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Fred R. Coulter—December 19, 2015
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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services. If you've been watching the news lately, there's certainly a lot going on, and it also is impacting what is leading up to the election of a new President.
I think if everyone puts their hope in Donald Trump, you will be quite a bit disappointed. He may help some, but as we're going to see, no one knows the cause of the problems we're facing. The problems we are facing are not political or just societal; they are spiritual! Remember the sermons we have given on how God watches the nations, watches the Church. He commands us to watch and be ready.
Today we're going to look at some of the things that are taking place and look at some of the Scriptures that tells us what is happening. What is happening was prophesied thousands of years ago.
What I want you to do is sometime during the week I want you to read all of Deut. 28, all the blessings and all the cursings. Then ask yourself: Are these things taking place? Yes! In Gen. 49, did ancient Israel tell the twelve sons, as well as the two grandsons what was going to happen in the latter days? Yes! Those things have been fulfilled. Now we are on the downside of God taking away the blessings systematically, one at a time.
So let's read one here that's very important. This is on the news today. I want you to understand something as we read this: The nations of northwestern Europe, Britain, and America are suffering from this in a great way. None of the other nations of the world are suffering from this. That's because we are the end-time descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel. The one that's in the worst trouble is Judah, sitting over there in the Middle East, in what they call Israel. That's actually Judea or Judah. They still have this problem because within the borders of Israel they have one million Arabs.
Deuteronomy 28:43: "The stranger dwelling among you shall get up above you very high, and you shall come down very low."
Think about the rushing of the immigrants into Western Europe. I'm going to talk about Britain a little later. Think about what is happening to the United States of America. They cannot control the border. Why? They could build a fence, and they've said they would for twenty years. Why do the strangers keep coming? Why are we in such a predicament on every front?
- economic
- societal
- crime
- drugs
- Sabbath-breaking
As I pointed out in a sermon some time ago, the two main things that needs to be solved are not the societal or immigration problem or just the government problem, it is:
- Sabbath-breaking
- abortion
God looks at the nations differently than we look at ourselves. Does God know that there are 3600-3800 legalized murders every day in America caused by abortion? Think of that! God knows that's taking place, over 1.3-million a year. What they are doing is killing the creation of God, right in the womb. Most of them are the firstborn, which God says should be dedicated to Him, redeemed with an offering and blessing to God. We claim to be Christian, but that is just evaporating like a heavy fog in a hot sunshiny day.
"…you shall come down very low" (v 43). I've given sermons in the past on The Fourteen Things to Happen in Prophecy, so I'm not going to go through all of that, but:
- Has that happened?
- Are we being brought low?
- Are we having so many strangers in our midst that they are afraid of losing our culture, losing our language, losing our government?
- The reason is because of Sabbath-breaking and abortion!
Where is the first layer of responsibility that God will bring judgment concerning it? The so-called Christian ministers and pastors! That's why we have the booklet, Why "Christianity" has Failed in America by Philip Neal
When I get done with reading some of the things here, we're going to do a special one for Britain and we're going to entitle that, Why Christianity has Failed in Britain. If you think it's bad here, just take a look at Europe, take a look at Britain, see what is happening.
Verse 44: "He shall loan to you, and you shall not loan to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail." That's happening economically. Do we have national debt that is staggeringly unbelievable? Counting all unfunded liabilities, it's in the $200-trillion range. Ten times the annual deficit that has accumulated to $20-trillion. Those numbers are so big we can't even comprehend them. After we get by about five zeros, we've had it. That's the way it is.
- Has that happened?
- Do we have sickness?
- Do we have disease?
- Yes!
You watch the news and that's all financed by the advertisements from the pharmaceuticals.
It's like this joke that someone sent me, a little cartoon. Here's the patient sitting on the table and the doctor comes in and says, 'We have tried everything, every known medicine that we know. We don't know how to cure your problem; however, there is a natural method which is 95% successful.' Think of that! That's exactly what we're dealing with. All the sickness, all the crime, all the drugs. Everything that is negative or bad in the country is part of the curses!
Verse 45: "And all these curses shall come on you, and shall pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed… [Are we at the point we're losing our nation?] …because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you."
If you don't believe that these things are coming upon us because of this, and some people will say, 'This is all in the Old Testament. We're in the New Testament.' Not nationally speaking, because the promises to the twelve tribes came clear to the latter days!
Verse 46: "And they shall be on you for a sign and for a wonder, and on your seed forever." That is all the subsequent generations.
So, you take just the one thing of the immigration problem and that is enough to identify who are the descendants of the children of Israel today.
I want to read you from the London Telegram headline:
"Britain is no longer a Christian country and should stop acting as if it is," says judge
(telegraph.co.uk/education/12036287/Britain-is-no-longer-a-Christian-country-and-should-stop-acting-as-if-it-is-says-judge.html) 7 December, 2015
They ran a two-year study:
A major inquiry into the place of religion in modern society has provoked a furious backlash from ministers and of the Church of England.
Let's stop and look and see what are the historical sins that have brought Britain down.
- Darwin, evolution
- Communism, Marks and Engle
- Church of England
- witchcraft
- abortion
- Sabbath-breaking
All of those are the causes for what we're going to read now. If you think the stranger is high over us at this point, Britain is about five or seven years ahead of us. Here are the comments:
Britain is no longer a Christian country and should stop acting as if it is, a major inquiry into the place of religion in modern society has concluded, provoking a furious backlash from ministers and the Church of England.
