Thus he walked away grieved in his heart. Jesus perspective of this individual is no different from His perspective of you and me when we pursue prosperity instead of the kingdom of God. What we attain outside of Christ will never suffice. Ultimately, we will have to relinquish our own riches in order to enter the kingdom of God. If you have ever said to God that you are willing to allow Him to fix your life and make it right, chances are that you may have experienced a pruning in your life. This is when God steps in and literally allows every thing that you once thought characterized your identity to be strip away. If your identity was money, then conditions and circumstances in your life stripped you of your money. If it was your car, then you probably lost that car. If it was clothing, then you had to lose the clothing. Some of us identify ourselves by the association of the people we hang around. Chances are you lost those very friends and colleagues or are in the process of losing them today. They no longer seem to be around you; perhaps your phone is no longer ringing off the hook as it once did. If it was a combination of all these things, then you lost or will eventually lose all these things. I was a lot like the rich young ruler. Though I was not rich, I was still caught up in pride, arrogance, material things, and money. When I gave God the okay to change my heart, He moved in and in time allowed me to be stripped down to literally zero. It was only there that I was able to confess to Him that I was nothing without Him. At zero was the only place I could see the truth. I was what one might call hardheaded. Layer by layer God peeled away the junk in my life that I thought comprised the man that I was. I wish I could say that I was a real trooper or a good sport about it all, but the truth is that I kicked and screamed the entire time because I could not understand what was happening to me. I fought God every step of the way and blamed Him for my pain. Going through this process was probably one of the hardest things I ever had to endure, but only because I had based my life upon deceptive illusions that I wanted so badly to keep as opposed to God. The illusions were the result of my pride and arrogance, which caused me to think that my righteousness and worldly possessions should have sufficed God. I didnt know that my own righteousness was filth in His eyes. I could not see what He saw. Like most people in this world, I believed that my vision and understanding was greater than Gods perspective. It is why I was attempting to pursue life without Him. In utter stupidity, I actually believed that my own outlook on life and death was greater than what God knew, yet this is a commonality with every person seeking life outside of God. I had to learn that my identity was in Him. I didnt create myself, but this is the attitude with which most of us live our lives by. We tend to think that we have no accountability to anyone. This idea is what Satan has been painstakingly deceiving the world with for eons. Understanding our purpose in Christ allows God to rebuild us in every area of life according to His plan. We must be willing to make an exchange with God. I had to release all I had in order

to receive all that He had to give. When I was in my mess, I couldnt see what God was doing. He seemed like the enemy and the world seemed like the friend. Now, I can clearly see who the enemy is and how he works his schemes against Gods creation. My goal in life is to help others see the difference between the God kind of life and the worldly kind of life. Most people have been deceived into believing that there really is no difference between the two or that the worldly life is much better. The mistake of flowing in the deception of the latter being better can ultimately cost you eternal life with God in His glorious kingdom. Flowing in the lie that there is no difference between God and world can cause your end to be the same as Satans, which is the lake of fire. The enemys ultimate plan is to get you to miss your appointment with salvation. He hates God and intends to destroy everything God has made, especially you, because you are Gods highest possession. Jesus was teaching the young ruler about sowing and reaping. He told him to give away his possessions and sell everything to the poor. God tells us to sow, that when we do we shall reap. However, Gods order is that we seek Him, not the harvest. After the young ruler was to rid himself of his possessions, Jesus told him to follow Him. In other words, we sow to benefit others with our focus entirely on God who then returns to us a multiplied harvest. That may sound just like a person having a need and therefore sowing a seed, but consider this carefully because there is a difference. Jesus focus was on us when He allowed His blood to be shed and He depended entirely upon God to raise Him from death that we may have everlasting life. He who sows to the flesh is focused on the harvest, not God. Though he sows the seed, his loving concern is not on supplying the need of the other for the beneficial change of that life. His concern is his harvest, which is his need. This is what motivates and excites him to sow as opposed to the caring and loving of those he may bless with his seed. What we sow according to Gods directions we will also reap in the kingdom of heaven. The Word of God instructs us not to store up riches here on earth. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:19-21). What does it mean not to lay up your treasures upon the earth? How does one lay up treasures in heaven? The rich young ruler had riches and wealth, but every thing he owned was bound to this earth. Jesus was trying to help him understand that his earthly possessions could not buy his way into the kingdom of heaven. The young rulers lack of understanding caused him more than his riches and possessions on earth could have ever been worth. It caused him his eternal life with God. His heart was not with Jesus, but in his own riches. Many people today believe also that their riches will save them or give them special favor with God. Perhaps Jesus gave us the lesson of the rich young ruler because peoples idea of prosperity personifies the character of the rich young ruler. Christians view their prosperity just as the rich young ruler viewed his. Many are saying I am rich, increased with goods, and have need of nothing, but just as Jesus saw the rich young ruler, He sees them. Jesus says they do not know

how pathetically miserable and poor they are. Jesus called them blind, naked, and said that they have nothing (Revelations 3:17). Most people are oblivious to the fact that their idea of wealth and prosperity is incongruent to Gods Word. The young ruler had wealth and possessions, yet neither could save him. In the presence of Jesus, he refused to let go of his riches. I have heard Men of God who have spent practically all their adult years in ministry actually say things like, I hope Jesus tarry in His coming because Ive got to be a millionaire first. They actually hope that Jesus takes His time returning because they first want to be a millionaire. I have nothing against a person who desires to be a millionaire, but how does being a millionaire have anything to do with the riches of God? How can one even have the audacity to compare the two, to say, Id rather wait before I enter heaven, Ive got to get rich first? If the rich young ruler did not impress Jesus, what makes them think their riches will impress Jesus? Caught up in their own idyllic grandeur of wealth and prosperity, pride has gotten a hold of these people. They do not know how pathetic they are in the eyes of God. They do not realize that they are equating and reducing the stature and magnificence of Gods kingdom of heaven to their own earthly idea of wealth and prosperity. My contention is that when Jesus comes, I am out of heremillionaire or not. Another interesting thing to consider is the fact that the rich young ruler bowed down before Jesus and called Him, Good Master. A non-believer could not earnestly do such a thing because the reverence of God is not in him, thus he would despise the Master. The young ruler, told Jesus that he had abided in all the commandments Jesus spoke to him (Mark 10:19-20) since his youth. How does a sinner abide in the commandments of God when he has no reverential fear of God? To some degree, this person must have reverenced God in order to abide in His commandments. Thus, the rich young ruler was a believer. He believed enough even to ask Jesus what he could do to have eternal life in His kingdom, but like the majority of believers today, he was adamant to do his own thing. The Bible says this man turned down Jesus offer to relinquish all his wealth and possessions, take up his cross and follow Him, yet was grieved in his heart as he walked away. If he was not a believer then why be grieved? How could he have known what he stood to lose if he were not a believer? Moreover, why would he care? In the world, he had everything, but Jesus said how hard it is for the rich to come into the kingdom of heaven. Think about this carefully; here was a man in the presence of God who told him that if he gave up everything he owned he would have heavenly treasures on earth and in heaven. What are mans treasures in comparison to Gods treasures? The young ruler who thought he was rich would have experienced a hundred fold riches on earth through the inexhaustible riches of God had he made the exchange with Jesus. In addition, he would have received eternal life. Yet, he turned his back on Jesus gift and allowed his heart to follow worthless worldly riches. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:21). If you believe all your treasures are within the kingdom of God, then that is where your heart is. If you believe that your treasures are in the world, then that is where your heart is. Many Christians are doing the exact same thing the rich young ruler did. They are allowing their hearts to follow mere worldly riches. They have become so enticed by prosperity messages and teachings that many of them believe ministries cannot exist, let alone succeed, without the riches.

Where were all the successful ministries prior to the origination of such ubiquitous religious dogma of wealth and prosperity in Christianity today, non-existent? Did such ministries existing prior to modern Christianity teach a false gospel? The vast wealth that many ministries receive today is not necessarily funneled into the hands of those in need within the church body. Instead, leaders of these ministries invest multimillions of dollars in newer and bigger buildings, technological equipment, finer homes, nicer cars and even private jets, to name a few. Such status of wealth in the church should affect lives according to Gods plan as He laid out in the book of Acts, but this is not happening. Could this be a resulting factor stemming from the apostate nature of the modern church? When Jesus spoke about how hard it was for the rich to come into the kingdom of heaven, it frightened His disciples. They asked among themselves, who then could be saved? (Mark 10:26). They were frightened because they were rich men. From a given perspective, it seems that Gods position on wealth is related to that old adage, which says that to be truly Christian is to be poor and destitute. However, this perspective of Christianity is just as bad as the prosperity-conscious, religious philosophical belief that says you cannot really have a ministry unless you have lots and lots of cash. Jesus was not telling the rich young ruler to give away all his possessions because it was his only way into heaven. He told him to give everything away because none of it came from God. He acquired all his riches from the world. If you will notice, even though the disciples were rich men, they did not take any of their belongings with them when they went with Jesus. When Jesus sent them out to preach the gospel, He instructed them to take nothing with them. Upon their return, He asked if they were in need of anything. All of them answered, no (Luke 22:35). They took not one item with them, yet they lacked absolutely nothing. God wants us to understand that He is willing to be our provider in every area of our lives. He wants us to separate ourselves from the worlds wealth and prosperity, which is what most Christians desire to pursue. The Word of God tells us that we have to choose between God and mammon, for no one can serve two masters. I have heard people say, Why cant I have God and money? Why not choose God and be satisfied with Him? Does He not own all the wealth? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life (Mark 10:27-30). God so eloquently establishes the difference between His riches and the riches of the world. Gods perspective on wealth and riches is about seeking His kingdom and being followers of Christ. Worldly riches always consist of a pursuit of something toward personal gain, which never lasts and never suffices. Sowing and reaping is a law of God, but doing it solely to benefit yourself is not what the Lord

intended. The true prosperity of God comes when you are willing to leave behind the worldly craves and follow Jesus. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal (John 12:25). Every Christian needs the revelation that because we are saved we are already citizens in the kingdom of God. In His kingdom, there is no lack, sickness, strife, bickering, backbiting, fighting or gossiping. Our focus should not be on ourselves because God already adopted us and made us His own. The saved are the sons and daughters of God, the rightful heirs to His throne. The Word says if we focus on God and follow Him, He will take care of all our needs. The majority of the people in the world have not come into the kingdom as of yet, so there is much work to be done. When we spend our lives wasting precious time focusing on ourselves and jumping on everyone elses bandwagons of wealth and prosperity gimmicks and methods, how are we carrying out Gods assignments of ushering the lost toward the kingdom of God? Pride blinded the rich young ruler from seeing that Jesus was actually loving on him and desiring to pour out His treasures upon him. Pride made him think that he could actually impress Jesus with his wealth and riches. It was his foolish pride that caused him to walk away grieved despite knowing in his heart that he just denied himself the kingdom of God. Jesus offered him eternal life in exchange for trading in what he thought were riches. Think about that for a moment. Here was an offer that no one should want to refuse; God speaks to you to give Him everything you have and He gives you every thing He has. Because you obey Him, He not only rewards you with a hundred fold in this life, but also treasures in heaven and eternal life to enjoy them in His kingdom. Unfortunately, many Christians who have come into the kingdom do not really understand that they are in the kingdom. They do not necessarily understand that they already have access to everything the kingdom offers. Deceived, they are pursuing the wealth and riches of the world instead of God.

Whom He Sends He Provides For

For three years, I struggled to meet the cost of Bible College. Eventually I could no longer financially afford my classes and the school threatened to terminate my enrollment. On the surface level, the position the school took against me seemed reasonable. Like anything else, no money, no service, yet there seemed to be an irony about this situation. This Bible College, like most others, made the assertion that it belonged to God, that God actually owned, operated, and did all the training through the instructors. Okay, Jesus sent out His disciples to preach about the kingdom of heaven at hand. In addition, He endued His disciples with power to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils. Such things Jesus had taught them without chargebefore sending them out. He said, Freely ye have received, freely give (Matthew 10:7-8). Uh, yes, Brother Rick, but we have to be able to pay for the building, lights, salaries, equipment and supplies, the Bible College administrators and teachers say. Then why do they say that the

school belongs to God? Where is their faith concerning God being capable of taking care of their financial needs and obligations? The Bible School expected me to have faith that God would take care of my tuition fees, yet they judged my faith according to my outstanding tuition balance. In other words if the school receives payment then obviously the student has faith and was sent by God. If the school is not paid then how quick they are to let the student know that he undoubtedly missed it with God. Their contention was how could God have possibly sent the student if the student has an outstanding financial balance? If the Bible School maintained the kind of faith in God that they expected their students to have, then perhaps the financial feasibility of operating the school would be no different from the financial operation of a church. Should the pastor of a church rely upon his faith in God or should he rely upon the tithes and offerings of his congregation in order to keep the doors of the church open? I know of pastors who literally lost their church buildings because the ministry could not afford to keep it, yet church continued. It didnt matter if the sermons were taught under tents, in living rooms, or basements. They understood that church was not about the building. It was not about the amount of money that could be funneled into it for the sake of upgrading or acquiring material things. It was about God. Christian Bible Schools contend that the school belongs to God, which I believe that any legitimate Bible College does, or at least should. Therefore, what kind of God would have you open His school and then leave you with the burdens of operating it without supplying you the necessities to operate it? If God called you, then God is responsible for you when you accept the call. He expects you to perform all that He asks by His power, not your own. When Jesus sent out His disciples, He instructed them to provide nothing for themselves. They were to take no gold, silver, nor brass in their purses (money). Jesus instructed them not to take any extra clothes, or shoes, not even a walking stick (Matthew 10:9). What kind of God would send out His messengers on a mission that He did not empower them to accomplish? The disciples did not operate out of their own power. Jesus equipped them with His power. The operation of a Bible school is no different. In other words, God will provide for the student just as He provides for the school. What right do Bible Schoolsbelonging to Godhave to place the financial burdens on the students when God said put the burden on Him? What then is the distinction between the Christian Bible College, which believes that there should be a monetary price tag on receiving the Word of God in a classroom, and that of a secular college? Both are predicated upon money. Both will terminate services if money is not rendered. Both will send you to collections to collect the money owed, and both will ultimately perhaps take you to court and sue you to get their money. If we set up our Christian systems to operate like worldly systems, our Christian systems will ultimately produce exactly what the worldly systems producefailure. A Bible school that turns away a diligent student is turning away much more than just a student. What greater agenda could a Bible school have other than to equip the student with the Word of God so that the student can ultimately go out into the world and freely give it to the lost? Unfortunately, that greater agenda is money. Shut just one student down and the effects are tremendous.

Consider a man of God who has reached literally tens of thousands of people, whose original avenue was through Bible school training. It was Gods plan and provision for this individual. Now, in this same example lets change the course of his history; the school turns him away because he cannot meet their financial obligations. Today, many ministries teach that those who lack in areas of finances have little or no faith in God. They consider such people cursed or living their lives in sin. Their contention is how can one say he is blessed by God when he is obviously broke? Prosperity teachers tend to teach that those who are comfortable financially have the greater faith in God. Because the Bible school turns the student away, he now questions his faith in God for he believed that God would take care of the expenses. Perhaps, he eventually questions whether God sent him to Bible College in the first place. He questions his ability to teach and preach, for he lacks proper training. He is no longer a welcomed studentunless he could come up with the cash, of course. If your employer sent you to an employee management seminar for the benefit of making improvements in the work place, should your employer expect you to foot the bill? They are sending you. You would not be sending yourself. If the bill ends up outstanding, the seminar host would more than likely contact your employer for payment, not you the employee. It is understood that the employee represents the employer. He does not represent himself. I would venture to say that most people, who pursue the ministry with a diligence to study beyond the average level of understanding by attending a college, probably have a calling on their life to do so. If God sends a person to Bible College, then the person is not sending himself; God is sending him. If he has faith that God sent him, he will have faith that God will take care of all his expenses. Similarly, if a ministry was ordained by God to operate a Bible school, then that school should also have faith in God that all expensestheirs and the studentswill be taken care of. It is Gods responsibility to see to it that everything works out harmoniously between the school and the student. God set up the whole deal in the first place. God requires that both the school and the student must have faith in Him. Some Bible schools pressure students to have faith in God, yet these very schools are relying on their students instead of God for its financial resources and stability. This is no different from the church that relies on tithes and offerings by its congregation in order to function as opposed to having faith in God. Perhaps the tithes and offerings can enhance the ministry financially, but God never commanded us to substitute our faith in Him with reliance upon tithes and offerings by the congregation in order to keep the church afloat. In the book of Deuteronomy and Acts, He commanded that the tithes actually go back out to benefit those in need within the congregation including the Levite priests, in addition to the fatherless, widows, and strangers. God is the ultimate supplier of every need, not people. The student who cannot meet the schools deadline for payment is made to question his faith. The school looks upon him as if he hasnt any. Who gave the Bible school the right to judge the student on such matters? The issue of faith is between the student and God; it is none of the schools business. Because the school belongs to God and God sent the student, He will handle the financial affairs between the student and the school. The school has no business pressuring the student. The schools responsibility is to take the financial issue to God. It is no different

from the employee seminar example. The seminar host not receiving payment is not the business of the employee who attended the seminar. If God called a man to go to Bible School and that school is not paid a dime, God does not hold the man responsible because the man did not send himself. God sent the man to His school and God ordered His school to receive that man. Rather the school receives financial payment is an issue between the school and God. It is not an issue between the school and the man. Whoa, Brother Rick, exactly what are you saying? Are you saying that anyone called to Bible school shouldnt have to pay for it? We can answer that question simply by considering whom Jesus charged. What fee did Jesus charge anyone when He educated the people about the oracles of God? Whom did His disciples charge? The Word says, [Consider this:] What soldier at any time serves at his own expense?. . . (1 Corinthians 9:7, TAB). One day someone came up with the igneous idea to start a Bible School and charge a fee. Perhaps this idea was ignited by the notion that secular schools do it. Why not start a Bible college and operate it the same way? Whos to say that the originator of such an idea even had a true relationship with God? Nevertheless, people believed the idea to be a great one and took part by attending Bible School and paying for it. Over the years, the idea spread, schools got wealthy and men of God who ran the schools got wealthy. The finances opened doors to do a great many things concerning growth. Eventually what sprung from this original idea were fullblown Bible Colleges and universities spread throughout the world. All of which, operating on the originating premise that students could attend as long as they could afford it financially. These Christian educational ministries or businesses have collectively grown into a multibilliondollar empire. Considering the immensity of its progress and successes throughout the decades, it is hard to suggest that perhaps it could be wrong! Look at all its success, after all. Obviously, the success is very easy to see. In fact, we have become so enamored by such successes that perhaps it has not occurred to us to ask God if this was even His original intent. We are so quick to say but look how successful it is, surely it must be the hand of God. Easily captivated by our own well doing, we give ourselves the pat on the back. Because we see the good in the things we do from our own perspective, we often automatically assume that the hand of God did the work. This kind of thinking is further reinforced when we do not see nor discern any resistance on His part. God allows what we allow and will even work through our mishaps to accomplish His mission, but this does not negate the issue of Christians doing their own thing outside of Gods plan and neither should we automatically assume that God agrees. Paul talked about our zeal in the Lord, but our refusal to do things His way. People insist on doing things their own way. When they see from their own point of view the successes in their endeavors, they say, See, it must have been God. However, lets talk to some of the people who were turned away from Bible School because of financial obligation. Lets consider the multitudes of lives that could have been touched through them, but were instead lost. Lets examine the domino effect of just one individual being kicked out of school. I heard a pastor boasting about one particular Bible School that at one time turned away over 300 new students in a single day. On the specific day that tuition was due, the students were not able to come up with the money to cover their cost. These men and women came from all over the

country. Some even uprooted their lives and came with their spouses and children. Consider how large some ministries are today. It is a common thing today to hear of churches with more than six thousand members. Only one pastor heads a church. He may have associate pastors, deacons, an entire staff, but that pastor is still the only Shepherd of his flock. Subtract his learning process due to insufficient income or inability to pay. This example only illustrates one individual. Contrary to what many ministries teach, the amount of money you or I have should never determine our ability to execute Gods plans. We are His vessels. Who gave anyone the right to shut down potential ministries because of an individuals financial status? Imagine the 300 students turned away, each having a potential capacity of reaching a thousand. Now consider the potential exponential increase from the tens of thousands more that could have been reached who in turn could have reached hundreds of thousands more. Consider if a thousand students were turned away, or ten thousand over a given amount of years. Even if the student lacked faith in God to afford the financial burdens concerning Bible school, there is no sorrow in what God gives. God does not change His mind because the student lacks necessary faith. What character in the Bible possessed the initial necessary faith to perform Gods assignments? All of them had to grow. They were able to perform Gods tasks only by way of process. In other words, all of them had to grow in faith and God gave all of them the room to grow in such faith. There is a great deal of merit in Jesus saying, Freely you have received, freely give. The enemy plays a significant role in the destruction of ministries before they can even get off the ground. As soon as the man or woman of God steps up to the plate to do the will of God in ministry, the enemy is going to launch an attack on those individuals. He will attempt to stop them at all cost even if it means using staff, administrators, teachers, and pastors of churches and bible schools to do it. From the schools position, the student is behind on his tuition, so they ask him to leave the school. From the enemys position, Satan just won because that individual is no longer a student at the school. In such respects, his ministry was perhaps shut down before it ever got off the ground. Most of us can only see what we are led to see through doctrines of religion and greed disguised as wisdom and truth. Because this is all we see, we assume there is nothing more to see. We dont necessarily press in to have the Holy Spirit show us the bigger picture, either because we think we have the bigger picture or we dont think in terms of there being a bigger picture. Having become so enamored with our own successes, we are blown away by the tangibles we see. The damage we end up doing however, never even seems to cross our minds. The Word of God says, There is a way unto a man that seemeth right but in the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). Technically, we have not yet seen all the ramifications resulting from our own ways and ideas. Therefore, because we have not experienced the full outcome of our disobedience to God, people automatically assume that they are on the righteous path. Because their focus is on prosperity and financial success instead of God, few take notice of what God is saying. God allows what

we allow, but that does not mean that He is always in agreement with what we do. It only means that God honors our will regardless of our being right or wrong. The Bible says that life or death is before us. We are to choose. God does not make that decision for us. He says to choose life, but you are free to choose death. Having choice is a freedom, which He gave us. Have you ever stopped to consider how much of your life could actually be based upon the assumption that God is in agreement with you? As long as we assume that God is in agreement with us what should ever prompt us to find out if in fact He does not agree? It is so important for us to realize that whenever God directs us to do things there is always a master plan behind it. Though we may not always realize it, God is always looking at a whole picture. Like the scenario given of the Bible School student, we cannot always see the damages we do when we are caught up in financial gain instead of the kingdom of God. If a student has a call on his or her life from God, yet is turned away by the Bible School due to a failure in financial obligation, does God view this as a success for the Bible School, the persons ministry, or His kingdom? If the answer is no, then lets stop turning students away.

Knowing What We Stand to Lose

Very little Word on spiritual warfare, hell and damnation is actually taught in churches today. The consensus seems to be that all Christians are going to heaven anyway so whats the point. If we have nothing to compare God and His kingdom of heaven to in respect to opposition, how can there be a reverence or fear of God? When we began to understand what we stand to lose to opposition (the devil), only then will we began to fight the good fight of faith. Knowing what you stand to lose will cause you to engage in the battle of spiritual warfare if you believe that what you stand to lose is worth fighting for. Say a man told you that he would give you ten thousand dollars if you ran around a quarter-mile track six times in five minutes. The fact that you have not done any running in ten years perhaps does not even register in your mind. Wow, you think to yourself, ten thousand dollars! Your level of excitement skyrockets and the last thing on your mind is the fact that you are physically out of shape. You take off with a burst of energy not even considering your physical condition. Your focus is on the money. Perhaps the first lap would be a cinch. Upon the second lap, your excitement level begins to drop drastically because your body is beginning to remind you that you havent done any running in ten years. By the third lap, the pain in your legs is immense and sharp cramps have developed in your sides. Your heart is also pounding and youre gasping for air. Your original excitement has been literally replaced by the fear of passing out from the excruciating pain you are now feeling in your chest and legs. The excitement about the money ebbs slowly away and even though you are half way finished you are barely able to continue through the fourth lap. You started your race in a sprint, but your sprint is now scarcely a jog. You have already begun the battle in your mind about the true importance of the ten thousand dollars. You reason within yourself that you never had ten thousand dollars in the first place and you managed to get along just fine without it, so its really no big deal if you dont have it now. Not able to withstand the pain, eventually you begin walking until you are even incapable of doing that, and you collapse to the ground sucking in all the air you can muster.

The notion of having the money has now left you entirely. Your attitude is no loss because you never had it anyway. You never had anything to compare the ten thousand dollars to, so there was really nothing to lose to make you strive to win it. From the beginning, you didnt respect it, nor did you place a true value upon it. Most importantly, from the beginning you never focused on the finish line. The focus was upon the money. Now, lets change the scenario to the same man threatening to kill your child if you do not run the same distance to get to your child in the same specified amount of time to save his life. If you love your children the way I love mine, I bet you will get there and with time to spare. Now, you have something to lose, which is of great value and worth dying for. In this scenario, it is highly doubtful that you would consider the pain of running the distance even though the pain is there. The goal is greater than the pain. You would do whatever it takes to get to your child and I would imagine that you would be praying up a storm to God for help in the process. Our prayers to God should always be fervent. The Word says that the fervent prayers of the righteous availeth much (James 5:16). Understanding what you have to lose will change your focus. It will even change how you handle your mission. The focus causes you to look beyond the pain to the desired result. God understands our pain. He wants us to get beyond it however, by focusing on Him. You cannot focus on God if you are focused on your pain. The pain you feel will eventually cause you to quit if you maintain your focus there. If you do not respect your goal, you will never attain it. Our ultimate goal is God and His Kingdom. There is nothing higher or greater than that goal. God has to become the greater in your life over all things before you will truly experience the power of blessing He has waiting for you. Until God becomes that ultimate influence and focus upon your life, the pain of endurance will stop you dead in your tracks. As long as Christians do not understand the value in what they stand to lose, they will never press in to seek God in the way He desires to be sought after. They will continue to seek Him in their own way. When we fail to seek God in His way, we experience lack, doubt, frustration, strife, confusion, anger, bitterness, poverty, sickness, depression, and so many other negative things that come from the enemy. The undesirables that show up in our lives resulting from our lack of fellowship with God is not His way of punishing us, but rather the power we allow the enemy to have over us because we are not in the presence of God. Pride is able to exist because the devil camouflages the consequences of our disobedience to God. He keeps them hidden by diverting peoples minds to focus upon their own glory. He convinces people that their glory is Gods glory. Because people cannot fathom hell or the lake of fire, for the devil keeps such things hidden by diverting the minds of people, they have no respect for the good things of God. We simply take it all for granted. We usually do not stop to think about what Jesus actually saved us from. Though we know what the Bible says the consequences would have been if Jesus had not made himself the sacrifice, the reality eludes our understanding. This is similar to quoting Scripture, but having no revelation. The idea of eternity for instance, boggles the mind. Where does one even begin to understand the depths of what eternity means? Most Christians have pushed to the very back recesses of their minds the fact that Jesus saved them from an eternity of torment in the lake of fire. Having little to no understanding of our salvation made possible by Jesus makes it virtually impossible to truly

appreciate and reverence the invitation of eternal life. Because people dont see the value in what God has given them through Christ, they are inclined to do things their own way in disobedience to God. Because the enemy bombards their minds to blind them from the value of Gods gifts, they easily forget about salvation and live according to their own righteousness. Readers, we need to understand that the enemy is determined to kill our children, destroy our lives, ransack our marriages, break up our families, steal our blessings and leave us in hopelessness and within the jaws of death. Many Christians do not realize nor is the church teaching them that these missions of the devil exist; therefore, they are living in a form of a-hell-on-earth because of simple ignorance. We need to recognize that the mission of the enemy is a covert attack operation working within the arrogance and pride that Christians, in addition to the people of the world, lavish themselves in.

The True Legacy of Tithes and Offerings

Beware of teachers and preachers who would tell you that a ministry is impossible to run unless you have a lot of cash. They themselves have forgotten their humble beginnings in their own ministry. How much money did they have when they started? Many ministries started right in living rooms and yet God anointed them then as he still does today. In fact, perhaps many of those ministries should have stayed in the living rooms. Perhaps, they would have been better off there. Consider the evangelist who comes to your church and delivers an awesomely anointed sermon packed with breakthrough power. Then toward the end of the sermon, he begins to give a rather lengthy spiel on giving an offeringto him. Of course, there is nothing wrong with giving an offering. Remember, the Philippians gave Paul an offering. The only difference was that Paul did not seek to receive the offering. He maintained himself with God always looking toward Him to take care of all his needs. However, the evangelist says, You know people of God, I didnt have to be here today. My ministry spans the globe and I travel all around the world. I actually could have been in any country I wanted to be in because Im that booked. But the Holy Spirit led me to come here today because He wanted to speak some things into your hearts. However, in order for me to come here or travel around the world preaching the Word of God, I need you to give me a decent offering. Ministry cost money and without it, nothing is possible in this line of work for God. So I want you to ask the Holy Spirit to tell you what to give. I want you to reach down deep into your spirit and listen to what He says because you dont want to send the man of God out the door with nothing. The Word says, when you take care of the prophet, you shall receive a prophets reward. So, understand that God wants you to give your best because He gives you His best. Now some of you will probably come up here with five, ten, or even twenty dollars, but really . . . is that your best? I hear the Holy Spirit right now and Hes telling someone in this congregation to give a thousand dollars. He is telling another to give five hundred. Another He says, give five thousand. Some of you, Hes even saying sacrifice your paychecks because He

wants to get something to you much greater. I know Hes moving today and He wants all of you to give your best. Some of you are believing God for a house, and some of you are believing Him for a car, even some of you are praying for that bill to get paid, but youve got to trust God that He can do these things for you. All Hes asking is for your best. Dont bother coming up here with your little five, ten, or twenty dollar bills thinking God is going to pay that bill off or put you in that new house because that just isnt going to cut it my friend. If you really want God to move in your life, you are going to have to give in a major way.

Have you ever heard a minister of God talk this way? Then to wrap it all up he says, Now for everyone who has given I want you to stand because God wants to recognize you. So a good portion of the church stands leaving all those who have not given exposed for everyone to see and judge. And if thats not enough, the evangelist then says, Okay, the Holy Spirit is speaking to me right now and Hes saying everyone who gaveand those of you who didnt you still have the opportunity to come down and give, our God is a forgiving God. But those of you who gave, come down front and Im going to lay hands on you because you are the ones who truly received the Word tonight and God wants to bless you. So if you gave, come on down and get your blessing. Can you imagine the condemnation and embarrassment resulting in those remaining in their seats? Where in the Word of God does it say, God only blesses those who give Him a monetary offering? A true offering to God is your faithin God, not in the dollars you may give in hopes of a harvest return. Many leaders in ministry today utilize this kind of delivery speech on giving. The religious legalism behind it aims to bring guilt and condemnation upon the people in order to force them to give a love offering. Have you ever heard the ministry head tell the congregation to wave their offering in the air, for instance, as if it was a million dollars? Perhaps excitedly, he says something to the tune of, Just imagine if this was a million dollar offering, think about how much that would be in a returned harvest? Those who give are filled with wonder and excitement (at least for that moment). Those who have nothing to give are filled with a sense of loss, guilt, and condemnation. I have seen these tactics performed many times in churches; perhaps you have too. I fell for these speeches myself more times than I care to count, and thus gave for the wrong reason. Each time, I paid a devastating price for that tithe or love offering. I was even convinced at one time that when you gave to God if it didnt devastate you in some kind of way, your giving was not enough to suffice God. Therefore, I sacrificed whole paychecks believing that God would bless me with financial increase. I had a need, so I was sowing a seed. The fact is that I did not have the faith to back what I was doing, so when I gave it was not out of a pure heart toward God. I gave out of guilt, condemnation, eventually anger, and fear because I listened to the man. I gave because I didnt want to be one of those exposed persons left sitting in the seat. I am not necessarily saying that you should not follow the man of God, namely, your pastor. It is wise for most people that they do follow their pastor, but more importantly, it is wise for them to

follow the Holy Spirit within them. The Holy Spirit that is in the pastor or Christian leaderif he is filled with the Holy Ghostis the same Holy Spirit that lives in youif you are filled with the Holy Ghost. You will bear a witness in your heart to everything the man says pertaining to the Word of God. The Word, Spirit, and God always agree. There is never a contradiction. If you follow the voice of the Holy Spirit, you cannot be led astray regardless of what the man says. It is also important to know that if you belong to a church where the pastor is not Spirit filled, you might want to consider getting out of that church and getting under a pastor that is Spirit filled. This certainly warrants prayer, and God will handle that affair, but understand that a pastor not filled with the Holy Spirit is powerless. If you are not filled with the Holy Ghost, pray to be baptized in the Holy Ghost. Study up on what it means to be filled by the Spirit of God, for you are also powerless without the baptism of the Holy Ghost and can fall prey to just about anything any person says. Water Baptism and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is not the same thing. John the Baptist water baptized people, yet preached about a more powerful baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire that Jesus would perform (Matthew 3:11). The Comforter who Jesus later sent after His ascent to heaven is the Holy Spirit who reveals Christ to us (John 14:16-18, 26; 16:7-14; Luke 24:49; Acts 10:44-48). Without the assistance of the Holy Spirit, people tend to agree and follow those whom they like and respect. Because people respect their leaders, they tend to assume that what their leaders say is automatically correct. If you are not lead by the Holy Spirit, you will not notice any discrepancies between the mans word and Gods Word. When Spirit-filled, whatever your pastor says will bear witness to your spirit if you search the scriptures, for the Holy Spirit will show you His truth. Otherwise, you will not know the difference and possibly open yourself up for an opportunity to fall. God will always show you His truth. Therefore, you need to study the Word of God. If the man of God strays off the path (he is human and capable of mistakes just like you and me), you will not stray because although you are following the pastor you are not following him all the way, but are allowing yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit. The so-called men of God, who speak to congregations such as the example above bring upon the church guilt and condemnation. They are getting richer, and Christians are increasingly becoming financially devastated. The Word of God says, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1). If you should leave a church service feeling guilty, fearful, sick in the pit of your stomach, or condemned in anyway something is wrong. Having been in the presence of God will never cause you to be in this kind of state. God does not retract His spoken message given to you in a sermon or spotlight you in the presence of others just because you didnt give an offering to the man of God. Some leaders however, will actually have you believe this. They dont necessarily come out and say it, they just bless everyone around you who openly gave and expose all the rest who didnt. Jesus was the ultimate offering and sacrifice to God. What is your pathetic dollar or million dollars to God? Jesus said freely we have received, so freely give (Matthew 10:8). He

did not mention any contingencies such as love offerings that the people had to meet before they could receive His Word. A willingness to have a listening ear and an open heart is all that is required of us to receive the Word of God in order to gain understanding of His sacrifice and our redemption. God does not endorse any person to say that God only blesses those who gives the offering to the man or woman of God and ignores or curses all the rest. This is a tactic used to pressure you into giving so the greedy may feed their greed. The Word of God warns us about those who speak clever lies in order to get hold of your money (2 Peter 2:3). Those who do this will answer to God for merchandising the anointing. Should we give? Absolutely. This book does not suggest that you should not give. The Word of God tells us to give. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7). The Word expresses that we are not to give reluctantly or in response to pressure, yet many leaders utilize pressure tactics to get people to give. Thus, people give reluctantly and in response to pressure. How can you give in this fashion and be a cheerful giver at the same time? And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others (vs. 8). Why are so many Christians giving, yet are barely making ends meet? Why do they have little to nothing left over to share with others? Perhaps the answer could be lack of faith, or perhaps most Christians who give are doing so reluctantly and in response to the pressures placed upon them by the church. Leaders tend to teach about tithes, offerings, and all the dark things that will come upon a Christian if he should neglect to do them, but they neglect to teach in the area of faith that must accompany the giving. They neglect to teach that Gods love for his people is unconditional. God loves you rather you give or not. They neglect to teach that God generously provides all you need to enable you to give freely and cheerfully. Faith cannot come if you have not heard and understood the Word. If the church does not teach 2 Corinthians 9:8, if Christians do not know to study and meditate upon what God says, then how can they possess the necessary faith to receive generous provisions from God, which enables them to give cheerfully? Most leaders way of teaching on giving does not promote Gods terms on giving nor does it cause one to give with a cheerful heart. Their way of teaching pressures people to give out of an anguished, guilty, and condemned heart. A person is able to give cheerfully when he is operating in faith. He in essence understands his relationship with God and is able to express freely his love toward God, yet he understands that God does not measure his love or relationship according to the amount of money he gives in tithes or offerings. Many leaders justify their position of demanding monetary tribute and offerings based on the Law of Moses, but they tend to ignore a significant thing Paul said.

For the law of Moses says, Do not keep an ox from eating as it treads out the grain (1 Corinthians 9:9, NLT). Of course, God was speaking of the messenger when He spoke this through Moses. Paul addressed the issue about the Shepherd rights to receive from the congregation. He justifiably said, What soldier has to pay his own expenses? And have you ever heard of a farmer who harvests his crop and doesn't have the right to eat some of it? What shepherd takes care of a flock of sheep and isn't allowed to drink some of the milk? (1 Corinthians 9:7, NLT). Obviously, every Shepherd called of God should be taken care of by the flock, and should have the right to share in what his ministry produces. Paul even said that those who benefit from the seed of the Word planted by the Christian workers should pay the Christian workers because they have planted good spiritual seed among the people. Therefore, is it too much to ask in return for mere food and clothing? (1 Corinthians 9:10-11). In the same way, the Lord gave orders that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it (1 Corinthians 9:14, NLT). Though God spoke these things through Moses and Paul, He also used Paul as an example to follow. Consider carefully what Paul ultimately said concerning his position on the welfare of the Shepherd or leader according to God. . . . Yet we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than put an obstacle in the way of the Good News about Christ (1 Corinthians 9:12). Paul was saying that even though he was deserving of payment, the salvation God wanted for his people was greater than his payment. In other words, Paul did not construe his payment more important than Gods mission. He was not about to cause stumbling blocks in the people, which could hinder their ability to hear and follow God. What are the obstacles in the church today? One in particular seems to have caused more devastation in the lives of Christians than any other obstacle; it is the issue of tithes and offerings. The obstacle today is the mechanics behind how tithes and offerings are taught in the church. Jesus was angered when He saw how the Pharisees scrutinized the people over their tithes, yet ignored the more important aspects of the lawjustice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23). How are people affected in their relationship with God when they dont necessarily do what their leaders tell them to do, which is give us your money or be cursed by God? Paul said, In fact, I would rather die than lose my distinction of preaching without charge. For preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn't do it! If I were doing this of my own free will, then I would deserve payment. But God has chosen me

and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice. What then is my pay? It is the satisfaction I get from preaching the Good News without expense to anyone, never demanding my rights as a preacher (1 Corinthians 9:15-18, NLT). Here is more Scripture you generally do not hear preached in church; perhaps the reason is that Paul makes a distinction between those who God specifically called to preach the Gospel and those who elected upon themselves to preach the Gospel. Some people who were nevertheless called to preach the gospel have also turned away from Gods truth and endeavored to preach a gospel of religion, legalism, pride and condemnation for the benefit of serving mammon. Leaders in churches across the nation today are merchandising the anointing and bringing multitudes of lives to financial ruin. Paul said, If I were doing this of my own free will, then I would deserve payment. Those belonging to the five-fold ministry and including those who run ministry schools who believe they deserve payment undermine what Paul said: What then is my pay? It is the satisfaction I get from preaching the Good News without expense to anyone, never demanding my rights as a preacher. What Paul says here qualifies and personifies what he said to the Philippians (Philippians 4:17, 19). He was always interested in what the Lord accrued to the peoples account, not his own. Paul said that His God would supply all their needs according to His riches and glory through Christ Jesus. Paul was speaking to them also from His own experience. He only looked toward God for all his needs to be met, and God met them all. How did God do this? He did it through people such as the Philippians who obeyed Him. Because God took care of Paul in this manner, Paul was able to concentrate on preaching the good news and the significance of faith in Christ to the peoplewithout charge. Perhaps people tend to disregard this fact because Paul didnt live in a multimillion-dollar mansion. He didnt wear a different Armani suit everyday of the week, or drive a Rolls Royce. Like every follower of Christ, he too had struggles and hardships. Are the icon ministry leaders today enduring such suffering for the sake of Christ or does even the world embrace them? Perhaps some of us need to reexamine and reconsider some of the leaders we are following today, rather great or small. We should examine whether their speech and actions line up with the Word of God or are we simply enthralled because of their dynamic speaking ability and/or celebrity status in the ministry. As we study the scriptures in conjunction to what they say and do, then we are able to discern perhaps their angle. Are ministry leaders today actually interested in what God accrues to the peoples account or are they more interested in what the people can accrue to their account? It is much easier to give a gift to someone you love as opposed to someone you do not know or feel threatened by. If a congregation knows little to nothing about faith, how can they ever become cheerful givers? If they are struggling in their finances, chances are that the last thing they will want to do is give away anything. Instead of pressuring people by teaching condemnation and guilt, why not educate them on faith and help them build faith by teaching what the Word says about Gods unconditional love. Understanding Gods love induces within us a desire to give. When we give freely with a pure heart of love, we are giving to Jesus. Jesus says that what you have done unto the least is what you have done unto Him. Therefore, giving is all about having a relationship with Christ. He wants us to understand that to give is an

awesome thing because in that giving, He can make repairs in the hearts and adjustments in the lives of those whom we have given an offering. God then does the same to the giver, but He does it multiplied. What the church neglects to inform the congregation is that God will only ask of you what He has given you. Your giving should always come out of your overflow, not out of your necessity (2 Corinthians 9:7). Some Christians are literally torn between having to decide if they will feed their family and pay their bills on a given day or week, or tithe. I know this happens to be true, as I personally know such people. In fact, I was one of them. Peoples assumption is that God will cause perhaps your child to go without food or essentials in His demand that you tithe or give Him a financial offering. Our God is not a tyrant. Our God is an unconditional loving God. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others (2 Corinthians 9:8, NLT). Ministries will guilt you into giving them what you literally do not have and call it your sacrifice unto God. Your heavenly Father does not charge His own children a fee or tribute in order for them to be classified His children. There is no monetary payment plan that you must fulfill in order to maintain or maximize your citizenship in the kingdom of God, yet this is the message that churches are speaking today. Salvation is a free gift from God. If we never get to the place where we can understand giving, God still loves us unconditionally. When we sow out of love toward others, this is how God can get more to us. He takes that fertile soil and causes the seed to grow and as it does, He multiplies the harvest. Religion, legalism, and false ministers repudiating the Word of God and boasting their own doctrine do not teach Gods truth behind our giving in offerings. I was speaking about tithes on the air at a local cable station during an interview once and after the taping, a camera operator in the studio approached me and asked if it were true that God sends people to hell when they dont tithe. I asked him where he had received such information and he said that he had learned this in his church. How could such a law ever induce a cheerful heart toward giving? The accomplishment of such a law would perhaps result in people giving, but only for the sake of staying out condemnation or in this persons case, hell. In other words, such a law would only induce fear, which God does not give us nor does He bless. God does not pressure us to do anything. He abides in His truth and order. Earlier, I mention certain aspects of people operating in the spirit of the antichrist. This would be another prime example. The belief that one would experience separation from God due to his lack of tithes is a form of operating in the spirit of the antichrist. In this case, the tithe stands between the man and his salvation with God instead of Jesus. Any substitution of Christ is a form of an antichrist. No person in any congregation should ever feel pressured to give in tithes or offerings. Giving is a matter of love, faith, submission and obedience to God. His desire is that we would all eventually grow into becoming doers of His Word in relation to what He speaks in our hearts. Gods love and mercy are even upon us as we learn this. Never does He pressure us. Jesus addressed this issue with the Pharisees who, by the way, were religious and political defenders of

the law. Their extremist position concerning the law led them to esteeming the letter as opposed to the spirit of the law. They so esteemed the written letter that they developed very strict applications for everyday life. As they developed these applications, they implemented traditions into the law. One of these traditions was to tithe the mint (money). In other words, through their tradition they had moved away from what God had originally instructed them to do concerning the tithe. Thus, their tradition of tithing did not affect the people according to Gods intent. In fact, it crushed them just as people are crushed by it today. According to their belief, such traditions and good works justified their righteousness. Jesus said, But how terrible it will be for you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you completely forget about justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things. Yes, said Jesus, how terrible it will be for you experts in religious law! For you crush people beneath impossible religious demands, and you never lift a finger to help ease the burden (Luke 11:42, 46, NLT). When Jesus told the Pharisees that they should tithe, He was speaking of two things. One, he was talking about the tithe as God intended according to the book of Deuteronomy chapter fourteen. Two, Jesus was speaking of tithing according to the law concerning the Levites who were the only ones commanded by God to collect the tithe. All tithing was performed under the covering of the Levite Priests. When Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice, the Levite Priests were no longer commanded to collect the tithes. God put a new Priest in place and that new Priest is Jesus (Hebrews 7:12-28). Jesus never collected the tithe nor taught His followers about the tithe for two reasons. First, He was not of the Levitical priestly line and therefore as a Jew, was not obligated to collect the tithe. Second, was that Jesus represented the New Covenant that replaced the old. This replacement was complete when Jesus, nailed to the cross, said, It is finished (Luke 19:30). The Pharisees despised Jesus, for they wanted to continue defending the law. Jesus however, radically tore down their traditional laws in the eyes of the people. The law under Moses could not bring one into righteousness with Christ; it could only point toward ones sin. When has tithing (even as we know it today) ever brought anyone into righteousness with Christ? Yet, what happens when the Christian does not tithe; he walks in guilt and condemnation. Guilt and condemnation is sin in the eyes of God. Because of the new Priest, by faith, peoples sins could now be blotted out forever upon repentance by the blood of Christ. Ministries not called of God or in disobedience to God, pressure their congregations to give in tithes and offerings. Jesus said, You crush people beneath impossible religious demands, and you never lift a finger to help ease the burden. Multitudes of Christians are burdened today trying to obey and keep up with the religious demands of tithes and offerings placed upon them by the church. When todays Christian leaders expound upon the purpose of the tithe, they do not teach on the significance or origination behind the tithe. They completely omit what the Law of Moses actually said about the tithe. In fact, if we were to compare our understanding of the tithe in the modern church to what the Word of God actually says, we would find that the subject of tithing is virtually one of the most artificially twisted doctrines in the church today.

In the book of Acts chapter 15, the tithe was not even mentioned in the Jerusalem Council rulings as Paul addressed them to the people. Paul did not address the issue of tithes because he clearly understood that the tithe was under the Old Covenant Law. Lets consider what God said about those who choose to operate under the law. And all who depend on the Law [who are seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law of rituals] are under a curse and doomed to disappointment and destruction, for it is written in the Scriptures, Cursed (accursed, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment) be everyone who does not continue to abide (live and remain) by all the precepts and commands written in the Book of the Law and to practice them (Galatians 3:10, TAB). But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith (Verse 11, KJV). Are churches operating by faith in God today or do they depend on the tithe from congregational members in order to stay financially afloat? Tithing is under the law and God calls those today that follow the Mosaic Law cursed, for they deny that Jesus is the one and only High Priest, now and forever. Embracing the tithe is indeed dangerous, yet tithing is very popular in the modern church. Perhaps it has to be, for church buildings across the nation would literally shut down if all tithes were to cease. Across the board, the majority of people who tithe in the church see little to no results from their tithing. In fact, for years many have faced considerable financial dilemmas in the midst of their tithing. Could such people be cursed in their finances as Galatians 3:10 stipulates? If we were to take Gods word from a literal standpoint, then the answer would be a resounding yes. Yet, believers adhere to the popular teaching of tithes regardless of the fact that such teachings stand in opposition to what God said. Ministry leaders receiving the tithe say Just keep right on doing what youre doing, the hardship youre facing only means that your prize is right around the corner. This of course fuels the people with emotional excitement and they just keep right on tithing. Yet, the prize never arrives and even if or when something does, it never lasts. Clearly, such works are not by the hands of God. God intended all His blessings to be permanent. He is so adamant about His blessings that He even transfers them into heaven so that you may enjoy them throughout eternity there (Matthew 6:19-20). Remember, the majority of people do not follow the Word of God; they follow the personality speaking behind the pulpit. Most personalities behind the pulpit today are intermixing Gods Word with church trends, paradigms, and popular religious doctrine promulgated through celebrity-authored books, personally opinionated theologians, and larger than life leaders of icon ministries across the nation. Because the tithe is being brought into the modern church, many ministries and their leaders have an excess of financial abundance and thus see themselves as blessed by God. However, multitudes belonging to these ministries are financially destitute. In addition, according to the book of Revelation Jesus mentioned nothing about the modern church being blessed. In fact, He told the last church generation that He would spit it out of His mouth. Would it be prudent to say that unless the church is willing to change, Jesus considers this church generation cursed

regardless of its wealth? Why else would He speak of such a severe warning? So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and dont get tied up again in slavery to the law (Galatians 5:1, NLT). Are not the majority of those who tithe actually bound to the demands of tithing in the church? What happens when people dont tithe? The church blasts them with guilt and condemnation. Clearly, this is not indicative of God. Lets backtrack a bit to get a clear understanding of Gods purpose for the tithe in the first place. What function did the tithe actually serve under the Law of Moses? Why did God make mention about bringing in the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in His house according to the book of Malachi 3:10? An ardent studier of the Word of God who reads Acts 4:34-35 would probably be inclined to correlate these passages back to Deuteronomy 14:22-28. Perhaps many will be surprised at what they would find once the reality of these scriptures hit home. In the scriptures, the law required the people to set aside a tenth of their crops harvested each year. They were then instructed to bring their tithe to the designated place of worship in honor of Gods name. Once there, they were to eat it in His presence. According to the Bible, this included their tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of their flocks and herds. Honoring Gods commandment to do this would teach them to reverence God (Deuteronomy 14:22-23). It is important to note that God designated the place where the people would worship just as He should be the designator of the place where people worship today. Notice that the law required the people to set aside a tenth of their crops each year where they would honor God with their tithe. In honor of the tithe as it is practiced today, somehow the law requiring the annual tithe turned into the weekly tithe. What Sunday service, or any service, for that matter, do you remember the church not collecting tithes? The modern church correlates the tithe to money. Therefore, they say you must tithe from the gross amount of every paycheck you receive in addition to any increase you incur. I have heard ministers say that if someone were to sow a car into your life, for instance, you are even to tithe from that, a shirt, or even shoes. Can you imagine a person financially broke receiving a car in the form of a gift or offering, then finding the worth of that car (if that is the way it is to be worked out), and tithing a tenth of that amount? Does this not totally defeat the purpose of receiving the car? Perhaps some would literally have to sell the car in order to cover the tenth. It seems that such a blessing would become more like a curse. I received a car twice in my span of ministry. Considering my financial state at the time, it would have been impossible for me to tithe a tenth of what they were worth, especially the second one, which was a Cadillac. Some even demand that you also tithe a tenth of your tax refund, which was already included in the tithe of your gross from your paycheck. Did God actually speak specifically about money in His commandment about the tithe? Lets see what the rest of the scriptures have to say about money concerning to the tithe. God took into consideration that some of the peoples size of harvest or distance to travel with

their tithe would be too great, thus He allowed them to sell the tenth portion of their crops and herds. He then commanded that they take the money, go to their place of the Lords choosing and upon arrival use the money to buy any kind of food they desired. The King James Version Bible says verbatim: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household (Deuteronomy 14:26). In addition, God commanded that the people not exclude the Levite Priests from such feast because God did not appoint them a harvest inheritance of their own. And do not neglect the Levites in your town, for they will receive no allotment of land among you (Verse 27, NLT). The Levites could not tithe because they had no land or cattle from which to gain a harvest from God. Therefore, God saw to it that they were taken care of by the people. God did not command the people to bring money to the Priest, but to make sure that they were fed. Money was not ever used as collateral for the tithe. If the tithe was too great to carry to the destination established by God or if the distance was too far, the tithe was to be turned into money, but only for the purpose of purchasing items of drink, livestock, and food in the town of Gods designation for the tithe. All of it was to be consumed in the site of God. Money is not edible. In addition, the tithe was a Jewish custom under the Law of Moses. God never commanded the Gentiles to tithe. You will not find such a commandment from God in the Old Testament nor will you find it anywhere in the Epistles throughout the New Testament. In contrast to the book of Acts chapter four and Deuteronomy chapter fourteen, the majority of todays priest (Pastors, Evangelist, etc.) no longer has to depend upon the tithes brought in by the congregation, though they demand the tithe. In general, they far exceed their congregations in riches and wealth. How did the church go from Gods commandment of taking care of the priest concerning the feast of tithes to the priest being able to feast without the contribution of the congregation? Following the law, when did God ever establish the Ministers with an inheritance of their own? We should note that according to Deuteronomy and Acts, the priest were not materially wealthy nor did God intend for them to be, which is why God commanded the people not to forget about them in their celebration of tithes. God could have blessed the priests with riches if He wanted to, but perhaps He never intended them to be wealthy (from the peoples point of view) because of the burden of responsibility placed upon them. Perhaps they would be tempted to turn away from God and follow their riches. It is much more devastating when a minister of God creates obstacles in the church as opposed to one who is not a leader. That single person has the power to lead multitudes of people into hell. The Bible even says that the priests punishment for leading others astray would be much worse. Because God understands the heart of man, it seems very pragmatic that God would protect such servants by providing all their needs according to His riches and Glory.

If anyone should think for a moment that a man of God is incapable of falling into such a trap of loving money above God, consider what the majority of ministers behind pulpits around the world are preaching and teaching today. They are preaching and teaching the concepts of wealth and riches, even to the extent that multitudes of Christians are financially drowning right in the midst of their ministries. Preachers today are collecting tithes in the form of dollars, which God never commanded them to do. I think it is rather interesting, yet ironic that the modern church desiring to cling to the old law concerning tithesfor obvious reasons, tends to dismiss the responsibility of obeying the law entirely, which requires that the priest have no allotment of land and cattle. In other words, God did not appoint them a harvest because they were servants of God, yet many of the priests of God today who abide in the old law concerning tithes abounds in riches and wealth. Some have even ascended to a financial class known by the social elite as having liquidable assets. In other words, they are so rich that their wealth flows like an endless river. Such people own multiple multimillion-dollar homes; they own luxury jets, fabulous businesses, and hundred thousand-dollar vehiclesplural, just to name of few. These priests of God rent out luxury ocean liners for week excursions to conduct spiritual retreats, conventions, and speaking engagements. Of course, in their defense they may argue that they are entitled to their wealth and riches because they are no longer servants, but the sons and daughters of God. They would also be correct in their argument if their riches came from God as opposed to the world. However, being the children of God signifies our new covenant in Christ. How can we be under the new covenant, yet continue to abide in the old law? We should also note that according to the Mosaic Law, only God blesses the people with the good harvest, which He orders them to bring into His house (Deuteronomy 14:24). In other words, God established the tithe that He commanded the people to give back to Him. They were not expected to give what they did not have. Lastly, God said that At the end of every third year, bring the entire tithe of that years harvest and store it in the nearest town. Give it to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your work (Deuteronomy 14:28-29, NLT). The foreigners, by the way, are the Gentiles, who were not the children of Israel nor did they receive any commandment from God to tithe. This would explain God commanding the Jews to include them in their tithing feast before God. Those who obeyed God prospered in His blessings. From the viewpoint of Scripture, we can clearly see how Gods intent concerning the tithe is an entirely different event from what we see in the traditions of the modern church. The Jewish custom of the tithe was actually a party or a big feast where the foods brought therein was to be consumed in the sight of God. The tithe was never given exclusively to the head of the church nor ministry so that the leaders could financially prosper in it. The tithe was for the benefit of the people and even foreigners who were not the children of Israel. Thus, God blessed

the tithe. Properly understanding the tithe makes for a joyful heart of giving. This is Gods condition upon our giving. From Gods perspective, we can now see the joyous times of throwing a great feast among families and inviting the Levite Priests, aliens, widows, orphans, and the poor. Understanding the tithe from the correct perspective according to the Word of God gives us better clarity of the Scriptures of Malachi 3:7-10. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Jesus clearly said that what we do unto the least of our brethren is what we have done unto Him (Matthew 25:40). Disobeying Gods commandment to tithe was to rob the people what the Lord had intended them. In robbing the people, they robbed God. God said that they robbed the whole nation because He intended that the tithing event would be throughout all Israel. When they no longer kept the tithe, they had therefore robbed the entire nation. Malachi 3:7 is strongly connected to Jesus rebuke of the Pharisees in Luke 11:42 when He criticized them about their tithing tradition. They had moved away from Gods ordinances concerning the tithe and did not keep them. Who would have thought that God actually meant for His people to eat the tithe in His presence? Simply taking time to study scripture diligently, which is seeking God for His answers, can open up an entirely different world of understanding as compared to traditional religious doctrine. Today as it stands according to the Word of God, the tithe is no longer necessary because the tithe as it is understood in the Old Testament, has been replaced by faith (Galatians 3:11). Ministries today have no business pressuring their congregations to give the tenth of their increase, for God has commanded us to live by faith. Gods commandments not only apply to such ministries, but also their Bible Schools. God has predicated every facet of Christianity upon faith. Without faith, one cannot please God. How do we acquire faith? We obtain faith by hearing and understanding the Word of God (Romans 10:17). This scripture speaks the significance of having a relationship with God. Without hearing the Word of God, it is impossible to obtain faith. Without the relationship, it is impossible to grow in faith. If the majority of believers do not study Scripture or have an intimate relationship with God, how can they obtain the faith necessary to receive from God? I believe that such people are inclined either to revert to the old law of tithing or sowing seed for the benefit of their need. Neither however, delivers everlasting fruit from God. According to the old law, people received blessing from God when they tithed the tenth. The New Covenant establishes that we shall receive blessing from God through faith, for faith is the

only thing that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). Tithing will always fall short of faith and thus cannot and will not ever please God. (See Chapter Nine in the first volume of Its Not About You, where the impact of the tithe on the modern church is addressed).

Storing Your Treasures in Heaven

How does one lay up treasures in heaven as opposed to the earth? When you sow seed or do anything for yourself or others for the purpose and benefit of yourself, you are storing up treasures upon the earth. When you sow into the lives of others based on the God kind of love, God brings forth a harvest that you will enjoy on earth, but also stores up treasures for you in heaven. Consider the following scriptures: Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly (Matthew 6:1-4). Those who boast about their giving to others for the benefit of their own glory will have their just reward, which is the recognition of man, but they will receive no recognition from God and neither will they have stored anything up in heaven.

two

The Evil Veil and Perilous Times

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (Genesis 1:27-28).

