They That Wait Upon The Lord. . .

They That Wait Upon The Lord. . .
Vol: 24 Issue: 30 Friday, June 30, 2017

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31

The word translated as “wait” in this verse is qavah, a root word with a number of different meanings.  As a root word, it literally means ‘to bind together’ in the sense of collecting, or twisting together.    

Figuratively, it is used in the same sense as our literal understanding of the English word, ‘wait’ , but the use of the word qavah adds two new dimensions, one in the sense of being “gathered together” and the second  in the sense of collectively looking for, or waiting upon, something or someone, in this case, the Lord.

The traditional understanding of this verse is its literal, historical context, which is that of an exhortation to the children of Israel suffering a long and miserable captivity in Babylon. 

The Kingdom of Israel had been destroyed by Sargon the Assyrian a generation before, and there was little reason to believe the Kingdom of Judah would fare any better.  As the years dragged by, the captives lost all hope of deliverance. 

The Prophet Isaiah exhorted them with words of comfort and hope:

“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:1-3)

The Prophet goes on, offering comforting visions of future prosperity, mixed with promises of a Deliverer . . .  yet the people remained in bondage.  Isaiah closes with the exhortation about “waiting upon the Lord”  . . . yet the people remained in bondage.

In the Big Picture, Isaiah’s vision spans the scope of history, from the Captivity through to the Diaspora, the Holocaust, and finally, the restoration process that began with its political revival in 1948 and will conclude with Israel’s national salvation at the conclusion of the Tribulation Period.

But it is also something of a metaphor for the Church in the last days.  The Prophet Jeremiah prophesied Judah would serve Babylon for seventy years.  So when the seventy years were over, all the Jews could expect to go home.  

(If only they knew for sure when the seventy year time-clock started.  Was it from the beginning of the siege in 597?  From the date of the Destruction of the Temple in 586?)   

And if one examines Jeremiah 25:9-12 closely, Jeremiah never said the captivity would last seventy years — he said the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years .  This is confirmed by the Prophet Daniel:

“In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” (Daniel 9:2)

But is only with the benefit of hindsight that we can see clearly that the seventy year time frame spanned the period of the Temple’s Desolation.

The Temple, and Jerusalem, were destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians.  The Temple, which was rebuilt, was consecrated in 516 BC, exactly 70 years after its destruction.

But if you were a Jewish captive serving your Babylonian masters, until it was history, you might as well be trying to guess the date of the Rapture.

Assessment:

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” (2nd Peter 3:3-4)

In a sense, that’s where we are on the prophetic time clock today.  Somewhere between the Temple Desolation Periods.  The Temple was desolated in AD 70.  The Bible predicts that at some point at or near the start of the Tribulation Period, the Third Temple will be rebuilt.

The Prophet Daniel predicted that the antichrist,  — a prince of the people who destroyed it in AD 70, will confirm a covenant that will permit the Jews to rebuild the Temple and restore the Temple worship and sacrifice system.

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:27)

So, Israel was restored politically in May, 1948 which is just over sixty-four years ago.  For the first time in 2520 years, Israel was again in control of her own destiny.  So, is this event thetimeclock?  It hasn’t been seventy years yet, but it is close. 

Jesus prophesied that Jerusalem will be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.  Did that event trigger the timeclock?

Jerusalem was recaptured in June, 1967.  And here we are, forty-seven years later, still arguing about whether Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel, or of the non-existent state of Palestine.

Like the Babylonian captives, we won’t know exactly what event started the timeclock until afterwards.  Like them, we look around for signs that will give us hope that our deliverance is near.  

Every one of the major miracles in the life of Jesus corresponded to a major Jewish feast day.  The only two feast days for which there is not a corresponding major miracle are Rosh Hashanah – the Feast of the Trumpets – and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement.  Jesus died to atone for my sins and on the Day of the Rapture, I will be caught up with Him, completing my atonement process!  It is an entirely logical assumption.  It is extremely compelling.  Heck, it might even be right.

Except it isn’t.  Every year, both days go by and we’re still here.  We didn’t go last time around.  Probably won’t go this time around.

So we fixate on this sign, or that, while guys like Harold Camping give guys like Bill Maher all the material necessary to discourage guys like you and me.

And, as each period passes, more scoffers come out.  Go back to 2 Peter 3 and read Peter’s assessment of the scoffers in full — and see if you can identify them from his description.  

He tells you not only who they are, but WHY they became scoffers.

“And saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

The scoffers know of the Promise.  It isn’t guys like Bill Maher that Peter is talking about.  The scoffers are believers who got burned by bad doctrine.  They got tired of waiting for the Lord and started looking for teachers offering shortcuts that ultimately didn’t pan out.  

As students of Bible prophecy, we have an awesome responsibility before God.  We’re to be witnesses.  Not storytellers.

Bible prophecy is both the proof of God’s existence and the assurance we have of our salvation.

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:” (2 Peter 1:19)

The same Voice that proclaimed,

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

also proclaimed,

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.” (John 10:28)

Bible prophecy is not gloom and doom, but instead offers hope and a blessed assurance.  It is proof positive that God remains on His Throne and that He WILL do all that He has promised. 

But it is NOT a parlour game to be used to impress people at parties or to divine the future.  There must be a million websites devoted to identifying the antichrist (and selling you provisions to escape the coming wrath.)

Believers are instructed to await the return of the Lord for His Church, not the coming of the antichrist.  Signs that the world is preparing for the antichrist are really signs the Lord is preparing to come for His Church first.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 admonishes us; . . . “to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”

We are instructed to wait for the Deliverer from wrath, not the wrath itself.

To the lost, the Lord will come unexpectedly like a thief.  But to believers who are expecting Him and do not sleep, the Bible says that Christ will not come “as a thief.”

This does NOT mean that we are prepared because we KNOW the date of His return, rather, we are not surprised because we are EXPECTING an IMMINENT Rapture.

It is the job of the Church to prepare the world for the coming of Christ, not to try and figure out His exact itinerary.

Guys like Bill Maher are rich enough already.

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on July 3, 2012

Featured Commentary: On the Road with Lewis and Tolkien ~Alf Cengia

The American War

The American War
Vol: 24 Issue: 29 Thursday, June 29, 2017

A culture war has been raging in the United States for years. Unlike traditional wars, it cannot be won by military action, but it is a real war, being carried out on US soil by US citizens against one another.

For example, when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom defied state law by allowing same-sex marriage licenses, a New York Times profile reported him sporting “a wide grin,” “describing his motives as pure and principled,” and cited his “business acumen, money, good looks and friends in the right places.”

But when Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore also defied the law — by installing a Ten Commandments display in his public building — a Times profile said that “civil liberties groups accused Justice Moore of turning a courthouse into a church,” while allowing that he had also become “an Alabama folk hero.”

On the editorial page, the Times criticized Moore, likening him to George Wallace standing in the schoolhouse door, but supports Newsom’s protest and gay marriage.

