The Church of Ephesus

"To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and had patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. 


Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place - unless you repent." - Revelation 2:1-5


The Book of Revelation begins with a vision of Jesus, not as the suffering servant He came as at first, but as the Almighty, the Alpha and Omega, the sum of all God wants to be to mankind. John, His 'beloved' apostle fell at His feet as dead when he saw Jesus in all His radiant glory and power. After John was recovered, the first act of Jesus was to dictate letters to seven churches in Asia Minor. These were real churches, but there were many more churches than these, even at that time so, these churches must have been representative of the messages Jesus wanted to send.


First, and foremost we see Jesus standing in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, which represent the churches. The message is clear - the Church belongs to Jesus! Even though the final church, the Laodicean, had Jesus outside, knocking at the door, Jesus is the head of every church and if you want to be part of the Church of Christ, you must submit to Him! 


Now the church at Ephesus had many laudable qualities: they labored for Christ, and they tried to maintain a standard of truth - testing false apostles and false doctrines, such as the Nicolaitans. Since this false doctrine was specifically named we should pay attention to what it was. Some scholars believe it was like the agnostics and taught licentious living. Years ago when first studying this group, I asked the Holy Spirit who they were and what they taught. Here is what He told me - The word is compounded from two Greek words, nicol and laity. Nicol means to get the victory and laity means the people. Taken together the word means to get the victory over the people. I believe the Holy Spirit showed me this was where the separation of the priesthood and the laity began. I also have no doubt that these leaders also led licentious lives. Christ never intended there to be a separation in His body in fact one of the reasons for the new song song to Jesus, the Lamb, was that He had "made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on earth" - Revelation 5:10. Do we have spiritual leaders in the Body of Christ - yes. But they never lord it over us. When Peter wrote to the other elders he said "The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder ..."-1 Peter 5:1. Jesus taught, "He who be great among you, let him be the servant of all." But, once this Nicolaitan spirit took hold, we see the domination practiced by priests during the dark ages.  and even to this day.


Why did the church at Ephesus fall? When Paul wrote to them in the epistle to the Ephesians, he said such things as -

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" - 2:10

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." - 3:20

"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." - 2:4-6

In this letter he taught them many great doctrines of the Church, such as the five-fold ministry of the church and how to walk in the "power of His might" and defeat the devil and his forces. So what was their downfall?


They became so busy doing God's work that they forgot Jesus. They forgot that the good works were not really their works, but God had prepared the works for them to walk in. They really had absolutely nothing without Jesus Christ. Jesus said it this way -

"Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love." - Revelation 2:4

The church that will overcome in the days ahead will not be one with beautiful buildings, or many programs, or even many members and a large budget. It will be made up of people who remember this - "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ." They will be those who defeat the devil by "the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives even to the death." - Revelation 12:11.


May we all strive to be that kind of people.

Over 50 years ago, while a Junior in college, at a little country church, I went forward and asked a Lutheran Pastor form Norway to introduce me to Jesus. He led me to this verse -

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with with him, and he with Me" - Revelation 3:20

The pastor asked me to read it out loud and I did. Nothing happened so, he said read it again. After reading it three times, I suddenly realized what Jesus was saying - if I would open my heart's door, HE WOULD COME IN! I did ... and He did. It was glorious and I couldn't stop laughing for about half an hour. We 'dined' together that night, my Lord and I, and we haven't stopped for 50 years or more. Oh, I've missed supper from time to time but, the table is always set, waiting for me.

I have come to realize that this verse isn't just a salvation verse, but a life long call to keep the door of my heart open for the Master. He is so polite, He will always knock but, He will not force His way in, though He could. The Laodicean church, who received this message, was so blessed materially and they didn't think they had any need. They were so busy making money and enjoying it that they hardly had time have a relationship with Jesus. The Laodiceans thought they were rich, but, Jesus saw them as "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked". We here in America are especially susceptible to this temptation because we are so rich materially. Satan uses it to snare us and keep us from fully depending on our only true source of strength - Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. They fell into the trap of the "Sunday Christian Syndrome", where one day, and that for only a few hours, seems enough out of our busy schedule for the Lord. It isn't! The first Christians met daily, from house to house but, now we find it a chore, an imposition, to meet more than a few hours on Sunday.

Nearly 2000 years have passed since Jesus dictated this letter to the Laodicean church and there isn't much time left. In the days ahead we will all be sorely tested and our only strength will be a strong relationship with Jesus in which He washes our feet free from the 'dirt' of this world thus refreshing us for the testing ahead. I urge you to open the door to your heart and invite Jesus in to dine with you. You need to do it every day. But, be assured, He will come in.

