Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Prophecy Articles: "The spirit of darkness blinds Americans " -Don Koenig


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DON KOENIG

The spirit of darkness blinds Americans from seeing the true Light

On September 2, 2011 · 43 Comments
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I hope you do realize that just changing the President in this country is not going to change the direction of this country for the better in any significant way. Political leaders of democratic republics pretty much reflects the inclination of the people that they represent. The latest presidents that we elected in America are just the symptom of the spiritual darkness that is engulfing most of the nation.

There has been increasing spiritual darkness in America for quite some time; this darkness can also be called the spirit of antichrist. I am not saying that the majority in this country now embrace the spirit of antichrist but this spirit of darkness is definitely taking over our land.

America is being dominated by Satanic black lights that are shining, humanism, Marxism, multiculturalism, revisionism, relativism,  evolutionism, uniformitarianism, religious pluralism, dominionism, idealism, collectivism, radical environmentalism, spiritualism, Islam, political correctness, tolerance, rebellion, greed, covetousness, laziness, class warfare, etc.

Even the spiritual lights of God in this nation are often being extinguished because they allow themselves to become draped in the black garments of neo-Gnostic mysticism, lack of Biblical knowledge, Christian reconstructionism, collective global transformation and the need to be politically correct.

The spirit of antichrist has taken over government, public education, most media, most large corporations, and most religions including quite a bit of our institutions that call themselves Christian. Through these conveyers of black light the people of this nation are constantly being bombarded with antichrist doctrine.

Antichrist doctrine has become the politically correct norm and those that oppose this spirit of darkness in public are marginalized and ostracized and they risk losing job, church, friends and even their freedom. If that is not yet true where you are now, you can be sure it will increasingly be true in the future.

The humanistic postmodern “enlightened age” they claim, just shows us that the spirit of darkness is not being hindered much in America. How much true Christians in America can do to change a nation that loves darkness is open to debate but there are no examples of any change toward God, without a revival coming via the Holy Spirit.

That could happen, but it will have to start by a move of the Spirit. Even so, will the Holy Spirit continually strive with people that were told the truth over and over again but deliberately reject Him for the spirit of antichrist?

Some quoting 2 Ch 2:14 think fasting and prayer by Christians will move God to heal our land but they are wrong. In spite of the Christian hype you hear on TV and from those into Charismatic mysticism, God is not talking to Christians in 2 Ch 2:14. God is actually reminding Israel of her covenant of blessings and curses with Him under the Mosaic Law.

Israel was living under a curse because of their digressions from the Law and God in Second Chronicles was telling Israel how they can get back under His blessings. The whole nation of Israel had to humble themselves and pray and then God would hear and heal their land. The land was the land of Israel and national repentance of the people of Israel was required.

The majority that live in America are not God’s people. The true Christians in this nation do not get cursed. This nation is not even our home (more on 2 Ch 2:14 if you’re still not convinced).

Our prayers do not save unbelievers either; God does. Mormons believe their own actions can even save dead unbelievers. That is not Christian doctrine. God never forces Himself on those that have rejected Him. People are converted to Christ only when they hear and believe and receive.  Only those the Father created for His Son will hear, believe and receive. They can only hear if the Holy Spirit draws them. It is none of our doing.

Jesus in Mt 9:38 and Luke 10:3  told us to pray to the Lord that He sends forth laborers into His harvest.  The passage implies that We pray to Jesus and He sends forth the laborers. Immediately after that statement in both gospels we see that Jesus then sends his disciples out to the House of Israel but notice the people that they go to must received them and the message they deliver or else they are condemned. There also was not multiple deliverances of the message to the same people suggested in these passages. If the message was rejected they shook the dirt off their feet. My point is that God expects us to receive the message when it is heard but that does not mean everyone will hear the message every time it is taught if it was not taught clearly.

I think then, in the same vein, Christians are to go out to the harvest fields of the world and we are to pray to the Lord thatHe sends forth laborers to bring in His harvest but it is up to the nations and people to hear and believe. We believers cannot pray down a revival on a nation that rejects Christ and loves darkness.