America’s culture war can be defined as conservative vs. liberal, Right vs. Left, rich vs. poor, Democrat vs. Republican but in reality, the war is between believers in Christ and believers in the world system, both inside and outside of mainstream Christian culture.

It isn’t really a war between cultures so much as it is a spiritual conflict. For example, while polls show a majority of Americans oppose gay marriage, some of the country’s top editorial pages support it.

“Same-sex marriages pose no threat to anyone but rather affirm a commitment of love, an emotion that is universal,” says the Boston Globe.

“We believe that extending the benefits and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples would be fair and beneficial; we understand that many Americans feel otherwise,” says The Washington Post.

“Clearly those who claim that it signals the end of civilization need to get their outrage odometers adjusted,” says the Los Angeles Times.

Polls demonstrate the culture war between Christ and the world is taking casualties within mainstrean Christian culture as well: A poll conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life suggest that opposition to same-sex marriage is widespread among white evangelical Protestants (84 percent) and blacks (65 percent).

Other mainline Protestant Christians showed a 20-point drop in opposition to same-sex marriage (from 64 percent to 44) and a 19-point drop among white Roman Catholics (from 60 percent to 41 percent) but only a 1-point decline among white evangelical Christians and African Americans. Do you see a pattern developing?

Another front in the culture war is the battle raging over Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of the Christ.” Before it was even released, it had ignited passions across the country.

“Too gory!” exclaimed movie reviewers. The same movie reviewers loved Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” and “Pulp Fiction.” Not to mention “A Nightmare on Elm Street” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Natural Born Killers” all of which have achieved ‘cult film status’ and are immune to criticism. The same reviewers who criticized “The Passion” for its gore cheered the historical accuracy of the first thirty minutes of “Saving Private Ryan.”

The culture war isn’t over the movie, but rather the subject material — namely the Salvation of the human race. The world system doesn’t like to think that it needs salvation, and it doesn’t like to be reminded of the historical Jesus.

If the Passion of Jesus is real, then hell is real. And if hell is real, then it becomes decision time. And to the world, ‘decision time’ means giving up all the ‘fun stuff’ — something they would rather not do.

So rather than admitting outright that their real objection is to Christianity in general, they fall back on whatever seems safe. Antisemitism, or too much gore, or historical ‘inaccuracies’ that didn’t seem to bother anybody when reviewing “The Last Temptation of Christ” or “Jesus Christ, Superstar”.

Abortion is another example — recently the Los Angeles Times corrected a review about a play that celebrated fertility (a favorite subject of the world) in which the reviewer called the play ‘pro-life’. Although the play had NOTHING to do with abortion, the LA Times’ editors changed ‘pro-life’ to ‘anti-abortion’.

The words ‘pro-life’ are forbidden by the Times’ editorial board because it might give the impression that if those opposing abortion are ‘pro-life’ then those who favor it are ‘pro-death’ or ‘anti-life’. ‘Anti-abortion’ strikes the right semantic ‘balance’; who wants to be ‘anti’ something? Especially since the opposite of pro-life is, by definition, anti-life?

Last week, the UC Student Senate passed a bill to give $2,400 to send 10 buses of students to a pro-abortion rally in Washington. That is considered ‘education’ but you won’t find public universities shelling out funds to send students to a pro-life rally.

Cincinatti’s Xavier College ponied up $30,000 to pay lunatic left-winger Michael Moore to address the student body. Some students wanted to hear from conservative columnist Walter Williams. They even put up $10,000 of their own money. Xavier refused to kick in the balance of $3000.00 — about ten percent of what they paid Moore.

That the world is well aware of the spiritual conflict is easily seen by the automatic assumption that anybody who is pro-life must be a Bible thumping born-again Christian, so financing such a student trip would violate the alleged ‘Separation Clause’.

Polls show the majority of Americans are pro-life, but the world system equates being pro-life to Jesus Christ. And hates it.

The spiritual war raging in America is taking place at the same time a larger spiritual conflict has gripped the whole world. Unlike America’s war, this one IS being fought using bullets and bombs. That war pits Muslims against Jews and Christians, which is what brought it to America’s shores. Because America is rapidly becoming one of the last strongholds of Christianity left in the world.

While there are more Christians in China than there are Americans on earth, no nation on earth has more Christians per capita and no nation on earth exerts more global influence than ‘Christian’ America.

The culture war raging in America represent the opening skirmishes in the coming War of Armageddon that rages throughout the Tribulation Period.

Consider what would happen to America if suddenly, there were no Christians remaining to continue the spiritual conflict with the world system. What if the only worldview left in America were the one espoused by the liberal left and the God-haters?

What would it mean to America’s global status? What if there was nobody to restrain Ted Kennedy or John Kerry or Jay Rockefeller’s doctrine of internationalism? What if there were no Christians left for Islam to fight?

One of the spiritual wars taking place in America right now concerns whether or not America is really a Christian country to begin with. In America, pledging allegiance to one nation ‘under God’ is already illegal. So is displaying the Ten Commandments on public land.

If there were no Christians, America’s culture war would be over and the stage would be set for the War of Armageddon to begin in earnest. The Armageddon War isn’t against the Church, it is against Israel and the Tribulation saints.

What would happen if, suddenly, Christianity disappeared from the face of the earth is outlined by the Apostle Paul. Paul had taught in his first Epistle to the Thessalonians of the coming Rapture of the Church.

“For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)

In his Second Epistle, Paul is specifically addressing a heresy that was being taught in Thessolonica that the Lord had already returned for His Church and that they had been left behind.

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” (2nd Thessalonians 2:1-3)

Paul outlines the spiritual conflict, saying that “the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only He who now letteth will let, until He be taken out of the way.”

The NIV translates this same verse, “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the One who now holds it back will continue to do so till He is taken out of the way.”

The One Who ‘holds it back’ is the Holy Spirit of God indwelling the Church. The Holy Spirit is God. God is omnipresent, meaning He is everwhere. The Psalmist wrote; “If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there.” (Psalms 139:8)

It is only AFTER the restraining influence of the indwelt Church is removed, Paul says, that the Antichrist can come to power. “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His Mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:” (2 Thessalonians 2:8)

Note that the text makes ‘that Wicked’ a proper noun, and that he will be destroyed by the 2nd Coming of Christ at the conclusion of the Tribulation Period. The identification of ‘that Wicked’ as the antichrist is obvious from the context.

After the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is ‘taken out of the way’ Paul explains the ‘strong delusion’ that will cause the secular world to embrace the antichrist.

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2nd Thessalonians 2:11-12)

The Rapture would decimate the United States, hand victory to the internationalists, the liberals, the homosexual movement, the God-haters and the abortionists in a war they undoubtedly will think they have won.

It is obvious that the only thing restraining evil today is the believing Church. For those to be left behind, the conditioning process has already begun.

The Rapture is at hand. That means there isn’t much time left for us to fulfill our commission as watchmen on the wall.

The King is coming! Tell somebody.