A two-year commission, chaired by the former senior judge Baroness Butler-Sloss and involving leading religious leaders from all faiths, calls for public life in Britain to be systematically de-Christianized.
Why? That is because the Church of England and the ministers who are responsible for the Word of God did not preach the Word of God, did not teach the commandments of God, and so therefore, that's why they are where they are. They don't even see themselves in the light of what God shows it should be.
It says that the decline in churchgoing and the rise of Islam and other faiths mean a "new settlement" is needed for religion in the UK, giving more official influence to non-religious voices and those of non-Christian faiths.
They say in the House of Lords, filled mainly with the hierarchy of the Church of England. In the Church of England that's a dictatorial thing where you really can't preach like we do in America.
They say in the House of Lords what you need to do is have Imams and rabbis and other non-Christian clerics as well as evangelical pastors take some of the seats in the House of Lords. They also need to change the coronation service, which says that the king or queen is coroneted over the House of Israel. I wonder how that got in there? It's because it is true.
It recommends new protection for women in Sharia courts. They allow Sharia courts in Britain and it's coming here! That's why last week I gave the sermon that a temporary solution would be getting rid of the administration of death within the Islamic religion. That would help temporarily. Here is what they want to do:
"The first is the increase in the number of people with non-religious beliefs and identities. The second is the decline in Christian affiliation, belief and practice and within this decline a shift in Christian affiliation that has meant that Anglicans no longer comprise a majority of Christians."
And the churches are empty, and so forth.
…the number of people describing themselves has having no religion jumped from less than a third of the population to almost half in thirty years.
God blessed them. In the Bible they are identified as Ephraim and God is correcting them. You read the book of Hosea and see.
Let's look at something else concerning religion, as well. Remember when we saw Ken Copeland and the evangelicals all get together and give themselves to the pope.
The pope has said that the Jews can receive salvation without Jesus Christ. What does God say? What did Jesus say Who was God in the flesh?
Their explanation of it runs something like this: Because the covenant with the Jews has been continuous. No, it hasn't! That's why God took away the temple and the services there for the second time in 70A.D. and exiled the Jews into the world.
John 14:6: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the Way… [didn't say a way] …and the Truth, and the Life…" He's speaking of eternal life. You don't get eternal life without salvation. You don't get eternal life without the forgiveness of sin.
"…no one comes to the Father except through Me" (v 6). So, the pope is lying through his teeth.
What they're trying to do is get a one-world religion, which they will get. I'm sure that it's going to happen in a way that is going to come a little quicker than it has in the past. But that means all religions. Wonder what the pope is going to pronounce about Buddhism and Hinduism. They've already brought back a lot of the Protestants.
Sidebar: What's going to happen with Islam? How can you have a one-world religion with fanatical terrorist Islam? You can't! So that must change. Do you suppose that what happened with the third message of the vision of Fatima actually lays out secretly for the Vatican their plans to develop a whole one-world system?
We know in Rev. 13 that it talks about the false prophet who will perform miracles and call fire down from heaven. Just think how the world is going to go after that. Will that be enough to convince the Muslims to come to a peaceful resolution temporarily? Because it won't happen immediately all at once! Of course, it will all break down.
Here's another article, because this happened. The Simon Wiesenthal Center is in memorial of the Holocaust:
Wiesenthal Center applauds Vatican's statement on the divine covenant with the Jewish people
(http://pressreleases.religionnews.com/2015/12/14/wiesenthal-center-applauds-vaticans-statement-on-the-divine-covenant-with-the-jewish-people/#sthash.oo4udaq7.dpuf)
They say they're very happy with it.
"This remarkable document from the Vatican's Commission for Religious Relations with Jews will affect not only the 1.25 billion Catholics world-wide, but serve as a lodestar to other Christians," said Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, the Center's director of interfaith affairs.
In other words, they'll all come back together.
I don't know if you've heard of, or remember the book, I'm OK, You're OK. That came out in 1969. That's the secular-world philosophy that started all of this. 'You're okay; I accept you as you are. I'm okay; you accept me as I am.' That has brought about:
- same-sex marriage
- the ecumenical movement
Not only with Catholics and Jews and Protestants, but all other religions coming in. Everybody's going to think that this is really, really nice. However, let's see what Jesus said. Then we're going to talk about some other false prophets. This is what has happened:
John 10:1, Jesus telling His disciples: "Truly, truly I say to you, the one who does not enter the sheepfold through the door, but climbs up some other way, that one is a thief and a robber." Jesus is the Way. Not away. So, any other way won't work.
Verse 2: "But the one who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice…"(vs 2-3). How do you hear the voice of Jesus? By reading His Word, because it's written down. Anyone who preaches or teaches claiming to be Christian needs to preach the words of Christ and the words of God.
People come along and have a lot of good-sounding doctrines and approaches that seem good. However, remember that not all good comes from God. Remember the tree in the garden? The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil! So, the good of the world comes from that tree and doesn't lead to eternal life.
It's nice to have some good things, rather than total crime all along. However, when you're talking about salvation and you're talking about receiving eternal life, all of those things do not count that are based on the teachings and things of men thinking they are doing good.
Verse 3: "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." How does He lead? With the Holy Spirit! 'As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God' (Rom. 8).
- the Spirit of God will lead you to Truth
- the Spirit of God will lead you to commandment-keeping
- the Spirit of God will lead you to a personal relationship between you, God the Father, and Jesus Christ
That's where the Church of England went wrong. Everything has to come through the Church of England.