Granted, the gospel message today has been so muddled by man made doctrine that many people are not really hearing the Gospel in a lot of outreaches and venues coming from within Christendom. This is why some have to hear the gospel over and over before they are saved. On the other hand, many people that never heard about Western Christianity at all will receive the Gospel the very day it is told to them, when it is told to them, in a clear simple way that explains the Lord’s work at the cross.

Today we clothe the gospel in social works and denominational doctrines and mystical presumptions and that is why the response is not near what it was in the early missionary movement, at least not in advanced countries. Often if there is a response, it usually came from emotionalism and peer pressure rather than a changed heart toward God. So they come forward and confess a few words that they never really understood and then we wonder why they do it over and over again.

Good cons can get the same type of mass response selling schemes and lies, after all, almost half the world believes the religion of Al Gore. The problem is that these people never understood the real Gospel. In other words, they never really understood what Jesus did, they were taught a ritual of religion to follow rather than actually having the knowledge of the Gospel of good news within their heart.

Christians parents often try to make their children accept Jesus before their brain is even able to comprehend the whole salvation concept and then they wonder why they fall away from the faith when they become adults. The children were only doing what you or others expected of them. Many did not reason it out for themselves. Many did not reject the evil one of the world and accept the Son sent from God. Many did not willfully choose to accept the Lord that took their own sin on Himself for forgiveness of their sin bringing new spiritual life that is enmity to the ways of the world and the Devil. They just did what their parent, pastor or mentor told them.

Children are covered by a believing parent until their brain reaches the point were it can discern good from evil. So let that natural process happen. Don’t give your kids the false delusion that they were saved just because they said some words or got dunked when they really did not have the mental ability to even make a clear choice between accepting good (Jesus) and rejecting evil (Satan). There is something to be said for those denominations that have confirmations of faith later in life but unfortunately even these confirmations have become a ritual and many making such confirmations still do not believe.

To believe that Christian prayer gets people to hear and believe in Christ is really making the Church the mediator between God and man but 1 Ti 2:5 tells us that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. That means that those given to Jesus will be saved and we are just the laborers the Lord of Harvest sends to the fields to brings in the wheat. Mary, the Church Saints, nor any of us have the power to get people converted. That is a work of the Holy Spirit.

The Great Commission to the Church was to teach the good news of the Lord’s death and resurrection for the sins of the world so all that hear and believe will be saved. Our job is not to try to make tares become wheat. Contrary to what some imply we are to give the gospel message as often as we can to the world because that is our main commission from the Lord. Even so, we cannot save and heal this nation by our own prayers and repentance. People that believe Christian dominionism before the return of Christ preach that nonsense but it does not come from any correct exegesis of the scriptures or a knowledge of Eschatology.

Much of Christendom that should be the lights to the world now really need to be preached to by others in Christendom because many in the Christian churches never heard a clear gospel that led to their true salvation. That becomes evident by the general lack of works of the Spirit within Christendom. It seems in many Christian venues and teaching the true message of salvation in Jesus alone gets lost in all their denominational doctrine, church mandates, pop messages, and political correctness.

No matter what you think of my views, if I can get some in Christendom that read my articles to just do two things, everything I try to do here on my blog will be well worthwhile. Those two things are to find out how one is really saved and then read God’s message and His instructions for you after you have been saved, by reading His scriptures. The Bible was given to the Church so that we can live a more abundant Christian life for Jesus while on earth.

Read the 66 books of the Bible from cover to cover at least once in your life and you will be ahead of 90 percent of others that call themselves Christians. At least when someone comes with a new wind of doctrine, you might know that it did not come from the Bible. Like I have often said, I cannot quote everything in the Bible but I certainly know if someone is telling me a teaching that is contrary to what is taught in the Bible.

It seems that in America, it is not even politically correct in many “Christian” churches to talk about man’s sin and his need for repentance and accepting the free gift of Salvation that comes by accepting God’s only Savior into your life. The Spirit of darkness is often inspiring the messages that comes from “Christian” pulpits and teachers. It is a “Christian” message in garments of satanic psychologies, mysticism, selective of passages out of correct context, spiritualizing, rationalizations, etc.,

The only hope for our nation is if these messages of darkness that are coming upon the people and enslaving the people to embrace sin and death gets trumped by those giving the message from God that sets men free and gives eternal life. If a nation of people is entrapped in darkness, the main thing the children of light can do is to turn on their lights. Only light dispels the darkness anywhere and everywhere. But, while shining your light for others, keep in mind that you’re only a tool of God. Thinking that you have become the power house is a presumption that you will not be able to deliver.