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on March 21, 2004

Goodness Must Be Learned

Goodness Must Be Learned
Vol: 24 Issue: 28 Wednesday, June 28, 2017

One of the fundamental flaws in liberal thinking that puts it in direct opposition to Scripture is the notion that people are basically good.

In this line of thinking, bad or immoral behavior is the exception, and bad or immoral people are largely the product of bad environments. 

The Bible teaches the exact opposite. So does experience. Bad or immoral behavior is the first behavior exhibited by babies as soon as they are old enough to express it.

They have to be taught not to hit. They have to be taught not to bite.  I never personally witnessed anybody teaching babies to be bad or immoral. THAT comes naturally.

They have to be taught to behave. Parents teach children morals and standards of behavior that conform to their cultural environment. No person is inherently moral. It is learned behavior. 

Despite the conflict posed by both reason and their own experience, this idea of the basic goodness of mankind is nevertheless foundational to liberal thinking. 

And dangerous beyond comprehension. There is an old joke to the effect that ‘a liberal is a conservative who’s never been mugged’. The problem is, not everybody survives a mugging. 

This isn’t intended as a screed against liberals; the Bible says that the application of wisdom and knowledge brings forth understanding. Understanding our nature helps us to appreciate our little victories over it along the way. 

The Bible says, “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.” (Proverbs 21:30) 

The concept of man as basically good flies in the face of both reason and personal observation. Man is born a selfish sinner who must first be taught right from wrong. 

The Bible also teaches the total depravity of man; 

“Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Psalms 53:3)

“They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:12)

It is in our base nature that we find conclusive evidence to the age old question of whether or not God exists. If man is not basically good, as liberals prefer to believe, then how did we develop such a complicated and rigid moral code? 

That is why they reject the depravity of man despite the evidence of reason and experience. Because accepting it demands accepting some Lawgiver beyond mankind itself. 

The Apostle Paul explains: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” (Romans 1:28)

Assuming the basic goodness of man is hardly convenient. To make that assumption, one must ignore everything they know about themselves and other people, but they make the leap BECAUSE they do ‘not like to retain God in their knowledge’ exactly as Paul said. 

What follows is a line by line description of the fruits of liberalism:

“Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” (Romans 1:29-32)

Recognizing the depravity of man brings with it a recognition of man’s need for a Savior. And for those who believe and are saved, a profound sense of gratitude for the unmerited gift of salvation through faith. 

Because we know could never make it on our own.

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on August 11, 2010

Featured Commentary: Nothing Comes from Nothing…Nothing Ever Could ~Wendy Wippel

Milk And Meat

Milk And Meat
Vol: 24 Issue: 27 Tuesday, June 27, 2017

A recent Pew Poll on Religious Attitudes in America troubled me so much that I kept going back to it, thinking that somewhere I must have misread something. 

The question was formed as an agree/disagree statement. 

When asked, “Do you agree that many religions can lead to eternal life?” fully 83% of mainstream churches, (including both mainstream Protestant and Catholic) indicated that they agreed with the statement. 

What does that really mean? These are, ostensibly, Christian churches. That is to say, churches founded on the teaching of Jesus Christ and the writers of the New Testament. 

We often speak of ‘milk’ issues and ‘meat’ issues in our briefings and discussion forums. The ‘meat’ issues are the ‘deeper’ things of Scripture; like Bible prophecy, Dispensationalism, eternal security and so on. 

But one cannot grasp the ‘meat’ issues until one first has a handle on the ‘milk’ issues. The most important of these is salvation. 

If one is not saved, according to the Scripture, there is no possible way one can grasp the deeper doctrinal issues. 

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1st Corinthians 1:18, 2:14)

The milk doctrine of salvation is summed up in a single verse of Scripture delivered by Jesus Christ Himself:

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6)

Does this mean that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to salvation? Let me put it another way: does this leave room for another path to salvation? 

Not according to the Apostle Peter: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

If Jesus Christ is NOT the only way to heaven, then, by definition, Christianity cannot lead to heaven at all. 

The essence of Bible Christianity is this: “You can’t do it, so Jesus did.” Whether or not one is saved depends on whether or not one agrees with that statement.

“For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.” (Romans 2: 
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12)

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“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2nd Corinthians 5:17)

It teaches that those sinners who recognize their hopeless state under the Law can be justified through faith that, “God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

What does ‘believing in Him’ mean? Does it mean believing that there was once a Jewish carpenter named Jesus who was a wise man and a good teacher who was put to death by the Romans?

In a word, no. Not even close. 

It means understanding that God loved me so much He stepped out of eternity and into space and time in the Person of Jesus Christ, to live the life expected of me. 

And, having lived the life God expects of me, He suffered the penalty that I so richly deserved — on my behalf. 

It is that understanding that breaks down the barrier between me and God. Without that understanding, the death and resurrection of Jesus is irrelevant to my own condition. If my condition is not hopeless apart from Christ, then it isn’t hopeless at 
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all. 

And if Christianity is not the only way to heaven, then, again by definition, there must be several ‘heavens’. No man has ever seen heaven. So how do we know that it exists? 

Because it says so in the Bible. That’s where we learned of it. If the Bible is accurate about the existence of heaven, then it is equally accurate about its entrance requirements. 

According to the Pew poll results, 83% of mainline Christian churches do not meet the minimum requirements necessary for admission. 

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth. ” (Revelation 3:16)

Assessment:

While the response to the first question stunned me, the response to the question: “There is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of my religion” absolutely floored me. 

In the first place, the premise of the question itself assumes that there can be more than one ‘truth.’ 

This is illogical to the point of delusional. There can be many variations of truth, in the sense that there are many variations of ‘red’ — but only one of them is pure ‘red’ — the rest contain shades of red. 

There is only one ‘truth’. Everything else is different. And things that are different are not the same. For example, the Bible is the Word of God, and therefore, infallible “for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2nd Timothy 3:16)

Today’s column contains the Word of God — but it is NOT infallible on any of those issues. And if this column were to conflict with the Word of God — (ie; by denying Jesus is the only way to heaven) it would NOT be an alternate ‘truth’ even though it contains the word of God. 

This may be a good place to restate the bedrock truths upon which the Omega Letter is founded.

First, we believe that salvation comes by grace through faith in the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ as FULL propitiation (payment) for our sins. 

“And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our’s only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1st John 2:2) 

There is NO alternative religion that can lead to eternal life apart from Christ. If there is, then Christ is dead in vain. 

“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Galatians 2:21)

We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, inerrant in its original languages, and preserved by God through the ages. It contains the full and complete record of God’s interaction with man. 

We reject any suggestion that there can be more than one ‘truth’ on the basis of ordinary logic and the dictionary’s definition of the word, ‘truth.’

We believe that salvation is eternal, and that, while man has free will to accept or reject the offer of salvation procured for him by Jesus, God in His foreknowledge is already aware of the choice each of us will make. 

“For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29)

This is by no means a complete statement of faith — but it is the bedrock upon which Biblical Christianity rests. It is the ‘milk’ of the Scriptures. Without an understanding of the Cross and the role it plays in one’s salvation, one can never grasp the meaning of the word ‘truth.’