David Wilkerson Vision - part three

Tsunami of Filth

A Flood of Filth


In 1973 Dave Wilkerson saw in a vision a 'flood of filth' sweeping over the earth and especially the United States. If you saw pictures of the tsunami in Japan, sweeping all the debris before it, you can get an idea of what he saw.

"This moral landslide will surpass anything the human mind can conjure. Already a demonic spirit of lust is sweeping over many nations, bringing with it nudity, perversion, and a flood of filth." - The Vision, pg 43

He described "Toplessness on Television" saying "I predict that network programs will soon attempt bare-breasted scenes." Then after an initial outcry of alarm dies down they will follow with scenes of full nudity. It will be done 'tastefully' at first until society becomes used to it, then anything will go. Even certain clergymen will applaud nudity on TV explaining it as a healthy development. "Triple-X Rated Movies on TV after Midnight" will soon follow. It takes him ten pages to describe all the sexual decay he saw. Homosexuality will be accepted, even protected, and TV programs will laud this as a normal part of life. Sex education in Public Education will be the vehicle used to promote these attitudes to the younger generation. The church will not be exempt from this corruption.

"Divorce and immorality will be more and more commonplace among ministers. A growing number of priests will be involved in sexual affairs and will leave the priesthood. Others will continue in the priesthood but will carry on secret affairs. An ever increasing number of Protestant ministers are going to "fall" into sexual sin, much of it carried on secretly." - The Vision, page 52

We see this right now. Sex is the main ingredient in much of advertisement these days, from Victoria's Secret to Cialis. Nearly every TV program flouts the 'sex' theme at some point in the programming. And, as Wilkerson predicted, violence is mixed with sex in much of it. Half the TV programs being aired have some 'law and order' theme and a majority of them have sex and violence as their theme. 

A "spirit of Persecution" is Coming ... 


"I see an hour of persecution coming such as mankind has never before witnessed. This will be a persecution of true Jesus believers that will soon arise like a many headed-monster out of the sea. It will begin slowly and subtly, coming at a time when religious freedom appears to be at a peak. It will spread throughout the United States, Canada, and the entire world and will finally become a kind of madness." - The Vision, pg. 73


He saw the antichrist spirit entering the hearts of certain men in high places; in government, the judicial system, and education. It will cause these officials to engage in legal maneuvers designed to harass independent churches, missionaries, and ministers. This will effect all religious radio and TV programming with a myriad of regulations and restrictions making it difficult for them to stay in business.


At the same time he saw new conferences and dialogs taking place between various main-line religious groups, such as Protestants and Catholics, aimed at forming one new church - a Super World Church. Much of the persecution of true saints of God will arise out of this church. Doctrines of the Bible will be re-interpreted to allow this super church members to coexist and it will be more political than spiritual in nature. Any who oppose its re-interpretation of Scripture will be forced out and persecuted. Homosexuals and lesbians will be accepted within its ranks and even allowed to become ministers. Increasingly occult practices will be allowed in this church.


The Rise of the Supernatural Church ...

"I saw a great and supernatural union of all the true followers of Jesus Christ, bound together through the Holy Spirit and mutual confidence in Christ and His Word. This supernatural church of Bible believers will become a kind of underground fellowship and will include Catholics and Protestants of all denominations. It will bind together young and old, black and white, and people of all nations." - The Vision, pg. 81

As the 'super world church' gains political power, this supernatural church will receive Holy Spirit power to continue preaching and spreading the gospel until the ends of the earth have heard. Already, believers are beginning to meet in fellowship around the world. They are largely underground, not because they are hiding, but because they do not seek to make a name for themselves by boasting large organizations or church structures. Many of them meet in homes and most of them are small in size as this lends itself best to the Holy Spirit working through each member as they meet - 1 Corinthians 14:26.


This vision was given in 1973 and printed in 1974. At the time, it seemed like nonsense to many. Today, it is like reading the newspaper or surfing the internet. What hasn't actually happened yet can easily be seen forming in society. God has given us nearly 40 years to get prepared and we must all ask ourselves - are we yet prepared?


Anyone who thinks in his or her heart - "I am ready!" does not understand the Scripture, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!" We all have areas of weakness and failings but, we also have a sure word of promise - "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." - Philippians 1:6 and "for if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things." - 1 John 3:20.


