
## Table of Contents

  * PREFACE
  * PART 1 - The Salvation Message Preached by Jesus and the Apostles!
  * PART 2 - When and How the Church Began Self-destructing!
  * PART 3 - Biblical Truth "versus" the Doctrines of Man!
  * PART 4 - Peace Within the Body of Christ Through Truth, Not Silence!
  * PART 5 - The End of the World!
  * PART 6 - Truths All Saints Should Know!
  * PART 7 - Satan was not created to be the Destroyer of Man!

The Rise and Fall of Christianity

The Self Destructing Church

Ed Nix
_Note: all Scripture quotations are in italics, underlined, and are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted._

# PREFACE

There are two methods through which we can know beyond any reasonable doubt that Jesus is who He claimed to be. One, by studying the four gospels, evidence of His miracles, and the historical records of those whom He ministered to during His ministry. This has become the primary method used in seminaries. The other is to be born of God's Spirit in compliance with His instructions, which is the only way we can establish a personal relationship with Jesus and gain entrance into heaven. I said that to emphasize, that herein, when speaking of someone that knows Jesus, I refer to one who has been born of the Holy Spirit.

God's adversary (Satan) has the ability to use our pride, our sensitivities, and his power to influence our thoughts to keep us from reading something he does not want _us_ to read. I remind you of that because this writing will bring to light Biblical truth that Satan does not want you to know. Because of this, I have put forth an effort to write this book while under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, displaying Biblical truths without appearing condescending.

Paul tells us how to limit Satan's ability to influence our thinking; saying, _" Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. _ _Above all, taking the shield of faith, through which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one_ _,"_ (Ephesians 6:11&16). The word "wiles" refers to the various devices Satan has available to deceive us. The fiery darts are thoughts Satan shoots into our mind to influence what we are thinking in an effort to guide our thoughts in the direction he wants them to go.

It may seem that these next few paragraphs contain every warning in the Bible pertaining to Satan's goal to deceive those coming to our Lord Jesus Christ. The truth is, they actually contain less than 5% of the many warnings found in the New Testament text. Bringing them to your attention, coupled with the following paragraph will help you better understand why so many were given.

The following statement applies to those of all educational levels and all professional and non-professional skill levels. During the 38 years that I've been serving Jesus, I've never met a professing Christian who would admit the possibility his spiritual teachers may have deceived him with false doctrine. Because of pride, most converts are quick to point out they know the truth because their pastor teaches right out of the Bible, and they read the Scriptures along with him during every service. If you doubt this, then I challenge you to conduct your own survey; your results will be the same.

If we were to believe those making such statements, we would also have to believe that Jesus did not know what He was talking about when He said, _" Take heed that no **man** deceive you? For many shall come in my name, confessing that I am the Christ; and shall deceive many,"_ (Matthew 24:4-5).

On that subject, Paul said, _" **Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light**_ **.** **_Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness_** _: whose end shall be according to their works_ _,"_ **** (2 Cor. 11:14-15). Peter warned us saying, **_" There were false Prophets among the people, and there will be false teachers among you,"_** (2 Peter 2:1). The Apostle John said, _" And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil, and Satan, **which deceives the whole world** ,"_ (Rev. 12:9).

If we are to believe that all converts know the truth, we must also believe that Satan cannot deceive anyone today. So how can we reconcile the difference between what most converts believe versus what Jesus and the Apostles warned us about? In reality, most converts believe those who disagree with them are deceived, but refuse to acknowledge that Satan could possibly deceive them.

The truth is, we must humble ourselves by stepping down from the pedestal of pride upon which we have perched ourselves, and start taking the warnings of Jesus and the Apostles seriously. We must also cast away our preconceived ideas about what we think the Scriptures mean, and start reading them in earnest.

The Bible states that, _" All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,"_ (2 Timothy 3:16). This means that every verse in the Bible applies to each of us, whether Jew or gentile. Nevertheless, because of Hebrews 6:4-6, Hal Linsey proclaimed on his Christian television show that the book of Hebrews was written strictly for Hebrew Christians! (Discover why in part three).