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1st Corinthians 1:18) 

Pew’s poll results DO serve as a wake-up call to us 
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all, however. Don’t assume that just because somebody goes to church on Sunday that they have already ‘finished their milk’ — so to speak. 

Odds are 83% in favor of the assumption they haven’t even picked up the glass.

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on December 15, 2010

The Simple Truth of God

The Simple Truth of God
Vol: 24 Issue: 26 Monday, June 26, 2017

What sets a Christian apart from a Muslim, a Jew, or a Buddhist? Christians wake up each morning, confident in their salvation and unafraid to meet their God.

Their God isn’t an unknowable Allah, or a dead Chinese philosopher or a coming Messiah, but a Risen Savior Who has already paid the full penalty for their sin on the Cross.

To a born-again Christian, at the moment of rebirth, one becomes ‘positionally seated in the heavenlies’ — that is to say, as surely as if that person was there already.

In the beginning, God created man in His Image. God is eternal — existing outside of space and time, He always was and He always will be, in a kind of ever-present now, for want of a better analogy. God created the angels in the same way, although they had a created beginning, they were designed to last eternally.

So, we have the two eternal creations of God — the angels, and man. (Everybody with me so far?)

The angels rebelled and were cast out of heaven (Jude 1:6, Job 2:2 Isaiah 14:12). Then Adam and Eve fell, and were cast out of Eden. (Genesis 3:23)

After the Flood, God sought out Abraham, with whom He made a covenant. Through Moses, God established the Law, which in essence, subdivided spiritual mankind and created a new spiritual entity in the Jew.

All mankind was now subdivided into either Jew or Gentile. (Are you still with me?)

To this point, there are three distinct eternal entities; angels and mankind, subdivided into Jews and Gentiles.Spiritually, they are distinctly different with the only common characteristic being that they are created with an eternal spiritual existence.

(Don’t let me lose you now. Here’s the good part)

The Bible teaches that, at the Cross, a fourth spiritual creation came into existence. It is distinct from either Jew or Gentile, but is related to both.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Allow me to torture yet another analogy by way of explanation. Think of the caterpillar and the butterfly. Or, better yet, a pickle and a cucumber. Your choice.

You start life spiritually, as a caterpillar (or a cucumber). Unless you get squashed (or eaten) before the transformation takes place, then that is how you remain for eternity.

On the other hand, once the caterpillar becomes a butterfly (or the cucumber becomes a pickle), that is what it is. It isn’t what it WILL be, it is what it IS.

And no matter what you do, you can’t turn a butterfly into a caterpillar (or a pickle into a cucumber). That is why it is called TRANSFORMATION. It is permanent and irrevocable.

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” (Galatians 6:15)

Becoming a ‘new creature’ in Christ is not a future event — it cannot be, since it takes place at the moment of salvation.

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

We already HAVE that power of God and the indwelling Holy Spirit as a birthright procured on our behalf by the Savior.

Let’s pull it all together now. Among the most divisive doctrines in the Body of Christ is the doctrine of eternal security.

At various times, we’ve examined it from the perspective of ‘this is what the context of this verse is’ and, ‘the original Greek says’ and so on, but the fact remains that when a Jew or a Gentile is saved by the Blood of Christ, he becomes a new creature, no longer a spiritual caterpillar, (or a pickle), but something else.

The transformation is complete at that moment. The rest is up to Jesus.

“Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 1:6)

Whether ‘once saved, always saved’ is a slogan or a doctrine is debated endlessly. But the simple truth of God is that the truth of God is simple.

You can’t turn a butterfly into a caterpillar. And you can’t turn a pickle into a cucumber.

Assessment:

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:” (2nd Peter 1:19)

Don’t let doubt steal your confidence, and don’t let it be shaken by clever-sounding arguments that keep you bound by guilt and out of the battle. Know you are loved by God, and that “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.’ (Romans 11:29)

Remember Who ‘He which hath begun a good work in you’ is, and be confident. When you are saved, the power of God indwells you.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

The time is short until He returns and eternity is a long, long time. Each of us knows somebody who is either a caterpillar or a cucumber. How they will spend eternity may be up to you.

The enemy wants you to think that you aren’t good enough to be used by God,  Indeed, he wants you to believe that you aren’t even really saved! Look at what a mess you are! How can God use you?

How can you tell other people that they need to trust Jesus when He can’t even kick your cigarette habit for you?

The enemy wants to blind you to the fact that you ARE a new creature. If he can hold your salvation over your head, extending it, and then pulling it away, then that gives him power over you.

The real truth is, the only thing still up to you after salvation is whether you’re going to be a beautiful butterfly or a moth; a Vlasic or a sour pickle.  Once transformed, whatever you will be, you aren’t what you were.

You don’t have to be a spiritual heavyweight to introduce people to Jesus. Or to be ready to answer the skeptic’s arguments, or to give a reason for the hope that is in you. Those are all good things to know, but they are not requirements of salvation.

The only requirement for membership into the Body of Christ is that you must first be a sinner who trusts in Jesus alone for his salvation.

“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” (1 Corinthians 1:27)

Don’t let the enemy steal away your victory by telling you it can’t be that simple.  If it was any more complicated, nobody could be saved. As simple as it is, look at all the people that already believe it is too complicated.   

Salvation was designed so that a little child could grasp it.

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” (Luke 18:17)

The simple truth of God is that the truth of God is simple. That is what often makes it so hard to grasp.

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on July 6, 2012

Featured Commentary: Post-MAGA, Pre-Apocalypse ~Pete Garcia

The Quest for An ”Age of Reason?”

The Quest for An ”Age of Reason?”
Vol: 24 Issue: 24 Saturday, June 24, 2017

It is a bedrock article of faith among environmentalists that human beings have become a ‘cancer’ on the planet, multiplying and consuming resources the same way cancer cells overrun and destroy a living organism.

To a hardcore environmentalist, the “Georgia Guidestones” function as a sort of Green ‘Ten Commandments’ handed down to mankind from Mother Earth. 

The ‘Guidestones’ were erected by an anonymous group and arranged to resemble Stonehenge. The display consists of six granite slabs twenty feet tall and weighing more than one hundred tons. 

One slab stands in the center, with four arranged around it. A capstone lies on top of the five slabs. The slabs are astronomically aligned, hence its nickname, “American Stonehenge”. 

An additional stone tablet, which is set in the ground a short distance to the west of the structure, provides some clarifying notes on the history and purpose of the Guidestones.

The capstone declares: “Let These be Guidestones to An Age of Reason”, and identifies its sponsors as “A small group of Americans who seek the Age of Reason.” 

The Georgia Guidestones list ten ‘reasonable’ guidelines for maintaining global harmony:

1) Maintain humanity under five hundred million in perpetual balance with nature.

