Unholy Christianity

March 31st, 2010

LOS ANGELES - JANUARY 27: Jael Phelps a membe...
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Since the escalation of Islamic terrorism, we have often heard that true Muslims do not believe in violence. Why then didn’t so-called moderate Muslims stand up and condemn the atrocities that their radical brothers perpetrated? It has been rare indeed to find an Islamic spiritual leader who will point to passages in the Koran and say publicly that those who practice hate are not true Muslims.

Now we Christians are faced with a similar situation. We have so-called Christians in the news doing things that are completely contrary to the teachings of the Bible, and especially of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What about the Hutaree Christian militia group that planned to kill policemen in the hope that their rebellion would bring down the government. Are they Christian just because they say they are, when everything they stand for is contrary to the teachings of the Prince of Peace?

And what could be a worse representation of Christianity than the hateful picketing and heckling of the perverse Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church at the funerals of servicemen who have died protecting their countrymen?

Here is just one of many places in the Bible that show that these are false Christians:

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. – 1 John 4:7-12 (NIV)

Christians everywhere need to rise up and condemn these hateful misrepresentations of our faith. Christian leaders must take a stand against these and other unbiblical practices. If we don’t, we will deserve the persecution that the media and the Devil want to bring against us.


Apostasy – Prophecy Central

Posted in Apostasy, Persecution, Terrorism | 5 Comments »

Why America Is Not Mentioned In Prophecy

March 25th, 2010

Prophecy students often notice that America does not seem to be mentioned in last-days prophecy. Of course Israel and her neighbors are central to the predictions of future events. A renewed form of the Roman Empire is seen in Daniel. In Ezekiel’s war of “Gog and Magog” Russia is prominent, along with an Islamic alliance including Iran and Libya. But where is the mighty superpower of the 21st Century, the United States of America?

Some have thought we are mentioned in Ezekiel 38:13 as one of the “young lions” of what might be the old British Empire. But that is not convincing today since Great Britain is not all that powerful and the United States is obviously no longer a British colony.

Others have thought America could be equated directly with Babylon the Great at the point of her future destruction in Revelation 17 and 18. But that is too great a stretch, and there are far better explanations of Babylon in the last days.

So, what happens to the United States between now and the likely near-future unfolding of the end times scenario?

There are several possibilities. One theory is that the war of Gog and Magog will take place before the rise of Antichrist’s final world empire. It could be the war of the Second Seal of Revelation 6:3-4. That series of events, described in Ezekiel 36 through 39, includes the rebirth of the nation of Israel and an attack against her once she is living in peace and safety. Israel was reborn in 1948 in magnificent fulfillment of this prophecy, but she has not yet enjoyed peace. That peace could be achieved any time now, setting the stage for the attack of Russia and an Islamic force against Israel. Ezekiel’s prophecies about this war say that Israel’s enemies will be destroyed by fire and brimstone. This, of course, could describe a nuclear exchange. What if Iran were to use a nuclear weapon against Israel? Wouldn’t the response also threaten to involve the United States in an unwanted nuclear exchange? If that did happen, it is not likely that the United States would still be a powerful world-player after that war.

Another likely scenario would be that America will have suffered a financial collapse by the time of the last days, and would still exist, but not be a super-power. That is exactly what many political and financial analysts are saying about our current course. The unconscionable spending of recent legislation, with its inevitable tax burden on future citizens could easily be the real reason for the demise of America as anything more than another cog in the European socialistic machinery that Antichrist will use for his economic dictatorship (Revelation 13).

In either of these cases, The United States will not be gone in the last days. We will just not be worth mentioning.

Posted in Israel, Middle East War, Revived Roman Empire, United States of America | 27 Comments »

Precursor of the Mark of the Beast

March 11th, 2010

NEW YORK - MAY 20: In this photo illustration...
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He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666. – Rev 13:16-18

The Bible predicts that there will come a day when every person must be registered in a world-wide economic system. This will be a permanent universal credit device without which no one can buy or sell anything. It will be imposed by “the beast” (Antichrist), and will be accompanied by a physical “mark.”

That day just got a little closer with the proposal of a senate bill that would require all American workers to have a National ID Card that could not be used by someone else. That means that the card would contain biometric information – probably digitized fingerprints. Americans have always been reluctant to have this kind of registration since it is seen as an invasion of their privacy. It might start, as in this proposed bill, as a permit to work, but it would undoubtedly be used for tracking individual health, purchases, travel, voting, and anything else “big brother” would like to know.