Speaking to the people of this church age, God said, _" Your habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit, they _[the People] _ refuse to know me,"_ (Jeremiah 9:6). Remember, the Jewish people lived under the Law, and it was not possible for them to be born of the Spirit, through which they could know God. However, in this church age, through Jesus, we can. Clearly, the deceit which God is referring to is the abundance of false doctrine currently being taught by carnal-minded men.

The main purpose of this writing is to aid those seeking Jesus, by explaining in our Lords own words, exactly what we must do to be born of the Spirit. After which, we can then factually know that Jesus is Lord, and we obtain absolute assurance of our salvation.

Jesus said, _" Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,"_(John 15:13). Friends are people whom we personally know, not acquaintances, or those we merely believe in. Jesus laid down His life to enable us to be born of His Spirit, but Satan seeks to prevent seekers from receiving that life, by deceiving them, such as leading converts to believe they are born again by merely believing in Jesus.

The following is a sampling of three doctrines currently being taught by carnal-minded men, each of which are widely accepted by most denominations, but are easily proven false. (1) Those who teach there will be a great revival before the second coming of Christ. (2) Those who teach that the rapture of the church will occur before the Anti-Christ arrives onto the scene. (3) Those who teach that the rapture will not occur until the end of the seven year tribulation period.

Paul said, _" Now we beseech you brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, **and by our gathering together unto Him** _[the rapture] _**Let no man deceive you** by any means: for that day _[the rapture] _shall not come, **except there comes a falling away first** , **and that man of sin**_ __ [Anti-Christ] _**be revealed, the son of perdition** ,"_ (2 Thess. 2:1&3). Those Scriptures clearly state that the rapture will not occur before the Anti-Christ arrives onto the scene, and there will be no revival before Jesus returns.

In Zechariah chapter fourteen, we read about the stage being set for the battle of Armageddon. Verse five states, _" And you shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto A'zal: You shall flee, like as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, **and all the saints with thee**."_ According to Zechariah, the saints of God will come back with our Lord to fight the great battle, which proves the rapture will happen before the battle is fought. More proof on these three doctrines will be found in part five.

Nevertheless, believing the rapture will occur before the tribulation period either begins, or ends, and believing there will be a great revival before-hand, will not keep anyone out of Heaven. But, not being prepared for the time frame the rapture will occur, very well could. Nevertheless, the purpose of this book is not to concentrate on such petty doctrines, but to disprove beyond any shadow of doubt, the abundance of false doctrine that absolutely will destroy you.

Peter wrote, _" Be sober and vigilant, because the adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, is walking about seeking those whom he might devour,"_ (1 Peter 5:8). The Scriptures warns us that Satan works almost exclusively within the ranks of Christianity! For example, Christianity has two hundred factions, while the other major world religions have, at the most, only four. This is because Satan and his cunning spirits are kept busy trying to deceive those coming to Jesus, because only through Him can we be spiritually born again.

In fact, Satan's all-out assault on Christianity has been successful, which is why the perceived church is presently perched perilously upon a precipice destined for a great fall. In reality, the perceived church is hurdling towards extinction, and all of the Scriptures required to prove that will be found in parts one through five of this writing. But, rather than adding my personal opinion into the mix as to why this is happening, we will allow God's word to speak for itself: Because the answer, and the proof, can only be found in the Scriptures.

There is a lot of truth to the old cliché: "Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see." However, if a man can back up his statements from the Bible without taking any verses out of context, then it would not be conjecture on his part, and perhaps we should listen to what he has to say.

Jesus said, _" Search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me,"_ (John 5:39). Jesus knew that Satan would "pervert" the gospel message in an attempt to deceive converts into believing they had received eternal life, when in fact, they had not. Jesus declared, _" If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free,"_ (John 8:31-32). That Scripture has borne the brunt of many jokes, but no truer words have ever been spoken.

To prevent God from reaping a harvest here on earth, Satan immediately set out to pervert the gospel. His success provoked the Apostle Paul to scold those in the early church saying to them, _" **I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ** ,"_ (Galatians 1:6-7).