The current population of the earth is 6.6 billion. To achieve the goals demanded by ‘reason’ would require ‘eliminating’ 6.1 billion of them somehow. One way of accomplishing that goal is to:

2) Guide reproduction wisely – improving fitness and diversity..

Abortion is a fairly effective way of reducing both the surplus population and ‘improving fitness and diversity’. 

That is one reason the majority of abortions in America are performed for free, or are subsidized, particularly for members of the African-American community. One third of all abortions performed in the United States are performed on African-American babies.

And one pregnancy in four in the United States is terminated by abortion. 

Four-fifths of abortions are performed on single women, a third of them teens. 

3) Unite humanity with a new ‘living language’ 

A ‘new’ language would be necessary, since carrying out just the first two guidelines would necessarily involve the words, ‘eugenics’, ‘genocide’ and ‘infanticide’. Those words would have to be eliminated and replaced with something a bit less ‘offensive’. (Think, “Soylent Green”)

4) Rule passion – faith – tradition – and all things with tempered reason.

“Faith and tradition” are code-words for Judeo-Christianity, which, to the Greens, is the antithesis of ‘reason’. 

5) Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.” . 

“Fair” laws and “just” courts would be those that protect the earth from humanity, rather than the other way around. 

6) Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.

Why should anyone be surprised to learn that environmentalists are also globalists? It is the planet — the globe — that is important, not its inhabitants. 

7) Avoid petty laws and useless officials.

Presumably, ‘petty laws’ refer to laws that put human rights ahead of ecological concerns and and ‘useless’ officials as officials who put getting re-elected by humans ahead of being loved by spotted owls. 

8) Balance personal rights with social ‘duties’. 

The moment somebody suggests ‘balancing’ personal rights against ‘social duties’ the term ‘personal rights’ becomes meaningless. A right that is not a right is a ‘privilege’ to be extended or withdrawn to comport with ‘social duties’ . . . as interpreted by whom? 

9) Prize truth — beauty — love –seeking harmony with the infinite. 

I wouldn’t know where to begin with this one. So far, we’ve eliminated 6.2 billion useless people, made abortion a social duty to improve fitness and diversity, created a new universal earth-language, eliminated personal rights and replaced them with social ‘duties’ and eliminated any need or mention of God. 

Having accomplished genocide via deception, NOW its time for truth, beauty and worship of ‘the infinite’ — presumably the earth. So, finally, the kicker:

10) Be not a cancer on this earth. Leave room for nature. Leave room for nature. 

That isn’t a typo — ‘Leave room for nature’ is repeated twice on the slabs, too. The symbolic meaning is clearly that nature is twice as important as the cancer that infests it. 

Human beings are the cancer and that cancer must be excised or it will kill its host. 

Assessment:

When Al Gore wrote his 1991 “Earth in the Balance” he pretty much followed the outline of the Georgia Guidestones, also likening humanity to a cancer on planet earth that can only be controlled by reducing the population to ‘sustainable levels’ and maintaining it in ‘balance’ with nature. 

How is that accomplished in nature? Survival of the fittest. Natural selection. “Natural selection” is the culling process in which the weakest segments of a population die off until there are few enough for the environment to sustain them. 

Al Gore and his followers knew twenty years ago what effect biofuel would have on the global food supply. He says so in his chapter “Seeds of Privation” in which he also argues AGAINST genetically modifying crops to increase the available food supply. 

It takes roughly four hundred pounds of corn to produce 25 gallons of ethanol. That is roughly the equivalent to the amount of corn it would take to feed one person for an entire year. 

There are other technologies, such as Thermal Depolymerization, that can convert ANY carbon-based garbage (which is essentially anything) into light Number Six Crude oil indistinguishable from that pumped from the ground. 

The process has been proved at two thermal depolymerization plants, one at Carthage, Missiouri, the other outside Philadelphia. Both were set up outside Butterball Turkey plants to process their waste products — but it works equally well with other animal waste parts, most household garbage and even ground up computer parts. 

At present, the process can turn garbage into oil for about $18.00 a barrel — its inventor, Brian Appel, says mass production could bring it down to about $11.00 a barrel. 

A Canadian study released this week predicts that the price of fossil fuel oil will double again to more than $200 per barrel by 2012. That translates to roughly $11.00 a gallon at the pump, or roughly $220.00 to fill a 20 gallon tank. 

So why is Al Gore championing the production of biofuel alternatives? Wouldn’t turning the excess garbage created by the surplus population into energy, carbon black and clean, potable water be ‘green’ enough? 

Evidently not, since the objective is not to reduce dependence on fossil fuel, but instead to reduce the surplus population that depends on it. 

Environmentalism is not a social cause, or a political agenda so much as it is a religion rooted entirely in the tenets of the New Age and Al Gore has become its high priest. Anyone who disagrees with its doctrine is immediately labeled a ‘heretic.’

Taking a look at the Big Picture, we see the following: There are two solutions for the energy ‘crisis’ brought on by high oil prices. 

One solution is to spread the pain across the planet, creating an artificial food shortage and raising food prices to famine levels. 

Appel Technologies is real — the process is real — and it works. But it’s main drawback is that it
solves the energy crisis without the necessity for the ‘Ten Guidelines’ (which begins by calling for the elimination of 6.2 billion people). 

The other solution is to buy carbon credits from some tribesman in Ubangi who doesn’t have a car, and then starve him to death by using his food to fuel mine.

Using his food to run my car is acceptable; using garbage nobody wants is evidently not even worth discussing.

Maybe I’m just a thick-headed paranoid. You tell me.

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on April 26, 2008

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four
Vol: 24 Issue: 23 Friday, June 23, 2017

In that seminal year of 1948, the year that Israel declared independence, the year the UN GATT Treaty created a global economy, the year the Benelux Treaty set the EU in motion, George Orwell made literary history with his novel, ”1984”.

Orwell’s novel revolved around Winston Smith, an intellectual employed by the Ministry of Truth in a totalitarian dictatorship on the fictional country of Oceania.

Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth” was an instrument of propaganda charged with rewriting history to support Oceania’s dictator, “Big Brother.”

Orwell’s novel gave society the phrase “Doublespeak” as exemplified in Big Brother’s Three Slogans; “War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; and, Ignorance is Strength.”

(Orwell actually coined the words “doublethink’ and ‘newspeak’ — words that, once released from the world of fiction, entered reality as ‘doublespeak’).

The novel’s impact also introduced the adjective, “Orwellian” into the English language as a modifier for the word, ‘propaganda’ and “Orwellian Doublespeak” became part of America’s political lexicon.

An example of Orwellian Doublespeak as it would apply to modern politics is found in the mantra of the American Left; “We Support the Troops, But Oppose the War.”

What made Orwell’s book so fascinating was the premise that the citizens of Oceania fully understood and accepted the concepts of doublethink and newspeak for what they were; lies that became truth based on who was speaking them.

Throughout the novel, Oceania is at war with one of the other two existing superpowers,Eastasia and Eurasia.

At one point, Oceania switches alliances without notice, as a public speaker changes the names of the enemy and ally mid-sentence.

