Pastor calls for death of gays

Posted on May 23, 2012 by dknezacek

“North Carolina pastor calls for death of gays, lesbians by trapping them inside electric fence”

Pastor Charles Worley

Immediately after posting my report on Bill Hamon’s interview with The Voice Magazine, I stumbled upon the above headlines. First off, I must agree with Charles Worley of Providence Road Baptist Church in Maiden, N.C. that homosexuality is a sin. The bible describes it as such, but the bible lists a number of sins, and nowhere commands us to be selective in our condemnation.

“I figured a way to get rid of all the lesbians and queers,” he says.

“Build a great, big, large fence — 150- or 100-mile long — put all the lesbians in there . . . do the same thing for the queers and the homosexuals, and have that fence electrified so they can’t get out.

“Feed ’em, and you know what?” Worley continues. “In a few years they’ll die. Do you know why? They can’t reproduce.”

I don’t hear pastors talking about rounding up all thieves and locking them away. Don’t forget that if you stole a piece of candy as a child, you are a thief. How about all liars? Did you ever tell a lie? Our Churches are full of people who are divorced and remarried, adulterers, including many in the pulpit. Should we lock up all adulterers? By being so selective we are actually showing that we misunderstand the holiness of God!

35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. Matt 22:35-38

Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all you have, your entire being. It thus follows that the greatest sin is to disobey this commandment! Homosexuality is not as serious as breaking the first commandment, yet we have all broken that one numerous times. If we all got what we deserve there would not be anyone left on planet earth. Even pastor Worley would not be here!

The job of the Christian is to preach the truth. It is not to force society into our idea of morality, even if it is true! Every time Christians have tried to rule their society, they themselves have gone apostate! As soon as you begin to think that the purpose of the Church is to change society, you are off the rails! We were sent to preach salvation by grace through faith.

Sin is a tool that God uses to bring people to Himself!  God allows you to sin so the Holy Spirit can do His work of convicting you.

Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: Jeremiah 2:19a

Churches who talk like pastor Worley leave the impression that one can be saved by abstaining from homosexual behavior! A great many young people in fundamentalist churches grow up thinking themselves “good” because they don’t do the things the world does. This Phariseeism is a great enemy of the souls who practice it. It is no different than the Phariseeism of Jesus’ day, except that it is practiced by Baptists, and protestants. They have backslidden to a works gospel!

When Nero married the young man Sporus, there is no evidence in Scripture that Paul, or any other Christian, stood up and publicly challenged him. There was no Christian revolt against Rome because of Nero’s depravity. The Apostles understood that God wanted to save Nero, and Sporus. You can’t do that by deliberately alienating them, although the gospel itself does indeed alienate a great many.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

The bible describes itself as a “sword” that divides. If we speak the truth, that is enough. The world will hate us anyway. There is no need to go out of our way to be hateful. This pastor won’t win any gays to his cause by speaking this way. He may provoke them to perform some hateful acts against his church, and then he can claim he is being “persecuted for his stand for the truth”. Such words are calculated to provoke an angry reaction, not to lead some to a search for truth!

You can’t lead people to Christ if you turn the mission field into enemies!  That’s right pastor Worley, the gays are your mission field!

The truth is that we all deserve the Lake of Fire. Even pastor Worley. Speaking in such a harsh way does not show the love of Christ toward these other sinners. When Christians speak this way it does harm to the cause of Christ! It gives the world a reason to hate Jesus! Jesus is a just judge, and He will throw all unrepentant sinners into the Lake of Fire, including many pastors, but He has given them this lifetime to come to a place of repentance.

Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. Luke 7:47

The speech of this pastor reveals more about the state of his own heart, than it does about the Word of God, or true Christianity. It reveals that he does not think his own sin is all that serious! If he knew how close he has come to the flames of Hell, he would be a little more gentle in the way he speaks about other sinners. Pastor Worley needs to repent of his moralism!

And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? I Peter 4:18

The early Christian Church was made up of former sinners of all stripes, including former homosexuals. Had Christians championed the death penalty for such sins, there is no way they would have eventually made their way to Christ, and to the Church.

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. I Corinthians 6:9-11

The most serious error of pastor Worley is the implication that the gospel alone is not enough for some people.  That there are people who are beyond hope, and the only hope for them is incarceration and death!  Ultimately this is an attack on the Lord and His gospel!  This kind of message is exactly what the haters of Christianity want to hear!  It gives them reason to attack the Church, and reduce our freedoms!

The people of Providence Road Baptist Church, Maiden, N.C. need to remove this pastor from their pulpit!  He does not meet the pastoral qualifications of 1 Timothy 3:3-7 and Titus 1:7-9.  Get him out before he does any more damage!

I highly recommend a sermon by Dr. John MacArthur, called The Deadly Dangers of Moralism. If there was ever a “signature sermon” from Dr. MacArthur, it would have to be this one! If you want to know what is wrong with Christian political activism, this is the sermon for you.

As Jesus said;

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.  Matthew 10:16

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The Manifested Sons of God

Posted on May 22, 2012 by dknezacek

This week I was listening to Brannon Howse’s program, which aired on May 16, 2012. (http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-radio/play.php?id=showsFlat-21300) (Note: link will disappear in 14 days)

Brannon’s exposé today (May 16) was on the “Manifested Sons of God” heresy, promoted by the New Apostolic Reformation crowd. As usual it was very good. Brannon always does a lot of research for his program.

In the process of exposing this heresy, Brannon referred to an interview that The Voice magazine did with Bill Hamon in 2009.   Accordingly I decided to check out the interview for myself. I found that what Brannon says is very true. Mr. Hamon uses a lot of biblical-sounding terminology, but as you keep on reading you find that there are subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle twists from the plain meanings found in Scripture.

Even in the introductory remarks I found some errors in Mr. Hamon’s basic philosophy;

“Hamon’s desire is to see the Church fulfill its purpose, and he knows that won’t happen “until.” Until apostles and prophets, along with evangelists, pastors and teachers, train and activate the saints.”