That's why the Gospel never could have been preached out of England. That's why it comes out of America. There's no other place on earth where there is the financial ability, the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion, that it could happen. Didn't come out of China, Vietnam or Africa. Hasn't come out of Europe. Didn't come out of England. England could have done better if they would not have had the Church of England. Who is the head of the Church of England? The king! Who is the Head of the Church of God? Do you see the difference?
Verse 4: "When he brings the sheep out, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger for they will flee from him because they do not know the voice of strangers" (vs 4-5).
What is the voice of strangers? I'll show you one here in a minute. 'We don't have to keep the Sabbath. Paul was against enforced Sabbath keeping.' God says you have to choose to obey. So, when you hear that you know, no, no, that's not it.
Verse 6: "Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they did not understand what He was saying to them. Therefore, Jesus again said to them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep'" (vs 6-7). You must come through Christ! There is no salvation in any other. That's what Peter told the Sanhedrin when they were arrested. He said, 'There is no salvation other than the name of Jesus Christ, under heaven, that has been given.'
Verse 8: "All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved…" (vs 8-9). If you don't enter through Him, you cannot be saved, right? This is conditional. You must do it.
"…and shall go in and out, and shall find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal and kill and destroy…." (vs 9-10). That's exactly what they do by going against the Word of God and preaching another Gospel, etc.
"…I have come so that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly. I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep" (vs 10-11). No one can take it from Him and He has the authority from the Father to take it back.
Let's see what has happened to Protestantism. There was a time when the Protestants preached a great deal of keeping the commandments of God, even though they kept Sunday. Now there is no way for justifying Sunday-keeping whatsoever, none.
Jeremiah 23:14: "I have also seen in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing… [as well as the prophets in Samaria] …they commit adultery and walk in lies…." If you preach that Sunday is the day and that God changed it from Sabbath to Sunday, from the seventh day, that's a lie!
"…They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none returns from his evil… [they really don't repent] …they are all of them like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah" (v 14). That means obsessed with sex. We have a full series on that at churchathome.org
Verse 15: "Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets, 'Behold, I will feed them wormwood, and make them drink poisonous water; for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone forth into all the land.'" That's exactly what happened.
Remember, he's talking about what they were doing that caused God to exile them to Babylon and destroy the temple and destroy Jerusalem, because of their sins.
Verse 16: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you vain; they speak a vision from their own heart, not out of the mouth of the LORD.'" That's why we stick with the Scriptures and Scriptures alone. That's why we do what God commands us to do.
Verse 17: "'They still say to those who despise Me.'…." If you bring in other religions, do you not despise God? If you worship other gods and idols, do you not despise God? Yes, you do! Here's what they tell Him:
"…The LORD has said, 'You shall have peace!' And they say to everyone who walks after the imagination of his own heart, 'No evil shall come upon you!'"
What do we have with the Anglican Church or called Episcopal Church here in America? We have the leading bishop, a homosexual married to another homosexual and they profess that they are teaching what God wants. Fulfilled right before your very eyes.
Verse 18: "For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD to see and hear His Word? Who has attended to His Word and heard it? Behold, the tempest of the LORD has gone forth in fury, a whirling tempest. It shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked" (vs 18-19).
We will see, as I cover other things, that we are going to be flooded with the occult this year. An amazing thing is going to happen.
Verse 20: "The anger of the LORD shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the purposes of His heart; in the latter days you shall understand it perfectly" That is where we are today.
Verse 21: "I have not sent these prophets, yet, they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet, they prophesied."
It's like the pope. 'Oh, welcome in all the Jews. Welcome in all of the evangelicals, the Hindus, the Buddhists and the independents.' God hasn't sent them, 'yet, they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.'
Notice how the Word of God is above everything that anyone says, in any religious sense, anywhere.
Verse 22: "But if they had stood in My counsel and had caused My people to hear My words…"
- not their own
- not their own ideas
- not the words of another religion
- not the words of Mohammed
- not the words of St. Frances of Assisi
- not the words of the pope
- not the words of the evangelicals who have twisted and turned and changed everything so terribly
Verse 22: "But if they had stood in My counsel and had caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings." Isn't that an amazing thing to understand?
That's why unless there is change beginning with all of those who profess Christianity, Protestant and Catholic, unless there's repentance and return to God and keeping of the Sabbath and outlawing abortion, this country is going down just exactly like Britain. One little final caveat on Britain. The Chinese have said that if Britain keeps going the way it is, 'we will buy the whole country.'
Verse 23: "'Am I a God Who is near,' says the LORD, 'and not a God afar off?'" How close is God to you? As close as your knees are to the floor! Get on them and start calling out to God.
Verse 24: "'Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I shall not see him?' says the LORD. 'Do I not fill the heavens and earth?' says the LORD. 'I have heard what the prophets said, who prophesy lies in My name…'" (vs 24-25). They use the name of the Lord, the name of Jesus, the name of the Father.
"'…saying, "I have dreamed, I have dreamed." How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies and who are prophets of the deceit of their own heart? They scheme to cause My people to forget My name by their dreams which they tell, each one to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten My name for Baal'" (vs 26-27). The next verse has to be for the Churches of God.
- Where are the ministers going?
- What are they teaching?
- What are they doing?
Verse 28: "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream. And he who has My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully.…" That ought to be the goal of every minister, every elder, everyone who handles the Word of God. Speak it faithfully!
"'…What is the chaff to the wheat?' says the LORD. 'Is not My Word like a fire?' says the LORD, 'and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets who steal My words each one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets who use their tongues and say, "He says," when I did not say'" (vs 28-31). That's pretty powerful!