Jesus advised us saying, _" Strive to enter in at the straight gate: For many I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able,"_ (Luke 13:24). **Jesus is the straight gate,** and those trying to enter in through Him, "but unable to do so," are the lukewarm Christians coming to Him through the perverted gospel. Paul warned us about this, saying, _" Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived,"_ (2 Tim 3:13).

Paul scolded many of the carnal-minded men thinking themselves to be wise. Saying, _" We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, **who by constant use of the Scriptures**_ **_have trained themselves to discern good from evil_** _,"_ (NIV Hebrews 5:11-14).

Our Lord wants us to know whether or not we have been born of His Spirit, and the following are just two of many verses on the subject you will find in part one. Paul said, _" **The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God** ,"_ (Romans 8:16). John said, _" **Hereby we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because he has given us of His Spirit** ,"_ (1 John 4:13).

After accepting Jesus, we embark on a faith-walk and live strictly by faith, because generally, at first, we don't feel any different than we did before. However, when the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our heart, a change happens. This is due to the advent of a peace that passes all men's understanding, and this is when we truly know that we have received the gift of eternal life, and that God's Spirit dwells within us which gives us complete assurance of our salvation.

Jesus said, _" Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,"_ (John 3:3). However, that will not happen for most of those being led to Christ through the "Roman Road to Salvation." That method, in use for the past 700 years, is responsible for the many carnal-minded pastors and lukewarm Christians in our churches today. It is also why the perceived church is self-destructing.

The "Roman Road to Salvation," consists of the following seven Scriptures. The perverted version of John 3:16 (to be explained at the end of part one). Romans 3:10, _" There is none righteous, no, not one."_ Romans 5:8, _" But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."_ Romans 6:23, _" For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."_

Romans 10: 9-10, _" If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."_ Last of all, Romans 10:13, _" For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."_

When taking those seven Scriptures out of context along with the dozens of other Scriptures on the salvation message, nothing less than a total misunderstanding of what salvation really means could possibly be the outcome. Because of the way those verses are ministered to new converts, many of them come away thinking that salvation comes through a simple belief in God.

Our Heavenly Father desires for us to know with absolute certainty that we have been born of the Spirit, which is why He inspired Paul to instruct us saying: _" Examine yourselves, to discover whether or not you are in the faith; **prove** your own selves. **Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you** , except you be reprobates?"_ (2 Cor. 13:5). The word "prove" means to be in possession of factual knowledge; a simple belief is not sufficient, but it is a beginning. The word reprobate means, a lost soul, or rather, not of the elect.

Jesus Himself gave us the barometer by which we can determine whether or not we have been born of His Spirit. He said, _" You should love the Lord your God with all your **heart** , with all your **mind** , with all your **soul** , and with all your **strength** ,"_ (Mark 12:30). He also said, _" He that loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me,"_ (Matt. 10:37).

We are not born into this world with the capacity to love God in that manner. However, Paul explained how we could saying: _" The Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given to us,"_ (Roman 5:5). God is love, and when His Spirit takes up residence in our heart, so does His love, and it is only through His kind of love (agape) that we are then capable of loving Him above all else. (More on this subject in part one).

Therefore, since we are not born into this world with the innate capacity to love God in that manner, but you know in your heart that you already do, then you have been born again. If you do not already possess this kind of love for God, you need not worry, because part one of this book contains the actual salvation message preached by Jesus and the Apostles on how to be born of the Holy Spirit. While reading, you will obtain a very precise and complete understanding of this process.

Jesus said, _" This is eternal life: that they may **know** you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent,"_ (John 17:3). Notice that Jesus said "know you": He did not say that "belief is sufficient," although that is the first step toward "knowing" Him. Thus far, you have read just three of dozens of Scriptures which prove that you can have a personal relationship with Jesus, all of which will be found in parts one and two.