His error is that the Church has failed to fulfil its purpose over the last two thousand years. The author is implying that the Christian emphasis on doctrine, and the millions of martyrs who died for this cause, were mistaken. No! The millions of men, women, and children, who died for Jesus at the hands of wicked men, glorified Him, and gave witness of His power to save!

Here are some snippets from that interview;

“The Voice: What is the purpose of the Church and are we fulfilling that purpose?”

“Dr. Bill Hamon: The Church definitely has a purpose. Most fundamentally evangelical Christians don’t see any purpose except to escape hell and be happy in heaven with Jesus. God ordained the human race to bring forth a family in His likeness and image, but Adam and Eve failed.”

“So Jesus came 4,000 years later to reactivate the plan of God. He recreated a human race as we were recreated in Christ Jesus. We are a new creation, born again, children of God. This new creation’s purpose is to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. That’s just not in holiness and purity, but to be like Jesus in every way of His authority, power, wisdom, grace, the way He thinks, the way He acts, to have His government and His principles. We are supposed to be a full personification and manifestation and demonstration of who Christ is and what Christ is like. And Christ is a full demonstration of who God is and what God is like.”

What a mixture of truth and error! The “purpose” that he attributes to Fundamentalist Christians is only partly correct. He is downplaying the reality of Hell, and implies that it is selfish to want to go to Heaven, and be with Jesus! The truth is that the true Christian Church will actually be returning with Jesus, to earth! He is putting “the cart before the horse”! We are not called to create the “kingdom of God on earth”!  Jesus is quite capable of doing that Himself!

The purpose of the Church was, and is, to preach the gospel and to snatch some souls out of the Lake of Fire. This is a very high calling, yet people like Bill Hamon imply that this is secondary to the Church’s real purpose!

His statement that Jesus came to “reactivate the plan of God” implies that God did nothing in the 4,000 years from creation until the coming of Christ. I can assure you that God was very active for those 4,000 years, and did indeed save many people during that time. People like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were saved, as were all the prophets of Israel. In fact, during the apostasy of Israel there will still seven thousand following the true God at the time of Elijah (I Kings 19:18).

His statement that “Adam and Eve failed” implies that God had not anticipated their failure, or had not had a plan for that eventuality! In fact the evidence is that both Adam and Eve were saved after they started humanity on its self-destructive course.

No, the Old Testament and its prophets were a part of the plan of God. God uses their prophecies as a means of verifying the credentials of His Son, and the salvation that He brought to earth.

Hamon says “That’s just not in holiness and purity, but to be like Jesus in every way of His authority, power, wisdom, grace, the way He thinks, the way He acts, to have His government and His principles.” This is an amazing twist on the truth. God wants to conform us into the image of Christ, but we will never replace Him! We will never have the power that He has, and any power we may one day have, will be delegated by Him. Mr. Hamon is subtly turning the focus away from Jesus, to man! He is lifting up himself and his followers and making Jesus dependent on them!

If you think about all of the implications of this statement I think you will be shocked. Do we have all the authority of Jesus Christ while we are here on earth? We do have authority to proclaim the gospel, and to confront sin, but we do not usurp all the authority of Jesus Christ. Jesus certainly wants to lead us to think and act the way He would, but then Hamon says we need to become the government of planet earth! We are not to just be like Christ, but we are to exercise the same authority and power that He will exercise when He returns. In effect he is telling us that we are to replace Jesus Christ!

I can’t find that in my bible.

Here’s something else I can’t find in my bible;

“As fanatical as it may sound to fundamental evangelical Christians, the Church is destined to subdue all things and put all things under Christ’s feet before He actually literally returns from heaven.”

It actually doesn’t sound “fanatical” as much as it sounds heretical. This is precisely what Paul wrote to Timothy in II Timothy 3:5 “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

No one would deny that these are relatively “moral” people. They have a form of godliness, and don’t deny the existence of God, but they are really saying that God is powerless without them! That God depends on them, and Christ can’t return until they prepare the kingdom of God on earth!

It’s no surprise that he would go on to say “Rapture teaching is one of the most faith deadening teachings ever preached. It has the most neutralizing affect on a Christian’s aggressive growth process.”

This is one common thread through all the modern apostates, a disparaging view of biblical prophecy, and doctrine. In fact unity is stressed at the expense of doctrine, and truth.

What does he mean by “Rapture teaching is one of the most faith deadening teachings ever preached.”? Nothing the bible teaches is “faith deadening”. Every doctrine taught in the pages of Scripture is designed to INCREASE our faith, not deaden it!  The pre-Tribulation rapture can be found in several places in both the Old and New Testaments.  I have documented this in The Spirit of Prophecy.

What he means is that, if you are looking for the literal return of Jesus Christ, to take you home to Heaven, you are not going to be too interested in taking over the earth, or building the “Kingdom of God on earth”. He is correct. The truth is that Christians who believe in the rapture are busy preaching the gospel of salvation, through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not interested in building a kingdom on earth, for we know that such a kingdom will ultimately be taken over by the Antichrist!

Now that would be a waste of resources. To spend your life building something that ends up putting the Antichrist on the throne, is the waste of a life. Those who push such ecumenical unity, like Jerry Falwell, Chuck Coulson, the New Apostolic Reformation, the World Council of Churches, and the Catholic Church, are wasting their lives for a dream that will ultimately turn into a nightmare!

The bible does indeed speak of the Church ruling and reining with Jesus Christ, on the earth, but at the same time God does not need us to pick up carnal weapons and force the world into our mold. Ungodly rulers like Nero, Hadrian, Hitler, and Stalin, were never a threat to the true Church of Jesus Christ. In fact the Church always grows under such despots.

Today the Church is growing in places like Iran and China. The people compare the desperate despotism of their rulers, and the calm assurance of Christians and the choice is simple. Jesus promises far more than the best this world can offer.