God placed His crown of glory upon the head of Adam and charged him to rule and have
dominion over all the earth. The blessings of God surrounded Adam and Eve and they walked in spirit with God as well, yet they allowed the devil to deceive them and disobeyed God. The devil convinced Eve that if she ate of the forbidden tree surely she would not die as God had said, but would be like Him knowing all things good and evil (Genesis 3:4-5). This deception led to their fall and Satan was able to take the crown becoming the god of this world. From that moment, the perilous times which Paul the Apostle would later prophesy about were set in motion. It was not until Jesus came and redeemed His people from this curse that they could withstand the devices of the devil and resist him by believing and having faith in God. Unfortunately, most of the people did not believe Jesus then just as people still do not believe Him today and because of this, their destruction is on the way. Satan devises plans everyday to knock people off the path that God is calling them to walk. He attempts to persuade them to believe that the Word of God is nothing more than a fable. He wants people to believe that there is no heaven or hell. He endeavors to convince them that what they do according to their own heart is sufficient for their own salvation and that this is what is acceptable to God. The devil desires people to renounce God and live according to his world system. He causes people to turn a deaf ear toward Gods Word tuning their ears instead toward a perverted gospel of tolerance to worldly lusts, pleasures and religious idolatry. Satan is the author of strife and confusion, through which he causes people to become bitter towards God. He seeks to steal peoples faith and replaces it with fear and doubt. Satan endeavors to convince people that the Bible not only is insignificant, but also simply an ancient manuscript written and distorted by many hands throughout history. He strives to choke the Word out of those who believe God by flaunting before them the sinful lusts and pleasures of the world in order to distract them. He bombards them with the cares of life, deceit of riches, and any other demonic devices he has at his disposal, all designed to steer people away from the truth. Satan wants to distract people from hearing God by disrupting their lives through their

marriages, families, finances, sickness, poverty, and death. He speaks to the minds of people persuading them that they are not worthy to receive Gods love and that their sins are greater than Gods forgiveness. He wants you to travail in fear and doubt causing double-mindedness toward God in your heart. He causes battles to rage in your mind between truth, deception, good and evil. He even persuades people to believe that he doesnt exist. The enemy is a master at mixing lies with the truth bringing about confusion and pandemonium. Only the Word of God can set you free from his deceptive devices. The world is headed toward a catastrophic tribulation that will affect every living soul on planet Earth. God is going to shake the foundations of the earth to awaken the people. In the midst of great and horrific tragedies and tremendous loss of life unlike anything the world has ever known, the majority will nevertheless refuse to repent and turn away from sin. Some will even continue to believe that their idolatrous gods, such as mammon will save them. The beginnings of these birth-like contraction pangs have already begun in the earth, yet only few are seeing the connection between the events of the world today and the grand picture that has already begun to unfold. Only few understand that the ancient history of earth is literally about to repeat itself. God will ultimately destroy everything evil once and for all. When that day comes, which side will you be standing on? Most people in addition to believers already believe that they are standing on the righteous side. Many however are going to experience a horrifying awakening as they realize that actually their hearts were far removed from Christ.

Technology vs. Lord the Savior

After His baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. While there, Satan tried to tempt Him. Satan attempted to get Jesus to sin by speaking Scripture against Him. The devil, in a rather commonsensical way, perversely twisted the Word of God and made it congruent to his evil logic. Everything the devil said to Jesus sounded plausible, but his words were a fabrication of what God actually said. If the devil was capable of tempting Jesus in this manner, he is certainly capable of establishing his churches along side the real church. The devil has many churches, some full blown satanic and others very subtle, yet religiously apostate. Generally, the devils church is no different from the tares growing among the wheat in a field of harvest. Though the tares may look just like the actual wheat for a season, eventually the harvest comes into full bloom and the differences become clear. Powerful ministries have come into focus literally over night and are taking the world by storm, not necessarily because of revival or powerful movements of God, but because of technology. State of the art technologies are allowing ministries to come directly into homes all over the world today reaching people and affecting lives like never before in our history. This form of technological ability lines up with the advanced age Daniel saw in his vision. Though this new era of ministry can be a blessing in many respects, the Word of God warns us to beware because in the end of days many false prophets will have gone out into the world. Deception will be greater than it has ever been since the history of man on earth. The deception Jesus spoke of is already here and todays technology is playing a strong role in that deception.

The Word says, For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Today, there are agents of the enemy behind pulpits in churches throughout the world. Many of them are televised ministries and they are coming right into peoples homes through television. I am not suggesting that all televised ministries are suspect to the teaching of false doctrine and spreading deception into the world. I am using them as an example however because of the multitudes they have the capacity to reach. A televised ministry can be a wonderful thing if the Holy Spirit leads it. On the other hand, a televised ministry not led of the Holy Spirit is a very bad thing. Unfortunately, there are more of these ministries coming into the homes of people than we would probably care to count. What better avenue is there for Satan to use for his purpose of deception than the greatest mind catcher of all timetelevision? Not only is he using televised religion to snag the unaware, but he also uses secular means to perversely imitate Christianity and desensitize the viewer toward corruption and immorality. He, in fact, brings daily a barrage of evil to the screen in order to deceive people into thinking that what they see is the normalcy of life. That, in conjunction with news media and advertisement sporting real life coverage of death, rape, crime, exploitive sex, fornication, adultery, etc., enhances all the more mind conditioning that these things are in fact a normal way of life. Satan presents these evils to the world in a perverted sensuous kind of way. In other words, when people take it in they do not necessarily realize it because often it is presented in a form of entertainment. Peoples minds ultimately become desensitized to what they are viewing and hearing, which ultimately detracts or interferes with Gods commandment that we are to live a holy life. While the media desensitizes peoples minds, God becomes decreased in peoples hearts. Consider the types of programming on television today including many of the religious programs. Do they actually lead people toward Christ and salvation or do they steer people far away from God? We currently exist in the age that Jesus referred to about the spreading of deception going into and throughout the world like never before in the history of the world. Jesus said beware of such a time and take heed to His Word that you would not be deceived. Daniel saw that there would be an explosion of knowledge in the end times: . . . even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased (Daniel 12:4). That explosion of knowledge is clearly seen in todays growing technology all around us. The worlds technology houses great deceptions that people vaguely even realize exists. Some of these well-hidden deceptions have become so camouflaged within the minds of people that they will fight to the bitter end defending their belief based upon sight in opposition to the knowledge

of Gods truth. Thus, the worlds majority does not believe those who teach Gods truth. They do not believe those who expose the schemes of the enemy, nor are they interested in following Christ. Mind control, for instance, has been around for many decades. It would be foolish to think that such a thing has not affected people, yet because the majority of people are so captivated by life, ambition, riches, disappointments, poverty, fear and the world in general, a subtle thing as mind control has vaguely crossed their minds. One may chuckle at the idea of mind control, but simply ask yourself what is advertising, and how are the masses affected by it? Advertising is the power of suggestion, even on a subliminal or invisible level. In other words, people do not often realize that suggestions or statements are planted in their subconscious mind through the advertisements they may read in a magazine or see on the television screen. People are effectively manipulated through an over stimulation of one-sided information designed to induce an intense desire for the advertised product. If the power of suggestion through advertisement did not work, there would not stand a multibillion dollar industry behind it. Corporations will spend collectively literally hundreds of millions of dollars for a fifteen to thirty second commercial spot on Super Bowl Sunday, for instance. They are not doing this because they get a kick out of spending the money just to promote their products. They are in the business of making money. Thus, corporations do it because they are mathematically certain that the power of suggestion they put out to the public will more than double or even quadruple their invested money through a generation of sales based on their multimillion-dollar ad campaign. If our technology has taught us about the mechanisms of the mind, then it would be nave and foolish to think that mind control has not gone beyond such simple things as ad campaigns. During WWII when the Nazis took the Jewish into captivity, many of the captured Jews were in friendship with Germans. Some Germans who were close neighbors to the Jews not only grew up with them throughout childhood into adulthood, but also as children they played together, went to school together, and developed relationships. During the many interviews of the survivors of the Holocaust, many Jewish people spoke of the sudden betrayal and hatred that even some of their closest German friends (adults and children) held against them when they were overtaken and made prisoners. Why would so many Germans take part in such a diabolical hate despite some of the close relationships that existed between them and many of the Jews? Why did so many Germans have an instant turn of heart against their Jewish friends? Why did so few Germans rebel against such a travesty of justice? Could some form of mind control have been a factor? Mind control has thoroughly increased since WWII all over the world. I believe that the vast majority of Americans along with the multitudes of people throughout the world today are pawns in a game played by a very small, yet elite group. Their agenda is to bring about separation and division causing mayhem in order to establish their New World Order. A divided country will eventually fall. They know that the people of this country will not stand for a one-world dictatorship, thus this country is strategically being brought down from the inside. When people think of terrorist, they are not only taught through mind control to look in the

wrong places, but also they have been conditioned to remain in a perpetual fear, which in turn creates a collective reality of terrorist events throughout the world. Pick up a newspaper, watch the daily news and see for yourself what the vast majority of news is talking about today. What are they repeating over and over and over? They are repeating terror or terrorist in the Middle East. When the Twin Towers were destroyed in New York and the Pentagon struck, the media bombarded our minds with terrorism. Resulting from all the propaganda funneled into the world, most people naturally think of the Middle East when they think of terrorist, but whos pumping out all the propaganda? I wonder what comes to the minds of the people in the Middle East when they think of terrorism. Perhaps they think of the United States. The enemy bombards peoples minds with influential, yet deceitful information and then overcomes them by way of their own thoughts. In other words, the people of the world are being strategically controlled through a manipulation of their thoughts. Conditioned to look toward the wrong direction, it becomes impossible to see the real threat coming from the opposite direction or shall I say from within. Unbeknownst to most, there is a silent war going on right in this country. American citizens are being affected in every facet of life. Foreclosure for instance, is happening on a scale unprecedented in comparison to any other time in the history of the United States. Economically, the middle class American is literally being exterminated and this will not stop until only two classes existthe elite and the slave whom the elite will control. Perhaps you may be thinking that such a thing is far fetched. Stay cognizant of world events however by keeping a watchful eye and you will inevitably see many things that I have spoken of and even more events unfold right before your eyes. Jesus forewarned us about these events. If you have already been paying close attention to what has been going on in the world, perhaps you have already figured out that countries around the world for centuries have been warring and conspiring within and against one another for the sole benefit of removing and replacing leaders. These new leaders have different agendas than such as the loyalty toward the nations they supposedly serve. Their loyalty is to their superior who is not necessarily of their country or even this world. Their sole purpose in leadership is to tear down the nations subtly in order to establish their New World Order, but make no mistake about it they will also do this by brutal force if necessary. The idea of Satans deception is to deceive people into believing that everything their physical senses perceive is the reality of life. The physical senses operate from the flesh realm, which is the domain of Satan. A person cannot communicate with God through carnality or flesh. God can only be sought after in spirit and truth. Because the flesh realm is the domain of the enemy, Satan has power and control over this domain. Thus, he is the god of the world system. Satan himself showed Jesus his world and even offered it to Him if Jesus would only bow down and worship him. The only thing Satan could offer was a world of flesh. He attempted to offer Jesus something that was far beneath Him. The reality of the world system is that it is beneath the feet of Christ. The people of the world however, see a different reality. The majority of the people live their lives according to the world system predicated upon carnal knowledge and understanding. In other words, people live their lives according to sight and their

history of experience as opposed to walking in the spirit and having faith in God. How often do we use yesterdays results to forecast tomorrows outcome? Some people believe that they are failures in life, for instance, because they are locked in a perpetual cycle of measuring their abilities today against their unsuccessful past. They identify themselves according to their failures and disappointments in life. Even this is a form of mind control received at an early age. The truth concerning their actual capabilities in addition to who they really are has been secretly kept from them. When an elementary school student, for instance, is labeled slow or low I.Q., that label stays with that child throughout his educational life. His learning and treatment by teachers throughout every grade is predicated upon his record of being a slow learner or having a low I.Q. This can even transfer into college, if the person happens to make it that far. Because the educational system said it, even the parents tend to automatically agree and thus treat the child as such. The child who is inevitably taught to believe this as well eventually lives and conducts his life accordingly as an adult. Because He sees himself a failure, his life becomes the product of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Based upon his past, he assumes that his tomorrow will also comprise failure. Such people for instance maintain a distorted outlook upon their own life. Thus, the mental foundation from which they must navigate themselves in order to progress in life successfully is off kilter even before they take the first step toward any hope of change. This distortion or deception that Satan keeps them in blinds them from any recognition that God put His abilities in them. The Word says, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13). If Satan is the god of the world system and hates everything the Almighty God stands for, then it stands to reason that he would manipulate the world system in order to deceive and confuse the people who live by it so that they cannot hear from nor have understanding of God. People need to realize how deep the deception Jesus spoke about actually runs. People tend to assume that they are not deceived, for deception is often invisible on the surface level of our understanding. The core of deception, however, exists far beneath the surface level. At such depths, it branches out in every direction, literally infiltrating every facet of human life and thought. The unaware do not even realize that such things actually exist. The world, as it is today, unbeknownst to the majority of its inhabitants, is literally surrounded by the enemy. The enemy has infiltrated all governments in every country across the globe. He has connected himself to every judicial system, educational system and has even shaped the majority of our customs, traditions, and religions. He also uses the media to plant his ideas and logic into the minds of people while distorting reality, inducing fear, and promoting doubt. In addition, he controls what people see, hear, learn, and even retain, through the media, for he controls the media. He has maintained a diabolically strong impact on social and cultural foundations and has infected our local, state, and federal authorities, scientific understanding, agriculture, medicine, and even the culminate technology today shaped out of yesterday. For decades, the enemys insignia has even been stamped on the back of our American currency. The eye of the pyramid, which is known as the all seeing eye in conjunction with the inscribed words In God We Trust is the recognition of the sun god Horus who is actually an entity of

Lucifer or Satan, and not The Almighty God as so many have believed. The evil comes from underneath the earth and even rains down from the sky, for even the clouds in the sky are not always what they appear to besome clouds that form in our skies are actually formed by the plumes of chemicals sprayed through an exhaust apparatus on a jet and are known by many as deadly chemtrails. For hours, these plumes do not dissipate like the common contrail, which is essentially frozen ice particles from the moisture of a jets exhaust, but eventually fans out creating a cloud that literally blankets the sky. Simply take the time to look up and see this for yourselves. In some climates, a sunny blue sky, for instance, can become overcast causing temperature drops, drizzle, rain, and even storms. Some would argue that the third leading cause of death today is the very air that you breathe. If this is true, could such pollution emitted into our skies at very high altitudes have anything to do with this? Who has the power to carry out such an operation literally around the world twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week? It is certainly not the president of the United States or any single government in the world. This signifies that there is an agreement among governmentseven those who war against each otherbut who leads them under such agreements? There is also the consideration of dangerous fluoride, carcinogens, and other deadly toxins, which we drink in our water. Did you know that just about every other country under the sun has banned the use of fluoride, yet it flows in plenty in the United States, right in our water supply? Who put it there and why? Perhaps only time will tell, but God has seen every iniquity even in the hearts of those who perform such evil deeds believing that their plans of destruction are forever hidden in secrecy. As long as people continue to follow the world system believing and focusing upon whatever the diabolical world says, no amount of money, fame or fortune, worldly influence, muscle or power, can escape the enemys grip. Since ancient time well into today the enemy has taken out prophets, messengers of God, kings, queens, presidents, activists, and multitudes of worldrenowned leaders in the midst of multitudes of blinded people. Satans mission is to destroy everything God loves. Our only escape is through Christ Jesus, who knew well in advance that such events would take place. Jesus described such events to His disciples as the prelude to His descent upon the clouds to capture up the saved and His ultimate return to rule and reign for a thousand years. The Apostle Paul described such events as the prelude to the rise of the antichrist into official power, which will take place directly after Jesus removes His saints from the earth. Those rejecting Christ will not escape the wrath of God, especially those who deliberately serve Satan believing that they will be rewarded a place of stature, wealth, and power in his kingdom. Even they must remember that Satan hates all that God created. God created them, thus even the servants of Satan are the enemy to Satan. According to the book of Revelation, Satans final place will be the lake of fire so what reward shall his followers receive? The Bible says that he who leads others into captivity shall himself go into captivity (Revelation 13:10). Due to the escalation of sin and destruction upon this planet, I believe that very soon the world as we know it will become an unrecognizable place. Jesus said that such things would occur. In fact, He said that this would be only the beginning of sorrows. These beginnings, my friend,

have already begun. There is literally nowhere one (who follows the world) can hide from Satans diabolical power, for he is the god of the world system. On the other hand, Jesus told His people not to be troubled by the evils of the world (Matthew 24:6, 8). God did not appoint His people to wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9), but woe unto every individual who have caused such misery and havoc in the lives upon the earth for God said that He will remember every iniquity and would pour out His indignation against them without measure. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities (Revelation 18:35). Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her (Revelation 18:8). Only Christ will put an end to the regime of evil, no man can come against it in and of himself. The Word of God tells us that Jesus will intervene. God also makes it known to us that all vengeance belongs to Him. To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste (Deuteronomy 32:35). Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Romans 12:19). Some Christiansand even none Christian are attempting to combat Satan and his entourage of evil influencers throughout the world. Unless God ordains their steps, they will meet opposition that they simply will not overcome. I believe that we must wake up and realize what is going on in the world, yet not become inundated by it, troubled, or attempt to fight against it. Again, Jesus forewarned us that these things would occur and God already knows what He plans to do about it. How can our battle be greater than His battle against this evil? I believe that in these final days Jesus is calling His people to make preparations in their hearts toward His arrival. He instructed us to therefore watch and pray. He desires us to spread the comforting news of the gospel and usher others into the body of Christ. I believe that He desires us to be comforted from the pain of separation from our loved ones who have already gone home to heaven, which is also our designated place. When Jesus gave us the commission two thousand years ago, we were not to deter from it, but maintain ourselves upon the righteous path by staying focused upon Christ. This becomes a very difficult task when we are caught up in our own sins in addition to the sins of the world. Despite the world and all the evils in it, God desires us to maintain our focus entirely upon Him. What else could we possibly place our focus and hope upon that can save us? Can a man save himself? Can his worries or fears save him?

When the Israelites faced the red sea before them while the Pharaohs soldiers closed in behind them, it seemed as if they were trapped having no place to escape. They forgot about the glory cloud that had gone before them in their journey through the wilderness, which turned into a pillar of fire by night. God had been with them all along, even when it seemed like He was nowhere to be found. To the Israelites, all had seemed lost And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (Exodus 14:13-14). Moses lifted up his rod, stretched it over the waters and the Lord caused him to split the red sea. God allowed the people to cross upon dry ground to victory. Yet He caused the walls of water to fall down upon the enemy drowning them and wiping them out forever. As Moses stood in faith with God that day, Jesus is making that same call toward us today. Despite the condition of the world, I believe that Jesus is telling His people to stand still, hold their peace, and witness the salvation of the Lord. In the natural, it seems that Gods people are helplessly stranded in the desert where evil surrounds them on all sides, but God is nevertheless in control. Considering the many pot shots taken at Christianity today by the secular world, it is apparent that the worldview of Christianity is that of a multitude of mislead people. From the worlds perspective, Christians are caught in a hopelessly romantic and optimistic dream of salvation led by some ambiguous god who perhaps doesnt even really exist. Even Satan is rejoicing, as he believes he is winning the battle between good and evil. God made a declaration however in the garden six thousand years ago, which still stands today. The world may have changed according to the people, but the Word of God will neither change nor perish regardless of the changes in the world. Satan saw the Israelites defeated because the sea stood before them and the soldiers closed in behind them, yet God knew exactly what He would do when the ultimate moment came. Satan sees Gods people defeated today because He has surrounded the people of God with his evil schemes and influences, but God knows exactly what He intends to do at the precise moment. Despite the condition of the world, our focus must remain on Christ. Jesus told us to watch and pray. In other words, be prepared for His coming and our departure. In comparison to the great Holocaust during WWII, the events that will soon transpire will be far worse. Martial Law will become the way of life in this country and throughout the world. In fact, many do not know that this country has actually been under Martial Law since the Civil War. This truth has been kept secret from the public. The declaration of martial law was never rescinded after the civil war ended. When the constitution was first drawn up, safeguards against despotism were implemented. These safeguards represented three branches of government that would serve as a check and balance mechanism toward each perspective branch. Overall, the three branches of government would maintain a balance preventing an overthrow of one branch by another. The Legislative would write laws, the Judicial would interpret the laws, and the Executive would decide policy and enforce the laws. In the event of war or a threat to national security, martial law could be implemented, which would turn all power over to the residing president. He could then implement Executive Orders, which are laws written and implemented

by the President himself. Though executive orders of the President have to be made known to the public before they can be enforced upon the public, orders written by other areas of the Executive Branch government do not. Today, by the orders of the President, the Executive Branch of government other than the White House is writing and implementing laws that do not have to be reported, reviewed or made available to the public. In fact, according to law, they dont even have to disclose that such laws exist. What this means is that laws are being imposed upon you that you dont even know aboutyet. Such laws can subvert the constitution entirely abolishing your rights. Therefore, our great Constitution of the United States of America could eventually cease where the people would no longer have rights. One can clearly see even now how the rights of the people are ebbing away. Freedom of speech will eventually be a thing of the past. Freedom to praise and worship God will be outlawed. Everything needed to orchestrate such an order is already in place and taking place around the world. Consider the recent vote of same sex marriage in the state of California. The people voted against it, but the Supreme Court overruled and passed the law regardless. What does this say about the governments concern about what the people, whom the government supposedly serves, want? The majority of U S citizens for instance, are unaware that in the year 2005 President George Bush signed an agreement that would merge the United States, Mexico, and Canada as one entity erasing all borders. Thus, we are technically no longer the United States of America, but the North American Union. This arrangement was not only unannounced to the public, but also unregulated by Congress. Due to the total removal of sovereignty of these countries, the government has allowed a new currency to be created called the Amero. In addition, by default of the agreement between these countries the American Constitution becomes obsolete. You would think that such disloyalty to the American people by our own government at the highest level would create a protest of anger and outrage from American citizens, yet this did not happen. It did not happen because this event never quite made it into the mediathat is, at least not on any kind of noticeable scale. No one knew that this agreement between these leaders took place. Only one reporter from CNN Live reported it. No one else did. Perhaps CNN was permitted to report it in order for those backing the agreement to test the waters with the American public just to see what the American people would do. Nothing was done about it and neither was there hardly a blip about it in newspapers around the country. Even some three years later, very few have even heard about the North American Union or the Amero for that matter. Who owns and governs the media? The powers behind this movement are the same powers controlling the media. In other words, the public is not told what they are not supposed to know. If this sounds strangely to you like the European Union and the Euro, rest assured that this is not a coincidence. The same motive is involved here. The North American Union is the same concept as the European Union, African Union and the soon to be Asian Union. Those who developed the European Union are the same people who are behind them all. The center organization that orchestrates and governs these World Unions is the United Nations. When the time is right these unions will merge into one forming the final stage of the one world government, which is the New World Order. They will turn all their power over to the man of perdition or the beast who will rule the world. Perhaps

this information gives you a strong clue as to how close we actually are to that day. As the world continues to head toward the climatic peak or showdown between Christ and Satan, such events of deception will neither slow down nor cease. The world will not get better; it will steadily become worse. The deceptions and evil in the world will continue to escalate until Jesus intervenes. He said that without His intervention, there would be no flesh left alive anywhere on earth. Those who follow Christ should rest in the assurance and power of Christ, for He has already delivered them unto eternal life and liberty. In the third chapter of Genesis, God said that the serpent was more subtle than every other beast. Though he can appear like truth, he is deceit. The devil is evasive, sly, and very proficient at keeping himself invisible to the understanding of man, yet he plants his evil deceit in the minds of people. It is why people primarily blame God for the catastrophes and destructions in the world. They blame God for the things that go wrong in their personal lives. It does not even occur to most people that Satan is behind such things. It doesnt occur to them that he attempts to pit them against God by playing both sides of the problems and challenges they may face in life. The enemy opposes every good thing in peoples lives, yet he pretends to be their friend while seducing them with alcohol and drugs to cope with the unpleasantness of life. He justifies their actions of reciprocation toward those who angered them or caused them pain. He gives them poison to eat, yet tells them that this very poison will kill their enemies. Satan instigates wars between countries for instance, by pitting the people against one another. Manipulatively, he plays a sympathetic role to each side, yet in secret arms them both with weaponry so that they may annihilate each other. Even some world leaders whom you may perhaps least expect are involved in such conspiracies with Satan (they do not acknowledge him as Satan, but Lucifer) in this scheme against Gods people. This is exactly what the connected secret societies of whom is the highest order in the world under Satan, for example, have been doing for centuries in every part of the world right under the nose of people, all for the benefit of establishing the new world order that will usher in the beast who is the antichrist. It doesnt take a genius to connect the dots in history to figure such a thing out, yet very few have connected the dots. The rest continues to sleep. Thus, the inner secret societies have gone unnoticed and undetected for centuries because they have camouflaged themselves within and behind the very ideologies of man, which they created and injected into the world through deception and mind control. Like their leader, they are stealthily cloaked. They are the wealth behind the wealthiest. Their power extends beyond the most powerful in the world, for they are the unseen shadows who control the most powerful in the world. Even many in power today who are known in the world are beginning to speak more outwardly about this New World Order. Only two family systems exist in this world. The first is The Almighty God and His kingdom of light. The other is Satan and his kingdom of darkness. There is no such thing as a gray shaded area or a happy medium. Jesus said that we are either with Him or against Him (Matthew 12:30; Luke 11:23). He called this last generation church lukewarm because the church seeks to sit on both sides, thus Jesus said He would reject this last church if it does not repent. We know that

according to the Word of God, Satan is the god of the world system. Thus the greater the power structures of the world system are in hierarchy, the more diabolical in nature they have to be because of their proximity to Satan who hates all that God loves. An interesting representation of this counterfeit regime of power opposing Jesus and His kingdom is the symbol of the pyramid and the detached capstone containing the All Seeing Eye (see the back of a dollar bill). Jesus is the true capstone who was rejected by the builder (man) and the remainder of the pyramid represents the body (Matthew 21:42-43). Satans scheme is to rule the body and place himself as the capstone. God is omnipotent, and omnipresent. Thus, the counterfeit All Seeing Eye of Horus represented on the capstone infers that he (Lucifer) is allpowerful. Jesus told the chief priest and Pharisees that the kingdom would be taken from them (Matthew 21:43). This prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost when the kingdom was transferred to the church (Acts 2:1-17, 21, 38, 41, 47). Jesus warned And whosoever shall fall on this stone (capstone) shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder (Matthew 21:44). [Parenthetical emphasis mine] Those fallen upon the stone and broken are those who have fallen before Jesus in repentance and are thus forgiven, but His falling upon man in judgment (the Capstone descending upon the body) will crush him to grinded powder. The evil structures of Satan remain invisible because the majority of the people in the world refuse to believe anything lacking tangible or empirical evidence. They refuse to believe anything that the government or media did not tell them. They refuse to believe anything their eyes cannot see, yet Paul said that we do not war against flesh and blood, but against that which is invisible (Ephesians 6:12). Even though the evidence is overwhelming, desensitization, entertainment, programming, mind control, and perhaps most importantly, information control is effectively used to divert the minds from the truth. People had better wake up and understand that others are guiding them and they dont even know it. These evil influencers dont want your children to be educated, they dont want you to think too much. This is why our country has been so proliferated with mass media, entertainment, television shows, amusement parks, computer games, recreation, drugs, alcohol, and every other kind of entertainment under the sunincluding religion, designed to remove you from any notion of critical thinking, let alone establishing any true relationship with God. They dont want you to get in the way of their agenda of control and the establishment of a New World Order. Satans goal is to destroy Gods people and he does this through the degeneration of their minds by deception. God however, gave those who are born-again the mind of Christ to overcome the devils deception. Greater is the power of Christ who resides in them, but most Christians refuse to obey God by not seeking or reverencing Him. They do not trust God and thus ignore His power within them. Therefore they too are snared like the sinner by the evil deceptions injected into the world through todays technology. What is even more unfortunate about this is that the sinners escape is through the Christian who has the remedy from God. If the Christian is rendered ineffective due to his lack of relationship with God, then the sinner is lost.

The breathtaking beauty of an immense mountain range descending into deep valleys of forests, exotic trees, flowers, and thick green pastures surrounded by sparkling turquoise waters can still be a very deadly place. In respect to the shape of the world today, not all technology is necessarily bad, but people still need to be aware. A wolf in sheeps clothing can appear to be as beautiful as a lamb, but inside it is a ravenous wolf. Some of the deadliest traps of deception lurk beneath some of our greatest technological achievements. Though the goodness in technology is dependent upon the heart from which it was developed, it can be made perverse by another. There has been much technology created for the good that ended up in the hands of evil. With that said, we should approach technology with great concern, caution, and responsibility because God is not necessarily behind all the technology in our day. Technological understanding has given us the mobility to go to-and-fro with incredible speed. An aspect of this mobility has taken form through the Internet access of the World Wide Web, which allows us to travel to distant places around the globe, while staying at home. This access allows us to communicate with people from around the world in a matter of seconds. Technological advancements of going to-and-fro have also taken form in personal and commercial transportation. Today, people will drive their vehicles or carpool an hour or more one-way to their employment without a second thought. Just a few decades ago, this would have been unheard of. Air travel has also become a routine of travel at speeds of 350 plus miles per hour between major cities and countries expanding hundreds to thousands of miles. A Bowing Jet, for example, has speed capability upwards of over 600 mph. This form of transportation has become as easy as riding a bus. Mass communication systems broadcast news around the world simultaneously in a matter of seconds. In Revelation, 11:7-12, the Bible speaks of two prophets who would be killed by the antichrist, yet it says that the entire world will see them resurrected. Could this have been possible at in any other time in our history? Technology has become our basic way of life. Practically everyone uses it in one capacity or another. All of these mentioned technological advances and others came through an explosion of knowledge that Daniel recorded in his vision about the end of days. The rate of change in our technological advancements does not necessarily reflect man having grown in wisdom; it is rather the unfolding of prophecy foretold in the Bible. The end of it shall be with a flood (Daniel 9:26). The world today is experiencing a flood of technological increase. An interesting question to consider concerning all the technological advancements is how did such advancements originate? Where did they come from? Considering the worlds time line, unexpectedly it seems that the world went from hundreds of years of mediocre progression toward modernization or technological understanding to a literal overnight flood of understanding. It is as if the world was catapulted into a vast advancement of future technologies and understanding. This advancement has come so fast that it is undeniably apparent that the technological mind of the world has far surpassed its humanity. Another interesting thing to consider is the fallen angles and their endeavors to follow and obey

Lucifer. According to the writings of the Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus (37 CE circa 100 CE), these angels came with knowledge and understanding that was forbidden to the world. They taught the women of old, charms and magic. They deliberately taught their knowledge for their benefit of destruction under Satans rule. This same kind of information was first given in the Garden of Eden. The serpent told Eve that she would be like God, knowing good and evil if she would only disobey Him and eat from the forbidden tree. The Bible speaks of fallen angels forever chained in darkness in a compartment of hell called Tartaros until their everlasting punishment by God, which is the lake of fire. God put them there because they not only left their habitat, but also fell even lower than some of their accomplices did. They abandoned their own nature and mated with the women of earth. The Bible also mentions that the offspring from the union between the fallen angels and the daughters of men existed before and after the Noiac flood (Genesis 6:4). The hand of God destroyed every person, animal, beast, and creeping thing, except those that God placed upon the ark for life preservation. Though God destroyed all life on earth with the flood, giants again appeared in the land sometime after the flood. God cast Satan and all his entourage of angels out of His kingdom and down to earth. We know that Satan is not being held captive in hell for the Bible says he roams the earth as a roaring lion looking for whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Hordes of Satans angelic agents or demons are also free of such chains of captivity until their time in the lake of fire. With their natural knowledge being significantly advanced to that of mans, consider how easy it would be for them to spill their knowledge into man knowing that this would ultimately destroy him just like it did Adam and Eve in their fall some six thousand years ago. By shedding His blood and dying on the cross, Jesus corrected the errors of man, who allowed himself to become enslaved to Satan. The people of the world however have refused to realize and accept what Jesus has done on their behalf, for the devil deceived the whole world. The Bible gives an account to what happened to the world after the fallen angels intermixed with the human race. The Bible says that so much vile corruption and evil filled the earth that it repented God that He had made man. Thus, He destroyed the entire world except for Noah and his family. Even the beast, creeping things, and fowls of the air, which God created, repented Him and He therefore destroyed them as well. A recurring question that comes to my mind concerning Gods annihilation of even the animals, beasts, creeping things, and fowls of the air is why would these creatures repulse God? What evil could they have possibly done against Him? In the Book of Genesis, it says that everything God made He saw that it was good. So, what could have happened to cause what God saw as good to be changed into something evil? What was it that actually moved God to destroy even the animals, creatures, beasts, and fowls of the air? Could it be that Satan and the fallen angels had even tampered with Gods animal kingdom as well as His people? When God gave Noah and his family the commandment to replenish the earth, He also gave this command to the specific animals and creatures He placed in the ark for preservation. As Noah could be construed a pure breed, so too were the animals that God commanded to replenish the earth. This book is certainly not a platform to argue such a thing as genetic tampering, but it is

interesting that God describe His docile, yet mighty, Behemoth in the book of Job, yet He never mentioned anything about other fierce creatures such as the meat-eating carnivores that fed on the flesh and blood of beasts such as the Behemoth. It is also interesting to note that God spoke about the demise of the Leviathan, which was described as a mighty serpent or fire-breathing dragon in the sea according to Isaiah 27:1. If God created the leviathan by His standard that all things created by Him are good, then what evil could this creature have done against God in and of itself that would cause God to slay it? Perhaps it makes one wonder if He did in fact create it. Perhaps what God created, Satan altered. We tend to view Satan only from the perspective of the Garden, forgetting all about the fact that God created him before the foundations of the generations of the worlds. When the angels rejoiced at Gods creation, Satan, who was then Lucifer, was there. I believe many of the mighty beasts predated Adam by hundreds of millions of years. Not only was Satan around during the time God created the mighty beasts of the earth, but also even then was he already dead set against God. This book is also not the platform to argue the state of the earth from Genesis, chapter one and verse one in connection to the second verse, where it states that God created the earth and then the earth was (or became) void, dark and without form. However, it is necessary to mention it because it brings to bear a moment in time when we can clearly see a disparity in the order of Gods creation. Only one known source according to the Bible could have been the culprit of such a disparity. Obviously, something occurred in the beginning of Genesis alluding to the possibility of millions or billions of years of separation between the first two verses. The Word of God says that in all things He created, He saw that it was good. The earth described in the second verse of Genesis, chapter one is something God could not have created because what the earth was as the Bible describes it, was not characteristic of God. For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else (Isaiah 45:18). Thus, the second verse of Geneses chapter one could not have been the condition of the beginning of earth. A cosmic catastrophic destruction of some sort took place. Scientifically, it has been documented that this destruction was partly the result of a flood much greater than that of Noahs day. For this flood not only affected the planet, but even the firmament. What could have caused such devastation? Some believe that our planet was literally knocked off its axis by a tremendous asteroid; what was south, for instance, became north. Unbeknownst to the public, many astrologers, astrophysicists, and other scientists today have documented that an asteroid or planet about the size of Jupiter (a dwarf star) is on a path heading straight for earth. It has been termed by some as the planet Nibiru or dubbed Planet-X by NASA, meaning the 10th planet. What these scientists have said about this planet is in the least, chilling to the bone. In a nutshell, a comparable destruction to that which took place between the first two verses in the first chapter of Genesis, is what has been documented as a possibility of our imminent future. They determined that this asteroid collision or pass-by would cause massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mass tidal waves, the melting and shifting of the polar

ice caps, sudden vast fluctuations in temperature and climatic conditions, and a shift in the polar axis of the earth. It has also been documented that this asteroid body is so huge that its electromagnetic field is already having a negative effect on our sun causing a greater intensity and increase of solar flares on the suns surface in addition to the increasing anomalous weather conditions on earth. Interestingly, in the book of Isaiah it says Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound (Isaiah 30:26). Scripture in the book of Revelation match this concerning the fourth angel who poured out his vial upon the sun. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory (Revelation 16:8-9). Since early 1996, traditional weather has changed dramatically, breaking all time records regularly. By researching the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and comparing their information to what is actually being presented to the public in the news, you can clearly see what the public is not being told. This includes the alarming increase of quakes, unprecedented volcanic eruptions, electromagnetic changes, and even bizarre weather abnormalities each happening all around the world. Whenever something is mentioned, they explain it away using global warming as the scapegoat. Many experts in cahoots with and in addition to the government are trying to say that such changes in our climate ecosystem are due to global warming effects. They say that people are causing it by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas, and the cutting down of forest trees, which results in a global greenhouse gas emission. They argue that todays climate change is driven by the addition of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted into the earth's atmosphere. They further claim that such emissions are happening faster than the planet's normal mechanisms can adjust. At the other end of this spectrum are those who argue that global warming is caused solely by our sun. Even though many are working toward an answer to explain the increasing anomalous environmental conditions, a large portion of the scientific community has already publicly rejected the governments notions of global warmingthat is, their idea that the earth is heating up from the outside. Some astronomers and astrophysicists believe that the closer the asteroid gets, the faster it will move toward earth and the stronger the magnetic and gravitational effects will become upon the sun and the earth. Climatically, the environment will steadily become worse as this planetary body approaches. Our own suns gravity will pull it closer ultimately increasing its speed along with the asteroids own gravitational pull toward the sun. There has always been a delicate ecological and planetary balance between our sun and the earth. That balance however is now

being disrupted because of the influence of these two strong magnetic and gravitational forces upon the earth, our sun and the approaching asteroid. Even though Planet X is still far away, it is slowly causing the earths core to warm up, which in turn is gradually heating up the oceans. The oceans rise in temperature is causing stranger weather patterns, in addition to increased earthquake and volcanic activity, worldwide. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), there has been more earthquake activity and related deaths within the last four years than any other time in the history of earth combined. These in addition to other catastrophic weather conditions will continue to increase in frequency and severity as the years go by. Global warming theorist suggests that the planet is heating up from the outside caused by atmospheric radiation of the sun upon the greenhouse effect. However, they cannot explain why the poles are melting from beneath the earth. They cannot explain the great quantities of water found underneath the icecaps. Some locations have been measured at astounding depths greater than 200 feet and steadily increasing. What is even more interesting is that they cannot explain why the water beneath the icecaps is warmer than the sun exposed water on the surface. Inevitably, the climatic conditions and weather patterns of the earth will become utterly catastrophic as the asteroid draws closer to earth. In addition, the frequency of solar flares from the sun due to the massive planetary bodys electromagnetic field will greatly intensify. Some scientists estimate that Planet Xs magnetic grip will eventually slow the earths rotation to an ultimate stop, which will last for approximately 3 days prior to the earth literally shifting on its axis 90 degrees. They also estimate that the planet Mercury will not be able to withstand the electromagnetic field of this planetary body and will most likely be destroyed. Much of the debris will fall to planet earth as meteors. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter (Revelation 8:8-11). Perhaps many may perceive such news to be a hoax because they have not heard anything about this in the media. It is a known fact however that some airliners for instance, have either already modified their runways or have begun making plans to make modifications because of the slight shifting of polarity in the magnetic poles, which they utilize for landing navigation. Though it was not greatly publicized in the media, NASA actually confirmed the existence of Planet X in 1982. A year later, this object was actually spotted in deep space by the IRAS (Infrared Astronomical Satellite). News coverage about this event was written in the Washington Post and New York Times. On September 10, 1984, an article about Planet X was also written in the US News. The media however eventually became silent on the issue and to this day does not mention anything about it. Who controls the media?

Perhaps an ancient event that caused worldwide devastation on earth will repeat itself. It has been said that if you would like to get an idea of the destruction that took place on earth at the period between the first two verses of Genesis chapter one, simply read the bible from the end of the book of Revelation toward the beginning of Revelation. Scientists have calculated that the most prominent date of the arrival of this asteroid would be on December 21, 2012. Bible code enthusiast will be elated to know that the Bible Codes also speak a great deal about this date and such events transpiring, which are also in alignment with Biblical Scriptures relative to the seven-year tribulation of the world. The ancient Mayan Calendar recorded thousands of years prior to the Bible even reveals December 21, 2012 a day of destruction and annihilation. In fact, the Mayan calendar marked by the year 3114 BCan equivalent to 890 years after Adams creation, actually ends on December 21, 2012. On another note, astronomers and astrophysicists have also documented that an alignment is taking place between our solar system and the galactic center of our universe. In a nutshell, our solar system is part of a huge disc shaped collection of stars and planets called the Milky Way. Earth is located somewhere on the edge or outer spiral arm of the disc, situated slightly on top of this narrow disc. It takes 11 years for Jupiter to revolve around the sun once. Due to the gravitational pull on the sun from Jupiter's 11-year cycle, our sun reaches what is called a Solar Maximum. This normally occurs every 11 years. The Solar Maximum is a disturbance within the sun, which works its way to the surface and erupts in sunspots and solar flares. Solar flares are pieces of the sun blasted outward into space that discharges radiation and strong electrical currents. Sometimes this deadly mass shoots out from the Sun towards the planets at incredible speeds, like a bullet. That you may know that such phenomenon is real, in 1989 a flare hit the North American continent. At impact, electric lines in addition to power grids in the US and Canada were fried creating power blackouts. The worst aspect of these flares is that they have the capacity to zap the ionosphere and irradiate the earths surface literally killing every living organism it touches. The last cycle of Solar Maximum was in 2001. The next cycle will coincide with December 21, 2012, but wait, there is more! On the same day when our Sun is at its solar maximum, something will happen that has never happened before in human history. The ecliptic of our solar system will intersect with the Galactic plane, called the "Galactic Equator" of the Milky Way. I saw an analogy that describes it this way; if you imagined a dinner plate with a meatball in the center and peas circling it, this would be in relation to our solar system. The meatball represents the sun and the peas represent the inner and outer planets. The Milky Way would be like a city sized-pizza with a gigantic meatball at the center. The plate and pizza are not parallel and are moving at different angles, yet they are about to intersect. As mentioned earlier, our solar system is currently situated above the disc plane of our galaxy. However, our solar system has been drifting downward and according to NASA, astronomers, and astrophysicists around the world, on December 21, 2012 we will be in exact alignment with the pizza crust as we pass through it eventually falling below it. That means that our solar system will no longer exist above the galactic plane of the Milky Way, but below it. The entire

orientation of our galaxy will change (Perhaps this will be Gods repositioning of the stars and planets as described in the book of Revelation chapter 21). The intersection will be at the Galactic Equator where galactic gravity is the strongest. At such time, there will be incomprehensible exponential increases in solar disruptions. This gravitational cosmic tsunami could cause the sun to scorch the earth in addition to many other cataclysmic events that will take place due to the gravitational pull on the earth from the galactic center. Interestingly enough, the media is also not speaking about this event, but your government in addition to governments around the world knows that it is coming. Could this all be mere speculation? Perhaps in just a few years many will have the unfortunate opportunity to find out. On the other hand, perhaps the world will glide right through year 2012 without a glitch. Gods timing is after all, His timing. Despite anyones guess of the specific date of the Lords return and worlds destruction, the catastrophic events of the world tribulation will occur. History tells us so, science tells us so, and most importantly, the Word of God tells us so. Jesus forewarned us of such a time two thousand years ago instructing us therefore to watch and pray. One last interesting thing that I would also like to point out about the approaching asteroid is that since the discovery of Planet X, many insiders have come forth in documentation stating that governments around the world have greatly accelerated their agenda of building vast underground military facilities. Many of these individuals have had actual connections to such facilities, from being engineers and designers of these facilities to those having high classed military clearance that actually visited or work at such facilities. It has been said that some of these bases located deep within mountains in various locations around the world are as large as cities and are already stocked with several years worth of food, water, and supplies. Most of these vast underground cavern systems are connected, via a rail system that utilizes systems of magnetic and crystal energy to propel trains at supersonic speed. Who has the power to pull off such a monumental endeavor around the world? This is yet another sign of agreement between governments around the world, yet who orchestrates such agreements? It is a known fact among many researchers and whistleblowers that over 130 of these underground base facilities exist in the U.S. alone. I believe that the Word of God addresses this in the book of Revelation. God doesnt miss a thing. The Word says, When He [the Lamb] broke open the sixth seal, I looked, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun grew black as sackcloth of hair, [the full disc of] the moon became like blood. And the stars of the sky dropped to the earth (Possibly the debris from the planet Mercury?) like a fig tree shedding its unripe fruit out of season when shaken by a strong wind. And the sky rolled up like a scroll and vanished, and every mountain and island was dislodged from its place. Then the kings of the earth and their noblemen and their magnates and their military chiefs and the wealthy and the strong and [everyone, whether] slave or free hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, And they called to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on (before) us and hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the throne and from the deep-seated indignation and wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of His wrath (vengeance, retribution, indignation) has

come, and who is able to stand before it? (Revelation 6:12-17, TAB). (Parenthetic emphasis mine.) Perhaps these deep underground caverns will actually become the tombs of many. Please understand that I am not attempting to date the rapture or coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but I am highly suggesting that the time is very close at hand, much closer than perhaps one would think. The many millions or possibly billions of years that transpired between the timeframe of Genesis 1:2 (before the Spirit moved upon the face of the waters) and the regeneration of the earth beginning at verse 3, is unknown to us. According to the book of Genesis, there was literally nothing alive at the beginning stage of the seven-day regeneration of planet Earth. Thus evolution is out of the question because in order for evolution to exist, their must be a genetic link to something prior. Many believe in evolution because they simply dismiss the Word of God. Because man has unveiled fossils of ancient animals, beasts, and humanoids existing from thousands to even hundreds of millions of years ago, they presume that life today is the extension of such ancient forms of life. Unexplained artifacts have also been found buried in the earth such as skulls and bones of giant humanoids, yet the Bible talks about giants being in the earth in the book of Genesis. Are we the lineage of such creatures as it is believed we are to Apes, Homo sapiens, and Neanderthals who lived prior to the Noiac flood and the Adamic race? Perhaps the message missed is that God always leaves Himself a witness. What science uncovers today pertaining to such a world existing millions to billions of years ago is a story God deliberately left behind, which testifies that He is God. God could have wiped out all the evidence of such an ancient world if He had desired to do so. Some believe also that the beings who inhabited the earth became disembodied spirits when God destroyed the earthprior to Genesis 1:2. Today they are known as demons. The inhabitants were under Lucifers reign on earth. Some believe that these inhabitants initially consisted of a reptilian race of beings, thus Satan being made the lowest of this kind to that of a serpent after transgressing against God in the garden. Nevertheless, when Lucifer fell into sin he and the world, which he then ruled, was plunged into judgment and destruction. In the regeneration of Earth, God spoke to the darkness saying, Let there be light (Genesis 1:3). This was not the creation of light, as many believe. Jesus who created all things (John 1:3) was and is the light. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not (John 1:5). God established the light the moment He formed the heaven and earth according to Genesis 1:1 and Isaiah 45:18, which says that God made the world with the intent that it would be inhabited. In John 1:4 the Bible says that in Him was life and the life was the light of men. God therefore did not create the earth and heaven void of light. The Word says that there is no darkness in God at all, thus His light at such time was manifested. After the destruction of the world, according to Genesis 1:2, one of the earths characteristics was that it became dark. God simply

commanded the darkness to move aside so that His light could once again illuminate. The Bible says that God divided and separated the waters between the earth and the firmament to distinguish between land and sky. He separated the waters also so there would be division between land and water. The point is that the earth changed from Gods original design. In Genesis, chapter one and verse two, God begins to clean up the mess so-to-speak, by reforming the earth. The war between God and Satan, which existed even then had everything to do with the destruction that came upon the earth after the original creation, which led to the condition of the earth in the second verse of Genesis, chapter one. Throughout ancient history ever since Lucifers fall, in his rage against God he has been determined to destroy everything God created. God created the beasts such as the mighty Behemoth with its large tail as strong as a cedar tree and bones like bars of iron and strong as steel (Job 40:15-23). In His description of this beast to Job, God said that even the raging waters of the Jordan River could not budge this creature. It is a well-known fact that just a foot or two of raging waters can sufficiently move a vehicle weighing an excess of several tons. I believe that God was clearly talking about a beast equivalent to the size of a brontosaurus, if not larger. What about some of the other beasts, however, such as the carnivores that stalked, killed, maimed, drank the blood, and ate the flesh of other beasts? It is interesting that God never mentioned these creatures. Were these flesh-eating carnivores actually a part of Gods original and intentional design from the very beginning as mentioned in the Book of Genesis chapter one and verse one? Could they have been a part of Gods creation even though His intent was that the lion would lie beside the lamb as it was in the Garden of Eden and will be in the New Jerusalem to come? If you will notice also, the prehistoric beasts eventually became suddenly extinct. Their extinction was not gradual over hundreds or thousands of years. There is scientific evidence that clearly shows that the extinction was instantaneous as if within minutes or even seconds. Frozen beasts, for instance, have been unearthed with food still lodged in its mouth, suggesting that its annihilation was so swift that it died instantly while grazing. Perhaps to some degree we can compare this event to the annihilation of the animals, beasts, creeping things and fowls of the air in Noahs day; that is, perhaps prehistoric beasts also were altered where new breeds that were rather different from Gods original intent appeared on the scene. Adam and Eve were not in danger of the beasts in the garden. Adam gave every beast, creeping thing, and creatures of the air and sea their names. God had given Adam dominion over the entire earth. Before the fall, there was peace between Adam and every creature. There was peace among the animal kingdom. Prior to the fall, there was not one slain animal or creature. The first slain animal was the sacrificial slaughter of a lamb by the hand of God in order to cover Adam and Eves sin. When did Gods creation of beasts, animals and creatures take on the characteristics of being such carnivores of flesh and blood? Obviously, we can say that Adams fall led to the demise of the creatures of His generation unto this day, but what about the prehistoric carnivorous beasts that existed prior to the creation of the Adamic race. If God considered that what He made was good, then what transformed these ancient beasts into such evil in the eyes of God that He would have cause to suddenly destroy them?

The question of genetic tampering or cross breeding leaves one to wonder about the very premise of the origination of many folklore mythologies consisting of half-human half-beast and reptilian like creatures, fire breathing dragons that flew through the sky and swam in the seas, humanoid monstrosities, mutant sea creatures and the likes of which God did not create. The Bible stipulates that everything God created He saw that it was good. Could such beasts have been manufactured by an ancient, yet advanced technological strand of the same genetic technology, which seems more prevalent today than ever before in the history of our world? Could this ancient strategy of Satan also have any ties to his scheme of corrupting the genetic bloodline in order to thwart Gods plan for bringing into the world the New Born Savior? The Bible speaks of evil giants being in the land before and again after the flood of Noahs day. These evil giants were the seeded offspring of the fallen angels and the perpetrators behind the corruption on earth that lead to the earths destruction by the hand of God. The Bible speaks also of certain Holy Beasts in the kingdom of heaven. . . . and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within . . . (Revelation 4:6-8). This description is very similar to what Ezekiel saw in his vision of the chariot throne of God (Ezekiel 1:5-26). He called them the Cherubim (Ezekiel 10:20), the protectors of the throne of God. Ever since his fall, Lucifer has conspired to counterfeit Gods glorious kingdom. In many of the Egyptian hieroglyphics and folklore legends in addition to the mythologies of other ancient cultures around the world such as the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas, inscribed depictions have been found and much literature has been written about such simulated creatures. Could it be that Satan had even gone as far as to create his own beasts, creeping things, and fowls of the air, in addition to humanoids? Could it be that the fallen angels not only mated with the daughters of men, but also manipulated or changed DNA? Could they have even mixed their own DNA structure with reptiles to create a hybrid race of creatures, which they could control dating back hundreds of millions of years even into the current times of today for the benefit of influencing the people of the earth? This may sound outrageous to some, but perhaps it would be surprising to know how much written information actually exist on these types of subjects by people from all over the world who have studied, researched, and thus believe such things to be true. Perhaps every myth has at least a shred of truth deeply embedded within it. At the very least, we should be willing to step out of the proverbial box of mainstream thought and realize that perhaps weve been programmed how to think, or rather not to think, according to the worlds system of information and education. The technology for genetic tampering would have certainly existed because of the fallen angels higher knowledge. Satan does not hold the key to life where he can therefore create life, but he can alter or manipulate what God creates. Everything God created He saw that it was good. Satan however, perverted what God created. Because man chose to follow Satan, God felt

disappointment in His heart that He had made man and thus chose to eradicate him from the face of the Earth. As the worlds ancient history repeats itself in our modern day, God will again destroy every evil thing in the world and make all things new. According to the Bible, the seed of Abraham through Noah continues to exist today. The Bible stipulates that the giants were in the land before and after the flood. So what happened to the demonic seed offspring of the fallen angels? Would not this seed also still exist today? Considering the sins of the world today in comparison to those of Noahs day, I believe it is safe to say that not only does such a seed still exist, but that this seed is even more prevalent in the world today than it was in Noahs day. The offspring may no longer be giants, from a physical standpoint, but their giant lives of wealth, power, prestige, and dark characteristics of evil exist nonetheless. These beings have absolutely no capacity to love nor do they share any regard toward human life. From birth, they are entirely devoid of God. We can easily understand this simply by viewing our wars, the German slaughter of the Jewish people, genocides taking place in Africa and other places around the world, the attack on the World Trade Center in New York, the slaughter of millions of children in this country and around the world through legalized abortion, and so many other things. Who is behind such evil in our world? Of course, we know it is Satan, but whos carrying out his orders if not his seed? This evil seed was also them whom God destroyed in biblical times where He annihilated men, women, and even children, for God knew their real identity. I have often heard people question how God could allow His wrath to come upon such seemingly innocent people as women and children in the biblical days. God knew their true identity. Such beings even at birth were entirely devoid of Him, for they were the genetic offspring of Satan. Just as today, such people would have wreaked havoc upon the entire world afflicting and annihilating the innocent. Some argue that the technological science of genetics was here all along, but is only now beginning to be revealed in these final days. Are these really such crazy thoughts in light of todays stem research and cloning technology? The Bible says that it repented God that He made man and beast, so He destroyed them all. His entire creation had been tampered with and made perverse in His sight. What God created became something revolting and repugnant. Not even the beasts, creeping things, and birds in the sky pleased Him, for even they were touched by a foul evil that now existed on earth. How did Gods creatures become altered from what He considered good to such evil in His sight that He chose to destroy them? Satan hates all that God loves and has endeavored since before the Garden of Eden to destroy all of it. His evil scheme has infiltrated every facet of life, every arm of government, religion, and power structure throughout the world. His aim is to replace the kingdom of God with his own kingdom, thus he is the apostate, the counterfeiter of God who has deceived the world. As in the day of Nimrod when he led his people in the revolt against God endeavoring to establish a new world order, so too is Satan still today bent on establishing the New World Order. This New World Order is Lucifers order. I believe that most of the technology we have today doesnt hold a candle to higher technologies existing that we dont necessarily know about. I have heard it said that some technologies

existing on earth are as far as 45 years advanced than the technologies mainstream understands and utilizes. If such a thing is true and these advanced technologies belong to the world system, we already know that Satan is the god of the world system. Thus, if He controls this technology then how can such technologies be an asset to the people of Earth? Such technologies can only be for the benefit of destruction. The bible says that Satan does not abide in the truth, for there is no truth in him, thus he can only speak lies. He can only speak the opposite of what God says. Considering this fact, we must conclude or at least strongly speculate that everything we have been told by the world system concerning whom and what we are have been lies. If they say that the planet Mars, for example, is an inhospitable place, barren, waterless, with a thin atmosphere and cold, could this be a halftruth or an entire fabrication? Could such a planet actually be the exact opposite of what we have been told? The bible tells us that God does not make junk. If the earth described in Genesis 1:2 was uncharacteristic of God, then how could such planets be so absolutely uncharacteristic of God, yet He created them? Other than earth, every jovial and extraterrestrial planet in our solar system found, for example, is inhospitable and void of lifethat is, according to what we have been told by the world system. We have been told that there are no other life forms in existence, that we are the only ones. What a way to alienate a species on a planet, by convincing them that they are all alone, that there really is no God, nor any other form of life. What a perfect avenue in creating helplessness among an entire planetary population in order to control it. When people see themselves helpless, one of the first things they endeavor to do is find someone or something to lead them. Thus, they follow without question. We tend not to question what we have been told by the world regardless of the fact that God has been speaking in opposition. When they tell us, for example, that all the planets are barren and lifeless, no one bats an eye. Such information is automatically accepted as fact and truth. We know that certain technologies exist that allows an orbiting earth surveillance satellite at a distance greater than 22 thousand miles above the earthand thats putting it mildlyto zoom in right through the roof of a home and clearly fix on an object as small as a dime on a table. These satellites equipped with high tech recorders and cameras, etc., can snatch cell phone and other forms of communication right out of the air. From thousands of miles above the earth, they can make out peoples faces, figure out building composition and see through walls. Yet when pictures of planetary objects such as moons and planets are displayed by unmanned craft flying directly into their orbits they are usually indistinct, blurry, seemingly shot from a great distance, and even air brushed. Surely, they could show us such objects with distinct clarity at point blank range, if they really wanted to. We know that information has been collected from planets and moons in our solar system by such technology as the Mariner Series from 1962-1975, Viking I and II, Voyager I and II, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, etc. Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune, along with dozens of their moons have been explored, yet the pictures presented to the public are about as obscure as viewing our moon with the necked eye on an overcast evening. At the time this chapter was written, there were approximately 2465 artificial satellites orbiting the Earth tracked by the Goddard Space Flight Center (so we are told, perhaps

there are many more). Over 16,291 previously launched objects had already decayed into the earths atmosphere over the years. Where did all the information gathered from these satellites go? Who has the information? When we see for instance an unidentified object in the sky, we have been conditioned simply to dismiss it. Perhaps it could be one of our own, yet this doesnt compute with the level of technology that weve been told exist. If the flying apparatus is not of this world, then that would be inconsistent also with what we have been told, which is that there are no other life forms other than our own. At any rate, such inconsistent information recorded in our books inevitably becomes the foundation of much of our learning and understanding and it doesnt even occur to people to question it. The Star Wars movie trilogy shows an interesting example concerning different planets and moons. Regardless of planets traveled to, there was not only life existing in and on such planets and moons, but also the expectancy that life would exist there. Perhaps George Lucas knew something that most would not be inclined even to consider. God is life, not emptiness and desolation. If God created it then rest assured that there is life in what He created. Could even the moon have ancient structures, glass domes and artifacts that NASA isnt talking about? Some people have actually come forward in documentation having spotted many clues that such things actually do exist on the moon. Via technology and knowing what to look for, they have found such proof in ordinary pictures from various books, government websites, and encyclopedias. For instance, many pictures of space missions on the moon consist of prisms. Prisms are rainbow-like colors given off from shards of glass due to the reflection of the sun. In other words, the pictures once consisted of various background structures such as domes and other intricate buildings made of glass. Obviously, such structures and objects were erased or airbrushed to appear as if not there. The suns reflections causing the prisms however were ignored. What would glass be doing on the moon? Due to the nature of physics, astronomical scientist, physicists, and engineers understand that glass on the moon is actually more structurally sound than steel on earth because there is no moisture on the moon. Could their actually be buried cities under the surface of the moon in addition to mars? If what they say is true about the planets, then perhaps something destroyed those planets as well. What could have caused such devastation? Who built the structures? What happened to the beings who built them? There is also the consideration of what some classify as intra-planetary life or middle earth. The movie Lord of the Rings, for example, was about a world existing in the middle of the earth. Could such a phenomenon actually exist? Some scientific researchers not only believe so, but also believe that just about every planet and moon in our solar system including the earths moon has an inner sphere, which could possibly sustain life. Even the Bible mentions a nether world located in the belly of the earth. According to the Bible, it is where Sheol, the place of the dead, or Hell exists. On the cross, Jesus spoke about a place called Paradise being there as well. Certain well-known individuals who postulated an interior earth consisted of Raymond Bernard, William Halley (discover of Halleys Comet), Marshall B. Gardner, Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Cleves Symmes, Edgar Allen Poe, John Uri Lloyd, in addition to many others. The orthodox scientific community has rejected the theories of such researchers and idealist, but who governs the orthodox scientific community? If they say that such things are not possible, then we should

at least consider and examine the sources that tell us such things. To whom do they answer? If they say that there are no cures to certain sicknesses and diseases, is this actually true? I have read many testimonies of people gaining excellent health only days after having been diagnosed with terminal illnesses simply by believing, visualizing, and thus acting as if they had divine health in addition to those who were ministered remedies such as certain natural supplements, for instance. What is also interesting is that in most of these cases that became public knowledge, those who ministered the medicine were scrutinized, persecuted, and/or punished by certain people and even the government. Many lost their license to practice, some were threatened or tossed into prison, and some even lost their lives or simply ended up missing. In short, they were silenced and their information was either suppressed or destroyed. Those who gave testimony were in some cases also silenced. When Jesus healed the blind man with sight, the Pharisees not only rebuked Jesus, but also the man who gave the testimony (John 9:34). Why would some people desire to suppress important information that could possibly save millions or even billions of lives? Jesus healed the sick and even resurrected many from death. Such wonders still exist in the church body today through those who dare to follow and believe Jesus the Christ, yet we do not read about these events in newspapers or hear about them in society. The world turns its back on such information regarding it as foolishness and rubbish. Remember, Satan who hates all that God loves governs the world system, which controls the information. Thus, the news of the world is filtered, through Satan. The bottom line is that generally people know only what they have been told, but who is doing all the talking? Better yet, who is it that isnt talking? Disinformation, secrecy, and silence, is also a form of deception. Does the world today represent God or itself? In the interest of national security, there is much secrecy so until it is time perhaps very few will ever know let alone believe the truth. I believe that one day soon many people of the earth will know the truth. God reveals everything to those who desire truth. The enemy however does everything surreptitiously because he has much to conceal. This concealment keeps the bonds of deception glued to the minds of people. God said that Satan has come down and deceived the whole world. I believe that most of the worlds technology sprung out of a higher knowledge that existed well before the beginning of man. Those that God forever banished from His kingdom brought it here. Today, some people refer to them as aliens, UFO phenomena, or extraterrestrials. Regardless of what people may name them, these fallen angels under Satan have one agenda with the world, which is Satans agendakill, steal, and destroy. If we compare the world today to that of the Noiac age, it becomes abundantly clear that the technology of our world has not made the world a better place. It has done far worse. The world today is much worse than it was in Noahs day, which even then God destroyed. How foolish it is for people to think that God has turned His back in apathy to what the world has become in our day. Surely, He will justifiably do far worse to this world than He did in Noahs day. The worlds technological advancement is a signpost of the course it is currently on, which was mapped out thousands of years ago when God told Satan in the Garden of Eden what would be his end. All the rapid changes and technological advancements in the world today are leading up to the Lords return just as the Word of God prophesied.