A carnal-man is a man who has received Jesus, but remains natural-minded because he has not renewed his mind as per God's instructions. Hebrews 5:14 states that we do this by reading God's word. Paul also said, _" Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,"_ (Romans 12:2). When we obediently and systemically read the Scriptures, God works imperceptibly to gradually renew our minds. (Note: part four of this book contains God's instructions showing us how to grow spiritually).

All too often when discussing a Scripture with a member of the clergy, or even a novice layperson, the response is "Well that's your interpretation," or "you are taking that verse out of context, if you were to let ten people read that verse, you would probably get ten different interpretations." And of course, they would be correct if the ten people were new-converts still on their faith-walk. Jesus explained why that would be the case saying: _" I thank thee O' Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because you have hid these things _[the Scriptures] _ from the wise and prudent, but revealed them unto babes,"_ (Matt. 11:25).

Converts become babies in Christ Jesus when the Holy Spirit takes up residence in their heart. However, until then, they remain carnal-minded, which is why when speaking of appointing people to serve in the church, the Apostle Paul said, _" **Not a novice** , least being lifted up with **pride** he fall into the condemnation of the devil,"_ (1 Timothy. 3:6).

Paul also said, _" The natural man_, [carnal-minded man] _receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they_ [the Scriptures] _are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that He may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ_ _,"_ (1 Cor. 2:14-16). Thus, those who have been born of the Spirit, have God's Spirit abiding within them to teach them spiritual things, providing that they are reading the Scriptures obediently and systematically.

Referring to carnal-minded lukewarm Christians, Jesus said, _" I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I wish that you were either cold or hot, but because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth,"_ (Rev.3:15-16). Lukewarm Christians are not cold, because they have accepted Jesus; nor are they hot, because they have not yet received God's Spirit within them, although, they have been taught to believe they have.

Jesus taught us how to recognize those who preach the perverted gospel: He said, _" You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles,"_ (Matt. 7:16). Everyone listening to Jesus at the time had personally picked both grapes and figs, and were familiar with those fruit trees, therefore they knew there are no thorns on a grapevine and no thistles on a fig tree. He was simply saying: If you are as familiar with my Word, you will be able to recognize carnal-minded men by the message they preach.

God instructed us saying, " _Seek you out of the book of the Lord, and read: not one of these shall fail_ _,"_ (Isiah 34:16). He also said, _" My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you,"_(Hosea 4:6). Systematic readers of the Scriptures will discover truth, learn to recognize false prophets, and they won't fail. Jesus truly desires to bless you, which is why He said, _" If you abide in me, **and my word abides in you** , you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you,"_ (John 15:7).

Paul did not want anyone to miss the rapture, and he warns us saying, _" You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now, if a man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His,"_(Romans 8:9). Notice his words " _If a man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His_." He then explains why, saying, " _But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies **by His Spirit that dwells in you**_ _,"_ (Romans 8:11). According to Paul, if God's Spirit does not dwell within us, we will be left behind.

Many of those in the ministry today do not believe Satan is real, and therefore fail to recognize his role in our lives or that of the Church. Children deceived into believing that Santa Claus is real, only to learn a few years later that he isn't, never forget that the adults who deceived them were the people they loved and trusted the most. Satan uses that breach of trust to make many children to grow up thinking that perhaps God is like Santa Claus, and He doesn't exist either. And, it is entirely possible that many such children who grew up in church, and then became preachers, are the end products of the "Santa Claus" deception, which is why they do not believe Satan exists.

For that, and other reasons too numerous to mention, carnal Christians and non-Christians alike regard Satan as a bogey-man, or a mere figment of the imagination. Satan worked hard to get his status reduced to that of Santa Claus, because that makes it easier for him to deceive those coming to Christ. After all, how can he deceive anyone if he doesn't exists?

All denominational leaders will tell you there is no false doctrine being taught in their churches. However, each denomination has established seminaries to train those entering the ministry because they want to prevent the minds of their future ministers from becoming polluted with false doctrine which they perceive is taught in seminaries. Something to think about is it not?