Let's understand something about false prophets and Satan. They come nice, pleasant, caring, compassionate, but they don't teach people to turn to God with all their heart, mind, soul and being. They've caused the people to go astray because of that.
Let me tell you about what I got just this past week from a man who used to be in the Church. This goes back to the days of Ambassador College and Worldwide Church of God. Because of the sins of the Church, it got infiltrated with a lot of men who did not believe the Truth, but believed Protestantism.
Note: Appendix Z in the Holy Bible in Its Original Order: Understanding Paul's Difficult Scriptures Concerning The Law and the Commandments of God. I want you to read and study that whole that. Why is that there?
Let me just give you a little background on it. In doing the Bible and putting it together, it first began because of what was called The Inclusive New Testament. At that time I was doing some translating for Bible studies for our small group of about twelve people. We had three on the mailing list and now we have pretty close to 3,500.
So you figure that everyone who is on the list, that's at least two, perhaps three, which means that we are reaching between 7,000-12,000 people directly. That's not to say anything about now our websites, which we have four of them:
- cbcg.org
- churchathome.org
- afaithfulversion.org
- the originalbiblerestored.org
Then we also have another one in Spanish for all the Latinos.
We are reaching, now with the report that will come out at the end of the year, with those combined, over 2-million distinct visitors a year. The average length of time on the websites is seven and a half to eight minutes. Which for those who know website activity, that's a long, long time.
This means we are reaching people. I keep getting letters, e-mails, and comments that we preach the Truth. Let me tell you one thing. That's what we are going to preach. Some people don't like it. That's too bad! Think about the prophets.
- they didn't like Jeremiah, they wanted to kill him
- they didn't like Isaiah, they wanted to kill him
- they didn't like Christ, they killed Him
- they didn't like the apostles, they killed them
But they all spoke the Truth!
When you go to churchathome.org and you see me get a little hot under the collar with these Protestant ministers, it's deserved! It may offend their sensitive, little tender feelings, but if they would repent, God would forgive them. But they haven't.
Here's this man who was a British subject. He was even called sir, because he had a lordship. He was a very pleasant, intelligent, nice man. He played an oboe. He had studied philosophy. He had a lot of intelligence and good things like that. When the Church was being taken down by the infiltrators, he left and went right back to pure Protestantism, and I don't think he ever left it.
Someone just sent me what he teaches on all the subjects that are found in Appendix Z. He says that we don't have to keep the Sabbath, that Paul rejected the Sabbath, he did not keep clean and unclean meats. He says we don't have to keep the Passover and the Holy Days.
(go to the next track)
The Apostle Paul says that the false teachers and prophets use the Word of God deceitfully.
Here comes the problem. The Word of God is Truth and no lie comes of the Truth. However, if you pick a little here and a little there, and misapply and mistranslate, you cause the Word of God to not convey the whole Truth. So this is exactly what this did.
Remember that if someone has been in the Church of God and he leaves, he is one of the most dangerous false prophets. Because they say, 'Oh, well, he went to the college, he was in the Church and he must know what he's talking about.' But that's not necessarily so. That's why we read in Jer. 23, 'He who has My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully.'
How do you do it faithfully? Let me give you an example of sleight of hand, deceitful on one hand, and Truth on the other hand! In giving the command concerning the Old Testament, the man goes to Deut 5, so let's go there. That is Moses giving the Ten Commandments again to the people before they went into the 'promised land.'
As we will see, the Sabbath command in Deut. 5 is a little different than the one in Exo. 20. So he uses the one in Deut. 5 for a misinterpretation and misapplication so that he can justify Sunday-keeping by then saying that Jesus is the Light. So therefore, we keep the first day of the week because that's when God said, 'Let there be light.' That has nothing to do with the Sabbath Day.
Deuteronomy 5:12: "Keep the Sabbath Day to sanctify it as the LORD your God has commanded you." There's a qualification to it. How did He command you to do it? Sanctify means to make or keep it Holy.
Verse 13: "Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God…." (vs 13-14). Sleight of hand: This was the Sabbath just given to Israel and the Jews only. Not so, because we'll see right in here in just a second.
Verse 14: "…In it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger within your gates… [the stranger is to keep the Sabbath, as well] …so that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm. Therefore, the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath Day" (vs 14-15).
The man says, 'The Sabbath was only for the children of Israel or the Jews and it was only to remind them that they came out of Egypt. So therefore, since we are not those who have come out of Egypt, we don't have to keep the Sabbath.'
What does God liken this world's civilization to today? It is Sodom and Egypt (Rev. 11)! So, if you come out of the world, you come out of Egypt. Where did Egypt get all of its religion and everything? From Babylon!
He ought to read the book The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop or The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer. I have the big expanded thirteen volumes of that. That shows you all the pagan practices.
Exodus 20:8: "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God…." (vs 8-10). In both places He says He owns it.
If they believe that Jesus was the Lord God of the Old Testament, and Jesus in the New Testament said He is Lord of the Sabbath, how are you going to get around that?
Verse 10: "…In it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter; your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your livestock, nor the stranger within your gates; for in six days the LORD made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.… [a remembrance that God is Creator of everything] …Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath Day and sanctified it" (vs 10-11).
Let me tell you the excuse that he uses concerning the Sabbath.