The legislation is a result of President Obama’s desire to see Congress enact immigration legislation this year. To give the bill a bipartisan start, Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham will cosponsor the measure.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind here. First, the mark itself is not our individual identification number. The Bible says it is “the name of the beast or the number of his name.” Antichrist will be energized by the Devil, who always wanted to be worshipped as god. Wearing his “mark” would be the equivalent of a Christian wearing a cross. But this mark – probably a visible or invisible tattoo, will be his name or his distinctive number. There are many possible numbering systems that could be used, but no one knows yet what it will be, and the Bible says we can not know who Antichrist will be until the Holy Spirit ceases to be the restrainer of sin. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). This would be during the Tribulation when true Christians have been taken away by the Rapture of the Church. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

The second thing to remember is that the actual device could be like a credit card or smart card, but in order to keep people from losing it, it could be an implanted radio-frequency identification device (RFID) similar to the ones already being placed under the skin of pets and some humans.

All of this means we are getting closer than ever to Our Lord’s return for His Church!

ID Card for Workers Is at Center of Immigration Plan – Wall Street Journal
The Mark of the Beast - Prophecy Central
The Rapture – Prophecy Central

Posted in Mark of the Beast, Rapture | 5 Comments »

The Blessed Hope

March 4th, 2010

For the past several weeks at Solid Ground Church we have been considering a series of messages from Jesus, taken from the Gospel of Luke, on the theme: “Hope in Uncertain Times.” Jesus’ teaching was filled with hope for all people, whatever trials they might face.

Because of His love for us, He provided forgiveness of sins by dying in our place. He promised direction, protection, provision, and much more to those who would follow Him. In normal usage of the word, a “hope” is something one wants to have happen, which may or may not come to pass. In the Bible, a hope is based on the promises of God. It is therefore something that is sure to happen, but its fulfillment is still future. The Bible is full of promises, and each one gives reason for a believer to expect some positive outcome.

One of the greatest promises in the Bible is the return of the Lord Jesus to establish His kingdom on earth. It is known in Evangelical circles as “The Rapture of the Church.” In Titus 2:13, the Apostle Paul called this “The blessed hope.”

We don’t believe in setting dates, but that great event is certainly getting closer all the time!

Visit the Rapture page on Prophecy Central.

Posted in Israel, Rapture | No Comments »

Apologetics Central

February 17th, 2010

My main hobby in life turns out to also be a ministry. This hobby is the study of Bible prophecy. There are lots of us prophecy students out there. And why not? About 1/3 of the Bible is prophecy. The part that has already been fulfilled is the greatest proof of all that the Bible is truly God’s Word! And the part that hasn’t been fulfilled yet is looking more and more likely to happen soon.

This hobby became a ministry about 12 years ago when I began to maintain a website for prophecy students and teachers. It is called “Prophecy Central”. And, praise the Lord, it has become one of the top websites on the subject. I have the privilege of serving up fresh information about prophecy every day, and thousands of people visit the site daily. It takes a little time – an hour or so every morning before breakfast, but it is worth it.

Over the years I have discovered a close connection between prophecy and another area of study called “apologetics”. Christian Apologetics is a defense of Biblical beliefs. It comes from the Greek word apologia, “to speak in favor of.” So anything that strengthens a Christian’s understanding and belief in the Bible or the Christian faith is a part of this vast area of study. Some of the major areas of apologetics are: Belief in God, Creation, The person and the work of Jesus Christ, the Resurrection of Christ, Proofs that the Bible is the inspired word of God, Archaeology, Prophecy, Comparison of Christianity with other religions, and Defense of Christianity against atheism, cults and false teaching in general.

I am happy to announce that after a couple of years of preparation, we have launched a “sister site” to Prophecy Central. It is called “Apologetics Central.” It is another resource on the Internet for serious Bible students. It has separate sections for the major topics of apologetics, lists of apologetics sites on the Internet, a growing list of writers and speakers who are “heroes of the faith,” and much more.

Under each topic we list Scriptures that relate to the subject, collect news about speakers, books, and conferences that relate to that subject, answer common questions about the topic, give a list of websites that deal with that issue, and provide links to other resources, including books and video clips.

Please check it out and let me know what you think. What could be added? What changes would you suggest to make it truly helpful to you?

Apologetics Central
www.apologetics-central.com

Prophecy Central
www.Bible-prophecy.com

Posted in Apologetics | 2 Comments »

Prophecy and Apologetics

February 9th, 2010

The Codex Gigas from the 13th century, held at...
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We have just launched a companion site to Prophecy Central. It is Apologetics Central. We have been working on this project little by little for over a year, so that it would have enough substance to make it worth visiting regularly.