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. John 18:36

The Voice asked Mr. Hamon a question about apostles and prophets, and I think the question itself deserves some attention:

The Voice: Some people don’t believe that apostles and prophets should take on the titles of apostles and prophets. Why is it necessary, why does it matter?

Mr. Hamon’s answer is simply that these titles are indicative of rank in God’s army. Like a sergeant or a general, but that the role each person plays is equally important.  Note, however, that these titles are self imposed!

I have another take on the issue. They are being set up for a great fall. When the Antichrist destroys these people, he will point to Revelation 2:2 as reason why he has destroyed them!

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: Revelation 2:2

Not everything the Antichrist says will be false. He will twist the truth in such a way that it will be very difficult to see the deception. He will destroy the false Church, because God will put it on his heart to do so, and he will have biblical reasons to do it! They call themselves “apostles” when they really are not!

And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. Revelation 17:16-17

Bill Hamon is building the whore. His whole vision of the Church, taking power on the earth, does not come from the bible, but from the mind of Satan.

Mr. Hamon ends his interview with a defence of his prophecies. He claims that prophets need to prophecy good things, and prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah, were unique in their situation. Israel wouldn’t quit sinning, and thus those prophets had to prophesy about God’s coming judgment, unlike today!

I guess he means that our society today does not deserve God’s judgment. “Things are getting better and better, and soon will come a new golden age of the Church’s rule, and then Jesus will be able to return and rule with us!”

Do you see the subtle blasphemy in the foregoing? Jesus depends on us! We are the ones in control! This whole philosophy is meant to lift up man, not God!

The New Apostolic Reformation is growing incredibly fast. The growth will be proof to these people that they are on to something. I predict that it will continue to grow, and only a small number of Churches and Christians will oppose it. When the rapture occurs and they are left behind, they will have some excuse to explain it away. “Those wicked people were taken in judgment!”

False prophets like Hamon are not new. They have been around since the time of Ezekiel and Jeremiah:

To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 13:16

For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Jeremiah 8:11

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Where is the USA in prophecy?

Posted on May 19, 2012 by dknezacek

People keep asking “Where is the USA in prophecy?”  They reason that the most powerful nation in the world should have a place in biblical prophecy.

I would argue that the end of the end times is not quite here just yet.  The United States will be a part of one of the world’s ten regional powers, which will rise just shortly before the Tribulation period.  Those ten nations will encompass the whole world, not just Europe.  The idea that the ten nations are all from Europe is in error.

The Club of Rome, in 1973, issued its plan to divide the world up into ten regions, before joining them into a one-world government.  We can see those regions taking shape in the news, with talk of NAFTA, the EU, the African Union, the Asian Union, & etc.

The USA is falling behind.  The last two major weapon systems of the US military are plagued with problems.  The F-22 raptor poses a danger to its pilots, and the planned production run of around 700 aircraft was cut short to less than 200.  The F-35 program is now the most expensive defense program in world history, has been plagued with cost overruns, and they still don’t have an operational fighter.

In the mean time the Russians have developed the T50/PAK-FA in conjunction with India.

Now China has produced its own stealth fighter, the J-20, and US intelligence experts are now saying it is 2 years ahead of schedule!  This is not to mention the other secret projects that these countries are not talking about.

The Chinese Stealth fighter

The J-20 prototype during flight testing in Chengdu China

As a pilot, of course, I am primarily interested in developments in aviation, but these countries are also moving ahead with other projects, while the US seems deadlocked, too busy worrying about political correctness, entitlement programs, and gay marriage.

Ivan Gren landing ship

Ivan Gren landing ship

According to a pentagon report, China now has three nuclear powered submarines, which greatly expand its capabilities. (see page 22 of the report)

Could it be that, by the time the Tribulation and Armageddon occur, the USA will be a secondary power, swallowed up in a North American Union, and ultimately only a small part of the World Government?  I think so.  I think this is exactly what the bible is teaching.

The bible does teach that the chaos of Armageddon will spread to the whole world, but the center of the action will be Israel, not the United States.

For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts. Jeremiah 25:29

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Should we hang with unbelievers?

Posted on May 16, 2012 by dknezacek

In a 2010 interview with Glen Beck, chancellor of Liberty University, Jerry Falwell junior is quoted as saying “If we don’t hang together we’ll hang separately, I mean, that’s what my father believed when he formed Moral Majority, was an organization of Mormon’s, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, people of no faith. And there are bigger issues now, we can argue about theology later after we save the country.”

As a child I often watched Jerry Falwell on TV. In fact, during the 1990s I was the printer for the Old Time Gospel hour in Canada. Having said this I must say that there were times when I felt some uneasiness, being associated with that organization. I think it was the Holy Spirit warning me that they had gone off the rails, somewhere along the line.

Jerry junior’s statement that “there are bigger issues” is really the key to what is happening with them. Somewhere the Christian right got the idea that democracy is essential for the spread of the gospel, and is ultimately more important.  As far as I can see this is actually a denial of the gospel.

It is true that I like the benefits that democracy brings, but I have to say the biggest issue for a Christian is not politics, but the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is apparent that Jerry junior, and also Jerry Sr. believed that political freedom is more important than the gospel!

Are there evil forces influencing our governments? Yes, absolutely! Are they worse than the Roman emperor Nero, who ruled during the writing of the New Testament? Maybe, but I don’t see any evidence that Paul ever set up any kind of political party to counter Nero’s excesses. In fact the evidence is that Nero is the one historical person who can be pointed to who seems to have invented the gay marriage concept.

Did Paul stand against homosexuality?  Read Romans 1.  But did he campaign for the government to outlaw this and all kinds of sin?  Absolutely not!  Paul understood that creating laws does not change people’s hearts.  In fact the very opposite happens, people begin to think they can obtain salvation by keeping the law.

What Paul did was to campaign to spread the gospel of salvation by grace, through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have posted quite a few articles about the dangers our society is facing.  Those articles are correct.  The left, Islam, the New Apostolic Reformation, and the gay agenda, all pose a danger to our society, but fighting them with the world’s weapons will not bring political victory.