The next sleight of hand is this: Remember the rich man came to Jesus and said, 'What should I do to inherit eternal life?' (Matt. 19:18). He listed off the commandments, but then this ex-graduate of Ambassador College and on the teaching staff there as well, then he says that Jesus doesn't mention the Sabbath. 'So therefore, since He doesn't mention it, we don't have to keep it. We can keep Sunday.'
What day did they keep at that time when Jesus was on earth? The whole nation of Galilee and Judea? They kept the Sabbath! So, Jesus didn't have to tell them to keep the Sabbath. That is a sleight of hand argument. 'If He doesn't say it at that place, then you don't have to do it.' But the real answer is: If He doesn't say it there, where do you find it where you should keep it? The word 'sabbatismos' (Heb. 4)! This man says that 'we are to have our perpetual rest in Jesus every day.' That's a stupid statement, because then when would you ever work? I guess if you got Obama everything, you could get away with that.
Let's see something very important here concerning false prophets or teachers. They all fit into the same category. This is here to tell us something very important. Let me remind you of another series we have on churchathome.org: Was Peter Ever in Rome? That's really an extended series and it covers it historically and Scripturally, and the answer is a resounding NO!
Sidebar about Peter going to Rome: Let's look at a Scripture here that is very interesting. Paul is writing this epistle to them and telling them, 'I'm coming to see you.'
Romans 1:11: "For I am longing to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift in order that you may be established." Paul wrote this in 54A.D. It is claimed that Peter went there in 42A.D. How many years is that? That's twelve years! You mean Peter didn't establish them in twelve years? What was Peter doing? The answer is he wasn't there.
Verse 14: "I am a debtor to both Greeks and barbarians, to both the wise and the unlearned; so, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you who are in Rome also" (vs 14-15). If Peter went there in 42A.D., shouldn't he have preached the Gospel to them? Yes, indeed!
Let's look at the Peter who did go there in 42A.D.; it was not the apostle. This is a very extended long account for a very particular reason: to show how false prophets want to come in and take over!
Acts 8:5: "Then Philip went down to a city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ to them; And the multitudes listened intently with one accord to the things spoken by Philip when they heard and saw the signs that he did, for unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice…" (vs 5-7). Those are demons; demons follow false prophets always!
"…came out ofmany of those who had them; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man named Simon… [same name as Simon Peter] …who had from earlier times been practicing sorcery…" (vs 7-9)—witchcraft! That's the basis of every pagan religion, because that is the connection to Satan.
"…in the city and astounding the nation of Samaria, proclaiming himself to be some great one…. [What does the pope do? Yes!] …To him they had all given heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, 'This man is the great power of God.'" (vs 9-10). This is a very important section in the Scriptures.
Verse 11: "Now, they were giving heed to him because he had for a long time bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip, who was preaching the Gospel—the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ—they were baptized, both men and women" (vs 11-12). This shows he was there for quite an extended period of time.
Verse 13: "Then Simon himself also believed… [he came in, infiltrating with a view to take over] …and after being baptized… [Philip made a mistake] …and he steadfastly continued with Philip…"—followed him around, was with him, looking at the miracles, looking at the healings, listening to what he was preaching.
"…and as he beheld the signs and great works of power that were being done, he was amazed…. [red alert in Jerusalem] …Now, when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them" (vs 13-14)—the two leading apostles. This was a big deal.
Verse 15: "Who, after coming down to Samaria, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit." Because of what Simon was doing, God did not yet given them the Holy Spirit.
Verse 17: "Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given by the laying on of the hands of the apostles, he offered them money" (vs 17-18). True colors of Simon came out. That's how they bought the priesthood.
Verse 19: "Saying, 'Give this authority to me also, so that on whomever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.'"
Notice something important. Simon believed, but he hadn't repented. He wanted to use the Holy Spirit to further his demonic control over people. You can't do that!
Verse 20: "But Peter said to him, 'May your money be destroyed with you because you thought that the gift of God might be purchased with money. You have neither part nor lot in this matter… [you have no authority as a religious figure in anything that we do] …for your heart is not right before God'" (vs 20-21). That's why there has to be repentance before baptism.
Verse 22: "Repent, therefore, of this your wickedness, and beseech God, if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you; for I perceive that you are in the gall of bitterness and the bondage of unrighteousness" (vs 22-23). That also in other places in the Bible refers to idolatry.
Verse 24: "But Simon answered and said, 'You beseech the Lord on my behalf… [no one can repent for anyone else] … so that none of those things which you have spoken may come upon me.'"
Jesus said, 'Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing.' There was another false prophet, another sorcerer: Elymas (Acts 13).
There are those false prophets from without that come in to seduce. Paul brings up another variety of false prophets. He had the elders from Ephesus come down to meet him at Miletus, because he was traveling. He testified to them and he says, gives a warning.
Acts 20:28: "Take heed, therefore, to yourselves and to all the flock…" Every minister, elder, teacher, or preacher must take heed to themselves so that they stay right with God and teach the right things. Not get carried by other things.
"…among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers… [it is a spiritual work] …to feed the Church of God, which He purchased with His own blood…. [that's a solemn charge for every minister] For I know this: that after my departure… [He wasn't going to see them again] …grievous wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves" (vs 29-30).
That's exactly what has happened in the Churches. The ones who rise up from within become the most dangerous, because they have another agenda. They have other teachings that they want to bring.
I get letters from people in other Churches of God, saying they hear strange things being dropped every once in a while. That is true! Like for example, in a funeral that was held recently, one of the leading ministers of one of the Churches of God says that 'life is like a channel, through which then at death we pass through.' That is satanic doctrine! That is occult. So, everyone has to be on guard all the time.