When Daniel saw in his vision todays technological age he saw destruction and annihilation, not a spiritual advancement or movement toward seeking God. Jesus never commanded His people to follow in the direction of the world. He commanded them to go into the world to preach the Gospel just as He did when He was on earth in order to usher souls out of the world. Jesus commissioned the church body today to preach to the world like the disciples and apostles did who continued after His ascent to heaven. Their mission was to assist in pulling people out from the world, but how did they do it? It has only been in these final days that the church has begun to utilize the mass technology now available, which allows a minister to speak to multitudes across the world while in his hometown. Though technology seems to have solved many challenges Christian ministries may have had to face such as reaching the lost in ways that were impossible before, the dependency upon world technology is a significant matter that needs to be addressed. This technological dependency is leading people away from the kingdom of God. Technology empowers people not to fear God. Through technology, people believe they can fill the voids in their lives. If technology can fulfill the needs of people then what is the necessity of having God in their lives? We have allowed our technology to bombard our minds with subconscious injections by the media, social structures, educational systems, and even religion, all rejecting God and promoting that technology is the end to the means of being satisfied in life. Through their technology, people seek to access the meaning of life. Because of technology, they believe they have their answers. Why else are they boasting about their freedom, prosperity, wealth and the modernizations of the world? In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon tackles the understanding of life. He considers all the wealth and riches God had blessed him with in conjunction to wisdom. Though he possessed more in prosperity and wisdom then all the inhabitants of the earth in his day, his summation of all his understanding concerning life was that everything outside of God was vanity. What this means is that life detached from God is death. Jesus said I am the life yet man has become determined within himself to find life through other means such as his technology, materialism, and vainglory. According to Jesus, this last church generation is shouting from the rooftops that it is rich, having everything and is in need of nothing. From a technological point of view, this seems true. Technology is on the constant rise. Whatever does not exist today, give it a few months to a couple of years and watch it arrive on the scene. Some people might say that technology answers prayers, not God. We have to understand however, that God does not look at the world from our progressive technological point of view. He considers the world from His point of view, which is the only view that counts. His view says that the world is reckless, disobedient, and on a clash course with destruction. Gods view says that the world as it is today, is not worthy of His kingdom. Consider the fact that when Jesus ministered on the earth He never utilized such technologies that exists today and neither did any of His apostles, yet they affected the entire world. In contrast, we have technology that far surpasses anything they could have done to reach people in respect to transportation mobility and the spreading of the Word through electronic mass communication capability. Jesus didnt have awesome books, famous authors, televised shows,

media, magazine subscriptions, the Internet nor E-mail servicesjust to name a few, all He had was the Word; that was all He needed. Everything was contained in the Word that caused the stir in the hearts of people throughout the earth. Unlike the world today, which utilizes technology, Jesus and the apostles utilized faith. Jesus operated in faith as He spoke the Word of God and miracles, signs, and wonders followed Him wherever He went. Those miracles, signs, and wonders performed by God through Jesus faith did more and reached more people than all the modern technologies in the world combined. It was God working the plan of salvation, not the people in and of themselves. The people the Lord used were only the vessels. At the end of the book of John, the Word says, And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen (John 21:25). Jesus did so many things in His ministry, which spanned only three and a half years, that if everything He had done was written, the entire world would not be able to contain the number of books to be written. One man on earth affected the world without using any of the technological capabilities that exists today. All His disciples and apostles followed suit after His ascent to heaven. Jesus was and is God. He could have done things differently to reach the world, but I believe even then He was showing us a divine example of the power of His Word and what it could do in comparison to the technology of our day and our expectations of it. The Word says And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:30). Jesus reached the masses through teaching, preaching, and miracles, signs and wonders. I do not believe that God is necessarily against all technology, he did give us brains with a learning capacity, but I dont believe He ever meant for our brains to outgrow our hearts. I dont believe it was Gods intent that technology should substitute faith. The worlds dependency upon technology is causing more people to ignore the presence of God. Technology for many has become the idol and substitution for God.

Technological Failure and Rampant Sin

The world is overflowing in technology, which has allowed us to traverse vast oceans and travel to the four corners of the earth, and send probes into deep space. Ministries are able to go into countries some of us have never even heard of or can even pronounce. Christianity has learned to harness and cultivate technology in order to spread the gospel worldwide through ministry. Yet in the midst of our technological advancements and successes, the world continues to fall apart. Sin is today more prevalent than any other time in the history of the world and will continue to escalate according to the Word of God.

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elects sake those days will be shortened (Matthew 24:21-22). In Christianity today, we have the knowledge and technology to reach the lost by propagating the gospel into the world like never before. Ministries across the nation are cultivating and utilizing such technologies and are sending out a gospel, but unfortunately most of these ministries are not sending out the true gospel, thus despite the technological breakthroughs sin continues to rapidly increase, storming rampantly throughout the world. Jesus told them, don't let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Messiah. They will lead many astray. And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately. The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come. Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:4-12, NLT). The description that Jesus gave is the exact description of the escalation of sin in the world that we are living in today. In the midst of our technological advancements, Jesus considers this later day church a failure, one He will vomit up from His mouth. Many technological breakthroughs may seem like the savior of this day, but no technology on earth can save those who are on a collision course with destruction. Man has allowed technology to surpass his humanity and has grown immensely in faith toward his technology instead of God. We listen to computers and data before we listen to people. We rely on bank accounts, paychecks, pensions, social security, credit ratings, credit cards, automated services, remote controls, media, guns, and even war before we rely on God. Perhaps technology in some respects is a gift from God, but we have allowed Satan to take hold of that gift and pervert it. Technology works against us in many more ways than it does for us, especially in the church. While more ministries become seduced by the possibilities of outreach through technological means, which can usher in bigger tithes, offerings, and partnership donations, they lose sight and compassion for some of their own people who are deeply hurting and in need of help. Jesus told Peter, if you love me, then feed my sheep. God strategically gives to each Shepherd a flock. In addition, He increases the flock. Ministries today, venture to establish and increase their own flock through television, radio, cable and satellite resources. I will submit to you that not every ministry is called of God. There are people who have literally catapulted themselves into offices, which God never called them. They have also gotten hold of

available technology to bring about growth in their ministries and to merchandise the anointing. The church utilizes technology in this respect to usher in worldly prosperity, wealth and abundance. Such are the very things most ministries today tend to pursue. They preach their doctrines throughout the nations, but what they are preaching is not necessarily the actual Word of God. In result, people are giving their lives to Christat least this is what they are led to thinkbecause they love the preached news. In addition, because of the diversion of peoples minds toward prosperity, wealth and riches, they are turning away from God. Peoples adulation for wealth, prosperity, religion, sensationalism, and entertainment has pushed love right out of the church and replaced it with selfish ambition and the pursuit of riches. Today, Christians are not being comforted, protected, and trained up as disciples. They are being abandoned, ridiculed rebuked, gossiped about, and judged by their own brothers and sisters in Christ. Christians coming against each other in the name of holy righteousness is a worse epidemic today than sinners attacking Christians. In addition, most churches today are not teaching about the blood of Christ, the return of Christ, the Holy Spirit, faith, and living a life of holiness. Without such teachings, how can the body of Christ ever expect to grow? The church body does not see itself in the condition, which Jesus described. Jesus called the last church pathetic, saying that He will spew it from His mouth because it has lost its flavor. He called it lukewarm. The church today however, is looking at itself from an entirely different perspective deceived by its own self-righteousness. Has it ever occurred to you that on average there is a church situated within an approximate mile radius of another church throughout just about every city in this nation? That amounts to tens of thousands of churches in just the cities of this country alone, yet the evil and perversions going on are as if no church exists at all. Considering the vast amount of churches existing today, how can there not be a tremendous spread of Holy life in and around the areas of the church spreading outward throughout the nation? If the church were following Jesus commandment to love and spread the gospel, there would be a spread of Holy life throughout the nation. The fact that this isnt happening tells us that ministries are not submitting to God nor are they obediently doing what Jesus told them to do, for the love of God conquers all evil. His love causes the conversion from a sinful life to a holy life. The only way that evil can persist in the land is if there is no love of God emanating from the church body. The majority of ministries within the Christian church believe they are operating in faith because they have acquired riches through material possessions, money, power, and wealth. Yet Jesus says they are deficient in the understanding and wisdom of God. They are no different than the rich young ruler who missed the opportunity for eternal life with Jesus because he stayed hung up on the riches he acquired from the world. Like the young ruler, the church today also believes that Jesus is impressed by their stature. By Gods standards, according to the Bible, most ministries are deficient in the wisdom of Gods truth. They lack understanding in how to please and receive from God through faith. Without faith, they cannot please God or receive from Him. Thus, their only avenue to gaining what they construe to be Gods prosperity is to follow the worlds way by believing in a modernized Christian view of prosperity and riches. Christianity has grabbed hold of this worldly foundation and has spread it throughout the church body. To boot, technology has enabled ministries to further spread these false teachings clear across the

globe. Countless ministries are sending a false gospel out into the world opposing what Jesus said to go out and preach. Jesus said that out of the many only few people would find Him, even though He allows himself to be found. People, this means that few are actually seeking God with a diligence and tenacious hunger to know His truth. Most people are not actually interested in knowing Gods truth because like the rich young ruler, they dont want to hear or deal with the eventuality of the Lord telling them what they must give up. What did the rich young ruler do when Jesus told him to give up everything he owned, sell it to the poor, take up his cross and follow Him? He probably looked at Jesus as if Jesus was nuts. Peoples response to God today is no different. They cannot see beyond the material possessions and worldly desires they think they stand to lose. They do not understand that just beyond what God can get them to let go of is where the beginning of a glorious life of a hundred fold with Him begins. The hundred-fold may not necessarily consist of material possessions, but of wisdom, peace, joy, and a sound mind from Christ, which is priceless in comparison to any monetary or material possession in the world. The foundation of all blessings from God is to walk in His wisdom. The established distance between people and the kingdom of God is measured by their own unwillingness to put down their thoughts, life, and desires, which they so strongly desire to keep. They refuse to believe that God has a better life for them. They have instead allowed Satan to convince them that the world has a much better offer. The world system has trained us practically all our lives to view life from the perspective of our own perception, judgment, and righteousness. It has also trained us not to question what we perceive, yet there are those who control what we perceive. They control the airwaves, bandwidths, satellites, media, entertainment industry, advertising, banking and financial industry, government, sciences, educational systems, and even the vast number of religions and religious structures within the church. There are those who have brought mass deception into the world causing the people to believe that their thoughts are entirely and uniquely their own. Through mass deception, we have been taught to accept without question whatever our intelligence has shown us and to dismiss opposition, in particular those that line up with Scripture from the Word of God. This is why the church body can hardly fathom the idea of Jesus speaking to them about their evil state of being lukewarm. It is as if the church literally believes that Jesus must be speaking to someone else. Paul addressed the inevitable state of affairs of the people belonging to the world in the end of days. But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]. For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane. [They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good. [They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than

lovers of God. For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them] (2 Timothy 3:1-5, TAB). This Scripture literally describes the church of today. There are multitudes of people just as Paul described in this passage in church every Sunday, singing and shouting, Glory to God! They are getting their praise on every Sunday morning. This includes the leadership in the church from the top down and throughout the congregation. What Paul says in Second Timothy chapter three, is an undeniably familiar sight in secular societies and Christian communities all around the world. What actually makes the perils and destruction of this dispensation of time so much more significant than that of the Noiac age is that in Noahs day there was no such thing as the sons and daughters of God. Because of Adams sin, the spirit of God did not reside in the hearts of people. They were spiritually dead. In order to establish this dispensation, God sent His only Son into the world to die an unfathomable death on the cross in order to save the people. Jesus washed our sins away by His own blood. Through His immaculate blood, we were made righteous in the sight of God who furthermore adopted us as sons and daughters, called us His children, and gave us the right to call Him Father. He made us co-heirs to His very throne. We were no longer servants, but sons and daughters in His house for eternal life. In addition, God put His spirit in His children and they became spiritually alive where for thousands of years they were spiritually dead. Despite what the Lord has done, the people in the world chose to reject Christ and His Fathers kingdom and instead welcomed Satanthe prince of darknessand received his filth of death and destruction, which he offered them. Another significant factor has to do with believers today who have at one time received Christ, yet renounced and rejected him to go back into the same world system that conspired to annihilate themthat same world that Jesus the Christ died a brutal death from which to save them. The worst of it is their distorted idea that God is in agreement with them. The Lord gave us more than we will ever deserve to insure that we would have His gift of salvation. Therefore, there is no excuse for the world having become what it is today. Christ defeated Satan, but the world repeatedly shouts to God that Satan has defeated Christ. Even many believers classifying themselves as Christians are shouting the same message to God. When one doubts God in his heart, he is shouting this message to God. When one disobeys God in order to pursue his own purposes and desires in life, he shouts this message to God. When one commits physical or spiritual adultery, he shouts this message to God. When one disrespects and hates his spouse, he shouts this message to God. People who refuse to be doers of the Word of God not only live their lives deceiving themselves, they are also shouting to God that Jesus death on the cross was not sufficient to save them. Patiently, the Lord has waited for these past two thousand years for the world to repent and simply accept His unfailing love, forgiveness and eternal life in His glory. In the day of Noah, the Lord did not send the rain for a hundred and twenty years after He instructed Noah to build

the ark. How much more has the Lords grace been upon this world, despite the even greater sins? He sent His son to die for us, gave us salvation, His gift of righteousnesswithout charge, filled us with His spirit, gave us the measure of faith, and promised us that He would give us our hearts desire if we would only seek Him. Nevertheless, God has been rejected, ridiculed, persecuted, and hated by the very people whom He happens to love so much. How much more grace has God granted this world that He would wait some two thousand years before He would return just for the sake of allowing the world time to repent? How many more thousands of years should He continue waiting before His grace has bottomed out? How could the Lord Jesus Christ be a just God if He were not to come for the sake of those who have been diligent in their lives toward Him, even if there was only one, like Noah in his day? Because God is just, Jesus is coming. The daily progressions of these perilous times of great stress and trouble will continue to increase as the world continues toward the inevitable tribulation of Gods wrath and the returning of the Christ to rule and reign on earth for a thousand years. We are saved from the wrath to come by obeying the instructions God gave us. He sent His messengers and prophets out into the world to speak and warn not only the sinner, but believers as well because deception has encroached upon the church. Though Jesus came to save that which was lost, He nevertheless speaks to all the churches in the Book of Revelation. Christians however, are ignoring the warnings of the prophets and are dismissing the signs of the times. Few are actually preaching and teaching about the signs of the times because the majority of believers are clueless to them. God has released into this world His Spirit of correction, which He has sent upon the body of the church. A very significant factor exists about this last church generation that I pray ears will hear. People must recognize that Jesus had not one good thing to say about this church generation. I am breaking down Revelation, chapter three and verses fourteen through nineteen to help people understand and ascertain why Jesus had not one good thing to say about this generation. The intent here is to awaken souls and open eyes by shaking and stirring up the minds within the church body and world to help prepare hearts for the coming of Christ. Jesus last words on the issue of the churches was to be zealous to repent, that He would grant His people a seat with Him in His throne as He was granted a seat with His Father in His throne (Revelation 3:19-21). He said, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches (verse 22). Religious doctrines in the church today are going forth like never before because of the technological boost, but most of the teachings are a mixture between truth and deception. These religious doctrines are leading Christians away from the truth through the seduction of sensationalism, tradition, and ministries speaking only what peoples itching ears desire to hear. Very little gospel spoken today is relevant to the signs of the times. Jesus commanded us to be on watch for His return. Yet, very few are teaching and preaching about His return. As close as we are to the day when Jesus will take up the body in a flicker of an eye, still the church is teaching hardly anything about the rapture and the second coming of Christ. Very little is taught today from the book of Revelation, even though it is the only book in the Bible God emphasized by speaking a blessing over those who should read and study it. More

than anything, the gospel message today should be about our redemption in Christ by His shed blood and death on the cross. The message should be about the translation from darkness to the Kingdom of Light. The message should be about our living our lives in love, holiness and contentment with God. We should be teaching in our churches about Jesus return to rule and reign on earth for a thousand years, and in the world to come, which is the New Jerusalem. Instead of using our technological advancements to preach the true gospel to the world, prosperity messages of wealth and riches, condemnation, tradition, and works are being preached all over the world. Ministries are using television to present their gimmicks in order to lure the hopefuls into giving up their cash. The media is diverting the worlds attention toward sexual immorality, crime, rape, murder, graphic violence, pornography, adultery, fornication, worldly pleasures, life styles of the rich and famous, and the endless list of all things not pertinent to the coming of Christ. What is also sad is that believers are caught up in the mess just like the sinner. Believers, who follow the trails of those in the world, are producing movies and music for instance, that are secular in nature geared toward reaching their specific audience. What did Jesus do of a secular nature to reach the lost? Christians boast that it is a move of God when the secular world produces its version of Christ, even though the world does not know Christ or the Father who sent Him into the world. Because Satan has veiled the eyes of many believers, they follow without question the world, traditions, and doctrines designed to remove them from any notion that Jesus is actually coming any day now. If that day were today, would you be ready? As the world progressively continues toward the rapture, tribulation, and ultimately Christs return, deception continues to grow in a rapid increase throughout the world despite the technological advancements that even Christianity is utilizing.

Gods Revealed Plan

The perilous times spoken in the Word of God exist today. We can easily trace the origination of these times back six thousand years ago when Adams fall birthed sin into this world. When man transgressed the divine law of God, his nature became evil and he became separated from God. Adam became a slave to sin and we came into the world through him. Everyone entering the world through Adam was thus born into sin. Without Gods plan of salvation, we were lost and sentenced to the prison of Satan forever. God however, revealed His plan where we would be saved and redeemed from the curse of sin forever. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, . . . And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15). God revealed that another would come to undo what Adam had done. This Savior would restore man back to the original place where God had intended him from the beginning. Had not God intervened, Satan and man would have entered into an alliance against heaven. Instead of cherishing enmity against Satan, the entire human family would have been united in opposition to God. At one time in our history, it seems that this almost happened, but God had a plan. The Word says in the Book of Genesis

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart (Genesis 6:56). Man had become so vile from the infection of evil that God chose to wipe all of them off the face of the earth, with the exception of one man and his family (Genesis 6:7-8). Jesus was born into the world like man, for it was how God established life through Adam. In order for the Messiah to be born into the world outside of sin, He would have to be born into the world through Immaculate Conception. The blood that would run through Jesus veins would have to be the righteous blood of God Himself. Only His blood could wash away the sins of the world because only His blood was pure. Satan thought he had God beat in the garden because now with Adam and Eve having become sin, all human nature would be depraved, but God said, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. Therefore, when Satan heard Gods declaration that enmity should exist between himself and the woman, and between his seed and her seed, he knew that God would interrupt his efforts to deprave human nature. God would enable man to resist Satans power. The grace that Christ implants in you is what creates the enmity against Satan. Without His converting grace and renewing power, man would forever remain in the captivity of Satan. The devil figured that all he had to do was contaminate the genetic bloodline of the human race, which would cut off the possibility of Christ from being born into the world. If Satan were to succeed, then there would have been no way for the Savior to arrive. Satan sent his angels, those who rebelled against God, to mate with the daughters of men to mix the blood between good and evil and contaminate the genetic bloodline. And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose (Genesis 6:1-2). The offspring of the union between the sons of God, or fallen angels, and the daughters of men was nothing less than extraordinary. Gods law of reproduction according to His Word is everything after his kind (Genesis 1:25). His law makes it impossible to produce bananas from apples. Thus, the evil heart of the fallen angels, their supernatural power and strength were produced genetically in the offspring. In the Old Testament Bible, the sons of God refers to the Hebrew term Bene Elohim, which means supernatural beings or angels (Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7; Psalm 29:1, 89:6; Daniel 3:25). In Genesis, the Word says, There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4). The Hebrew word for giant is Nephil or Nephilimmeaning to fall, or the fallen. The offspring of this communion were the evil seed from the fallen angels. Eventually, the entire earth became

so infected with evil and sin that in Gods righteous anger, it repented Him in His heart that he had made man on the earth. God did away with the fallen angles that left their habitat and engaged in sexual sin with the daughters of men, which was repugnant in His sight. And angels who did not keep care for, guard, and hold to their own first place of power but abandoned their proper dwelling place (heaven) -- these He has reserved in custody in eternal chains (bonds) under the thick gloom of utter darkness until the judgment and doom of the great day. The wicked are sentenced to suffer just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the adjacent towns -- which likewise gave themselves over to impurity and indulged in unnatural vice and sensual perversity -- are laid out in plain sight as an exhibit of perpetual punishment to warn of everlasting fire (Jude 1: 6-7, TAB). Gods view of the sins committed by the fallen angels were like the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities thereabout who in a like manner indulged in adultery, fornication, and homosexuality; all of which God destroyed. God spared not these angels and cast them down to a place in hell called Tartaros where they await chained in darkness for the Day of Judgment and their perpetual doom (2 Peter 2:4). The evil upon the earth was so great that God chose to extinguish all life on earth with the exception of one individual, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). God destroyed the world with a flood, but spared Noah, his three sons and their wives. Noah walked with God in the midst of all the evil on the earth. He was the only person on earth not infected by the evil that had grown throughout the world. In everything God does, He leaves Himself a witness. Noah was the witness in that day for the Lord. Through Noah was the bridge between the regenerative world, which Adam lived, and the world we know of today. The Word says, There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that. The after that is referring to the post flood, meaning that there were giants in the land before the flood, yet the giants appeared again also sometime after the flood. The devil attempted once again to attack the genetic bloodline. However, God maintained the purity and righteousness through those who believed and walked in faith from Noah through the ages, to the ancestors belonging to the tribe of Judah, to Mary the young virgin woman who God chose to give birth to Jesus. Satan frantically plotted and conspired to come against what God prophesied in the Garden. Suffice to say, he failed. Everything God spoke happened. Gods children now own the Crown of Glory that Adam once carried. Satan however, is still determined to stop the next coming and he knows his time is short. The world is now living in the perilous times prophesied in the Word of God. These times reflect the plan of Satan to ambush the divine plan of God, which is the returning of the Savior to rule and reign on earth. Jesus feet will crush Satans head and Satans head will bruise His heal, for Satan is beneath the feet of Christ. If Satan, having annihilated all the followers of Christ, turned the whole world against God, then what would be the purpose of Jesus return to rule and reign? If Satan were to destroy Gods creation, then perhaps God would consider not returning. Satan is desperately trying to get out of his sentence, which is the eternal lake of fire. At the very

least, he wants to take as many of Gods children with him as possible. The book of Revelation reveals the finality of the enemy and his ultimate sentence to the eternal lake of fire and brimstone. We can rejoice in the fact that God speaks victory in the book of Revelation for the saints. Because we are living the past tense of what God has already seen before the foundation of the earth, we can rest in knowing that the enemy is already defeated and will forever burn in the lake of fire. God spoke it. Therefore, it is done. Amen.

three

New Creatures in Christ Get Ready!

When souls become new creatures in Christ, it is such a tender time for that new Christian.
Those who have become mature or have learned to be lead by the Holy Spirit cannot afford to turn away from the new Christian. In the home, we childproof rooms, shut and lock doors to stairs and put up gates. We put coverings over electric sockets, we cover up potentially dangerous electrical wires, and we place all potentially dangerous items high above on shelves out of reach from the child to insure that they cannot be hurt or seriously injured. We protect our children the best we know how and teach them properly early in child rearing because we know that if we fail to do so, danger lurks around every corner to ambush that child. One of the most unfortunate things in Christianity is that the spiritually young are being turned away in great numbers. They are left alone to fend for themselves, but they lack the skills and experience necessary to take care of themselves spiritually. It is awesome that those who are on fire for God are evangelizing communities, practically knocking down doors to get people saved. The problem however, is souls are getting saved, but few are being trained up and discipled. Some churches are equipping their people to go out and reel souls in, but the common occurrence is that new Christians are being left on their own to fend for themselves. Though many have been equipped to minister the Word and bring souls into the kingdom, churches are falling short in responsibility toward those who are newly saved. Many churches are not growing despite the number of people who are giving their hearts to Christ. Perhaps they are not growing because they have not learned how to accommodate the people when they come through their door. Thus, inevitably they lose them. Accommodating new Christians is being in the position to receive them in love and training them up. People are being saved, but because they have no Word foundation to stand upon, they eventually fall away. The Word of God says, When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first . . . (Matthew 12:43-45). The last thing this Scripture says is, That will be the experience of this evil generation (NLT). This Scripture details the life of a newborn Christian in this generation who is left on his own. It is far better not to get a person saved than to get him saved and then leave him. It is best to have

someone else bring him to the Lord who is willing to be accountable to this person and to God in order to help build this person spiritually. Otherwise, that persons life can end up far worse than it was before he got saved. On numerous occasions, I have seen Christians go out to witness the Word to people only to return proudly smiling from ear to ear because they just helped get a few people saved. Yet, where are they? Were they invited to the house of God, or given any instruction or assistance in immediately finding a church? Were they led to a pastor who can feed them the Word? Did they receive any Scripture or literature to read pertaining to the Word of God? What instructions were given now that they are saved? Christians will boast about the number of people they helped get saved, but asked the whereabouts of these newly saved individuals and no one knows. If left alone, it will not take very long for a new Christian to compare his life to the life he lived in the world and say to himself, I must have been a fool; my prior life was way better than Christianity. The Word says that when the enemy who used to be the tenant of the house returns, he finds that the place has been swept clean and garnished. He also notices that the house is empty. The house is empty because it has not been filled by the Word of God yet. It is easier for spirits to enter an empty house than one that is full of the Word of God. Therefore, only becoming saved is not enough. A person saved, yet empty of the Word of God will eventually gravitate back to a life in the world. The house becomes filled so-to-speak when the person receives the Word of God into his heart and does not depart from it. Without the teaching of the Word of God, how does the new Christian know about spiritual food, which is the Word of God? How does he know about the baptism of the Holy Ghost? Without the baptism of the Holy Ghost, the new Christian is powerless. He may have confessed Jesus as Lord, but He is not filled with the Holy Ghost. The disciples were empowered when Jesus was with them. When Jesus ascended to Heaven He sent them the Comforter who was the Holy Spirit that they may be empowered and enlightened, for the Holy Spirit reveals Christ and teaches about Christ. The Word says to put on the Armor of God and wear it at all times. Anyone without the filling of the Holy Ghost, yet have confessed Jesus as Lord, will nevertheless take a beating throughout his Christian walk because the armor of God is of the Holy Spirit. You cannot put on what you do not have. The armor of God is your protection against the wiles of the devil. Wearing the armor does not mean you wont have battles. Obviously, you will have battles. This is why you need the armor of God. With His armor, no weapons formed can prosper against you (Isaiah 54:17). Nothing by any means can harm you (Luke 10:19). No evil can come upon you neither shall sickness come near your dwelling (Psalm 91:10). A person can be born again, but without being discipled and trained up, he will suffer from spiritual malnutrition. He will lack the necessary spiritual nourishment of the Word of God, which consists of spiritual milk and ultimately spiritual meat. If no one leads him to Jesus through the Word of God in discipleship, he will never excel in spiritual wisdom and understanding. Without such help, he may very well end up miserably lost. The Word says that the spirit goes to find seven other spirits whose worse than the first and returns with them. Why would a spirit go and return to the house with seven worse spirits rather than just enter himself? Evil hates order. The Word said that the house was swept, and garnished. A garnished home is a home that has order. When one becomes saved his heart is now in order and positioned to receive the things of God, for God has given him a new heart. An

evil spirit cannot handle order, so it returns in numbers to thwart order. Having no defense, the new Christian eventually slides back into the world from which he came forgetting all about his salvation, and his life becomes worse than it was before he got saved. This same thing occurs to Christians who have been in the Word of God, yet chose to depart from it by neglecting their prayer life and setting down the Bible refusing to pick it back up. Christians who have been consistently and persistently in the Word of God, who have a relationship with God, can immediately feel the difference in their spirit when they have removed themselves from His presence even for a single day. Christians are either moving forward in God or they are gravitating backwards. There is no such thing as an idle place in the kingdom of God. A person who actually has a relationship with God and then chooses to turn away from Him will often time literally feel himself backsliding. The further removed we allow ourselves to become in our relationship with God the further removed becomes our discernment that we are actually moving away from God. Thus, the less power we have of His anointing to overcome the enemy. The less power we have, the harder the fight to get back into the presence of God. Satan does not just willingly let his victims go; it is his intent to enslave them in sin. Once a person is enslaved in sin, he is much less inclined even to notice that he is not in the presence of God. In other words, sinning becomes easier and without remorse. This is why God is continuously beckoning His people to stay with Him. It is much better not to leave Him in the first place. Though He graces us with His mighty power to overcome the obstacles in our lives, some people nevertheless give in. They lack His strength to overcome seduction, offenses, persecution, ridicule, and financial dilemmas. They lack His strength because they removed themselves from His Word. When we remove ourselves from His Word, we cast down our confidence or faith in Him and operate in our own self-confidence or righteousness. Without faith, we are like a sitting duck for the opposition. As Christians, we are heaven bound, but if not properly trained up and discipled, our lives on earth can be a type of hell despite the fact that Jesus took back the crown from Satan and has given us the spiritual power to have authority, dominion and heavenly treasures on earth. Before a baby Christian can defend himself against the enemy, he first needs to be trained up and discipled. He must be taught the significance of seeking God, for God is his shield of protection in every area of his life. Only then can a person render the enemy ineffective regardless of the number of spirits that may return with it to take up residence.

A Transparent Moment of My Experience

Jesus gave us the commission to teach and preach the good news. As He trained up twelve disciples, we too are to train up new Christians. It is our responsibility to protect these children in Christ and train them up so that they too can train others and so on. In my own experience for instance, after I confessed Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I had an incredible, yet temporary peace. I became very zealous, but I was very ignorant. I became zealous in the continuance of what I had been doing as a sinner believing that because I was now saved, all would be well. I felt justified in every sinful thing I did. I thought the many sins that I was doing were automatically

exonerate because I was saved. A person may not really understand that he is living in sin until a Christian shows him a comparison between his sinful life and that of Christianity. Until he can see the difference, he may continue in his sinful ways even though he has given his heart to Christ. When he sees Christ in you as you endeavor to live a holy life, he is then able to make a comparison and ultimately begin to question his life through conviction. This is where the person becomes vulnerable to hear the Word of God. A vast majority of the newly saved do not progress in their Christian walk, but revert to their sinful lives because they are not being shown the Christian way of life. I once heard a pastor say, dont ever expect to see Jesus in me because I am just a man. That may have seemed like a noble or honorable thing to say, but he obviously lacked in understanding concerning why we must live our lives holy unto God. When you live your life in such a manner, Christ can then be seen in you. It is what gives an unbeliever an inclination to hear the good news. They desire to have that special peace and joy that they see in you. If Christ cannot be seen in the Christian man or woman, then how can that man or woman ever expect to usher others toward the Kingdom of God? The pastor did not believe that Christ could be seen in him, yet he believed that he was actually turning people to the Lord. Only the power of God in you is what touches the person, bringing about conviction and a change in that persons heart toward Christ. The Holy Spirit causes the conversion of the person toward Christ, not the man. How is the Holy Spirit able to do this unless His presence is seen in the ways and manners of that Christian? Christians are perhaps out witnessing the Word, but many are not necessarily interested in forming relationships with those they are attempting to get saved. One Saturday morning, I rode my bike to a track and field meet held at Michigan State University and there were two evangelists there shouting Scripture from the Bible. Their zeal was apparent, but they were condemning every person that walked by. They literally argued with people, called them sinners, and told them that they would burn in hell. They bible whipped people with Scripture yet expected them to drop to their knees and confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I heard some people who were very offended say, If thats what being a Christian is about, then I want nothing to do with Christianity. There was no love or compassion in either of the evangelists voices. In fact, they spoke nothing about salvation, the love of Christ, nor even welcomed people simply to ask questions. Their tone was argumentative and condescending even to those who admitted that they were in fact Christians. Can you imagine what this scene must have looked like through the eyes of a sinner? If people cannot see Christ in you, then what should propel them to want to give their lives to Christ or live their lives holy before God? There is a great distinction between conviction and condemnation. Conviction is to look at oneself through a comparison of that which is holy. Conviction is like a mirror of truth that we can look into and see the righteousness of Christ. It gives us a true picture of whom and what we really are in comparison to His righteousness. Because we hate what we see in ourselves through such a reflection, we desire to change. We strongly desire to become like the reflection of Christ in the mirror. Thus, there is a compelling urge to call upon Jesus. If the sinner has

hope, a Christian can lead him to the door of salvation because the Christian is (or should be) the reflection of Christ. What gives the sinner hope is the Christian who endeavors to live his life in holiness. This is not necessarily one trying to live his life for God, but allowing God to orchestrate His will through him. People who attempt to live their lives for God fail miserably on a daily basis and in addition, are the blind endeavoring to lead the blind. God never told anyone to live for Him or keep the law, which is what one actually attempts to do when trying to live for God. You cannot keep the law and yet operate in the righteousness of Christ, for the law can only point you toward sin. Thus, you will live your Christian daily life under guilt and condemnation. You will find yourself making guesses at what you think God wants you to do and be unsure of just about everything you do. Living a life of holiness is in essence giving the right away to God where He becomes the motivator of your choices, movements, and thoughts. God is magnified in the Christian, but the Christian person becomes reduced. John the Baptist understood this. He said Jesus must increase, yet he himself must decrease (John 3:30). Condemnation, on the other hand, is like the opposite of conviction. What are the odds that a student will excel in learning and skill if his teacher constantly condemns him by calling him dumb and stupid? Preaching condemnation bars people from seeing the salvation of God. You cannot preach condemnation to people who have never heard the gospel and yet have an expectation that they will come to their senses and confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. You cannot preach condemnation to people who dont understand that God loves them and desires them. The only message they will hear is that God is a tyrant who will utterly destroy them with fire if they dont comply with the commandments being preached. It is impossible to preach condemnation, yet introduce the unconditional love of Christ. We need to be that mirrored reflection of Christ in order to show the unconditional love of God. Condemnation pulls people down; God desires to lift and build them up. Because there were no Christian examples around me during the time I was saved, I unfortunately did not have such an experience of evaluating or comparing my life to that of a Christians. Therefore, it actually never occurred to me to question my life. I considered myself a newborn Christian, but I was clueless about everything concerning Christianity. Initially, no one told me anything about what it meant to be a Christian. I got saved at a business convention seminar over a weekend in Chicago during a special Sunday morning worship service. The service was for the benefit of seminar attendees who would normally go to church on Sunday morning. I hadnt attended a church service since my youth. I only went that particular Sunday as a courtesy gesture toward some of my friends who had also attended the seminar. They told me that there would be a free breakfast buffet, so I thought, hey, what the heck free food! By the time I left that convention later that evening, I was right back in the world. In the following weeks, I had not thought even once to pick up a Bible and had not even remotely considered going to church. Of course, now I realize that what really happened that day had nothing to do with the establishment of a new relationship with God. I got caught up in the emotional excitement and sensationalism of the worship service just as many people do in church services around the world.

The skin-deep anointing I experienced during the service did not penetrate my heart, so nothing I had heard nor experienced during the sermon really stuck. I was concerned more about what was going on with all the people around me than the presence of God. I didnt call out to God nor did I experience His presence as perhaps others had. My focus was on the people. I was too concerned about what they would think of me if I were to call out to God or let myself go as they had. I questioned their integrity of being real or faking it in their faade of acting spiritual and holy. Therefore, I held on to my dignified astuteness and business-like professional manner and held myself back from the possibility of basking in the presence of God. I didnt believe the people. I didnt believe that the presence of God was actually there. What I did believe was that I must have been the only person in the room that day with any real sense. To me, it seemed that everybody else had gone crazy and I was much too decorous to carry on in such a manner in public. Because there were no changes that took effect in my heart, no changes took place in my life. Yet, I thought the issue of my salvation was over because I repeated the sinners prayer, and was thus saved. I tried to short cut my entry into the kingdom of heaven and thought that I had actually succeeded. Please understand that I am not saying that in order for me to have become a true born again Christian that day I had to act like everyone else. The point I am making is that I had denied the presence of God to penetrate my heart despite the fact that I had heard the gospel and despite the fact that I actually felt a gentle tug at my heart. I sensed that a door or some sort had opened, but I refused to walk through it. Not understanding, I nevertheless believed that I was saved because I went through the motions of going to the altar and repeating the words of the minister. Now, I could continue doing what I had been doing in the world and all would be fine. No one told me that I needed to read the Word. I had no clue what the Word even was. I remember one of the first times I visited a church after salvation and the pastor kept using that term the Word. Every other thing out of his mouth was the Word. The Word thisthe Word that. I became frustrated because I expected him to explain to the congregation what the Word was and to my dissatisfaction he never did, at lest not to my understanding at the time. I thought there was some kind of inner church secret going around the sanctuary called the Word and everybody was in on it except me. I didnt know that the pastor was talking about the Bible or the actual Word of God. I could not comprehend the meaning behind Jesus being the Word. How could a person be a word? I was very ignorant. I grew up Baptist (no pun against the Baptist), but I left that church at a very young age with very little knowledge about anything concerning spiritual issues. After passing years, even what I did learn was a struggle to remember. To my recollection, I had never heard anyone refer to the Bible as the Word, so I had no clue as to what the pastor was talking about whenever he referred to the Word. I didnt understand that I needed to renew my mind. When I repeated after the preacher the sinners prayer, I thought that was the renewing of my mind. I didnt understand righteousness, that it was a gift from God. I didnt know my true identity nor understand my connection to anyone, let alone Christ. No one bothered telling me the necessity of going to church, so I never went. I knew nothing about giving or that sowing and reaping was a form of Gods system of

operation. No one spoke anything to me about faith, love, or calling into manifestation things, which were not as though it were. I didnt know much about God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit other than what I had seen in the movies, or could vaguely remember from my childhood church. At the time of that seminar, I was deeply involved in new age and tampering with things along the lines of Satanism. I was into psychic phenomenon, channeling, and taro card reading, which I did often for my friends and myself. I even believed and attempted to persuade others that there was no heaven or hell, yet I believed that I was saved. Gods mercy endures forever. He had such mercy on me. By the grace of God, I attended another convention about a year of so later in Toledo, Ohio. A known Christian musical artist gave a sermon about eagles, how God designed us to be like them enabling us to soar high with Him. The message he spoke concerning Gods unconditional love captivated me. Having received the message, I felt compelled to call upon the Lord and for the first time in my life, I felt the overwhelming presence of God. I gave my life to Jesus that day, and this time something definitely changed inside of me. I knew at that moment that I would never be the same. I left that place with no direction or instruction on what to do now that I was saved. Before I even got home following the weekend convention, my life had already taken a turn for what seemed to be the absolute worst. Not understanding or having the inclination to consider what God wanted for me, I was still determined to do my own thing. I stumbled around for over a year in misery before I found my way to a church that finally led me into discipleship. I had experienced many disappointments, setbacks and fears in my life prior to Christianity, but nothing would compare to what came upon me after I was saved. I am not mentioning these things to scare the new born in Christ. I am merely using myself as an example to show what can go wrong in a baby Christians life when he is left unattended and unlearned. After salvation, but before I had learned anything about Christianity, my life became literally turned inside out. I had gone through a very ugly separation and divorce. I was no longer a part of my childrens lives as I had been before resulting from that separation and divorce. I lost my home and all that was dear to me. My finances were utterly destroyed. I became so broke that my broke was broke. I lost practically everything I owned. The bank eventually repossessed my car and my van, which in a single night they came and took them both. I lived an hour away from where I worked, so I was now stranded to get to my job. The utility companies eventually shut off the power in the apartment I lived in, which in addition had no phone or cable. My phone and cable were shut off because I could no longer pay for them. I cannot express the pain of having to explain to my four-year-old daughter and my three-year-old son at that time, why there may have been no heat or electric power in the dead of winter during their bi-weekend visits. Most times, we had no transportation to go anywhere, and there was no one to turn to for help. I made decent money at my job, but I never saw the money. Between my debt load, and child support that I now paid, the money was gone before it ever got into my hands. I was not eligible for government financial assistance because they said my income was too high. The system didnt care about what went out in cost and expenses, it was only concerned about the gross amount the computer data said I made. I had fallen through the proverbial crack in the system.

My only way out was God, but I had not learned how to trust God. There was no mentor in my life during this time nor friends or fellow Christian brothers and sisters in Christ that I could have turned to. Even if there were, I would not have known how to turn to them. It seemed very sudden that these things came upon me, though many were in the making for quite sometime before they actually manifested in my life. Later I realized that many of the horrible things I experienced were identical to the things I had spoken about in advance through ignorance. I didnt know that you could be hung by your tongue. In other words, I didnt understand that every word from your heart is seed. I was reaping a harvest I had planted myself. Have you ever noticed how pessimistic people always seem to be surrounded by negativity? To a large degree, that was me. I became so accustomed to disappointments, failures, and setbacks in my life that I could only see my life through this sort of lens. My life became the equivalent of what I believed and spoke from my heart. Eventually I was evicted from my apartment, and the only thing that barred the many creditors from garnishing my wages was my paying child support. However, they still managed to get my tax returns. They even got around to zapping my checking account as well, which opened up an entirely different bottle of wax. The financial fiasco of creditors wiping out my checking account created a domino effect of bounced checks, which plunged me even deeper into debt of several hundreds of dollars in penalties and fees from returned checks, in addition to the tens of thousands of dollars of delinquent credit card and loan debts. In the midst of all of this, I fearfully tithed because religion had taught me that if I tithed God would take care of all my financial worries and that if I didnt I would be cursed. I walked in confusion over this matter because even though I was tithing my financial circumstances continued to get worse. Regardless of my tithe, my life still seemed cursed. I fell short of my rent so I tithed what I had. I fell short of my bills so I tithed what I had. They told me that God required His tenth regardless of everything, that it came first, and I believed them. I was also ignorant about faith for I had not learned anything about it, so I didnt really know how to acquire it. Creditors would send their credit collection representatives to knock at my door with court judgment papers that allowed them to repossess my possessions unless I could come up with their money. On occasion, the County Sheriff would also knock at my door with subpoenas ordering me to appear in court to answer the law suits filed against me by creditors. I walked in constant anxiety and fear because I never knew if my proprietor would have my personal belongings thrown out to the curb by the time I arrived home from work. I had fallen so far behind in rent that it ended up mounting to thousands of dollars, which I did not have. The thought of opening my mailbox even cause me great anxiety, depression, and stress because I could not bear the thought of the bills, court papers, eviction hearings, and shut-off notices that I knew would line the interior of the box. I hated answering my door whenever the bell rang because I feared it would be a subpoena deliverer or sheriff to evict me out of my home. I actually relished the idea of not having a phone because the creditors couldnt call, though they bombarded the phone line at my job. Ironically, prior to my being saved, all seemed so well in my life. I didnt have these problems prior to salvation. Though I kicked and screamed at God about my circumstances, and how great my life was before I got saved, it didnt occur to me that even though everything seemed well in my life as a sinner, my ultimate destination was far

worse than any of the problems I faced as a Christian. Before I came to Christ, my final destination was the eternal lake of fire because I didnt belong to God. Imagine living a life of hell on earth, then eventually dieing and experiencing an eternal hell that is far worse than any agony you could have dreamed of experiencing on earth. Before salvation, I traveled this very road. This revelation actually caused me to reconsider my Christianity and perception of problems in life from a new perspective. The Apostle Paul was so ecstatic about Jesus and the thought of heaven that he considered his troubles a small price for such a grand prize. Perhaps he also called his afflictions light afflictions because he was comparing such distresses to the abode of hell and eternal fire. The difference between Paul and myself however, was that I didnt have an inkling of the faith that Paul had. I considered my afflictions hell on earth, but even this was better than eternal damnation. In other words, I was so messed up in my thinking that I actually believed that the extent of Christianity for me was the condition of my life. At that time, my only comfort was that at least I would not spend an eternity in hell. As you can see, I had a rather bleak view of Christianity. I had not yet gained the wisdom to understand Christianity. These mentioned afflictions and many others came upon me after I gave my life to Jesus. When I was in the world, I had more money coming in than was going out. I was financially secure without concerns about hardly anything. My life was easy. I partied, did the bar scene, dated different women, indulged in any worldly lust and pleasure I chose, I could buy pretty much what I wanted and do what I wanted. Perhaps the first time I got excited about God while in Chicago, the devil wasnt too concerned because there was no change in my heart or my lifestyle. I was doing all the things the enemy wanted me to do anyway. The second time around however, something happened inside of me. I was not able to explain it, but I knew my life would never be the same. Shortly thereafter, it seemed that one disaster after another began to strike. My life did in fact change, but it had to. You cannot enter into the kingdom of God with worldly baggage. The junk must be discarded. I didnt know that God had a plan for my life, which I was to carry out a mission. I never knew that He had plans and purposes for everyone. If we are not taught this, then when the hard times come, which God will use as an opportunity to rid you of your worldly junk, such as selfrighteousness, conceit, pride, selfishness, unforgiveness, worldly lust, anger and bitternessjust to mention a fewwe will assume that God, for whatever reason, is punishing us. How does the baby Christian understand that God actually loves him by illuminating the true culprit behind the demise in his life, which is actually the person himself? If no one teaches him through discipleship, how does he understand that God actually loves on him when He prunes away that which serves to hurt or hinder him? I was a new creature in Christ, yet no one taught me anything about authority so I didnt know that I had it. I knew nothing about spiritual warfarethat there was a devil and demons out there that wanted to destroy my life and even kill me. I was fighting back the best I knew how, but I didnt realize that what came against me wasnt flesh and blood. I thought my problems resulted from external circumstances represented by various people in my life, creditors, attorneys, judges, my job, ex-spouse and anyone else or any other thing that I felt hindered me in areas of my life. I spent many days very angry with God because I could not understand how He

could allow these things to happen to mebeing a Christian and all. Instead of learning the lesson and understanding things from Gods perspective, I blamed the world, people, my circumstances, and ultimately God. I realize today of course that God never placed these burdens on me. The lesson was about me needing to realize the negative thoughts and beliefs I kept inside of me, which derailed, hindered, sabotaged, and destroyed just about thing I endeavored to do. In order for me to have what I was asking from God, it was necessary for Him to illuminate the junk that I kept stored in my heart. You cannot get rid of that which hinders you if you do not know that it is in you. The junk is created via your lack of understanding concerning the power of your own thoughts from the perspective of your heart. He who believes that the circumstance of his life comes only by default flows in the enemys line of logic. God created us higher than the devil and more importantly, Jesus defeated him at the cross thus Satan has no power over you. Your flesh automatically desires to follow Satan unless you train it not to. Without Christ, you have no power to resist the devil. He who truly follows Christ accepting Him as Lord and Savior can no longer use the excuse that his life is the result of the devils schemes and actions against him. The devil has no power over such a person unless that person willingly follows or abides in the devils logic. Until this is understood in your heart, you will blame the devil for every wrong thing in your life. This may seem like a righteous thing to do, but what ultimately transpires is an inability or refusal to take responsibility for your life. Until you own up to that responsibility, you cannot and will not progress. You will stay perpetually stuck in your predicament. Perhaps the number one teaching in mainstream theology is that Satan is behind every woe and circumstance in your life. Though true, what the church neglects to teach is the understanding as to why this is or how such a thing can even be, considering the fact that Jesus defeated Satan. In essence, what is the church actually saying to God if it believes that Satan is actually the culprit of Christian lives having gone bad? Remember, we who are saved are no longer spiritually dead. Saying to God, the devil made me do it doesnt fly for those who supposedly follow, abide, and are sealed in Christ. If the devil made you do it, then what protection does Christ actually have over you? Either you willingly chose to abide in sin or Jesus lied, for His death was not sufficient to save you; the bottom line is which is it? Whomever or whatever you blame for the predicament of your life will always be the cause of your being perpetually stuck in that predicament concerning your life. Those who are sealed in Christ yet blame the devil for the undesirable predicaments of their lives are in essence saying that the blood of Christ has no power to shield or protect them from Satan. Such belief and conviction of the heart causes them to be subdued by Satan, for such people have no faith or trust in Christ. What power can Satan have over any Christian unless that Christian chooses to relinquish his power to Satan? That Christian stands in the palm of Gods hand where His other hand shields him. He said that no one could snatch him from His hand. If the Christian stands in the palm of Gods hand, then how can Satan even come near that Christian? Today, I can understand how God was actually loving me and carrying me through my pain and suffering. God gave me a new heart when I confessed and accepted Jesus as my Lord and

Savior, but my mind was still set on the man I use to be when I belonged to the world. In His divine way, God had to allow such hard times to occur in my life, which were predicated always upon my erroneousness thoughts and beliefs, in order to help me see what I was doing to myself. The devil was working overtime trying to convince me that Christianity didnt work, that it was nothing but pain and misery, but I thank God for the teaching and discipleship I eventually received through my pastor and spirit filled mentors and counselors. From the holy men and women that God would place in my life, I was able to build a solid foundation upon the Word of God. As the foundation increased in its solidity, I learned to press in seeking God diligently for His truth, which still today I have not ceased in asking. The more the Word became established in me, the more I was able to build upon that foundation. Christians, depending upon being trained up, will either build their foundation upon a rock or in the sand (Matthew 7:24-27). Newborn believers need to hear the Word of God. My life came crashing down because initially I was not reading the Word, or trying to establish a relationship with Christ. I was not seeking His wisdom and understanding. I was too busy trying to figure out how to do things on my own based on how things were done in the world. I neglected to put my trust in God. The foundation I built my house upon shifted when the winds, storms, rain and floods came. These elements so-to-speak, were the oppositions in my life that represented human opinions, doctrines of man, fears, and doubts that I chose to allow to controlled me. Because I built my house upon the foundation of sand instead of Jesus, my house eventually felland great was the fall of it.

Helping Them Get Ready

The Word of God says, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27). And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers (John 10:5). Jesus says that His sheep not only hear His voice, but that they also follow Him. To follow Jesus is to obey His Word. If we do not know what His Word is, then how do we know to follow Him? Christians must know how to discern Gods voice distinguishing it from the other voices that are counterfeits to His voice. If you have never heard Gods voice, then how do you recognize it? If the enemy can appear like an angel of light and persuade a third of Gods angels to rebel against God in His kingdom, then would you agree that he could speak to a person and trick him into believing that his voice is Gods voice? He most certainly can if you are not following Christ. How could you pick my voice out of a crowd, for instance, if you have never heard my voice? Diligent Christians follow the voice of Jesus because they have grown to trust and love Him. They literally will not listen to any other voice. Rarely will anyone trust, love and serve someone they do not know. Christians must teach the new born in Christ how to get to know Jesus and help them become familiar to the presence of the Holy Spirit, whose goal is to lead them to Jesus. It is why discipleship is so important. Jesus consistently taught His disciples

about His Father. They did not just automatically catch on from day one. Peter became the greatest disciple where Jesus said that upon him the church would be built, yet Peter probably inserted his foot in his mouth more than all the other disciples combined. Likewise, a newborn Christian does not understand much until he is discipled. New Christians usually do not understand why the zeal they feel is so intense. The zeal we feel as new creatures in Christ is wonderful and God wants us to keep that zeal. However, ignorance can attach itself to the newborn Christians zeal and attack it unawares. Left alone, the new Christians own zeal can lead him astray from God. Lets keep the zeal, but get rid of the ignorance. A baby Christians zeal can literally sweep him off his feet, so we have to be careful that his zeal does not become the thing of worship and praise. I have seen baby Christians so caught up in their zeal that they actually had no interest in the Word of God at all. Many, who may have received a Word or vision from God, believe that this is all they need. They then see themselves instantly ready to go preach, prophesy, and lay hands on the sick. New Christians may very well receive visions, but what they may not understand is that the vision is only the beginning of a journey that God perhaps intends to lead them on. The visions are usually awesome because they can see the victorious result. God is merely showing us what He ultimately sees in us. He sees us from the end backwards to the beginning, so He is already rejoicing in our victories. New Christians generally do not see in their visions the price they will ultimately have to endure in order to get to the victorious result that God has shown them. God shows us the outcome to let us know that He has spoken the place He desires us to be. Despite our personal trials and tribulations, the vision God gives us is His promise that we will arrive at such a place if we are willing simply to believe Him by obeying His Word and living our lives in faith with a willingness to persevere until the end. Jesus knocked Paul off his horse and blinded him. Shortly thereafter Paul having become a believer began to preach, but the only thing that Paul could preach was that Jesus knocked him off his horse. In the beginning, this was all he knew. Even Paul had to be trained up. Further study on Paul teaches us that he stayed in Damascus approximately twelve years before he actually came out and began to speak the Word of God in the synagogues. The study of Paul would also show that if God had giving Paul visions of what He would go through before he could say he finished the race, Paul probably would have run for the hills. God ordained his steps, which is what He does for us. Because God led him and protected him, Paul was also able to say that all his afflictions in life were light afflictions. Here was a man who had a colossal grip on God to be able to say that his afflictions were light afflictions. Consider what Paul said about his afflictions: I have worked harder, been put in jail more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled many weary miles. I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the stormy seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be Christians but are not.

I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm (2 Corinthians 11:23-27, NLT). Paul was also imprisoned for the majority of his Christian life in dungeons; this was where he wrote most of the Epistles of the Bible. He was persecuted more than any other apostle was. Ultimately, he was beheaded. God does not give us the story of Pauls life to scare us, but to help us understand that regardless to all things in life, those who belong to God have the victory even in the presence of death. Paul pressed forward to the mark set before him by God and he completed his task and won the prize of stature and recognition in the kingdom of God for all eternity. First, however, he had to be trained up. Can you imagine what Pauls outlook on Christianity and the purpose of God upon his life would have been had God perhaps shown him everything about his ministry in advance? God ordains our every step, He doesnt give us the entire map in advance so-to-speak because with every step is needed growth and ultimately faith toward God. He gives us at a given time only what He knows we can handle. Christians, according to Gods direction, need to teach and train up new creatures in Christ so that they may understand that there is a mission or call from God upon their lives. Their strength to carry out such an assignment is contained within their zeal. It is why many newborn creatures in Christ will often feel invincible. Our negligence to disciple and train them up will inevitably cause their zeal to either dry up or run ramped resulting from ignorance. Without the Word, there can be no faith. Attempting to perform the will of God without faith is to operate in foolishness and presumption. Faith comes by hearing and understanding the Word of God. New Christians need to be fed the Word of God. The learned must train up the spiritually immature before they can utilize and build stronger faith. The negligence of doing so is like a parent giving her toddler the keys to the car and instructing the child to go to a money machine, pull out some cash with a debit card, drop off some laundry at the dry cleaners, then drive to the grocery store, pick up some groceries and milk, and bring back the change. How much of that would even compute in a childs tender mind? In the spirit, we are allowing and assigning baby Christians to do these same kind of feats, yet are not understanding why so many of them are falling away from the kingdom of God. Newborn creatures in Christ may feel a sense of invincibility and power of God, but they may not necessarily understand their connection to God, which is similar to an infant and the loving parent who carries the infant child. One day, however the parent will put the child down so that he may crawl and eventually walk on his own accord. This is what God does with His children. A person who is new in Christ may have strong faith in God, but his faith is actually the gift of faith. In other words, Jesus is carrying him but will eventually set him down upon his own two faith feet. This is usually the time when many new Christians tend to lose their zeal in God. All of a sudden, it may feel to them like the presence of God is no longer there. Their faith no longer seems to work. They dont necessarily understand that they must now use their own faith derived from their pursuit of God. If such things are not taught through discipleship, the new Christian can easily lose heart and end up turning away from God.