God has warned us, not to make us fearful but to help us prepare for what is ahead. As Proverbs says it, The wise man foresees evil and hides himself; but the fool pass on and are punished. - Proverbs 27:12.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Today

“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” – 1 Corinthians 13:8-10

Many Christian ministers say the gifts of the Spirit were done away with after the first century and they quote this verse, but, if this verse is for today, why are they still having Seminaries and bible schools because this verse also says “knowledge will vanish away” as well. Obviously, “that which is perfect” is speaking about the time when Jesus comes back and sets up His kingdom on earth. That has not happened yet and we still need all the Holy Spirit’s help!

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” - 2 Timothy 3:5

There many Christians today who try to live the Christian life intellectually – in the power of their mind, however, it cannot be done. From the very beginning of the Church it was supernatural. The wisdom of man is foolishness with God, then and now. Man today is not any smarter than the Jews of 2000 years ago were and it is arrogance to think so. Men needed a supernatural work by the Holy Spirit then and we need it now. We cannot repent by feeling sorry, but only by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. We are “born of the Spirit”, not by the will of man but by a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot just ‘decide’ to accept Christ. He is made real to us by revelation from the Holy Spirit. And we cannot follow Christ by our intellect alone – we must be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost." - Jude 1:20

The Bible teaches that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, but how do we hear something that is spiritual in nature with natural ears? By the Holy Spirit! Jude tells us we can strengthen, or ‘build up’, our holy faith by praying in the Spirit, not by praying with our intellect. Paul makes it very clear that ‘praying in the Spirit’ involves praying in tongues.

"For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified." – 1 Corinthians 14:14-17

Is praying with your intellect (understanding) wrong? Certainly not. Is praying in tongues wrong? Certainly not. There is a place for both, but to say pray only with your understanding is like trying to work with one hand tied behind your back. God gave us two spiritual hands so why not use both?

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

It is strange how men today want to do away with tongues, with prophesy, or with mysteries saying “love is better.” But, the same passage also says love is better than having knowledge or doing works of charity and they do not want to do away with those! That is because they think they can control works of charity or the gaining of knowledge but, they cannot control the gift of prophesy or the gift of tongues. The truth is none of these gifts are done away by love, only enhanced.

There are many kinds of tongues; tongues of men (some of which are dead, forgotten to mankind) and there are tongues of angels as well. The Holy Spirit is not limited and He knows all things – that includes every tongue ever spoken by man or angels. But, we must remember one thing. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given for one purpose – to build up the body of Christ. So, when you are alone in your prayer closet you can pray in tongues. You may not understand what you are praying but God does and you will still be ‘built up in your most holy faith’. But in the church we should act in a way that edifies all present. Therefore if we bring a message in tongues, it should be interpreted, so all can understand it. This ‘bringing a message in tongues’ is a gifting as well that not all are used in. It is separate from the tongues we all receive when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit. We may all pray and sing in tongues, but the Holy Spirit does not give all of us a message in tongues for the body gathered together. When we let the Holy Spirit have His way in our meetings, all will be done decently and in perfect order. It is when man tries to manage the work of the Holy Spirit that we get into trouble.

Some ministers teach that the giftings of the Holy Spirit are not for today, because they are not used this way. But, there is no Scripture that ever says they stopped. Their attitude is like saying dreams and visions stopped because they don’t have any. Maybe the problem is with them and not with the Holy Spirit? Or maybe, the Holy Spirit in His wisdom just decided not to use them in a particular gifting. However, Paul teaches that “you can all prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:31) and he also declares “I thank my God that I speak with tongues more than you all: …”(1 Corinthians 14:18).

Paul’s conclusion is to use all the arsenal of Holy Spirit weapons which He has given to build us up, only “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

David Wilkerson Vision - part two

Bankruptcies of Major Corporations

Nearly every day my emails describe or predict a looming financial crisis. Nationally we have witnessed  the failure of financial markets, corporations, and  banking firms with mega-sized bailouts. Bailouts that our government had to borrow money from China, England, Japan, to name a few, to accomplish. Both Republican and Democrat administrations were responsible for a debt that was impossible to cover without printing more paper money backed only by the promise of payment. This has led to major inflation, even though our government is refusing to admit to it by changing the definition they use for inflation. Regardless of what the Obama administration is telling us our food has inflated on the average of 30% and gasoline even higher. God revealed this to David Wilkerson in 1973 and he printed it in his book The Vision in 1974 -

"I believe we are going to witness the bankruptcies of some of the nation's major  and most popular corporations. I see tremendous difficulty arising for credit corporations. There are going to be many people unable to pay off their heavy obligations to major credit card companies, causing near-chaos. ... The President of the United States will make one, and possibly two national radio and TV appearances to reassure the nation that all is well and that the best of economic times is just ahead. It will not work. People will distrust these statements, and their fears will lead to a revolution at the polls.