In 1948, Orwell’s novel was a disturbing work of fiction. By 1984, it had earned a reputation as a ‘cautionary tale’.

In 2015, we still don’t have a Big Brother. But ‘doublethink’ and ‘newspeak’ are not just part of our lexicon in 2015.

They are part of our daily information processing apparatus.

Assessment:

Advertising is a prime example of ‘doublespeak’ in action. George Orwell comes to mind every time a drug commercial airs that promises to cure some minor condition.

Provided, of course, that you aren’t worried about blurred vision, heart palpitations, anal leakage, male pattern baldness, uneven tire wear, sudden heart attack, uncontrolled bleeding or perhaps, death.

(Or that unmentionable (but evidently not) condition that, if it lasts more than four hours, requires emergency medical treatment.)

People are driving their doctors crazy asking them if some drug represented by old people wearing body suits while surrounded by long, flowing blue curtains, or standing alone on top of a mountain, or, even more baffling, wearing outfits that make them look like a suicide cult about to jump into an angry, rocky surf, is “right for them”.

Another, and much more relevant example is in American politics. The politicians provide the doublespeak and the electorate willingly learns newthink.

But in 2015, we call doublespeak ‘spin’ and the newthink emerges as a consequence of failing to wait until the spin cycle stops before attempting to interpret it all.

Hillary Clinton’s ‘spontaneous show of emotion’ in 2008 was widely credited with her victory in the New Hampshire primaries, for example.

It dominated the news. “Hillary Shows Emotion” was the headline of the day.

It made news because Hillary famously hides any emotion (except anger) — and has never welled up in public, or even discussed welling up in public, and there she was, in an ‘unguarded moment’ on the campaign trail, showing herself to be human.

What made less news was the fact that Hillary gave an interview to Access Hollywood defending her ‘spontaneous emotional moment’ the day before it happened!

See Brit Hume’s “Grapevine”

So, if she won New Hampshire based on a contrived emotional event, as is the widely-acceptedconventional wisdom, why doesn’t anybody care?

Fox News called the pre-sob interview about the post-sob moment an ‘interesting coincidence.’ (I call it an Orwellian moment).

There was another Orwellian moment in Jerusalem in 2008 when President Bush announced his intention to push a Mideast treaty between Israel and the Palestinians even as he admitted that the Palestinian side has not met a single one of its prior obligations under the ‘Road Map’!

While standing side-by-side with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Bush acknowledged that Hamas was dedicated to Israel’s destruction, that Hamas was in control of Gaza, and that Hamas was elected in a democratic election.

The next day, while standing beside Mahmoud Abbas, who has no control over Gaza, no control over Hamas, has made no effort to disarm Hamas, as Palestinian rockets still rain down on Israel Bush called on Israel to fulfill it’s obligations under the Road Map, suggesting that tacticmight “encourage the Palestinians to do the same.”

Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, quickly dismissed Bush and Abbas’ hopeful comments.

“This meeting was for public relations only, it was an empty meeting without results, only more dreams and waste of time,” the Hamas spokesman said.

“The meeting focused on the so-called security topics which mean to act against the interests of the Palestinian majority and the resistance.”

Bush also openly admitted that he doesn’t know whether Abbas’ government can resolve the Palestinian division before the end of the year.

But that minor detail was swept under the rug in his next breath, in which he promised the Palestinians a state by year’s end, anyway.

In Orwell’s world in 1984, truth was whatever Big Brother and the Thought Police said it was.

In the real world in 2015, truth seems to be whatever people prefer to hear, facts notwithstanding.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2nd Timothy 4:3-4)

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. ” (Luke 21:28)

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on January 10, 2008

Featured Commentary: They Will Mourn for Him ~Alf Cengia

Sola Fide

Sola Fide
Vol: 24 Issue: 22 Thursday, June 22, 2017

It seems from some of the feedback from our discussions on grace and eternal security, I am not doing as good a job of articulating my positions as I thought I was.

The doctrines of eternal security and grace are both articulated in Reformist Martin Luther’s famous “Sola Fide” — or “justification by faith” upon which the Protestant Reformation was based.

“Sola fide” acknowledges that all people have come short of the glory of God and have disobeyed His commands. Therefore, God declares ‘obedient’ those who put their confidence and faith in what God has done through the Life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus.

“Sola fide” counts Christ’s obedience as one’s own, and is the only example of meritorious obedience in a sinnner’s life. Those who trust God do not trust what they themselves have done (which has no worth, because of sin) as playing a role in their salvation.

The doctrine holds that it is not through personal goodness that sinners are reconciled to God. Reconciliation is only through the mercy of God, who made reconciliation through His Son.

“Sola fide” holds that Christ was given in substitution for the disobedience of believers, Whose Resurrection is evidence that believers are heirs in eternal life.

Martin Luther made ‘sola fide’ the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation and identified it as the chief distinction between evangelical Christianity and Roman Catholicism.

Martin Luther was a Roman Catholic monk, fully dedicated to his calling. Desperate to please God, he devoted himself to fasting, flagellation (the practice of beating oneself with whips) prayers, pilgrimages, and confession.

Brother Martin was soon elevated to the priesthood, where he began teaching theology at the University of Wittenburg. Now ‘Father’ Martin, Luther despaired at the fact that the harder he tried to cleanse himself of sin, the more aware he became of his sinfulness.

Luther’s academic studies and teaching lectures drove him deep into the Scriptures, and from there into a deep study of the Bible and the early Church. Luther became convinced that the Vatican had lost sight of the most central doctrine of Christianity, the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

Luther began teaching salvation as a gift of grace through Christ received by faith at about the same time that a Dominican friar, Johann Tetzel , was enlisted to travel throughout Archbishop Albert of Mainz’s episcopal territories promoting and selling indulgences for the renovation of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Tetzel was good at his job. “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs,” tradition says.

A little background: An ‘indulgence’ is a dispensation from the Vatican; a kind of ‘get out of purgatory free’ card. I am not being flippant; that is what it was in Luther’s day, (and still is).

In Catholic theology, a person who dies with unconfessed minor (venial) sins doesn’t go to heaven until he spends time in ‘purgatory’ – a place of temporary punishment not unlike hell — in which the believer can be purged of his remaining sins. Depending on the number of venial sins, a stay in purgatory can be hundreds, if not thousands of years.

An ‘indulgence’ is a reduction in time for the sentence of a loved one suffering in purgatory. In modern Catholicism, indulgences for specific numbers of years can be obtained in exchange for prayers to certain saints or for certain acts of charity.

A ‘plenary’ indulgence — a ‘pardon’ from purgatory, can be obtained by going through the ritual of the ‘Stations of the Cross’ on All Saint’s Day, for example.

But in Luther’s day, one could buy indulgences for hard cash. Pay a little, get a little time shaved off in purgatory. Pay a lot, get a plenary indulgence.