This writing challenges some of the most established ideologies introduced into Christianity during the Dark Ages. Therefore, pains have been taken to make this book as easy to understand as possible, while also delivering an essential and powerful message. While reading, you will learn that most of the mainstream clergy preaching today vastly understate the importance of the Holy Spirit's role within our lives, and most Pentecostals exploit this role; both of these teachings are equally destructive to the body of Christ.

Every new translation of the Bible printed since 1971 has altered key-words to agree with the perverted gospel (this is dealt with in parts one through three). Any lawyer will tell you that words and their proper meaning are very important, and when it comes to understanding the gospel, these textual alterations lead to the difference between spiritual life and death.

The prideful leaders of Judaism in the first century BC believed they knew what was best for their followers, which is why they would not let a miracle working Jesus teach them. However, we now know their ignorance of the Scriptures proved to be the Jew's downfall. Likewise, the vast majority of today's carnal-minded Christian leaders believe they know what's best for their followers, but converts will soon learn for themselves whether or not they are following a man of God, or a carnally minded novice who is unknowingly being inspired by Satan.

The Bible states, _" I charge, _[command] _you therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, and, out of season_ _,_ [meaning when you feel like it and when you don't] _;_ _reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all long suffering, and doctrine_ _,"_ (2 Timothy 4:1-2). Clearly, we are to reprove those in error of the Scriptures.

Time is running out. I beg those of you who love the Lord to join with me, pick up the mantle of righteousness in defense of God's word, as did Martin Luther, and others who were unwilling to be man-pleasers. All of whom knew they would suffer persecution for speaking out against those teaching false doctrine: not from the world, but from the perceived church itself.

## PART 1

# The Salvation Message Preached by Jesus and the Apostles!

I mentioned in the preface that there are two methods through which we can know whether or not Jesus is who He claimed to be. One, to study everything ever written by or about Him during His ministry; primarily to discover what the Hebrew, Greek, and Armenian historians recorded about His accomplishments during the times He ministered to them. It is this method that I wish to speak to you about, before going into the gospel Jesus preached.

The Apostle John ended his gospel saying, _" And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they were to be written everyone, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written,"_ (John 21:25). Clearly, Jesus worked many miracles other than those mentioned in the New Testament text. The Latin Vulgate Bible, which contained all of the books of our present day text was not completed until the year 405. However, in the year 450 the Roman Empire fell, and with it public education ceased to exist all over the world, thereby marking the beginning of the Dark Ages.

Then, when emerging from the Dark Ages in the late fourteenth Century, the studies of languages began in earnest for the first time. This made it possible for scholars to begin studying the recorded acts of Jesus when he was ministering to the three different groups of people during His personal ministry here on earth (Hebrew, Greek, and Armenian). As a result, by the end of the fifteenth Century all such information had been gleaned from the history books and compiled for seminarians studying the life of Jesus.

Henceforth, many students who have obtained a doctorate in theology, entered the seminary with a mere belief that Jesus is Lord, but ended their studies knowing that Jesus is Lord. In summary, they entered as believers, but finished professing themselves true believers. Thus, many such men in the ministry today believe themselves to have been born again as a result of their physical knowledge. In truth, they have not been spiritually born again, which is why they remain carnal-minded. This is why so many churches have become secular in nature, and the perceived church is self-destructing at an alarming rate.

The salvation message preached by Jesus and the Apostles contains dozens of Scriptures requiring a spiritual explanation. However, carnal-minded members of the clergy who have not been born of the Spirit are not qualified to give such an explanation. That is why they simply turn to the "Roman Road to Salvation" when leading someone to Christ. Albeit, Jesus found it necessary to spiritually explain the parables to the disciples to help them understand what He was saying before they received the Holy Spirit. And, spiritual-minded members of the clergy know that is what God has called them to do as well.

It was never intended that a man of God should have to preach a message on salvation every week, but it is the most important of all Sermons. Hence, the same message on salvation preached by Jesus and the Apostles, using their own words. This will make it easy for you to understand the reason for my opening remarks, and how Satan managed to pervert the gospel to the point that many who have received God's Spirit within them cannot Biblically explain how it happened to them.

