Jews and Jesus Christ: Part IV

Rabbinic Judaism, the religion practiced by millions of Jews worldwide for centuries is a dying faith.

Why? Because many Jews no longer see any relevance in a religion that presents a God who hasn't been heard from for 3,500 years.

For example, the Bible's Old Testament (called the Tanakh in Judaism) presents a portrait of a God who interacted frequently with the Jews in the ancient times and delivered them from the bondage of slavery in Egypt.

The Tanakh records several miracles performed by God through Moses and recounts the voice of the Lord speaking directly to the ancient Jews from Mt. Sinai where He gave them the 10 Commandments. (Exodus 20:1-17) And God also called the Jews His Chosen People out of all the nations on the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8, 2 Samuel 7:23-24, 1 Kings 10:9, Psalm 105:8-15)

Many Jews who no longer believe in God reason that if they are truly God's chosen people, then why have they suffered so much persecution throughout the centuries? Did God choose them just so they could be forced to wander the earth and suffer so much scorn and humiliation?

How do you answer that question? If a person is close-minded--as many people are today--no answer will suffice. But if someone is open to reason, then you present the evidence.

And this is the evidence: The Jews have been persecuted terribly for centuries because they perverted God's laws and violated His covenant that He established with them through Moses. And despite the repeated warnings the Lord sent to the Jews through His prophets to implore them to repent, they ignored those warnings.

Finally, the Lord had enough. This is what He said through the prophet Jeremiah who lived about 2,600 years ago: "I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, an object of ridicule and cursing, wherever I banish them. I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their fathers." (Jeremiah 24:9-10)

Indeed, the Lord fulfilled His word. For centuries, the Jews have wandered the world and have been unwelcome wherever they've gone. From the Crusades to the Inquisitions to Hitler's Holocaust to the relentless terror attacks committed against them by Muslims to the resurgent anti-Semitism, the Jews are indeed considered abhorrent by much of the world.

And tragically, few Jews understand why. For example, in 1990, Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Eliezer Schach claimed Hitler's Holocaust occurred because the Jews violated the Sabbath and ate pork.

And astonishingly, Shas spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, claimed the Jews who perished in the Holocaust were reincarnated to pay for sins they committed in past lives.
http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2009/07/rabbi-ovadia-yosef-holocaust-dead-sinned-in-past-lives-123.html

Reincarnation is a pagan religious concept taught in the Hindu Vedas. It can't be found anywhere in the Old or New Testaments. If people must pay for their own sins via reincarnation, then the ancient Temple sacrifices for sin and Christ's death on Calvary's Cross were absolutely meaningless and unnecessary.

The good news is that many Jews are beginning to recognize the truth: That their ancestors rebelled against God and brought a terrible curse on the nation of Israel and the Jews.

And many Jews are recognizing that the ancient curse is broken only through Jesus Christ. When they come to Christ by faith, they are delivered from eternal death unto eternal life. As the apostle Paul wrote: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The Jews were chosen by God to teach His laws and commandments and to bring His Messiah Jesus Christ into the world to offer God's grace and mercy to a rebellious creation through the cross.

Many Jews now understand that. They weren't chosen to be a laughingstock or punching-bag for the world. They were chosen to be a priesthood for God's human creation. And through Christ, they are finally recognizing that.

Sadly, there are many Jews who either still can't or simply refuse to recognize that. They stubbornly remain loyal to a dying man-made religion that's going down like a doomed ship. And unless they wake up, that ship is going to take them to hell.

Jews and Jesus Christ: Pt. III

Over 2,700 years ago, the ancient Hebrew prophet Hosea wrote this: "For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward, the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days." (Hosea 3:4-5)

What was the meaning of the prophet's message? It was this: The Jews would reject God and wander throughout the world for many centuries without a political or spiritual leader over them, and they would have no sacrifice for their sins.

Since the Jewish Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., the Jews haven't had any sacrifices for their sins.

And then, according to Hosea, the Jews would begin returning to the Lord in the last days. But David? Hadn't he died three centuries before Hosea recorded his prophecy? Then how could the Israelites return to him?

Hosea's prophecy was allegorical. David represented the Jewish Messiah who will be both human and divine. That is; he will be the physical incarnation of God who will rule over a global kingdom. And Jerusalem will be the capital city of his kingdom.

Many folks will point out that the Jews already have a religion, and so the prophet must have been referring to something else. But he wasn't. Hosea clearly revealed that the Jews are going to embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in the final days on earth preceding Christ's second coming.

The apostle Paul was familiar with Hosea's prophecy and he also revealed that after a long period of unbelief, the Jews would finally begin to recognize Christ in the end times. Paul wrote this: "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved." (Romans 11:25-26)

Paul revealed that when the church age comes to an end, the Jews will embrace Jesus Christ as their Messiah. When will the church age end? When the Rapture occurs and God removes what's left of His true church from the world directly preceding Christ's return.

Are the Jews beginning to recognize Christ? Indeed, they are. Although there are no hard numbers, cbn.com estimated that there were 10-15,000 Jewish believers in Christ living in Israel as of 2008. Though that number sounds paltry, CBN estimated that there were approximately just 3,500 Jewish believers living in Israel in the late 1990s.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/407139.aspx

What did CBN base its estimate on? The number of Messianic congregations in Israel that have increased from about 80 in the late 90s to 120 as of 2008.

Furthermore, a recent Pew Forum Survey of American Jewry revealed this startling result: Approximately 34 percent of American Jews now believe that they can believe in Jesus Christ and retain their Jewish identity.
http://religiondispatches.org/a-startling-number-believe-you-can-be-jewish-jesus-follower

That would've been unheard of just 50 years ago. Once upon a time, a Jew who dared to openly confess Jesus Christ as the Messiah would've been ridiculed, mocked, condemned and ostracized by the Jewish community. They would've been declared a traitor to Judaism and disowned by their family and friends. I know, because that happened to me.