A Note to the Young in Christ

The Holy Spirit desires to do a work in the Christian. He desires to introduce him to Jesus, teach him about Jesus, and ultimately bring him to Jesus. The Holy Spirit desires you to invite Him into every area of your life because He has healing for you. He has knowledge and wisdom for you. He has everything you will ever need. Initially, what He gives may only be between you and Him. Gods timing is impeccable and all of us must learn how to trust in it. Perhaps, you may have experienced a revelation on something from God, yet when you attempted to explain it, regardless of how hard you tried, you could not explain it. The words just didnt seem to flow. There have been times when the Lord has given me full sermons, yet when I tried to teach them, nothing would come out of my mouth. Perhaps, these are times when God may be devoting what He says specifically to you. Sometimes it is necessary to discern when God wants us to move and when He wants us to be quiet and still. In the world, we operated within our own frame of time to do whatever we pleased, but as Christians, we must operate in Gods due timing because His timing is perfect. The Word says there is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). We need to become sensitive to the Holy Spirits timing and move away from our own. When God invites you to have a spiritually intimate relationship with Him, He considers it a private matter between you and Him. If you persist in giving away what He means specifically for you, it is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit. He will thus stop communicating with you on this intimate level. God will not continue to give you what He cannot trust you to have. Though we must continue to be filled with the Word of God, we must also learn to be patiently content when the Lord gives us the unction to be quiet and still. Otherwise, we will ultimately hurt others in our righteous attempts to lead the lost. The blind will be leading the blind. A loving parent would never send his child out into the world to do an adult thing. Neither, would God put into the hands of a novice a ministry that could ultimately get him and followers hurt in the throes of warfare because he knew nothing about the devices of Satan and his tactics, or Gods spiritual armor, for protection. Consider this true example of a young woman who became born again. She became very zealous and on fire for God, but had not been taught much concerning spiritual matters. She went to her work place one day at a convalescent home. Suddenly, she felt motivated in her spirit to start laying hands on each of the patients. Without warning, she proceeded to lay hands on the patients and prayed over them. Her supervisor explained to her that this was against the policy, for she was infringing upon the patients rights to permit her to lay hands on them. God may work through a man to do a healing service, but even God will have that man ask you if it is okay for him to lay hands on you. God will never come against your will nor will He ever force or impose Himself against anothers will. God would never disrupt His own order. Therefore, you do not have to feel as though you have to allow a man of God to touch you and neither should a man of God just assume that he has an automatic right to lay hands upon anyone just because he thinks the Spirit leads him. The Holy Spirit is gentle and loving; He does not force Himself upon anyone. The laying of hands without the consent of the person could be inviting unwanted trouble. This was the persons first mistake. She failed to get permission. Her supervisor insisted that she stop immediately, but the young woman refused saying that the

Spirit of God was leading her to continue laying hands on the patients. God says in his Word that we are to submit and respect all authority because he establishes all authority. That may include your boss at your job, the police authorities, and the government, the legislature clear up to the president, king, queen or head of your country. God establishes all authority. It is also true however that many stand in offices of authority, which God did not call them. In other words, God establishes the offices of authority but may not have called every person standing in such office. Thus, the question of agreement with some authorities is certainly understandable. There are times also when the integrity of the person in authority over us may be in question. Though God ordains the office, this does not necessarily mean that the person in authority will never abuse that office. It is possible that they can deliberately use that office of authority against you. God therefore expects us to submit to the office of authority, but not necessarily obey the person when they oppose God. God is the ultimate authority. Jesus submitted to Pontius Pilate when He was brought into his court, but when Pontius Pilate boasted to Jesus about his power over Him to crucify or release Him, Jesus told him, . . .You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above . . . (John 19:10-11). In sovereignty, God allows even the wicked to stand in offices for His reasons and purposes, even though He may not have called them to such an office. Thus, we should respect authority and trust in God because God is nevertheless in control. God would not transgress His own order by telling the young woman to continue laying hands when her boss ordered her to stop. The rules and regulations under the guidelines of their policy said her actions were illegal. In this particular case of the employee laying hands on the patients, we can consider many other factors, which indicate how the young woman was misled by what she thought was the voice of the Holy Spirit. Finally, upon the insistence of the young woman laying hands and praying over the patients, her boss gave her an ultimatum; either stop, or be fired from her job. God would never tell you to do something that would jeopardize your financial well-being. His Word clearly establishes that he wants us financially blessed. Even if it was His plan to release her from her job, it would go against His order for Him to send her out through a state of rebellion. When God releases us from one place to another, it is always with a sense of peace and joy. We look forward to where we are going because we know it is God directing us. The young woman persisting in her efforts, refused to stop. Ultimately, her supervisor fired her and ordered her to leave the premises. Though she complied and left the premises, she nevertheless felt very strongly in her mind that her work of laying hands was not complete. Believing that the Holy Spirit instructed her to continue laying hands on every individual in the home, she went back. She explained to the woman in charge, who was not a Christian nor understood who or what the Holy Spirit was, that the Holy Spirit charged that she must complete her mission. She resumed in laying hands and praying for the patients. Ultimately, her employer called the police. When the authorities arrived, they gave her an ultimatum; either stop and leave the premises or go to jail. Still, she persisted and the police escorted her away. Subsequently,

she was temporally placed in a mental ward where she had to undergo psychological evaluation. Though the young woman was on fire for God, she nevertheless had to allow herself to be discipled and trained up. What happened was not entirely her fault. She simply wanted to love and make a difference in other peoples lives. The intent of her heart was no different from any Christians, but she did not know Gods voice. She had not yet learned His voice. What she thought was the Holy Spirit speaking to her was one of the many voices Jesus spoke about in John 10:5. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This Scripture tells us that there are other voices belonging to strangers and that it is possible to hear them. The voice of strangers may sound credible, reasonable, and even sensible, but the result is always dreadful. Voices of strangers are the voices of demons and devils and never are they the voice of the Holy Spirit. The mature Christian knows how to distinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit from the voice of strangers and thus flees from any other voice. Learning the voice of God does not automatically happen over night just because we are saved. We must worship, pray and diligently seek God through His Word. Solid relationships take time to build. There are many voices, but only one belongs to God. How can the new Christian discern Gods voice among many when he has never heard Him speak to him before? We didnt have the ability to hear God while living in the world as sinners. How then should we assume that we are automatically able to distinguish His voice from others once saved when we have not been trained to do so? The Word says to renew the spirit of your mindtrain the mind to follow and learn from the spirit. The renewing of the spirit of your mind enables you to discern the voice of God. Without the renewal of your mind, your spirit man is barred from hearing the voice of God. The mind simply gets in the way. Often, God will speak things to us that we dont necessarily want to hear, such as wait. He may tell us to do some things that cause us to stretch beyond our comfort zone, but the untrained mind interjects and undermines or second-guesses God. Have you ever heard yourself say, God is that really you? But consider this: have you ever heard yourself say, Satan, is that really you? We rarely if ever have problems hearing the voice of the devil, but often we question the voice of God. Perhaps this is because we may not always like what God has to say. In fact, sometimes we even rebuke the devil because we assume that it is his voice speaking to us when its actually God stretching us. People have often asked me, How can I know whether its God speaking to me? Satan had the ability to persuade a third of Gods angels to rebel against God regardless of the fact that their abode was the kingdom of heaven. According to the Word of God, the enemy has the ability to disguise himself as an angel of light. Thus, Satan is a master of deceit and persuasion. The only way to know that God is speaking to you is by having a relationship with God. Without such a relationship, it is impossible to know God. Until you learn to know Him, there will always be ambiguity in your heart concerning His voice and your flesh. You will always find yourself guessing whether God is speaking to you or whether it is just your own mind or imagination. In some respects, you will even question whether the voice belongs to God or Satan. Until you have a relationship with God, you will flow with whatever sounds the most plausible in your ears.

Plausibility usually aligns with whatever feels good to the flesh. Often people follow their flesh, yet praise God believing Him to be the motivating force behind their carnal act. They assume this because the results of their works according to their flesh seem great and feel great. Gods intent however, is to tear down your flesh. Your flesh keeps you separated from God. What feels good in the flesh is shallow and temporary. God wants us to experience His eternal. Paul said that people would tune their ears to whatever floats their boat (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Such people do not have a relationship with God. Until you have a true relationship with God, you cannot understand the difference between His language, which is Spirit, and the carnal language of your intelligence. You will strive to hear and understand God according to your own carnal sense, which is incapable of hearing God. Moreover, you will assume that your carnal sense is the voice of God. People often question whether they hear God because their relationship with Him is weak. They lack His wisdom. One who has a strong relationship with God knows without doubt that he hears God. To dispel a few widely believed notions in Christianity today concerning this relationship, a true relationship with God is not about your feelings, emotions, intelligence, nor how early you may get up in the morning to read Bible verses. It is not about your tithing record, your church attendance, works in the ministry or your singing ability on the praise team. A true relationship with God is about your willingness to give yourself completely to Him, not your works, goodness toward others, or money. God wants you! It is allowing Him to be the Lord of your life, allowing Him to expresses Himself and work His will through you. It is being willing to love Him with all your heart, soul, and mind. The heart represents your spirit, the soul represents your flesh, and your minda characteristic of the flesh, represents intelligence. If the soul and mind are not restructured to heed and follow the saved spirit, then your spirit will ultimately follow your soul and mind, which are incapable of hearing and obeying God. Your spirit must be fed. Its nourishing food is the Word of God. God made only your spirit to lead, not your soul, flesh, nor body. The flesh (soul and mind) left alone, rebels against God. Thus, whoever lives his life by way of His flesh does not have a true relationship with God regardless of how many scriptures he may know or church services he may attend. Many people believe that if you dont go to church, for instance, youre a goner. In other words, you are automatically on a path straight to hell. The fact is that there will be far more church goers that will end up in the belly of hell before those who dont necessarily attend, yet have a relationship with Christ. In fact, many Christians today are actually getting away from the proverbial church in order to have that true relationship with God. Churches around the world are literally destroying such relationships because they are carnal in nature. God commands that we are to live by spirit and not by flesh. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:5-8). For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye

shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:13-14). Few Christians actually read and study the Bible. Few pray, praise, and worship God. Few ask for Gods truth and wisdom or acknowledge what the Lord has done in their lives. Few take the time to dedicate a simple thank you, Lord yet these are the stepping-stones to developing a strong relationship with God. People say, I dont have time to pray, my daily work and activities keep me too busy. But we have time to ponder over distress, we have time to be depressed, we have time to worry, and time to have angry thoughtsthe list concerning the things we do have time for is endless. If you have time to think, you have time to pray. When is the last time you caught yourself not thinking? Instead of thinking about your problems or what have you, why not simply put God first and pray to Him instead? Give Him praise that you have breath in your lungs; give Him praise that you have the ability to think. Find something to thank Him about; that something shouldnt be hard to find. Praying to God is not a difficult thing to do. Taking time to do this, you may find yourself overwhelmed by peace and joy in the midst of the struggles of your everyday life. You just might begin to see a clarity that you have never known allowing you to simply walk right out of your negative circumstances and into Gods blessings. Because people automatically assume they hear God, many Christians embark upon tasks that they believe God called them to do when in fact, He didnt. How can a person renew the spirit of his mind when he has no inclination to pick up a Bible to read and study? Moreover, what gives him the inclination to pick up the Bible if no one teaches him the relevance of doing so? Paul said that the people were inclined to do things their own way and did not understand Gods way of making them right (Romans 10:2-3). The people were refusing to renew their minds to Christ, thus the voice they heard concerning their endeavors was not the voice of God, but of strangers. They had a zeal for God, but because they listened to the voice of strangers, all their endeavors to do good actually opposed God. Only when we get to know an individual can we begin to take notice of his characteristics such as a particular pitch, tone or resonant quality in his voice. Only then do we begin to hear the persons unique inflection, accent, and rhythm of his speech. Eventually, without seeing him, we can sense his personality and smile within the quality of his voice. Because we can then personalize his voice, we are able to pinpoint it among several voices. This is similar to how we come to know Gods voice. Then His sheep will know His voice and will not follow any other. We are then also able to discern in our spirit a counterfeit voice. A counterfeit voice does not speak in agreement with the voice of God. The presence we feel emanating from Gods voice is like no other. The enemy cannot counterfeit or dup the presence of God. The Christian who persistently walks with God, diligently seeking Him, knows the difference. Spiritual growth in the kingdom of God is a process. No one comes into the Kingdom of God fully walking before learning how to crawl. If this were not true, there would have not been the need for Jesus to disciple the twelve.

Preventing Opportunity for Deception

It is essential to help the newborn Christian understand the nature of God. Being zealous for God is great and has purpose. That purpose has to do with our God-given strength to carry out His assignments. I believe that God hid such strength in the zeal. Having great zeal without the righteousness and wisdom of God, however, defeats the purpose for having the zeal. The devil wants to attack your zeal. He does this through his weapon called Ignorance. Lacking an intimate relationship with God is standing in the midst of ignorance. The zealousness one has for God should never become the idol of worship. If it does, the enemy then has a foothold to barge his way into that Christians life. A baby Christian may find himself doing things where he is convinced in his mind that God is leading him when in actuality it could be a devil speaking to him. A Christian who focuses upon his zeal cannot discern the possibility of God not being in the picture of his endeavors, for his focus is not upon God. As we grow in revelation and understanding, we must make it our responsibility to help spiritually educate new Christians in order to prevent opportunities of deception. Satan is far more advance in tactics and strategies being that of an ancient warrior than that of an untrained born again Christian. Consider once more the example of the woman laying hands on the patients. What would she have done if a demon had manifested? She placed herself, along with everyone else there in grave danger. Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded (Acts 19:13,15-16). This Scripture depicts men who had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit who thought they had the power to cast out devils as Paul did. It is not man that can heal or cast out devils. Only the Holy Spirit performs such things. If we are not familiar with His voice or His power within us, it is not wise to attempt to lay hands on anyone. A last note concerning this is that Jesus sent His disciples out two by two. Perhaps, one reason was safety and that one may bear a witness to the other. Another employee who was present during the incident also happened to be a Christian student attending a Bible College. This person also insisted that the young woman should stop, for his spirit did not agree with her actions. We have to learn and teach others how to be certain about who is speaking to us in the spirit. Unless you are mature in Christ and have teaching and Word in you, it is probably best not to try to lay hands on others unless the Gift of the Spirit moves upon you and God gives you the gift of faith to receive His power to heal. If you find yourself asking rather the gift is upon you, chances are that you do not have the gift. Should God choose to anoint you with this gift, you will know you have it without doubt. When a Christian steps out on his own boasting that he is ready before God says he is ready, he is not only operating in foolishness and presumption, but also lacks in wisdom. He is therefore dangerous to others in addition to himself. Even Jesus ministry did not begin until God released

Him. Yet, He was sinless and righteous His entire life. Mature Christians are obligated to love, train, and raise up the newborn in Christ for the benefit of spreading further the gospel and lighting the righteous path so that the lost can find their way home to the kingdom of God.

four

Am I Saved if I Say Im Saved?

In the summer of year 2002, a prophet spoke during a conference held at the church I
attended. This person came with a powerful message, which seemed a bit difficult for many in the congregation to bear. She actually challenged every believer to take a closer look at his and her own Christianity. Her lesson was about Christians who confess Jesus as Lord, but do not do the will of the Father. Over decades of candy coated sermons and teachings, Christians have been led to believe that salvation comes only from having confessed that Jesus is Lord and Savior. Confessing Jesus is part of the step toward salvation, but one must also believe in his heart that Jesus is Lord, and that He died on the cross, cleansing us from all sin and unrighteousness and that God raised Him from death. Jesus said His people will be known by their spiritual fruits, which are love, joy, peace, longsuffering (perseverance), gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness (humility), and temperance (self control) (Galatians 5:22-23). A Christian living a holy life in obedience to God as a normal course of daily life will exhibit these fruits of the spirit. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin . . . (Galatians 5:19-21, NLT). The Bible says that no one living that sort of life will inherit the Kingdom of God. Though everyone experiences at least some of these evil results in their lives at times, have they been a way of life for you? Giving your life to Jesus sets you apart from these evil results. You endeavor to turn your back on them and walk toward God and life. God forgives the sins of the repentant heart and assists us in ability to change if we sincerely desire to change. Confessing that Jesus is Lord is easy. Allowing change to overtake you can be agonizing. Therefore, even though people confess Jesus as Lord, not everyone desires to change. Many people confess Jesus as Lord, yet continue living in their sinful nature without change. Religion teaches that everyone considering themselves to be Christian will automatically inherit the Kingdom of God, yet the Word of God says that anyone living in sin will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:21). Ministers speaking religion and false doctrine tend to characterize Christians by their material possessions, wealth, and prosperity, not necessarily by their heart and mouth confession of Christ and obedience toward the will of God.

Their false doctrine teaches that those who acquire such material wealth and prosperity through sowing and reaping, for example, are the people who will inherit Gods kingdom. Poor people, or those who lack in material wealth, are considered cursed or in disobedience to God. These leaders hardly mention anything at all about the fruits of the spirit nor do they elaborate on Gods requirements of living a holy life in obedience to Him. Once a person accepts Jesus into his heart, the first thing God wants him to do is renew the spirit of his mind. The consequence of not heeding this commandment can cause you your salvation. The Word of God says that you cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). He who does not renew his mind to Christ will continue serving the one he served before he came to Christ. If God allowed us salvation regardless of His command that we are to renew our minds to Christ, then what is the necessity of giving our lives to Christ? A Christian will inevitably return to his sinner roots if he does not renew his mind to Christ. Sin cannot enter heaven. Fabricated doctrines of man teach people that when they give their heart to Jesus, their task of getting into heaven is complete. Now, they can continue living the same life they lived prior to salvation. In ignorance, resulting from these false teachings, people become also involved with works. Though works, according to Scripture, is importantfaith without works is dead (James 2:20, 26)Christians are being taught that their works will get them into heaven. Some of these deeds may consist of water baptism, speaking in tongues, performing religious rituals, reading the Bible for fifteen minutes first thing every morning, going to church every Sunday, fasting for weeks, crawling on the knees, praying long exhausting prayers, or doing charitable deeds toward others. Yes, some of these works are essential toward building a life in Christ, but no works can substitute your heart and mouth confession that Jesus is Lord. The Bible says a man is justified not only by his faith, but also by his works. His works are for the benefit of man so that others can see his faith in God. The power of God moves through his works resulting from his faith, which brings glory to God through the peoples belief. The miracles Jesus performed were not for the benefit of God, but for the people. As they witnessed His works, they were able to have hope, and eventually faith in God. God credits your righteousness apart from your works (Romans 4:6). God already knows your level of faith, despite your works. He already knew what Abraham would do before He told him to give up his son Isaac for a sacrifice on the alter (Genesis 22:2). When we see the outcome of Abrahams obedience and works because of his faith, which God accounted toward righteousness, we can have hope and ultimately faith in God. This spreading of hope by the abidance of Gods Word is the premise underlying the act of works. The Bible does not say it is by a mans works that he will be brought into the kingdom of God. Jesus said that only through Him would anyone see Gods kingdom. A well-known billionaire gave a huge donation to a foundation in order to help finance cures for diseases. Many people, of course, commended him for his generosity. During an interview, the billionaire stated that there were many ways to get into heaven and that his donation was certainly one way to get in. Though his deed was perhaps genuine and great in the eyes of man, he could not have been more wrong in his statement about getting into heaven. The majority of people who believe there is a heaven share this same view of gaining entry into heaven. They believe that their works alone

qualifies them. Thus, it is common to hear people say, I know I have a good heart, therefore I know Ill get into heaven. In the book of Revelation, the Bible says that at the Great White Throne Judgment, the books will be opened and God will judge the people according to what is written in these books. One of the books that will be opened will be the Lambs Book of Life. Whosevers name is not written in this book will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). The other books opened will consist of the Books of Works. All the peoples works will be recorded in these books and will be compared to the works of Jesus. The people who did their works in Christ will be listed in the Lambs Book of Life because they were in Christ. Even though their works will not match the works of Jesus, they are nevertheless able to enter Gods kingdom because they will have the gift of righteousness in Christ, for they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and abided in His Word. Because they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they were covered by His righteousness even though theirs fell short. The righteousness of Christ was their entry ticket to Gods kingdom of eternal life. On the other hand, even though the other peoples works and good deeds will be listed in the books of Works, they will be denied the kingdom of God because their works were of the flesh. They had no relationship with God, thus were not of Him. Because they denied Christ and rejected salvation, they were not the children of God, but the children of darkness. These people will not have the entry ticket so-to-speak, which is the righteousness of Christ. Their names will not be listed in the Lambs Book of Life and neither will their works be greater than the works of Jesus, for everything Jesus did was of the Spirit. Rejected by Christ, they will be as goats separated from the sheep to the left hand side of God and they will be cast into the eternal lake of fire and brimstone. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works (Revelation 20:12). And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Mathew 25:33-34). Then shall he say unto them of the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal (Matthew 25:46). The visiting prophet taught that being born again is a transformation into the likeness of God. Renewing our minds by the Word of God transforms us into the likeness of Him. The renewing enables us to submit ourselves to God and be obedient doers of His Word (Romans 12:2). God does not sin. He is not sick, in bondage to poverty, or living a curse of the devil. If we find ourselves living as such, then we must understand that we are in the state of becoming like Him. It is a process. This process starts with the confession of the mouth and belief in the heart that Jesus is Lord.

Does Jesus Know You?

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Matthew 7:21-23). Many people, including ministers of God, believe that Jesus was actually referring to sinners in the previous passage; I submit to you that Jesus was speaking to those who were believers. A sinner cannot earnestly call upon the Lord if He has not heard the Gospel (Romans 10:14). In His parable, Jesus also did not deny what they said they had done. They were able to cast out devils in His name, they did lay hands on the sick and the sick recovered, they did preach and teach the Word of God, and they did do other mighty works in the name of the Lord (Matthew 7:21-23). In the Book of Mark, chapter nine, Jesus pointed out that some demons are cast out only by prayer and fasting. This suggests that not only were these people believers, but they were also praying and fasting. Have you ever known people in church who have prayed, fasted, perhaps even performed godly feats by the power of the Holy Ghost, yet you knew they were not living their lives entirely right? It is not surprising to hear of Christians exposed in their sin because they refused to seek God in repentance. No difference exists between the carnal Christians perhaps you know of and those Jesus spoke about in His parable. Consider the unknown man who did mighty works in Jesus name, casting out devils (Mark 9:38). The disciples attempted to stop him because he was not one of them. However, Jesus told them not to rebuke the man. Jesus explained that if he was casting out devils, then he was on their side. Rooting for your favorite team, for example, implies that you are on that teams side, but it doesnt necessarily mean that you are on the team. If the unknown man was on their side, then he was a believer of the Word of God. The disciples assumed the man to be a sinner because he was not one of them. Even though Jesus acknowledged him as being on their side, this man was not one of his disciples, nor was the man interested in becoming one, for he turned down the disciples offer to be introduced to Jesus. Nevertheless, the Lord was able to perform His mighty works though him because he spoke Gods Word in faith, commanding devils to depart. The Word says, And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils . . . (Mark 16:17). In this passage, them that believe, is an open invitation to anyone willing to believe. The unknown man was a believer. He was a phileo lover of Jesus (see Vol. 1, Chapter One), yet the Word says, he did not follow the disciples to Jesus. It is also not surprising that believers in Christ can operate in faith to do mighty works of God, yet live separately from God in their own worldly pursuits. God performs the miracles and wonders, not the man. The anointed Word of God will perform and complete its purpose of destroying yokes, and removing burdens regardless of whom it may come through when faith is present. God dealt only the believer the

measure of faith to speak His Word (Romans 12:3), which is derived only from the confession of Christ. The anointed power in the believers, whom Jesus said he never knew, is the same anointed power working within the church generation today. Many Christians believe they alone are performing such feats of God. The result of their belief is a false confidence, which they believe they are walking with God. Jesus said whosoever believes to call on God, asking whatsoever of Him in Jesus name, it will be done (John 14:13; 16:23). Whosoever, is anyone willing to believe. A person can believe, yet be far removed from God. The Pharisees believed every letter of the Word, yet could not escape damnation (Matthew 23:33). In the parable, Jesus said He never knew the people because they had no relationship with God, yet through them God did His mighty works. The unknown man, whom the disciples rebuked, did not seek to have a relationship with Jesus, yet he was able to cast out devils. So, are people truly saved or worthy in Gods eyes to enter heaven because of their works? There are two kinds of believers, yet not both are actually saved. Those saved are the people who will actually enter heaven. The opposite extreme to both is the sinner. Believers constitute both the Christian and the carnal Christian. There is a difference between believing in God, and actually being saved. A born-again (saved) Christian is one who, in addition to accepting Jesus by the confession of his mouth and belief in his heart, obeys and is a doer of the Word of God through faith. A carnal Christian has perhaps confessed that Jesus is Lord, but he is not willing to renew the structure of his mind to Christ nor is he interested in submitting his will to Gods will. Though he may read the Word, he is not interested in doing only the Word. This person has his own agenda. Carnal Christianity is symbolic of the mediocrity in religious worship today, which does not suffice God. More than half the world believes in God or at least believes that there is a God, yet according to the Book of Revelation, more than half the world will perish during the seven-year tribulation. The Bible says that even the devils also believe and tremble (James 2:19). In other words, devils believe in God, but they are not citizens of the kingdom of God. Then comes the opposite extremethe sinnerwho is oblivious to the kingdom of God. He is totally blind to Gods gift of salvation. A sinner rejects God and possesses not even the measure of faith in God. A sinner is bound to the will of Satan, without choice. Though he thinks he is free, the devil has buried his life in deception. Thus, he is unaware that Satan is his father who controls his life and his destiny. I believe that according to the Word of God unrepentant carnal Christians and all sinners will ultimately end up in the same placeeternal death in the lake of fire. A great misconception is a panoptic belief that a distinction exists between believers who refuse to do the will of God, and sinners who do not know God. Ultimately, the only distinction, if any, is that carnal Christians will be dealt with more harshly than the sinner. If a sinner is already enslaved to Satan, then what further gain is there for the devil to come against the sinner in comparison to a believer? Satans number one agenda is to steal, kill, and destroy everything God loves. All Christians are Gods children. They have the ability to resist the devil because God endued them with power to resist the devil. Refusing to use what God has given them, however, guarantees Satans victory over them.

Many Christians backslide or revert to their sinful ways. Deceived, they think that their lives were better off as sinners. The consequential predicament is not Gods attack on the Christian. Through Gods grace, He is willing to forgive. It is the wrath of Satan upon that Christians life. Jesus defeated the enemy and stripped him of all power, authority, and dominion over Gods people. He then restored unto His people that same power, authority, and dominion. Because of Jesus, Christians now possess all the power over the enemy, but because of ignorance and deception, carnal Christians undo what Jesus did by placing their given power back into the hands of Satan. Carnal Christians give open invitations to the devil everyday, which allows him to come into their lives and wreak havoc. When there is no repentance, eventually destruction and devastation consumes their lives. Victory over the enemy comes only through seeking the kingdom of God. It is impossible to seek the kingdom of God without a heart of repentance. Repentance does not mean telling God that you will no longer sin. You would be lying if you said such a thing to God. The Word establishes that you will sin. Repentance is actively demonstrating to God your hatred toward sin and seeking Him that your heart may be changed. You cannot defeat sin without the power of God. God desires to remove the yokes and burdens of sins in our lives, but most people choose to keep their sins because in actuality they love the sin. When destruction comes into their lives resulting from their sins, they of course, blame God. In their own self-righteousness, they believe they are justified in their sin. God warned us that no one could love both sin and God. He says you must choose. Carnal Christians who refuse to seek God are powerless to overcome the devices of the devil. It is no wonder that many of them believe their lives were better off as sinners. Getting sin out of your life is to keep sin out of your heart. No doubt, you will sin in the flesh because you have the nature of sin. Thus, your flesh will always choose to gravitate toward sin. Sinning in the flesh however, does not always denote that the sin actually sprung from your heart. Just because a Christian might sin, does not necessarily mean that he has a sinful heart. Christians often do not understand this and thus live their lives in constant guilt and condemnation due to their flesh sins. Often we speak things out of our mouths, for instance, yet what we say did not necessarily originate from the heart. In other words, we spoke it off the top of our head so-to-speak. A person who says, My back is killing me doesnt fall over dead on the floor, for the depth of his words stemmed only from his mouth not his heart. Children of God also sometimes flesh out in anger or irritability, yet they are not in sin. His disciples on occasion, especially Peter, irritated even Jesus. In righteous anger, Jesus with calculating precision took strips of leather, formed a whip, and began whipping merchants with it and knocking over their merchandise as He scolded them for turning His Fathers House of Prayer into a den of thieves. God is a respecter of the heart not the person. Jesus death on the cross covered your flesh sins. Every flesh sin you will ever commit is already covered by the blood of Christ. God will not judge you according to your flesh sins because Jesus already pardoned you for those sins by His death on the cross. Had he not done so, everyone would go to hell including every Christian. Now understand what I am about to say next because it is very crucial to know. This is where many who believe in Eternal Security, Inclusion, Once Saved Always Saved, etc., miss it. When

a Christian does not seek God for forgiveness of the sins he commits in the flesh, eventually his heart becomes corrupt. He becomes complacent in his relationship with God believing that the righteousness he carries permits him to do as he pleases. Because he actually feels no resistance from God, he becomes even more inclined to trust in this false security. He becomes unaware that his heart is actually hardening toward God. We know this by the stance he takes when one rebukes him of his sins. You will see him make excuses to justify himself and hear his rebuttal for every argument against him. He blames others and turns the table of argument to point out their faults, yet remains oblivious to his wrong doings. Often you will hear him say, Well, what about you. . . or Look at what you do. . . He feels no resistance from God simply because God allows what you allow. He will not override your will. Thus, he believes his unrepentant sins are justified or pardoned via his righteousness. One whose heart is corrupt does not sin only from the perspective of his flesh. All his sins stem from the abundance of his heart. When one sins from the heart, it is usually excused or reasoned by the person that its no big deal because he has the righteousness of Christ. Such a person is in danger of damnation due to his unrepentant heart. Remember, the heart is the spirit man. No spirit filled with corruption and sin can enter heaven. Those not belonging to Christ are spiritually dead and thus sin in the flesh. Even their sins however have been pardon by Jesus death on the cross. Because they rejected Christ, their names will not be listed in the Lambs Book of Life, yet God will judge them by their works, which could not match the works of Jesus. Thus, they will not enter the kingdom of God. Instead, they will be cast into the lake of fire. God is not so interested in the sins you commit on a day-to-day basis as He is the pureness of your heart. In other words, when you sin, how does this affect you in your heart considering your relationship with Jesus? What child who loves his parents literally goes out of his way to hurt or bring shame upon his parents? When we sin against those whom we love, it hurts us deeply whereby we desire to fix the situation immediately. It hurts us deeply because in our hearts we hold dear that relationship. We are cognizant of their pain, which we caused. How much greater should our relationship be with Christ? When a Christian truly loves God, yet sins against Him in the flesh he is heartbroken because the last thing he wants to do is anguish Him whom he loves above all else. His heartbreak is not based upon a fear that God will strike him down, but rather sincere remorse for what he has done. He cares what God thinks of him and desires to be pleasing in the sight of God at all times. Thus, he asks God to forgive Him and God immediately forgives him. He who sins in the flesh without remorse toward God, who does not seek to straighten things out with God, and continues to sin in the sight of God in such manner, does so from his heart. The more he sins, the harder his heart becomes. The harder his heart becomes, the greater the difficulty of seeking Gods forgiveness. The difficulty in seeking forgiveness is the result of having become blinded by sin. His blindness causes him to reason that his sin is really no big deal, for he sees himself hemmed on all sides in Christ. One believing that he is hemmed in Christ who sins from the heart actually is not sealed in Christ, for in Christ there is no sin. Sinning from the heart is deliberately choosing Satan over God. As one sins from the heart, he deliberately breaks the seal. Christians had better recognize that they are not exempt from this truth.

Though the Word of God has affected many in life changing ways, still they refuse to confess and receive Christ in their heart even though they may confess Him with their mouth. These people may go to church on Sundays and are just as nice toward everyone they meet as you are. They hold positions in the church. Perhaps, they have even been water baptizedin fact, many people believe they are saved because they have been water baptized, but they have not confessed with their mouths or believed in their hearts, that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9). Carnal believers, in comparison to born-again saints, do not necessarily endeavor to do the will of God (Matthew 7:21). In the presence of Christians, carnal Christians can be the best acting Christians, but where there are no witnesses, they reject God by choosing to live according to their own ways. They live in sexual immorality, entertain impure thoughts, are eager to indulge in lustful pleasure, and see themselves as the gift from God or that which is worthy of praise. They gossip, find fault in others, practice witchcraftrebellion against God (1 Samuel 15:23)and act in hostility toward others, especially singled out Christians. They enjoy fighting and bickering, and are enviously jealous. Their gains derive from selfish ambition. They seek to divide people by pitting one against the other. Their view is always from their own perspective, which they perceive is the only correct view. To them, everyone elses perspective is flat out wrong. They envy those close to them that God blesses. They strive to steal away the joy of others and seek to knock them off the pedestals upon which God placed them. Carnal believers will engage in godless parties and idle talk that is absent of the Holy Spirit. Their true lives are separate from God as they remain in friendship with the world through worldly traditions and conformity. What separates the heart of a carnal believer from the ways of the sinner? Though one has choice and the other is destined, they both still have the same common denominatorsin. Peoples justification for sin comes through idolatry. When we think of idolatry, we tend to understand it as the practice of worshiping false gods, images, and idols. This is only a small aspect of what practicing idolatry actually is. Most people, including believers practice idolatry everyday even though they may not necessarily realize it. If you have ever heard yourself say, To me, my God is . . . , this is the first step toward idolatry. God is God. He is not anyones personal idea molded into the comprehension or scope of that persons religion or ideology. God commands us to change our ways of thinking toward Christ in order to be Christ like. Instead, people tend to make God into their concocted image of what they think He is. Their pseudo God then agrees with their every thought and sinful action. A heart of repentance is pointless to them because their God always agrees with them and thus would never punish them for their sins. They see their God as all loving totally dismissing the fact that in addition to love, the Almighty God is a righteous King of Judgment, who delivers sentencing when warranted. They are fully confident in their god that they justify themselves in everything they do according to the scripture of their bible. Perhaps youve heard them say, I dont know what your Bible says, but my Bible says . . . . The idolatrous believer (carnal Christian) says in his heart that even though he sins, God is a loving God. Through his idolatrous beliefs, his false confidence assures him that God would never actually cut him off from His kingdom. They recite Romans, chapter eight and verse one,

which says, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, but they omit or ignore the latter part of that verse, which speaks about walking after the flesh. Abiding in sin is walking after the flesh. The Word says there is no condemnation to those in Christ who walk after the Spirit. Those who walk after the flesh will reap the consequences from having followed the flesh. The flesh cannot lead the spirit to God; it can only lead the spirit into darkness. Thus, unrepentant sin is condemned. This is not a contradiction to what was spoken earlier. A believer who walks after the flesh is one who allows his spirit man to follow the ways of his flesh. Thus, he sins and keeps sin in his heart. Sin cannot enter heaven. The penalty for the sins of the heart is death. A sinful heart is a contaminated spirit. The only way to cleanse the stains of sin is by the blood of Christ. One has such cleansing when he repents (1 John 1:9). Repentance is what invokes the blood of Christ to cleanse the stains of sin. Without repentance, the guilt remains. The most dangerous thing about idolatry is that once you are in it, everything will line up according to it. Once a person steps into idolatry, it is very difficult to escape. The Bible itself will even seem to confirm the ideologies of the idolatrous mind. The first two commandments God gave were relative to idolatry. The first, says that you shall not worship any other God than the one true God, and the second says that you shall not make any graven image of God. Practically everyone is in violation of these two commandments. These violations are the root of the majority of deceptions on earth. Idolatry actually empowers deception to work. The results from the violation of the first two commandments of God are at the root of false doctrines taught in churches across the world. Because of idolatry, people do not fear God or the consequences of their unrepentant sins, which is death. In the parable that Jesus spoke in Matthew 7:23, He told believers to depart from Him because He never knew them. Consider the fact that Jesus did not say He once knew them; He said, I never knew you. The Word of God tells us that when we repent of our sins, God forgives us for having committed those sins and remembers them no more. The blood of Jesus blots out our sins and therefore God has no recollection of them. The Lambs Book of Life initially contained every name (Psalm 139:16). From the foundation of the world, Jesus agreed to die on behalf of Gods creation to save every soul from damnation (Revelation 13:8). This signifies that God, in advance, destined every persons soul to be saved without exception. This was His free gift, which only needed to be accepted by His people. Nowhere in the Bible does it say when God wrote your name in the Lambs Book of Life, but it does speak about names being blotted out (Exodus 32:32-33; Psalm 69:28; Revelation 3:5). We gain from the Bible that God created us with the intent of His perfection. Why would He create you with all His glory and destine your salvation to His kingdom, yet not write your name in the book? He created you with the expectation that you would be with Him forever, yet He gave you the choice to choose if, in fact, you wanted to be with Him forever. His confidence is always that you will choose Him. If this were His confidence, then certainly He would have written your name in the Lambs Book of Life. Your written name justifies and personifies His confidence in you. You were important enough for Him to have called your name before the foundations of the world. I believe the moment He called your name; there your name was in the book, despite the fact that God also knew many names would be blotted out.

Even though Jesus died for everyone on the cross for the sake of our salvation, we can choose to turn down redemption. God saved all the Israelites from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, yet not all of them chose to enter into the Promised Land. In fact, out of the entire multitude of their generation, only Joshua and Caleb were willing to go; even Moses, back peddled, but repented. God originally wrote our names in the Lambs Book of Life, but there are things people can do to have their names blotted out from the book. People cause their names to be blotted out when they reject God. They reject God by sinning against Him and refusing to repent of their sins. Refusal to repent of your sins committed in the flesh, breads a sinful heart. Whosevers name is not written in the Lambs Book of Life, will not see the kingdom of God (Revelation 21:27). Jesus said, I never knew you because their names were not in the book. Their names were blotted out. They were professed Christians (or believers), yet Jesus did not know them because their hearts were shut off from God. I have heard people preach sermons based on what they call Inclusion where they say that all of Gods creation without exception will enter the kingdom of God regardless of their rejection of Christ, disobedience to God, repudiation of repentance, and even the unpardonable sin. Some even go as far as to say that Satan himself, in addition to the fallen angels, demons, antichrists and false prophet will be joining us there as well because they are also of Gods creation. The latter half of this sentence representative of the thoughts of some, I will not even dignify with an address, for such ideas suggests that God is a liar. However, for those who believe that all others will come into the kingdom of heaven despite their lack of repentance and denial of Jesus the Christ, allow me to recap what the Word of God says. The Word tells us that just as God does not have any recollection of sins forgiven through repentance, He also has no recollection of those whose names were blotted out from the Lambs Book of Life. Such people are severed from God. If God has no recollection of one whose name has been blotted out of the book, how does God call that person His own? Will strangers enter the kingdom of God? I think not. Jesus said those who keep His commandments He considered them His friends. If God saying that He has no recollection is a lie, then how can any persons sin be truly forgiven? Jesus saying I never knew you, was not a metaphorical statement nor can He lie. What He said, was exactly what He meant. Another argument I have heard is the ridiculous notion that if God cannot bring all His creation into His kingdom, then He must be a failure. The number of people who may or may not come into Gods kingdom, does not increase or decrease His stature of supremeness. The mass quantity of born-again Christians does not measure God. We are His creation, but the general attitude seems to be as if we created God, and ourselves. The Word of God says, I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Revelation 22:13). Seven hundred billion years ago in addition to infinity prior to that, there was God. Where were we? People tend not to realize that God was God before He created earth, everything on it, and everything in it. Thus, we deem ourselves significant to His success. God having created us did not change or improve Him. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. When He destroyed the world in Noahs day, He wiped out all the populated earth including the animals and beast, except for the few He placed on the ark along with His chosen eight people. Did this make Him

a failure since no one else was saved? He simply commanded the eight people and the small remnant of animals to replenish the earth. Many ministries teach that Jesus parable concerning those he never knew despite their works (Matthew 7:23) was in reference toward the sinner. However, Jesus did not deny their claim of preaching the gospel or performing miracles of God. Sinners cannot cast out devils. Jesus said that evil could not cast out evil. If the devils house is against itself, how can it stand (Mark 3:23-26)? The people Jesus spoke about in His parable were indeed believers, yet Jesus said, I never knew you. Though they were believers, they did not operate through the heart of God. Instead, they worked iniquity by keeping their own agenda, which they allowed to take precedence over God. The people Jesus was referring to are like many Christians today who think they are something special in and of themselves because of their anointed ability to do Christian works. In the book of Matthew, the Word of God clearly states that the children of the kingdom would be cast into outer darkness. An interesting question to contemplate is how can God cast something out that was not at least once, already in? The children of the kingdom were at one time an inclusion to the kingdom of God. The kingdom was prepared just for them. This tells us that their names had to have once been written in the Lambs Book of Life because the twentyfirst chapter of Revelation stipulates that whosevers name is not written will not see Gods kingdom. Therefore, being cast out signifies that they caused their names to be blotted out of the Lambs Book of Life. Today, the children of the kingdom may be people you know in your very church. They may even represent what some construe to be the epitome of Christianity and religion today. All Christians are called of God, and are thus gifted with anointed ability to perform the assignments that God has given them. Even if Gods people should go astray, there is no sorrow in God from having given His anointing. In His love and mercy, He will even cause the anointing to wait for you until you choose to step into it. Sinners even have abilities, gifts and talents, but they do not use them to serve God, neither did those who Jesus spoke about, saying, I never knew you. Their works performed were only for the benefit of themselves, yet they called it Gods plan. God gives every Christian a new heart, but that does not mean that every Christian will use this heart to serve the kingdom of God. God allows you to choose. Many believers have refused to renew their minds and though they may attempt to serve the kingdom of God, their willing servitude is based upon the contingencies of their own agendas, which exclude God. Therefore, God does not recognize them despite the fact that He may accomplish His work through them. This would result in Jesus saying, I never knew you. No person can measure his relationship with God according to his Christian status. He cannot measure his righteousness according to the anointing God has given him, or even by the works, which God may perform through him. One also cannot measure his relationship with God by his level of faith. Faith pleases God, but it is still possible to have faith in God, do mighty works though faith, yet be far removed from Christ. Jesus spoke of false prophets who will display signs and wonders that will entice and deceive even the elite. Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. Following the man instead of

God leads to ensnarement of deceit. It is very important to understand that even when a true prophet speaks over your life and you ultimately find that everything he spoke came true, still it had nothing to do with the man who was the prophet. It had everything to do with God wanting to get a Word of knowledge or wisdom to you. Gods number one focus is His people. He intends to fulfill His covenant because He cannot lie. Therefore, God anoints His people in order to move through them to get to His people. However, God can speak through a donkey to get your attention if necessary (Numbers 22: 28-30). What God has anointed you with He never meant for you specifically to keep. In other words, the anointing you have was not necessarily meant to benefit you. The purpose is that you use it to bless others. God has also anointed others to reach and bless you. Though there are tens of millions of believers across the globe, the Word of God says that the majority of them will never truly find the righteous path because they refuse to keep the commandments Jesus gave. In addition, most believers will not find it because they refuse to read, study, and obey the Word. They refuse to allow Jesus to establish a relationship with them. If God has to tell us to study to show ourselves approved, then I believe that it is safe to say that most of us are not studying to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15). Many will not find the righteous path because they are not really interested in seeking Jesus, who happens to be the righteous path. Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). Religious and worldly doctrine teaches that there are many different ways of getting into the kingdom of heaven, aside from seeking Christ. Jesus said that unless a person is born again, he could not see the kingdom of heaven (John 3:3). If believers do not earnestly seek Jesus to gain the wisdom, which leads to salvation how can they expect to be recognized by Jesus? How can they expect to enter the kingdom of God when Jesus is the only door?

The Seal of Christ

I once heard a pastor preach about how hard it was to go to hell. He said that once you are saved, you reallyreally, and I mean really have to mess up with God in order to go to hell. He was inferring that God would either cast you into hell because you really messed up or stop you against your will from choosing to go there. According to the Word of God, I believe that neither happens to be true. You may think to yourself, who in their right mind would choose to go to hell? It may surprise you to know, however, that the Bible gives crystal-clear confirmation that the majority of the people on earth are in fact, choosing hell and the lake of fire over the kingdom of God. The devil has come and deceived the world (Revelation 12:9). Plunged into deception, the world does not know Jesus and therefore is choosing Satan over God. According to the Bible, even most believers who have confessed Jesus have still chosen to follow the world because they too are in deception. Though people seek salvation with God, they are refusing to renew their minds by the Spirit of God. They are instead educating their minds by the doctrines of people of the world. The Word of God is the only escape from the

curse of deception, which Satan has injected into the world. Without submission and obedience to the Word of God, it is impossible to escape the enemys power of deception. When the pastor speaks on the effortlessness of gaining entry into heaven once saved, the consequences can be eternally fatal. The result of such a doctrine leads Christians toward an attitude or understanding that once a person is saved, he is an automatic shoe-in to the kingdom of God. From this point of view, salvation does not necessarily require a new or changed heart. A person can continue life in whichever way he desires without much regard to the Word of God. Resulting from decades of false teaching, believers generally trust that God is a forgiving God regardless of sins committed and regardless of peoples disdain toward repentance. Thus, many believe that God will never actually send anyone to hell, for His Word is not exactly iron clad, but metaphorical in nature. They view God from the perspective of His unfathomable love toward His creation. Thus, they believe that what He says concerning the obedience toward His commandments and statutes is not necessarily set in stone. In other words, one who disobeys may still enter heaven. This belief is a mixture between truth and lies, yet it sounds plausible. When Satan cited Scripture to Jesus, he perverted it by mixing it with lies (Matthew 4; Luke 4). What came out of the enemys mouth may have sounded plausible, but it was not what God said. It sounds plausible that God forgives all sins, even without repentance. It sounds reasonable that God would never send anyone to hell. The deception however, is that when believers choose not to repent of their sins, thus refusing the cleansing blood of Christ, they are in essence choosing to go to hell themselves. Yes, Jesus died for your sins on the cross, but when you reject what He did on your behalf by choosing to sin regardless His blood no longer covers you, for you have rejected it. Through a heart of repentance, you must acknowledge to God that you have sinned and God is then just to forgive you of your sins. Understand also that this is not a license to sin because one must approach God with a heart of repentance. God is a respecter of the heart, thus no one cons God. God wrote His law in every persons heart, but how can His law protect you from the enemy if you are oblivious to what it even says? How can the blessings from the promises He made you overtake you unless you seek God to understand His promises? God holds you responsible for what you dont know because He instructed you to find out. He said, Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding (Proverbs 4:7). This wisdom comes from above, not the world. Unrepentant sin ultimately bars any entrance to the kingdom of God. Satan does not want Gods children to enter into the Fathers house. He endeavors to cause them to live their lives in sin. The devil knows that sin cannot enter heaven and that God will not override a persons will if they should choose to sin. To sin in flesh is not necessarily sinning by choice, but rather by nature. We were born in flesh and thus have the nature of sin. God has already forgiven everyone including nonbelievers for such sins. To prove it, He allowed His Son to wash away our sins by His blood and death on the cross. Those however who nevertheless choose to sin despite their given ability to turn away from sin (Christians), their sins are not automatically forgiven. Those who do not to repent believing that their sinful hearts are automatically forgiven walk a path, which leads them away from Christ and salvation.

Christians need to be aware of those who teach the false doctrine, once saved always saved. The Bible does not say that once you are saved you are always saved. Salvation is free, but in order to maintain it God requires certain things from Christians. Keeping and maintaining the gift of salvation is to obey the Word of God by doing what it says. Doing what the Word of God says is obedience to Gods commandments through faith. The concept of once saved always saved disagrees with other scriptures pertinent to salvation. Any portion of the Word of God that dismantles, undermines, excludes, or disagrees with another portion of the Word of God, is not the Word of God. All of the Word of God agrees and never does one part contradict another. When Satan used the scriptures in his endeavor to tempt Jesus, what he spoke contradicted other scriptures. Jesus, however, spoke the truth and the devil fled from Him. The entire Word of God flows in agreement with the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is alive and is precisely perfect, interpreting and revealing itself. You could say that the Word of God is like a perfect mathematical equation solving itself needing no help from man. Leaders say they are not giving a license to sin when teaching, once saved, always saved, but technically, yes they are. This false teaching on salvation is usually derived from the Word of God based upon the Unpardonable Sin. The unpardonable sin is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to say that Jesus has an unclean spirit (Mark 3:22-30). If a bornagain believer becomes spiritually mature and knowledgeable through the Word of God, walks in an intimate relationship with Christ, then deliberately renounces God saying in his heart that Christ is evil, then he has blasphemed the Holy Spirit. In doing such, there is no forgiveness. Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation (Mark 3:28-29). It should be noted that despite this passage in Mark chapter three, some people nevertheless believe that the unpardonable sin either doesnt exist or is pardonable, as if Jesus is a fickle, wavering, double-minded God who really doesnt mean what He says. Many Christians who subscribe to once saved always saved, believe that the only way one can go to hell after being saved is to do the unpardonable sin. Yet this very belief proves to be a contradiction. According to the once saved always saved doctrine, how could it ever be possible for a believer to commit the unpardonable sin? If a person has automatic salvation having been hemmed and thus sealed in Christ, then it would be impossible for that person to commit the unpardonable sin (or any sin) because there is no sin in Christ. Yet according to the Bible, only those close to God can commit the unpardonable sin. If we were able to commit such a sin out of sheer ignorance, then who could be saved? How could a sinner ever stand a chance at coming into the kingdom of God if it were possible for him to commit the unpardonable sin? Jesus said that there is none other who is righteous, except God (Luke 18:19). The unpardonable sin is a diabolical, calculative, deliberate sin that only a believer commits. This kind of sin is not something that can be done against God in simple ignorance. It is why

such a sin is so severe in the eyes of God. If a persons salvation is entirely complete once he is saved according to the once saved always-saved sentiment, then how could the unpardonable sin exist? A sinner cannot commit the unpardonable sin because a sinner is spiritually ignorant of God. Only one that is deeply intimate with God who then in his heart renounces God could ever commit such a sin. Perhaps there are Christians who fear that they may have committed the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit because they backslid in Christ or do not understand what Jesus said about the unpardonable sin. Let me assure you however, that there is a very high probability that you have not committed such a sin. The very fact that one would be concerned about it is his greatest indication that he has not committed the unpardonable sin. A person who fears the Lord in just a small capacity has within him some level of reverence toward God. Such a person having the slightest reverence toward God is a savable soul. One who commits the unpardonable sin has no remorse or fear of God at all, even though he once knew God on an intimate level. His turned hatred toward God is greater than any fear or consideration of his dire consequences. He simply does not have within him the ability or capacity of repentance. The Pharisees, who condemned Jesus to the cross, knew the Word. They were avid followers of the scriptures, but when the Messiah came as the scriptures foretold, they cast Him down and called Him evil. They said that they were the children of God and that Jesus belonged to the devil. They blasphemed the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? (Matthew 23:33). Their evil hearts were so hardened against Jesus that they were not phased at all, by what Jesus said to them. The Bible says they sought even more to kill Him. The Holy Spirit is your only advocate before God. When the adversary accuses you before God, the Holy Spirit pleads your case. Your righteousness will always fall short, but the righteousness of Christ always prevails. Thus, because you are covered by His righteousness the Holy Spirit never loses a case. If the person calls the Holy Spirit evil, then who pleads the case on behalf of that person to God? Your advocate is your only defense or escape from eternal damnation. This is why a soul is surely condemned without forgiveness if he blasphemes the Holy Ghost. No one can enter the kingdom of God as his own advocate on behalf of himself. His own righteousness would never suffice. Except the unpardonable sin, every sin is forgivable in the eyes of God. Jesus already died for your sins, all one needs to do is recognize it. In other words, repentthat is, to say with all your heart, Lord I am sorry for what I have done, please forgive me, desire Christ in your heart, thank Him for what He has done, and begin to do the will of God. It is that simple. God does not require you to do any suffering in order to be forgiven. Jesus already did the suffering on your behalf. That price was paid. No rituals or any kind of works are required of you. His gift of righteousness is free. Neither you nor I could have ever done anything to earn it. If someone tells you this gift is not freethat you must perform deeds, or do works in order to receive it, get away from that person because the truth of God is not in him.

In repentance, the blood of Jesus blots out your sins and He remembers them no more. God removes those sins from us as far away as the east is to the west (Psalm 103:12). Going to the throne of God in an attempt to discuss the forgiven sin is even futile because God has no recollection of it. Walking in guilt, self-pity, and condemnation after having sought God for forgiveness serves no purpose in Gods kingdom. The Lord desires you to move on. A second reasoning behind many believing that once you are saved, youre always saved, comes also from misinterpreted biblical Scripture, which says that when you are born again your spirit is sealed in Christ Jesus until redemption. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:13-14). Once we are saved, it is most certainly true that we are sealed once and for all in Christ Jesus. However, this does not denote that because you are sealed, you can never break that seal. A glass vase will always be a glass vase, unless you drop it and it shatters into pieces. Such the case, it is no longer a glass vase. God commanded us not to grieve the Holy Spirit with whom we were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). If God has to tell us not to grieve the Holy Spirit after being sealed in Christ then obviously we have the ability to grieve the Holy Spirit, even after we have been sealed in Christ Jesus. Being sealed in Christ does not mean that you no longer have free will. God still allows what you allow whereas still He will not override your will. With this in mind, what happens if we do grieve the Holy Spirit without repentance? Christians grieve the Holy Spirit by choosing to do wrong in their hearts despite the fact that they are sealed in Christ. The devil cannot make the person do wrong, for the person is sealed in Christ. Thus, no one who is sealed in Christ can be forced to sin, he chooses to sin. The moment one, who is sealed in Christ, sins out of his heart he at that moment is no longer sealed in Christ. He must be made clean. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity (2 Timothy 2:19). God is speaking to those of us whom He knows are sealed in Christ Jesus. Still, He says, depart from iniquity. If God says that we are to depart from iniquity, then this Scripture suggests that even though we are sealed in Christ, iniquity can still be found in us. Jesus words were I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work in iniquity. Jesus spoke to those who supposedly were sealed in Christ because they said, and believed, Jesus was Lord. God wants us to turn away from wickedness, yet what if we refuse. The Word indicates that the spirit of a man is sealed, not the flesh. When we become born again believers, God instructs us to renew our minds because the spirit was saved, not the mind. If the persons flesh in addition to his spirit is sealed in Christ, as religion has taught us, then why is it necessary to renew the mind? According to mans doctrine, regardless to living a life of holiness or sin, the person has already been sealed in Christ Jesus, and is thus saved from eternal damnation.

The wage of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Some believe that when we are in sin without repentance, yet are saved, our continuance in sin ultimately leads us to death. The Word says the penalty of sin is death, so we can gather that this held view is true. However, from the worlds doctrinal perspective, most Christians believe that because we are sealed in Christ we are still heaven bound. If I have a revelation on there being many mansions in the Fathers house as Jesus said, and that He goes to prepare a place there for me (John 14:2-3), why should I concern myself with death, even if I should continue to sin? How does death become a penalty for me, when death for me means being in heaven with eternal life, and having my mansion to boot despite my sin? With this idea in mind, what encourages one to respect, heed or even consider Gods warning about death if he has immunity to deaths sting because he is sealed in Christ? Paul said that to die is gain, but only because He lived for Christ. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). According to this Scripture, when believers do not lay down their flesh allowing Christ to perform His will through them, is dying for them, gain? If we perceive that it is, then that would make Pauls entire purpose and reasoning for enduring his suffering for the sake of Christ, pointless. His life toward Christ would not have been necessary; he would have entered heaven regardless. Whether he taught the oracles of God to the people or not, they would nevertheless enter heaven. If our spirit is automatically sealed in Christ Jesus, thus we are a shoe-in to the kingdom of heaven we really dont need Gods Word on repentance, which says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). If we are forever saved once having given our hearts to Christ, then what difference does it make if we should continue serving Jesus? According to mans doctrine, we have already been forever sealed, saved, and thus made a shoe-in to the kingdom of God. Can you see how the teaching of once saved always saved leads people to believe that not only are they free to sin, but also they can keep their God given righteousness as well? Not only does such a teaching give people a license to sin, but also boast that they can enter heaven regardless of their impenitent sins. If I had tenure as a professor in a university, it would be very difficult for my superiors to fire me. However, if I never showed up to teach my class, what are the odds that I would lose that position? Being saved gets you tenure with God, but you can ruin that tenure yourself. Our covenant with God is an agreement. That agreement is God doing His part, yet we also have to do our part. Some will argue that the covenant was between God and Christ before the foundation of the world on our behalf. This is certainly true. However, if it means that we have no obligation, then why was it necessary for Jesus to restore to us all authority over the enemy? Why was it necessary for God to instruct us to speak His Word in faith that He may perform it? Why would God command His people to live their lives by faith as opposed to sight? What would be the point of confessing with our mouths and believing in our hearts that Jesus is Lord?

Though the covenant was made for our sake, God still required us certain responsibilities. He gave us the responsibility to make choicesthe right ones. Between life and death, God told us to choose life. In our contract, God established that we had a part to perform. Our part was to do His will. If we should fail, that covenant becomes void. When we repent, the covenant is once again in effect in our lives. God gave us 1 John 1:9 in order to keep our covenant with Him in effect. He never cancels His covenant with us, but we cancel the contract with Him, collectively, everyday. The First Epistle of John, chapter one and verse nine is the grace of God that allows us back into the contract that we breach with Him on a daily basis. He knew we would fall short of His glory, even as sealed Christians. This was why He gave us a way to re-establish the contract. Nothing short of His glory will see the Kingdom of heaven. God will never take back the righteousness He has given us, but that does not mean that people will not often choose to reject His gift. This is exactly what Jesus is saying that Christians are doing. He said this church generation is lukewarm (Revelation 3:16). That means that even though we are a body of believers, we are nevertheless rejecting the righteousness of God and are trying to get by on our own righteousness. Though we are Christians, God still says that the wage of sin is death. Those who believe the false doctrine of once saved always saved or do not live with a heart of repentance, are fooling themselves. They are negligent to come back into the contract established with God because they are assuming they are still covered by it. They are seeing the contract from their own point of view. They do not realize that because God gave them free will they have the power to breach the contract. Let us consider death, according to the Word of God. The Word says, And death and hell was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelations 20:14). This was the second death

God and death are not friends. Death, will ultimately meet its doom in the lake of fire. To experience the sting of death is to be captured by it because of sin. Ultimately, where it goes is where all who have been captured by it will go. Through following the Word of God, however, the corruptible puts on incorruption and the mortal puts on immortality, then death is swallowed up in victory and has no sting (1 Corinthians 15:53-55). Therefore, death has no power over the sinlessthe cleansedbecause to be absent from the body is to be present before the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). To sin against God without repentance is death, not eternal life with God.