The Auto industry is going to be hurt badly. Makers of recreational vehicles are going to get hit very hard....Almost every economic indicator will be gloomy. It will be spotty at first --but will eventually affect nearly all industry."

We already have seen major banking firms go down, Fanny May and Freddie Mack (major credit corporations) go bankrupt, and two of the three major car companies go bankrupt. So far the Obama administration is amassing some $14 trillion dollars in debt, $1.6 trillion this year alone. To put this in perspective - if you spent $30 million dollars a day from the time of Jesus until today, you still wouldn't quite cover it!


He also saw a "rush to the country" and today many secular financial advisors are saying the same thing. They see the inevitable food shortage and inflation problems that will hit the cities. He also saw unions in a dilemma - whether to strike or not. Unemployment will cause great problems and inflation will make it too costly to strike but business owners facing tax and inflation costs will be unwilling to negotiate higher wages and benefits. He also said hoarding goods, gold or silver will not help and there will be a rise in riots and demonstrations around the nation. All of this we here in Wisconsin have seen over the last two years. He also mentions some advise to those who will listen -

"I have some advice for those who believe the message of this chapter. I believe the advice is from the Lord. Don't buy anything unless it is needed. Avoid going into debt - at all, if possible. Sell or trade off all questionable holdings. No matter what sacrifice is involved, pay off as much debt as possible and get your cash flow needs down to a minimum."

The ability to hear God and the willingness to obey what you hear will be the only security in these times. God has always shown His people how to prepare for disasters: Noah, He told to build an ark; Jacob, He sent Joseph ahead into Egypt to prepare; Elijah, He sent to a widow; and the first disciples He warned to flee to the mountains when they saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies. 


This second installment of David Wilkerson's vision is happening before our eyes right now so, we must do what we can and leave the rest to God. We must not fear but have faith in His plan for our lives. His word states "He is faithful to finish the good work He began in us." - Philippians 1:6.

David Wilkerson Vision - part one

He who finds a wife ...

The Bible has much to say about marriage and one of the most powerful is found in Malachi - 


"Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant. But did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. 'For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one's garment with violence,' Says the LORD of hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously." - Malachi 2:14, 15


Jesus quoted this verse when teaching about the subject of divorce. Paul wrote to both Timothy and Titus that in order to be qualified for church leadership a man must be "the husband of one wife." Down through the centuries this statement has always been understood to mean - not divorced! Why is God so concerned about this issue? "He seeks godly offspring." Even a casual observer can see the havoc and disruption that is visited upon the children of broken homes. As an educator of 33 years, I certainly saw the added burden children of divorced and single parent families have to overcome to live a normal life. Yes, they can overcome if they turn to Jesus for help and He can heal the wounds visited upon them by their parents.


But, the purpose of this article is not to expose the damage caused by divorce, although it should be. It is to review a vision given to David Wilkerson in 1973 and published in 1974. Much of this vision has come to pass giving a warning that the remainder of it will soon be upon us. In writing about the "falling away" that he saw coming, he said -

"I believe that even certain evangelical denominations will soon grant credentials to divorced ministers. Divorce among ministers will no longer carry a stigma. Church denominations will continue to 'review' their opposition to divorce and will become more lenient with every new convention and conference. There is coming a 'softening' toward divorce in churches and in the ministry. This is a trend that will not be stopped, even though the changes in attitude develop slowly." - The Vision, page 53

As a Pastor of 15 years, I was greatly disappointed to read a few years ago that the Assemblies of God, one of the last evangelical denominations to uphold the Biblical standard on marriage and divorce, relaxed its standards to allow as many divorces and church sanctioned remarriages as wanted.

Japan's Earthquake Tsumani

In this vision, he also saw a great increase of natural disasters hitting the U.S. In particular, he saw earthquakes - "The United States is going to experience, in the not to distant future, the most tragic earthquake in its history." He also wrote, "Another earthquake, possibly in Japan, may proceed the one I see coming here." He further states that it may be in a place not normally thought of as earthquake prone. It will trigger several other earthquakes and result in widespread panic, confusion, and destruction. He also said the news media will be totally engrossed in covering this tragedy. We recently witnessed the earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan that he wrote about and the media was filled with coverage as he describes. 