But the times are changing. Unfortunately, some folks refuse to change. They prefer to live in the distant past. And despite the overwhelming evidence that declares Jesus Christ is the Jewish Messiah, they refuse to even consider the evidence.

In the final part of Jews and Jesus Christ: Those who choose to remain loyal to a doomed ship.

Jews and Jesus Christ: Part II

The Talmud

Many folks believe that the only real difference between Christianity and Judaism is Jesus Christ.

Christians believe that Christ is the Messiah who Israel's ancient prophets foretold of hundreds and thousands of years before His coming while the Jews are looking for someone else.

Otherwise, it's widely assumed that both groups embrace the Old Testament (called the Tanakh in Judaism) as God's inspired word. However, that's only partially true.

While the Torah (the Tanakh) is considered Judaism's most scared text, it isn't Judaism's only text concerning spiritual matters. The Talmud, sometimes referred to as the Oral Torah, is also considered sacred by the rabbis and is frequently used by them for spiritual guidance. 

What is the Talmud? It's a compilation of rabbinical laws and commentaries that were once known as the Mishnah (Oral Law) until they were recorded by the rabbis sometime during the 2nd century A.D. 

What is the Oral Law? The rabbis claim that after Moses received the written law from God on Mt. Sinai, God revealed a series of verbal laws to the Hebrew patriarch that were to be passed on to each generation by word of mouth.

Does any evidence exist that proves Moses received an oral law? None whatsoever. Then where did it originate from and why do the Jews consider it sacred?

Though it's hard to pinpoint just when the Jews began formulating these man-made laws, it already existed during the time of Christ.

For example, when a group of rabbis harshly criticized Christ's disciples one day when they broke a Jewish religious tradition by failing to wash their hands before they ate, Christ blasted them: "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?" (Matthew 15:3) 

The rabbinical tradition that Christ referred to had nothing to do with hygiene. Rather, ceremonial hand-washing was one of a blizzard of man-made laws the rabbis added to the Mosaic Covenant in violation of God's decree. (Deuteronomy 4:2)

In fact, Christ made that point in His famous condemnation of the rabbis and their religious system: "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them." (Matthew 23:2-4)

It's important to understand what Christ stated. He revealed that the rabbis usurped Moses and made themselves the highest spiritual authority over the Jews. Therefore, their laws took precedent over the written law Moses received from God. 

As such, whenever the written law clashed with the Oral Law, the Jews were commanded by the rabbis to follow the Oral Law. That was sacrilege of the worst sort. The Jews were told to ignore God's laws in favor of the rabbinical laws.

But there's something even more sinister about the Talmudic laws and commentaries. They lead their adherents away from Christ and Calvary and direct them toward a mythical messiah who will never come.

The Talmud denies Christ; denies the Trinity and denies or perverts every prophecy in the Tanakh that points directly to Christ. That's why the Jews reject Christ and continue to look for another messiah.

And tragically, the only other "messiah" who's coming is the Antichrist who will lead millions into hell. The world will eagerly embrace him because he will deceive multitudes with counterfeit signs, wonders and miracles.

The real Messiah came 2,000 years ago and fulfilled the writings of God's ancient prophets by dying on the cross for the sins of the world and rising from the dead. He is Jesus Christ, and He's coming again. And when He comes again, the Jews will finally recognize Him.

In Part III, the spiritual awakening of the Jews and their embrace of Jesus Christ.

Jews and Jesus Christ

Though the rabbis emphasize that their ancestors made the right choice to reject Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah, the Jews actually fulfilled an ancient prophecy by spurning Christ.

What prophecy foretold that the Jews would reject their Messiah? Here's what the prophet Isaiah wrote over 700 years before Christ appeared on earth: "He (Messiah) was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53:3)

But haven't the Jews been looking for the Messiah for several millennia? Indeed they have. But they've been looking for the wrong one. They've been looking for a messiah fashioned in their own imaginations rather than the true Messiah promised by God through His prophets.

Thus, when Christ appeared in ancient Israel 2,000 years ago, the Jews weren't looking for Him. And Christ possessed none of the attributes that the Jews were seeking in the Messiah.

For starters, Christ was a very ordinary looking man. Even John the Baptist had to admit that he failed to recognize Jesus when He appeared: "I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the (Holy) Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." (John 1:33-34)

Christ's ordinary appearance also fulfilled Isaiah's prophetic writings: "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." (Isaiah 53:2)

Why did the Jews reject Christ? Actually, not all of them did. In fact, many of the Jews embraced Christ as their Messiah early on until a relentless smear campaign conducted by their corrupt religious leaders finally convinced them to give up on Christ.

Why did their religious leaders despise Christ? Because He was a threat to their authority. Christ not only confounded them with His knowledge of the Mosaic Law, but He also performed incredible miracles such as sighting the blind, restoring hearing to the deaf and even raising the dead.

None of the rabbis possessed that sort of power and they were extremely jealous of Christ because of that. Christ's miracles alone convinced many Jews that He was their Messiah.

But Israel's religious leaders finally succeeded when they were able to bribe Judas Iscariot into handing Christ over to them so they could send Him on to the Romans for crucifixion on trumped up charges.

The rabbis thought that they were through with Christ. By betraying Christ into the hands of the Romans, they believed that they had finally rid themselves of their biggest nemesis.

Instead, by selling out Christ, the rabbis fulfilled another prophecy recorded by Isaiah: "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5)

With that sort of prophetic evidence--and that's just a mere portion of it--no thinking and objective person should be looking for another Messiah. They should be able to conclude without a doubt that Jesus Christ is the Jewish Messiah.