Overriding the Seal

The Word of God is adamant about keeping the mind righteous through the teaching of the spirit. This is because God knows that what goes in our mindsgood or badcan eventually gain entrance into the spirit. Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. He was not referring to the physical heart, but the spiritual heart. The heart is the spirit man. For those who are saved, the heart is that portion of you that is sealed in Christ Jesus. God said death and life are in the power of the tongue. He gave us the free will to choose to speak life and have

it, or we can speak death and have it. Jesus said you will speak whatever is abundant in your heart. Therefore, it is possible for a Christian whose spirit is sealed in Christ to speak death. We fill our hearts by what we meditate upon in our minds. Adam and Eve allowed the serpent to entertain their mind. Ultimately, it caused them to act in sin toward God. Their sin was born out of their heart, yet conceived in their mind. You have the ability to override the seal of your spirit in Christ Jesus. God gives us a new heart when we are saved. In addition to this new heart, He also gives us instructions on what to do with our mind so that it lines up with the heart. However, God will not force or coerce you to renew your mind in order to obey His Word. He desires that you would willingly choose to do so. People, through their traditions have made the Word of God a non-effect (Matthew 15:6). Thus, we have the power to make the Word of God void in our lives. Even though a Christians spirit is sealed in Christ, he can choose to override the Word of God and break that seal. God sealed up Adam and Eve in the heavenly garden of paradise called, Eden. He made them owners of every divine thing, which He created, yet they allowed what was divine to become corrupt. When we disobey God and live our lives without a repentant heart, we are in essence choosing to override that seal. It is true that our sins are in flesh, but the wickedness of the mind left alone, will eventually corrupt the heart. This is why we must renew our minds to Christ. The Word tells us that Jesus loves everyone. Those who come to Him, God will not forsake or leave, even until the end of the world (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5). Contrary to modern church doctrine, which teaches that it is next to impossible for a believer to go to hell, actually getting God to let go of you is next to impossible. The deception that has snared most people comes by their inability to realize that they have refused God and salvation. God never refused them. They are oblivious to their true position with God because they have no true relationship with God. They see their relationship with God from their own point of view. It doesnt occur to them that perhaps God has a different point of view. God will not force Himself upon anyone. To do such a thing would be to call Himself a liar. He said we must choose between life and death. God does not make the choice for you. Everyone lives his or her life according to either one or the other. There is no such thing as a happy medium. God neither gives up on us nor turns away from us, but people give up on God and turn away from Him everyday. The Word says, And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand (John 10:28-29). If you are saved, then God holds and protects you in the palm of His hand. There is nothing that any man or devil can do that will remove you from Him. However, the Word does not say that God will stop you from removing yourself. Sometimes, life throws us a curve, for instance, and we tend to take our sights off Jesus. Sometimes, we tend to focus on rectifying the situations ourselves. Thus, we literally remove ourselves from the hand of God. We neglect to seek His guidance and counsel, as we should. People tend also not to rely upon God for their peace and joy. Instead, they strive to find it through other means such as seeking wealth and prosperity. Collectively, we leave our homes everyday without even thinking to ask the Holy Spirit to guide

us and protect us from dangers and temptations that the enemy may bombard us with on that given day. Thus, without His assistance, we very easily step into sin and separation from God. How does one operate in sin and yet stand on the path of righteousness at the same time? These are two entirely different paths leading to two entirely different places. The palm of Gods hand is like the righteous path. Thus, sin cannot exist in the palm of Gods hand. The result of believers not having a true relationship with God is that they end up far removed from Him, yet some nevertheless believe that the Holy Spirit is with them in every step they make. Jesus is not on the path of righteousness; Jesus is the path of righteousness, which leads directly to the kingdom of heaven. People choose either to get off the path or refuse to get on the path, yet they assume that wherever they are Jesus is right there with them. Believing that Jesus is on the path of righteousness suggests that He can leave the path to be with those who choose to stand on another path. Have you ever heard someone say, There are many different ways to get into heaven? Such an idea is a distorted understanding. Jesus cannot walk away from that which He is. He is not both righteousness and unrighteousness. Because Jesus is the righteous path, He is not with those who choose to live their lives in sin. Deception tells them that because God said He would never leave or forsake them, they have the right to go anywhere they want, do whatever they want, and God will nevertheless be right there with them. The truth is that God is speaking of those who have chosen Him. Even though God has chosen all His people, not all His people have chosen Him. God said the children of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12). He is referring to the people of whom He created the kingdom for that refused His gift of salvation by rejecting Christ who is the righteous path. Those who have chosen God have received Jesus and are thus living their lives on the path of righteousness through faith and a repentant heart. Because they are on the righteous path, there is literally no way that God could ever separate Himself from them nor leave or forsake them because they have become one with His Spirit through Christ, who is the righteous path. Therefore, the only way anyone could ever be plucked from the hand of God is if the person were to remove himself by stepping onto another path. Paul volunteered himself a prisoner of Jesus (Ephesians 3:1), as everyone should, but Jesus does not hold you prisoner against your will. Even though He would insist that you stay with Him, Jesus would nevertheless honor your will. The unpardonable sin is not choosing to walk away from God. If it were, no person would escape damnation. The only one who got it right with God one hundred percent of the time was Jesus, for He is the righteous path. No person on earth has a better track record. Repentance is vital to every Christians victory over sin because your repentance to God puts you back on the path of righteousness. Once we get off the path, who can get back on it unless he is made pure? Through repentance, God forgives us. He purifies us by removing the stains of sin by the blood of Jesus. Turning away from God is to disobey Him, where repentance is in order. In His love and mercy, He is always willing to forgive you. God never gives up on you. He desires to help you understand how badly you really need Him, but you must choose to want Him. Jesus is willing to receive you again the moment you repent from your heartno questions asked. When God gives you a new heart, the Word says the enemy cannot corrupt it, for it is sealed in Christ Jesus.

The Word, however, does not say that you cannot corrupt the heart He has given you. If you endeavor to walk in your own righteousness without repentance, God will allow it. People become deceived in their own righteousness because there seems to be no resistance from God. God allows them to do according to their own will. Thus, they perceive this to be Gods blessing, acceptance, and agreement. In actuality, their perception is a deception from the devil.

God is ReallyReally and I Mean Really Serious

Going to hell is a simple choice, which believers in addition to sinners make everyday. In fact, choosing to go to hell is much easier than choosing to go to heaven. Jesus said that the path of righteousness is a very difficult path to walk, but the path of destruction is broad and accommodating. Jesus acknowledges those who do the will of God. Those who Jesus acknowledge are those He will allow to enter His kingdom because their names are written in the Lambs Book of Life. Jesus is the only door and people will only enter in through Him. People belonging to the world and even most Christians have the toughest time believing that living outside the will of God allows absolutely no entry into the kingdom of heaven. They cannot comprehend that though there are many paths, only one leads to the kingdom of God. Those who are not on this path will not see the kingdom of God. Somewhere in the back of our minds, we tend to hold on to the serendipitous idea that God will ultimately bend His Word to accommodate our impenitent sins. We cannot perceive or fathom such a loving God allowing His beloved creation to suffer eternal death in hell or the lake of fire. People even go as far as to rationalize hell being not that bad a place because they simply cannot comprehend what the Word of God says about hell and its eternal attributes. In many respects, the world actually speaks fondly of hell, equating it to an everlasting party or a place were one can give in to all inhibitions and hang out with friends. They say hell is such a place where one can be free to do whatever his heart desires or that hell is not necessarily eternal, for escape to heaven is still possible. The world compares heaven to hell, boasting that hell is much more exciting, sensual, and unrestrictive, while heaven is actually boring and religious. On given levels, Christians even participate in some of these worldly ideas about hell because it helps them rationalize their refusal to let go of their sinful desires. It allows them to substantiate their reasoning for embracing it. I have heard men preach sermons based on the idea of hell releasing its prisoners to heaven. According to their doctrine, those who end up in hell will be purified by fire. All their sinful nature will be burned off, so-to-speak, and then hell will release them into heaven to spend eternity with God. This idea of purgatory by Catholicism or the teaching of Inclusion totally removes the fear or reverence of God and places all confidence on sin. It undermines what the Word of God speaks in the book of Revelation concerning the Great White Throne Judgment. Their false doctrine says that the true justice of God is that all those who renounced God without repentance, willingly did the works of Satan, and even came against you and your loved ones in life, will eventually share in all the inheritances of God with you in heaven. It undermines the justice prevailing over the wicked, which God addresses in the book of Psalm. This line of thinking

also entirely undermines Gods commandment to live a holy and righteous life unto Him. Ultimately, this false doctrine sheds a perverse light on the idea that there is hope for salvation and a relationship with Christ even in the bowels of hell, which is the epitome and absolute ultimate separation from God. Such heretical doctrines make the presumption that God and hell are not only connected, but also have agreement. If people can convince themselves that the consequences of sin are minimal, they dont have to concern themselves or fear the eternal consequences of death. Through deception and idolatry, their arrogance even causes them to believe that God is in agreement with their distorted way of thinking, which is to say; to sin is really no big deal. They believe they are going to heaven regardless of their impenitent sins because they are sealed in Christ. They say in their hearts, because God loves me, my invitation to His kingdom is irrevocable. In addition, because they cannot see or feel any resistance from God they assume that they are on His righteous path. Thus, they have no reason to fear or discern that the life they are living is actually outside the will of Godnot in the palm of His hand. Where there is no reverence of God, there can be no discernment from God that something is wrong. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). Only the fear of God can bring you out of deception. How can you recognize the path you are standing on if you are standing in deception? The majority of people who boast about their stance upon the righteous path are actually standing neck deep in deception. Jesus had not one good thing to say about this last church generation, yet the church body believes it is the greatest of all church generations. The Pharisees were totally convinced that they were right, and Jesus was wrong. Though they studied and understood the scriptures, they had no reverence for Jesus whereby Satan ultimately led them into damnation. Today, most believers do not bother seeking God for truth and righteousness because they are convinced in their minds that they already have it. They dont always see the difference between their own righteousness and Gods. In fact, they often believe their righteousness aligns with Gods, thus Satan is able to deceive them and bait them into hell. Rather than fight against the sinful nature in them, which God said the battle is already won, believers justify themselves in their sin. The sin simply feels too good to give up. The greatest deception about sin is the intense effect it has upon people. It is by far the most prodigious, addictive, evil narcotic in existence. It is the supreme counterfeit high, to the very presence of God. As He made it clear with Adam and Eve, God has made the consequences of choosing darkness over light perfectly clear to us. Those who choose darkness over light, will surely die (Genesis 2:17). Despite our justifications, opinions, rationalizations, fantasies, and desires, sin cannot and will not enter heaven. Those who do not enter heaven will experience eternal death. Whosoever continues to sin without repentance, believing once saved always saved, will stay on the broad path of destruction. Inevitably, that path will lead to the abode of death. Some people claim to be followers of Christ, yet they reject His gift of righteousness. They choose to disobey the Father by doing their own thing. In His parable, despite the peoples works and position in Christ, Jesus said, I never knew you (Matthew 7:23). There is a significant distinction between a person thinking that he is doing the will of God and God doing

His will through him. God respects and honors your will because He loves you that much. He loves you enough to allow you to leave Him in spite of the pain He suffers because you choose to leave Him. He said that He would never leave you; He did not say that He would stop you from leaving Him. In His love and mercy, His arms are always open to receive anyone anytime they choose to come to Him. Whoever chooses to turn away from God establishes his or her own fate on the broad path of destruction. They have chosen within themselves to separate from God, thus override their seal in Christ. I personally do not believe that God ever sends Christians to hell nor does He cast sinners into Hell. Clearly, He does everything imaginable to save every soul, which ultimately included allowing His Son to die a brutal death on the cross as a sacrifice in order to wash away our sins. Despite what God has done and continues to do on our behalf, He can only persist to the extent of our will. Your will, which the Lord has given you is the line drawn that He will not cross. Ultimately, it is every persons choice to choose Christ or eternal death. Those who are currently in rout to hell are choosing their path. God did not create hell or the lake of fire for His own people. He created such a place for Satan and his entourage of angels. Even Lucifer and his angels at one time had a choice. They chose to rebel against God. God loved the sinners enough to give up His Son to die on the cross as a sacrifice in order to save them. The majority of people nevertheless, are choosing eternal death against the will of God by following Satan. Jesus died for all our sins in order for us to be saved, not condemned to hell. If God sends His people to hell, then Jesus dying on the cross was pointless.

Taking the Righteous Path

Jesus said, Enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:13-14). The misconception that going to hell is a mere impossibility for believers is a direct contrast to what Jesus said. He said the path of death and destruction is wide, easily accessible, and accommodating to multitudes. The Bible even expresses that Hell hath enlarged herself, and have opened her mouth without measure (Isaiah 5:14). Jesus is the straight gate. He is the narrow way unto life. Though there are multitudes of followers of Christ, He said only few would find Him. Yet, Jesus says, . . . seek and ye shall find; . . . (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9). Why arent more people finding the righteous path? The once saved always-saved sentiment does not foster the idea of seeking the kingdom of God. This doctrine eliminates the need to do so because according to the precept, the children of the kingdom are already a shoe-in. God, however, said that the children of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Pastors and teachers who preach that salvation is irrevocable once you are saved, inevitably causes Christians to have a distorted understanding. From Gods end, salvation is irrevocable because He does not take back what He gives. However, Christians are not being taught to guard themselves against the enemy who strives to steal away their salvation with God. Gods gift of righteousness is your ticket into the kingdom of heaven. Your goal is to keep it; Satans goal is to steal it from you to stop you from entering in. If the church continues to abide in the once saved always-saved mentality, inevitably Christians will be lead further away from Gods Kingdom even though they will believe they have it made because of their confession of Christianity. They will be in breach of the established contract between God and them. God never leaves our side, but we can and do often choose to leave His.

Christianity Demands Activity

God requires Christians to pursue Him. No task of a Christian is accomplishable without God. He purposely gives us impossible assignments in order to provoke us to call upon Him. As we call upon God, we must then be willing to operate in our God given abilities and authority. God gave Adam authority to have dominion over all the earth and over all the beasts and fowls of the air, yet he remained passive when the serpent entered the garden, which resulted in him falling into sin. He did not honor what God had given him and ultimately lost everything he had. Passive Christians also do not honor what God has given them. Every Christian will be accountable to God for what he or she has been given. What are you doing with your God given abilities, gifts and talents? Are they benefiting only you, the kingdom of God, or are they sitting on a shelf collecting dust? People rob the kingdom of God when they do not usefor the sake of the kingdomwhat God has given them. Your anointed abilities, talents, and gifts were meant for the benefit of others. Another parable spoken by Jesus was about three servants who were each given talents. One man was given five talents, another two, and a third only one. The man given the five and the man given the two, used, invested, and traded their talents and gained another five, and another two. The man given the one talent feared losing what he had. Instead of using it to create more, he buried it in the ground. When their master returned requiring their accountability to what they had been given, he honored the two who had gained. Their master said, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the lord (Matthew 25:15-23). Then the man who received only one talent came to the master and explained that he was afraid that he would lose what he had so he buried his talent in the ground. Thus, he only produced the one talent. Outraged, the master said, . . . You wicked and lazy servant! . . . you should at least have put my money into the bank so I could have some interest. Take the money from this servant and give it to the one with the ten talents. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what

little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:26-30, NLT). God will require us to give an account for what we have done with what He has given us. Did we utilize it for the kingdom, or did we bury it in the ground? In the parable, the master gave the original talents to the servants, which enabled them to increase the money. The servants initial investment was zero. The accomplishment of every Christian endeavoring to do his given task from God is the return of investmentwith interestGod has made in that Christian. The least thing the man in Jesus parable could have done was deposit the money to earn a little interest. That would have sufficed. To do absolutely nothing with the gifts God has given us, including His measure of faith and ability to love others through the heart of God is equivalent to the man who feared and thus buried his talent in the ground. The outcome was that the master stripped him of what little he had and cast him out of his presence. The Word of God illustrates that he who is responsible to use what God has given him will receive even more of what God has given. That person will live in abundance. However, those who reject what God has given them will lose even what little they have and be cast out of His presence into darkness forever. When a minister of God preaches the false doctrine once saved always saved, it is a set up by the enemy. Such a doctrine induces indolence and passivity toward your relationship with God. It teaches that your salvation is set in stone because you have made a mouth confession of Christ. It does not bring you to an awareness of the importance of repentance, but instead boasts that repentance is not necessary. The once saved always-saved mind set does not honor, respect, nor reverence what Jesus suffered in order to set you free. It also does not recognize an important message Jesus was attesting to through His suffering. His suffering was not only for the sake of our redemption, but also to exemplify that born again saints will also experience long suffering through their obedience to God until they acquire the prize of eternal life with God. The suffering is indicative to being active doers of the Word of God. Those who endeavor to do Gods Word will suffer hardships and afflictions in life because the devil will seek to battle against them. God promised, however, that He would bring His people out of every affliction (Psalm 34:19). He will cause them to win every battle because He fights the battles for them, but every Christian must be willing to endure until the end and then he shall be saved (Matthew 10:22, 24:13; Mark 13:13; 2 Timothy 2:3, 10; Hebrews 6:15, 10:32; James 1:12). If the teaching once saved always saved is true, then what is the point of enduring suffering until the end, as the Word of God commands? If Jesus had cut his suffering short, would we still have salvation? If Paul had decided to quit the race, mid-stride, would he have still received the prize or would all his accomplishments to the point of his quitting have only become vanity? If a person does not complete the race, then all his efforts up to the point of him quitting becomes nothing. Quitting or refusing to progress nullifies our eligibility for the prize. In relation to enduring suffering as Christ commanded us, I once heard a pastor say something that I also happen to believe with all my heart. He said if a person is truly following God in obedience. His ministry will be hated by the world, not embraced by it. Many mega church leaders today for example, are accepted, praised and received by the world. Ironically, we are seeing more of these very leaders embraced by the world being brought down by the world. Today, many scandals are being revealed in the church. Consider the number of cases involving

homosexuality and pedophilia in the Catholic Church, for instance. The president of the National Association of Evangelicals who founded and headed a church of 12 thousand congregational members and represented over 30 million evangelical Christians made headline news across the nation in 2006. This Christian figure lobbied Congress on Supreme Court Nominees and political issues, and was well known and respected by White House staffers, yet he was condemned by the news media in addition to the church for his involvement in homosexuality, the very thing he spoke out against. I do not mention this to condemn the man. The world in addition to many of his Christian colleagues and followers has probably done their share to aggravate what must have been sheer misery in his life. If that man has genuinely repented to God, then God has forgiven him, but the world doesnt ever forgive and unfortunately, neither do many of our brothers and sisters in Christ who follow the world. Jesus already warned us about the world loving its own. God said that a Christian could not be in friendship with the world. Any believer in friendship with the world belongs to the world. Peace does not exist anywhere in Satans camp; even his demons fight amongst each other, so what are Christians doing hanging around there? The world will eventually condemn those who belong to it and participate with it against God, especially those claiming faith and salvation in God. Consider the differences between the Apostle Paul and some of the most renowned religious figures today. Paul spent the majority of his ministry life in prison. In fact, it is where he wrote over half the epistles of the New Testament. He was whipped and beaten many times, stoned and left for dead, shipped wrecked, bitten by a venomous snake, among other things, yet he was so on fire for Christ that he considered it all to be an honor to suffer in Christ. He called these light afflictions. Ultimately, he was beheaded. Collectively, church ministries today are a whopping multi-billion dollar empire. Leaders preach in three thousand dollar suits and jet across the globe in their personal multi-million dollar jets. Their church structures are majestic in appearance and range in the tens of thousands to millions of dollars to run. Much of their teaching and preaching is hardly about salvation at all. Their preaching is about prosperity, money, and wealth. They preach about the infinite love of God, but speak little to nothing about the severity of sin, and repentance. They are conscientiously careful about stepping on toes and saying things that could bring about conviction. They aim to please the masses, stick to safe issues and preach only the pleasurables that people desire to hear. Some people refer to this as Celebrity Preaching. What people desire to hear most is that theyre all right in the eyes of God regardless of their sin, selfish ambitions, and lack of repentance. Followers drink in their leaders words who tell them that that a love offering is all they need to give in order to get themselves out of their miseries, predicaments, and circumstances, and back into the good graces of God. Believers rest in their own righteousness and understanding derived from their leaders words spoken from behind pulpits around the world. They are told that because they have confessed Christ, under no circumstances could they ever fail to reach the kingdom of heaven. They believe that their past confession overrides any disobedience toward God today; thus, they learn that repentance is not necessary. They learn that having a relationship with Christ is unnecessary. Few actually preach on the eternal damnation of hell. They dont teach on the

blood of Christ, the significance of salvation or the return of Christ. They do not teach and warn about the impending tribulation and wrath of God that will soon come upon this world. They dont want to be hated by the world, so they compromise and sideline the Word of God constructing it in such a way that it is palatable to all. Ministries today in general are in direct opposition to what Jesus, His disciples, and Paul and other Apostles stood for and like many truth seekers, I too am embarrassed to be associated with them as a child of God. Jesus said, If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you (John 15:18-19). Living in a world that hates you and desires to persecute you is not easy. Jesus said, as the world hated Him, so too will the world hate you if you choose to follow Him in obedience. He said the righteous path is narrow and thus very difficult to walk. According to the Word of God, how can a ministry be loved by the world if it follows and obeys Jesus? Such a ministry that follows Christ would be standing upon an entirely different path than that of the world. Jesus said, . . . In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Ministries today are not necessarily excited about Jesus overcoming the world; they are excited about their wealth, prosperity, self-righteousness and vainglory. All of which are predicated upon idolatry. These ministries believe in their hearts that they are in alignment with God because of their wealth and prosperity. Through their idolatry, even the Bible seems to corroborate everything they believe. Thus, they see themselves in right standing with God. Multitudes of smaller and non-popular ministries are also appeasing the world and carnal Christianity through their own doctrinal teachings. Few are actually willing to endure the suffering that accompanies Christianity. Few are even aware that Christianity and suffering are connected. The once saved always-saved postulate, in no way, teaches this truth. The once saved always-saved doctrine teaches that suffering isnt necessary because we are hemmed on all sides in Christtherefore, having wealth and riches will cure our sufferings. Out of ten virgins, five wise virgins qualified to enter the chamber with the bridegroom, but the other five did not, yet they were all considered brides going forth to meet the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-2). There are wise Christians who truly seek God and will inevitably see His kingdom, and then there are foolish Christians who have rejected Gods wisdom in their determination to follow their own wisdom. Unless there is repentance and change, they will never see the kingdom of God because the very wisdom they rejected was the only key to opening the door. People tend to look at the outer appearance of others, their materialism, successful ministries, world connections, businesses, fame, wealth, and conclude by natural sight that such people must be on the right track with God. However, yielding to the Word of God in our obedience to do what it says is what qualifies us as wise Christians. Those who do not yield will fallregardless of prestige, wealth, or stature; it is only a matter of time. The Word of God says,

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be open unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened (Matthew 7:7-8). Those who disobey God cannot expect to receive anything because they are not asking. They cannot expect to find solution and resolution in their lives because they are not seeking God for the answers, and why bother knocking if you believe you already have the key? Christians are required to seek God daily. We do this by willingly allowing ourselves to be led of the Holy Spirit to pray, praise, worship, study, and fellowship in God through His Word. Jesus will soon return, and those who are watching and waiting will be invited to His banquet where He will dress himself to serve every person at His table (Luke 12:37). Gods intent is to have all His people saved and inherit the kingdom of heaven. He wants you to experience eternal life with Him in New Jerusalem. What will Christ find in your heart when He comes? Every person was invited into Gods kingdom, but not everyone will accept the invitation. Even professed Christians will turn down His invitation. Settle it in your heart now, that you will not be one of them. People are not necessarily saved just because they say they are. Do not be deceived by the adage once saved, always saved. True salvation is the confession of our mouths and believing in our hearts that Jesus died on the cross for us in order to wash away our sins by His blood, and that God raised Him from the dead. It is confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart that Jesus is Lord. It is abiding in the will of God and living your life with a repentant heart. If Jesus is truly the Lord of your life, you will endeavor to abide only in His will. You will recognize that it is not about you, but all about Him.

five

Pagan Tradition and False God Worship

God instructed Noah to build an ark to save him and his family from the destruction that
would come upon the world (Genesis 6:13-14). God chose to destroy man by a great flood because mans sins filled the earth. The Word says that throughout the world, there was only sin continually. Even though Noah obeyed God and built the ark, the rain didnt come for a hundred and twenty years. Can you imagine the ridicule and persecution he and his family must have endured? Can you imagine how silly he must have looked in the eyes of man each passing year when the rain didnt show up? How often have you held your ground concerning something you believe the Lord put on your heart, only to be mocked and ridiculed by others? Perhaps not only did the people not believe Noah, but eventually dismissed him as an old lunatic as well, for years passed without the slightest hint of rain. The weather had been what it had always been, sunny and hot. They derided him and thought he was crazy for building such an ark in the middle of a desert. In the region where the Lord instructed him to build the ark, the people had never even seen rain before. Nevertheless, Noah obeyed God and preached repentance for a hundred and twenty years while he built the ark. Noah obviously had great faith. Deep seated in their traditions, righteousness and cold hearts, the people chose not to repent, but persisted in doing only evil in the eyes of the Lord. Then one day, out of the blue, at a time when the people least expected it, thunder began to rumbled in the heavens that could be heard across the earth. Storm winds kicked up traveling at incredible velocities. Tremendous bolts of lightning lit up the blackening sky and the rain began to pour. For forty days and forty nights, it rained vertically and even horizontally without cease. Not only did such waters pour down from the sky but also rose up from the earth and a great flood ensued. For one hundred and twenty years, the people refused Noahs pleas of salvation with God. When the rain finally commenced only then did they understand, but now it was too late. Every soul not aboard the Ark, perished. Living the life of a Christian is like building an ark in the middle of a desert and trying to help people understand that a flood is coming, yet you cannot tell them exactly when it is going to strike. There is not a cloud in the sky and there has not been for months. The weather forecast also shows no signs of clouds, storms or rain anytime soon. The world cannot see nor understand the message of Christs return because their traditions and worldly wisdom speaks to them otherwise. Because they follow their own wisdom, they cannot hear the Word of God. Like Noah, God has told you that a great destruction is coming, which you are to prepare yourself for the divine escape and inform others that they too may be saved. In spite of your efforts to get the word out to warn others, they reject your message. They say, This is the way

it has always been and this is the way it will always be. They passionately argue that Jesus has not come in two thousand years, so wheres the proof that He is coming today or anytime soon? Because they hold in piousness their traditions and wisdom, esteeming them higher than Christ Jesus, they laugh, mock, and ridicule you. They consider you the biggest fool. A Christian who is willing to seek Gods truth at all cost will appear like a small island in the midst of a great ocean even to fellow believers who assume they have Gods truth, yet have never asked for His truth. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). The majority of people holds fast to their worldly traditions and are incredulous toward anyone who would dare oppose such customs. They see themselves and their traditions as the majority. The world believes that the majority out rule Gods rule. Therefore, Christians with godly integrity who seek to follow the Word of God as opposed to the traditions of man look foolish in the eyes of sinners and even believers who are in friendship with the world. As prophets and messengers of God persists in spreading His Word, opposing traditions, religion, and world doctrines, the people of the world hold them in contempt and hatred. In scrutiny, throughout the Old Testament well into today, the world has persistently ridiculed, persecuted, and in many instances even killed the messengers of God. Many traditions are so entrenched in peoples way of thinking that to oppose them would be to challenge the very fabric of mans logic. God said that dragon called the devil has come and deceived the world. Traditions come in all sorts. Some traditions may seem minuscule in comparison to others, yet they still have the same hidden agenda. All traditions that oppose God serve the same purpose regardless of size or popularity. That purpose is to deceive the people by leading them toward a separation from God. Here is an example of a song, for instance, which by tradition parents share with their children. Though the song seems quite harmless, lets consider that which we seldom question concerning tradition. I learned this song when I was a child. Perhaps you may have heard of it. The words go like this: Rock a by baby on the tree top, When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, And down will come baby cradle and all. Though this song may be familiar to you, have you ever stopped to consider what the song actually says? The song is about a baby in a cradle swinging from a branch at the treetop. A strong wind comes and snaps the branch, which holds the cradle the baby lies in. The baby falls from the top of the tree to the ground, undoubtedly connecting with several branches before hitting bottom. Moreover, if that wasnt enough trauma for the baby, following is the cradle that comes crashing down upon the infantnot to mention perhaps the branch that also snapped from the gust of wind. Considering the lullaby from this perspective sheds a different light. Perhaps a parent would think twice before sending the child off to sleep with such a song in his tender little

mind. The main issue about our understanding of traditions should be relative to the truthful origination or foundation of that tradition, which we tend to follow. How did the tradition originate? People generally do not construe a tradition that opposes God as evil because people automatically see their traditions as something good. Traditions usually are automatically accepted. People tend to follow them because it seems like the plausible thing to do. Peoples contentions are everyone else does it so it must be safe for participation. There are many things people say and do without any reasoning or understanding as to why they do it. The world has literally taught us not to ask. Parents, for instance, may sing a song to their children without even thinking believing it is a form of love toward their child, but the song may not be about love at all. In the case of the lullaby example, the song may even be sadistic. In the routine of individuals following suit of what everyone else does, it is not long before that routine becomes a mental ritual. Thus, a tradition is born. The mind disregards and dismisses any notion to question the meaning behind the tradition, the origination, or even if the tradition is a good thing in the eyes of God. Ultimately, the traditionalistic ritual becomes automatic. When the custom kicks in, the mind shuts off. These traditions can become so powerful that the Word of God says they make Gods Word a non-effect in our lives (Matthew 15:6; Mark 7:13). God would never place His stamp of approval upon anything that would cause His Word to become ineffective in our lives. In order to understand the dangers of many of todays traditions, it is necessary to investigate their origination. It is necessary to understand why they came about in the first place. Most important is the necessity of understanding Gods position on such originating movements. Today many traditions exist and their originations are from an ancient past. Most of these traditions predate Christ by thousands of years and came out of the pagan Babylonian era. In the world today, people including Christians are still following many of these ancient customs. This apostasy of false idol worship ignited Gods anger in the days of Babylon and His anger is still against this apostasy today. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, His anger against these traditions has not subsided or ceased. God has not changed His mind concerning such issues. People have the tendency to believe that just because a tradition is ancient and test proven by multitudes throughout the centuries, it is perfectly acceptable in the eyes of God to reverence and abide in that tradition. Pagan traditions were an abomination to God from the moment they were birth into this world. They are still an abomination to God to this very day. Despite this fact, people have grabbed hold of these abominations and are now even calling some of them holy. For thousands of years people have stubbornly held fast to their traditions regardless of Gods position on such traditions. We owe it to ourselves to gain a better understanding of the traditions we serve and are choosing over God. We should examine why we have become involved in some of these traditions in the first place. Tradition is one of the most deceptive devices in the world. It has created confusion concerning our distinction between God and man. Peoples ways of life in most respects are predicated upon tradition. Instead of obeying the commandments of God, people tend to adhere to their

traditions. People around the world follow traditions for the most part, not even knowing why. It is something handed down from generation to generation and usually received without question. The only argumentative reasoning behind the participation of just about any tradition is everybody does it, and that everyone has been doing it for hundreds or perhaps even thousands of years. The root of many traditions existing today has a direct connection to the ancient Babylonian empire that rose to power a few hundred years after the Noiac flood.

The Kingdom of Babylon, the Great Apostasy

Two hundred years after the flood, Noahs son Ham begot Cush, who begot Nimrod who was a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before (In Hebrew, the word before also means against) the Lord (Genesis 10:9). A City called Babel was one of the first kingdoms of Nimrod. He was the founder of ancient pagan Babylon. Nimrod attempted to establish his own counterfeit religion and a one-world order consisting of its own political and economical system. His aim was to compete with the supremeness of God in every conceivable way (Genesis 11:14). He rallied his people to aspire to build a great tower that he would deliberately use to flaunt his disdain toward God. In this, they would have a name for themselves in opposition to God. The tower would assure the people that God would never defeat them again by a flood. God had His kingdom and Nimrod, who wanted nothing to do with God, would have his own kingdom. His plan however failed because the Lord confused their language and scattered them abroad, hence the name Babel because the Lord confounded their language (Genesis 11:7-9). Legend has it that Nimrods great uncle Shem killed him for creating this false religion and trying to unite all the people of the world against God. The name Nimrod in Hebrew is from Marad meaning, he rebelled against God. In his rebellion, He created the worldly apostasy against God that has dominated the world throughout time into this present day. The Bible refers to this counterfeit religion in the book of Revelation, chapter seventeen and verse five as Mystery Babylon. It is the mother of false religion that will be destroyed by the hand of God in the last days during the great tribulation (Revelation 18:21). The name Nimrod also means, let us revolt. He established a tyrannical system of government dead set against God that crushed people through a relentless reign of outraged anger, violence, persecution, torture, and death. The menacing evil that stood behind this government system was none other than Satan himself in all his rage against God (Isaiah 14:6, 12-15). This tyrannical system of government still exists today in a very hidden and complex system of branches throughout every government, educational, and religious structure in the world. The purpose is to complete what Nimrod started, which was to set in place a one-world religion and economic order for the benefit of him that will ultimately sit in the rebuilt temple opposing God and proclaiming that he is god. Some believe that Nimrod was so evil that he married Semiramis, who was his own mother. Sometime after his death, she had an incestuous relationship with their son and gave birth to Tammuz. Because she had not remarried, she made an explanation to cover the scandal of her illegitimate child. Semiramis told her people that a sunray impregnated her and caused her to give birth to Tammuz. She claimed that Tammuz was actually Nimrod reborn. The people

believed the lie and thus believed that Tammuz was of an immaculate conception. They were convinced that he was a god incarnate. They also referred to Tammuz as the beginning and the end. Thus, the people believed that he was an immortal god and worshiped him as the divine son of heaven. He was to the people the messiah, the son of Baal, the sun god. Interestingly, though his people worshiped him as a god incarnate and messiah, one day a wild boar attacked and killed him. Perhaps the paradox of his death was Gods response to the peoples belief that Tammuz was actually a messiah. The people subsequently named Semiramis the Queen of Heaven. This Babylonian idolatry of worshiping a false messiah ultimately led to many forms of false worship, which still exists today. Mystery cults, Mithraism, Greek and Roman mythology, various eastern religions, the New Age movement and even Catholicism are but a few who practice worshiping in idolatries, which had its origination in pagan Babylonia. Semiramis, who the people also considered the Madonna, was the first deified queen of Babylon. The people revered Semiramis and her son, Tammuz as the Madonna and Child. This mother and child theme, which has been universal and evident in hundreds of religions throughout the world for centuries, originated in Babylon. The worshiping of this false messiah, which began thousands of years before the birth of Christ has infiltrated vast cultures around the world, and is still in existence today. Mostly all cultures reverenced the so-called immaculate conception of the sun god in the form of worship and celebration. According to the late Reverend Alexander Hislop, author of The Two Babylons, which was published as a pamphlet in 1853, revised and released as a book in 1858, we can trace the basis of this celebration back to the kingdom of Nimrod. According to legend, Nimrod came back to life when the dead Yule log was cast into the fire and a green tree appeared. The tree represented the slain king-deity reborn at the winter solstice on December 25. This day was also the day of Tammuzs birth. Hislop asserts, These similarities between the true biblical scriptures and the pagan religious beliefs are not a simple coincidence. It is evidence of the designs of the devil to sidetrack seekers of truth into believing they are worshiping according to Scripture. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lords house, which was toward the north, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. Then said he unto me, hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the Lords house, and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, and they worshiped the sun toward the east. Then he said unto me, hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations, which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch (or Asherah) to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them (Ezekiel 8:14-18).

Tammuz, the sun deity, also known as Baal-Peor (Numbers 25:2-3), was the first counterfeit savior. God condemned ancient Israel for adopting the lewd and idolatrous worship of Tammuz. This worship also included the worship of the Asherah, which was a wooden phallic symbol representing fertility. In their worship of the Asherah, they paid homage to the fertility goddess (Semiramis), who was the mother of Baal. The King James Version Bible translates Asherah to grove. Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: and ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place (Deuteronomy 12:3). God commanded the Israelites to destroy their graven images and altars used for offerings and worshiping false gods. He commanded them to cut down and burn all their groves (Deuteronomy 7:5). These monuments exist even today in various places around the world. The most popular place where they are found is probably Egypt. Perhaps the most blatant displays are located right in the center of Vatican City in Rome Italy and Washington D.Cthe Washington Monument. We also see scores of these monuments representing the worship of the sun god Baal, positioned over graves in cemeteries around the world. Thousands of years before the birth of Jesus, heathen religions observed December 25 as the birthday of the sun god. For centuries, the heathens celebrated Tammuzs birthday with feasts, revelry, and drunken orgies. The Romans also enjoyed their own celebration called Saturnalia where they worshiped Tammuz as the sun deity Mithras. It was their custom to celebrate Saturnalia in December at the time of winter solstice in honor of the returning sun. During this time, all classes exchanged gifts. Over the centuries, this roman celebration of Saturnalia eventually spread throughout the world and cultures around the world adopted this festival celebration, which originated with the pagans of Babylonia. The popularity of this festival attracted the Roman Catholic hierarchy who intended to gain control not only over this celebration, but also over paganism as well. The Roman Catholic Church believed that if they could control this feast, they could influence and convert many who were pagans over to Christianity. The Catholics however, underestimated the pagan tradition. They failed to realize how deeply entrenched the Romans were in their cultural event of Saturnalia. Thus, the efforts of the Catholic Church to convert the pagans failed. This pagan festival celebration was so captivating with its riotous feasts, jovialities, and drunken orgies that eventually even the Roman Church became seduced by the festivities. Christianity did not gain popularity with the pagan Romans until Flavius Valerius Constantinus, the Great Roman Emperor made his profession of Christianity. Even though the pagan Romans began to accept the now popular Christian religion, they were nevertheless not willing to give up their pagan roots. The Roman Emperor himself professed Christianity, but actually remained loyal to paganism. The most primary tradition they kept was the idolatrous festival of Saturnalia,

which took place on December 25. Despite the Roman Catholic Church failure to convert the pagans to Christianity, they nevertheless enjoyed the festival celebration and simply did not want to give it up. Therefore, the Roman Church headed by Constantine instituted an excuse for their participation. Cosmetically, they changed the facade of the event in order to make it appear holy. They did this by combining facts about the true Messiah with the ancient pagan deity Tammuz, who was born on December 25. In a contemptuous effort to persuade the pagans to receive Christianity, yet allowing them to keep their pagan roots in addition to justifying themselves for partaking in the idolatrous celebration of Saturnalia, the Roman Catholic Church decreed that Jesus the Christ was actually born on December 25. The pagan celebration of the sun-god Tammuz became the birthday celebration of the Son of God, Jesus the Christ. They took the abominable name Tammuz, combined it with the holy name of Christ, and created Christ-muz. The day that the Roman Catholic Church partook in the heathenish celebration was a day that marked the inauguration of an adulterous affair between the Catholic faith of Christianity and a false religion of idolatry, which originated in the apostate nation of ancient Babylon. This blend was doomed to fail from the start because it originated out of a meshing between church and state. Constantine was not only the Emperor of Rome, but also the head of the Roman Catholic Church as pope. The offspring of the adulterous affair between the Roman Church and the pagan celebration became the Christmas holiday and season that the world is fondly familiar with today and celebrates annually.

What Has Christ to Do With Mass?

The word Christ is merely the translation of the Greek word Christos, meaning Anointed One. It comes from the Hebrew word Moshiach, from which we get the word Messiah. It is interesting that a day never mentioned by Jesus or sanctioned in the Bible should become the most prominent so-called Christian holiday of the entire year. Jesus, neither His disciples nor the New Testament messengers of God acknowledged or celebrated this jovial day of December 25. A careful look at the word Christmas in itself ought to raise flags in our Christian thinking. The words Christ and mass are a mixture. Though Christmas includes the name of Christ, which means the Anointed One, it also consists of mass. Mass was considered a pagan traditional practice consisting of rituals, elaborate ceremonies, and prayers for the dead. The word mass stemmed from the suffix muz. By the order of the Roman Catholic Church, the celebration of Tammuz became the celebration of Christ-muz, known as Christmas. Alexander Hislop explained that the mass was something that came directly out of the ancient pagan customs and rituals. One custom and ritual is mentioned in Jeremiah 44:19. The Scripture illustrates women of Judah burning incense, pouring out drink-offerings, and offering cakes to the queen of heaven. The cakes, which were bread wafers, were the un-bloody sacrifice the queen of heaven required. During the fourth century when Christians were beginning to worship the queen of heaven under the name of Mary, the church also implemented this un-bloody sacrifice.

St. Epiphanius, Archbishop of Salamis 310-403 A.D., illustrated that the practice of offering and eating these cakes began among the women of Arabia. The Arabian women were well aware of the fact that the pagans had established this custom, which they adopted. The round shapes of these cakes were also very important to the Church of Rome. Archeologist, historians, and scholars have found some of these same round solar disks or sun-like symbols high above on the altars of the sun-god Baal in Egypt. These were the same symbols used for worship by the idolatrous Israelites during their days of apostasy (Deuteronomy 12:3). During the twelfth year of his reign, Josiah, had these images torn down and thoroughly destroyed (2 Chronicles 34:3-7). All the altars of Egypt contained images similar to that of the thin round cake. The round disks, which were frequently found in the sacred emblems of Egypt, symbolized the sun. The round disk of the Egyptian mass symbolized the offering to the sun-god Tammuz, and it was for this reason that the roundness of the cakes was of considerable importance to the Church of Rome. The word mass also means a prayer or song for the dead. Jesus said God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living (Matthew 22:32, Mark 12:27, Luke 20:38). Christ has nothing to do with mass or death, yet multitudes of professing Christians will say, Merry Christmas to one another not realizing that when they do this they are actually mixing the precious and holy name of Christ with a heathen holiday manufactured by the world. The Roman Catholic mass is also a continuation and re-offering of Christs sacrifice on Calvary. The Word says, By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:10-12). Satan does and can only speak the opposite of what God says. There is no truth in him. Thus, we can construe the opposite of this Scripture to be what is called, transubstantiation. Transubstantiation is a Catholic communal ritual predicated upon the belief that the bread and wine of their Catholic communion actually becomes the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ after consecration by the priest. . . . And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins . . . . In other words, the Catholic faith believes that Jesus who is in heaven seated at the right hand of God actually returns to earth in the form of body and blood (represented by the bread and wine) that they may eat and drink of Him and their sins are then removed. The Apostle Paul said. No, I am suggesting that what the pagans sacrifice they offer [in effect] to demons (to evil spiritual powers) and not to God [at all]. I do not want you to fellowship and be partners with diabolical spirits [by eating at their feasts] (1 Corinthians 10:20, TAB). Pauls concern with the Corinthians was that they desired to partake in the sacrifices and feasts of the pagans. He knew that behind the idols they worshiped were fallen angels who were evil spirits.

They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not (Deuteronomy 32:17). For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens (Psalm 96:5). It was Pauls contention that if the Corinthians attended a heathen feast, they would be having fellowship with devils. The Lord tells us distinctly and unequivocally in His Word that we are not to mix His name with any kind of pagan worship, ritual, tradition or pagan god. As for you, O house of Israel, go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols (Ezekiel 20:39). The mixture of Christ and Mass is an abomination to God. God foresaw all things and therefore knew the world would celebrate the so-called Christmas day. It may seem that He spoke no warnings about it in His Word but actually, He did. Keep in mind that the man-termed Christmas, came along some three hundred years after the ascension of Christ. The Apostle Paul said I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel; which is not another, but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6-7). He goes on to say, But though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? For if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ (Galatians 1:8-10). The world says that Christmas is about the birth and celebration of Christ and tradition has conditioned people to believe that its true. Are people serving and reverencing God in the celebration of Christmas or the doctrines and traditions of man? The hidden truth behind the Christmas tradition is the original celebration of that ancient false messiah, the sun god BaalPeor or Tammuz, whom God despised (Ezekiel 8:14-18). Christ and mass are mixture between the holy name of Christ and a demonic pagan ritual. Such name association pollutes and profanes Gods holy name. In Revelation 12:9, God speaks of that ancient serpent called the devil who leads the whole world astray. He deceives and deludes the people of the world through tradition, legalism, and religion. A universal tradition honored and respected by the world, even by those who claim no spiritual or religious ties to any deity, church or religion, is the celebration of Christmas on the twenty-fifth day of December. Many Christians of course, confess that they understand that

perhaps this really isnt the day of Christs birth. However, like Constantine and his followers of the Roman Catholic Church who knew the truth, Christians also continue to partake in the Christmas celebration, regardless of the truth. To justify themselves, Constantine and his followers deliberately lied and told the world that December 25 was the day that Jesus the Christ was born. Still today, Christians all over the world associate this day of celebration to Christ regardless of truth because they simply love the festivities and also do not want to give them up. The themes of Christmas today celebrated by non-believers, however, has done an about face on the subject of Christ. To them, Christmas today may emphasize family, friends, good deeds towards others, the mistletoe (which oddly enough is a parasitic poison), food, eggnog, toys, stockings, home and yard decorations, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, reindeer, shopping, and giftwrapped presents. Each progressive year the theme of Christmas actually moves further and further away from the original worshiping of Christ established by the Roman Catholic Church. Today, people including Christians can easily justify their participation in the celebration of Christmas as something entirely different from the tradition the pagans or Constantine originally celebrated. Thus, most Christians believe that the practice and celebration of this holiday is acceptable in the eyes of God. The Apostle Pauls major concern with the Corinthian church was that he knew that their partaking in any heathen feast or ceremony was to fellowship with devils. The majority of Christians partake in the celebration of Christmas having neither a clue nor care about its origination. They are void of understanding concerning the hidden significance behind the celebration. They are oblivious to Gods position concerning it and are ignorant to His history with it. The celebration of Christmas is like an epitome of deception hidden in tradition. Traditions have infiltrated our lives to such a degree that they have become our basic way of life. Because there has been little to no change in peoples hearts concerning the heathenish celebration of the pagan holiday, this tells us that very few over the centuries have actually sought God to find out His perspective on this world wide celebrated day. Most of us just assume that God is in agreement with it because of its popularity, which stretches across the four corners of the earth defying even time itself. The majority of people have become so entrenched in the tradition of Christmas that they have shut God out entirely. Perhaps they really dont want to know what He thinks about their tradition. They simply have no desire to let the tradition go. The Word of God says Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice (Philippians 4:4). Everyday we are to rejoice in Christ, not only for the sake of His birthday, but because He is Lord and Savior. God also gave us a distinct commandment in the Book of Revelation. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the

book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book (Rev 22:18). God warns us to beware and believe not every spirit, but to test the spirit because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1). Today, Christians are so convinced in the legitimacy of the tradition of Christmas that celebrating it is not only normal to them, but also looked upon as a Christians obligation. Tell almost any Christian who believes in the celebration of Christmas that you do not celebrate this day, but reject it, and watch their response. To some, not partaking in this celebrated day is the equivalency of performing a sacrilegious act in the eyes of God. His Word is abundantly clear. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial [the devil]? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols? . . . (2 Corinthians 6:14-16, TAB). We grew up celebrating Christmas, as did our parents and so forth. People have celebrated it all their lives because this is what they have been trained and conditioned to do. We were also taught in one manner or another how to not question it. Every Christian once lived in the world of sin before becoming born again. Like the rest of the world, they lived according to their own righteousness because they had not yet received Christ. The Word says that a mans own righteousness is nothing more than filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). While in the world, we celebrated the Christmas holiday without any spiritual association to God. If Christmas is of God, how can unbelievers partake or have an understanding of something spiritual in nature? One cannot discern spiritual things if he is spiritually dead. To be spiritually alive is to have the spirit of God living in you. Many who are not Christians may believe they are spiritual, but the Spirit of God is not in them. Their spirituality is according to their own righteousness and perception of themselves. They base their presumptuous notions and understanding of spirituality upon their own carnal ideologies, which are forms of idolatry. The Word of God says, But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (2 Corinthians 2:14). The world celebrates Christmas day and Christians for the past centuries have been joining in with the world, not the other way around. It started with the Roman Catholic Church who was seduced by the pagan festivities of Saturnalia, which was the birthday celebration of the sun-god Tammuz. The idea was that the Roman Church would convert the pagans over to Christianity, but one cannot use evil to convert another to Christianity. Only the Holy Spirit can lead sin toward righteousness. Even though the Christians saw their task of converting the pagans to Christianity fail, they nevertheless continued with their involvement in the celebration of the pagan sun god. Today, Christians and sinners are still sharing that table in this celebration. The

Word says Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15). God commanded that we should not yoke ourselves together with unbelievers. . . . For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14). And what

Jesus said the world did not know Him; therefore, the world hated Him and persecuted Him. Indeed, the world not only persecuted Jesus, but also eventually crucified Him. How then does Christianity justify the world partaking in the celebration of the birth of Christ? How can Christians justify themselves in their agreement with the world by participating in that same celebration? Jesus birth actually represented the inevitable end of Satan. Jesus mission would fulfill what God said to the serpent in the Garden of Eden six thousand years ago. His mission on earth was to save the people in the world from eternal death at the hands of Satan by translating them into His kingdom of light. Satans head would bruise Jesus heel as Jesus heel crushes Satans head (Genesis 3:15). Jesus would ultimately destroy Satans kingdom. The devil frantically attempted to prevent any possibility of Jesus birth because he knew that his own approaching doom would then be inevitable. What sense does it make that the carnal world, which belongs to Satan, would celebrate the birth of Christ who would ultimately destroy Satanand them? Whosoever thinks he belongs to God, but is in friendship with the world is an enemy to God (James 4:4). It is ridiculously absurd for a Christian to believe that he can be in relationship with God and yet be in friendship with the world, which seeks to destroy everything that God loves. Yet this is where most believers are in their traditions. Perhaps they do not realize that they are in friendship with the world. In fact, most believe that God is in agreement with them in their relationship to the world. Though many seek to be loved by the world through all their efforts to please man, they actually believe they are walking with and pleasing God.

Birth of Christ vs. December 25

I would venture to say that the majority of the worlds population takes pleasure in the traditional celebration of Christmas in one form or another. It is the most highly regarded event of the year where Christians and sinners come together sharing the same table in this holiday celebration. There are various sources we can study and research to discover the origination of Christmas and how it has had an impact upon the world throughout the centuries well into today. Though many sources are available, practically all of them are traceable to the same point of origination. Considering the vast majority of the worlds participation in the worship and celebration of Christmas, it is an interesting fact that neither Jesus, His entourage of disciples, apostles, nor followers observed this day or season. Most Christians strongly believe that this day has everything to do with the birth of Christ, but who told them that? It is also interesting to note

that the Bible doesnt mention anywhere the date of Jesus birth nor does God give any commandment at all to celebrate this day for the sake of Jesus birth. Jesus was thirty years old before He came into a full ministry, which lasted, according to the Bible three and a half years. During His entire time on earth and even after His ascension to heaven, the Bible never mentioned anything about his birthday, other than the announcing by the angel that the Savior was born in the city of David. On Jesus day of birth an angel appeared to shepherds who were tending their sheep at night in the field. The angel told them the news about the Savior having been born (Luke 2:8-12). When the Christ-child was born, there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night (Luke 2:8). According to the Word of God, there was no celebration going on concerning Jesus birth prior to this announcement nor anytime thereafter. Until the angel made the announcement, no one knew that Jesus had come. Notice that in Luke 2:8-12, the Bible says that the shepherds were abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock at night. Still today, it is not custom for shepherds to corral their livestock in the fields after the latter part of October. They actually brought their cattle and sheep in from the mountainsides to protect them from the harsh cold, snow and rainy season that followed the month of October. Though nothing is stated specifically in the Bible about the precise day of Christs birth, what is recorded strongly implies that His birth could not have been in the month of December. The Bible says that when the angel announced Jesus birth to the shepherds of Bethlehem, they were feeding their flocks in the open fields (Luke 2:8). In Palestine, the cold of the night was common from December to February. The cold weather there during this time of year was piercing. Even today, the climate during the winter months has not changed much. Therefore, it was not the custom for shepherds of Judea to watch their flocks in the open fields later than October. If there were no shepherds in the fields during this time of year tending the flocks, then it could not have been in the dead of winter when the shepherds heard the angel regarding Jesus birth. In later years, Jesus would prophesy about people fleeing to safety from a coming destruction during the end of days. He said, But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. (Mark 13:17-19). Jesus mentioning a hope that the peoples flight would not be in winter is another indicator of the extreme cold and harsh winter season. If the winter, even according to Jesus, was so terrible a time to flee in then it seems neither fit for a time that shepherds would lie in the fields attending flocks nor a time for a pregnant woman to be traveling a great distance on the back of a donkey. Therefore, according to the scriptural time when the angel approached the shepherds in the field, it could not have been during the month of December or anytime during the winter. This strongly shows that the Saviors birth during the month of December was not possible.

Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain (Ezra 10:9). This Scripture in the Bible describes the winter weather as a harsh cold rainy season, which did not permit the shepherds to abide in open fields at night. According to the Jewish calendar, the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month is the month of Kislev. The Gregorian equivalent would be the latter half of November to the first half of December. In order for the shepherds to have heard the angel while attending sheep in the fields the night the Savior was born, it had to have been during a warmer season. No shepherds would have been tending sheep in the fields at the time traditional teaching says the angel appeared and announce the birth of Christ. As the Bible stipulates, the angel did in fact appear to the Shepherds, but not in the month of December as tradition has taught us. Another conflicting fact is that Luke 2:1-3, mentions that there was a census during this time. A decree was sent out from Caesar Augustus that the entire world should be taxed. In compliance to the law, the people traveled to their own city to pay their tax. It is unlikely that a census would have taken place in the harshness of the coldest month of the year. Travel during this time would have been virtually impossible. People didnt have heated automobiles, trains, and airplanes. Their basic modes of transportation were donkeys, camels, and their own two feet. Even Jesus acknowledged the harshness of winter travel so it seems reasonably clear that the middle of winter was not a suitable time for travel. Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary made the journey to Bethlehem, but the idea that they traveled there with their unborn Child during one of the harshest months of the year is highly doubtful. If they did not make the journey to Bethlehem in December then Jesus could not have been born in Bethlehem on December 25 in the depth of winter. Though no one is certain of the exact date of the birth of Christ, through Scripture we can approximate the time of year He was born. According to the book of Luke, Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist was a priest serving at the temple in Jerusalem. In the sanctuary, Zacharias was informed by an angel that his wife Elizabeth would bare a son and that his name shall be called, John (Luke 1:13). Zacharias served as a priest in the temple in the order of Abia (Abijah) (Luke 1:5). The Bible lists the names of the 23 different lots, which the priests served at the Temple in 1 Chronicles 24:1-18. (See Fig. 1) Fig. 1* Lots 1 2 3 Priestly Order Jehoiarib Jedaiah Harim Lots 13 14 15 Priestly Order Huppah Jeshebeab Bilgah

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Seorim Malchijah Mijamin Hakkoz Abijah Jeshua Shecaniah Eliashib Jakim

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Immer Hezir Aphses Pethahiah Jehezekel Jachin Gamul Delaiah Maaziah

These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the Lord, according to their manner, under Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him (1 Chronicles 24:19). According to the Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus (37 AD - 100 AD), each lot served at the temple for one week (see also 1 Chronicles 9:25). The first lot served the first week of Nisan and then each in its own order. The Jewish calendar months begin with the first month in spring called Nissan. (See Fig. 2) Fig. 2* Month Nissan Iyar Sivan Tammuz Av Elul Tishri Cheshvan Kislev Tevet Days 30 days 29 days 30 days 29 days 30 days 29 days 30 days 29 or 30 days 30 or 29 days 29 days Gregorian Months March-April April-May May-June June-July July-August August-September September-October October-November November-December December-January

Shevat Adar Adar II

30 days 29 or 30 days 29 days

January-February February-March March-April

All the priests served during the annual festivals, which were Passover in spring, Pentecost, and then Tabernacles in the fall. After six months, the priest serving would repeat the order; thus, each course would serve two weeks during a year. The lot of Abia would have served the eighth week in rotation. The eighth week from the first day of Nisan leaving out the week of Passoverfor all the priests served during this weekwould have been Iyar 27 to Sivan 5, which was the day before Pentecost. Pentecost generally fell on Sivan 6. After serving his week in the Temple, Zacharias would have remained an additional week in Jerusalem because of the Feast of Shavuot or Pentecost that week. The Bible says he stayed at the temple until his term of service was over, and then he returned home (Luke 1:23). Soon after, his wife conceived their son. Calculating the time of the eighth rotation of Abia from the first rotation starting at the first week of Nisan in the spring, Zachariahs return home would have been about the middle of Sivan (June). Adding nine months to this date, John the Baptist would have been born sometime in the middle of March, shortly before Passover. While being visited by an angel, Mary was told that she would bare a child who would be the Savior called Jesus (Luke 1:26). She was also told that her cousin Elizabeth was already in her sixth month of pregnancy (Luke 1:36). A few days later, Mary visited Elizabeth and Elizabeth having been filled with the Holy Ghost, acknowledged Marys pregnancy of the blessed child being carried in her womb (Luke 1:39-42). Thus, Mary conceived during the sixth month of Elizabeths pregnancy with John the Baptist. If Elizabeth conceived her child around the middle of June, then this suggests that the conception of Jesus was about the middle of December. This would place His birth nine months or 270 days later to the month of September. If Jesus was not born on or anywhere near December 25, then what is the significance of this particular day of celebration that powerfully commands unprecedented notoriety around the world? What is also interesting is that this celebration would have taken place annually in the month of December throughout Christs life on earth. The tradition actually began four thousand years prior to Jesus birth, which is why neither Jesus, His followers nor the people acknowledged any association between this day and Christ. Even the unbelievers of Christ during that time understood that such a celebration had nothing to do with Jesus. The adulterous lie committed between the Roman Catholic Church and the pagan custom happened three hundred years after Jesus crucifixion and ascension to heaven.

Birthday Celebration in the Bible

The Bible does not speak in any manner concerning the celebration of Jesus birthday. In fact, did you know that there are only two distinct instances where the Bible speaks about birthday celebrations at all? Both entertained evil and death. The first was the Pharaohs birthday, where as a part of the festivities, he had his chief baker hanged.