In summary: Things are not going to get better in this nation as long as the spirit of antichrist and darkness prevails over our people. Unless the people of this nation hear and believe and convert to true Christianity and then turn on their own lights and expel the darkness encroaching everywhere in our society, the future of America is dark. The idea that American Christians can get this nation healed by doctrines of false presumption are just not going to do the job. We need a revival and that could happen If enough believers prayed to the Lord of Harvest that He send laborers to His fields. After that, we seal our own fate and America’s fate by either accepting or rejecting God’s message. Our President has little to do with the fate of America. The fate of our nation is in the hands of God and the response that people make to the Light that is given to them.

 

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  2. 50 ways Americans have cooked their own goose.
  3. Unless Americans reject evil, Obama will destroy this nation.
  4. American Christians should expect troubles in this world
  5. Would Christian repentance in America heal the land or would national repentance be required?
  6. Bush comes out of the confessional. He does not believe the Bible is literally true and therefore is not literally a Christian.
  7. Obama’s own words tell us why he is not a true Christian
  8. Majority of Christians in America claim that the Holy Spirit and Satan are symbols and not living entities!
  9. Shame has died so what hope is there?
  10. Americans should learn the real sorry state of the Union


 

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Is it Scriptural: The Literal Interpretation -Jack Kelley

 

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The Literal Interpretation

Q.  I was discussing something with a family member and they said ‘You just can’t interpret the Bible literally because so many people argue over what the literal interpretation of that verse is.’ He makes a good point. In what way should we go about finding the ‘literal’ interpretation of a verse? And another question, when do we know when to not interpret a passage of Scripture literally?

 

A.  There’s only one true literal interpretation, so among those who argue only one can be correct.  You can tell you have the literal translation because you read it just as it’s written taking the context of the passage into consideration. According to the dictionary the context is the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular passage.  It can be discovered by looking at the verses that precede or follow it that influence its meaning or effect.   Most arguments over the interpretation of Scripture have more to do with context than anything else.

We know we shouldn’t interpret a passage literally when the Bible tells us not to.  For instance parables and other obviously symbolic passages are not meant to be understood literally.  A good rule of thumb is that if the literal interpretation of a passage makes sense, then we shouldn’t try to take it any other way.

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Biblical Prophecy Today: ""Donuts in Heaven"" - Rapture Ready

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by Todd Strandberg


Temporary Lodging
One of the most obvious realities of our earthly existence is the fact that we will all someday depart this world. I know this is about as revealing as saying the sky is blue, but few people are mindful of the unavoidable appointment we have with death or the rapture.

The good Lord was even nice enough to put in place a biological clock to remind us of our temporal status, and people still ignore the warning signs. These wake-up calls haven't escaped my attention. At age 37, I've noticed changes in my body fat, eyesight, mental capacity, and joints. They all express one common message: "Todd, this is your half-time warning."

With our departure a certainty, you would think everyone would have an eternal retirement plan in the works. The most common reason the vast majority of the population remains spiritually lost is that most of us live solely for the here and now. It mystifies me when I have friends who reject the Gospel, preferring to cling to lives that are in a rapid state of decline.

Bible-believing Christians are not far behind the unsaved. They believe in a Heaven, but they tend to think of it as being more of a state of mind than a future destination. Heaven is an actual city with most of the same features you would find in any earthly city. Jesus said His followers would be rewarded with their own mansions, but few Christians seem to grasp the significance of this eternal blessing. For you folks who don't rent, ask yourself, when is the last time you thought of yourself as a dual property owner?

"In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also" (John 14:3-4).


Misplaced Priorities
What really causes me to conclude that most people have failed to grasp the importance of being ready for the world to come is the type of absurd questions I find in my inbox. I've had people ask me if Heaven has odd things like booze, sports, or sex.

I'm surprised that someone hasn't asked if there are donuts in Heaven. Certainly someone out there must be dying to know if there is a Krispy Kreme on the corner of Hallelujah Street and Redeemer Boulevard. How can you have paradise without a chocolate-glazed donut with sprinkles?