And indeed He is. However, when culture and tradition trump historical evidence, then folks are either too afraid to examine the evidence for fear of discovering that they've been following a lie, or they simply don't care because the approval of men is more important to them than the approval of God.

In Part II: A counterfeit religious system called Rabbinic Judaism.

America's Coming Doom

Harmless college fun?

One of the frequent themes of my messages has been the decline and decay of traditional moral values in western civilization.

Since the end of World War II, the western world has been sliding into a moral and spiritual abyss. Consider that in just the past 40 years, we've seen the legalization of infanticide (abortion), gay marriage and marijuana.  

We've also seen the collapse of traditional marriage, the disintegration of the nuclear family, skyrocketing divorce rates, millions of babies born out of wedlock, the explosion of crime and rampant drug and alcohol abuse.

What's the reason for all this? It's very simple: Christianity has lost its influence over the culture. Actually, that influence started to wane in the 19th century when Christian seminaries--particularly in Europe--began rejecting the Bible as the inspired word of God and began importing the godless ideas of secular humanists.

That resulted in the church's embrace of secular humanistic psychology to address emotional and behavioral problems that were rooted in sin. Since the Bible was no longer considered sufficient to meet the emotional needs of people, the church turned to atheists such as Freud, Maslow, Rogers, Jung etc. to find new solutions for ageless problems related to mankind's rebellion against God.

America's seminaries followed their European counterparts and began to "expand" their realm of ideas from the Bible to other spiritual and material sources. No longer was Jesus Christ considered "the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6).  Rather, he was downgraded to just another religious figure in a pantheon of holy men.

Even worse, the church not only failed to "contend for the faith" (Jude 1:3) by refuting the unprovable theories of Charles Darwin, much of Christendom actually embraced evolution as credible science, despite the lack of evidence. If evolution is true, then the Bible's Book of Genesis is false. And if Genesis is false, then rest of the Bible disintegrates like a straw hut in a hurricane. 

What evolution does is deny God's existence. It attempts to explain the existence of life as a natural accident without any design, purpose or meaning. Not only is evolution far from scientific, it was even dismissed as nonsense by Albert Einstein who was an agnostic.

Nevertheless, in the absence of the Judeo-Christian influence, western civilization continues its slide into the moral abyss. And the void left by the Christian church has been filled by humanists who've indoctrinated millions of people into secularism and its corollaries such as nihilism and existentialism. 

Humanists deny God and teach that to impressionable young children. And humanists malign those who believe in God as simple-minded morons who are anti-science. 

And so, if people no longer believe in God, then they don't believe that they held morally accountable for their behavior here on earth. They will then become moral reprobates--the type of people described by the apostle Paul in his epistles. (Romans 1:18-32, 2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Thus, religion becomes ever more cultural and ever less relevant to the lives of millions. You'd be surprised at how many professing Christians no longer believe in God. That's what happens when a living faith morphs into a dead religion. For many folks, Christianity has become just a dead, mundane tradition. That's what cultural Christianity is.

In two weeks, millions of Americans will go to the polls to vote for political candidates they hope will help turn the tide of America's relentless moral decay. 

But you don't change a culture at the ballot box. Because political leaders reflect the culture they come from. If you don't believe that, then think Barack Obama. He's a product of a morally decadent society. And he shows it.

If Americans want to reverse the moral slide their country's been on for the past 70 years, then they need to make Christianity relevant once again to the nation. 

That means getting out into the streets and preaching the Gospel. That means making the faith relevant to society once again. And that means being willing to put up with the inevitable abuse and persecution that preaching the Gospel brings. Remember, there's no other way.

An Islamic Civil War?

ISIS on the march

What will happen if the Islamic State, a.k.a. ISIS, succeeds in taking over Iraq? It will likely try to invade Iran.

But isn't Iran already an Islamic theocracy? Indeed, it is. So why would a burgeoning Islamic organization such as ISIS want to invade another Islamic nation?

Because Iran is a Shiite nation while ISIS is a Sunni organization. And the Shiites and Sunnis don't like each other.

That animosity goes back many centuries. What's the main difference between Shiites and Sunnis? The Shiites believe that the heirs of Islam's fourth caliph Ali are Muhammad's rightful successors while the Sunnis believe that Islam's first four caliphs were the rightful successors of Muhammad.

Another difference is their view of the Islamic messiah, the Imam Mahdi. The Shiites believe that he has already appeared on earth and cannot appear again until all the Jews have been eliminated from the world. The Sunnis believe that he has yet to appear.

While those differences seem like minor issues to many of us in the west, they divide the Islamic world like a huge chasm. And in the Islamic world, those are the types of issues that lead to bloody wars.

And so, the question that begs to be asked is this one: Is the Obama Administration purposely allowing the Islamic State to take over Iraq in the hope that Iran will be forced into a war with ISIS?

Obama's regrettable decision to pull American troops out of Iraq beginning in 2011 enabled ISIS to overrun Iraq. And his subsequent feeble attempt to thwart ISIS via limited and impotent air strikes suggests that he may indeed want the Islamic terror group to march all the way to the Iranian border.

If ISIS succeeds in taking Iraq--and that's becoming a very real possibility--then the Islamic State will undoubtedly set its sights on Iran.

If a war occurs between ISIS and Iran, things will get extremely dangerous and ugly in the Middle East. The Iranians are close to manufacturing nuclear weapons. And they will likely use them against ISIS if the survival of their nation is at stake.

My suspicion surrounding ISIS and the Obama Administration is based upon what my senses are telling me. I strongly believe that the Obama Administration would rather have ISIS confront Iran than the United States, NATO or Israel.

I suspect that Obama hopes that ISIS and Iran will go to war and damage each other in a similar fashion to the heavy damage Iraq and Iran incurred during the war they fought from 1980-1988. Both sides suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties in that long war.