The only way you and I can help our society is to point them to the Savior who died on a cross, almost 2,000 years ago.  Jesus paid the price for your and my sins, in fact he also paid the price for Barack Obama’s sins, as well as Mahmood Ahmadinejad’s.  I am convinced that Jesus would like to save those guys, as well as every other dictator and street urchin on this planet.  I am also convinced that if you or I pick up weapons like Uzis, or Kalashnikovs, we will only get ourselves killed, and those guys will die thinking themselves justified!

What does the bible say about B. Hussein Obama? 

“For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” Romans 13:4

Nero was on the throne when Paul wrote Romans 13:4, and was the direct subject of that verse.  Whether or not he lived up to his godly commission is another subject.  The bible clearly says that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft”. (I Samuel 15:2)  The job of a Christian has always been counterculture, but never rebellion.

Ultimately the religious right will indeed take over the world.  This is the harlot that John wrote of in Revelation 17.  I am convinced that many professing Christians will be a part of that movement.  They will be following the lead of the Falwells, joining with unbelievers as if that is more important than the gospel, and in the end they will enthrone the Antichrist!  In turn they and their movement will be destroyed by the very same person they had put in power!

And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. Revelation 17:16-17

Not only does God hate the whore, but so does the Antichrist and his deputies!  It is not wise to be a part of that movement!

Jerry Falwell junior’s statement that “we can discuss theology later” will never happen.  As soon as you bring up the biblical gospel you will destroy your coalition.  Their unity will enthrone the Antichrist and they will be destroyed before they ever get the chance to present the gospel to their partners!  The fact that they put political unity above the gospel tells me that they don’t really understand it to begin with!

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. John 18:36

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? II Corinthians 6:14

I am convinced that Paul was talking of these people when he said they would be “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” II Timothy 3:5

The modern ecumenical movement is denying that God has the power to create the kingdom of God on earth, in His own time.  Thus, they believe it is their job to do it for Him!  They are teaching “build it and He will come”, the same as the New Age movement, implying that once the New World Order is built, Christ will come, only it will be the Antichrist who comes, and not Jesus Christ.  He’ll be along later, to clean up the mess!

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Grant Jeffrey present with the Lord

Posted on May 13, 2012 by dknezacek

It is with mixed emotions that I have to report that Grant Jeffrey has gone home to be with the Lord.

Grant was one of the first speakers I had heard speaking on the subject of Biblical Prophecy, as a young Christian.  It was his books that sparked an enduring interest in the subject of Bible Prophecy, and the return of the Lord.  While I have discovered some differences, I still believe that Grant was on the right track.

It was Grant Jeffrey who alerted me to the fact that the Gog and Magog war is not the same war as Armageddon.  He actually gave me the idea that the Antichrist will arise in the aftermath of the Ezekiel 38-39 war.  It was a continuation of this thought that ultimately led to the writing of The Spirit of Prophecy.  I owe Grant Jeffrey a debt of gratitude.

It was Grant Jeffrey who first alerted me to the fact that “alien” contactees use the same techniques that occultists have used for millennia, to contact angelic/demonic entities.  This idea led to chapter 9 of The Spirit of Prophecy.

It was Grant Jeffrey who first told me the King James bible is the most accurate bible in the English language.  He was right!

Grant was a brother, and bible scholar, who had a passion for biblical prophecy, which is a rare thing these days.  He will be missed, but his legacy will live on.

Rest in peace, Grant.

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Biblical Church Governance, vs the harlot

Posted on May 8, 2012 by dknezacek

(The following is a continuation of a study of “Who are the daughters of the Harlot”)

Why would I call the Protestant denominations harlots? Aren’t they preaching the true gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone? Well they were, but even at the beginning they clung to false doctrines of Rome.

Under Luther, the Lutheran churches clung to infant baptism, a doctrine not taught in the bible. The Presbyterians and Anglicans are also guilty in this same respect. Luther also believed that Christ was somehow really present in the bread of the communion service, a form of transubstantiation. As I mentioned before, Christmas is the continuation of the ancient pagan feast of conspicuous consumption, Saturnalia, which just happened to be held on December 25th. Easter is named after the ancient pagan fertility goddess, Easter (a.k.a. Ishtar)!

We also see that from the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, many of these churches were closely involved with the governments of the nations, just like their “mother”. Many of these churches were happy to take the title of State Church, and to persecute other Christians who could not join them for conscience’ sake.

Some might point out to me that the Baptist churches did not do these things, and to a great extent they did not, but even the Baptists have their areas of worldly compromise. One of the Romish things that Baptists are famous for is their own version of popery! Rome has a hierarchy, with the pope at the top, the Cardinals under him, then Bishops, and finally priests, all of whom exercise authority over the common man.

Many Baptist pastors follow the same sort of top-down rule in their own churches! The pastor then becomes the local pope, who can dictate to the church exactly what they should do, what to believe, how to dress, and if they disagree they can leave.

Very often these men ignore the Scriptures that go against their self-imposed position in the church. These men, often teach that “since they have to answer to God, they don’t have to answer to the flock”. This idea goes against a number of Scriptures;

“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” Ephesians 5:21 Many of these men would have us believe that the congregation must submit to them, but not the other way around, yet this verse says otherwise.

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” I Peter 5:5  “All” is a rather inclusive word, yet many of these men do not think the phrase “all of you” actually refers to themselves!

“And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.” I Corinthians 4:6 The Pastor is a member of the flock, and is subject to discipline just as any other member.

42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. (Mark 10:42-44)

The word “minister” in this context means “servant”. Jesus was clearly teaching his followers that they ought not to pattern their ministry style after the gentile pagan temples.

“25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.” (Luke 22:25)

If a person is a servant, is he not supposed to listen to those he is working for? Didn’t Jesus take seriously the questions his disciples asked? The pastor is not in the place of Christ. The pastor is actually one of the flock himself, who is appointed an undershepherd.