The granddaddy of Heaven-related questions has to be: "Will my pet go with me in the rapture?" Usually, I tell people not to worry about their furry friends. Even if all pets are left behind and they suffer the worse fate of starving to death, I believe the owners eventually will have the option of reclaiming them. Some Christians would rather stay behind and go through the tribulation than have Fluffy or Fido get lonesome. If a person wants to ensure the continued existence of his pet, he needs to first ensure the safety of his own eternal soul.

Back in my elementary school days, I remember witnessing to my friend Scott. We were standing outside his house, and I was telling him about his need to get saved. Scott told me he didn't want to go to Heaven because he preferred to stay here and play basketball. His profound lack of common sense left me stunned.

Perilous situations have an amazing way of getting people to prioritize their lives. When a family wakes up to find their house on fire, escape is instantly their number-one objective. Even though they may have a house full of valuables, flame and choking smoke instantly cause people to realize that saving their own hides is of supreme importance. This is why you occasionally see news footage of people standing outside their burning homes in bedclothes or wrapped in blankets.

Are there donuts in Heaven? The Bible is silent regarding this question. Neither does the Good Book tell us whether pets will join us there. I seriously doubt that God has any restrictions about playing basketball in the portals of glory. The question people need to be asking themselves is: "Will I be in Heaven someday?" If you should die lost, none of these trivial issues will matter.

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26).


Knowing the Date Won't Help
I was looking through several message boards one day, and I conducted a detailed study of the boards with categories related to end-time discussion. I found that nearly all the messages posted in these types of forums were almost exclusively focused on speculation about the timing of prophetic events.

I can understand people's interest in knowing when the end times are going to begin. If the tribulation was going to kick off in July, a family might want to delay a vacation trip to Florida they had planned for that same month. The funny thing is I rarely find indications of people taking steps to get ready for the end times.

On the "End Time Ailments and Conditions" page of Rapture Ready, the first category is "newsaholic." Many individuals are compulsive consumers of prophecy-related news. What makes this condition a disease is the lack of fruits evident in people's lives. Alcoholism robs people of their health and eternal soul. "Newsaholism" robs Christians of their time and eternal rewards. When the 911 terrorists attacked America, many prophecy buffs were very excited about the incident. The loss of life was great and the motivation was pure evil, but this day of carnage will likely only end up being a precursor of worse things to come. Because we lack the ability to see into the future, we are unable to judge the importance of events as they take place. The prophetic birth pangs that we witness should only be viewed as warning signs for us to continue getting ready.

I have an uncle who lives, breathes, eats, and dreams prophecy, but he never uses the knowledge he's gained. For a long time, I wondered why he was interested in prophecy. I finally figured out that for him, it has become an opportunity for him to escape the trials of this earthly existence. The rapture will someday indeed be a way for believers to escape from this world, but we should not neglect our current responsibilities.

If the date for the rapture were made known, it would likely have a destructive effect on the body of Christ. The announcement would work wonders for a short time, but knowing of any long-term date would probably be harmful. If it was reported in 1900 that Jesus would not return until after the second millennium, I seriously doubt the world have seen the same level of global evangelization.


Turning Around A Battleship
The knowledge and blessings of the eternal Kingdom can't be gain over night. It has taken me 20 years of study to develop my understanding of Bible prophecy. There is no way anyone could possibly slap this site together in a few days. The process of bringing a loved one to Christ can't be a very lengthy process. You can't strong-arm people into joining the faith. Most people will rebel against an urgent appeal for them to get saved.

Most Christians seem to think that everyone in Heaven will receive the same amount of rewards. The Bible indicates that rewards are accumulated over a lifetime. A missionary who labored in the mission fields of Africa for 40 years will certainly receive a greater reward than someone who can only point to a perfect Sunday school attendance as his most noteworthy accomplishment.

For the average believer, the most common plan of action for end-time events is, "wake me when something happens." When the world stage is active, people become interested in prophecy. When nothing new transpires, their interest drifts away. 

I can understand people's eagerness to witness the occurrence of key prophetic events, but there is a great danger in getting what you wish for. If it were boldly announced that the rapture was going to take place a week from now, there would be little time to get ready. Once the rapture takes place, we become locked into our eternal status.