Wheat fails in Russia

He further forecasts "Famine is coming to the world in our generation and millions will die of starvation. Catastrophic years lie just ahead, with drought, floods, and other weather disasters wiping out great amounts of the world's food production." In this country we have witnessed several years of floods, temperature fluctuations, that have greatly reduced our food supplies. He specifically mentions wheat crop failure and I remembered a recent headline from ABC News, Aug 6, 2010 - 

Wheat Shortage May Mean Higher Grocery Bills

Cost of Bread, Cereal Likely to Rise; Poorer Countries Will Feel Brunt

"Wheat prices spiked Thursday after Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin issued a ban on exports as that country confronts grain shortages amidst drought and withering crops, a situation made worse by out-of-control wildfires." 

Food prices are rising in the United States, some by as much as 30% and those who have maintained their current prices are doing it by decreasing the sizes of their packaging. But the food shortages are much more critical in developing nations of the world.


David Wilkerson's Vision covers more, much of which we are now witnessing; financial collapses, sexual perversions, rise of the occult even in the church, the rise of a supernatural church, and the rise in persecution of true believers. I will devote another article to this important vision as I realize that it was given back in 1973 and as hard as it is for me to grasp this - some of you were not even alive yet! And also, if you are like me, 38 years ago is a little hard to remember details from. I further realize that these are not comfortable themes to contemplate but they are all Scriptural and God has predicted their happenings thousands of years ago. Jesus, understanding the fear that would accompany them, said - "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." - Luke 21:28. To the true believer 'God is still the God of all comfort.' Another message from God to true believers is -

A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; The simple pass on and are punished. - Proverbs 27:12

NOT A TIME TO SLEEP

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8

 This age is coming to an end at some point. Those who think God is just a myth live as if things will continue on forever. They may believe America will have economic problems or other minor disruptions such as political change, but, generally they espouse the idea that we will continue well into the future. “Peace and safety” is their motto. Paul writes that we know the Lord’s coming will be unexpected to them, like a “thief in the night”. Those kinds of people have always been around. But what is really disturbing is when those who are supposed to be “children of light” are also living as if everything is “peace and safety”.

The prophet Ezekiel warns “if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.” Ezekiel 33:6

Since the early 60’s America has left her Scriptural roots in Christianity even though any who care to search will see that our Founders were Christian and they wanted every American to have a Holy Bible. The U.S. Congress even commissioned a Bible to be printed for that very purpose. Now, thanks to a godless education system and a Church that is asleep, we have several generations of citizens who don’t know our spiritual roots as a nation. If you don’t know your rights, they can be taken away without you even knowing it. That is why the false principle of ‘separation of church and state’ could ever take hold in America.

The ‘beacon of light’ that God set in this country – the Church, was largely asleep during this time. They were not being ‘salt and light’ and within a few generations were removed from being the godly influence they should have been. When God sent prophets to them, they denied them, relegating the precious gifts of the Holy Spirit to the past only. I personally can remember prophets warning with dreams and visions of an invasion of our country from China. For the most part, the Church looked on them as fanatics. But now, China is our main competition and is openly threatening us financially and militarily. 

The Chinese Defense Minister was recently quoted:

“We must prepare ourselves for two scenarios. If our biological weapons succeed in the surprise attack [on the US], the Chinese people will be able to keep their losses at a minimum in the fight against the U.S. If, however, the attack fails and triggers a nuclear retaliation from the U.S., China would perhaps suffer a catastrophe in which more than half of its population would perish. 

That is why we need to be ready with air defense systems for our big and medium-sized cities. Whatever the case may be, we can only move forward fearlessly for the sake of our Party and state and our nation’s future, regardless of the hardships we have to face and the sacrifices we have to make. The population, even if more than half dies, can be reproduced. But if the Party falls, everything is gone, and forever gone!”

“It is indeed brutal to kill one or two hundred million Americans. But that is the only path that will secure a Chinese century, a century in which the CCP leads the world. We, as revolutionary humanitarians, do not want deaths. But if history confronts us with a choice between deaths of Chinese and those of Americans, we’d have to pick the latter, as, for us, it is more important to safeguard the lives of the Chinese people and the life of our Party.

That is because, after all, we are Chinese and members of the CCP. Since the day we joined the CCP, the Party’s life has always been above all else!” 

This is just one threat facing us because of our rejection of God. Islam is another with aspirations of ruling the world and if anyone bothers to listen to what they are regularly saying, The United States and Israel are highest on their hit list. It should be mentioned that the Islamic nation burning this American flag has nuclear weapons!