If an ISIS-Iran confrontation was indeed drawn up by the Obama Administration, then that's a terrible strategy. Not only have tens of thousands of innocent people already lost their lives to ISIS butchers, but the potential loss of life could be catastrophic in that region if Iran is invaded and decides to use nuclear weapons.

As the world's reigning superpower (for now at least), the United States has a moral obligation to protect innocent lives rather than foment wars and revolutions that kill countless people.

Thus, if the Islamic State's success turns out to be the result of Obama's Middle East strategy, then Barack Obama and all those in his administration who plotted that strategy have blood on their hands.

Think of all those innocent people that have been robbed, raped, brutalized and beheaded. That wouldn't have happened if the U.S. had kept some troops in Iraq.

And please don't tell me that we couldn't afford to do that anymore. We keep troops all over the world in places such as Germany and South Korea where there aren't any wars being fought.

So why not instead deploy them where they are truly needed? Because Barack Obama and all the JV's (stooges, lackeys, buffoons, clowns, imbeciles etc.) in his administration don't want to. They think they can implement a more effective foreign policy in the Middle East than the far more experienced folks in the State Department or at the Pentagon can.

Behold America--your judgment is rapidly approaching. 

Evil By Any Other Name

Working overtime during the Halloween season

Though many folks, including professing Christians, dismiss God's laws spelled out in the Mosaic Covenant as irrelevant and obsolete, they'd better think again. Because they still apply to them and all mankind.

Here's what Jesus Christ said concerning God's laws: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:17-18)

Certainly, Christ fulfilled the Law by keeping all of its ordinances that God's infinite justice demanded and then He died on a Roman cross for everyone who couldn't keep those ordinances.

And so, what Christ did was fulfill the Law and cancel its penalties for all sinners who put their complete faith and trust in Him. 

However, Christ did not abolish the Law. If He did, then there would no more judgment for those who commit evil. And that would include Christians who willfully sin and violate God's commandments. Thus, the Law remains in effect as God's ultimate standard of conduct for human behavior.  

And the Law has a lot to say to those folks who typically become involved during the Halloween season in such occult practices as spiritism, necromancy, witchcraft, shamanism, divination and sorcery.

Here's what the Law says: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 18:10-13)

While that command was given to the ancient Israelites, it was part of God's universal law that applies to everyone. Though they failed, the Israelites were commissioned by God to teach His laws to all mankind. 

Why is spiritism, divination, sorcery, witchcraft etc. detestable to the Lord? Because it brings a person into direct contact with demonic spirits that will either try to deceive, oppress or even possess them. 

For example, when someone attempts to contact the spiritual realm via the Ouija Board, they have violated God's law and given Satan the legal right to invade their lives. Some folks who make contact will encounter demons that will impersonate the dead and deceive them by promoting a very pantheistic, eastern worldview of the spiritual realm.

Other folks may begin to experience hallucinations, nightmares, hear voices and even see ghosts. And others may experience sudden panic attacks, deep depression, feelings of Deja Vu or extremely bad luck. 

And still others may even become demon possessed. Remember the horror movie The Exorcist? It was based upon the true story of an adolescent boy who dabbled with a Ouija Board and became demon-possessed.

Halloween is a pagan holiday that promotes evil practices. Christians should never celebrate this holiday nor get involved in any of its activities. Because they lead to the demonic. And that leads people straight towards the gates of hell.

Rapture Mania: Part III

Artist's rendition of the Rapture

Just when is Jesus Christ going to return? Since we don't have the date, we must rely on scripture to alert us to when His return is near.

Christ revealed that wars, rumors of wars, persecution of Christians, increases in earthquakes, famines, pestilences, the explosion of evil, the rise of false prophets and messiahs, and the appearance of the Antichrist would all take place prior to His return. (Matthew 24:4-28)

And then He said this: "Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time the sign of the Son of Man (Christ) will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matthew 24:29-31)

What did Christ reveal? He revealed that the Rapture is going to take place at the very end of the seven-year Tribulation period. Christ revealed that He will rescue His true church from the world just before He pours out His judgment across the earth.

In fact, this event will mirror God's ancient rescue of Lot and his family just before He destroyed the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 19)

For many Christians, a post-trib Rapture makes absolutely no sense. They contend that Christ warned that He would return at a time when few people were expecting Him: "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." (Matthew 24:42)

Those who promote the Pre-Tribulation Rapture contend that Christ must return prior to the seven-year Tribulation period because everyone would logically expect His return at the end of this period.

Really? If the Rapture fails to occur before this period begins and the dreaded Antichrist arrives and begins persecuting Christians, what do you think will happen?

Many folks who eagerly anticipated the Rapture and expected to be gone before this wicked ruler appeared will lose their faith. They will feel betrayed by God and will consider the Bible to be a myth. And they will no longer anticipate Christ's return.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul wrote this: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is one such myth. Why has it become so popular? Because it offers people the hope that they will escape the Tribulation and avoid the Antichrist's wrath. But that's a false hope based upon conjecture and scripture taken out of context.

Since the church age began 2,000 years ago, Christians have been persecuted and martyred for their faith. In fact, God has never promised any generation of Christians that they would not be persecuted before Christ returned.

Why then does this generation believe that it will avoid persecution via the Rapture? Because too many professing Christians today are cowards who love the world and love their own flesh more than they love their Lord. They are terrified of persecution. And tragically, when it comes to them, many will abandon Christ to save their own skin.

That's what really drives the popularity of Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching. It sounds good. But it isn't true. And sadly, many folks are going to discover that at some point in the future.

Rapture Mania: Part II

Islamists destroy a church in Islamabad

If the Rapture indeed occurs prior to the seven-year Tribulation period, then obviously the true Church of Jesus Christ will vanish from the world.