Christian Apologetics is a description of the work that serious scholars do to provide answers to the tough questions we have about our faith. It comes from the Greek word apologia, “to speak in favor of.” It is a defense of the Bible and of Christian beliefs.

Before saying any more, let me agree with the old saying, “You don’t need to defend the Bible, you just need to use it.” In Ephesians 6:10-18, every piece of armor except one is used for protection. Items like the breastplate, the shield and the helmet are defensive. But one piece is used for offense, and that is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God!

On the other hand, seekers and followers of Christianity have a right to know the reasons why the Bible stands alone as the one holy book in the world that is completely true and trustworthy. Skeptics can bring up some serious questions that ought to be answered. Great Christian authors from Augustine to C.S. Lewis have provided eloquent answers to these objections to the Christian faith. And today we are fortunate enough to have the ongoing wisdom of many “defenders of the faith” like Josh McDowell, Lee Strobel, and Ravi Zacharias.

Apologetics Central lists about 20 of these heroes, and gives some basic information about each one of them and how you can reach their websites and obtain their resources. Many others will be added soon. In addition to the well-known leaders in this field, there are literally hundreds of sites on the Internet that you might want to visit to understand the essence of Christian belief or for help with various questions about evolution, atheism, cults, and other false teaching. We list many of them for your convenience.

Bible Prophecy is just one branch of the immense subject of apologetics. We are grateful for the privilege of starting this project and of sharing it with you. It will grow gradually, just as Prophecy Central has done over the years. Please pray that it will be beneficial to Christians. We would be honored to have you visit the site. And you can click on “Comments” below to give us your reactions and suggestions.

Apologetics Central
http:www.apologetics-central.com

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Posted in Apologetics | 1 Comment »

The Peace Process Is Upsetting the Whole World

January 26th, 2010

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Osama Bin Laden’s latest audio tape praised the attempted bombing of an airliner over Detroit on Christmas day. He said that another attack would be “highly likely.” He also directed a warning to President Obama himself that the US must stop supporting Israel. He said, “America will never dream of living in peace unless we live it in Palestine… It is unfair that you enjoy a safe life while our brothers in Gaza suffer greatly.”

Virtually every nation in the world is hoping for some sort of solution to this festering problem that has brought terrorism to their own doorsteps.

Year after year, and plan after plan, the hopes of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians has risen and fallen, always coming short of complete satisfaction to both sides.

There are many tangled issues that make it difficult for the two sides to agree. Palestinian leaders demand that all the land lost to Israel in the ’67 war be returned in any peace settlement.

The Israelis have established settlements of Jewish people in these disputed areas over the years. Approximately 300,000 Jewish people live in these outposts. However, Israel has said they would be willing to give up some of these areas in the process and trade Israeli land to the Palestinians in exchange for the others.

Recently, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s peace negotiator said it is impossible to achieve peace unless the parties change their basic assumptions. He explained that the previous method of negotiations established a premise that “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.” He said he hoped the process would be changed so that whatever is agreed upon is implemented step-by-step.

The most explosive of all these discussions is the proposal to divide Jerusalem and even the Temple Mount in order to give Palestinians the ability to establish their capital there. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu objected to the idea. At a Jerusalem Day ceremony in May he said, “Unified Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Jerusalem always has been and always will be ours and it will never be divided again.”

The US, Russia, The UN, the European Union, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and others have all tried their best to restart the peace process. Meanwhile, the whole world is threatened with terrorism until that elusive peace is established.

It is no wonder that God foretold this great struggle that we are witnessing today:
2 “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. – Zechariah 12:2-3 (NIV)


Osama Bin Laden – US must stop supporting Israel – Chicago Libertarian Examiner
Netanyahu: Settlement blocs are indisputable – Jerusalem Post
Netanyahu: Israel to Keep Parts of West Bank Forever – NewsMax

Posted in Middle East War, Peace, Terrorism | 3 Comments »

Is There An Increase In Earthquake Activity?

January 13th, 2010

The awful death and destruction caused by the earthquake in Haiti reminds us once again that we are very vulnerable to seismic disasters. And it reminds us that earthquakes are one of the “signs of the times” that Jesus mentioned.


Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. – Matthew 24:7-8

Ever since the monstrous 9.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia in 2004, people have had a heightened awareness of the danger of seismic activity. That year, the great tsunami claimed 227,898 lives.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), more than a million earthquakes occur in the world each year, but many go undetected because they occur in remote areas or have very small magnitudes. The number of major earthquakes has been relatively stable during the past two decades – an average of 17 per year with a magnitude 7.0 or greater.