But these threats are nothing compared to the one we are facing because of our stand over Israel. In that one we are standing against God Himself! God warned in Joel;

“I will gather all nations, and bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat (judgment); and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land.” – Joel 3:2

I would rather face China, Russia and the Islamic nations all together than God!

Last week Israeli Arab lawmaker Ahmed Tibi said, “The admission of Palestine as a member of the United Nations has become an inevitable reality in September next.” The UN declared on last Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority is capable and ready to function as an independent state, and is only being held back by the “Israeli occupation.” The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed with the UN. “US President Barack Obama wants a Palestinian state and although the US is not interested in a unilateral declaration, it would be hard for it to stand alone in the General Assembly and vote against it” an Israeli official recently stated. Sides in the contest are being chosen and there are only two sides, the world and God’s! However, God is not surprised – 

For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” – Psalm 83:3, 4

The real issue is not Israel against the Palestinians. The real issue is Satan and his kingdom against God and His kingdom.

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us." – Psalm 2:2, 3

If you are a real Christian, a real follower of Jesus Christ, then take to heart what Paul wrote, “let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.” Let us watch (pray) and be sober (alert) for unless we can bring about a change in this nation’s course, we are headed for disaster.

Not a Time to Sleep

"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation." – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8

This age is coming to an end at some point. Those who think God is just a myth live as if things will continue on forever. They may believe America will have economic problems or other minor disruptions such as political change, but, generally they espouse the idea that we will continue well into the future. "Peace and safety" is their motto. Paul writes that we know the Lord's coming will be unexpected to them, like a "thief in the night". Those kinds of people have always been around. But what is really disturbing is when those who are supposed to be "children of light" are also living as if everything is "peace and safety".

The prophet Ezekiel warns "if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand." Ezekiel 33:6

Since the early 60's America has left her Scriptural roots in Christianity even though any who care to search will see that our Founders were Christian and they wanted every American to have a Holy Bible. The U.S. Congress even commissioned a Bible to be printed for that very purpose. Now, thanks to a godless education system and a Church that is asleep, we have several generations of citizens who don't know our spiritual roots as a nation. If you don't know your rights, they can be taken away without you even knowing it. That is why the false principle of 'separation of church and state' could ever take hold in America.

The 'beacon of light' that God set in this country – the Church, was largely asleep during this time. They were not being 'salt and light' and within a few generations were removed from being the godly influence they should have been. When God sent prophets to them, they denied them, relegating the precious gifts of the Holy Spirit to the past only. I personally can remember prophets warning with dreams and visions of an invasion of our country from China. For the most part, the Church looked on them as fanatics. But now, China is our main competition and is openly threatening us financially and militarily.

The Chinese Defense Minister was recently quoted:  

"We must prepare ourselves for two scenarios. If our biological weapons succeed in the surprise attack [on the US], the Chinese people will be able to keep their losses at a minimum in the fight against the U.S. If, however, the attack fails and triggers a nuclear retaliation from the U.S., China would perhaps suffer a catastrophe in which more than half of its population would perish. 

That is why we need to be ready with air defense systems for our big and medium-sized cities. Whatever the case may be, we can only move forward fearlessly for the sake of our Party and state and our nation's future, regardless of the hardships we have to face and the sacrifices we have to make. The population, even if more than half dies, can be reproduced. But if the Party falls, everything is gone, and forever gone!"

"It is indeed brutal to kill one or two hundred million Americans. But that is the only path that will secure a Chinese century, a century in which the CCP leads the world. We, as revolutionary humanitarians, do not want deaths. But if history confronts us with a choice between deaths of Chinese and those of Americans, we'd have to pick the latter, as, for us, it is more important to safeguard the lives of the Chinese people and the life of our Party. 

That is because, after all, we are Chinese and members of the CCP. Since the day we joined the CCP, the Party's life has always been above all else!" 

This is just one threat facing us because of our rejection of God. Islam is another with aspirations of ruling the world and if anyone bothers to listen to what they are regularly saying, The United States and Israel are highest on their hit list. It should be mentioned that the Islamic nation burning this American flag has nuclear weapons!

But these threats are nothing compared to the one we are facing because of our stand over Israel. In that one we are standing against God Himself! God warned in Joel;

"I will gather all nations, and bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat (judgment); and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land." – Joel 3:2.

I would rather face China, Russia and the Islamic nations all together than God!