Christ is infallible, but the pastor is not, and is subject to correction by the Word of God. If a man in the congregation, a sinner, has an issue because the pastor has said or done something unbiblical, the pastor is actually subject to biblical discipline! The pastor actually needs to answer to the flock. The above verses actually do apply!

Please don’t think I am only singling out Baptists on this issue. This is one issue where Baptists are particularly at fault, but they are not alone. Every one of the above mentioned denominations has a problem with the same issues, and we could add every other denomination, and independent church. This is an issue that goes to the heart of man’s sinful nature.

God designed Church governance with a series of checks and balances, in the form of the Presbytery (presbuteros in the Greek), which is a ruling body of Elders within the Church. This word is actually in the bible (1 Tim. 4:14), but is ignored by many pastors because they don’t want to have to answer to the flock. When reading the New Testament epistles one can see the working of the Presbytery, through the statements to the Elders.

When speaking to the church the word “Elders” is always in the plural, unless speaking of the qualifications of one who holds this office, or when speaking of an individual.

“And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.” (Acts 14:23)

Notice that they did not “ordain AN elder in every church”, but Elders. Every church had a plurality of elders. Notice also that “Elder” was an ordained position, and did not refer to just any older person in the church. I have heard Baptist pastors say that elders simply means any older man in the congregation. This is a lie, as attested to by these Scriptures!

The Church in Jerusalem had more than one elder:

“And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.” (Acts 15:4)

“And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.” (Acts 15:6)

“Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch…” (Acts 15:22)

“And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the eldersof the church.” (Acts 20:17) The Church in Miletus had multiple ordained elders.

“And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.” (Acts 21:18)

“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.” (I Timothy 5:17) The Church was ruled by a plurality of Elders and never by one man.

“For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:” (Titus 1:5) Elders held an ordained position, and there was only one church in most cities at the time. The term did not refer to those members of the congregation who were relatively older than the average. Again, note that there were multiple elders to be ordained.

“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:” (James 5:14) These elders are not deacons, nor are they just any older men in the congregation, they are ordained elders, the same people the above passage speak of.  James did not use the term “elder” because there was always a body of elders in every church.  In most baptist churches today there is one man considered to be “the elder”… the pastor.

The system that the early church set up was based upon the Jewish system of Elders, and we see the use of the word in the early New Testament books often refers to the Jewish elders of the synagogue, or Temple. The majority in the early church had a Jewish background, and it is only logical that they would continue with what they were accustomed to. This was God’s design.

God Himself had set up the system originally, and it was designed to provide a system of checks and balances, as well as a way to share the burdens of ministry. It appears that as the Church became more and more gentile, the gentile system that Jesus had warned us about, in Mark 10:42-44 and Luke 22:25, became prevalent. While practiced in many churches, the one-man-rule system is not Judeo-Christian, but rather Greco-Roman, and ultimately has its roots in Babylon.

The term “Elder” does not refer to deacons, for we see in Acts 6:1-8 that the office of Elder was separated from the deacon in the early church. The elders were the spiritual leaders, and were to dedicate themselves to spiritual leadership, while the deacons were to take care of the temporal, or physical, needs of the congregation.

If an Elder, or Pastor, falls into sin, he can actually be removed by the other Elders, and publicly rebuked. We are reminded to take such a step with care and caution in 1 Timothy 5:19-20, nevertheless there are times when such a step is necessary. Baptist popes, however, become unbiblical dictators who are above church discipline in practice!  This is not what Jesus intended!

I do not know why so many Churches follow this unbiblical practice. I think it starts when the body of believers is somewhat lazy, and wants to delegate responsibility to one man, but in the end, when they do this, it results in that one man holding far too much power, and it often goes to his head.

There are countless examples of this abuse of office in Church history, but a prominent example, one you should take note of, is found here. This pastor was involved in sexual sin for many years, and destroyed the marriage of one of his deacons, yet his behavior was excused, not only by member of his congregation, but by many independent Baptists all over North America!  This man is still looked up to by pastors all over the world, yet the bible itself says of this sin: 

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind…shall inherit the kingdom of God.  I Corinthians 6:9-10

The man in question is none other than Jack Hyles of First Baptist, Hammond, Indiana.  His sin with his secretary was public knowledge long before his death, yet the church did nothing about it!

Had this man been removed from his office, and disciplined, articles like this would not have had to be written!  As it is, men who act this way give the Lord a bad name!  So many Protestants point to the long history of sexual sin in the Catholic Church, yet we so often ignore this very same sin in our own camp!

Presbyterians, and Plymouth Brethren churches, actually have a more biblical form of Church governance than most Baptist churches.  Unfortunately these churches also have their own areas of compromise with Rome, and it must also be noted that having a biblical method of Church governance is not a guarantee of success against apostasy.  All Church leaders are still sinners, and any body made up of sinners will always have problems.

Yes indeed, if the Roman Catholic Church is the Harlot, then the churches who came out of her, the Protestants, are her daughters!

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Ted Turner’s comments on nuclear disarmament

Posted on May 5, 2012 by dknezacek

(I am in the midst of an expose of the Daughter’s of the Harlot, but I’m going to digress for today because of the moronic comments, made last night, by media mogul Ted Turner)

Ted Turner has consistently shown himself to be an idiot over the years, so we shouldn’t be surprised to hear garbage coming from his mouth.  Clearly one doesn’t have to have any political savvy (or spiritual wisdom) to own a media network.  Perhaps I shouldn’t call him an idiot, but I can’t think of any other reason for his comments, unless he actually hates the United States.  In which case his comments are treasonous.  I’d rather give him the benefit of the doubt.