And that means that there won't be any true Christians left on earth. For those who promote the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, that presents a serious problem: Biblical prophecy clearly tells us that Christians are going to be severely persecuted during this seven-year period before Christ returns.

Here's what the apostle John recorded in the Revelation concerning the Antichrist's persecution of Christians: "He was given power to wage war against the saints and to conquer them." (Revelation 13:6) 

Here's what Christ revealed is going to take place during that dreaded period: "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me." (Matthew 24:9) 

And here's what the prophet Daniel recorded 2,600 years ago concerning the Antichrist: "He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time." (Daniel 7:25)

Who are the holy people? They are true Christians. And like Christ and John, Daniel revealed that they're going to be persecuted by this wicked ruler when he assumes control over a world government.

And so, how can Christians be persecuted if they have been taken away via the Rapture? The Pre-Trib proponents attempt to answer that question by claiming that after the Rapture, "tribulation saints" are going to arise. They claim that these folks will recognize that the Bible is true after the Rapture takes place and they will become Christians.

Can we find any biblical references to tribulation saints? Absolutely not. Then why do Pre-Trib proponents believe this? Because they have to come up with an explanation for the persecution of Christians that's going to take place during the Tribulation period.

And they claim that the 144,000 Jews mentioned in Revelation 7 that are going to come to Christ during that period are going to evangelize the world and convert many people to Christ. Again, that's based purely upon conjecture and not upon any scriptural evidence.

Here's another problem: If the Holy Spirit is removed from the world via the Rapture, then no one will be saved unless the Spirit returns. The apostle Paul wrote: "And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." (Romans 8:9) 

Therefore, if the Pre-Trib Rapture indeed occurs, there will be no true Christians on the earth during the Tribulation period.

However, the Bible tells us that true Christians will indeed be around because they're going to be persecuted. Who's right? The Bible's right and the Pre-Trib proponents are wrong. There isn't going to be a Pre-Trib Rapture.

In Part III: Why Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching has become so popular in the end times. 

Rapture Mania: Part One

Where did he go?

Perhaps no other topic has attracted more attention throughout the Christian church over the past 60 years than the Rapture.

There have been countless books, articles, web sites, movies and videos devoted to this subject. In fact, there are many Christians who spend at least as much--if not more time contemplating the Rapture than they do contemplating almost any other subject that involves their faith.

First of all, what is the Rapture? The Rapture involves the physical removal of the true church from the world by Jesus Christ shortly before God pours out His judgment on the earth during the Tribulation period. 

What is the Tribulation period? It's a seven year period of God's judgment against the world that's divided into two 3-1/2 year periods. The first half is called the Tribulation Period, and the second is called the Great Tribulation Period. The Tribulation Period will occur seven years prior to the return of Jesus Christ.

Is the Rapture biblical? Definitely. Christ said this: "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." (John 14:2-4)

The apostle Paul wrote this: "According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep (died). For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)

When is this going to happen? Proponents of the "Pre-Tribulation Rapture" claim that this event will take place just before the dreaded Antichrist appears and assumes control over a world government. 

Why do they believe this? Because of a prophecy revealed by Paul in his second epistle to the Thessalonian Church. Paul wrote this: "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one (Antichrist) will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming." (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8)

Pre-Trib Rapture proponents claim that the Holy Spirit is the one Paul referred to who restrains evil and prevents the Antichrist's appearance. 

Therefore, according to their interpretation, the Holy Spirit must be removed or taken out of the way by God in order for the Antichrist to appear. They believe that the removal of the Holy Spirit from the world is synonymous with the rapture of the church.

There's a very serious problem with that teaching. First of all, Paul wrote this in 2 Thessalonians 2:3: "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day (Rapture) will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness (Antichrist) is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." 

If Paul was referring to the Rapture in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, then he contradicted himself because he claimed in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 that the church would indeed be around when the Antichrist appears.

Who then did Paul refer to as the restrainer of evil? He was likely referring to Michael the Archangel, who the prophet Daniel revealed protects God's people on earth. (Daniel 12:1) 

When Michael is removed, then the Antichrist will appear and promptly begin persecuting Christians throughout the world. (Daniel 7:25, Daniel 8:24, Revelation 13:7) There isn't a single scripture verse in the Bible that reveals the Holy Spirit as the restrainer of evil on earth.

In part two, serious discrepancies in the Pre-Trib Rapture doctrine that cannot be reconciled.  

Guardians of Evil

How can I help you?

The Roman Catholic Church has historically taught that God assigns guardian angels to human beings to assist and protect them throughout their lives.

That's a teaching that Pope Francis repeated recently when he said this: "Do not rebel: follow his (the angel's) advice...no one walks alone and none of us can think he is alone." 

www.independent.co.uk

Francis wasn't speaking figuratively. He believes that people can actually talk to their "angels" to receive advice on all sorts of matters from relationships, love, financial matters, the stock market etc.

The pope didn't uncover a long lost teaching that was buried deep in the bowels of some ancient monastery. In 2011, his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI said this: "From the beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their constant protection."

If that was true, then there wouldn't be any victims of crime because the guardian angels would protect everyone from harm. After all, angels are much more powerful than human beings and cannot be harmed by human weapons such as knives or bullets.

Does the Bible speak of guardian angels? It does in the context that God will rescue those who fall into imminent danger that's no fault of their own: "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Psalm 91:11-12)

Certainly, there are those who will mock that scripture and point to all the Christians that are being persecuted throughout the world. But there's a distinct difference between a situation where a Christian is threatened with physical harm or death because of an extenuating circumstance (plane crash, weather disaster, building collapse etc.) and a situation where one's faith is being tested.