At this time John was a pretty aged man, but he says, 1-John 2:18: "Little children, it is the last time…" This phrase has a dual application. It is the last time for the apostolic era, but a prophecy for our time today.
"…and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up, by which we know that it is the last time" (v 18). That's how the Church of God got subverted with all of the pagan doctrines shortly after the death of the Apostle John.
Verse 19: "They went out from among us, but they were not of us because if they were of us, they would have remained with us; nevertheless, they left that they might be exposed to show that they all were not of us." Very interesting!
That's someone like this man I was talking about who just fully embraced all of Protestantism and people don't understand how much Protestantism does away with the Truth of God. It is an incredible thing. That's why we need to watch. Another thing we need to watch for because I think we are going to be assaulted by Satan and the occult. It's going to affect a lot of people.
We will see that Satan made his attack on the Church. Peter talks about it to the elders:
1-Peter 5:1: "The elders who are among you I exhort, even as a fellow elder, and an eyewitness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker of the glory that is about to be revealed…. [he saw the transfiguration of Christ] …Feed the flock of God that is among you…" (vs 1-2). Feed them with what?
- truth
- Word of God
- love
- character
- righteousness
"…exercising oversight not by compulsion… [no hierarchy] …but willingly; not in fondness of dishonest gain, but with an eager attitude; not as exercising lordship over your possessions…" (vs 2-3). What helped destroy the Churches of God? The hierarchy and the minister saying that he was to rule over them! The New Testament teaches Christ is to rule over us. God the Father is to lead us and direct us with His Spirit.
"…but by being examples to the flock of God. And when the Chief Shepherd is manifested, you shall receive an unfading, eternal crown of glory. In the same manner, you younger men be subject to the older men; and all of you be subject to one another, being clothed with humility…" (vs 3-5). That's how it should be. All set out there. How should the eldership work?
- with leadership
- with love
- with direction
- with example
All being subject to Christ and the Word of God.
"…because God sets Himself against the proud, but He gives grace to the humble" (v 5).
I know some have said they're tired of going to Church and hearing the vanity of a minister. You might stay at home, watch Church at Home, study your Bible, pray, get connected with God the Father and Jesus Christ. God will take care of you.
Verse 6: "Be humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that He may exalt you in due time… [God gives grace to the humble] …casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you" (vs 6-7). You can apply this to all the elders, all the brethren, altogether. This is what we need to do in the age that we are living in right now.
Here's why, v 8: "Be sober!.… [physically and spiritually] …Be vigilant!.… [watch, be on guard] …For your adversary the devil is prowling about as a roaring lion, seeking anyone he may devour." And when he does, he comes with very enticing messages, very enticing doctrines, and with subtle lies.
Verse 9: "Whom resist, steadfast in the faith…" That's why we have the Sabbath every week. That's why we have Bibles and Bible study. That's why we do the things that we do to serve the brethren, to feed the flock, to preach the Gospel—all the things that God wants us to do. To do it
- in Truth
- in love
- in strength
- in power
to help people come to the true God and the true Jesus Christ.
We're going to see a lot of more things like the pope saying, 'This group can receive salvation without going through Jesus,' just like he did to the Jews.
2-Timothy 2:14: "See that they remain mindful of these things, earnestly charging them in the sight of the Lord not to argue over words that are not profitable in any way, but which lead to the subverting of those who hear." That's how these subtle doctrines come in. That's why some of the extended series that we have, such as:
- The Grace of God
- The Love of God
- God's Grace and Commandment-Keeping
- Grace Upon Grace
Grace Upon Grace is one of the most important things because that shows you how you are in direct contact with God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Verse 15: "Diligently study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman…" Any minister or elder needs to continually study and study and re-study and learn. Listen, brethren, I learn things all the time out of the Word of God.
Just think what would happen if we didn't have the Sabbath, if we didn't keep the Sabbath. Because if we don't, then we have the spiritual blindness that comes upon us! That puts us in contact with God. We are
- loving God
- obeying Him
- keeping His commandments
- loving the brethren
All of those things happen on the Sabbath Day.
God knows that if we don't have the Sabbath Day, we're not going to have the spiritual strength. Just think if you didn't keep the Sabbath for a month. How much would your mind be on God? If you didn't study your Bible for a month, how much would your mind be on God? You get weak! Then with all of the things that we have in today's society, you can get distracted and taken away.
"…a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of the Truth; but avoid profane and vain babblings because they will only give rise to more ungodliness, and their words will eat away at the body like gangrene; of whom are Hymeneus and Philetus, who have gone astray from the Truth, claiming that the resurrection has already taken place, and are destroying the faith of some" (vs 15-18).
False doctrine coming in the Church! That's why we all have to watch, all have to be on guard. That's why if there's anything that an elder says or does that's not right, don't be afraid to ask him,
- Is this right?
- Is this wrong?
- Where did you get this?
If the one bringing up the problem is correct, then we are to be subject to the Truth of God and to what there reminder that we need to get right with God and change and do the Truth. That's how it works.
Verse 19: "Nevertheless, the foundation of God stands firm…"
Verse 23: "But foolish and ignorant speculations reject…" That's why I keep a cowbell. If it's my opinion, it may be right, but it may be wrong. So, we stay away from those things. Or we examine them to prove whether they're right or wrong. If it is right we keep it; if it's wrong, we get rid of it.