Like so many in the left he is blinded by his philosophy, advocating total nuclear unilateral disarmament!  Being a humanist Mr. Turner believes in the inherent goodness of human beings, and that we can trust each other, and be one happy family.  He mentions that, even before the Berlin Wall came down, that he was friends with the communists. Obviously his foolishness goes back a long way!

http://www.mrctv.org/embed/112543

“Well, first of all, I believe in total nuclear disarmament. That’s the only way we’re ever going to get there. We all got to play by the same set of rules. We have 2,000 or several thousand nuclear weapons. Iran has none at the current time. It’s okay for Israel to have 100, but it’s not okay for Iran to have two. That’s, that’s, you’re not treating everybody equally…”

“…I think we’ve already voted at the U.N. and the Security Council to get rid of nuclear weapons. Let’s get rid of them. Let’s get rid of ours, and then Iran will stop, I believe, and everybody else will because if everybody doesn’t have them, then we’re safe – at least safe from a nuclear attack.” (Transcript from NewsBusters)

Of course he is totally disregarding the millions of their own citizens the communists put to death, during the twentieth century.  It is estimated that China, under Mao, killed as many as 30 million Chinese, and Russia, under Stalin, killed as many as 50 million Russians!  If you think communists are basically good, like Mr. Turner, you are a fool!

Now this fool is saying that if we (the USA, and Israel) were to get rid of our nuclear weapons the world would follow suit!  Really?  Why then does Iran call Israel a “one bomb country”?  Why has Iran expressed their intention to push Israel into the sea?

Doesn’t he know that the Ayatollah’s have expressed their intention to take over the world?  Doesn’t he see that they are working consistently in this direction?  Doesn’t he know that Israel has given land back in exchange for a peace that they never received?

For a man who runs a news empire, Ted Turner is pretty ignorant.

If Israel has the bomb, why haven’t they used it?  They are rational people who will only use it if they are desperate.  The same can’t be said of the Muslims.

The USA did use the bomb, when they knew no one else had it.  Doesn’t he realize that if only one side has the bomb, they will surely use it?  This is especially so, if that one side has already expressed their intention to control the world!

This is the very definition of the term “deterrent”.  Very obviously Mr. Turner hasn’t the slightest idea of what a deterrent is.  If you give up the means to defend yourself, don’t be surprised if the Chinese or the Russians march in and take over.  You have given them reason to do it, if you borrow trillions of dollars from them and fail to pay it back!

I personally believe Ted Turner, and left wingers like the Obama administration, are judgments from God against a nation who once followed Him, but now have no problem with killing millions of their own children.  Mr. Turner is not alone in these beliefs, and I expect that should Barry Sotero achieve a second term, or Mitt Romney a first, the USA will follow these ideas to their logical conclusion.  They will disarm, and someday somebody will show them what Nagasaki and Hiroshima went through, first hand!

I am not happy to say this, but I really think the writing is on the wall for the late-great United States of America.  The solution is not having a strong defense policy, it isfor Churches to return humbly to Jesus Christ, ask His forgiveness, and repent of all the evils that this society has done.  Will this happen?  I don’t think so!

In the mean time get your news from some place other than CNN.

Here are some suggestions:

World Net Daily

The Drudge Report

Nugget Net Newsline

Worldview Weekend with Brannon Howse

Breitbart

Debka File

Jihad Watch

Caroline Glick

Sun Media

Canada Free Press

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The Harlot’s Daughters, Who are they?

Posted on May 3, 2012 by dknezacek

When studying any subject there is a need to define the terms used. Without agreed upon definitions we can have a conversation where everybody smiles and shakes hands, and no one understands what the other person was talking about!  Or they think they know, but in reality they were talking about totally different subjects! 

Many non-Christian organizations like the Mormons, the New Age movement, or the Jehovah’s Witnesses, use biblical terms, but redefine those words to mean something entirely different from the original biblical definition.

The term “Harlot” or “Mother of Harlots” spoken of in Revelation 17 is the one I wish to focus on today. The entity in question, Babylon, is spoken of as both a harlot herself, and a “Mother of Harlots”. The questions that immediately come to mind are “Who is this Harlot” and, “It can’t be me, or my church, can it?” Her condemnation is so severe that we immediately want to disassociate ourselves from her.

What is a harlot? Websters dictionary defines a harlot as:

Harlot /Har´lot/ (-lŏt), n. [OE. harlot, herlot, a vagabond, OF. harlot, herlot, arlot; cf. Pr. arlot, Sp. arlote, It. arlotto; of uncertain origin.]

1. A churl; a common man; a person, male or female, of low birth. [Obs.]

“He was a gentle harlot and a kind.” Chaucer.

2. A person given to low conduct; a rogue; a cheat; a rascal. [Obs.] Chaucer.

3. A woman who prostitutes her body for hire; a prostitute; a common woman; a strumpet.

While the first definition does not necessarily apply in this case, the second two definitely do.

A better way to define this word is to read the first chapter of Hosea, however. In this chapter we find the man of God, Hosea, is instructed to marry a woman who is a prostitute. He does so, and she has three children. The fatherhood of these children is in question and the second two are named Lo-ruhamah and Lo-ammi, or “not having obtained mercy” and “not my people”. There is a parallel in this passage to the woman of Revelation 17. The mother, in Hosea’s book, is compared to Samaria, the northern kingdom of Israel, which is the wife of God who has taken other lovers. The Harlot in Revelation 17, similarly, claims to be the bride of Christ, but she too has taken other lovers.

It may seem a strange question, but what is a daughter? My wife is not my daughter, however, she is someone’s daughter. A daughter is a woman who comes out of her mother.  She is also a woman, just like her mother.  A daughter, therefore, is the same type of entity as her mother. She has characteristics of her mother. If the Mother of Harlots is actually a church, then we should expect that her daughters are also churches.  Women who belong to the Mother church are not her daughters, they are a part of the mother.

Most Protestants identify the Harlot of Revelation 17 as being Rome, or the Roman Catholic church. I personally believe that the Harlot will actually include the Roman Catholic church, although she is much bigger than merely this church. The Roman Catholic church claims to be the bride of Christ, and His representative on earth, yet she is heavily involved in ecumenism, in spite of the many biblical admonitions to separate from unbelievers. In fact this church has been fooling around with paganism since its creation  in the fourth century AD. Celebrations like Christmas, Easter, Lent, and many others, are famous for having pagan origins.