Sadly, many professing Christians become cowards when they are threatened with death for their faith. To that God says: "But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." (Hebrews 10:38) 

Thus, Christians who are martyred for their faith will go immediately to heaven to be with the Lord. Jesus Christ stated: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One (God) who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)

The Bible never reveals that people have guardian angels who protect and advise them. However, there are in fact "angels" that do keep watch over people. 

They are demons under the authority of Satan that are assigned to prevent folks from coming to the revelatory knowledge that Jesus Christ died for their sins on the cross and was raised from the dead.

These unclean spirits will do everything in their power to deceive, threaten and obstruct people from coming to Christ. Their main objective is to prevent the salvation of every human being on the planet. They accomplish that primarily through false religions (Islam, Catholicism, Hinduism, Rabbinic Judaism, Shintoism, Taoism, Buddhism etc.) existentialism and pseudo-science (evolution).

And if they fail to prevent someone's salvation, they will attempt to destroy a new Christian's faith by persecuting them through unbelievers. That's why it's critical for new Christians to join a strong fellowship and get discipleship. Without that, they are like sheep surrounded by wolves.

And so, when Pope Francis encourages you to talk to your guardian angel, don't listen to him. Speak rather to God through prayer. He's the one you are to talk to. He can hear you--He isn't deaf. And He'll give you the right answers. Every time.

Cons, Obama and Ebola

Louis Farrakhan: Kook, Con or Clown?

From the Email Bag, our monthly Q and A:

Question: Did you read Louis Farrakhan's (Nation of Islam) recent comment where he claimed that Ebola was a virus designed by white scientists to wipe out the black race?

Answer: I don't put much stock into what Farrakhan says. Many people think he's crazy, but he isn't. He's a con artist who exploits ignorant people. Since many of his followers are largely illiterate, he can get away with saying such outrageous stuff like that. He knows that isn't true. But as Hitler once proved, hate is a powerful weapon that unites people. And Farrakhan has been using that weapon for a long time to build and maintain his constituency.

Question: Jonathan Cahn (author) believes that Isaiah 9:10 is God's prophetic warning to the United States to either repent or face judgment? Agree? Or, disagree?

Answer: Cahn, who calls himself a "messianic Jewish rabbi", has written several popular books, among them, The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah. He makes the claim in The Harbinger that Isaiah 9:10 forewarned of al Qaeda's 9/11/2001 attacks against the U.S. over 2,700 years ago and that the attacks occurred because of America's sin and rebellion against God. While I believe that the 9/11 attacks were indeed judgment against America, I don't believe that Isaiah 9:10 prophesied of those attacks. Isaiah 9:10 was included in the greater context of God's warning to ancient Israel to either repent of her sin and rebellion against Him or face judgment. (Isaiah 9:8-12) Why does Cahn claim that Isaiah 9:10 applies to modern America? Because he's trying to sell books. And he's convinced a lot of folks that he's solved some ancient prophetic mysteries. He hasn't.

Question: Do you believe that the stock market is going to collapse? Some people are predicting that. And they believe that the collapse will lead to a global monetary system.
Answer: I believe that the entire U.S. economic system is eventually going to collapse unless the government solves its debt crisis. America's debt now exceeds $17 trillion. That's an economic nuclear bomb that's going to explode at some point in the future. When will that happen? When the world begins abandoning the dollar and switches to an alternative currency such as the Chinese yuan. While that may take several years, it's already beginning to happen. China and Russia have formed an economic partnership and are working toward becoming dollar independent. While Russia's economy is weak, China's is strong. And keep in mind that as America's influence fades in the world, these two nations will expand their influence by building their own regional empires. Thus, the more nations that become aligned with these two emerging giants, the weaker America will become economically and militarily. That's why it's imperative for America to get rid of her debt because if she doesn't, she's doomed.

Question: Do you think Ebola is God's judgment against the world?
Answer: We'll have to wait and see. Jesus Christ revealed that one of the signs of the end times preceding His return would be the increase in pestilences across the world. (Luke 21:11) Could Ebola be the fulfillment of Christ's prophecy? It could. Remember that Ebola isn't a new disease; it was initially discovered in 1976 in the Congo basin of central Africa. But it didn't cause any major problems until recently. Apparently, the virus has mutated although health officials claim that it hasn't. If it hasn't, then why has it suddenly become so deadly? Something's happening.

Question: How will history judge Barack Obama?
Answer: Badly. There's no sense in listing his accomplishments, because he doesn't have any, unless you consider that he successfully conned the American people twice. (2008, 2012) If and when America collapses, you'll look back and see that this man and his enablers had a lot to do with it. But then again, the people who voted for Obama will bear the ultimate responsibility for America's downfall.

Question: Will the Jews ever come to accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah?
Answer: Yes, but not corporately until He returns. The ancient prophet Zechariah (6th century B.C.) revealed that when Christ returns to rescue Israel from the armies of a world government, the eyes of the Jews will be opened and they will finally recognize Him. Here's what Zechariah wrote: "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, and all the rest of the clans and their wives." (Zechariah 12:10-14) Then, the prophet wrote this:  ^"If someone asks, 'What are these wounds on your body?' they will answer, 'The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.'" (Zechariah 13:6) Though the Jews still corporately reject Christ, many are now embracing Him ahead of His return, which is also a fulfillment of ancient prophecy: "Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days." (Hosea 3:5)

The Next Holocaust

From the mouth of Al Gore, the Al Sharpton of the global environmental movement, comes this pearl of wisdom concerning world population: "One of the things we could do about it is to change the technologies, to put out less of this pollution, to stabilize the population, and one of the principle ways of doing that is to empower and educate girls and women. You have to have ubiquitous availability of fertility management so women can choose how many children they have, the spacing of children."