And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaohs birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaohs hand: But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them (Genesis 40:20-22). The other birthday was that of King Herod who had John the Baptist beheaded. But when Herods birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptists head in a charger (Matthew 14:6-8). And he sent and beheaded John in the prison (Matthew 14:10). The book of Job also mentions the seven sons and three daughters of Job coming together at the house of the eldest son for his day to celebrate with a feast, which they were all killed (Job 1:4, 13, 15). Early Christians did not celebrate Jesus birth; in fact, they considered the celebration of anyones birthday to be a pagan custom. If God did not instruct us to celebrate such days, who did? Perhaps, those of you who have abided in birthday celebrations all your liveseven as I have are thinking, Alright, Brother Rick, youre treading off onto some crazy road again. Are you now suggesting that we should not celebrate our own birthdays? I am only submitting to you this; if we were to consider what we are actually celebrating in respect to our birthdays, we would have to conclude that we are celebrating the day we entered this world through sin and darkness. As infants and children who knew no sin, we belonged to God. When we began to knowingly sin in the eyes of God however, we then belonged to the family of Satan. That may be a hard pill to swallow, but it is the truth. If it were not so, there would be no need for us to become born again. In addition, we as Christians have allowed this original day of birth to take precedence over our true day of birth, which is when we gave our lives to Christ becoming born again. Paul was responsible for hundreds, maybe even thousands of deaths of saints before giving his life to the Lord. Yet, he spoke to the Jews saying . . . to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest (Acts 25:10). How was Paul able to say such a thing when he (who was then Saul) had so many of Gods people (the Jews) hunted down, persecuted, and killed? Paul knew that being born again meant he no longer had a past. He put away the old man and put on the new man. He knew that God had no recollection of who he was before he came to Christ. All of his previous life before Christ was now under the blood and blotted out forever. Carnal birthday celebrations have nothing to do with God. They are simply a form of tradition created by people. God has neither recollection nor interest in who we were before salvation. Our previous lives were of sin and darkness. Through salvation, God made us new creatures in Christ, ones who have never been. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed

away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). If we involve ourselves in things separate from God what does this say about our relationship with God? How can we say we dwell in God, yet choose to partake in things that are not of Him? Jesus did not celebrate His birthday nor did He instruct anyone else to celebrate His birthdayor theirs. There is no place in the Bible where can you find examples of Christs disciples or the New Testament Church celebrating His birthday. God does however, give us the exact date of Jesus death and expects everyone to observe and honor that day, which is the fourteenth day of the first month (Nissan). This day of the month, according to the Jewish calendar is the day of the Lords Passover (Exodus 12:6-11, 14; Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 9:2-5; Matthew 26:2; Luke 22:7; John 13:1, 18:28; 1 Corinthians 5:7). In comparison to the celebration of December 25, which is widely believed to be Jesus date of birth, few people give true reverence or teach their young about the meaning of His death and how He was able to redeem us by His death. The worlds preoccupation with the birth of Christ blots out the significance of His blood and ultimate death on the cross. Just about everyone considers their birthday special and in some way or another desire to celebrate it. Most consider their birthday a highly important day out of the year. Some people even become upset, offended, or hurt when those especially closest to them, such as spouses, parents or siblings, forget their birthday. Their feelings are shattered when they dont receive that birthday card or gift. Most parents teach their children the value of their natural birthdays, yet teach them very little to nothing about the death of Christ. They do not teach their children how Jesus death allowed us to become born again into the kingdom of God, where there is eternal life. Consider this; when was the last time you celebrated your new birthday (born again) where you threw a party, invited friends over, and had cake and ice cream? When is the last time you remember purchasing a gift for your parent, spouse, son, daughter, or friend to commemorate such an occasion? Many of us do not even remember our date of new birth and I would venture to say that very few if any celebrate it. Tell a Christian however that he should consider the truth behind his carnal birthday celebration and watch and see what happens in the flesh. With some people, you might find yourself in for the argument of your life. Can you see how we simply allow ourselves to do traditional things for no particular reason and without question, just because someone more or less told us that it is the traditional way? The Bible says that God cast that dragon, the devil down to the earth and he has deceived the whole world (Revelations 12:9). We need to recognize that as we celebrate our birthdays and Christmas, we do so according to our own carnality or flesh. The spiritual nature of God has nothing to do with the flesh. The Christmas holiday is not scriptural. Therefore, it has nothing to do with God; it is of the flesh as is the celebration of any persons natural date of birth. Please understand that the goal of this book is not to make judgment or suggest that people who celebrate Christmas or their birthdays will ultimately go to hell. The Holy Spirits goal is to awaken peoples hearts and open their eyes to help them see and question the lies that the world and religion has sold them on regarding the traditions they serve and have participated in for generations. The goal is to help people recognize that traditions can blind the spiritual eyes and

hearts of Gods people. People who belong to the world are deeply buried in traditions, but so are the majority of Christians who have received the mind of Christ from God. Because they have the mind of Christ, Christians should know better. For many of us, traditions have become our way of life instead of the Word of God. God neither abides in the worlds traditions nor places His stamp of approval upon them. All of us should consider the traditions we have been participating in to re-evaluate the truth behind them. Do we really know where God stands in relationship to them? Are we even asking or are we simply following what sounds logical, commonsensical, or normal from the viewpoint of the majority? Now more than ever is the time to pay close attention to what God is speaking into your heart because we are living in the end of days. Today is that referenced time where Jesus said many false prophets would have gone out into the world. Deception in these last days will be greater than any other time in the history of life on earth. Are you preparing your heart to guard against the deceptions, which are all around you and throughout the world today or are you oblivious to them because you have found shelter in worldly traditions that seem safe due to mass popularity? If the world can persuade you to follow in the smallest, most simple, subtle or even trivial traditions without question then ultimately it can lure you into the most horrendous deceptions of all time. The thing that makes deception so successful is that it is invisible to most people. A purpose of this book is to expose it. One surefire way to expose deception is to begin to evaluate the traditions we follow and learn to ask ourselves why we are following them. Another way of exposing deception is choosing not to allow ourselves to become desensitized to the junk and filth that is cycled into the world via the media, trend setters, and corruptors who will argue that everyone else is doing it, why shouldnt you? We need to learn to evaluate our lives daily according to the Word of God to insure that we are living our lives holy from Gods perspective, and not our own.

Gifts unto The King

Sinners exchange gifts in celebration of Christmas Day for the same reasons as Christians, yet sinners have no ties at all to Jesus. This gift exchange emerged from the ancient pagan celebration of the sun god. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, the most common gifts exchanged during this ancient time were waxed tapers and clay dolls. The pagans gave these dolls especially to their own children. The people believed that these dolls represented original sacrifices of human beings to the infernal god (vol. 24, p. 231). Today, a new rationalization has taken form, which is the replication of giving gifts unto the newborn Savior on His day of birth. Traditionally, people have exchanged gifts to celebrate or commemorate the birth of Christ for centuries. The gift exchange exemplifies the wise men who gave Jesus gifts. People carry out this tradition on December 25 and on birthdays. Traditional doctrine teaches that Jesus was born in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothing. While there, three wise men came, kneeled before Him and presented Him with gifts. These men were actually scientists known as Magi, which is the root word of magic. These wise men were similar to todays astrologers. They studied the stars. God wrote His Word in the heavens and it was through this understanding that led them to follow the star, which ultimately brought

them to the New Born King. Their journey was an approximate 2000-mile excursion on the backs of horses, camels and donkeys. It took them two years to find the Child Savior (Matthew 2:16). When they finally caught up with Jesus, they found him at his home with his mother (Matthew 2:11), not in a manger as we have been taught. Jesus was no longer an infant, but an approximate two-year-old toddler. King Herod had given orders to kill every male child up to two years of age in an effort to wipe out Jesus. (Matthew 2:16). The shepherds saw the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothing lying in a manger, but not the wise men. Though tradition claims that there were only three wise men, this is not what the Word of God says. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that there were only three wise men. The Bible does say that there were three specific kinds of gifts. These gifts, which they gave to the new King, would have been by todays standards, worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Traditional teaching however, dictates that three wise men followed the great star to Bethlehem. They reached their destination in a matter of a day or so through gorgeous weather and one hundred percent visibility of the night sky, only to find Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothing lying in a manger. What is interesting about this is that according to traditional doctrine their travel would have actually been in the dead of winter during the coldest and harshest season of the year. Tradition says that when they arrived they presented the baby Jesus with their tiny trinkets of gifts in their little tiny cases. In actuality, these men and their entourage were very rich and extravagant. For what they were bringing the new King, there were needed many men, camels and donkeys in order to transport the fine gifts that would be given to the new King. These gifts were gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The Word tells us that Jesus became poor that we might become rich. Traditional teaching has taught many Christians that Jesus was poor, and honorably so. Therefore, some Christians believe that it is actually a sin to be rich and wealthy. God said, Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth (3 John 2). To prosper is to increase in all spiritual blessings given by God. God is a God of wealth. He wants us to have His wealth and through Jesus, He gave us His wealth. He not only wants us to be prosperous in spirit, but He also desires us to be prosperous in the physical realm as well. God demonstrated this with King Solomon. All of his riches came from God. How could Jesus become poor unless He was first rich? He established a new and better covenant with us giving us all He had. If Jesus was poor like so much of our traditional teaching says, then what could He have given us? He took upon Himself everything we had that we might receive all He had to offer in return, which were peace, joy, prosperity, wealth and riches, in addition to eternal life. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus was rich on earth and became poor on earth at the cross, but not before the cross, and certainly not after the cross. It is a well-known fact that in the Jewish custom whenever a visitor approached the king, he presented gifts to the King. Therefore, when the wise men presented

gifts to the Child Savior, it was not for the recognition of his day of birth. They were already two years late for his day of birth. The gifts were for the recognition that He was the Newborn King. They understood that He was the King of the Jews. When they entered the city, they asked the whereabouts of the Child Jesus who was born King (Matthew 2:2). The wise men were honoring a Jewish custom that required that they present gifts. King Solomon was the greatest example of this custom. God exceedingly and abundantly blessed him because of his desire to seek wisdom from God in lieu of riches and the death of his enemies. King Hiram of Tyre sent Solomon nine thousand pounds of gold, which is the equivalent of four metric tons (1 Kings 9:14). Solomons servants returned to him with sixteen tons of gold from their journey to Ophir (1 Kings 9:28). When Queen Sheba visited him, she brought a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, huge quantities of gold and precious jewels (1 Kings 10:2). Soon after, she gave the king a gift of nine thousand pounds of gold and great quantities of spices and precious jewels. The Bible says that never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to Solomon (1 Kings 10:10). Each year, Solomon received about twenty-five tons of gold (1 Kings 10:14). They were gifts brought to him because he was king. It was the peoples custom to present gifts to the king. Annually, everyone who came to visit King Solomon brought him gifts of silver, gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules (1 Kings 10:25). According to the Jewish custom, it would have been an insult to the king for anyone to come into his presence without a gift. Punishment for such an insult could have meant death. Jesus said that a greater one than Solomon has come (Luke 11:31). Jesus was born King and was certainly treated as such by these wise men. This custom of giving gifts has also spilled over into our culture today. It is common that ambassadors and world leaders are presented gifts when visited by world leaders and high-ranking individuals from foreign lands. People give and exchange gifts in the celebration of Christmas today because they are following a distorted legend. Traditional doctrine throughout generations has led them to believe that they are replicating what the wise men did for Jesus. The modern church believes that Jesus received gifts in honor and celebration of His birth. Therefore, because He received gifts, we exchange gifts. The wise men however did not give Jesus gifts to commemorate His birth. They honored Him with gifts because they understood that He was the newborn King of the Jews. Since childhood, cultural conditioning has taught us to partake in the Christmas celebration. Similar to the lullaby analogy having nothing to do with love, mentioned earlier, people have blindly participated in the tradition of Christmas, which has nothing to do with Christ. Because traditions culturally condition people at such tender ages well into adulthood, it does not even occur to the elite elders to question it. By the time we have become adults the Christmas holiday, for instance, has become so deeply ingrained in us that it is actually interwoven into the fabric of our very way of life. Not celebrating this day for many would seem unfathomable. This holiday scheme has become so grand that not only do the majority of Christians refuse to have anything to do with the truth behind it, but also most are unaware that there even exists a hidden truth behind it. Those who speak against this day are often considered scrooges,

troublemakers, outcasts and are generally ostracized by the church. The bottom line is that most people are not interested in why Jesus received the gifts from the wise men. They are not interested in the truth behind the December 25 celebration. In fact, they could really care less rather Jesus was born on this day or not. Generally, all they know or care about is that December 25 is the most special holiday of the year, which by tradition, they simply honor through worship and celebration. It is what both the world and religion has taught and conditioned people to do since their childhood. The custom of serving this tradition for many has been the way of life for centuries. Christmas Day is at least one of the highest regarded traditional days of the entire year and people for the most part obey traditions. The traditionalistic ritual plays out to completion every year. As soon as the traditional ritual begins, the mind shuts off. In other words, very few endeavor to find out the facts behind the tradition. Who gave the Roman Catholic Church the authority to establish among the people that Jesus was born on December 25? The Word of God does not stipulate anywhere that Jesus was born on this day. The people nevertheless believed a lie and joined in on the annual celebration, which was and is still today an abomination to God. The only place in the Bible where it refers to multitudes of people giving gifts in celebration is in the Book of Revelation where the Word speaks about Gods two witnesses who would eventually be killed by the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit. It is also interesting to note that soon afterwards the people face the wrath of God. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven (Revelations 11:7-8, 10, 11,13).

Modern Day Christmas

What does Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, the North Pole, elves, reindeer, or even the Christmas tree have to do with the Newborn Savior? What do any of these things have to do with December 25? Where in literature or legend did these things pop up? If they did not come from the Word of God, where did they come from? Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of

the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold: they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities (Jeremiah 10:2-4, 8). The Bible mentions the evergreen tree (todays Christmas tree) approximately thirteen times. In every instance, it is linked with idolatry. (Deuteronomy 12:2; 1Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 16:4, 17:10; 2 Chronicles 28:4; Psalms 37:35; Isaiah 57:5; Jeremiah 2:20, 3:6, 13, 17:2; Ezekiel 6:13, 20:47). Parents chastise their children for telling lies, yet they themselves lie to their children every year about a character called Santa Claus, or Saint Nicholas, or Kriss Kringle. Though these characters are the same basic entities, which perhaps sprang from three separate traditions, historical research on each of these characters show how they all blend into one. Historically, we also learn that each character derived from pagan legends. The most popular nameSanta Clause, is the jolly old man from the North Pole. Like Jesus, he knows who has been naughty or nice. He brings gifts to all the children of the worldin a single night. Like Jesus, he is also omnipresent, for he too can be everywhere at once. He is the one who parents tell their children to pray and give praise to for the fulfillment of their Christmas wish list. Human reasoning says, What is the harm in a little lie to brighten up the hopes of children at Christmas time?" If Santa Clause represents what God hates, then what is the benefit of anyone especially Christians teaching their children to idolize and praise that which is repugnant to God? What is the benefit of parents lying to their children for the sake of Christmas day? The Word says Train up your child in the way that he should go so that when he is older he will not turn away from God (Proverbs 22:6). God tells us exactly what He thinks about people telling lies, in the Book of Revelation. The Bible makes no concessions about the caliber of the lie. Every liar will be dealt with according to the Word of God, especially those who causes Jesus children who believe in Him to stumble (Matthew 18:6). The Word says All liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Revelation 21:8). The Bible also says that no other god should come before or be esteemed higher than the one true God (Exodus 20:3), yet, every year people teach their children how to pray to a false god called Santa seeking him for their desires. Christians cannot afford to fail to recognize the enemy whose work is to utterly steal, kill and destroy. We need to recognize that traditions, which may seem small, insignificant and even trivial to us, are the very weapons Satan uses against us. Often we dont necessarily recognize the enemys subtlety, yet God spoke about it in the very beginning of the Book of Genesis. Peoples attitude concerning tradition is Lighten up, everyone whos anyone does it, so whats the big deal? Throughout generations, the enemys strategy against us has always been subtlety, which he embedded deep within the worlds traditions. Subtlety is what causes people not to bother questioning the significance behind who or what they follow nor why. This

subtlety is no different from the strategy the devil used in the Garden of Eden when he beguiled Eve to eat from the forbidden tree. God said the serpent was more subtle than all the other beasts. That is to say, he was more sly, evasive, manipulative and maneuvering than any other creature. Christian parents tell their children to be good because Santa is watching, for he knows who has been naughty or nice. They show them how to supplicate Santa with their wish list in order to receive the presents they desire for Christmas. In a subtle way, Christian parents are teaching their children how to reverence Santa above God. What an abomination this is before the Lord. How dare we bring our children to this false god and encourage them to supplicate him for gifts and blessings. Some may laugh or scoff at what seems to be such an insignificant point, but ask your children what they know of Santa, then ask them what they know of Jesus. What they say may astound you. Most will find that their children know very little about Jesus, but a great deal about Santa. The world teaches about Santa, especially in our educational systems. That same system shuns Jesus Christ. Even within our churches across the nation, we witness switchovers from Jesus to Santa during Christmas season. Sunday school rooms advertise Santa Claus on their walls in pictures, drawings and posters. Many pastors themselves even show up in their Santa Clause outfit with the big bag of goodies for all the children. While preaching his sermon about Christ to the congregation, trees decked in silver representing Christmas stand behind him on the platform. In order to keep the spirit of Santa Clause alive in their childrens hearts, millions of Christian parents will spend the first six to ten years of their childrens lives telling them a lie that Santa checks his list over twice finding whos been naughty or nice. They send their children to sleep on the eve night with the anticipation of all the toys they will find under the Christmas tree, left there by Santa. They lie to their children telling them that Santa Claus is real and then go through great lengths to prove it only to inevitably crush them with the truth later. The height of this hypocrisy is that parents then expect their children to carry on in the same evil tradition with their own children. When the children are older and are then told that the Santa Claus thing is actually a lie, parents then expect their children to jump on the bandwagon belief that there is a true Lord and Savior called Jesus, who happens to have very similar characteristics as the Santa Claus that turned out to be a lie. Parents then have the audacity to be stunned when their own children reject the God that they supposedly believe in, love and serve. Surely, God will hold us parents accountable. Jesus said, But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:6). Some people believe that the original Santa Claus was a bishop by the name of St. Nicholas of Asia Minor of the fourth century. However, the original St. Nicholas can be traced all the way back to the one and only, Nimrod. The word, Nicholas means mighty one. The traditions of a god who gave gifts under an evergreen tree actually precede this Asian Minor Bishop by thousands of years. Some Scandinavians considered St. Nicholas to be the god Odin or Woden who left special gifts during the Yuletide season under the evergreen tree, which was his sacred tree. Tony Van Renterghem, author of When Santa Was a Shaman: The Ancient Origins of

Santa Claus & the Christmas Tree, Llewellyn Publications, 1995, wrote that the Catholic Saint Nicholas was a compilation of two separate saints, one from Myra in Asia Minor, the other from Pinora. Renterghem stated that in the 1970s, the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church said that no Roman Catholic bishop by the name of Nicholas had ever existed (Santa/Shaman, pg. 96). The Vatican II also agreed admitting that the legends attributed to St Nicholas had no origin in Christianity, and probably came out of pagan traditions. Another legend that sprang out of paganism was the Dutch termed Sinterklass, and his Dark Helper - Zwarte Pier, also known as Black Pete. Sinterklass brings gifts to the good children while the Dark Helper harasses and tortures the bad children. Legend describes the dark helper as a horrible fur coated horned creature that hated children. In some cultures, traditional understanding taught that this dark helper carried a big bag similar to the red bag of toys and goodies Santa carries, except he uses his bag to carry the children who have been naughty away to hell to punish and torture. Many cultures are familiar with the Santa Clause and Dark Helper characters and believed that the two are actually one carrying the name Nikolass, Nicholas, Klaus, or Claus. These Characters are all blended one in the same as the enemy of God. Santa is a scheme of Satan, the devil.

six

Choosing God Over Tradition

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. Making the word of God a none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye (Mark 7:7, 9, 13).

Our first questionable flag concerning our traditions should be relative to the Word of God.
What does God have to say about it? Are we really interested in choosing to separate ourselves from the world in obedience to God, or are we more interested in being rooted in our traditions? Worldly traditions separate people from the righteous path and rob them of their relationship with God. Scores of people all around the world acknowledge Christ and believe that they belong to Him, yet He says that their hearts are nowhere near Him. They refuse to obey God endeavoring to follow their own ambitions, desires, and traditions. Because the modern church is a very impressionable church for the schemes of the devil, deception has encroached upon the church. This condition of the church is able to exist because people override Gods Word. In their determination to follow their own righteousness, carnal intelligence and tradition, they destroy their given ability to hear Gods voice. Meanwhile, Satan appears to them as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) through, religion, tradition, and technology. Believing this false light to be the true light, people justify themselves in every abominable thing they do in the eyes of God. In their blind condition, they replace God with a pseudo god constructed by their own idolatrous mind where the one true God becomes nonexistent in their lives. This pseudo god then agrees with their worldly conformity, traditions, religions, trends, technology, paradigms, pleasures, wealth, materialism, and worldly doctrines. This replacement of God has become the forefront to the body of church believers. Even though most believers reject God, they will argue from dusk till dawn that they are actually following the heart of God. They believe that God is in agreement with them. Deceived, they have substituted the one true God with a pseudo god concocted by their own misguided idolatrous mind. Tradition blinds us from hearing and understanding God. He said that we make His Word a noneffect through our traditions. When Gods Word is not effective in our lives, we are nothing more than useless beings separated from God, living in blind ambition without hope, faith, power or authority. The Word of God instructs that we are to live only by the Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4). Because believers make Gods Word void, Christians around the world are bound to yoke themselves to the world in participation of its

traditions, conventions, trends and paradigms. The pagan celebration of December 25, which the world and Christians partake in, is an excellent example of believers ignoring Gods Word through a tradition causing His Word to be a non-effect. Because people have made Gods Word ineffective, it is no wonder that very few Christians take time to stop, think, and ask God what the Christmas celebration is really about or how it originated. It is no wonder that Christians are not making the connection that sinners are celebrating the same holiday they are, yet having no ties at all to Jesus. It is no wonder that very few books of Christian literature speaking truth about tradition and its impact upon the world have hit the market in comparison to secular and mainstream Christian books that agree with worldly trends and traditions. Jesus said he who has an ear to hear let him hear, but who really wants to hear His truth? Most people would rather shun the truth than give up their worldly desires. Therefore, most people are not interested in studying Scripture or listening to teaching containing Gods truth. The Word of God says that in the end of days, people will acquire knowledge according to their customized hearing. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. They will reject the truth and follow strange myths (2 Timothy 4:3-4, NLT). The Word of God says there will come a time when people will only hear and gravitate toward that which suits their worldly desires. One of the greatest interests collectively shared by both Christians and sinners practically all over the world is the celebration of Christmas. Because we have made Gods Word such a non-effect in our lives, it is no wonder that in my years of study and receiving the Word from pastors and teachers, it has been a very rare occasion that I have heard anyone question or preach anything about the origination of Christmas. God said we make his Word a non-effect. When we make Gods Word a non-effect in our lives, we cannot see or discern His truth. Some traditions are so powerful in the world that very few people would dare come against them. Yet, this is exactly what Jesus did when He ministered on earth. To come against worldly traditions is what Jesus commanded His disciples to do. Even some of the most powerful and influential ministers today seem to shy away from topics of worldly traditions and controversies between secular and Christian thinking. They too celebrate worldly traditions such as Christmas and its joyous season along with the world. Perhaps some desires we will flat out refuse to give up, no matter what the Word of God says. Why else would Jesus call this generation lukewarm? Many people may believe that they love God and desire to serve Him, but are not necessarily willing to give up their personal and worldly pleasures to pursue Him fully. Christians for the most part, desire to serve God, but only to a certain extent. When they reach that certain point they stop and they simply refuse to go any further. To most, the price of going all the way with God seems too costly. If Jesus had not asked the rich young ruler to give up all his possessions, he probably would have

followed Jesus anywhere He went. But the moment Jesus required him to give up his worldly possessions, the young ruler decided to go his own way. He chose to keep all his possessions because he deemed them more valuable than what Jesus could have offered him. Like the rich young ruler, most people have chosen to keep their worldly traditions, personal desires, and possessions because they perceive them to be greater than what God could ever offer. We have spent our whole lives conditioned by the world, yet God wants us to change. He commanded His people to separate themselves from the world. He said Come out from among them (the world), and be ye separate . . . (2 Corinthians 6:17). [Parenthetical emphasis mine] Most Christians have the mistaken impression that they can live according to the Word of God some of the time, and live the way they want the rest of the time. Despite Gods commandment to be separate, people nevertheless see it permissible to partake at Gods table and Satans table. God made it abundantly clear in His Word that we must choose which table we will partake from, but under no circumstances does He ever agree that a person can sit at both. If we should choose Him, He requires us to change and become separate from the world. Change is ultimately very fulfilling, but the process of change may be very painful because peoples sinful ways are usually ingrained. Choosing to turn away from sin is not always easy, yet God never said that it would be easy; He said it would be worth it. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat of the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). He gave us the ability to turn away from the world system through Christ. Nevertheless, Christians are choosing to live according to their own ways. Constantine, the great Emperor of Rome proclaimed Christianity before his people and made it his mission to convert the pagans over to Christ, yet he chose not to give up the heathenish festivities of Tammuz or Saturnalia. He participated in their tradition and became addicted to the very idolatry from which he attempted to rescue the Pagans. He made Gods Word a non-effect through a world tradition that he adopted and chose to keep. Captivated by traditional values and conventionalism, people have allowed these tenets of conformity to take precedence over the Word of God. In result, they worship God in vain but in their misguided mind, they believe they are worshiping God in spirit and truth. Jesus said the peoples worship is vanity because their loyalty is not with Him; it is in their traditions and religious doctrines fashioned by the world through religion and idolatry. These people consist of ministry leaders behind pulpits, theologians, Bible experts, the highly credentialed, selfproclaimed prophets, congregational members, and so many others who are not receiving wisdom at all from God, but are instead relying on their own common sense, righteousness, and intelligence of the world. Jesus said that the people reject Him because they would rather keep their tradition. The Pharisees were confident that they were doing the will of God when they exerted their own righteousness over Jesus. Guided by their own righteousness, they rejected Christ who was the Word they had studied all their lives (John 1:1-2, 14). They made their traditions greater than

the Word of God, yet believed that they were being servants of God. Some traditions run so deep from thousands of years of adulation that it is automatically assumed that even God is in agreement with such traditions.

A Terrible Taste in His Mouth

In these final days, many Christians believe that a spark of revival is about to ignite into an explosion of salvation, wisdom, wealth, and prosperity in the church. They believe this because people are experiencing breakthroughs, healing, miracles, and deliverance from demonic bondage. Based on what they see, they believe God is rejoicing with them in their endeavors to pursue the worship of traditions, prosperity, and religion. To revive means to bring back to life that which is dead. The state of the church is blind. Jesus said if I knock and you answer, I will come in and sup with you and you with me (Revelation 3:20). How can the church see its true state of condition unless Jesus is invited in? He is the light by which we are able to see. I believe that many of the miracles that are happening before the eyes of many Christians are true. I have seen many miracles with my own eyes. I have seen deaf people become able to hear. I have seen terminally ill people have complete health restoration, and I have seen the cripple walk. I have seen demonic deliverance and other incredible mercies of God take place in the lives of people. People are getting breakthroughs, receiving healing, experiencing miracles, and being delivered in the church. What we often neglect to understand however, is that God established a covenant with Abraham and then established an even better one through Christ with us. I dont believe for a second that it is a revival that is being set-off today. Revival will come, but not just yet. God is performing His Word to establish His covenant because He cannot lie. Revival cannot take place in the church as of yet because the church does not know that it needs reviving. The church has yet to recognize that Jesus is on the outside knocking at the door. Because of deception in the world today, what many believe to be Christianity isnt necessarily Christianity at all. Today, more than ever before, the world is portraying Christianity in almost every pocket of the media and unfortunately, most people tend to believe what they see. Thus, the unbelievers in the world are barred from the truth and many believers are led astray by religion, legalism, and false doctrine promulgated in the media and in the church. Generally, peoples hearts are far removed from Christ through their idolatrous adulation of selfrighteousness, conventionalism, and tradition, yet they believe they are worshiping and following Christ. Few are recognizing that the church body has literally locked the Holy Spirit out of the building so-to-speak. The church today takes God for granted as it occupies itself in its own endeavors while arrogantly assuming that the Lord is with them every step of the way. They recite Gods promise about Him never leaving their side, but they cannot see how they are actually moving away from Him. The church body today believes it is following the light of Christ, but is it really? If Jesus is on the outside knocking at the door desiring to be welcomed in then how can the light, which the majority of Christians believe they are following, be Christ? Those who have a sincere heart for

God endeavoring to seek Him daily are those who are aware of Gods position with the church. A devastating mistake believers often make is that they believe they know their own heart better than God does. Instead of seeking God to find out where they stand in their relationship with Him, they insist that they already know. Thus, in the prayer closet, they tell God where they stand. In prayer, they do all the talkingGod doesnt get a word in edgewise. Sinners live according to the same means. If heaven or hell is in question, a sinner believing he has a good heart assumes that the goodness of his heart automatically suffices God. Based upon his own righteousness he believes that he will undoubtedly make it into heaven. This kind of thinking is not surprising for one who has not given his heart to Christ, but Christians should know better. Only God can ascertain the true nature of your heart, especially in respect to your relationship and fellowship with Him. Unless we seek His presence, how can we ever know ourselves? The carnality of man is in the dark. I am not saying for instance, that if you are a sinner you are automatically an unkind person. What I am saying is that whatever you think you aregood or badis not necessarily related to how God perceives you. He sees you from His perspective, not yours. From the worlds perspective even, you may be the nicest person on the planet but if you lack the righteousness of Christ, it doesnt matter how nice you are. A persons own righteousnessno matter how greatcould never outshine the righteousness of Christ, to whom God will always compare you. In order to suffice God, we must have the righteousness of Christ. Multitudes of nice people have nevertheless rejected Christ, thus have turned their backs on salvation. Perhaps many are even living their lives as humanitarians. Their works however, are only great in the eyes of man, which is not sufficient for the eligibly of eternal life with God. God will compare their works to that of His Son. Without His righteousness, their works will fall mightily short. Because they are not the children of God, they will not see the kingdom of God. Satan deceives multitudes by having them believe that the goodness of their own heart will earn them eternal life with Christ. The goodness of a mans heart, however, is not enough to save that individual. Only the righteousness of Christ can save a soul. If darkness is ever to be illuminated in a person, that person must seek the light of Christ. Seeking Christ is the only way we can ever know who we truly are. A person justified in himself without Christ is living his life in deception. Unless we are willing to allow God to tell us where we stand in relationship with Him, we will remain blind to Gods point of view, which is the only view that counts. Jesus called the seventh generation church lukewarm, yet His anointing goes forward through the spoken Word of God, even by the voices of those in the lukewarm church. This however has nothing to do with the peoples position with God, but the sovereign power of God. Therefore, the church, despite the working anointing, is in serious trouble. Consider how these revival-like occurrences happening in the church today are in resemblance to what Jesus said in Matthew 7:22: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?

Jesus did not deny what they said they had done, but He did say that He never knew them despite what they had done. It didnt matter that they prophesied in His name. It didnt matter that they cast out devils nor did it matter that they had done many wonderful works in the name of Christ. In the scriptures of Matthew, chapter seven, Jesus demonstrated that it is possible to speak and even perform Gods Word in faith, yet be far removed from God. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (vs. 23). God performed His works through them because they released His Word in faith. The only way they could have accomplished this was, in fact, to know His Word. Knowing the Word of God however, is not the same thing as obeying the Word of God. Therefore, regardless of what they had accomplished in the name of Christ, Jesus acknowledged that He never knew them. They did not turn away from their iniquity, which made the Word of God ineffective for them, not necessarily those they may have spoken or prayed over, which God performed the miracles. God said that He would allow delusion to come upon them where they would believe through their corrupted hearts that they performed such feats of God. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked (Revelations 3:14-17). The church age today is certainly like no other. Of all seven churches, Jesus had not one positive thing to say about the last church generation. Most believers however assume that Jesus address to the seventh church does not apply to them. It is as if the church is saying, Jesus couldnt have been talking to us. After all, look at all our successes of getting the lost saved, look at all our abilities through technology, look at the size of our churches and congregations, look at all of our prosperity and wealth. Some believers even argue that the seventh church Jesus spoke to in the book of Revelation has no connection at all to the established church of today. Yet Jesus said that it would be this last church generation that would witness His physical return to rule and reign on earth. We are now living in the last days according to events written in the Bible, which describes the signs and condition of the world prior to the return of Christ. Laodicea means human rights or the rights of the people. Thus, this church is governed by the will of the people and religion instead of the will of God. The Laodicean church is indifferent toward God and is very unaware of its own spiritual condition. It is clearly not concerned about right or wrong, good or evil. It takes a neutral position of live and let live and endeavors to serve two mastersGod and self (world). This last church is by far the worst of all seven, yet the people belonging to it see their church as the greatest of all seven. The people are so deceived that they are unaware that the letter written to the Laodicean Church is actually a letter written to

them. Moreover, the last church is the most deceived church that has ever existed in the history of our world. Yet the people cannot comprehend the fact that they are, according to the Word of God, neck deep in deception. They refuse to seek God in repentance, as they are fully confident in their own self-righteousness. Their understanding of Gods Word concerning the fruits of the spirit, obedience and repentance is only lukewarm. Despite the promise of the Lords blessing toward anyone who is willing to read and study the book of Revelation (Revelation 1:3), it nevertheless tends to be the most intimidating book of the entire Bible. Even many Christian leaders tend to avoid the book of Revelation. They excuse themselves as not understanding it or reason that God wrote it specifically for sinners, which I find rather humorously ironic. How is a sinner supposed to understand the Book of Revelation when most Christians are not even getting it? If Christians are ignorant of this book, then what are the odds that a sinner would have understanding of it? Why would God even write such a book anyway for those who are spiritually dead and thus cannot hear His Word? Is not the Christian the person most qualified to sow the understanding of Revelation into the world for the benefit of the sinner? Is it not the Christians responsibility to share the gospel so that faith can come to the sinner to call upon Jesus the Christ according to the book of Romans chapter ten? Otherwise, how can the sinner come to understand what God spoke in the book about him? Who outside a Christian would be better qualified to tell the sinner what God said (provided that God did write the book only for sinners)? A very interesting question to ponder is why do Christians fear this particular book called Revelation? Perhaps it is because the book of Revelation sheds a light on where they actually do stand with God from His point of view, which many have painstakingly sought to ignore or chosen not to hear. Could Satan even have anything to do with the Christians fear of reading and studying the book of Revelation? The flesh is the domain of Satan. People abiding in their flesh or carnal intelligence would naturally be disturbed by this book, just as Satan himself is. Could it also be that the devil deliberately and strategically plots against believers to prevent them from gaining understanding of this book as well? It is, after all, the book about Christs victory over the kingdom of Satan. A lukewarm condition is like a food with no flavor. Jesus description of the last church was analogous to a bad taste in his mouth. Unless the flavor changes (the church repents), Jesus is going to spit this church out. The church does not see itself the way that Jesus described it. Many Christians believe that revival is about to break out at any given moment. I have heard many say We are right on the edge of revival. They believe that this church generation is at an all time high, greater than any other church generation in the history of the worldthen again, most Christians avoid the final book in the Bible, which says otherwise. Thus, many are oblivious to what Jesus said about the church. They are ignorant concerning what the Bible says about the wrath of God that will come upon the world. In fact, according to the Word of God, the majority of people are not even focusing themselves on God. Instead, their attention is focused upon their technological capabilities, desires, wealth, prosperity and gargantuan sized congregations, etc. The focus of the church today is hardly at all about Christ anymore. Many people in the church will miss the coming of Christ because they are not watching and anticipating His arrival as

Jesus commanded. Because the Word of God performs in peoples lives regardless of traditionalism and there seems to be no resistance from God in their worldly ambitious endeavors, believers have allowed themselves to be convince that all is well in the eyes of God regardless of their lack of relationship with Him. They base such beliefs upon the results of their works and anointing. Through their distorted thinking, Satan is able to blind them toward the coming of Christ. No person should assume that his position of success, prosperity, or status makes him perfect in the eyes of the Lord just because of the results he may see in others by his works. It is the anointing of God working through you that affects others. We are nothing without God, yet somewhere along the line of Christianity teachers touting religious doctrine and repudiating Gods truth sold people on the idea that the anointed works of God performed through them are actually related to their own righteousness and abilities. People bought into the idea that all must be well concerning their relationship with God because look at all the miracles of God they seemed to be able to perform despite their worldly lifestyle, desires, lusts, and selfish ambitions. In their own righteous justifications of what they believe they deserve, they set their own desires and pleasures in precedence to God. Many Christians have wholeheartedly disobeyed God because of false doctrines and beliefs in the church. They have rigorously held on to their traditions and religious values with such commitment and conviction that they even presume God to have placed His stamp of approval upon the very idolatries they worship and serve. Neither you, nor I can say we have arrived just because God empowered us with His ability. All Christians have Gods ability. He says in His Word that as He is, so too are we in this world (1 John 4:17). It is through Gods perspective that a man should discern his life, not through his own worldly or Christian successesor failures. The Lords ways are not our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

seven

Ignorance -The Demon From the Pit of Hell

Satans plan is to deceive the world in order to fulfill his goal to separate the people from
the one true God. The Word of God says that heaven and earth shall pass away, but the Word of God shall never pass away (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31). Our way of life in addition to the world that we are familiar with will cease and all things will be made new (Revelation 21: 1, 4, 5). The approaching end will not be the only time in history that destruction came upon this planet. Genesis 1:1-2, describes the condition of the world after the first time it was destroyed. The second time was in Noahs day when God sent rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights, which flooded the entire planet destroying all life with the exception of Noah, his family and the creatures upon the ark, for iniquity had filled the Earth. Satan was the culprit behind both events just as he is the author of the evil in the world today and therefore will be the target of Gods final wrath. God will also remember every iniquity in the hearts of the people that chose sin over Christ. In Genesis 2:4, the Bible mentions the generations of the heavens (not of the people) and of the earth. Once again, God will make all things new. He is going to reposition the stars and planets. In other words, God is going to redesign not only Planet Earth, but also the entire Universe. Soon, God will create a final generation. This generation will be without evil for God will have destroyed all the evil in the earth having banished it to the lake of fire for eternity. Today, there is hate, murder, thefts, rape, idolatry, adultery, pornography, satanic worship, and every imaginable form of evil abounding throughout the world. As the iniquity in the world continues to increase toward the climatic finality of the great tribulation, it will usher in the son of perdition, who will rise to power over all the earth where for a season the fullness of evil will prevail. The Word of God says, Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). Make no mistake about it; the antichrist is being ushered unto the scene of the world right now. He will rule a new world order for a season. According to the book of Daniel, this person will sign a seven-year peace treaty with Israel, but will breach it after three and a half years. He will set up his image in the temple of God, seat himself in the temple of God, and declare himself god. This antichrist figure will come into view after the removal of the church. The Word of

God tells us what the signs of the antichrist will be.

The Antichrist Revealed

Paul warned that the last hour was here, reminding the people of what they had already heard . . . that antichrist shall come . . . He said there were already many with the spirit of the antichrist in the world today and by these we know that we are in the end of days. . . . whereby we know it is the last time (1 John 2:18; 4:3). . . . For that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Who are they with the spirit of the antichrist? Who is the son of perdition? The Bible says there are many antichrists already in the world. The Bible describes those with the spirit of the antichrist as liars. They deny that Jesus is the Christ and deny the Father and the Son. They confess and teach that Jesus never came in the flesh nor will he ever physically return to rule and reign on earth (1 John 2:22; 4:3, 2 John 1:7). The son of perdition is the man of sin. It is Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9). Satans short reign will represent a counterfeit trinity. This false trinity will consist of Satan who will indwell the man of sin, the Beast or son of perdition who will rise up in political power; he is the antichrist that will deceive the world through false peace. The third party to the counterfeit trinity is the False Prophet, a powerful religious figure who will receive his power from the beast. He will do great wonders in the sight of the people of the world, which will cause them to follow the beast. He will force the people to worship the statue of the beast and take a mark either upon their forehead or upon the right hand. Though there are already many antichrists in the world operating by the spirit of Satan, the Bible does not say that a multitude of people in the world having the spirit of the antichrist will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. The Bible is clear that a certain man will rise up as leader (2 Thessalonians 2:9). This pseudo leader has many different aliases in the Bible. He is: The Seed of Satan (Genesis 3:15) The Assyrian (Isaiah 14:25) The Little Horn (Daniel 7:8) The King of Fierce Countenance (Daniel 8:23) The Prince That Shall Come (Daniel 9:26) The Desolator (Daniel 9:27) The Vile Person (Daniel 11:21) The Willful King (Daniel 11:36) The Idol Shepherd (Zechariah 11:17)

The Man of Sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3) The Son of Perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3) The Wicked or Lawless One (2 Thessalonians 2:8) The Antichrist (1 John 2:18) The One Who Comes In His Own Name (John 5:43) He Who Rides the White Horse (Revelation 6:1-2) The Beast (Revelation 11:7). The entire scheme of the beast will be to deceive the people as a counterfeit messiah. This man will receive a deathblow to the head, yet will live. After his (feigned?) death and resurrection, Satan will indwell him. Satan does not hold the key to life where he has the power to resurrect the dead. Therefore, if this leader is raised from the dead it will be only by the divine will of God, who will allow it to happen. And one of his heads seemed to have a deadly wound. But his death stroke was healed . . . (Revelation 13:3, TAB). Whether the beast will actually suffer death and be resurrected is a question only God will inevitably answer. The beast, however, will deceive the people. They will believe that a deathblow to the head killed him and that he was resurrected from death. More than likely, the people will believe the false prophet raised him from the dead. The resurgence of the beast will astound the world. God said in the Book of Revelation that in their amazement, the people of the world would follow the beast and worship the dragon who empowered the beast. When Jesus did mighty works, the people worshiped God who gave power to His son through the Holy Spirit. Thus, the people will be deceived into believing that the beast is actually like a messiah. The people will say, Who is like unto the beast? who can make war with Him? (Revelations 13:4). In the book of Zechariah, the Bible refers to the Idol Shepherd. This shepherd is a self seeking, counterfeit, pseudo of the Good Shepherd. Instead of leading the people toward worshiping God, he will coerce the people to worship him. He will claim that he is god. The Bible says that he will turn on his flock and devour them. He will not care for the sheep when threatened by death nor will he look after the young. He will not heal the injured nor feed the hungry. Instead, this shepherd will strip the meat of the fattest sheep and tear off their hooves (Zechariah 11:16). Many religious leaders today have a spirit of the idol shepherd. Gods response is, Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened (Zechariah 11:17). The New Living Translation Bible says . . . the sword will cut his arm and pierce his right eye! His arm will become useless, and his right eye completely blind! Perhaps this Scripture gives us insight concerning the death womb that will be inflicted upon this leadera head womb through the right eye. The Holy Spirit resurrected Jesus into a glorified body. Perhaps the beast will resurface with a blinded right eye, and a dried up useless

arm. Paul the Apostle mentioned the condition of the world, which will usher in the antichrist. The warning signs he gave are relatively the same signs the Church body should be zeroing in on for the coming of Christ. The first is the mystery of iniquity, which is currently intensifying in the earth. Sin is rampant and everywhere, for God kicked Lucifer out of heaven and slammed him down to earth. Jesus said, I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven (Luke 10:18). The devil was cast down to earth and enraged, for he saw that he was cast out of heaven (Revelation 12:12-13). He is now among the inhabitants of the earth seeking to devour Gods children (1 Peter 5:8). In his rage against God, the dragon deceived the whole world. Thus, Satan persuaded Adam and Eve to disobey God and blanketed the whole world in sin. The Word of God says iniquity is already at work (2 Thessalonians 2:7). Though the enemy strives to keep his evil schemes of deception, murder, and destruction shrouded in darkness, the Holy Spirit exposes his plans to all that are willing to see. From the depths of hell, deception unlike anything the world has ever known is steadily being released into the world, but God is opening the eyes of His people. He is revealing His truth concerning the world and the events to come. He is sending visions, and prophetic words of knowledge and wisdom into the hearts of His people. Jesus is sending forth His messengers to speak His truth to whoever is willing to listen. The message is about the immanency of His return, being watchful and ready with anticipation. I believe that throughout the world, there is a stir in the hearts of peoplebelievers and unbelievers. Believers who follow Christ can discern something glorious on the horizon. They can spiritually discern how their hearts are being prepared for the arrival of Christ. There is a separation taking place. They are very much aware of the world, but their focus is becoming more sensitive toward the Holy Spirit. Things that mattered to them before, no longer seems to matter today. In their relationship with God, they find themselves content in the moment whereas before they never knew such contentment. Wealth and prosperity are no longer the main issues of importance in their lives but understood as simply a byproduct of their relationship with God. Perhaps many ties with friends, acquaintances, and even family members have been broken. Their view of the world changed from their point of view to Gods perspective. Practically every meaningful substance in their life has turned into mere irrelevance in comparison to Gods position in their lives. Fear no longer has a hold on them and they seem to have an insight from God that illuminates every dark place in their vicinity. When they speak, truth rings in the hearts of listeners. They know without doubt that they could leave their lives behind at a moments notice for Christs sake. More than ever before are they cognizant of the worlds sins and its effects upon the lives of its victims. Thus, they seek God in diligence through prayer and intercession on behalf of those victims. They are also very mindful to seek forgiveness for their own sins as they anticipate daily the arrival of Christ. In general, their lives have changed from the pursuit of carnal or an outward physical satisfaction to an inward spiritual

closeness to God. Perhaps such people do not fully understand what is happening to them because they find themselves becoming more or less detached from people and things, which they may have held dear. In many respects, this is also a difficult time for those seeking God because He has drawn a line. In this hour, more so than any other does the seeker understand the importance of placing all his hopes and concerns in Gods hands, yet his heart cries out for others. Perhaps some have noticed that their spouse stand on the opposite side of that line. Some of our closest friends stand on the opposite side of that line. Also devastating could be the realization that even the church ministry you sat under stands on the opposite side of that line. Not all ministries follow Christ regardless of their presentation of holiness. Many followers of Christ see their parents, siblings, children, and others whom they love standing on the opposite side of the proverbial line, which God established. Jesus made it clear that He did not come to earth to bring peace, but a sword (meaning conflict). He said that he came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a wife against her mother in-law. He told us in advance that a persons enemies would even be members of his own household (Matthew 10:34-36). Probably the most difficult issue many sincere Christians have to face concerning Jesus statement about peace has to do with whom or what they will choose to love more. Jesus said that he who loves his family more than Him, does not deserve Him (Matthew 10:37). I believe that Jesus is ultimately saying that the only way to see your loved ones saved when they refuse to hear truth, which is the Word of God, is actually to let them go. Placing our trust in God concerning such issues is very difficult, for we desire to force them to cross over to our side if necessary, but one cannot come against anothers will. Our mandate should always be to stay on the righteous side of that line. When Jesus beckoned men to follow Him as disciples, one asked if he could first bury his father. Because no one knows the hour of His coming (Mark 13:32-37) we must be willing to depart at any moment even without prior notice. Jesus commanded us to come out and be separate from the people of the world (2 Corinthians 6:17). Thus, this detachment from the world must exist in us now. This detachment is not about neglecting to love others. A Christian seeking the heart of God literally feels his heart breaking for others because he knows the destination of those who have rejected Christ. His prayers are that they become inclined to hear truth. The moment Jesus comes, we must be willing to go with Him at that moment. In order to do that, our hearts must be prepared now. In other words, there is a perspective that we must keep. We are to carry out our assignments on earth, but with our spiritual antenna focused entirely upon God. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour you Lord doth come (Matthew 24:42). I love my wife and children more than life itself, for instance, but if Jesus were to come today, I would not hesitate to go with Him nor would I have any inclination to look back. My faith in God is that I will spend all of eternity with them in His kingdom, for we served the Lord in our home while on earth.

But Jesus told him, Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). Christians tend to get so busy in their devotion to Christ concerning works, deeds, ministry, and even Gods second commandment, which says to love your neighbor, yet they ignore His first commandment. First, we must love God; that is to say that we must be willing to surrender ourselves entirely to him unconditionally. Concerning the line drawn by God, I believe that God is proving (testing) many Christians today so that they may know where they stand. Many believe that they are precisely where God desires them to be, but Jesus warned us that this is not necessarily so (Matthew 7:21-23). As God will prove everyone belonging to Him, He is preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ. Most people refuse to contend with the fact that there is a cost of following Jesus, yet Jesus insisted that we should count the cost of such a commitment. Those who do not tend to fall short. In other words, they will only allow themselves to go so far and when they reach that mark, they will stop and go no further. When the man agreed to follow Jesus in discipleship but asked if he could first bury his father, Jesus reply was significant to that of an unconditional surrender to God. He said, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead (Matthew 8:22). Another also agreed to go with Jesus but wanted first to say good-bye to his family (Luke 9:61). Which side of the line would you say these two individuals stood? They desired to go with Jesus, but not until their conditions were met. What conditions are you giving God today? When Jesus asked Peter to come, he immediately went leaving everything behind even his wife and family. Are we truly ready to depart from this world if the Lord were to come today or would their be things pertaining to this life that wed rather take care of first? Can we honestly tell God from the heart that we are willing to separate ourselvesright nowfrom everything concerning this world in order to step into the bride chamber with Christ? God being a respecter of the heart looks into the hearts of people. He is not interested in words spoken from your mouth unless those words came forth from the abundance of your heart. On the day of Christs return, what will He find in your heart? Will it be anger because someone offended you? Will He find rage, frustration, and bitterness because your spouse defied you? Will Jesus find envy and hatred in your heart toward others or perhaps immorality and lust? Will He find your heart full of wanton desires of worldly riches, wealth and power? In that day, what will Jesus find people holding on to refusing to let go? Many are complacent in their relationship with Christ. Many believe they have eternal security. Lucifer, Gods once most trusted and perfect angel, had security while belonging to Heaven, yet iniquity was found in him and God cast him out in addition to the third of angels that rebelled with him against God. Those found with iniquity in their hearts at Jesus return will not see heavenat least, not on that day. He commanded us to be prepared in our hearts, meaning be sure that you have rid yourself of all iniquities through seeking God, who illuminates your sins. In other words, He wants us to live with repentant hearts toward God. Make no mistake about it

Jesus is coming for His people. The question is will your heart be representative of a wise virgin or unwise virgin (Matthew 25:1-13)? Truth seekers are moving in new directions led of the Holy Spirit. They can sense more than ever how close we are to the wrath of God descending upon the earth. Some seek to enlighten others concerning the hidden conspiracies made against humanity by the few who want to rule others and establish their new world order. They are speaking out against doctrines of man and religion. They have rejected the candy-coated sermons and doctrines, which religious leaders have adopted over decades allowing such dogma to infiltrate the church. Because these Christians are taking a stand, they face heavy opposition by the people belonging to the world and even the church who also seeks to discredit or silence them. Nevertheless, God is speaking to the hearts of those desiring His truth. For those who seek God, He is pouring out His spirit upon them. They, who were once blind, are now beginning to see. Many unbelievers are also sensing something ominous, something dark descending upon the world. Though they may not necessarily be able to define or understand it, they too can nonetheless feel something about to happen. What they can perhaps feel coming toward them has no glory in it at all. For them, perhaps it is more of a sense of hopelessness or pending doom, as I heard one television celebrity put it. New Age doctrine teaches that the earth transcends through certain nodes where as it has entered the Age of Aquarius it is being cleansed through a cosmic consciousness. They say that ultimately, there will be a pole shift in addition to other events, which will bring everyone to a higher state of consciousness, and that wellness will be universal throughout the earth. Of course, any true Christian knows that this is basically a bunch of malarkey, for such doctrine has no foundation whatsoever in the Word of God. Even those who repudiate the Word of God can actually see the catastrophic events of destruction taking place in the world today, which God spoke about in the Bible. The ever-increasing destruction coming upon the world is not the earth going through some sort of cosmic self-cleansing, the destruction is by the hands of man and the results of his sins. It is the wickedness and perilous events spoken of by the prophet Daniel, the Apostles Paul of the epistles, John in the book of Revelation, and ultimately Jesus. Even today, a war exists in the Middle East that that many in Government are saying will never end. In fact, many believe that this war will actually escalate into WWIII. Still yet, others believe that WWIII has actually already begun. Considering the condition of the world today, we must ask ourselves where this condition will lead. Will it lead to a glorious ending or inevitable doom? If the path, which the world is currently on, is full of evil resulting in cataclysmic destruction, how can such a path change itself? How does evil become righteous? Can Satan become Christ like? The path of evil that the world is on and follows today is not the path of Christ. Jesus said that the majority would take the path of evil believing it to be the easy rout into His kingdom, but this rout will lead them into eternal damnation. The people who will be saved from the coming destruction or the wrath of God are only those who are on the righteous path that is Christ. Thus, these people will be removed from the earth through the removal of the restrainer (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). The restrainer is the Holy Spirit on the earth dwelling in the hearts of those who have committed themselves unconditionally to Christ. This removal of the Holy Spirit is the rapture of the

church. Another evidential sign of the antichrist is the apostate church. This modern church comprises a body of believers all over the world who are in rebellion and are falling away from the true Word of God (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Paul said this falling away would come before the man of perdition arrives on the scene. The world has always maintained itself in its own arrogant state of self-righteousness since the fall of Adam when even he failed to be accountable for his sin. Even he assayed to hold his righteousness higher than Gods by attempting to make God responsible for his sin. The epitome of this self-righteous arrogance was Lucifer, who considered his own perfection and beauty in pride and conceit. Ultimately, he decided that he should sit upon the throne of God (Isaiah 14:13-14). Five times, Lucifer said, I will, in opposition to Gods will. His sin was pride and covetousness. People are following suit by participating in the same sins today. They refuse to do Gods will with the same attitude of instead I will. Many people of this last church generation in addition to the world boast about their own will, inclinations, ambitions, and self-preservations, with little or no regard to Gods will. Like Satan, who rebelled against God and will be brought down to the pit (Isaiah 14:15), the same will be the consequence of every person who has rebelled against God. The multitudes of church-going people who choose to live their lives according to their own ways in opposition to Christ, characterize the Apostate Church. According to Paul the Apostle, there will be two dimensions of a falling away of the church. This falling away from the true Word of God and Christ has actually already begun. From a theological perspective, Paul said that the Word of God would be compromised, debunked, abandoned, ignored, rebuked, and ridiculed. During the time I was writing this book, for instance, there were many television programs airing where Bible scholars and experts would explain in detail the events of the Bible. Though some of these programs focused on the ministry, healing power, crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus from the grave, it was blatantly obvious that their entire aim was to discredit all of the ministry of Christ. These kinds of documentary programs in addition to movies, motion pictures, prime time television shows, televised religious programs, twisted news and media coverage concerning the Christian way of life, are growing in broadcasts around the world at an alarming pace. Undoubtedly, as time progresses there will be many more of these programs, all designed to attack Christianity and pervert the truth by diverting the minds of people toward entertainment, common sense, scientific logic, and seemingly irrefutable reason. As the apostate church continues to fall away, the people will disregard and deride Jesus demand for repentance, loyalty toward God by living holy, and separation from immorality. Concisely, Paul said gospels centering on human desires, goals, self-interest and preservation, lusts and worldly pleasures would become the popular doctrine replacing the Word of God in the hearts of people. What Paul spoke is precisely indicative to the church body we know of today. Take notice of the sermons and lessons many ministers are preaching and teaching today and deeply consider the content. Generally, the main subjects preached behind pulpits today are prosperity messages of wealth and riches, motivational speeches, anecdotes, personal stories, pep

talks, and feel-good hoot and holler type sermons. These sermons may ignite excitement and deep thought but they are powerless because they are void of God. I do believe however, that because of Gods mercy the Holy Spirit shows up during some of these sermons not necessarily because of the pastor, but because there are genuine hearts among the people who call and pull upon the anointing. There only needs to be one heart that is genuine with God in order for Him to show up. He will show up for just that one person, but while His presence is there, He makes Himself available to anyone who wants to receive Him. The presence of God in a given church service may have nothing to do with the content of the sermon or the figure behind the pulpit. Power is in the Rhema Word of God. Many ministers today speak their own word ninety-eight percent of the sermon and sprinkle in a Scripture or two for the remainder of the sermon and it is steadily getting even worse. One world-renowned pastor presiding over one of the largest congregations in the U.S., openly admitted on national television that he hardly uses scriptures at all in his sermons. He admitted that his teachings and books are primarily based upon principles concerning the goodness of the heart. A sinner who lives a law-abiding life in the world may also live his life by principles concerning the goodness of his heart. The goodness of any persons heart however, is not sufficient for salvation. He must have the righteousness of Christ. To the other extreme, recently another church sprung up in the country headed by a well-known celebrity figure. This church is by far the largest in the country if not the world. On its opening day in early March of 2008, three hundred thousand people attended. Before the end of that month, the church had a following of over two million. The doctrine taught insists that Who you are requires no belief. Heaven as the bible stipulates does not exist but is rather an inner realm of consciousness. Jesus death on the cross was actually metaphorical in nature or an archetypal image that represents every man and woman. In other words, Jesus actually did not die on the cross. A persons mind is part of Gods mind, which makes the person holy. Their own holiness is their salvation. A persons salvation comes from himself. There is no sin. One should not cling to or acknowledge the cross The true message concerning the cross is that anyone can overcome the cross.

If the so-called Christian leaders teach doctrine other than that of the Word of God then their sermons are predicated upon themselves and their idea of righteousness, not the righteousness of Christ. Such leadership is predicated upon the spirit of the antichrist. How can such teachings draw people toward God and salvation? Surely, these doctrines bar the entry unto eternal life. Instead of being fed by the engrafted Word of God, people receive motivational speeches, new age ideologies, and other profane and blasphemous doctrine, which keeps them feeling nice, cozy, and justified in their sinful heart. They are not taught or encouraged to seek a relationship with Christ, thus their relationship with God remains either weak or non-existent. The strength of many of these ministries is predicated upon emotionalism, recreation, and

soothing the itching earsleaders tell the people exactly what they want to hear. As they arouse the peoples emotions, give them entertainment, and speak delightful things, the people pour in. Many mega churches existing today did not necessarily become the mega church because the Word of God in the church actually pierced and inspired the hearts of the congregation. They quickly grew to gargantuan size in followers because they accentuated emotion. They appeased the people in every possible way teaching them that despite their sins, they could reach God and heaven. They entertained the people by implementing every activity of entertainment, clubs, committees, outings, in addition to every other form of recreation under the sun. Paul the Apostle said that the spirit of the antichrist is already here. Wake up people, Paul was absolutely correct. The world today reflects exactly what he said. Attending some churches today is like going to an amusement park. People in the world love to have their flesh be entertained. It is why the majority cannot and will not ever see nor understand Gods truth. He is Spirit, not flesh. The vast majority of churches today boast a superficial spiritualism. Their immense growth springs forth out of sensationalism. Sermons preached in churches around the world today are revolving around the celebrity leader instead of God. These leaders are very meticulous in what they say. They are very careful not to step on toes or offend the listening ear. The root of their sermons seems to be predicated upon saying that which is politically aesthetic to the listening ear, perhaps to insure that the people dont walk out the door. Of course, not all congregations and church boards are innocent either. Perhaps it may surprise you to know that many congregations have ousted their pastors from their church because of the truth the pastor endeavored to preach and his refusal to be controlled by the majority opinion or biggest tithers in the church. I know a pastor in particular who showed up to his church one Sunday morning and found the doors literally chained and locked. A note on the door simply read, We dont need you anymore as our pastor. This pastor repeatedly refused to be controlled by a small group of people in the church who thought they should have the right to control the ministry because they financed the building and were the greatest tithers. Multitudes of people fill all kinds and sorts of churches across the globe, yet the vast majority of these people have little to hardly any faith in God. I believe it is safe to say that every person within the church body believes that God exist, but the majority of them do not believe God. In fact, many do not even believe they need Christ for salvation. In order to believe God you must have faith, which comes from hearing and by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). How can faith come to the people when multitudes of leaders themselves are doing all the talking instead of God? They block His Word and teach their own ideas. These ministries hinder people from picking up the Bible or establishing a personal relationship with Christ. They do not teach the people the significance of doing so. I seriously doubt that such teachers themselves even have a true relationship with God. How can a person have an intimate relationship with Jesus, yet downplay His Word in order to promote his own? In television evangelism, for instance, how often do you see ministers imploring their congregation and listeners to seek God by further studying the Bible? Immediately following their sermon broadcast, they instead bombard you with their information. They tell you to send in quickly your credit card information for their books, DVDs and other related retailed merchandise.