Prophecy students debate whether or not there really is an increase in seismic activity in our times. From some perspectives it certainly seems that there is, but scientists remind us that this could also be caused by better methods of measuring and reporting of events.

However, there are actually some new causes for earthquakes in our generation! By 2008 scientists were claiming that man-made earthquakes would be a problem. We have always wondered if nuclear tests could trigger quakes. But even if it turns out that these blasts don’t cause tremors, there are at least five other ways that man-made activity may cause earthquakes: by building dams, by injecting water into the ground (disposal, geo-thermal power), by mining vast amounts of coal, by draining oil wells dry, and by building super-tall buildings.

Last year, scientists in China and the United States blamed a 2008 earthquake that killed at least 80,000 people in Sichuan on construction of the 511 ft-high Zipingpu Dam, which lies just 550 yards from the fault line, and three miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. They believe that the weight of water, and the penetration of water into the rock, could have affected the pressure on the fault line underneath.

In 2004 a now-infamous geothermal project in Basel, Switzerland drilled three miles into Earth’s crust. The project set off a magnitude 3.4 earthquake that affected the whole town and caused the operation to be shut down entirely.

The Bible also teaches that the worst earthquakes ever will accompany the Battle of Armageddon.


Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every Island fled away and the mountains could not be found. – Revelation 16:18-20

Top 5 Ways To Cause a Man-Made Earthquake

Chinese earthquake may have been man-made, say scientists

How Does Geothermal Drilling Trigger Earthquakes?

Posted in Earthquakes | 14 Comments »

Is There a Prayer for Congress?

December 22nd, 2009

As debate on the healthcare bill comes to a head, most Americans are appalled at the corruption we observe in the process. Some of our congressmen are acting like barbarians. A couple of weeks ago Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, compared people who oppose health care reform to those who supported slavery in the 19th century. Last week Senator Al Franken denied the normal privilege of a couple more minutes for Senator Joe Lieberman to finish his remarks. Senator John McCain said he had never seen such behavior in the Senate. And this weekend Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn said, “What the American people ought to pray is that somebody can’t make the vote tonight.”

And now the unpopular, unread bill will go back to the House of Representatives for more drama and embarrassment.

In Fiddler on the Roof, the Rabbi was asked, “Is there a proper blessing for the Czar?” To the oppressed Jews this was nearly unthinkable. But the witty Rabbi said, “A blessing for the Czar? Of course. May God bless and keep the Czar … far away from us!”

The Apostle Paul taught us that we should indeed pray for our governmental leaders. Paul lived under the cruel and godless reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. Yet, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, he gave us this advice:
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
– 1 Timothy 2:1-4

When we’re frustrated with our government we should call their offices or send them Email. But we should also remember to pray for them. Right now it would take a miracle for them to make the right decision, but then, that’s what prayer is all about, isn’t it?

Posted in Apostasy | 4 Comments »

One World Developing

December 10th, 2009

Events that people once thought would never happen are now coming together in rapid succession. When I was a young man, my Christian friends and I knew that the Bible taught that one day there would be a one-world government and a one-world religion, but we could not imagine how these things could happen. We thought that Americans, at least, would reject the idea of any kind of super-governmental power. In those days conspiracy theorists spoke in hushed voices about a “New World Order” to come.

During this past year, the worldwide financial crisis has caused great interest in global controls to try to restore stability and prosperity. It is no longer unthinkable for the ordinary citizen to accept the idea of universal governance.

This week two major advances toward the One World ideal have been taking place: one in Copenhagen, and the other in Melbourne.

In Copenhagen the United Nations held a highly publicized Climate Change Conference. The gathering makes another strong argument for the development of a One-World Government. In spite of the release of controversial e-mails from some climate scientists that global warming calculations are not accurate, thousands of enthusiastic delegates from all over the globe met to further their plans to limit carbon emissions and provide up to $150 billion in aid to developing countries to gain their cooperation.

Meanwhile in Melbourne, there was movement toward an eventual One-World Religion. At The Parliament of the World’s Religions, thousands of representatives from 80 nationalities and more than 220 faith traditions spent a week of dialogue about how to increase understanding and cooperation between various religious traditions. They discussed such topics as climate change and the west’s relationship with Islam.

This would be a good time for every Christian to review Revelation, chapters 17 and 18. In the last days there will be a final evil world empire, represented by the beast, and a false world religion, represented by the woman who rides the beast. This will not happen until after the Rapture of the Church, but, in the light of current events, it is not so hard to imagine any more.

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Posted in New World Order | 6 Comments »

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