Gore gave that speech in New York City during a June 20-22 (2011) conference sponsored by an organization called Games For Change, an environmental group that has a vision to radically transform the earth into an eco-friendly paradise by lowering those nasty greenhouse gasses that environmental priests such as Gore claim threaten the very existence of the planet.

And according to these eco-awareness elites, since human beings emit the largest amount of greenhouse gas into the earth's atmosphere by exhaling carbon dioxide...well, you get the idea.

And so the latest idea and slogan of global environmentalists that was trumpeted by Gore during his recent speech is something called "Fertility Management." That's code-speech for population reduction and control which sounds innocuous enough until you open the cover of this book and begin reading the contents.

To the average Joe Shmoe whose extent of scientific knowledge is largely limited to his local 9 p.m. news, Fertility Management means birth control devices such as condoms, pills and cold showers. But to environmental clergymen such as Gore and his parishioners at the Games For Change, Fertility Management means the first step in a series of global steps designed to radically reduce the earth's population before the end of the current century.

Certainly, this isn't the first time global elites have attempted to frighten the unwashed masses away from procreating. Back in 1968, doomsayers at the United Nations tried to peddle a propaganda book written by Paul Ehrlich, titled, The Population Bomb where Ehrlich made the sensational claim that unless the earth's population was radically reduced, the world would experience mass starvation and death in the 1970s and 80s.

Here's a sample of what Ehrlich wrote in his fictional masterpiece: "The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970's hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now. At this date nothing can prevent a substantial increase in the world death rate."

Ehrlich proposed radical procedures for reducing the earth's population that would have made the Nazis proud. One of his ideas for Fertility Management advocated developing "temporary sterilants" added to drinking water to sterilize sexually-active men. He also encouraged the United States to create a new bureaucracy called the "Department of Population and Environment" that would have given the U.S.government unbridled authority to mandate birth control and restrict family size in America.

Unfortunately for Ehrlich and his followers and fortunately for the United States and the civilized world, Ehrlich was dismissed as an amateur whose apocalyptic predictions of massive death and starvation were the musings of a kook. When Ehrlich's prognostications failed to materialize in the 1970s and 80s his book was relegated to the status of pulp fiction.

Nevertheless, there were those at the United Nations who chose to remain loyal to Ehrlich despite his failed predictions. So they devised a plan that proposed reducing the earth's population from the current estimated number of seven billion inhabitants to about 2.5 billion by the year 2100. The U.N. calls its plan Agenda 21 and the plan involves more than just a radical reduction in the earth's population during the current century; it involves the eventual transfer of sovereignty from 193 individual nations to a one-world government.

And lest anyone find that incredulous they need to realize that biblical prophecy recorded many centuries ago forewarned us of an end-time global government that would consist of 10 nation groups ruled by seven powerful leaders who would answer to a supreme leader of this world government that the Bible identifies as the Antichrist. (Daniel 7:7, Daniel 7:24, Revelation 13:1, Revelation 17:9-14)
Perhaps the word that most accurately identifies Agenda 21 is "sustainable." In the propaganda-laden sophistry of Agenda 21, sustainable means that the earth cannot sustain seven billion-plus residents and thus some--if not many folks--will have to be eliminated.

But how does the U.N. plan propose the elimination of five billion people from the planet before the end of the century? Through abortion, "fertility management", the promotion of "alternative lifestyles", (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) euthanasia, radical environmentalism, feminism and "economic solutions" that discourage large families by making children costly to raise.

Certainly, the population "experts" at the U.N. and those with affiliated organizations such as the Council on Foreign Relations, the Club of Rome, the Trilateral Commission and George Soros' Tides Foundation would never openly admit that they're funding political-activist groups that are dedicated to thwarting population growth.

But when you follow the money trail from the abortion, homosexual, environmental and green energy lobbies, the trail ends at the doorsteps of these globalists. Thus, the common denominator of the abortion industry, militant homosexuality, feminism, radical environmentalism and rigged economies is population control.

Still skeptical? Then consider an article written by Ben Webster (Birth Control: The Most effective way of reducing greenhouse emissions) that was published in The Times on Nov. 19, 2009. Webster, who is the Times' Environmental Editor, quoted a U.N. Population Fund Report: "No human is genuinely carbon neutral. Therefore, everyone is part of the problem, so everyone must be part of the solution in some way. Each birth results not only in the emissions attributable to that person in his or her lifetime, but also the emissions of his or her descendants."

And then Webster peeled back the UN's climate-curtain to reveal the proverbial wizard behind the global population reduction movement: "Fear of appearing supportive of population control has, until recently, held back any mention of 'population' in the climate."

But not anymore. Since Ehrlich's prophecy concerning massive worldwide death and starvation failed to materialize, the new global bogeyman has become "Climate Change" that was formally referred to as "Global Warming." Why the name change? Because it turns out that there is no global warming since the earth's atmosphere has been cooling for the past decade. And so, in order for globalists to keep their credibility and maintain their crusade toward a one-world government, "global warming" had to be renamed "climate change."

Thus, all those hurricanes, F5 tornadoes, droughts and monster blizzards have now been determined to be the result of too much greenhouse gas emitted into the earth's atmosphere. While it's impossible to prove that the earth's atmosphere is heating up when the meteorological statistics say otherwise, it's also impossible to prove that snowstorms, cyclones, tornadoes, hurricanes etc. aren't becoming deadlier and more frequent.

Certainly, they've been occurring since the beginning of time, but who's going to claim that they're not becoming more destructive when meteorological record keeping was virtually nonexistent before the 19th century? And so, the absence of meteorological records means an avalanche (pun intended) of propaganda designed to convince the earth's inhabitants to give up their sovereignty in favor of a mammoth global government that would have the power to regulate the environment and virtually every aspect of human life.