They promise you a new lease on life through their products, but mention nothing about simply reading the Bible and establishing a relationship with Jesus Christ. Probably the greatest conspiracy in the church today is ministers preaching gospels other than the true gospel and then giving alter calls for salvation. Multitudes of people are calling upon Jesus based upon the gospel they heard, but the gospel they heard was not necessarily the true gospel. In fact, many ministries dont mention anything about salvation at all. They believe the righteousness of oneself is sufficient for salvation. According to the Book of Romans chapter ten, one cannot call upon the Lord for salvation if he has not heard the gospel. People are concluding within themselves however, that they will see heaven because perhaps they are nice and courteous toward others. Thus, they believe they have a loving heart. People are walking away from alters all around the world believing they are saved, but are they really? Only few ministries or shall I say people, today are actually preaching the true gospel. These ministries in particular are actually busting up; these churches are splitting and reforming all over the nation because of the few who endeavor to speak the truth. Very few people actually want to hear it. The majority of ministries however are spreading false gospels around the world. Such false gospels are being embraced in world in addition to the church representing a new paradigm, which is significant to the end times the book of Daniel, the Gospels, Epistles, and Revelation addresses. People also classify themselves as born again Christian by their own standards. They learn the acceptability of this from the representation of false doctrine in the church. I hosted a bible study once and to break the ice, I had everyone in the group testify about how they were lead to Christ. One individual adamantly claimed that he had always been saved. Do you mean since birth? I jokingly asked. He said, and very seriously I might add, every since I can remember, I have always been saved. He boasted that he could not remember a time when he wasnt saved. Yet this person could not recall when he had actually confessed with his lips and believed in his heart that Jesus was Lord. When I pressed him a little more about having received Christ according to Romans 10:8-10, in addition to his relationship with Christ, it became apparent that he didnt know what the Bible even said about confessing Christ as Lord and Savior. At a very young age during a Sunday service, the pastor did an alter call and my aunt asked me if I was saved. I said, Why are you asking me that? Arent I in church just about every Sunday? Perhaps this is what the member from the bible study also believed. He had gone to church practically all his life. Multitudes of people believe they are saved because they frequently attend church, are perhaps involved in a ministry, or have been water baptized. What is also interesting is that generally, people dont like to be questioned about their salvation. Another example is a woman I know who often attempted to avoid her Christian housemate whenever shed try to speak to her about salvation. One day she happened upon a new age book that belonged to her roommate, which consisted of channeling spirits. In short, the author of the book communicated with a spirit through a sance or deep trance and then wrote the details of that conversation. The conversation was supposedly about God. After she read the book she confessed to her friend that she was now saved, but according to who or what had she become saved? The Word of God emphatically states that there is no association between God and the

occult, such as communicating with the dead or conjuring spirits, divination, channeling or mediumship. Such things are an abomination to God (Deuteronomy 18:9-12; 2 Kings 21:6; Micah 5:12; Leviticus 20:27; Revelation 21:8). If we consider again the tenth chapter of the book of Romans, the Bible outlines the prerequisites one must have before calling upon the Lord for salvation. First, is hope or belief. Second, is having heard the true Gospel. Third, who is the teacher? Fourth, who sent the teacher? "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? . . . (Romans 10:14-15). Perhaps the two individuals mentioned above eventually gave their hearts to Christ later through conviction after hearing the true gospel. However, if people are ignorant of the Word of God concerning salvation and thus believe that they are saved, what would prompt them to seek Christ to find out if perhaps they are not? Why would a person ask for something he believes he already has? The greatest danger of the apostate church is that the apostate church tricks people into believing that they have salvation, when in actuality they may not. The apostate church also tricks people into believing that because they confessed Jesus perhaps years ago, yet never followed nor obeyed Christ, they no longer have to concern themselves with sin, repentance, or salvation. Because the people believe they are saved, for they repeated the sinners prayer for instance (who came up with the sinners prayer anyway? Where is there such a thing in scripture?), they will fight tooth and nail defending their false salvation while actually rejecting Christ and His true message of salvation. The apostate church bars the entry to eternal life. Jesus said that many would believe that they would sit down at the salvation banquet, because they hung around the kingdom of God all their lives, but they would not be let in (Luke 13:24-27). Jesus is talking about those people actually believing they were members of the kingdom because they hung around it all their lives. In other words, the people could not differentiate between hanging around the kingdom and actually being a citizen of it. Certainly, no one should want to find himself in such a predicament. Another powerful example comes from a pastor I know who spoke of another well-known pastor who visited a church for several weeks to teach a series on salvation. What he taught, many in the church had actually never heard. When he completed his teaching series he did an alter call and of all people, the pastor of that church got up and gave his heart to Christ. The pastor of this church believed that he was saved, yet through the teaching series found out he actually was not. If he was not saved, then what are the odds that many in his congregation were also not saved? He did the right thing by correcting the situation, not only for his sake, but for the sake of others as well. Perhaps many would have held on to their pride and refused to admit that they needed salvation in order to save themselves from embarrassment, but what a terrible mistake this would ultimately be. False salvation is indicative of the apostate church. Jesus told Peter that upon the rock He would

build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Is the church we see today the church that Jesus described to Peter? Religion, legalism, prosperity, wealth, riches, tradition, conformity, even the building, and egocentric idealism are the standards characterizing the church today. Clearly, this apostate church does not represent Christ at all. The apostate church is the counterfeit church of Christ. An imposter, this church deceives people into believing it is the true church, yet it spreads a mixed gospel of truth and lies. Collectively, ministries today are a colossal financial business empire and in many respects operate as such. Therefore, most ministries today will not risk offending congregational members or stepping on toes by speaking on the severities of sin, the blood of Christ, the return of Christ, and thus getting your life right with God. They will not risk speaking on Bible subjects such as living a holy life unto God with the explanation of what eventually happens to those who choose not to. They do not risk it because many of their churches would clear out, for these kinds of sermons are not the kind of sermons most people want to hear. A half-empty church can be a huge chunk of cash flow loss for a ministry. They will not hesitate however to teach about condemnation and cursing that befalls those who do not tithe or give the ministry a financial offering. In addition to mainstream religion and new age idealism, which has infiltrated the modern church, celebrity preaching ranging from famous icon ministers, to world renown talk show hosts and movie stars has become the popular norm for this last generational church. Readers, you had better beware, because their messages have actually no association to the Word of God, but are rather a worldly gospel that people desire to hear. Now the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:1). For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Today, many false gospels have infiltrated the church and people are following in droves those who preach and teach such gospels because these doctrines speak exactly what they desire to hear. Believers are literally taking the Word of God and customizing it to suit their own comforts, needs and desires. The Word of God says that many false prophets and teachers will come forth who will usher in damnable heresies. They will speak things that God never said. They will teach lies and do evil in secret. They will deceive followers and bate them into hell, use the Word of God to snare them for money, and they will merchandise the anointing (2 Peter 2:1-3). Moral apostasy is the second dimensional falling away of the church. Like the apostate leaders that people will follow, the Word of God sums up their fallen state:

The dog is turned to his own vomit again (2 Peter 2:22). These people are those who served God, yet have returned to sin and immorality justifying themselves by their own righteousness, which they believe God is in agreement with. The Word says they draw close to God with their mouths, honoring Him with their lips, but their hearts are far removed from Him. Even their reverence of Christ is a mere intellectual acclamation or form of tradition (Isaiah 29:13). Jesus spoke of this very kind of reverence being the epitome of the Pharisees relationship with God (Mark 7:6-7). Paul said, This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof . . . (2 Timothy 3:1-5). In addition to the evil existing in the world today, which Paul prophesied, there is a much greater evil waiting in the wings from the deepest depths of the pit, but Gods people have not been appointed to wrath.

Coming of ChristThe Rapture

At Gods appointed time, Jesus will remove the body of Christ from the earth. . . . Only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7). Only the Holy Spirit has the power to hold back the full unleashing of iniquity and Satan. Gods removal of the restrainer is the rapture of the church. When Christ removes the saved church body from the earth, the restrainer will be taken out of the way. Thus, God will remove all restraints against all sin, whereby the fullness of evil from the depths of hell will be unleashed upon the earth. At such time, a purely evil, satanically inspired, rebellion against God and His people (converters) will begin. Consider for a moment how difficult it is today to get right with God due to worldly distractions and sin. No one can imagine how incredibly difficult it will be for people to seek Christ once all evil and temptation have been unleashed upon the world from the bowels of hell. Remember, the Holy Spirit or restrainer will have been removed. Satans entire kingdom of evil, hell, and demons will stand against the peoples every effort to pledge themselves to Christ. The Bible gives explicit details about the signs of the time where Jesus would return. Though Jesus said that only the Father knew specifically when He would return, every Christian on earth should be living in anticipation and expectation of Jesus arrival. His arrival can be at any given moment because the world currently exists in the time and is displaying the signs prophesied in the Bible relative to the return of Christ. The disciples asked Jesus what shall be the sign of His coming and the end of the world (Matthew 24:3), and Jesus described the signs to watch for,

saying: Many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. You shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. Nations will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, pestilence, and earthquakes, all over the world, which are the beginning of sorrows. The world will deliver you up to be afflicted and killed, for you will be hated by all nations for my names sake. Many people will be offended, and will betray one another, hating one another. Many false prophets will rise up and will deceive many. Sin will dominate the world and the love of many will grow cold. (Matthew 24:5-12).

The rapture will happen suddenly, faster than you can blink. According to Paul, . . . in the twinkling of an eye . . . and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52). There will be evidence all over the world of a mass disappearance. Everyone will know directly or indirectly of at least one person who disappeared during the rapture. Those raptured will be the body of Christ. They will be the few that found the path of righteousness and persevered in tenacious diligence to stay on that path by seeking the kingdom of God always, doing the will of the Father. At His coming, they are the ones Christ will know because they lived holy lives with repentant hearts. Immediately following the rapture, national leaders around the world will conspire to deceive the world by convincing the world that the rapture never took place. Somehow, they will explain this mass disappearance away and the world will believe them. How is this possible? Even today, the world is already inclined to hear, believe, and follow just about anything leaders, governments, and other organized structures of power, such as world media, will dictate. Consider how desensitized the world is today toward crime, pornography, adultery, fornication, injustice, etc. How did the world become this way? How eager is the world to believe the media over the Word of God? How eager is the world to follow the man, his traditions and doctrines as opposed to the Word of God? Man following his own doctrines and abiding in his traditions have made the Word of God a non-effect. Many Christians in particular have become like the Pharisees whereas they have esteemed the letter to such a degree that they have literally closed their eyes to the realities of life surrounding them. Those realities are chockfull of perils and evils that were prophesized in the Bible. When Jesus preached on earth, He exposed the evils in that day, even spoke of the evils in our day, and diligently tore down the peoples traditions and laws. He never commanded us to close our eyes to the evils in the world, but to be keenly aware of them. Because people close their eyes to such evils having allowed their eyes, ears, and hearts to be desensitized, they walk in the same kind of deception as the Pharisees who did not recognize the Messiah. They have taken Gods Word and have internalized it through a mental filtering process, which excludes practically any recognition of such evils in the world. Perhaps this explains why they cannot see the conspiracies against them by those who govern over them, in addition to those

who govern over the governmentthe Vatican, and even he that governs over the Vatican the Black Pope. The Black who? Look it up, the information is out there. There was a time in our country when the government was actually the people. The leaders who held offices actually represented the voice of the people. Can we honestly say that this is still true today? Obviously, everyone can see that there is evil in the world on a surface level, but for most, this is their only depth of understanding. The root of such evil is not even contemplated. Okay, we can even go as far as to say that we can comprehend the devil being the root of such evil, but it doesnt occur to most people how the devil implements this evil into the world. He utilizes a very structured regime. This organized administration if you will, in one form is the hierarchy of government. Does this surprise you? Our country was founded upon biblical principles but those principles have long since been done away with. When is the last time you remember any world government truly acknowledging and obeying the will of God? From a Christian perspective, is the worlds government Godly? Though we know that it is not, people nevertheless do not make this connection. The higher in hierarchy government goes the more diabolical in nature it has to be because of its proximity to Satan who hates God and all of His creation. Like the modern church, the government has been infiltrated. The government today is not building lives and edifying life, it is killing the innocent by the billions worldwide. Between year 2000 and 2003, 1.31 million slaughters of infants were carried out in the United States alone by legalized abortion. (The Alan Guttmacher Institute, Abortion Incidence and Services In the United States in 2000. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Vol. 35, (Jan/Feb 2003)). I shudder to even know the statistics today. The list of their evil endeavors stretching back for centuries is endless, yet the people, including Christians are blinded. Most Christians esteem the letter, but not the living Word. They are so in tuned to what the letter says in the book that they simply cannot recognize the realities existing outside the proverbial church building. Most are oblivious to the actual crises and evils in the world. On the surface level, they know it is there but that is about as far as they can see or are willing to see. The Word of God says that such people deceive even themselves (James 1:22). When the world leaders say that the rapture never took place, it will seem very reasonable that it didnt. If they should even dare to say that the disappearances were due to alien beings, UFOs etc., the people will whole-heartedly receive even this lie. This set-up in addition to a seemingly valid reason to relinquish our freedom and control to a single world order has already been seeded into the minds of the people. Consider just one example. When Ronald Regan was in office as President, he made a very bold statement during a speech concerning the possibility of an alien attack. The idea was that all the people of the world would ban together and turn over all powers to the highest leaders or leader where then the world could defend itself against such an attack. Reagan not only spoke about such a possibility once, but in three separate speeches. The first was December 4, 1985 at Fallston High School in Maryland where he spoke about his first Summit with General Secretary Gorbechev in Geneva. He spoke about his conversation with Gorbechev about the possibility of an alien invasion. Gorbechev confirmed this conversation

during an important speech he made on February 17, 1987, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, to the Central Committee of the USSR's Communist Party. Regan again spoke of an alien invasion when he spoke to the General Assembly of the United Nations on September 21, 1987. He said, In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us recognize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. Now wait a minute, you would think that the public would have eventually caught on to what Regan was actually saying, yet it seems that no one did. This is a perfect example of desensitization. A man with the greatest authority in the country mentions the possibility of an attack from aliens from another world and no one bats an eye. Keep in mind also that for decades the government had already been debunking any possibility that such alien life forms exist. Very few even noticed the contradiction. Only an exceptional few would even think to question Ronald Regans angle because the minds of the majority of people have been conditioned and manipulated to accept without question the idea of an alien invasion even in lieu of being conditioned to believe that there is no such thing as aliens from other worlds. Its as if world conditioning have cause peoples minds to split in half where the mind believes two opposites that cancels each other out. Thus when certain things about UFOs or aliens or anything, for that matter, transgressing the Word of God is presented to the people, it doesnt register. In other words, they receive the news from the source of authority, but without any critical thought and in total nonchalance. Like in a trance, the people hear it and then go right on about their business as if nothing was said. When you really think about it, it is downright spooky. For decades, the people in the world have been readily conditioned to believe the conspirators without question. Consider the proliferation of propaganda and media entertainment concerning alien and UFO phenomena. The public has been bombarded over the past few decades with coverage concerning UFOs and aliens rather true or hoax. In addition, the movie industry has pumped out a barrage of television shows, movies, and even cartoons dating back since the 1950s. To name a few, consider the movie V, which ran in a series from 1983-1985, Alien Nation, another series that ran during the 1980s. More on the list are Alien Siege, Alien, Predator, Star Wars, Independence Day and War of the Worlds, which both depicted precisely what Regan had hypothesized in his speeches, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Invaders from Mars, Mars Attacks, and many more. Perhaps you remember or are familiar with the December 30, 1938 radio broadcast of the War of the Worlds by Orson Welles. Though a staged event, this particular radio show broadcasted a news message that the earth was under attack by extraterrestrials from the planet Mars. Millions of listeners believed the story, which caused wide spread shock and pandemonium. In a state of panic, thousands of people actually ran out of their homes screaming while others pack their cars and fled. Can you understand the deeper implications of this concerning what people are so willing to believe or not believe according to what those in authority say? People are continuously conditioned today to believe the conspirators lies concerning the rapture tomorrow. In addition, multitudes of internet web pages exist today for instance that either

debunks the idea of a rapture or is spreading confusion about this event and they too are gaining huge audiences. If you have a weak relationship with God or if your relationship is predicated upon idolatry, which is basically your own personal idea of God then everything the enemy says will seem to make absolute logical sense. Idolatry goes much deeper than just the worship of idols and statutes. Idolatry begins from a mindset. This mental mindset results from esteeming the letter as opposed to the spoken Word. The Word tells us that the letter killeth (2 Corinthians 3:6). The majority will agree with the leaders tomorrow just as they agree with the biblically unfounded traditions, trends, and conventions of the world today. The deception injected into the minds of people by Satan has caused them to follow, worship, and idolize religion, doctrines and worldly wisdom without question. This stratagem has been in the works since ancient time. The climatic summation of all the enemys ploys against Gods people was designed for just this period in time. The world has been deceived in order to believe and follow the spirit of the antichrist in the end times so that the people may rebel against God along with Satan. He (the antichrist) will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will send great deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies. Then they will be condemned for not believing the truth and for enjoying the evil they do (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, NLT). [Parenthetical emphasis mine] Many churches today are sending out messages about the rapture, but their messages are mixed, confusing, and at the very core misleading. Some spout a pre-tribulation rapture and though I agree that their will be a pre-tribulation rapture, I do not necessarily agree with much of the teaching put forth concerning the pre-trib rapture. Many who teach it subscribe to what they have either heard or conjectured themselves and thus their arguments are riddled with holes. Some say mid-tribulation rapture, yet have a poor understanding of what the tribulation will actually entail. Then there are the post-tribulation subscribers who obviously believe that Gods people have actually been appointed to wrath despite the fact that God said the opposite. On the other hand, some preach that there will be no rapture, which implies that Christianity is not only useless, but also powerless. What good is salvation if all Christians will experience Gods wrath regardless only to then be loved into his kingdom forever. Some say, Well actually it will be the wrath of Satan. Yet this is even more ridiculous because in essence such people testify that salvation in Christ, predicated upon Jesus death, is not sufficient to save anyone from Satan, that the devil is obviously greater than God is. Such teaching implies that Jesus death on the cross was pointless. In other words, what sense does it make that Christ died to save us, yet God punishes His own sons and daughters anyway? Ultimately, there are those who believe that there will actually be a rapture. The problem they create for others however is that they believe that practically every churchgoer, in addition to every person who classifies himself as a Christian will be snatched up. In other words, all or the vast majority of believers on the planet will be removed from the earth. This false belief creates the illusion that all is well with all believers despite their sinful hearts. As far as they are

concerned, they are an automatic shoe-in to the kingdom of God simply because they consider themselves Christian. Their Christianity however, is predicated upon their own righteousness, not Christ. Their disposition concerning their relationship with God, which is based on the worlds point of view, will also help them rationalize and justify their sins. They assume either that God agrees with them or simply believe that it is no big deal if He happens not to agree with them. According to their righteousness, salvation belongs to them. Jesus said that there were five wise virgins who went into the bride chamber and five unwise virgins who did not, yet He classified them all as virgins. He said that only few would find the path of righteousness. Similar to Noahs day, the attitudes, disposition and disdain in peoples hearts toward Christ, repentance, and salvation will be the same, even among believers and Christians. Though there will be a mass vanishing of saints on this planet, in overall comparison to the populated world, the number of missing people will actually be significantly small. Perhaps, the number will be equivalent to those saved in Noahs day in comparison to the population of the earth at that time. At any rate, when this disappearance occurs, the people will believe the lies the leaders will exhibit in explaining away those missing resulting from the rapture. Those who believe that the events of the rapture and the second coming of Christ will only take place in a spiritual sense, lets consider what Jesus said. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all (Luke 17:26-29). Jesus was making a comparison to physical events. His obvious summation was that the flood and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah were also physical events. Jesus said that just as the days of Noah and Lot were, so would also the coming of the Son of man be. Jesus told His people that the world will be caught off guard in the same way, just prior to His coming (Matthew 24:37-39). Now, how could this be true when the Bible stipulates that He would return in a cloud of Glory with His saints immediately after a seven-year tribulation period, unless He was actually speaking of two separate eventsthe rapture and then seven years later His return to establish His kingdom to rule for a thousand years. When the Lord took Noah and his family out of the way and placed them upon the ark, the rains came and all the people perished. When the angels ushered Lot and His people out of Sodom, fire and brimstone rained down upon the cities and destroyed them all. After Christ descends upon the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) and calls up first His people from the grave and then those alive, a tribulation will commence upon the world lasting seven years. Concerning Jesus physical return, consider what the two angels said to His disciples after His descent to heaven. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood

by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven (Acts 1:10-11). The second coming of Christ will be every bit as physical as His departure was, for He will return in the same manner as the disciples saw Him leave. First, Jesus will descend upon the clouds and rapture His church. Seven years later, He will return with His saints in a Cloud of Glory (Mark 13:24-26) where His feet will ultimately touch the ground. Jesus told His disciples that no one knew the day nor hour of His return, that only the Father knows (Mark 13:32), yet He also told them the exact time of His return. Jesus did not contradict Himself, but was speaking of two separate events. He said But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, [Here Jesus refers to a physical idol of abomination, the statue of the beast, which the false Prophet will force the people of the world to worship] (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days (Mark 13:14-20). [Emphasis mine] When Jesus said, no flesh should be saved, He was speaking of throughout the entire world. Jesus is clearly talking about a physical event here, which will be seen and experienced by the people. The Abomination of Desolation will mark the beginning of the second half of the tribulation, known as the Great Tribulation. According to the book of Daniel, Jesus will return to rule and reign for a thousand years exactly 31/2 years after the commencement of the great tribulation, thus in this sense we know the day of His return. We know that the Tribulation will last a total of seven years according to the book of Daniel. The first half of the tribulation will commence only after he who now letteth will let, until he (the Holy Spirit) be taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7) [Parenthetical emphasis mine] The latter half of the tribulation, the Great Tribulation, will last another 1290 days. The Great Tribulation begins at the mark of the Abomination of Desolation (Mark 13:14). Jesus commands even the converted believers to flee to the mountains due to the great distress that will come upon the earth. The Bible characterizes the second half of this event ultimately destroying every evil in the earth. Mark 13:32 and Mark 13:14-20, which speaks of Jesus return, do not contradict. These scriptures are not speaking about the same event.

And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. (Zechariah 14:9). Christs first came as the newborn Savior. Jesus, the Son of man, Prophet, yet Savior, laid down His deity and died on the cross for our sins. He promised that He would return to His Fathers house to prepare a place there for us where upon He would return to receive us onto Himself, which we would be with Him forever. At His descent upon the clouds, only His people will hear His call and they will go to Him. At this time, Jesus feet will not touch the earth and neither will He be seen by the world. He will come and go like a thief in the night (Matthew 24:43-44; Luke 12:39-40; Revelation 3:3). When Jesus returns after the tribulation, seven years later, the entire world will see Him descending in a cloud of glory on a white horse with His saints also upon horses. Upon this descent, Jesus feet will then touch the earth. We should also understand the significant difference between Jesus return for his people as the Bible stipulates and the Great Day of the Lord as mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 and Revelation 16:15, for example, which speaks about the wrath of God coming upon the world. The Bible describes them both as coming like a thief in the night. Jesus return to rule and reign for a thousand years, will actually be a world viewed event. Every eye upon the earth will witness Jesus return following the tribulation. The wrath of God mentioned in the Bible as the Great Day of the Lord is speaking about the tribulation. Such devastation will come upon the people at a time when they least expect it just as the rapture will happen when the people least expect it. In Noahs day in addition to that fateful day of Sodom, unbeknownst to the people destruction suddenly came upon them. In chapter two of this book, the Great Day of the Lord was covered to some extent. Such devastations are in rout, but they will nevertheless catch the people in the world off guard. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). Clearly, here the above scripture talks about the wrath of God or the tribulation of the world. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him (1 Thessalonians 5:4-10). One who is not in darkness is in the light. The light is Christ. Paul insisted that we should not sleep (be blind) but watch and be sober. For what exactly does Paul instruct the people to be

watchful of? He is not telling them in this scripture to watch for the coming wrath, but to prepare themselves and be ready for the escape. Being sober is having the faith, love and the hope of salvation, for God hath not appointed us to wrath. Those belonging to Christ were to obtain salvation with Christ, who died for us that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. This scripture aligns with what Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 where he said . . . and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Once again, Paul is saying that those who are sleep (dead) that belonged to Christ will be called forth in addition to those awake (alive). The bodies of those whom were in the grave will be joined with their souls and be glorified in Christ as will those who are alive will receive glorified bodies and will forever be with the Lord. Jesus will return as King and Ruler where He will reign on earth for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4). This time, he will physically descend upon the Mount of Olives, just as He physically ascended after His resurrection. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory (Mark 13:26; Matthew 26:64; Revelation 19:11-19). The entire world will witness Jesus return. Satan and his world army will even seek to battle against Jesus at such time, but will fail. Zechariah, the prophet said: The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one (Zechariah 14:5, 4, 9). Zechariah 14:16-21 also implies in measure the kind of Kingdom Jesus sets up on earth. On the day of the rapture, people will be going to and fro in their daily life routines. There will be people walking about, sitting in coffee shops and having conversations on their cell phones. They will be on their jobs. Families will be on vacations at recreational parks. Newlyweds will be on their honeymoons. People will be driving in their cars, taking busses, cabs, trains and airplanes. Some will be home watching television, sleeping, cooking, eating, playing with their children, fighting, and banking, shopping, and delivering. People will be in the gyms working out. They may be drinking and dancing in the nightclubs. Some will be in the act of adultery, and fornication. Some will be making love with their spouses. Some may even be in church worshiping with their hearts far removed from their lips. In short, as you see life today it is exactly how it will be when Jesus comes. There will be no warning or noticeable interruption for those who are not watching and anticipating His arrival. The majority who will

be left behind will have no awareness of Jesus descent upon the clouds to rapture His people. Jesus gave us a reference to what the rapture will be like. He said, I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other will be left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left (Luke 17:34-36, TAB). For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive, and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). The shout of the archangel and the trumpet of God will be heard only by believers who are prepared to meet up with Jesus in the clouds. In an instant, there will be simultaneous auto accidents on roads and expressways around the world as drivers will vanish. Children in car seats will disappear right before their parents eyes. Passengers of transportation vehicles all around the world will vanish. Trains will derail from collisions and airplanes will fall from the sky because there will be no pilots to continue the flight in addition to some air traffic controllers who will vanish. In a blink of an eye, husbands will see their wives and children gone. Wives will see their husbands and children vanish. Sons and daughters will see their parents vanish. People will see strangers instantly disappear right before them. Children will simultaneously disappear on playgrounds and at schools all around the world. The whole world will become a state of pandemonium, fear, and chaos. The people left behind from all over the world will mourn for their loved ones who have vanished without a trace. News teams and media networks will give coverage to this event across the globe, but no one will have an explanation. When an explanation finally arrives, it will be a massive lie. The irony is that the world will actually assume that those who vanished are the ones who need the saving. They will believe that those who were raptured are dead, lost, and without hope. The majority of those left behind will have no awareness of the wrath of God that is about to come upon them. Thus, we can compare the rapture to the day that Noah and his family entered the ark. Still, no one believed the inevitable end, until the rain actually came seven days later. So too, will it be in this generation after the rapture. For seven years, the people in the world will refuse to believe that Jesus will come to set up His kingdom on earth, where He will reign for a thousand years. Soon after the rapture, the second seal will be broken (Revelations 6:3-4) and a nuclear world war will break out where about half of the earths population will die. This will be yet another avenue for the world leaders to explain away those raptured. Perhaps they will say they were casualties of war. Perhaps this war could be the result of the alien invasion (or hoax invasion) that Ronald Regan seemed rather convinced about. The warning to the world sent from God during the days prior to the great flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and throughout the old and new testaments, is the same warning He is speaking to the world todayrepent! God has sent His messengers into the world. They are proclaiming the gospel and speaking the coming of Christ Jesus, but like in Noahs day, the world is not listening. Even the majority of believers today have ignored the truth. Globally, the majority of ministries are not preaching,

teaching nor receiving the message that Jesus is coming. Like the five unwise virgins Jesus spoke of in the Book of Matthew, believers are not preparing themselves for Christs return. He said that He would come like a thief in the night for those who consider not the signs of the times of His coming. The signs Jesus spoke of in conjunction to Pauls warnings are all around us today. The Apostle Paul also said that Jesus would come like a thief in the night, but only to those who are not watching and waiting for His return. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:48-51). Believers, who are actually saved, will not be surprised at Jesus coming. They anticipate His arrival, even today and everyday (1 Thessalonians 5:1-5). The unprepared do not realize even now that the Kingdom of God is directly upon them. They will be utterly shocked that Jesus actually came and then went leaving them behind, for they thought they were a shoe-in to the kingdom of God.

The New World Leader

A new leader will arrive on the scene after the rapture of the body of Christ. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up (Daniel 8:23). According to the Word of God, the world should know this man because he will sign a sevenyear peace treaty with Israel. However, at the midpoint he will break this peace promise (Daniel 9:24-27). The people of the world however, will not recognize this leaders true identity because they rejected Jesus, His prophets, and the warnings of His messengers. It will be none other than the son of perdition who will defile the temple of God by opposing and exalting himself above God. He will tear down every form of worship, and he will sit in the temple of God and declare to the world that he is, in fact, god (2 Thessalonians 2:4). For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elects sake those days shall be shortened (Matthew 24:21-22). Pure concentrated, unadulterated, evil without mixture, from the bottomless depths of hell will be unleashed upon the earth after God removes the restrainer. This signifies earth literally being plunged into a hell without measure. The evils we know of upon the earth today, which are many, hold no candle to the unfeigned horrific terrors of evil that will prevail on earth until Jesus

descends upon the Mount of Olives. Jesus said if it were not for His intervention, there would be no flesh left alive anywhere on the planet. When the antichrist arrives on the scene, it will seem as though he came out of nowhere. Initially, people will view him with contempt because he will not be in line of royal succession. However, through false peace, flattery, and clever deceit, the people throughout the world will promptly come to know him as a great leader (Daniel 11:21-24). Only those who are the converted followers of Christ will know his real identity. Prior to his worldly notoriety, the earth will be in a state of chaos and confusion. There will be sins, crimes, wars, and famines, gross inflations in the world, coupled with radical changes in the earths climate and ecological structures. There will be increased illnesses, and death from diseases and contamination. Super storms comprised of hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, and tornadoes will pound the sea and land. Super volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and flash floodsgreater than the fiercest tsunamis throughout the earth, will become the norm. Progressively, these events will be unlike anything experienced in the history of man. The worlds entire economical, political, and religious structures will also be in a state of crises and pandemonium. The world, which we are familiar with today, will be no more. Like the serene calm and tranquility within the eye of a storm, there will be a very brief period during the beginning of the seven year reign of the new world leader where it will seem evident that he has removed all the vile issues on the earth. Peace and order will appear to have been restored, wars will seem to have ceased, and nations will look as if they have come together as friends. Starvation will seem to have ended, and it will appear that no one lacks in anything. Even the anomalous climate and environmental conditions will seem to have stabilized. This leader will do what no other leader has ever done. He will distribute among his followers the plunders and wealth of the rich (Daniel 11:21-24). His followers will even construe such a time as euphoric because of the sense of peace and joy the people will experience throughout the earth. For a while, it will seem like a heaven on earth, but this state of the world will be short lived. This state will turn out to be yet another deception. In their delusion of world peace, the people will embraced their false sense of security. Witnessing his deceptive works, the world will come to absolutely adore this new world leader exalting him the highest above all. The evil scheme of the antichrist will be to secretly create devastation and catastrophe in the world and when all seems lost, simply supply a worldwide solution. The result is that the antichrist will become the worlds most trusted hero. The Word of God says, This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:9). The devils ultimate aim toward the people will be exactly what he spoke to Jesus when he promised Him the world according to the book of Luke: I will give it all to you if you bow down and worship me (Luke 4:5-7). Satan will offer his kingdom to the people. Those who refuse to bow down to worship and serve him he will kill, thus denying them his kingdom. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the

saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time (Daniel 7:25). This leader, during the second half of his reign will overcome and kill many of the saints, for they shall be given unto his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. Time and times and the dividing of time, is three and one half years.

Gods Final Offer of Salvation

In addition to a hundred and forty-four thousand converted Jewish evangelists preaching the gospel around the world (Revelation 7:3-8), there will also appear sometime during the first half of the tribulation two witnesses. Perhaps they will become widely noticed right around the time when there will seem to be peace on earth. They will speak against this new world leader and against the sins of the world. They will have been sent from God. Imagine if you will, these two witnesses speaking against the works of the leader who appears to the people as a savior that rescued them from the ruination of the world. In light of what they see of their leader, few people in comparison to the populated earth will heed the Word spoken by these witnesses. We know this is true because for thousands of years the people in the world have been conditioned to live by sight. Satan took Jesus high up into the mountain to show Him the glory of his world. He tried to entice and tempt Jesus by sight. In disobedience, people have rejected Gods commandment that we are to live by faith and not by sight. Thus, the people will believe what they seethe lying wonders and miracles of the beast. The majority will ignore the salvation message spoken from God through His two witnesses. Consider what the Word says about these two witnesses: And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days (1260 days or 31/2 years) clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over water to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit (antichrist) shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and shall kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindred and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell

upon them, which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven (Revelations 11:3-13). Because these two witnesses will have the power to shut heaven and bring great calamities upon the earth, the people will revile and persecute them with hatred. They will blame them for the catastrophes upon the earth. When God allows the beast to finally overcome and kill them, the people belonging to world will celebrate rhapsodically believing that the world can now commence in its heavenly euphoric state. They will also praise the beast even more because no one else could kill the invincible witnesses. At this point, life will no longer be about pleasure, safety, and survival. The odds of any persons physical survival will be heavily against them. The mission of the witnesses sent by God will not be for the benefit of physically saving anyone. Their mission from God is to preach the gospel of salvation to those who have refused to submit to the Lordship of Jesus. God in His love and mercy, even at this point of the peoples rejection toward Him, still endeavors to allow them to repent and turn to Himthat they may find salvation in Him. These witnesses will have no message as to how anyone can avoid or hide from the ever-increasing hellish world that life on earth will become. Those left on earth will suffer in unimaginable ways and will most likely die. However, they will still have a hope of salvationthat is, for a brief period. This is why God will send His two witnesses. Those who listen and heed the Word from these witnesses by turning to God, He will savenot from the tribulation, but from eternal damnation. Those who continue to reject the gospel, God will eventually cut off disabling them to receive the gospel, for their hearts became hardened toward God. The Lord warned that His Spirit would not always strive with man because of his sinful ways and his refusal of repentance (Genesis 6:3). The Word says that God will allow the people to revel in strong delusion and that they will be condemned for the evil they desired to keep (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). In the thirteenth chapter of Revelation, we read that the remnant were affright and gave glory to God. Even though the entire world witnessed the resurrection of the two witnesses, only the remnant who are the converted followers of Christ, gave God the glory. Nevertheless, God through His love and mercy will give the people a final opportunity to choose Him. Everyone will know that these witnesses are like no others on earth. They will possess powers unlike man and stand virtually invincible until God allows them to be overcome by the beast. Those that do not listen and heed their words will undoubtedly refuse to listen to any person that is a converted Christian. In the book of Luke, chapter sixteen, Jesus talked about a rich man who went to hell, and a poor man called Lazarus who went to heaven. The rich man while in hell, begged Abraham to send Lazarus to preach the gospel to his five brothers so that they would not experience hell. Abraham said if they were not willing to heed the words of Moses and the prophets, they would also not heed the words of Lazarus who has risen from the dead. The two

witnesses that God sends represent His ultimate mercy upon the people in the world. No person on the planet during this time will have such an anointing as Gods witnesses. Therefore, whoever has not converted to Christ by the time God expires the mission of His two witnesses undoubtedly will never experience the salvation of God. The Bible characterizes the second half of the tribulation as the Great Tribulation. When the second half of the tribulation begins, Jesus commands even the converted to run for the hills not going back to retrieve belongings. He commands even them not to look back. Throughout the events of the great tribulation, which will be discuss shortly, the Bible says repeatedly that the people refused to repent because their hearts were hardened, and they cursed God all the more. The Bible speaks of people of an unnumbered multitude coming out of the tribulation to be with God forever (Revelation 7:9-14), yet also speaks about another group of numbered souls who will be protected by His seal upon their foreheads (Revelation 7:3). These are two distinct groups of people. One group consists of those who became the saints of God after the rapture and the other group - the 144,000, consists of the servants or prophets of God from the twelve tribes of the Children of Israel. Both groups will be martyred. Though debates exist concerning whether the mark of God on the foreheads of the 144,000 evangelist will protect them until the return of Christ, the Bible reveals in Revelation 6:9-11 that a specific number of those slain will be fulfilled. This number represents the martyred evangelists who kept their testimony. God gave these souls white robes and told them to be patient until all of them in full number would be killed. Then would God completely avenge their blood on those that dwell on the earth. The blood representing that which God will avenge is the blood of His chosen who were the children of Israel. The point being made here is that the Word says that during the tribulation the saints would be given into the hands of the beast and that he would overcome them (Daniel 7:25). This includes also the 144,000 evangelist. The Word also says that the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war against the two witnesses overcoming them and killing them (Revelation 11:7). Therefore, aside from the small remnant of followers of Christ that may still be on earth, God will have ultimately removed all His anointing on earth after His spirit enters the two witnesses and He calls them up to heaven. This full removal of the anointing will be as if a huge stone covering an abysmal pit was rolled back unleashing a fierce voluminous wrath without mixture from God upon the earth. The first half of the tribulation is an awakening of those still asleep so-to-speak. God will shake the foundations of the earth in an effort to show the people how they really need Christ. The second half of the tribulation marks the era of the Lords annihilation of every evil in the earth. Those not converted to Christ by this time have already made their allegiance to Satan. Some will believe that ultimately they will be safe because they will refuse the mark of the beast, yet they will have also refused God. Thus, regardless of them choosing not to take the mark, they will nevertheless be cut off from God. Not taking the mark of the beast does not automatically guarantee salvation. However, taking the mark guarantees eternal damnation. The Bible stipulates that no one can enter Gods kingdom by way of his own righteousness. The Pharisees did not understand when Jesus told them that Satan was their father (John 8:38, 41,

44). They rejected Christ, yet thought they were the children of God. Because of the peoples hardened hearts toward God, He will eventually allow them to revel in delusion where they can no longer seek Him. In other words, by the second half of the tribulation, all of Gods grace will have ceased. By the orders of the antichrist, his army, world militaries, intelligence agencies, militia groups, police authorities, and others will conduct national and worldwide hunts to round up the converted and all others who stand in opposition to the antichrist and his new world order. Exercised martial law will exist throughout the world in order to bring the opposers into captivity. When found, they who refuse to pledge allegiance to the beast will be tormented through torture, and ultimately beheaded (Revelation 20:4). In addition, there will be a continuation of excelled birth pangs in the earth, which will cause the deaths of multitudes. There will be worldwide starvation, and people will kill indiscriminately because of the evil that has been unleashed upon the earth. Thus, life as we know it will no longer be about comfort, survival, or religion, for instance, but only about eternal life or death. The summation of life will revolve around the answer to each persons pending question: where will you spend eternity? Sadly, the majority will choose to spend eternity in the lake of fire and brimstone along with Satan, his entourage of fallen angels, demons, the beast, false prophet, the entire abode of hell, and even death. The remnant will choose to spend eternity with Jesus in the kingdom of God. Undoubtedly, the majority of those who choose the latter will be martyred at the hands of the beast. The whole purpose of this book is to help you understand that God wants you to spend eternity with Him in His kingdom. God never desired that any of His people should ever experience hell or the lake of fire, yet many are choosing this destination against Gods will even as you read this book.

Tribulation of the World

In ancient time, Noah preached for one hundred and twenty years about the wrath of God that would come upon the world, still the people did not repent and change their ways. When the end came, only eight people out of the entire populated earth were savedeight. Lets not repeat the same mistake the people did in that ancient day. God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8; Malachi 3:6). Therefore, if our responses toward God continue to be like the people in that ancient day, our self-imposed sentence of death and separation from God will also be the same as theirs. Consider some of the imminent events that will come upon the earth throughout the tribulation and great tribulation:

The Seven Seals

Rev. 6:1-2 Rev. 6:3-4

The white horse The red horse

1st Seal: AntichristHe has a bow but no arrow. He is given a crown. He goes forth conquering and to conquer. 2nd Seal: WarPower was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. He was given a great sword. 3rd Seal: InflationHe that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. (A days wages for a days food) 4th Seal: DeathHell followed with him. Power was given unto them to kill one forth of the earths population with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. 5th Seal: They were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony, which they held. They sought justice and white robes were given unto them. God told them to rest for yet a little season until the full number of their brethren in Christ is martyred. 6th Seal: The sun became as dark as black cloth; the moon became as red as blood. The stars fell to the earth and the sky disappeared. The mountains and islands disappeared. The people of the earth great and small, rich and poor, free and bonded hid themselves in caves and among the rocks of the mountains to hide from the wrath of the Lamb. 7th Seal: There was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

Rev. 6:5-6

The black horse

Rev. 6:7-8

The pale horse

Rev. 6:9-11

Martyrdom

Rev. 6:12-17

Great earthquake

Rev. 8:1

Silence

The Seven Trumpets and the Three Woes 1. Rev. 8:6-7 2. Rev. 8:8-9 Hail, fire and blood A great mountain They were cast upon the earth and a third of the trees burned up, and all green grass burned up. A great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea and a third part of the sea became blood. A third of the creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. A great burning star fell from heaven and it fell upon one third of the rivers and fountains of waters. A third part of the waters became poisoned and many men died because the waters were made bitter. Only a third of the sun, moon and stars were seen. A third of the day was dark and also a third of the night.

3. Rev. 8:10-11

Wormwood

4. Rev. 8:12

Light of day shortened

Within the Seven Trumpets beginning with the fifth sound, the Word of God speaks of the Three Woes which will come upon the earth during the tribulation. The first Woe is under the fifth trumpet (Revelation 9:1-12). The second Woe, is under the sixth trumpet (Revelation 9:1321). Though the third Woe is announced under the seventh trumpet (Revelation 10:7), it actually begins with the Seven Vials (Revelations 16:1-4, 8-12, 17-21). With the final Woe, the judgment ends. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhibitors of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! (Revelations 8:13). Consider what the Word of God says about the first Woe. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon (Revelations 9:1-11). These locusts, unleashed from the bottomless pit were given power to strike every person not having the seal of God upon his forehead. Some believe that all converted believers will have Gods seal and therefore the plagues will not harm them. The Bible, however, specifies that those who will wear Gods seal will be the 144,000 servants from the tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:3-4). The likelihood of all the converted Christians after the rapture comprising the one hundred and forty-four thousand seems very unlikely. Again, the Word of God distinguishes the souls belonging to the unnumbered group coming out of the tribulation from the numbered souls of the tribes of Israel who are the servants or prophets of God martyred. This suggests that even those converted to Christ will still suffer the unimaginable horrors of the tribulation. If this were not so, then perhaps it would not have been necessary for God to place Noah and his family in

the ark. He could have set them upon an island that the waters did not cover. Perhaps it would not have been necessary for the angels of God to lead Lot and his people out of Sodom, for He could have rained down fire and brimstone around them. We can thus construe these events as types and shadows of what God is speaking to us today. For two thousand years, the Lord has given us the opportunity to repent and choose Him and avoid His wrath. Even though many will give their lives to Christ after the rapture, they will still endure the sufferings of the world. Perhaps the entire point of the gospel is that the Lord desired to save His people from destruction and eternal death, which He knew would come upon the world resulting from that ancient war between Him and Satan. God gave His peoplein advanceevery opportunity of escape, but they refused Him and turned their backs on Christ who redeemed them from the curse of the law and purchased them by His blood. God sent His only Son to die on the cross for us allowing Him to be the ultimate sacrifice that would wash away our sins by His blood. God did this not only because He loved us, but also because sin cannot enter heaven. His desire was that we would come into His kingdom for eternity, but the people refused His gift. Rather than bask in the blood of Christ for cleansing, the people chose to stay in the filth of sin. They ignored Gods instructions concerning their escape. The escape was and is the kingdom of God. In these last days, Jesus will snatch up His people in a worldwide rapture. God will remove all His people out of the way just as He did Noah, his family, and Lot and his people. Afterwards, He will destroy all the evil in the world and ultimately place His people in His new city called New Jerusalem. Those converted after the rapture must now endureuntil their endevery plague and disaster that will come upon the earth. They had their shot to come into the glory of God by way of escape and they refused it. Now the fire, so-to-speak, will try them. All the superficialities of the church today that the majority of believers are caught up in will perhaps more or less be burned off through persecution and tribulation. Those who claimed that they loved and honored God would now be proven by their own words. In other words, God said that He would judge them by their own words. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned (Matthew 12:37). On the one hand, they will suffer torture and death by the beast; on the other hand, they will be killed by plagues that will be unleashed upon the earth. Jesus said that whosoever denies in his heart the coming of Christ and lives his life in agreement with the world who says that He is not coming, He would come unannounced at a time when least expected. He said that those people would be separated from the righteous and banished with the rest of the hypocrites where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:48-51). Sinners generally do not believe nor understand that Jesus is coming in the first place, for they have rejected Christ, thus the hypocrites cannot be the sinners. The hypocrites are the believers belonging to the apostate church. Believers who also subscribe to the false teachings of eternal security who live their lives rejecting Christ saying in their hearts that they have ample time to get right with God are also inclusive to what Jesus said in Matthew 24:48-51.

Once again, let us be reminded that the Word of God expresses that a great multitude, which no man could number from every nation, kindred, ethnicity, and language, stood before the throne. This is not the judgment of the Great White Throne. These souls came out of the tribulation, which means they died during the tribulation and were dressed in robes that were washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. This signifies that these souls were once unclean, but became clean after having endured to the end their conversion to Christ (Matthew 24:13; Revelation 7:9, 13-14). The Bible never specified that within the numbers of deaths upon the earth during the tribulation, none would consist of converted saints. Perhaps this large number of souls representing the numberless group consists also of believers today who have refused to restructure their minds to Christ. At any rate, many of those left behind will consist of those who belonged to and followed the apostate church. Those who will wear the mark of God upon their foreheads will be protected from the plagues, but obviously not from the power given unto the beast to overcome them. When their testimony has finished they will also be killed, but they will stand in the presence of God. I believe that God is making a crucial point right now that people need to hear and thus get their hearts right with God. He desires no one to be left behind to suffer the unimaginable, for God did not appoint His people to wrath. Though there will be a brief period during the tribulation where people can still turn to Christ, it is far better to do it right now. In the end, those who endure, the Bible says they will be saved, but why endure Gods wrath tomorrow when He has given us the opportunity to escape it today? Readers, we need to understand that the wrath of God upon the world goes much deeper than the sins of the people. The evil that God will destroy goes much deeper than what a human being would even be capable of doing in and of himself. God did not put such an evil nature in His people; they became that way by the influence of Satan who is the father of deception and evil whose abode is not in truth. This war between good and evil goes far deeper than any mans history with God reaching back into an ancient time incomprehensible to man for even the seven generations of the world, which Jesus addressed in the book of Revelation had yet to exist. In His reprimand toward the church, I believe He was laying this fact out. He was telling us to be steadfast, immovable, and to abide always in Him because He is our safety net. God wrote the Old Testament Bible to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ who would lead us into salvation by His death on the cross. He gave us the New Testament so that we could know how to live our lives holy before Him until the return of Christ. The entire focal point of the Bible between both the Old and New Testament is Jesus. Ultimately, He gave us the blue print for building a relationship with Him that leads to eternal life in His kingdom. In the background to all of this was the great battle of that ancient war staged eons ago before man even existed on earth. Gods people became the target of Lucifer because God dethroned Lucifers position as ruler of earth and replaced the dominion of the earth into the hands of man. When God made man, He made him in His image, made him ruler, and the co-heirs to His very throne. He called His creation His children. Not even Lucifer was adorned by such honor and blessing from God. Lucifer was enraged that God kicked him out of heaven, for he had rebelled against God. He

went even deeper in this rage when he saw that God had placed His crown of glory upon Adams head and had given Adam dominion over what was once ruled by Lucifer. The devil wanted the crown, but God gave it to us. This was why he tricked Eve in the garden; he schemed against them to get the crown. When Adam relinquished the crown due to his disobedience toward God, Satan then became the god of this world. Jesus however, came and defeated Satan at the cross. When He did this, He took the crown from Satan and handed it back to us. Enraged, Satan has endeavored to destroy all of Gods people. Thus, the evils in the world today are the result of his vengeance against God and his ambush attempt to stop the return of Christ. Everything the Lord has done even since removing Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden after their fall has simply been for the benefit of our protection and eternal life in Him. He loved us so much that he gave us Jesus who by His blood washed away the contamination of Satans sin upon our lives so that we could have everlasting life in the kingdom of God. People however, who deny God, His Word, and purpose in their lives, arrogantly assume that the depth of Gods Word and wisdom is equivalent only to the history and tradition of man. Thus through an evil heart, humankind believes that his understanding and traditions either rival the Word of God in egalitarianism or is even greater than Christ Himself. The people have caused Gods word to be ineffective in their lives. They deem that all of Gods intents revolve around them and that Gods success is greatly dependent upon them. The arrogance of the world today is as if the people believe that like God they too are gods. The serpent convinced Eve that if they ate the fruit they would be like God knowing good and evil. The wrath of God upon Satan and his regime of evil should have never had anything to do with Gods people. The people were simply caught in the middle. Instead of seeking salvation and clinging to God the creator through Christ Jesus who is and has been our rout of escape to safety, the majority have taken sides with the enemy not realizing that they themselves are actually hated by the enemy. What is even worse is that most of these people do not realize that they are an enemy to God, for they have formed an alliance with the world (James 4:4). Unimaginable suffering will come upon those who have received and rejected God during the tribulation. For those who have received Christ, the Word says that they must endure until the end and the same would be saved (Matthew 24:13). Considering the First of the three Woes, the Word of God indicates that even the converted will be tormented for five months by the locust from the bottomless pit. The pain and suffering resulting from the peoples afflictions will be so horrendously unbearable that many will make frantic attempts at committing suicide in hopes of escaping the torturous agony. However, the Bible says that death will flee from them. Such people will not only have to endure the horrific pain and suffering from the tormenting sting of the locust, but also the terrifyingly grotesque and painful reality of surviving their suicide attempts. After the first Woe is passed, two more will follow (Revelation 9:12). And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand, thousand (two hundred million): and I

heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts (Revelation 9:13-21).

The Seven Vials and Third Woe 1. Rev. 16:2 2. Rev. 16:3 Sores Sea turned to blood Rivers and fountains of blood Man scorched Horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. The second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. All the rivers and fountains of waters became blood.

3. Rev. 16:4

4. Rev. 16:8-9

The fourth angel poured his vial upon the sun and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. People were scorched with great heat. They blasphemed the name of God and did not repent and give Him glory. The vial was poured upon the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. They gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed God for their pains and sores. Still, they refused to repent of all their evil deeds. The great river dried up, so that the kings from the east could march their armies westward without hindrance. A mighty shout came from the throne of the temple in heaven, saying, "It is finished!" There was an earthquake greater than ever before in human history. God remembered all of Babylons sins. Every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled. Hailstones weighing seventy-five pounds fell from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the hailstorm, which was a very terrible plague.

5. Rev. 16:10-11

Great Darkness

6. Rev. 16:12 7. Rev. 16:17-21

Euphrates River It is finished

Despite the plagues that came upon the earth, the people refused to repent and persisted in

cursing God.

The Mark of the Beast

At some point during the second half of the tribulation, the beast will force the people to receive a mark on either their right hand or forehead. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six (Revelation 13:16-18). Without the mark of the beast (666), no one will be able to buy or sell. According to the Bible, within this generational lifetime people will witness these events. How they will administer the mark is probably similar to a certain technology, which we already know exist. It is a wellknown fact that many people have already received implantation of microchips under their skin and in various parts of their anatomy. This has been done by either consent or nonconsensual through deception. Physicians and doctors of psychiatry around the world have even documented such implants seen via x-ray, in many people who have come forth claiming that they were abducted. The public is given of course, positive reasons to glorify its use, such as a tracking device if one were perhaps kidnapped. That would be great if its use stopped there, but would it? I think not. What purpose can such a device serve other than an evil one, especially when we consider the entity that actually implemented the idea. Today, people can choose to be implanted. Tomorrow, everyone will be forced. Is the chip implantation the actual mark of the beast today? No, but it is definitely a prelude to what the world should expect. The chip is being presented as a wonderful package similar to vaccine shots, which by the way in some states are now mandatory. People say, Well I dont want my children around other children who have not had their shots because I dont want my child catching some disease. Think about that for a moment. Isnt the purpose of the vaccination shot so that your child will not catch some disease? If your child can catch a disease from a child that has not had his shots, then what protection does the vaccine shot actually serve? The answer is none. Again, wake up people. Who has more of a vested interest in your childs health, you or the government who wants all children vaccinated? Why do you think the government is so adamant to vaccinate your children? This is not a very difficult answer to figure out. The real question is do people really want to know. People line up to get their flue shots due to flu season, yet they never seem to ask how it is that a virus shows up for a season and then simply vanishes until the next season. Hello folks, someone is controlling the season. Why do people need the shot every season? Shouldnt the vaccine wipe out the possibility of getting the flu? Oh, yea, the strand of flu changes every season and that is why people must perpetually get their shots. Wake up people. You are being lied to. Problems are being created to stir up the population, and then a solution is given by the

very ones creating the problems, which in turn obscures what is real and people fall for it hook, line, and sinker cheerfully relinquishing their God given right to be healthy. Did the world ever fall apart when there was no such thing as a flu shot or flu, for that matter? The flu virus was introduced just like every other virus and disease. Is it any wonder that when the flu season arrives it is even announced on television, radio, newspapers and throughout all media? What do these sources say? They repeatedly say, Its flu season again folks, time to go get your shot. Not only do people run to get their shots, but they also pay their money to have it. People wake up. This is a form of conditioning and control. One day something new will hit the media and they will make it sound glorious. They will talk about a cashless society. A chip will be inserted in peoples right hand or forehead. Just as your food and items are scanned in the checkout line and your credit/debit card swiped in the grocery store, your right hand or forehead will be scanned in place of your credit/debit card. Incidentally, the world is moving towards a cashless society now right before our eyes, but few are realizing this. Banking institutions have implemented fees when the customer deals directly with bank personnel as opposed to utilizing a home computer. Automatic Teller Machine usage even incurs fees when withdrawing cash. Utility companies are following suit by charging service fees when the customer pays at the window as opposed to having automatic draft payments, etc. Credit and debit cards are far more accepted today than cash. If you dont believe me, book a hotel room, flight reservation, or try to rent a car with cash and see for yourself what they tell you: no credit card, no business. Cash is becoming obsolete. Those who have the mark (chip) will be able to carry out their everyday functions, those who do not have the mark will not be able to buy nor sale. They will also be hunted down and persecuted for not having the mark. Those who refuse the mark will be tortured and killed by decapitation. A bit farfetched you think; take a gander at the book of Revelation, its all there. Now some might say, Whats the big deal in having this mark? Well, Ill get to the bottom line of that in a moment. Suffice to say here, consider this. The technology behind this chip enables the controller to control the populace entirely. That means people will no longer think for themselves. They will no longer experience any freedom whatsoever. Via frequency, this chip will relate to the nervous system, which can be manipulated by frequency. That means they will have the ability literally to alter your emotions, physical health, and ability to think. They can even send a signal to the chip whereas you drop dead. Think of the chip also as, lets say a miniature bomb capable of exploding in your head if programmed to do so. The technology to carry out such functions already exists. In addition, via GPS they will control where you live and how far you wil travel. For instance, if they desired to confine you to your neighborhood, they could simply set a parameter and send this signal to your chip where it would turn off if you crossed the line of that parameter. If you ventured off outside the area of your neighborhood, for instance, they could stop you from buying or selling simply by turning off that particular mechanism in your chip. If you chose to rebel against them, they could easily render you helpless by sending a frequency that could cause explosive pain in your head or other areas of your body, which could easily debilitate you. Use your own imagination here, folks. They, meaning the antichrist, will have complete control over

you. Escape would be impossible because through satellite surveillance they would be able to track you anywhere on the entire planet. If you have obtained a new passport within the past five to seven years, you are traceable now via a chip in your passport. Soon you will carry such a chip in your driver license as well. Perhaps this all may sound like something right out of a science fiction movie, but I assure you that everything mentioned here and much more not mentioned aligns to that, which God has been speaking to us in His Word. What He says according to the book of Revelation will surely happen and if you dont believe that you are being conditioned right now to follow this agenda then you had better think again. New age doctrine teaches its followers to go with the flow, dont resist. We see advertisement slogans today that say, If it feels good, do it or just do it. People tend to believe just about anything they are told whenever they deem the source an authority. They refuse to believe hardly anything all however, when the source is not deemed an authority. For the people who refuse to repent choosing instead to continue living their lives according to their own righteousness, this following message is especially for you. On the day of Jesus return for His saints if you should find that you have been left behind there is still hope, but your hope will rapidly run out. The Word of God says death will be unleashed upon the planet and hell will follow him (Revelation 6:7-8). That means, whosoever dies or is killedand the majority of people on earth will be, those who have not pledged their allegiance to Jesus by calling on His name for salvation with heartfelt repentance and belief that He is Lord, will not see the Glory of God, but will instead see hell, which followed death. No one will know when his time is up, therefore seek God immediately and do not delay. Again, once the rapture has taken place, your quality of life will have diminished greatly. Life will no longer be about your survival, but your salvation. The prosperity, wealth, riches, fame, and power that people seek today will have no place in the world once the tribulation begins. Consider what the Word of God says: And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:9-12). What God says in this scripture is the bottom line of those who receive the mark of the beast. The Word of God is true without exception. Therefore, the mark of the beast will definitely be administered during the latter part of the tribulation and those who receive it will experience the full wrath of God for all eternity. Do not take this mark of the beast, no matter what. All who receive this mark will meet their sentence according to Scripture. Do not be deceived about this. Converted Christians also must

not take that mark or they too will be forever separated from God and suffer eternal torment. Taking that mark nullifies your salvation in Gods kingdom. Your suffering during this time will be tremendous, but God will empower you to endure the suffering until the end. He will give you the strength to stand fast on your confession that Jesus is Lord. The Word of God says you must endure until the end (Matthew 10:22; Hebrews 3:14; Revelation 2:10-11). In Chapter 4, we discussed the popular teaching, once saved always saved, also known as Eternal Security, or Perseverance of the Saints. Remember that even though a Christian is sealed in Christ, he still has the freedom of will to override that seal. Do not be deceived by those who will tell you that it is okay to take the mark because your Christian status will save you. This very deception is the premise to the popular teaching today, once saved always saved. This false security in Christ that has infiltrated the church is a set up for a Christians demise at the hands of Satan. Understand that once a person takes that mark there is no undoing, forgiveness, or shelter of God that he can seek. Taking the mark severs any and all of your ties to God. Therefore, you will no longer have inclination or desire to seek God. Taking the mark is a pledge of allegiance to Satan and there is no turning back. God is not flexible on His Word. His Word stands and His Word is final. The decision to take the mark is irrevocable regardless of your Christian status. One cannot pretend to be like the rest in the world by receiving the mark of the beast in order to survive by buying and selling. From the beginning, God has been telling His people to come out from among the world, to separate themselves from the world, and to not step into conformity with the world. Taking that mark seals your eternal fate of torment in the lake of fire. People must understand that at this point during the tribulation they are no longer living in the age of Gods grace. Miraculous signs and wonders of the false prophet and beast will further deceive the people of the world. Thus, they will worship the beast. The Bible says those who worship the beast will forever sever their allegiance to God. He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and those who belong to this world to worship the first beast, whose death-wound had been healed. He did astounding miracles, such as making fire flash down to earth from heaven while everyone was watching. And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people of the world to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. He was permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die (Revelations 13:13-15, NLT). Those who refuse to receive the mark or refuse to worship the beast will be put to death. However, God says to be absent from the body is to be present before the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). For those who stand fast upon the Word of God refusing to worship the beast and taking the mark, death will have no sting. Their victory will be eternal life with God. Jesus will personally reward the saints who endure until the end.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years (Revelation 20:4-6). Those who desire Jesus, who are able to stay alive during the great tribulation, can expect to live the remainder of their lives in hiding. Because of their allegiance to Christ, the world will hate them and seek to kill them. Those who put their trust in Christ refusing to worship and take the mark of the beast, the people of the world will seek to torture and kill by decapitation. Their only alternative to death will be to renounce Jesus and take the mark. Even in this hour, the beast will deceive the people and many will take the mark believing they will avoid death not realizing that death and hell have already seized them. These people will receive no mercy from God. Having taken the mark, they would forever separate themselves from God. Upon their death, they will not enter heaven or the Millennium to rule and reign with Christ. Instead, they will spend a thousand years of torment in hell until God orders hell to release them up to the Great White Throne Judgment. The Word of God says that in that day death and hell will deliver up the dead, and Christ will judge them according to their works and cast them into the lake of fire where they will remain forever. This is the second death. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished . . . Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power . . . (Revelation 20:5-6). The second death is the eternal lake of fire. During the years of tribulation, the world will experience even greater deception unlike anything man has ever known. This will be possible because even today people choose to dismiss the subtle lies of Satan as trivial and irrelevant. Few people choose to give any regards to the originating factors in the history of the traditions they follow. Furthermore, people tend to assume that God approves of their sins of idolatry and abomination because the whole world seems to be doing it. They do not perceive any resistance from God, thereby believing that God is in agreement with them. Very few people actually seek God to find out where He stands concerning their worldly traditions and doctrines of man. The Word says that Gods people perish because they lack knowledge. People cannot discern resistance from God in wrongdoing unless they are seeking him for knowledge and truth. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding (Proverbs 9:10). People say, whats the harm in a worldly tradition, everyone whos anyone is doing it so whats

the big deal? Willingly following and participating in false doctrines and traditions of the world, which leads people astray from God, benefits Satan whose plan is to condition you to welcome deception, perversion, and sin, without question. The devils goal is to get you to believe the bigger lies forged out of ostensible truths. As long as people choose to reject God, they will continue to share in even greater abominations without question, discernment, or opposition.