Last week Israeli Arab lawmaker Ahmed Tibi said, "The admission of Palestine as a member of the United Nations has become an inevitable reality in September next." The UN declared on last Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority is capable and ready to function as an independent state, and is only being held back by the "Israeli occupation." The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed with the UN. "US President Barack Obama wants a Palestinian state and although the US is not interested in a unilateral declaration, it would be hard for it to stand alone in the General Assembly and vote against it" an Israeli official recently stated. Sides in the contest are being chosen and there are only two sides, the world and God's! However, God is not surprised –

For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more." – Psalm 83:3, 4

The real issue is not Israel against the Palestinians. The real issue is Satan and his kingdom against God and His kingdom.

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us." – Psalm 2:2, 3

If you are a real Christian, a real follower of Jesus Christ, then take to heart what Paul wrote, "let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation." Let us watch (pray) and be sober (alert) for unless we can bring about a change in this nation's course, we are headed for disaster.

Pastor Charles Cooley

The Harlot of Revelation is Riding

As Muslim Brotherhood takes control
Coptic Christians Flee

"And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." - vs. 17

This verse is from Revelation 12 which tells the end-time story of the devil's war with God and His children, the Jews and the Christians. While there are many elements to this story, persecution of God's people is certainly one of the main ones. The Apostle Paul wrote - "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2Timothy 3:12). This is as true today as when he wrote it. The world and all who are of it can never be a friend to true Christians. It will always be as James declared - "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." - James 4:4. Even though many Christians don't seem to understand this, the world does! 

The Harlot of Rev. 17

Revelation 17 gives us a vivid picture of this principle. Here we are shown the picture of a woman arrayed in religious garments, rich in her splendor, riding on the back of the beast of Revelation, which represents the final revelation of Satan's kingdom on earth. This "Mother of Harlots" represents the apostate church. She compromised herself with the world, even to the point of persecuting the true saints, but, in the end the beast turns even on her - "And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked. eat her flesh and burn her with fire." Here is wisdom: It is better to suffer for righteousness' sake than to compromise with the world and then suffer the world's wrath anyway - and God's besides!


Nations are not much different than people except in one point; individuals will face the throne of God for judgment but nations are judged here and now. Certainly one point of judgment will be what we did with God's people, both Jews and Christians. As I wrote in the article Beware the Trojan Horse, our country's leaders are making decisions for which our country will pay a heavy price. They purposely sold out Egypt's President Mubarak to radical Islamic forces not only resulting in the turning over of advanced military weapons to terrorists, as is also happening in Libya, but also they caused further persecution of Christians in Egypt. Their actions are also strengthening Iran's grip on the region and increasing the likelihood of an Islamic war with Israel. President Obama seems content with allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons, allowing radical Islamic groups to take control of Egypt, Lebanon, and Libya. He is much harder on Israel for wanting to build needed homes for Israelis on Jewish land  than he is on the radical Islamic groups who rant and rave that we are the 'Great Satan' and who celebrate in the streets at every misfortune of America!


Japan's government recently took a public stand against Israel demanding that they give up land given to them by God. Japan doesn't believe God is real. Japan suffered a major earthquake and tsunami the following week and the disaster is not over yet! Is there no one in America's leadership that fears God enough to reverse course? 


I think the answer to that question is NO! Therefore, we must prepare to stand for God in spite of the persecution that is coming. We must not be discouraged even though it may come through those who call themselves Christian. Remember Jesus' promise to the Philadelphia Church - "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." - Revelation 3:10.

How to Endure to the End

The name of this blog is the Reaper because I wanted to draw attention to the fact that God will reap a final harvest - both of our lives and of the world in general. Paul puts it this way -

"For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." - Galatians 6:8,9

As we observe the world around us, we can easily see the increase of lawlessness. Riots are breaking out almost weekly as economies fail and accustomed lifestyles are threatened. The nightly news alerts us to the increase of earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, all around the world. Ethnic and religious violence are intensifying and rumors of war are again reverberating throughout Africa and the Mideast. "The love of many" is growing cold just as Jesus warned (Matthew 24:12). This lawlessness has also invaded the Church and Jesus also reveals that many will betray one another and hate one another in the Church. Nothing hurts quite as much as when friends and family turn against you and betray you. The great falling away that Paul warned about (2 Thessalonians 2:3) is upon us.