So who are the daughters? If a daughter is a woman who comes out of a woman, then the Daughters of the Harlot, are churches who came out of the mother church… the protestant churches! This is not to say that there are not some truly saved people in these denominations, but the characteristics of the denominations themselves is that of harlots. I think God tolerates these daughters because sometimes people actually get saved as a result of their ministry.

Why would I call the Protestant denominations harlots? Aren’t they preaching the true gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone? Well they were, but even at the beginning they clung to false doctrines of Rome. Under Luther, the Lutheran churches clung to infant baptism, and a form of transubstantiation, doctrines not taught in the bible. The Presbyterians, and Anglicans, are also guilty in this same respect. Luther also believed that Christ was somehow present in the bread of the communion service, a form of transubstantiation.

We also see that from the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, many of these churches were closely involved with the governments of the nations, just like their mother. Many of these churches were happy to take the title of “State Church”, and to persecute other Christians who could not join them for conscience sake.

Do you remember the story about when Jacob left his father-in-law, Laban? There is an interesting sub-plot involving one of his daughters taking some of the idols from her father’s house.

17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; 18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan–aram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. 19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s. 20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. Genesis 31:17-20

Evidently Rachel had developed a fondness for her father’s idols, and when she knew she was to leave them behind, she stole some of them. She was leaving her father, with the man-of-God, Jacob, but she still clung to certain areas of error. The exact same thing happened when the protestant churches left Rome. Many of the ideas and doctrines of Rome had their origins in paganism. When these churches left their mother they clung to ideas that did not come from the bible, and will ultimately lead them back to Rome.

It’s easy to point to Lutherans, or Presbyterians, as being compromisers, but the truth is that even Baptist, and the Plymouth Brethren churches, have their weaknesses. This is not to say that there aren’t true bible-believing, born again Christians in all of these Churches, but rather the doctrines they teach are a mixture of truth and error. We need to exercise discernment to tell the difference between truth and error. Our lives depend on it!

Depending on our traditions can be hazardous to our souls!  When there is a conflict between the Word of God and our traditions, we need to learn to go with God, and leave the traditions behind!

I’m going to leave it here for today. Over the next few posts I will examine some of the erroneous teachings of these Churches. I’m no expert, but it doesn’t take an expert to compare the teachings and practices of Churches to the Word of God.

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The man who had his father’s wife

Posted on April 29, 2012 by dknezacek

My pastor is currently doing an expository series on 1 Corinthians, and this week he was discussing chapter 5. I would have no real differences of opinion with what he said today (April 29) but I think he missed something, something important, which most Christians miss.

As you read the following, ask yourself; “Is there some scenario today where most modern Christian Churches would actually agree with the Corinthian Church?” The answer will shock you:

1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2

As I have noted time and again, we are not reading Scripture in a vacuum. We are told, over and over again, to compare Scripture with Scripture, spiritual with spiritual, but most of us, including our pastors, do not.

Is there some other place in Scripture where a similar event occurred, where we might derive some meaning from the situation? The answer is, of course, yes! The exact same situation occurred during the life of the patriarch Jacob, and his oldest son Reuben.

And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: Genesis 35:22

Now, not a lot of detail is given in the passage. Only the facts are presented to us, but I think Reuben’s thinking is rather clear, and common in the Church today. Bilhah was his father’s concubine, and “not a real wife”, so it didn’t matter if he slept with her or not.

This kind of thinking permeates much of professing Christianity today, to the point that many missionaries, once they have led a polygamist to the Lord, tell him to leave all but the first wife! I have heard both fundamentalist missionaries, and many evangelicals make this same statement!

What mindset is it that leads a missionary to make this kind of statement? The same kind of mindset that led Reuben to sleep with his father’s concubine. The idea that “only the first wife is a legitimate wife”. This idea does not have its foundation in Scripture, but from somewhere else!

What is a concubine? A concubine is defined as; “A wife of lower status”. In other words she’s still a wife! Jacob understood this, and as a result of this sin Reuben lost his birthright!

3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. Genesis 49:3-4

Centuries later Israel still remembered Reuben’s sin, and his descendants lost their birthright forever because of it! Yes indeed, a concubine is a wife, and deserves the same respect as any other wife.

Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. I Chronicles 5:1

So how is it possible that modern Churches could approve of the same sin as was mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:1? Is the situation the same as that of Reuben and Jacob? Is it possible that the man’s father was a pagan, who had several wives? I think this is what the story is telling us. The man did not have his mother, but a second or third wife, and probably a woman who was several years younger than her husband, her boyfriend’s father.

The young man, and the woman he was cohabiting with, were both professing Christians, while she had been a concubine to his father. Many Christians today would side with this couple because we don’t like the idea of an older man marrying a woman, young enough to be his daughter. Many would also side with the Corinthian Church because the father was not a Christian, while the couple in question professed Christianity.

So we can see why Christians today would side with the adulterous couple. “What right did that old pagan have, to have so many wives?” “Shouldn’t a Christian woman be married to a Christian man?  Why then can’t she leave the pagan husband and marry a believer?”

What did Paul say about Christians who find themselves married to unbelievers?

And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. I Corinthians 7:13 (Hmm, just a couple of pages later)

Yes, this passage does apply to women who find themselves in a polygamous situation. God doesn’t give us any wiggle room in this instance. This Christian couple, by shacking-up, brought great shame upon Jesus Christ and His Church! Just as in the case of Jacob and Reuben, this young man humiliated his father. It would have been better for her to be a Christian witness in a polygamous family, than to shack-up with her step-son!

This couple is not alone, for many Christians bring shame upon Jesus Christ today, for the exact same reasons! The above mentioned missionaries are giving many people a reason to avoid Christianity! When a man has made vows to his wife he has no reason to escape his responsibilities, even if she’s his fourth! When they send away the second, through fourth wife, what is going to happen to her?