A Lukewarm Body
There are believers who subscribe to the idea that the church is almost at its peak of greatness because souls are being saved like never before. Signs and miracles are happening across the globe. A prophetic word is going out and being spoken over lives. The number of people attending typical church services on a given Sunday is rapidly increasing in attendance into the thousands, and prosperity messages of wealth and riches are the new buzz of the Christian nation. People are becoming so confident in what their eyes and ears perceive that they have become complacent in their relationship with God. Congregations are settling more upon the godly figures behind the pulpit. They anxiously seek to pursue those who operate in miracles, signs and wonders. Whomever they deem carrying such gifts, producing the signs and wonders Jesus said would follow, is whom they follow. Generally, believers are not following these persons because of the Holy Spirit in them. They are not following them because they are seeking to gain understanding of the Word of God. They are following them because the signs move them. They are following the signs. They ooh, and ahh, over the signs and wonders. Christians who show up for church service just because their favorite preacher, prophet, or evangelist, comes to town are easy prey for the ensnarement of Satan. This kind of believer has the easiest access of programmability for the types of deception the antichrist will bring upon this world. Jesus never said that we are to follow the signs and wonders. He said your faith in God will cause the signs and wonders to follow you (Mark 16:17). The dragon will empower the beast and false prophet also to use signs and wonders because he already knows that miracles, signs, and wonders float the boat of most Christians. Most believers do not really believe that they can do what Jesus said they could. They do not believe that they can lay hands on the sick and the sick will recover. They dont really believe that they can turn their finances around. They dont really believe that in faith they can call those things, which be not as though they were (Romans 4:17) and have it manifest physically in their life. They dont really believe that through Christ they have power and dominion over the enemy and his entire evil regime. It is why so many believers are following the leaders of religion in droves. It is through such godly or religious figures that many people seek to find their shelter. Satan is well aware that believers are hopeful for their miracles, deliverance, and healing, through Christian leaders and heroes. When he reigns on earth for his short season, the beast will use every means of counterfeit signs and wonders to accommodate the hopes and desires of the people. Indwelled by Satan, the beast will empower the false prophet who will do many wonders that will astound the world. People high and low, rich and poor, free and bonded will say the beast is like a god because who else could manifest what he can. Today,

government, media, religion, legalism, and tradition, all play powerful roles in the indoctrination of the minds of people to receive without question the coming attractions of deceptions that the antichrist and his false prophet will perform. The Bible says that the devils schemes are already at work (2 Thessalonians 2:7). Another tactic the enemy uses against Gods people today is the idealistic attitude many believers have, which haughtily says, Well I know Im saved, and thats all I care about. Christians who operate in this mentalityand there are manyare missing the point. Gods covenant with us goes far beyond just us being saved. We have an obligation as the children of God to bring home our brothers and sisters. That means we are obligated to usher them toward the kingdom of God. Our getting saved is just the beginning. It is the prerequisite before the commencement of our calling in Christ. Your personal salvation to God is just as important as His seed. His seed is His Word that He planted in the world. After a person becomes a bornagain Christian God expects that person to become full of His Word. When that person speaks Gods Word, he is then sowing Gods seed. God commanded the seed to grow. Therefore, something is wrong if you are saved, yet no one else comes to heavens door resulting from your salvation. We should also understand that sowing Gods seed into the world is about not only what you say, but also conducting yourself in a godly manner according to Christ. I dont believe that God necessarily endued every Christian with ability to be at every street corner witnessing to every soul that walks by, but I do believe that every saved person should personify Christ by living their lives holy unto God. Jesus spoke, yet He exemplified God even when He didnt speak. Something is wrong when a sinner turns down salvation because he cannot distinguish between his own character and that of a Christians. The reaped harvest from the seed should be the bornagain believer who has come into the kingdom of God. God planted one seed in the earthHis Son. Because of the one seed, God was able to reap an entire family. The majority of people have not come into Gods kingdom as of yet and though many are searching, it is difficult for them to find their way if they cannot see the light of Christ in you. If you are saved then someone was that beacon for you. While Christians maintain the attitude that it is all about themIm just glad Im saved, they are reducing Gods purpose for having called their name. He called you for the benefit of Himself, but also for the benefit of others that He happens to love as much as He loves you. Though we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), this does not mean that each persons salvation is detached from anothers. If you are saved, then chances are that it is because someone else gave their heart to Christ first. They obeyed God by ultimately giving you the message of the Gospel. Chances are also strong that before you were willing to listen to them, you saw something positive in them. Perhaps what attracted you to them was the light of Christ in them. Consider the obedience of Noah. Because he obeyed God, it allowed God to operate through the ages to bring about the birth of Jesus. Noah was the only man found on earth who did not allow the corruption in the world to affect him or his relationship with God. He was the only one found whose blood had not become contaminated by the evil alteration of Satan. He walked with God despite the world. Imagine how differently history would have been had he sinned right along with the world and been wiped out in the flood as well. Because of his obedience, we

were able to receive salvation through Christ Jesus. Christianity today has mainly forgotten that we are all connected through Christ. We speak and hear it in our churches, but few actually apply this understanding in their lives. The revelation of one body, one accord, and one spirit unto God has not yet to settle into the hearts of most Christian people. The world teaches that everyone is separate from everyone and everything. Perhaps this is why people do not consider the consequences of what they do, which has an ultimate effect on the entire world. It may be surprising to hear that there are some who actually thrive on the sickness and death of others, for instance, because there is money to be made through the sickness of others by disease controlnot necessarily, disease cures. If a cure for cancer, for instance, became worldwide spread, certain world organizations of the elite would stand to lose billions or even trillions of annual dollars. God said one cannot serve two mastersGod and money. People must choose. Clearly, people have chosen. Typically, lower income people with little to no health insurance coverage, for example, are far more likely to suffer in health problems because of their lack of finances. In America, many people who cannot financially afford health care are in essence abandoned in their health related struggles. It doesnt take a genius to see that people have allowed their love of money to override health and life. Incidentally, some argue that a cure for cancer has existed since the early 1920s. Perhaps the world will never know whether this is true. It does make one wonder such a thing however, especially since we know that Jesus did away with disease, poverty, and even death at the cross. I believe that God deliberately planted His divine answers (remedies and cures) in the plants, animals, and species in the earth to oppose the evils that endeavor to mock Christs accomplishments at the cross concerning our health and inclination of long life. I also happen to believe that in addition to God creating us whole, there is a connection between our well-being and the mechanisms of our mind. We become that which we believe in our hearts. There is absolutely nothing inherently good that God would deny you. He said this in His Word. He cannot lie. The evil elite who operate behind the scenes of the world not only know about the power of the mind, how it relates to the reality of your life, but also have made it a secret, which they have kept from the world for many centuries. It is no coincidence that one percent of the population own and control practically all the wealth of the world, for the world has been deceived. The world has trained and conditioned people to focus upon the things that they really do not want such as what they fear, in addition to debt, divorce, drugs, war, hate, crime, and the list continues. Though we do not desire these things, the law of attraction requires these very things to come to us. The things we do not desire are the very things that keep our lives bombarded by the things, which we actually do not desire. In other words, the more we focus upon what we dont want, the more undesirable things we literally attract into our lives. Thus, the enemy proliferates and saturates the world with undesirable stimuli, which occupies peoples minds concerning that which they do not desire. Most peoples lives are on autopilot locked in this perpetual cycle and they dont even know it. The difference between them and the elite is that the elite totally understand this and more. Why do the super rich get richer and the poor get poorer? It is because the rich understand the power of attraction and some are even hell bent on seeing to it that the little folks never find out about it. Until people are willing to see and understand their predicament from another vantage, they will never escape their predicament.

We have been conditioned to believe that the predicament of our lives define who we are. In reality, the predicament of our lives is only the results of the thoughts we believed and acted upon in our past. When you change your thought pattern, the reality of your life immediately changes. Changing your thought pattern changes your thought frequency, which will then attract like frequencies. Now, some people tend to get confused when they hear this kind of talk because they do determine to change their thoughts, yet they see no change in results. What they dont realize is that they are actually not changing their thought pattern. They are only moving from one negative thought to another, which encompasses the same negative frequency or one very similar to it. In other words, the new thought is still not conducive to what they actually desire, but conducive to what they actually do not desire. Thus, what they get is an undesirable result. People mistakenly tend to believe that focusing upon what they dont want is a form of positive thinking, yet this form of thinking is negative. Thus, nothing good can ever result from such thinking. Then there is of course, contradiction. You cannot desire $25, 000 in unexpected income within, say six to twelve months, for example, and be focused on fears of not having enough to pay your bills at the same time. Jesus commanded that you must not doubt, period (Mark 11:23-24). The moment you ask for that which is in alignment with God, He says yes. The moment God says yes is the exact moment you actually received what you desired from God. This is why those who understand actually get so excited with praise and gratitude toward God at that moment. By the time the desire actually manifest physically, it is no longer a surprise if you will, but an intent or inclination to be received. Jesus said, Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them (Mark 11:24). This scripture does not say, Believe that ye will receive them . . . as in future tense. It is spoken in the present tense. In other words, the moment you ask is the moment you receive. Faith is the invisible substance representing the desire, thus only the physical manifestation arrives later. The desire however is already in your possession before it manifest physically. People doubt because they expect to see immediately the physical manifestation. They refuse to believe in what they cannot see. Truth wealth, happiness, and prosperity are not the results of luck or some sort of fluke. They are precisely intended. Lastly, people give up. Because they dont see results on the surface, they assume that Gods law doesnt work. It doesnt occur to them that just beneath the surface their blessing was about to break through. It doesnt occur to them that they must align themselves to what they are desiring to have. This alignment has everything to do with their emotional belief system and faith. In other words, it is necessary to act as if the desire is already in possession. It is necessary to imagine and visualize your life, which now includes not only what you desire to have, but also your belief that God has already given it to you. You must accept this as presently real because it is. If you see it as anything less than real, i.e., fantasy, wish, dream, future event, etc., you are actually rejecting the very thing you desire. Whenever God blesses you, it is a real event, not a pretended event.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Your faith must substitute what you cannot see until it manifest in your life. It is also very important that you not see your desires coming in some future time or perceive it as some future event. Whatever desire you place in your future will stay in your future, thus it will remain out of your reachthat is unless you bring it into your present. People who say in their heart someday never ever see their desire coming to pass on someday. People who say, I know the Lord is going to heal me never receive their healing for the simple reason that they have not received what God already did. Your healing was taken care of when Jesus died on the cross. To say that the Lord will (future tense) heal me, is to call God a liar. Furthermore, they testify to God that Jesus death on the cross was not sufficient for the healing they need, which is why they believe that God will eventually heal them. They are saying that Jesus fell short, so now God has to do it. Lastly, you are admitting that you are indeed sick despite the fact that God said that you were healed. Your thought belief sends out a vibration or frequency, which brings back exactly that which lines up to your belief, which is sickness as opposed to divine health. Your heart felt emotions or feelings are important because whatever you feel is a perfect reflection of what is in the process of becoming. What your feelings indicate now about a given thing is an exact representation of how the manifested result will affect you. Does what you think cause you to feel good, or bad? Whether you believe or disbelieve, regardless of what you desire or do not desire, you will always get whatever is abundant in your heart and not what you may think you may deserve or even necessarily think. The mind does not distinguish between what is visualized and what is real. It simply accepts whatever you tell it if what you tell it is backed by conviction. The bottom line is that God cannot lie. The choice is ours to either believe Him, or not. Therefore, the moment we say in our heart, this law of attraction thing isnt working, God says, so be it and the fruit of your desire is gone. Understand that this is not Gods punishment because you didnt hang in there. It is simply the result of your disbelief. Your disbelief is nothing more than a frequency released by you, which brings back exactly what you felt, which was doubt that Gods law actually works. Thus, the result you get is His law not working for you. The mind is like an electromagnetic wave, which sends out signals that attract like signals to it. Did you know that the frequencies of your thoughts can actually be measured? So understand that I am speaking about something that is entirely not abstract, but very specific. The law of attraction means like attracts like. Changing your thought frequency to a positive will cause you to zig while the undesirable frequency will zag. Because your positive frequency does not line up with the negative frequency, you will never find yourself in a predicament or circumstance brought on by the negative frequencyprovided that you dont send out the negative frequency. Such a thing simply cannot exist within your proximity because the frequencies are now different. In other words, opposite frequencies cannot occupy the same space. Say, your frame of mind is always negative, yet you wish you could have a better life. First off, your wish will remain a wish. A wish is not necessarily a belief. In fact, for most, a wish is actually a confession that something desirable is impossible. We tend to wish for the impossible as oppose to believe that we can do the impossible. Because a persons frame of mind is

negative, the thought frequency cannot line up or attract the frequency necessary to bring them the desirable result. Opposing thought frequencies cannot exist in the same realm. The stronger frequency will always cancel out the weaker. I am explaining this in perhaps scientific terms, but I hope that this will give you a clue as to how potentially powerful you actually are. I am speaking of the possibility of people having a heavenly existence in every area of life on earth in the midst of all the evils on the earth. Both are based upon what we could call frequencies. Jesus said that whatever you ask God for in His name, He would give it to you, and if that isnt clear enough He said If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it (John 14:13-14). He said if you would delight in Him, He would give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:45). He instructed us to seek first the kingdom of God and then all the things you desire would be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Where is all the hard effort that the world system has convinced us that we must endure in order to receive what we desire from God? Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. God has given us the ability to turn the enemy off, and I do mean this literally. We dont necessarily realize or understand this because the world has religionized what God said and through church we have believed and followed that religion. As we endeavor to focus upon what is good and desirable to us, we empower that thought frequency to go out and attract like, and the things we dont want eventually fall away. Because negative things bombard peoples minds and thus their lives, they cannot see nor comprehend Gods truth. Thoughts become things. The things always line up with whatever the thought is, without exception. Your life is the result of your thoughts. Can you imagine a world where the people actually focused upon what they wanted as opposed to what they do not want? Can you imagine a world where this concept was actually taught in schools from elementary throughout college? Again, lets wake up and understand that the fact that you see a bombardment in the media about war against drugs, war going on in other countries, anti war campaigns, and war on terrorism, for instance, is not a coincidence. This bombardment of anti propagation is a calculative design to get people to focus on the very things these anti campaigns are supposedly fighting against. Those who strategize such evils understand that the more the public focus on the destructions, evils, and catastrophes they are told about via media, for example, the greater the calamities will be that will come upon the public because the people will attract such events directly into their lives and their societies. Such events distracts peoples frame of mind from thinking about what they truly desire and keeps them bound in their thoughts concerning what they truly do not desire. Obviously, we do not want these negative things, but saying no to them only brings them upon us because our focus is nevertheless upon it and not the solution. Lifes equations and issues are not necessarily about what you do or do not want. The equation has to do with what you think, believe, and thus feel from the abundance of your heart. The equation is about the solution not the problem. The equation is about the visualization of the end-result of what you desire, not the how aspects of reaching the end result. Becoming consumed with anything other than the desired end-result brings upon you undesirable results for the simple reason that you are not trusting God who sees your life from the end-result to its beginning. We must learn to see what He sees, for we live in the past tense of what God has seen.

People have been so inundated by the negative, that most people have no idea what would actually be desirable to them. Generally, they can only tell you or think about that which is undesirable. They have been conditioned, taught, and train how to function only in an undesirable reality. Thus, they focus upon everything they dont want and their true desires fall away. The most important thing that people can do in their life concerning a change in the way they think is literally to begin thanking God for the good in their life. I am not talking about a mere acclamation or nonchalant absent-minded, unfelt thank you, but a full acknowledgement to God concerning what He has actually done and continues to do in your life. For those of you, who cannot think of one thing, why not start by considering the fact that you are breathing, that you are even able to grasp this information. Give Him your gratitude because you have sight, the ability to walk, talk, express, love, etc. Find the good, tell Him how grateful you are, and mean it. If you cannot speak it, sing Him a song from your heart. Jump up and down, shout and clap, leap for joy, cry joyful tears. Do something to let Him know just how grateful you are. Doing this immediately changes your thought pattern, thus your thought frequency. What will happen is that you will find yourself experiencing more goodness from the very things you are thanking God for. The more you find to thank Him about the more He will bestow upon you things that gives you cause to thank Him more. This produces a wonderful sensation, where you will feel great. When you tell God how great you feel, guess what happens, good things will begin to flood your life that causes you to feel even more great. God will not only sustain that wonderful feeling, He will continually cause it to be increased. The more your thoughts escalate concerning God and His goodness, the more He will literally flood your life with your hearts desires. Now, you are delighting in Him. There is absolutely no limit with God. He literally allows you to have whatever you are willing to believe Him for. Whatever that may be is not measured by size or grandiosity. In other words, desiring something grand is no greater in Gods eyes than desiring something small. Our desires are effortlessness to Him. It is entirely up to you, but it starts with simply being grateful for what you have. Paul said to give thanks to God always for all things in the name of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20). Can you see why doing this is so important, not to mention beneficial? God loves you and desires nothing but the best for you, which is why He actually shows us how to get the best. Most people miss it however, because they have religionized what God said. His Word is actually simple, but people tend to make it difficult and even impossible. When I began to understand these things, it literally opened up an entire new world for me. I too was locked in a perpetual state of negative thinking, but didnt actually realize it. I could easily recite all the things I disliked or even hated, but I really had to struggle to get specific on the very things I desired. Mediocrity had become the epitome of my life. Due to my state of mind and conviction of heart anything greater than mediocrity was practically out of the question. I always believed that in order to have, in order to be successful, I had to be super smart. I was convinced that I had to come up with an idea, a solution, some sort of method or gimmick. I thought I needed to do something more than simply ask God and then believe Him for it, so I endeavored to do my own thing. When I ran out of ideas and options, when nothing seemed to work, depression, frustration, and anger followed. I could not see any avenue for success and prosperity to enter my life. This dissatisfaction permeated every area of my life and literally destroyed everything in its path.

I say all this to say this, Gods law of attraction has no boundaries and no exceptions. The Word of God says that he causes the sun to shine on the evil and the good and sends His rain upon the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). This is why even the wicked can nevertheless prosper. God will still however, judge them (Psalm 73: 1-20). One law of God does not ever negate another law of God. Jesus is nevertheless coming and when He does, he will interrupt every frequency. He made this law for you. Now that you understand it, start using it. Warfare is another means of monetary gain and power for some organized factions and even governmental structures. The devastating effects of war are not the primary concern in relation to the potential funds generated by warfare, which exceeds billions and trillions of dollars. Satan exists like a shadow behind such thoughts of wealth and riches, yet his agenda is actually different from the people who have been seduced by the love of money. Money and power is simply a pretense or ploy Satan uses to blind and manipulate people. Though Satan uses money to pervert the minds and destroy the lives of people, he is actually after something significantly greater than mere money and its effects upon people. His ultimate plan is far more sinister than all the evils on the earth combined (Isaiah 14:13-14). His plan is about absolute despotism. His desire is to establish a socialist totalitarian world government where he is ruler. Even more diabolical is his plan to attempt to overthrow the Almighty I AM, God Himself and literally sit himself upon His throne declaring himself almighty god. His mock version of this is the abomination of desolation that Jesus referred to in Matthew 24:15. Ultimately, Satan will seat himself in the rebuilt temple of God and declare himself god (2 Thessalonians 2:4). The worldly riches he uses to seduce people with is a front. For the love of money is the root of all evil . . . (1 Timothy 6:10). People cannot take their worldly riches with them to heaven. They cannot even take it with them to hell, yet many have literally sold their souls to the devil for mere fame and fortune. Jesus said what good is it to gain a fortune if you should lose your soul (Matthew 16:26). In other words, what fortune on earth is worth eternal separation from God in the lake of fire? We tend to forget how fast life actually comes and goes. We act as though we will live forever in the life we know today. The Bible says that life is but a vapor, here one moment and gone the next. This is like comparing the length of a paperclip against the length of rope stretching from where you stand to the moonthe paperclip represents the length of your life and the rope, eternity. People follow Satan and live in sin believing in the same false promise he offered Jesus (Matthew 4:8-10). God once flooded the earth because of the wickedness in the world. The people had worshiped and followed the dragon and his fallen angels. Seduced by sin, the people could not see the malevolence behind their sins. They were oblivious to Satans enraged fury toward God. They were also ignorant of the fact that he would use them simply as pawns and patsies in order to war against God. The people who sinned against God knew nothing about this war, for their focus was upon the enemys prize of mammon and power. Seduced by sin, they chose to turn their backs on God. In Noahs day, every person the devil used perished in the flood. Only eight people survived out of the entire world. The enemy was able to infiltrate every facet of life back then. How much more has he been able to affect life today? The enemys plan today is to prevent the second coming of Christ.

The sins of the world today far exceed those of Noahs day. By the grace of God, we now have Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers speaking the Word of God, but few are actually listening to them. False prophets and teachers are speaking an apostate message that bars the entrance to eternal life with God. Unfortunately, the majority of people are following these false messages instead of Gods Word because the false messages seem easier to bear. Did Jesus not say that the majority would take the broad path deeming it easier than the narrow path that leads to salvation? (Matthew 7:13-14). Believers who do not realize that Gods children are connected through Christ are much more likely to disobey God throughout their endeavorsand without much thought of the consequences, because they simply dont understand that the consequences exist. Because they believe they are detached from others, they, like those in the world, see themselves justified in whatever they do. Jesus called this generational church lukewarm. If we really consider the body of Christ today, it isnt difficult to see that the church is, in fact, lukewarm. We love the Lord, but we also love the things of the world. We love the Word of God, but we also love the doctrines and traditions of man. We love the blessings of God, but we also love the money and the material things the world has to offer. We celebrate the things of God, but we also celebrate with unbelievers in the traditions of the world. The time is now to choose whom you will follow. If we live by the world, then how can we be led of the Lord? If we believe that the Holy Spirit leads us, then how can we lust in our hearts to pursue the desires of the world? Christianity has taken both sides. Many are straddling the line. They desire to be with God, but like the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-22) they refuse to let go of the world fortune. The Word says no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). Jesus said, I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth (Revelation 3:15-16). A lukewarm church body is an ignorant church body. It doesnt know what it is, yet believes it does know. The Word of God tells us that people (churches) boast about having acquired wealth, but their true condition is wretched, poor, blind, and naked, yet they dont even know it (Revelation 3:14-22). The church is seeing itself one way, but Jesus views the church in an entirely different way. Christianity in general is not predicated upon the Word of God today. It is no longer necessarily based upon the blood and crucifixion of Christ. In this generation, people construe Christianity by the goodness in a mans heart, his carnal understanding of the written word as opposed to his spiritual understanding of the spoken Word. They define Christianity by their charitable works, consensus of the masses, wealth, religion, legalism, and self-indulgence. Christianity today reflects our belief that we are greater due to the results of miracles, signs, and wonders, which God may work through us. In order to reach His people God may use me in various ways, for example, but His purpose through me does not automatically imply that I am necessarily in right standing with Him. In other words, just because I wrote the book doesnt necessarily mean that I am perfect in His sight. I am not exempt from having to repent from my sins and seeking God for assurance that I am on the righteous path nor is any pastor, preacher, teacher, apostle,

evangelist or prophet, or any other extended arm of the body of Christ. God loves the person who sins as much as He loves the Christian. Jesus died on the cross for everyone. Therefore, I cannot measure who I am in Christ by what He allows me to do in my life toward others. It is indeed a very dangerous and presumptuous measurement to make. I admittedly mess up every bit as much as other Christians do. What is important is that we maintain a heart of repentance, continue to seek God, and allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit. Satan gladly accommodates via deception in our thinking that we are all that and a bag of chips in the eyes of God because perhaps we are anointed. Jesus requires us to choose between hot and cold, life and death. Eventually all believers and sinners will make their choice because God said that no one can serve two masters.

The Victory
Satan is the great deceiver and ignorance is his choice weapon. Most Christians are ignorant concerning the book of Revelation. They tend to avoid it perhaps mainly because of what they heard others say about it. Satan has worked diligently to steer Christians away from this book because it spells out our victory and his doom. If we can just grasp the understanding that we are living the past tense of what God has already seen, then reading and studying the book of Revelation becomes a joyful experience for all of us who have truly accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. In fact, God expressed a special emphasis on the last book of the Bible because He desires us to receive it strongly into our hearts. He said, Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand (Revelation 1:3). Revelation is the only book out of the entire Bible that points out a blessing to those who read it. If God is willing to bless those that read the book of Revelation, then this indicates great significance in His purpose for each prophecy within it. He is especially excited about this last book because it spells out our victory over all evil. It displays the triumph of Jesus Christ and His church over Satan, death and hell. The book of Revelation spells out that whosoever chooses to be with Christ will prevail. This is what Jesus spoke throughout His ministry on earth. He said in the world you will have tribulation, but to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5). The book of Revelation declares that we who abide in Christ will have love, peace, and joy in this life in the midst of all adversaries and in addition, eternity. In the eternal life also is the New Jerusalem, which John describes coming down from the sky. The book of Revelation describes this new city called New Jerusalem that will be inhabited by Gods people.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever. And the one sitting on the throne said, Look, I am making all things new! And then he said to me, Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true. And he also said, It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega -- the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge! All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children (Revelation 21:1-7, NLT). Consider the resplendent beauty of Gods glory spread out upon His new city, which He made specifically for us. This is what Satan has fought so hard to keep you from knowing. So he took me in spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It was filled with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper. Its walls were broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side -- east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, it was in the form of a cube, for its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (the angel used a standard human measure). The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve gems: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were made of pearls -- each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. No temple could be seen in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations of the earth will walk in its light, and the rulers of the world will come and bring their glory to it. Its gates never close at the end of day because there is no night. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter -- no one who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty -- but only those whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life (Revelation 21:10-27, NLT).

Ignorance is a demon from the pit of hell. It is what Satan uses against the body of Christ to blind Gods people so that they may rebel against God. Since the beginning of man, it has been the enemys strategy to steal away what God desired to give His people. There was a time when Satan, who was Lucifer, had all the glories of God. God adorned him and created him flawlessly. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee (Ezekiel 28:13-15). Lucifer rebelled. In his heart, he sought to be greater than God was. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee (Verse 17). What Lucifer once had in Gods kingdom, the Lord gave His children even more, for God gave his children all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). Throughout the ages since before Adam and Eve, Satans fury against God has kept no boundaries. He declared war against God. Therefore, the children of God are caught in the middle of this war between good and evil (Revelations 12:12-13). Satan desires to destroy all of Gods creation for revenge upon God. Gods desire has been to save every person. This war between good and evil still exist today, but the end of it is very near. The devil knows his time is short and has set upon his evil heart to deceive the entire world. His deception is futile however, to those who are bound forever to Christ in their hearts. The Word of God ultimately describes what will be Satans end. Consider it carefully, Scripture by Scripture. Finally, let us look at the destruction that awaits the true culprit behind all the evil in the world. Though Lucifer said in his heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High (Isaiah 14:13-14), God said, But instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.

. . . You will descend to the pit (Isaiah 14:15, 19). The Apostle John describes what he saw in the vision God gave him: And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season (Revelation 20:1-3). The Word says that not only will Satan meet his doom, but all the angels that followed him will meet theirs as well. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Revelation 12:7-9). God kicked them all out of heaven. Just before Jesus ultimate sacrifice He said Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world (Satan) be cast out (John 12:31). Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, It has happened at last -- the salvation and power and kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ! For the Accuser has been thrown down to earth -- the one who accused our brothers and sisters before our God day and night. (This last bit speaks of the tribulation) And they have defeated him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of their testimony. And they were not afraid to die (Revelation 12:10-12, NLT). [Parenthetical emphasis mine] Following the thousand year reign of Christ, the Word of God says Satan will be released for a season. I have heard so many Christians say something along the lines of Think of how awesome it will be when Satan is bound for a thousand years. Can you imagine a world without Satan in it, the peace that will abound and prevail? It is somewhat ironic to hear Christians say this because when Jesus defeated Satan during His crucifixion and death on the cross, He rendered Satan every bit as powerless then as he will be when he is bound in chains in the bottomless pit for a thousand years. God endued His children with power to overcome Satan at every level in their lives. People live their lives with much havoc, sorrow, destruction, and fear today because they really dont believe that Satan is powerless. The Word tells us that he has no arrows for his bow. He shoots blanks. His gun may seem incredibly large and thus intimidating, but his gun is useless because it has no bullets. Peoples lack of trust in God is the ammunition the devil uses in order to destroy them. Most people do not believe that Satan is powerless today and neither will many believe this after his thousand-year lock up. After his release, he will go out for a season to deceive the nations

from the four corners of the earth once more and gather multitudes of people for battle against Christ (Revelation 20:7-8). We do not know how long this season will last, perhaps another thousand years. At any rate, how should he be able to gather an army against Christ when there was peace on earth for a thousand years in his absence? What could possibly cause people to walk away from peace to join in with Satan and his schemes to war against Christ? It will almost be as if history will once again repeat itself. The angels that followed Lucifer eons ago also had all the glories of God in their homeland called Planet Heaven, yet they were convinced that something far lower than God could offer them something far greater, so they joined in rebellion with Lucifer against God. Satan became snared by his own will, for he used it to oppose God. This is the very thing that will also cause the multitudes of people to rebel against God seeking to war against Christ. If one could say that life is the culmination of a tremendous test, the answer would be that God gave everyone a will, including His angels. Every person and angel who chose to utilize his own will failed the test. Though God gave us free will, He did not create us greater than Himself. Therefore, it is foolish for anyone to believe that his own will should ever suffice God. Satan in his own lustful ambition even went beyond this point esteeming his will and purpose higher than Gods intention. We know that Love and God are one in the samesynonymous. Love was, is, and will always be, for the Love of God is infinite. Therefore, the only way one could ever truly love God would be to relinquish himself to God entirely. That soul must be willing to crucify its own will and take upon itself the will of God. Is this not what Jesus did for us? Jesus said, Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt Satan says Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law, meaning, forget about God and do your own thing. In the world today, people now say, If it feels good, do it. Jesus allowed His own will to be crucified. Though He took the form of man He was nevertheless God and thus could have easily come down from the cross, but He gave Himself entirely to the Father. His example to us is deep, yet very simple. Often it does not occur to us to recognize that God has given us life, yet says in His Word that whosoever loves his life and therefore attempts to save his life shall lose it, but he who is willing to lose his life for the Lords sake shall save it (John 12:25). Why should the Lord deem our free will any different? This is not the Lords way of playing some sort of wicked mind game, but simply Him giving us the answer to a profound question that even the rich young ruler was smart enough to ask: . . . Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? (Matthew 19:16). Like so many of us today, the young ruler believed that his salvation with God had everything to do with himself, his works, his riches, and his possessions, but Jesus simple answer was that he needed to be willing to give up his life unto Christ. The Book of Revelation talks about four holy creatures in heaven round bout the throne of God. . . . Day and night they never stop saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come (Revelation 4:8).

God breathes this praise into them where they in turn praise God without cease. Imagine being eternally filled with a powerful wave of orgasmic bliss a hundredfold as you inhale and when you exhale praise comes out of your mouth toward God, and this happens repetitiously without cease throughout eternity. The point here is that the creatures relinquish their will to God and is forever in a state of absolute bliss. This place of paradise is where the Holy Spirit desires to lead anyone willing to go. The location is the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus says, I am the resurrection, and the life (John 11:25). If we take to heart what Jesus actually said, then we should have understanding that any life lived outside of Him is vanity, which is death. People, who live without Christ in their lives walk in death, yet do not realize it. Everything about them, every experience in their lives, is an illusion like a dream from which they will eventually awaken only to find themselves in a reality that is absent of God (Psalm 73:17-20). The Bible says that they will be utterly consumed with terrors (vs. 19). Collectively, people turn their backs on eternal life with God on a daily basis without realizing it because they are captivated by the world. Instead of listening and heeding Gods Word, they listen to what the intelligence of man, traditions, doctrines, religion, legalism, and Satan speaks to them. The Bible says that after Satan rallies his followers from the four corners of the world they will be in number like the sand on the seashore. They will march across the earth and surround the camp of Gods people, which is the City of God. The size in number of the multitude of people that will surround the city will be staggering. The Word says that fire will pour down upon them from heaven and devour them all. God will throw Satan into the lake of fire where the antichrist and false prophet will have already been for a thousand years since the Great Tribulation. There, they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelations 20:7-10). Finally, God will judge all the people of the world at the Great White Throne Judgment. This is the official separation between the sheep and the goats. Those who experienced the first resurrection are exempt from this judgment (Revelation 20:6). The Great White Throne Judgment is the second resurrection. God will receive His sheep on His right side, but the goats on His leftthe rebels against ChristHe will cast into the lake of fire, which was prepared for Satan and his angels (Matthew 25:41). And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). As sure as the Word of God is the truth, all such things spoken in Revelation and other books of

the Bible either has happened or will surely happen. The devil persistently battles with the minds of people everyday in order to keep them blind and ignorant. This is why Christians must walk by faith and not by sight. They must operate from the perspective of their spirit and not their mind. Only the spirit knows Gods truth. The mind is oblivious to it. Satan controls most of Gods people because they live their lives from the perspective of their carnal intelligence and not by the wisdom of God, which is Spirit. As long as people are blind resulting from their ignorance of Gods spoken Word, they cannot see the path of destruction they are actually on nor can they understand the tribulation of the world, which is about to come upon them. The enemys greatest desire is to take you out of the palm of Gods hand, for you are the representation of Gods greatest creation. Alone, the devil has no power to remove you from the presence of God, so he persuades people to remove themselves through deception. Satan endeavors to destroy everything God loves. He deceived Adam and Eve in the garden six thousand years ago and persuaded them to disobey God. They had a choice to do the right thing, and so do you. The right thing is to obey God and hold onto your confession that Jesus is Lord. Through peoples ignorance, Satan has brought many calamities upon this world. It is time to wake up and realize that Jesus, our Lord and Savior, desires to bring His people out of the bondage of ignorance and into the glory of His Kingdom forever. Amen.

eight

Jesus Says Come Out!

The Word of God says to come out from the world, be separate from it (2 Corinthians 6:17),
and be not conformed to this world (Romans 12:2). Separation from the world is Gods will for His Church, yet the god of this world has blinded the people and has diligently conspired to bring about a union between Church and State (light and darkness). This means that false ministers crafted by Satan are at work today deceiving Christians into an adulterous affair with the world. The Bible says that anyone who is in friendship with the world is an enemy to God (James 4:4). The Greek word for church is Ekklesia, which means to be called out. The Greek word for world is Kosmos. Kosmos is the social, political, religious, and economic systems, which the people of the world live by. God has called His people out of the world, yet many Christians are determined to make it in the world. It does not take a genius to figure out that the system of the world is not set up for the benefit of anyone. Its is designed to tear you down and destroy your marriage, family and every other thing in your life, from the inoculation shots at infancy, the world induced health issues that follows throughout life, to the stresses and strains of worries, fears, and doubts, which the world injects into youre your mind until you literally expire. This is why God has called you out from the world. Satan took Jesus high upon a mountain and showed Him all the glorious kingdoms of his world. He attempted to strike a deal with Jesus. All Jesus had to do was fall down and worship him just once and the world Satan displayed before Him could all be His. Jesus, of course, rejected and rebuked Satan (Matthew 4:8-10; Luke 4:5-8). All believers should be following this example, but very few are. Everyday Satan tempts the children of God in the same way he tried to tempt Jesus. Everyday, through deception he shows the world being a glorious place, loaded with all the pleasures one can imagine. Many have become so enthralled and determined to have their lusts and ambitions fulfilled in this world that they will do practically anything to achieve their goals. Some have even convinced themselves that God is the motivation behind the wealth, riches and power they crave.

Walking in Holiness
Believers are doing what Jesus refused to do. They are falling down before Satan to worship him through the pleasures he offers in the world. They are diligently pursuing those pleasures at the expense of their marriages, families, children, lives, and even their relationships with God. Many are willing to fight to the death to keep, protect, and justify their sins. They adamantly

cling to their own ways instead of God. They fear what people might think of them rather than God. Jesus said, If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you (John 15:18-19). There was no guile found in Jesus mouth nor was there any sin found in Him. He was completely innocent of all crime and sin, yet the world persecuted and killed Him by crucifixion. If this was the worlds hatred toward Christ, despite His innocence, then how can a follower of Christ escape such diabolical hatred? For those who consider themselves true Christians yet are knocked flat on their backs every time offenses come though opposition let me save you the time and agony of trying to figure out whats going on. The bottom line is the world hates youno matter what you do, whom you try to please, or how high you might think you are on their whos who list. Its not really personal, its just that you belong to Christ and the world does not. Some of closest loved ones and relatives are not even exempt from what Jesus said. If they are of the world, then they have no choice but to hate you because they do not know nor understand who or what you represent. Jesus said, Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law (Matthew 10:34-35). This may seem like an odd thing for Jesus to say, but the context from which He spoke had everything to do with Him calling out those who belonged to Him to be separate from the world. The world that Jesus is calling you out of may consist of people who happen to be in your immediate family. Not every spouse will follow Jesus, nor every sibling, son or daughter. Your in-laws may be against you because you chose to follow Christ. Those who truly follow Christ will invariably walk a lonely path. They will experience persecution, which is the wrath of the worlds hatred toward them. Our greatest persecutions tend to come from those who are closest to us in relationship. Even Jesus said that a prophet is not accepted among his own (Luke 4:24; John 1:11). So dont be so shocked if you should find that those closest to you are the very ones who criticize, ostracize, and makes your life miserable even more so than anyone else because you have chosen to follow Christ. Jesus said that if they persecuted Him then they will also persecute you because they do not know the Father who sent you (John 15:20). If the world embraces a man who claims to be an anointed man of God who does the will of God, then something about that man and his ministry is wrong. In other words, who sent Him? There are many ministries and religions existing today that are very much taken in and embraced by the world, but who sent them? Based on what Jesus said about the world hating Him, it could not have been God. If God did not send them, who did? What are they preaching that attracts the world so much that they are embraced by the world? They are not preaching the Word of God, but a counterfeit gospel.

The Bible says as God is holy, we are to be holy (1 Peter 1:16). Instead of desiring to follow the world, God says to keep peace (Jesus) and holiness because without them you cannot see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Without His holiness, you would fail His grace. That means even though His grace is upon you, you would fail in Gods eyes because of the sin you endeavor to keep. The Bible says that without holiness, the root of bitterness would spring up in you and trouble you. In that trouble, many would be defiled (Hebrews 12:15). Without holiness you are susceptible to fornicators and the profane as Esau was, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright (Hebrews 12:16). Lacking Gods peace and holiness enables con artist and imposters to take you for a ride. Your wants and desires, which get in Gods way, would cause you to be easily swindled, hoodwinked, and run-amuck by others through the ensnarement of your own lustful desires. Peoples smooth talk and flattery will cause you to open your heart and everything you have to them. In return, they will rob you blind of everything you have. Without holiness, your quest to fulfill your own ambitions will be such that you will allow your marriage to be broken up over them and your family brought to ruin. You will make life-changing decisions on whims of feelings and emotional impetuousness. You will leave a path of destruction behind you everywhere you go and look forward to a bleak confusing future. Despair and depression will represent your present. Without holiness, you cannot abstain from the fleshly lusts, which war against your soul (1 Peter 2:11). Without holiness, these are merely samples of your lot in life. Living a holy life means to be set apart to God. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). The Lord calls those who are holy a peculiar people. The attitude of Christianity today aligns with that of the world. Many have sought to imitate the world and live their lives according to the world. There position, which they stand shoulder to shoulder with the world, has been everybody else does it. Their contention is surely, God understands and besides shouldnt He have said something by now if our acts were not okay with Him? The fact is that God has been speaking all along, but people choose not to hear His warnings. It bears repeating that Jesus warned this last church generation calling it lukewarm. He told this church what He intends to do in the event it does not change its ways (Revelation 3:16). Jesus is going to eject the church from His company. Many that are confessing Christianity are actually ignoring this warning from Jesus, desiring instead to hear only what they want to hear. When Satan displayed the world to Jesus high up in the mountain, he was attempting to appeal to Jesus through fleshly desires. The devil was foolish enough to think that He could entice God. He was dumb enough to think that God would not remember that He created the world and the fullness thereof, therefore the entire world and everything in it belongs to Him. Can you imagine someone telling you that if you fall down to his feet and worship him, he will give you a house that you already own? If we can see the absolute nonsense in Satan trying to swindle the Almighty God, then surely we should see the absurdity in Satans schemes against the Lords children who are coheirs to His throne with Christ Jesus.

Satan was relying on the deceptive splendor of his carnal world in order to impress Jesus that He might bow down before him. The devil endeavors to do the same to you and me. When the believer gives his heart to Jesus, God adopts that believer into His family making him one of His own. Everything that God has belongs to the sons and daughters of God. Satan attempts to seduce Christians with the very things they already own, namely, wealth, health, and all prosperity. Seduced by Satans offer, Christians are turning away from God. They are literally bowing down to Satan not realizing that God has placed them in dominion and power over the devil. Adam and Eve were the first to fall prey to Satans scheme six thousand years ago in the garden. God gave us every spiritual blessing from the foundation of the earth, even before He created us in the image and likeness of Him (Ephesians 1:3). All manifested physical things derive from spiritual things. If God has already given you all spiritual things, how can the devil give you anything? Yet, people become seduced by entertaining the devils words in their mind. They meditate upon his report and eventually believe what he says. Then they speak and act on what he says where ultimately they become enslaved by sin. The first thing that will lie to you is your perception of what your eyes see. The Word of God commands us not to live by sight, but by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). By sight, a red apple might look delicious on the outside, but the inside may be full of worms. Jesus wants His people to reject the world because He knows what lies hidden within it. People are embracing the world system instead of God, yet the world is like a carnivorous mouth waiting to devour its inhabitants. The world became that when Adam fell. Jesus taught about the righteous path that the followers of Christ could stand upon and live their lives blameless and holy until the coming of the Lord. Because the righteous path is narrow, many will live their lives having never seen it, yet believing they were on it all along. This is the circumstance of the lukewarm church. The true appearance and condition of the world will be unveiled during the tribulation. The disguise so-to-speak, will come off and the people of the world will ultimately see the horrific evil they chose to follow over God. If we are willing to look closely enough we would see that the world is rapidly changing now, not for the better but becoming worse. Worse even than the days of Noah, evil has again become the norm and the righteous are persecuted, imprisoned, and even killed. Progressively, the sins and condition of the world will become so catastrophic that Jesus will intervene. He commanded His people to come out and separate themselves from the world until His arrival. Those who follow the world instead of God will eventually fall into its gaping mouth. The second thing that will lie to you is what your carnal ears will hear. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Fables are lies. Today, most people are not even interested in the truth, but choose to live in a state of tolerance of live and let live. Christians tolerate and involve themselves in the very

things that God considers an abomination. They desire to hear whatever they believe will accommodate their complacent comfort. Of all seven churches Jesus found not one good quality about this last church generation, which is the Laodicean Church, yet when we consider the leaps and bounds of todays successes in the church, how could this be? Is the Christian body seeing what Jesus is seeing? Is the church generation today even seeking God to find out? When people say, for instance, Lord I just pray that you tarry a little while longer before Jesus comes because Ive got to be a millionaire first, is such a thing really about God and His mission or simply about the desire in the hearts of the people? I have personally heard and witnessed professing Christians and even leaders make these kinds of statements to God. Clearly, if they only knew the diabolical evils in the world that encircles them, they would pray for Jesus speedy return. I grew up in probably one of the worst neighborhoods in a city that eventually became rated as the third most dangerous city in the nation. Ironically, while growing up in this environment I was oblivious to the dangers of it. It never occurred to me how dangerous it actually was until I moved away and some time later returned to visit my home and neighborhood. If you are in a box so-to-speak, it is very difficult to compare the environment inside the box to that outside the box if you have never been outside the box. In other words, what you see in your surroundings may seem like the normalcy of life because you have nothing to compare it to, yet what you perceive as ordinary can be greatly distorted. To see the contents of the box in its reality, you have to get out of the box. Most Christians are oblivious to the evil conditions that surround them because they, in many respects, share the same space with the evil. Jesus told us to come out from among the world. A Christian living according to the world system will hardly see the evil conspiring against him in the world. He will simply wonder why his life is such a mess, especially considering the fact that he is a Christian. Eventually, perhaps he will even become angry with God blaming Him for the sorrows and despairs of his life. Chances are that it will not occur to him that the enemy is the root of the problem. The enemy desires to keep you trapped in the box in order to keep you from seeing the truth, which you will never find inside the box.

Why Return From Whence We Came?

If we were able to trust in our own ways before salvation, then what would be the purpose of becoming born again? Once saved, why would anyone want to return to the life of sin he came out of? The Word of God says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). To come out from where we werethat place of misery and without hope, was probably the reason we desired to become born again in the first place, at least one should hope so. In other words, our getting saved was in the hopes of having something better to progress towardthat hope of obtaining the prize we heard about through the preached gospel. Prior to our salvation, there was only death, hell and the lake of fire to look forward to, yet we were unaware. Consider again the Christmas holiday, for instance. People celebrated it before they were saved, having no connection to God. Yet, Christians classify this day as a holy day of God. Prior to

salvation, our lives were of sin, judgment and death, orchestrated by Satan. If that were not true, then the sinner could get into heaven. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the light. No man cometh unto the father but by me (John 14:6). We didnt belong to God before we gave our lives to Jesus. Why would God be permissive about the celebration of a day honoring Christ by those who are of the family of Satan? Why would God be tolerant of the participation of an event concerning His holiness, which involves a gathering between His children and Satans children? Why would God allow His children to share in the same celebration with the likes of demons, witches, idolaters, coverts, the wicked, fornicators, adulterers, and murderers? In the natural, we parents are justifiably concerned about who our children hang around with. Most of us can understand the power of association. Therefore, we prefer our children to be around the best influences. How much greater is Gods desire for us? Under what circumstances would God ever want His children mingling with those who belong to Satan? What could the body of Christ be doing in the eyes of God that would make Jesus say we are a lukewarm church? We seem to praise and worship Him, seek His kingdom, seek to have stronger relations with Him, bring people to Christ, cast out devils, lay hands on the sick, and the list goes on. Yet, Jesus says this is the worse church out of all seven. What could we be doing wrong as a church body in the eyes of God that would cause Jesus to say that He will spit this church generation out? Lukewarm, means taking the middle of the road and not going all the way, either way, but straddling the line. It means a lack of commitment to either side. Lukewarm means to be double minded. God makes it abundantly clear that He is a jealous God, and that we are to serve Him and only Him. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lords table, and the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? (1 Corinthians 10:21-22). The Bible says, A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let that man who is double minded not think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A man that wavers is like the wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed (James 1:6-8). If a friend of the world is an enemy to God (James 4:4), then there is no friendly agreement existing between God and Satan. God even asks if two can walk together without agreement (Amos 3:3). When has the Almighty God and the prince of darkness ever walked in agreement? And what concord (agreement) hath Christ with Be-li-al (Satan)? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel (sinner)? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? (2 Corinthians 6:15-16). It is impossible to serve God, yet return to the old way of life (that of a sinner) by keeping the ways and traditions of the world. God commands us to choose. He even makes our choice easy by telling us what to choose. He says choose life. The Word of God commands us to separate ourselves from the world. If there is no agreement between God and Satan, then there can be no

agreement between His children and the children of the world.

nine

Christian Accountability to God

Throughout the scriptures of the Bible, there was neither a prophet nor servant of God sent
that did not have the challenges and persecutions of the world to face. All the teachings and scriptural doctrines spoken through them were of God. I would imagine that this book (in addition to volume one) has perhaps ruffled feathers and gotten under some peoples skin because it didnt make or present a compromise between its content and peoples itching ears, as do so much of our Christian literature today. My prayer to God is that people having read this book would turn toward Him. However, it is up to every individual to choose to obey God and seek His kingdom with tenacious diligence in order to live a holy life according to the Word of God. He holds us accountable for everything weve been taught, everything we know, and everything He has given us concerning His Word. This book was not written with the intent to undermine anyones relationship with God. However, God says in His Word that His people have not because they ask not (James 4:2). If we root ourselves in our own endeavors of what we love, cherish, desire, and assume that Gods position is congruent to our way of thinking, then what compels us to seek God concerning the possibility of any errors we might be making? If we never get around to asking, how then do we ever come out of the ignorance? On the other hand, some of us deliberately turn our backs on the truth because the pleasure of sin is much too addictive to give up, thus we allow our sins to overbear Gods truth. Constantine, the great Emperor of Rome, did not want to give up the pagan celebration of Saturnalia. In order for the people to continue accommodating their lustful desires and worldly pleasures, they simply looked the other way when the Roman Catholic Church dubbed the heathenish celebration of Tammuz, the birthday celebration of Christ. Still today, many of Gods people customize Gods Word to serve their own purpose and agenda. There is a vast distinction between the world system and the kingdom of God. Satan deceives multitudes of people causing them to believe that the life they live in the world is actually no different from a holy life in Christ. Jesus said that He would rather that we would be either hot or cold. A church body that is either hot or cold is teachable or at the very least, reachable, but a lukewarm church is virtually stagnant and very difficult to reach, let alone teach. Though it believes it is either hot or cold, it is neither. A lukewarm church justifies, defends and persistently argues its rebuttals for every shortcoming, error, blunder, and disobedience. It flat out refuses to steer away from religious dogma, legalism, and even distain toward God. Like the Pharisees who rejected Jesus, yet believed God was their father, the lukewarm church also rejects Christ, but believes it belongs to God and will inherit the kingdom of heaven. Many parents who have teens, for example, will say that their greatest struggle with their teenage children is the fact

that their teens think they already know everything. Thus, the parent cannot teach their young wisdom because the young believe they already have it. In fact, I would venture to say that most teenagers would tell you that they believe they are smarter than their parents are, yet they are kids with hardly any life experience at all. The lukewarm Laodicean Church is an unreachable church that believes it already has all the answers and salvation to boot. Therefore, this last church generation has hardly any inclination to seek guidance and counsel from God. The devil has blinded this last generation toward God and most of its people are oblivious to the many conspiracies operating in the world against them, seeking to annihilate them. The church today believes it is the greatest generation of all generations, yet Jesus said this generation is the worst of all seven. You cannot move toward perfection in Christ if you do not first recognize where you stand in respect to Christ. If you believe that you never need any fixing, then what will prompt you to ever get fixed? The people, who will changebecoming what Jesus requires of them, are the ones who are willing to seek God with every fiber of their being for His truth. They are the ones who are willing to live their lives with a heart of repentance toward God possessing a sincere desire to change according to His will. They are the few who are willing to strive to live their lives in accordance to Gods commandments. The church in a lukewarm state is blind. It is oblivious to right or wrong. In fact, it doesnt even question right or wrong. Instead, it plants itself in whatever is desirable and tolerable in the hearts of its people, operating from the perspective of the peoples point of view instead of Gods point of view. Pressured by the world, people in the church want to stick to the masses and consider the ways of worldly religion and legalism, yet they also discretely and quietly desire to consider the ways of God. If we please God, man will come against us, but if we please man, God will come against us. Our contention should be what can man do to me? The one to fear is He that has the power to kill and toss the soul into hell (Luke 12:4-5). If the doctrines and traditions we follow grieve God, then what is the point of following them? Why follow something that is void of blessings from God? Without His blessing, all things are vanity and will eventually fail. Nothing good can ever come out of anything that God hates. Readers, this is a call to repentance. Christians, when we gave our lives to Jesus, we confessed to Him that He was our Lord and Savior. We in essence said, Lord, all of you and none of me. The question, is did we really mean it? Many people confess Christianity today, but only our sincerity to obey and accomplish His will is what separates us from the fake and carnal Christians. Jesus said those who do His commandments are his friends (John 15:14). Jesus confides in His friends everything God speaks to Him. He appoints His friends to go and produce fruit that will last. He gives them the ability to make wealth. Everything they put their hands to prospers. Because this wealth and prosperity is from the kingdom of God, it is permanent, which means no man can steal it away. Jesus appoints His friends with power that allows them to ask anything of His Father in His name, and God will give it. If you are not a friend of Jesus, then what are you? True Christians abide in God and His Word abides in them. They are people who are willing to put down their lives so that Jesus may operate through them purposing His will. If your will, desire, pleasures, needs, and wants are the forefront of your thinking, which all your actions are

based, you may want to consider the fact that you are placing yourself above and before God. Now is the time to rededicate your life to Christ by asking Him into your heart, confessing Him as the Lord and Savior of your life and meaning it with every fiber of your being. The proof of our confessions to God is always seen in our willingness to change into the image and likeness of Him. Sinners, it is imperative that you ask Jesus into your heart, and He will come. Contrary to what many believe, you do not have to list every sin you have ever committed. God already knows what they are. Make the confession today that you believe He died for you on the cross and that God raised Him from the grave. Thank Him for dying on the cross for you and shedding His precious blood that you may live and have eternal life in Him. Choose to dedicate your life to Him forever. He is your ticket into the kingdom of God. Jesus is the only door which to get in. World and religion adamantly teaches that there are many doors which to get in, but there is no door other than Jesus Christ. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). Please understand that it is not enough to think about what you have just read or think about how much you would really like to be accepted into the kingdom of God. You must say it to God and mean it in your heart. Jesus is the perfect Gentleman. He will not force Himself upon you. You must ask Him to come into your heart. It is very important that you do not allow yourself to be fooled by certain thoughts that may come into your mind as you do this. Instinctively, you may expect to see or feel something happening in the natural, but dont lose heart because nothing seems to be happening. I assure you that if you are sincere with God something will definitely occur, though you may not realize it at that moment. Confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior and receiving Him in your heart is done in spirit. Your natural senses will not pick up the spiritual change that will happen inside of you. God gives you the measure of faith to believe what your natural senses cannot know or understand. Therefore, you will not notice any changes on the outside initially. The change will take place on the inside. This change within is God having created you a new creature in Christone that has never been. The change is a new heart, which is now spiritually alive and has a hunger and thirst for God. Eventually, you will come to notice how much your life has changed. In addition, others will begin to see how much your life has changed. All of which, will be by the power of God, not by your own power. Do not hesitate to get into the Word of God. Diligently read and study the chapters of the Bible. Begin with the books of the GospelsMatthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You will gain revelation on Jesus, His love and promises for you. Eventually you can work your way into the Epistles the New Testament books of the Bible following the Gospels starting with the book of Acts and so on. Yet, dont neglect the Old Testament books of the Bible. You will find that every book within the Bible points toward Christ. Get connected with a spirit-filled ministry that teaches the full unedited and uncompromised Word of God, and began to seek God daily. He reveals Himself to those who seek Him. It is so incredibly worth it to seek God daily.

Readers please understand that God will separate the sheep from the goats. Only the innocent and true bonafide believers of Christ, which are those who do the will of God seeking His kingdom and living their lives holy though faith, repentance, and love are going to be taken up by the bridegroom. Do not be deceived about this. God is not asking for opinions or viewpoints on this matter. He will carry out His Word to the fullest degree. We should all desire to give Christ our best by serving Him according to His requirements, not according to our own convenience. God desires His called people to speak, teach and preach His Word to as many as would hear in order to help them see what the Holy Spirit desires to reveal in these final days. Important also, is that every born again Christian should live a holy life unto God and wait patiently upon the Lord. Those who have not accepted Jesus cannot hear God, regardless of how many years they may have hung around the camp of God. In order for a person to receive Jesus into his heart, he must first hear the true gospel. We who have received Jesus are that voice of the gospel. I hope that every reader will join me in the endeavor of choosing not to be silent about the oracles of God, but shouting them from the rooftops from all around the world. The Bible says that in the end of days, the Lord would pour out His Spirit upon His people and they will speak the Word; sons and daughters will prophesy, old men will dream dreams and the young men will see visions (Joel 2:28). All things seeming foolish to the world are what God will use to confound the wise. The time of the Lord is at hand and He has given us a voice to speak His Word, not only by way of our mouths, but also though the examples of our lifestyles of faith and holiness as believers in Christ. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light (Luke 11:23).