We are living in this day. Already false prophets are arising saying "Peace, Peace" but there will be no peace. They are predicting great revivals when Jesus says "unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the elects sake those days will be shortened." (Matthew 24:22). Doctrines like the "prosperity teaching" and the "pre-tribulation rapture" will be shown to be false hopes of escapism from Scriptural realism. But, there is a message of hope that the Holy Spirit is revealing. It is the same message that John the Baptist preached and that Jesus preached when He began His earthly ministry -

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" - Matthew 3:2

There is no entering the kingdom of heaven without repentance. When Jesus dictated His letter to the seven churches of Revelation, His first commandment to five of them was to repent. If Jesus could get into today's churches, (There was one church in Revelation where He had to stand outside the door and knock!), He would say repent! Repent for the broken covenants and promises you made in your marriages, for the lies you have told in your businesses, for the promises you made to God and have not kept, for the lack of prayer and fellowship with Me, for your lack of submission to one another, for not preferring others above yourself, for preferring the wicked above the righteous in your voting. Just as when Jesus stooped down and wrote in the sand as self-righteous Jews were condemning the harlot, I'm sure His list of sins would convict us all!


Jesus taught, "Broad is the way that leads to destruction, but, narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it." But, there are preparations that can help us find that 'narrow way'. After all, Jesus also said "He who endures to the end shall be saved." So, how can we endure to the end?


Revelation 4 reveals to us the road map to navigate the days ahead. In this short chapter of 11 verses the word throne appears 14 times. The message is that everything is under the control of the One who sits on the throne. This chapter reveals four aspects of God's nature. 1) He is holy - the single most important revelation of God given in Scripture. If we do not submit to this aspect of God's nature, we will never find the 'narrow way' to salvation. 2) God is almighty - His wisdom is greater than man's or the devil's and His plans are right on schedule. He alone is controlling destiny. Only Jesus could open the scroll that is God's plan to close the age (Revelation 5). 3) He is eternal - He was, He is, and He is to come and He is the same today as He ever was! 4) He is the Creator of all things - and He did it just the way He said He did it in Genesis! 

History Lesson on Social Security

Since one of the characteristics of genuine leaders is - they tell the truth. I thought it would be good to pass on this article I received via email. It gives the true history of Social Security and which political party is most to blame for its failure.

 History Lesson on Your Social Security Card

 
Dick Kantenberger
Gifted Education Writer
Examiner.com

History Lesson on Your Social Security Card
   
Just in case some of you young whippersnappers (& some older ones) didn't know this. It's easy to check out, if you don't believe it.  Be sure and show it to your family and friends. They need a little history lesson on what's what and it doesn't matter whether you are Democrat or Republican. Facts are Facts.

Social Security Cards up until the 1980s expressly stated the number and
card were not to be used for identification purposes. Since nearly everyone in the
United States now has a number, it became convenient to use it anyway and the
message, NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION, was removed.

 
An old Social Security card with the "NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION" message.

Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social
Security (FICA) Program. He promised:

1.) That participation in the Program would be 

Completely voluntary, 

No longer Voluntary 

2.) That the participants would only have to pay 

1% of the first $1,400 of their annual 

Incomes into the Program, 

Now 7.65% on the first $90,000

 

3.) That the money the participants elected to put 

into the Program would be deductible from 

their income for tax purposes each year, 

No longer tax deductible 

4.) That the money the participants put into the 

independent 'Trust Fund' rather than into the 

general operating fund, and therefore, would 

only be used to fund the Social Security 

Retirement Program, and no other 

Government program, and, 

Under Johnson the money was moved to 

The General Fund and Spent 

5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed

as income. 

Under Clinton & Gore 

Up to 85% of your Social Security can be Taxed 

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are 

now receiving a Social Security check every month -- 

and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of 

the money we paid to the Federal government to 'put 

away' -- you may be interested in the following: 

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---- 

Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the 

independent 'Trust Fund' and put it into the 

general fund so that Congress could spend it? 

A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democratically 

controlled House and Senate. 

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -- 

Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax 

deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding? 

A: The Democratic Party. 

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----- 

Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social 

Security annuities? 

A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the 

'tie-breaking' deciding vote as President of the 

Senate, while he was Vice President of the  US 

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - 

Q: Which Political Party decided to start

giving annuity payments to immigrants? 

AND MY FAVORITE: 

A: That's right! 

Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party.   

Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, 

began to receive Social Security payments! The 

Democratic Party gave these payments to them, 

even though they never paid a dime into it! 

------------ -- ------------ --------- ----- ------------ --------- --------- 

Then, after violating the original contract (FICA), 

the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want 

to take your Social Security away! 

And the worst part about it is uninformed citizens believe it! 

If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of 

awareness will be planted and maybe changes will 

evolve. 

But it's worth a try.

How many people can YOU send this to?

Actions speak louder than bumper stickers