Luther challenged this practice, preaching three different sermons condemning it, and drawing the attention of Pope Leo X, who initially dismissed Luther as “a drunken German who wrote the Theses” who “when sober will change his mind,” before realizing the full extent of Luther’s challenge and dispatching the Grand Inquisitor to Wittenberg to meet with Luther.

Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church, but it was too late to stop the Protestant Reformation.

Assessment:

‘Sole fide’ is the bedrock doctrine of evangelical Christianity, not heretic rantings about libertine Christianity. It is rooted in the recognition that our salvation is by faith and not by our works, that it is an extension of unmerited grace from God, and that we play no other role in our salvation than to accept it as offered.

By definition, ‘sole fide’ implies eternal security. The logical principle known as ‘Occam’s Razor’ says that given two equally predictive theories, choose the simpler. If one is saved by faith and not works, then the applying the efficacy of works at some point later on is not logical.

If works can’t save you, then how can they ‘lose’ you? At the extreme ends of the theological spectrum one finds two opposing views. On one end is ‘legalism’ — a term to refer to a fixation on the law and codes of conduct for Christians.

Legalism in its extreme, is the belief that obedience to certain Christian conduct supercedes faith as the main principle to redemption.

On the other end of the spectrum is what is called ‘antimonianism’ — the belief that members of a particular religious group are under no obligation to obey the laws of ethics or morality as presented by religious authorities.

Taken to its extreme, antimonianism is every bit as heretical as legalism. If God forgives sins, what exactly is the disadvantage in sinning, or the reward of obedience?

Being called an ‘antimonianist’ means, by implication, someone whose chooses a libertine doctrine for the express purpose of justifying a lifestyle of sin.

The truth of Scripture lies somewhere in the middle between the two extremes.

Salvation is a gift of grace, not works. If it is to be earned by works,[or good conduct] it is not a gift, but wages.

If it can be rescinded by works, [or bad conduct] then it wasn’t a gift, but a conditional loan based on conduct.

That is neither legalistic nor antinomonial. The Bible is clear that there is no sin that goes unnoticed, and says,

“every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12)

Eternal security doesn’t give license to sin, neither does it hold an habitually sinning believer unaccountable. All sinners will give an account for their sins before God.

The difference lies in the Court to which they are called upon to give testimony. Believers will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, where they will be judged according to their works.

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but HE HIMSELF SHALL BE SAVED; yet so as by fire.” (1st Corinthians 3:13-15)

The lost will give account of themselves before the Great White Throne, but, conversely, the lost will NOT be judged according to their works, but according to whether or not one’s name is recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Eternal security is NOT license to sin. Grace is NOT antimonianism. They are, as I’ve noted before, bandages and medicine that keep us from succumbing to our wounds and get us back into the fight. The battle with sin is a lifelong conflict.

Scripture promises;

“if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1st John 1:9)

There are those who do use eternal security as a license to sin, but they are kidding themselves. Sin takes its toll on a body. Drunks, drug addicts, smokers, gluttons, sex addicts, etc., all bear the marks of their sin on and in their bodies, saved or lost alike.

Sinners, saved or lost, will all die of their sins. What is of eternal consquence is whether or not one dies IN their sins.

“If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but HE HIMSELF SHALL BE SAVED; yet so as by fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:15)

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on December 30, 2005

Featured Commentary: A Beast from the East ~J.L. Robb

The ‘Babel Effect’

The ‘Babel Effect’
Vol: 24 Issue: 21 Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Two of this generation’s most often-used and least-understood buzzwords are ‘globalization’ and ‘multiculturalism.’  ‘Globalization’ means the destruction of the nation/state, making globalists, by definition, traitors to their own nations who have sold their allegiance to a pipe dream.

The United States, for example, has nothing in common with Somalia, apart from co-existing on opposite sides of the planet.  But under the United Nation’s ‘globalization’ plan, Washington’s vote would carry no more weight in decisions affecting US foreign policy than whoever the top warlord is in Somalia at any given moment.

In the UN’s vision, ‘peace on earth, good will toward men’ won’t come until Somalia enjoys the same living standard as South Dakota — even if it means turning South Dakota into Somalia to make things ‘equal’.

‘Multiculturalism’ means having no individual national culture at all.  The UN’s vision of multiculturalism demands a common language (other than English, the language of the hated West) something along the lines of Esperanto, a nonsense language made up by globalists so that the whole world can be confused at the same time.

In other words, ‘globalization’ and ‘multiculturalism’ are both buzzwords employed to disguise a plan to destroy the Western nation/states and set up a new kind of ‘Babel’ in its place.

According to the Bible, the city of Babel on the plains of Shinar was both globalized and multicultural, in that everybody followed the same leader, spoke the same language and shared the same culture.

Genesis 11:1-8 affords us a glimpse of both who is behind globalized multiculturalism and what its purpose is.

First, Scripture tells us, “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.” It is worthy of note that in the EU’s early days, its promotional literature outlined its early goal of ‘reversing the Babel Effect.’

The slogan fascinated me.  On one hand, the EU is officially godless.  On the other hand, its promotional literature openly mirrors the Bible’s story in both its application and its intent.

By application, the residents of Babel, under the sole dictatorship of Nimrod, attempted to circumvent God’s judgment by building a tower ‘whose top may reach to heaven’ as a refuge — should God again judge the world by flood.

“And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” (11:6)

God was hardly afraid that a unified human race would successfully challenge His Authority.  Rather, He knew that they would try –and what the solution to such rebellion would entail.

It would result in exactly what the Bible says WILL take place during the Tribulation when the whole world will be under the sway of the antichrist’s dictatorship.  Nimrod attempted to stand in place of God as the ‘protector’ of the human race.  The antichrist will also attempt to stand in the place of God, demanding worship as if he were God.

But God doesn’t intervene during the Tribulation Period to save mankind from itself, the way that He did at Babel.  Having made provision for the salvation of the human race by His sacrifice on the Cross, He allows man to reverse the ‘Babel Effect’ and then lets human nature run its course.

The end result is the same as it would have been at Babel, had God not intervened early.  And human history would have been cut short on the plains of Shinar.

Having allowed mankind one last, unimpeded effort at rebellion against His Authority, the Bible says that during the Tribulation the armies of the world will gather for a final battle on the plains of Megiddo during which they will turn their weapons of war against the Creator of the Universe Himself.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon Him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. . . . And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army. . . . And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His Mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” (Revelation 19:11,19,21)

Assessment:

It fascinates me when somebody emails me to beat up on me for believing that we are living in the last days before the return of Christ.  I used to believe that ignorance of the Scriptures was behind it, and would therefore spend hours trying to address each of my correspondent’s points and why they didn’t line up with Scripture.

I don’t do that anymore.  It is a waste of time.  They don’t want to know the real truth, they prefer their own version.  We live in a world that openly boasts of reversing the ‘Babel Effect’ — about as open a rebellion against God’s Authority as one can imagine.