An organization named the American Policy Center that studies U.N. policy aspirations, had this to say about Agenda 21: "According to its authors, the objective of sustainable development is to integrate economic, social and environmental policies in order to achieve reduced consumption, social equity, and the preservation and restoration of biodiversity. Sustainablists insist that every societal decision be based on environmental impact, focusing on three components; global land use, global education and global population control and reduction."

According to proponents of Agenda 21, government methods for restricting population growth must involve (1) seizing private land under the guise of protecting the environment; (animal life, insects, fish, water, forestry etc.) (2) utilize government and private educational systems to indoctrinate children into "alternative" lifestyles (LGBT sexuality) and discourage them from traditional Judeo-Christian values that encourage marriage and large families and (3) impose restrictions on family size; force abortions for those who exceed their quotas of children; mandate mandatory birth control for those who are sexually active and order euthanasia for those who are no longer deemed fit or productive for society.

And while that sounds like the fascism that characterized Hitler's Nazi Germany or today's North Korea, that will be life under a one-world government if the U.N. and globalists such as George Soros and David Rockefeller get their way.

Commenting on Agenda 21, the New American's William Jasper warns: "The UN's Agenda 21 is definitely comprehensive and global-breathtakingly so. Agenda 21 proposes a global regime that will monitor, oversee, and strictly regulate our planet's oceans, lakes, streams, rivers, aquifers, sea beds, coastlands, wetlands, forests, jungles, grasslands, farmland, deserts, tundra and mountains. It even has a whole section on regulating and protecting the atmosphere. It proposes plans for cities, towns, villages and rural areas. It envisions a global scheme for healthcare, education, nutrition, agriculture, labor, production and consumption-in short everything; there is nothing on, in, over or under the Earth that doesn't fall within the purview of Agenda 21."

The complete control and massive overreach of a global government will come as the logical result of a narcissistic, lazy and undereducated population that is convinced that it is entitled to many things that were once held as privileges.

And those who are determined to establish a one-world government are determined to convert privileges into "rights" because that's how governments eradicate freedoms and seize private property. A privilege is something that must be earned based on a merit system while a "right" is something that everyone allegedly is lawfully entitled to.

Unfortunately, under massive government control, some folks become more entitled to certain things than others. For example, the abominable healthcare plan derisively called Obamacare was promoted as cheap affordable health care for all Americans.

Many Americans enthusiastically embraced the plan because they thought they would eventually gain access to affordable and unlimited healthcare. And under that plan, some indeed will be given access to free or cheap healthcare while others deemed too old or too sick or suffering from debilitating diseases will be denied access.

Obamacare does indeed authorize those discreet bureaucratic tribunals that Sarah Palin derided as death panels that will have the power to determine who is granted healthcare and who isn't. And this fits right in with the UN's Agenda 21 plan for global population reduction because euthanasia is one of the processes that the plan discreetly mandates for achieving that goal.

When government promotes something as a "right" and offers it free of charge, you can be sure that it comes not only with a price-tag in tax dollars, but also with the loss of sovereignty and personal freedom.

Nearly 2,600 years ago, the Hebrew prophet Daniel recorded a revelation he received concerning a global empire that would arise in the last days directly preceding the return of Jesus Christ: "After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast-terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from the former beasts, (world empires) and it had ten horns." (Daniel 7:7)

Daniel's prophecy reveals that this end-time world government will consist of 10 nation groups (horns) that will be a killing machine that will destroy multitudes; perhaps billions of people in its wake.

Furthermore, Daniel revealed the ruler of this world government will be the Antichrist who "will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. (Christians) He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. (Jesus Christ) Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power." (Daniel 8:24-25)

And furthermore, biblical prophecy reveals that true believers in Jesus Christ will be among the first to be eliminated by a world government: "He (Antichrist) was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation." (Revelation 13:7)

According to prophecy, the Antichrist will order mandatory worship of him as a condition of survival and death for those who reject him: "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." (Revelation 13:16-17)

True Christians will be marked for death not only because they preach and uphold biblical values such as chastity, traditional marriage and the sanctity of life which are anathema to a godless world, but also because they preach the life, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only way to eternal life for all human beings.

While the religion of a one-world government will present a Christian façade, it will be a false Christianity that will be based on experiential signs and wonders and the worship of the Antichrist rather than on repentance and faith in Jesus Christ's death on Calvary's cross for one's sins and his resurrection from the dead.

It was Christ himself who stated: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." (John 10:10) The thief that Jesus referred to is none other than Satan himself; the murderous prince of darkness who the bible refers to as "the god of this age who has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4)

And the devil always masks his diabolical intentions behind noble causes such as Agenda 21 that has been promoted to the world as the solution to rid the earth of violent weather by ridding the atmosphere of greenhouse gasses that are the result of too many human beings on the planet.

And if Agenda 21's propaganda campaign that promotes abortion, alternative lifestyles, environmentalism, fertility management, euthanasia etc. fails to radically reduce the earth's population, then a world government will eventually arise that will possess the ultimate authority to decide who lives and who dies in the name of protecting the earth's environment. Tribunals will likely be set up throughout the world to review the life of every person on earth.

These tribunals will consider such criteria as health history, earning power and religious beliefs to determine whether a person is allowed to live or die. Those who are deemed too old, too sick, uneducated or possessing "extremist" religious views at odds with the new world order will likely be marked for extermination.

If that scenario seems too far-fetched to even be remotely believable then get a copy of Agenda 21 and read it. Agenda 21 isn't some secret plan drawn up by a conspiracy group plotting the takeover of the world; it's the blueprint for a new world order written by members of the United Nations who have included in that plan the elimination of billions of people from the planet before the end of the century in the name of "environmental stewardship."

And so, when you hear them talk about "sustainability" and "fertility management" you'll know exactly what they mean.