I've never met anyone who, after neglecting healthcare all of his life, was satisfied with some chronic ailment. What I normally find is the greater the affliction, the greater the level of regret. My grandfather smoked all his adult life, and he developed emphysema, which eventually killed him. I remember him being very remorseful about his poor state of health.

It is never too late to become actively involved in works that are pleasing to God. Even if you're 90 years old, you still have time to make up for lost time. The pitiful lack of productivity in the life of the average Christian makes it very easy for a saint to distinguish them self.


Do They Actually Believe This Stuff?
Sometimes I wonder if the people who are in the business of teaching about the Christian way of life actually believe their own words. I didn't find any shortage of enthusiasm for Christianity as a whole. I did find that there was major problem when it comes to putting words into action.

One day I was doing a survey of major Christian ministry websites, and I discovered that 85 percent of them lacked a single page with any type of salvation message. I find plenty of web pages that offered books and tapes for sale. There was also no lack of material that sang praises to the sites' owners.

There's no excuse for a Christian ministry to not have a page that urges people to make a decision for Christ. The act of spreading the Gospel is what defines someone as a preacher. If someone didn't know how to operate an automobile, there's no way he could claim to be a race car driver. If another person has never been to medical school, it's impossible for him to say he's a heart surgeon. 

I noticed some evangelists don't even have a gospel link on their websites. These people obviously must not understand the meaning of the word "evangelize." How in the world can someone call himself an evangelist if he doesn't evangelize the lost and dying world?

Christian websites are mostly a wasteland of self-centeredness. If you want instruction on Biblical truth, in most cases, you will need to first cough up $19.95 plus $4 for shipping and handling. Most sites have precious little about the Savior himself, but you will find plenty of information on His anointed servants.

You can get an excellent measure of a ministry's dedication to the Great Commission by reading their Frequently Asked Questions section. Most preachers make a mockery of the concept of a FAQ section by only listing questions that serve their own personal interests.

Pastor Creflo Dollar has all of the important topics covered on his FAQ page. This gentleman is free to post what he wants, but I don't see how he can claim to be a minister if he's totally focused on himself. Listed below are the only eight questions found on Dollar's official site:

Who is Dr. Creflo A. Dollar?
Does Dr. Creflo A. Dollar pastor any other churches?
Are you on television in my area?
Is there going to be a convention in my area?
How can I purchase your products?
How can I obtain a product catalog?
How can I join your E-mail listing?
What are your service times?

I'm surprised Dr. Dollar didn't address other important questions that his adoring fans are dying to have him answer:

What is Dr. Creflo A. Dollar's favorite color?
How did Dr. Creflo A. Dollar get to be so smart?
Is there a limit to the size of a donation made to your ministry?
Do you take credit cards?
How can I get an autographed photo of Dr. Creflo A. Dollar?
Is there a way to get all your tapes on an installment plan?

The behavior that causes me to have the most doubts about a Christian organization's level of commitment is the practice of removing free material from websites. The desire for financial gain is apparently so strong, it motivates the average Christian writer to highly limit the information he offers to the public.

The only time I delete articles from this web site is when they become outdated. Our goal is to continue to expand the site until Jesus calls us home. Because we believe in the importance of getting ready for the world to come, we keep pressing ahead.


Conclusion
In life, you can do a lot of things to get ready. You can get the furnace ready for winter, you can work to have your savings ready for retirement, or you can educate yourself to be able to perform the tasks required in a career field. The most important thing to get ready for is the Kingdom of God. If you're not ready for the rapture, you need to reconsider your priorities.

I can guarantee that nothing is more important than knowing your sins have been washed in the blood of Christ. Eternal redemption is very easy to accomplish. It's fully automated, with no paperwork. Unfortunately, most people neglect to take advantage of the Lord's limited offer.

You can call it salvation, deliverance, or just plain getting saved, but action is the only way to win the right to be called a child of God. Lip service and procrastination only lead to failure. No matter how well someone writes a testimony, or how skillfully a book gives an example of how to become a Christian, if people are not willing to make the commitment, the guidance is useless.

"For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation" (2 Cor 6:2).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Yes! Jesus is Coming!