"…knowing that they engender arguments. Now, it is obligatory that a servant of the Lord not be argumentative, but gentle toward all, competent to teach, forbearing" (vs 23-24). That is true, except when you're fighting false doctrine and those who are trying to lead the brethren astray!
Verse 25: "In meekness correcting those who set themselves in opposition; if perhaps God may grant them repentance unto acknowledging of the Truth… [that just verifies what I said] …and that they may wake up and escape from the devil's snare, who have been taken captive by him to do his will" (vs 25-26). If you do the will of God, you won't be in that predicament.
Not all evil comes from religious, false prophets. A lot of it does.
Matthew 7:13: "Enter in through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it."
That's why Christianity is failing today. That's why the doctrines of Protestantism are completely off base. They may have some grains of Truth in them, because they quote the Word of God, but how they apply it, how can they have the Spirit of God? Paul writes if they don't have the Spirit of Christ, they're none of His. It's not possible! They cannot!
- Can you keep Christmas?
- Can you keep Sunday?
- Can you reject the fourth commandment?
- Can you reject the second command?
And say you are of God? You can appear very nice, very humble, very loving.
Everybody thinks that the pope is such a humble fellow, but he is lying through his teeth and represents Satan the devil. He's not going to come out and say, 'Hey, everybody, watch out for me. I'm an agent of Satan the devil.' No, he's going to say, 'I am the vicar of Christ. I am humble. I do all of these rituals, notice how wonderful that I do them. When I say things, it's just like God speaking.' He's not going to come out and say, 'I want you to be cast into the Lake of Fire, because of what I'm going to teach you. I want you to learn it and never forget it.' No! That's a broad gate.
Verse 14: "For narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it. But beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, for within they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. They do not gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles, do they? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a corrupt tree produces evil fruit. A good tree cannot produce evil fruit, nor can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. Every tree that is not producing good fruit is cut down and is cast into the fire. Therefore, you shall assuredly know them by their fruits" (vs 14-20).
We don't have to judge their heart, but what they think in their heart is reflected in what they do. You compare that with the Word of God. You compare that with the Truth of God.
Verse 21: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord'… [in the day of judgment] …shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but the one who is doing the will of My Father, Who is in heaven." What is the will of God?
Here's what they like to say: 'God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.' They want that from God, but they never talk about the reciprocal. Everyone wants God to love them that way, but we must respond to God!
What is the other thing they leave out? You're to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your being! You must respond back to God.
The love of God is shown by keeping His commandments. You have to do the will of the Father, Who is in heaven. The Father is perfect and the laws of God are perfect. What's to happen to us? We are to be perfected! All fits together.
Verse 22: "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy through Your name? And did we not cast out demons through Your name? And did we not perform many works of power through Your name?' And then I will confess to them, 'I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who work lawlessness'" (vs 22-23). Going against the laws and commandments of God.
Let me tell you about something else that has formed a lot of 'spirit' in the society. Remember Satan comes at opportune times. Revelation tells us that he is actively deceiving the whole world. It also tells us that they are worshiping Satan.
How today does Satan prepare the minds of people to accept him willingly? How does he do that? He does it mainly through entertainment, movies and music, as well as religion and anti-religion!
Thursday night opened the first of the next trilogy of Star Wars. Why is that important? I remember going to see the first Star Wars. Went up there and the kids were young and everything and we're watching that. Everybody was all excited and it really appealed to everybody, and still does today. If you have a Darth Vader helmet you've got something.
We got in the car and all the kids said, 'Dad, what did you think of it?' I said, 'It's all of Satan the devil.' Ahh, Dad! Well, it was! Remember the little pipsqueak Yoda? He was the voice of the spiritual power! That spiritual power was called 'the force.' You all remember that, because you all saw it.
He is the one who instructed Luke Skywalker—see how much I remember of it, just going once?—to use his mental thoughts and 'the force' to accomplish 'good,' to miraculously fix his flying machine, to be able to think in battle; to destroy the enemy. All of that!
So the new one out Thursday, which set a record for a Thursday night release of $57-million, is called Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Everybody is going to see this. Now understand, with the background of all of Harry Potterism, the background of getting rid of God in the public square, in the government, in the schools, this is going to be a sensation.
But what it is doing, it is preaching what this man writes in the article 'oneness.' One world, one government, one power, the force, and it unites us! It is also light/dark, good/evil, straight from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil! It brings in all of the ancient pagan religious characters to life in a world that people can see.
Star Wars and the Ancient Religion
from Peter Jones Dec 16, 2015 (http://www.ligonier.org/blog/star-wars-ancient-religion/)
The Star Wars Phenomenon:
Answering questions of morality and spirituality was the goal of George Lucas when he created Star Wars. In the 1970s, in the heyday of secular humanism, people were hungry for spiritual truth…
Today, they're rejecting all spiritual Truth that is true and they are accepting all of the demonic spiritual truth that is coming.
Let's see how Satan works. This is part of his master end-time deception. Who is it keyed to? The children! They get their light swords, they get their Darth Vader helmets, they get their little E2D2 figure, whatever it was, it spoke and they had the robot, and all of this sort of thing. With everything that kids have not been taught about God, this is a 'wonderful thing.'
Lucas realized that stories were more powerful than intellectual theories—especially for children. He intended to produce a children's fairy tale set in outer space as a "teaching tool" for the re-creation of "the classic cosmic mysteries."… [Satanism] …In so doing, he influenced audiences young and old and deeply affected the last few decades of Western civilization. The new films will no doubt extend that influence into the next generations.