Jesus began His ministry working miracles in order to attract people's attention so they would listen to the message He preached. He explained, saying, _" The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me,"_ (John 10: 25). In summary, through His miracles Jesus made it possible for us to "believe" in Him, but through His Spirit He provided a way for us to know and love Him! The very essence of salvation is knowing Jesus, not merely believing in Him: albeit, believing is the first step.

Jesus said, _" Whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die,"_ (St John 11-25-26). Also, " _I am the resurrection and the life and he that believes in me, though he were dead shall live_ _."_ When Jesus made that statement, there was no proof that He was the Christ, because He had not yet died, nor risen from the dead. Those who believed in Jesus then were believers in the true meaning of the word, which means: (1) to have a strong conviction in something: (2) to accept a statement made by someone (whether true or false) to be true, honest and valid.

It is important to remember that, since the fall of Adam and Eve, each of us is born into the world spiritually dead. That is why Jesus said, _" Except a man be born-again he cannot see the kingdom of God,"_ (St. John 3:3). Just as the seed of a woman must be fertilized to create physical life growing within her, else her seed be expelled during her next cycle: Our human spirit must be fertilized with God's Spirit in order to create Spiritual life growing within us, or we will be expelled from the womb of this world at the end of days.

The abundance of false doctrine currently being taught on salvation is why there are so many lukewarm believers within the body of Christ. It should be noted that these believers have no fear of God, and are therefore a detriment to the church, because new converts have a tendency to judge themselves by how lukewarm Christians live their lives.

Most lukewarm Christians are merely believers who hear more messages on how to live a good Christian lifestyle, and the importance of confession and tithing, rather than on the severity of God from which we gain a healthy dose of the fear of God in our lives. An example is the apostle Paul explaining that, _" If God spared not the natural branches, _[Jewish people] _ take heed least He also not spare you. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them that fell, severity; but toward you goodness, **if you continue in His goodness** : otherwise you shall also be cut off,"_ (Romans 11:21-22).

To know God is to fear Him, Psalm 111:10 states, _" The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." _One of the lyrics in my favorite hymn states, "It was grace that taught my heart to fear." What does the fear of God have to do with how we live our lives you might ask? Let me explain it this way: I loved my parents very much, and I obviously knew them, which is how I knew they would dust my bottom side, if I were disobedient. Hence, it was both my fear of letting them down and being punished that brought about my obedience.

Just as our parents instructed us on how to behave when we were children, God does the same. In Matthew 25:46, Jesus tells us that, " _The unrighteous will suffer everlasting punishment, but the righteous shall have eternal life_." He also instructed us, saying, _" This is my word, abide ye in it."_ He did not say that it's okay to pick and choose the part you want to believe, and ignore the rest.

Personally, I don't serve God to keep from going to Hell, although that would be a good reason. I serve God because I both know and love Him more than life itself, and it's my fear of not being able to be with Him in the next life that drives me to do everything in my power to please Him in this one. In other words, God's love in me has conquered the evil that once controlled me.

Satan and his deceiving spirits are busy working within Christianity to prevent converts still on their faith-walk from receiving the Holy Spirit baptism, through which we are born-again. Herein, you will be provided with irrefutable Scriptural proof of that fact.

When the disciples asked Jesus which is the greatest commandment. He answered saying, _" Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength:"_ (Mark 12:30). Now, I ask you to keep that verse, and its meaning in mind, as we delve into an in-depth examination of the gospel Jesus taught.

John 3:1 states, "There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jew's. _The same came to Jesus at night, and said, Rabbi, we know that thou are a teacher come from God: because no man can do these miracles that you do, except God be with him_. _Jesus answered saying, Verily, I say unto you, "Except a man be born-again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus then asked, how can a man be born again when he is old, can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born_ _?_

As a student of the Scriptures Nicodemus truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah they spoke of, but for fear of being ridiculed by other Jewish leaders if seen with Him, he went to see Jesus at night in hopes of having a very frank discussion with Him about how he could receive the gift of eternal life. Jesus knew that, and He answered his question saying, _" Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."_