The very slogan, ‘Reversing the Babel Effect’ virtually SCREAMS ‘rebellion’ while the Biblical imagery makes it clear that it is deliberate, it is calculated, and it is directed against the God of the Bible.  If that isn’t clear enough to stifle an argument against this generation as the one to whom end-times prophecy is addressed, no amount of logical or Scriptural persuasion will suffice.

It is what the Scriptures refer to as ‘wilful ignorance’ — a deliberate choice NOT to believe the truth to avoid the conflict of conscience that accepting the truth would demand.

It is also why so many Christian discussion forums out there get infiltrated by debaters desperate for some inconsistency that they can seize on to confirm their chosen perspective and thereby go away comfortable in their unbelief.

It is the phenomenon described by the Apostle Paul which comes to fruition following the Rapture, but we can already see it coming together in its final form on this side of the Tribulation Period.

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only He who now letteth will let, until He [the Holy Spirit] be taken out of the way” [together with those believers in whom He indwells].

Paul writes that when the final Nimrod sets up his kingdom of Babel, he will have the enthusiastic cooperation of a world wholly ignorant of the dangers of both globalism and multiculturalism, blissfully unaware of the deception foisted upon them.

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2nd Thessalonians 2:7,11,12)

The mystery of iniquity is ALREADY at work, and so is the Big Lie. But still, there are scoffers, just as the Apostle Peter predicted:

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” (2nd Peter 3:4)

Peter makes it plain that the reason for their unbelief is a willing ignorance born out of their lust for the things of the world and their choice NOT to believe, no matter how strong the evidence.

Peter cites the historical precedent that, several generations later, led to Nimrod’s aborted Tower of Babel in the first place, bringing this generation’s effort to undo the Babel Effect full circle:

“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” (2nd Peter 3:6)

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing YE KNOW THESE THINGS BEFORE, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2nd Peter 3:17-18)

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on June 12, 2006

Featured Commentary: Donkeys and their Delusions ~Wendy Wippel

The Nano ”Manhattan Project”

The Nano ”Manhattan Project”
Vol: 24 Issue: 20 Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Nano: From the Greek word: ”nanos” — meaning ”dwarf”– it is a ratio that in its purest definition means ”one billionth” as in 1 to 1,000,000,000.

To make sure we have a grasp of what a “billion” really means, let’s refer back to our time analogy: A million seconds equals roughly TWELVE DAYS. A billion equals roughly THIRTY-TWO YEARS.

Before moving on, let’s also revisit “The Manhattan Project” as it is known to history.

Early in the second World War, Albert Einstein warned President Roosevelt that the Nazis were hard at work on a project to develop nuclear weaponry.

Not much was known about nuclear power, other than in theory, and even the theory was pretty fuzzy. But it was terrifying to contemplate.

In 1919, a scientist named Ernest Rutherford had discovered that alpha rays could split the nucleus of an atom. He also theorized that atoms are held together by some unknown force of nature so powerful that if an atom could be split, the resulting energy released would be almost unimaginable.

An “atom” is the smallest component of an element that has the chemical properties of that element. Atoms are the basic unit of ordinary matter, made up of a tiny nucleus consisting of protons and neutrons surrounded by orbiting electrons.

Everything in the world is made of different combinations of these atoms.

In 1939 Einstein warned Roosevelt that the Nazis were not only working on the science of splitting the atom, but also weaponizing the explosive energy that it would release.

Finally, in 1942, Roosevelt ordered US scientists to go to work on beating the Nazis to the punch. The research and development effort was labeled “Top Secret” and was code-named “The Manhattan Project.”

The Axis didn’t know how advanced America’s Manhattan Project had become until August 6, 1945, when the Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, and dropped a second bomb over Nagasaki three days later.

Within two weeks, Japan offered its unconditional surrender. 

Assessment:

Since 1945, world peace has been guaranteed by something called “Mutual Assured Destruction.” No country possessing nukes would dare use them against another nuclear country because it would itself be destroyed by a retaliatory strike.

The next step beyond nuclear weaponry is something called, “Nano-weapons technology.” Nano-technology would eliminate the threat of mutual assured destruction since it could destroy the other nation’s ability to retaliate.

It isn’t exactly new. Just Ernest Rutherford theorized nuclear weaponry twenty years before the Manhattan Project had been undertaken, in 1959, a scientist named Richard Feynman was already publishing research papers about the theoretic possibilities of developing nano-nukes.

Eric Drexler, a student of Feynman and one of the world’s foremost authorities on the subject, founded the “Foresight Institute” to explore nano-weaponry. How does nano-technology compare to nuclear technology?

As a research associate of Drexler’s Foresight Institute puts it today, a country confronted by molecular nano weapons “would be in the position of a band of spear-throwing warriors, confronted with an army deploying mass-produced guns, armored vehicles, and helicopters”.

Using nano-technology, a single bullet could be developed that could destroy an entire building. A nano-weapon the size of a baseball could annihilate a city.

Even ordinary materials could be turned into conflagrant/pyrophoric explosives, which cannot be detected as threats by current standards. This is an emerging, more sinister, threat.

In 1986, the People’s Republic of China embarked on its own ‘Manhattan Project’ in the field of nano-weapons under the code-name “Project 863.” Unlike the Manhattan Project, China didn’t try to conceal it — indeed, it publicly announced its project and its intention to develop post-nuclear nano-weapon technology.

The first nation to win the nano-technology race will win — and America isn’t even competing. There are no American Manhattan Projects in the field of nano-weapons technology. Indeed, the only two nations giving their full attention to this technology are China and Israel.

In this light, it is worthy of noting two intriguing and previously inexplicable events regarding Bible prophecy and the last days.

The first is the destruction of the Gog-Magog invasion force as described by the Prophets Joel, Ezekiel and Zechariah.

Joel says of this invasion force,

“But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.”

“And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.” (Joel 2:20,30-31)

“And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:” (Ezekiel 39:2)

“And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” (Zechariah 14:12)

And second, we have the mysterious and inscrutable two-hundred million man army of the Kings of the East, who march, virtually unopposed, across the Euphrates River.

So, here’s how it shakes out: There are two nations heavily involved in the development of nano-weapons technology — Israel and China. Israel defeats the combined armies of Gog-Magog in a battle in which the opposing forces are virtually consumed as they stand. Only a sixth of that force survives.

China marches unopposed across the Middle East, unhindered by the West, despite the fact that the antichrist’s Roman Empire is at the zenith of its power.

Something is keeping the A/C from even attempting to stop them.

And finally, there is the continuing puzzle about the total absence of America from the entire scene.

There is a danger in being too dogmatic regarding what happens to America to remove it from the outline of Bible prophecy during the Tribulation. I don’t know where it went, and don’t claim to know.

But it is only mildly speculative to assume that the antichrist stands down as the Kings of the East march westward, because he has seen a demonstration of China’s nano-technological power in action.

Here’s what we DO know, however. Time is running out for this old world.

And it is running out even faster for the late, great, USA.

“And when these things BEGIN TO COME TO PASS, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:28)

I’m soon going to need a neck brace.

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on July 16, 2007