In many cultures, the woman who is sent away from her husband will be beaten by her father, or brother, and then sold to another man! Far better for her to remain with a man who has recently received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour! Such missionaries are so hard-hearted, I have a hard time believing they know the Lord of the Bible! They are just a bunch of Pharisees, turning their proselytes into children of hell like themselves! If they are true believers they need to repent of this teaching, and do so now!

And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. Exodus 22:16

Once you have sexual relations with a woman, who is not already engaged or married, you are to marry her, even if you are already married!

If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. Exodus 21:10

Taking away her food, clothing and duty of marriage, is divorce! (In the bible divorce is also called “putting away”) Jesus agrees with Moses;

And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. Matthew 19:9

A polygamist is actually obeying Jesus’ and Moses’, teaching while a man who divorces before remarrying is actually disobeying both Jesus and Moses! A polygamist does not “put away” his wife before marrying another! It is no wonder that western society, while accepting gay marriage, hates polygamy with a passion!

While Christians are not under the Law, the study of the Law does inform us of God’s mind on these various issues. God didn’t put it there for us to ignore!

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Will the European President become the Antichrist?

Posted on April 28, 2012 by dknezacek

This week Jimmy DeYoung of Prophecy Today is reporting on a European Union proposal to create a Super European Presidency, with enormous power. This plan will merge the roles of the presidents of the European Union Council and the European Commission, to form an over-all European presidency, elected by the European parliament.

The person in this position would have control over all fiscal matters, foreign policy, and any military action, in which Europe participates. This person would become the supreme leader of Europe and would not only be instrumental in further uniting all of Europe, but would have the final say in the way Europe interacts with the world.

Mr. DeYoung’s perspective is that this person will lead the revived Roman empire and one of these presidents will be the Antichrist. Citing Daniel 7:7, 7:8, 23-24, Mr. DeYoung states that this person will fill the role written of by Daniel the prophet some 2,700 years ago.

I have a question for you to ponder for a moment; What if Mr. DeYoung, and other prophecy scholars, are wrong on this point? What if events appear to confirm what they are saying, but this president is actually a decoy, or patsy? What if Satan actually has some tricks up his sleeve?

In researching for The Spirit of Prophecy I started with the idea that the European Union is the fulfilment of these prophecies. As I did further study, however, I realized that the Antichrist will not come from Europe, but from the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother, and most likely from the nation just to the east of Israel, across the river.

So, why is there confusion over which city is the “city of seven mountains”, spoken of in Revelation 17? Could it be Rome, or some other city?

My conclusion, and the best answer I have seen, is that Rome is a decoy, intended to distract attention away from the real city of seven mountains, Amman.

I expect that this European Presidency will progress to the point that there is a man in that office who very closely resembles the picture of the Antichrist, which has been painted by many of our prophecy scholars, for many years.

As Mr. DeYoung states, this man will have control over Europe’s army, and foreign policy. I also expect him to be involved in brokering a peace treaty between Israel and the Arabs after the Psalm 83 war. During that war Israel will be forced into using weapons of mass destruction against her enemies. I expect that the peace treaty which results, in the aftermath of this war, will require Israel to relinquish her nuclear weapons, in exchange for a guarantee of protection from the European army.  We can also expect this treaty to allow Israel to begin the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.

In order to ensure Israel’s security from further attack by the Arabs, they too will be required to disarm, and may be under some sort of administrative control by Israel herself. This would explain why the Arabs are only able to lodge a diplomatic protest when the next attack against Israel occurs. Ezekiel 38:13 speaks of these nations as Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish, who say to the enemies of Israel “Art thou come to take a spoil?” Notice that the word “come” indicates their near proximity to Israel.

The problem with Mr. DeYoung’s interpretation is that both the Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38-39 wars are Church Age events, and the European president will most likely be destroyed during the second war, commonly known as Gog/Magog. These two wars, and the intervening period of peace, will be interpreted as being the Tribulation period itself. There are many similarities between these wars and the accounts of the Tribulation, and Armageddon. I believe that Satan himself has the power to create even more similarities, than I have already noted.

The key is that we need to study the details, and not just the “big picture”.

If the European Union President guarantees Israel’s security, then, when the Russo/Iranian coalition attack Israel, they will first have to eliminate the European threat. As many have noted, Iran is today attempting to produce nuclear weapons. They have wanted to since the Shaw was in power, and I predict that their efforts will shortly be thwarted, by either Israel, or an international coalition. Probably the latter.

Once Iran is allied with Russia, they won’t need to develop their own nuclear weapons. I expect the Russo/Iranian coalition will use at least one nuclear weapon on the European president’s home town/capital city. I expect that city to be Rome, Italy.

I think we will find that the pope will back this European leader in his take-over of Europe. The pope could well be identified as the false prophet of the book of Revelation. I would expect these two men to be together when they are both destroyed, and this event will be interpreted as fulfilment of Revelation 17 and 18. The Gog/Magog war, which immediately follows, will be interpreted as Armageddon. Many have done so already, but there are some problems with this interpretation.

The Gog and Magog war will be followed by the rise of the Antichrist! Armageddon, however, will be ended by the return of Jesus Christ! Those who allegorize Scripture will be willing to accept the idea that Jesus does not really return, but that another will take over in His place… The Antichrist!

This is why the allegorical interpretation of Scripture is incredibly dangerous! Amillennialism, and Preterism, are both based on this interpretation method, and I’m afraid many followers of these Eschatologies will end up supporting, and following, the Antichrist!

Mr. DeYoung, as a dispensationalist, is essentially correct in his big picture understanding, but he has missed some important details. These omissions can play into the hands of the Antichrist, unless he backtracks first.

The European President will not be the Antichrist, but a patsy the real Antichrist can point to to say “the Antichrist is dead! Now we can create the kingdom of God on earth. It’s up to us!”

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