When saying that "we must be born of water," Jesus wasn't referring to the water baptism. He was referring to our physical birth from the water of our mother's womb into this world, which is why He then said: _" That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit."_ After making that distinction, Jesus could see that the wheels were really turning in Nicodemus' mind as he tried to understand what He was saying. However, Jesus knew that Nicodemus would never understand with his natural mind, which is why He then said, _" Marvel not that I said unto you, you must be born again."_

Jesus has the ability to know what we are thinking, and He could see that Nicodemus was in turmoil trying to figure out how to be born-again. Then, in an attempt to ease his mind, Jesus said, _" The wind blows where it will, and you hear the sound thereof, but you cannot tell whence it comes, and where it goes, so is everyone that is born of the Spirit," _(John 3:8).

It was night time, and they were apparently in a house and could hear the wind blowing outside. But, by merely listening to the wind from inside the house, Jesus knew that Nicodemus could not tell from what direction the wind was coming, or in what direction it was going. He was simply telling Nicodemus that, likewise, neither is it possible for him to figure out how to be born of the Spirit with his natural mind, because it's a Spiritual rebirth.

Jesus concluded His conversation with Nicodemus saying, _" As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness; the Son of man must also be lifted up. That whosoever believes in Him **should** not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him **should** not perish, but have everlasting life."_ (John 3:14-16).

Remember, Jesus had not yet died for our sins when He had that conversation with Nicodemus. Therefore, the vast majority of what He and the Apostles would ultimately teach on the subject had neither been spoken nor written. However, all of that information is now available in the Scriptures. So clear your mind of everything else, and get ready to learn how to claim your burning bush experience with our Lord Jesus Christ.

While praying for each of us, Jesus said, _" This is eternal life, that they **might know you** ; the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent,"_(St. John 17:3). The word "might" as used in that verse means exactly what it implies: meaning that, because of Satan's deceitful work, some might and some might not get to know the Lord. God said, _" Let him who glories, glory in this, that he understands **and knows me** , that I am the Lord that exercises loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: **for in these things I delight says the Lord** ," _(Jeremiah 9:24).

Most of the deceit Satan is responsible for is coming from those who use the "Roman Road to Salvation" as their sole means of leading people to Jesus; and those whom Satan inspires to preach the perverted gospel. Clearly, our Lord desires for us to know Him, and Jesus made that abundantly clear saying, _" This is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone that sees the Son and believes in Him, **may have everlasting life:** and I will raise him up on the last day,"_ (John 6:40).

Jesus said, _" He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me, and he that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him, **and will manifest myself to him**."_ (John 14:21 (KJV). The Greek text states, _" I will love him, **and manifest myself to him**."_ The New International version states, _" And I will show myself to him."_ The Amplified Bible states, _" I will make myself be clearly seen by him, and make myself real to him."_

This writer has never seen Jesus, however, after manifesting Himself to me spiritually; I then grew too know and love Him more than anyone, or anything in this world, including my wife and children. And, if you don't love Him that much, then you are about to find out how to make that happen in your life, because the following Scriptures will prove that God has provided a way for you to know Him. And, that Jesus truly will reveal Himself to you, if you follow the message He preached **.**

Jesus instructed us saying, _" He that loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me,"_ (Matt. 10:37-38). I had just started out on my faith-walk a few weeks earlier when I read those two verses while reading the gospel of Matthew. When I read those words I became angry and threw the Bible in the trash container provoking my wife to ask if I had lost my mind.

I then retrieved the Bible from the trash receptacle, and showed those Scriptures to her, saying, "Honey I love you, my parents, my children, my siblings, and my dog more than I love God, all of which, according to what I just read, means that I'm not worthy to be a Christian!" I did not know at the time that we are not born into this world with the innate capacity to love God in that manner. I just knew that I didn't; however, you really can love Him more than anyone, or anything, in the world, and the following paragraph explains how.