Ephesians 2:1: "Now you were dead in trespasses and sins." If you're living in sin, you are as good as dead!
Verse 2: "In which you walked in times past according to the course of this world…"—the way that the world is. Star Wars is part of the world, part of Satan. When you look at the background of everything that's been done with Disneyland, with Harry Potter, with atheism, with the downfall of Christianity, this thing is going to be overwhelming and open the door for more satanism and demonism.
"…according to the prince of the power of the air…" (v 2). Think of this: This movie is based on outer space, prince of the power of the air. This is based upon using 'the force,' not repenting and coming to God! Who gives the power and 'the force'? Satan the devil!
You watch, this is going to affect everything, everyone. You're going to see it on television. You're going to see people acting it out. Don't you think that the Star Wars' sales of toys is going to absolutely just be overwhelming during Christmas? When did they release the movie? Guess what they're going to find in the stores after they watch the movies? And the kids say, 'Mommy, daddy, I want this, I want that, I want the other thing.'
What is going to be the mindset of those people? How many other things are going to be based around this Star Wars phenomenon? Look how much it was in the past. 'The force' awakens! That's telling us that Satan is coming! Satan comes in many different ways.
"…prince of the power of the air, the spirit…" (v 2). What is it called? 'The force!' I remember how it affected those in the Church of God in Pasadena when it came out. Even the ministers went around and said, 'Let 'the force' be with you.' Hello!
It's like a minister's wife said, 'Oh, Mary Poppins was such a wonderful movie.' It was all about witchcraft! The whole thing. Or Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang. Remember that, the flying car? All these things get in your head. That's why we need to get our mind into the Bible so we can override all of those things in our mind and have our mind cleansed with the washing of the water by the Word. We're so affected by the world, that even after being in the Church for 55 years, I can remember all of those things, just like you.
"…the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience… [it turns you against God] …among whom also we all once had our conduct in the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and by the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest of the world" (vs 2-3). Prince of the power of the air; 'the force awakens!'
This is going to help set the world view and help pave the way for the coming beast, who will say, 'I am God.' And for a religion on the earth that encompasses all people.
When you look at these different things in the news, it's all coming from different points of view to come to the final crescendo as described and prophesied in the book of Revelation.
Understanding Worldview
As millions of people stream, perhaps naively, into theaters this weekend to reconnect with the powerful Star Wars adult fairy tale, most of them will be unaware of the worldview that gives this saga its structure and coherence. The term worldview simply means the way we think about the world without stopping to think about it. The fish doesn't need to think about the water in which it swims. I've spent much of my teaching and writing years showing that there are only two ways to see the world. I call them "Oneism" and "Twoism," which is another way of describing what the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:25. He says that there are only two ways to be human—we either worship nature (in a thousand different ways) or we worship the Creator.
That's a good way of putting it, all in one!
If you can count from one to two you can understand worldview. Worship of nature is Oneism because nature is all there is and everything is made of the same stuff. "All is one!" This is the essence of a pagan worldview. Worship of the Creator means that in all of reality there are two kinds of existence: the uncreated Creator, and everything else, which is created. That is the worldview of Twoism.
It also sets morality, existence, spirituality and it contains a pagan view of God and that pagan view is Satan the devil.
Watch out for this year, it's going to come in a powerful way. There's going to be correction coming from God in more and more instances that will be more and more devastating than what we have seen recently.
This is why we need to understand the Word of God and stay close to God! Don't get involved in all of these activities of the world that just lead to satanism!
Scriptural References:
- Deuteronomy 28:43-46
- John 14:6
- John 10:1-11
- Jeremiah 23:14-31
- Deuteronomy 5:12-15
- Exodus 20:8-11
- Romans 1:11, 14-15
- Acts 8:5-15, 17-24
- Acts 20:28-30
- 1-John 2:18-19
- 1-Peter 5:1-9
- 2-Timothy 2:14-19, 23-26
- Matthew 7:13-23
- Ephesians 2:1-3
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Genesis 49
- Revelation 13
- Romans 8
- Revelation 11
- Matthew 19:18
- Hebrews 4
- Acts 13
Also referenced:
Sermon: Fourteen Things to Happen in Prophecy
Sermon Series:
- Obsessed With Sex (churchathome.org)
- Was Peter Ever in Rome? (churchathome.org)
- Grace of God
- Love
- God's Grace and Commandment Keeping
- Grace Upon Grace
Booklet: Why "Christianity" has Failed in America
by Philip Neal
Books:
- I'm Ok, You're Ok by Thomas Harris
- The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop
- The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer
from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order Appendix Z: Understanding Paul's Difficult Scriptures Concerning the Law and the Commandments of God
Articles:
- Britain is no longer a Christian country and should stop acting as if it is, says judge (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/12036287/Britain-is-no-longer-a-Christian-country-and-should-stop-acting-as-if-it-is-says-judge.html) 7 December, 2015
- Wiesenthal Center applauds Vatican's statement on the divine covenant with the Jewish people (http://pressreleases.religionnews.com/2015/12/14/wiesenthal-center-applauds-vaticans-statement-on-the-divine-covenant-with-the-jewish-people/#sthash.oo4udaq7.dpuf
- Star Wars and the Ancient Religion from Peter Jones Dec 16, 2015 (http://www.ligonier.org/blog/star-wars-ancient-religion/
FRC:lp
Transcribed: 12-31-15
Formatted: bo—1/1/16
Copyright 2015—All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. This includes electronic and mechanical photocopying or recording, as well as the use of information storage and retrieval systems.