Prophesying about what it would be like for those living during this period of grace, our Heavenly Father said, _" **A new heart, also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you**. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. **And I will put my Spirit within you** , and cause _[enable] _ you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them,"_ (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Paul proved that God kept that promise saying, _" God's love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given unto us,"_(Romans 5:5). Clearly, we receive God's kind of love (the new heart), when we receive agape love, which happens when the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our heart. Also, referring to this period of grace, the Prophet Hosea said, _" Then shall we know, **if we follow on to know the Lord** ,"_ (Hosea 6:3). Notice the caveat "if."

Paul said, _" And hope makes not ashamed; **because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit** ,"_ (Romans 5:5). Paul is saying that when you make a public confession of your faith, you need not be ashamed of confessing your hope and faith in Jesus, because He won't let you down. The Apostle wanted us to know that we would receive God's kind of love (agape) upon receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And it is only through God's kind of love, that we are then capable of loving Him above all else.

Speaking of receiving the Holy Spirit within us, Jesus proclaimed, _" Behold I stand at the door and knock: If any man hear my voice and open the door, **I will come into him** , and will sup _[abide] _with him, and he with me_ _,"_ (Rev. 3:20). He also said, _" If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, **and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him** ,"_ (John 14:23). When Jesus does that, then and only then, can we establish a personal relationship with Him, and begin entering into the knowledge of the truth.

Jesus proclaimed, _" I am the way, the truth, and the life: No man comes to the Father but by me," _(St. John 14: 6). _" Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved,"_ (Acts 4:12). He also said, _" If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you forgive not men of their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you,"_ (Matthew 6:14-15). This writer cannot find words strong enough to express how important it is that we forgive those who have sinned against us, except to say, it is extremely important.

After having said all of the above, we now come to the most important, and the most misunderstood part of the salvation process. Therefore, please pay very close attention to what Jesus is saying in the following Scriptures, because He is explaining exactly how the born again experience occurs. And, it is important to remember that the Holy Spirit was with the Apostles until the day of Pentecost, not in them, as explained in St. John 20:22.

When speaking to the Apostles, and to those of us coming to Christ today, Our Lord said, _" If you love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter that He may **abide with you forever**. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows Him: But you know Him: For He dwells **with you,** and shall be in you,"_ (John 14:15-17).

The Greek version of the New Testament text states, _" The Spirit of truth, which the world cannot receive, because it _[people of the world] _ beholds it _[the Holy Spirit] _not, nor knows it_ ; _but you know it, **because it abides with you** , **and will be in you**_ _."_ The translators of the Greek text referred to the Holy Spirit as "it" because they did not want people to wrongly believe that Jesus was referring to Himself. Anyone could have seen Jesus when He made that statement, but the Holy Spirit cannot be seen with the eye.

Jesus said, _" But you know Him;"_ revealing that He knows we are aware of the Holy Spirits presence when He is merely with us. However, when using the words "and will be in you," Jesus made a very definite distinction between the Holy Spirit being with us versus abiding within us.

Jesus said, _" Even the Spirit of truth,"_because it is only through God's Spirit abiding within us that we can then begin to obtain spiritual truth. As noted In John 20:22, John explained that the Holy Spirit was with them while they were with Jesus, stating that Jesus had breathed the Holy Spirit onto them, thereby "garnishing" them with God's Spirit, which is the exact same manner the Holy Spirit is with us when we embark on our faith-walk.

Jesus said it best saying, _" When the **unclean spirit** is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places seeking rest, but finds none. Then he says to himself, I will return into the house_ [the new-convert] _from whence I came out; and when he is come, he finds_ [him] **_empty_** **,** [of spiritual growth] _**swept** **,** _[sins forgiven] _**and garnished**_ , [the Holy Spirit is now with him] _ Then goes he, and takes with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first,"_ (K.J.V. Matt. 12:43-45). The word **_" garnished"_** means equipped, embellished, or adorned; all of which mean with us, or on us, but not in us.

According to Jesus, the man mentioned in those verses had indeed received salvation, and the power to become a child of God. As a result, the Holy Spirit was placed with him to protect him from bad spirits while on his faith-walk, which is why the unclean spirit could not get back into him on his first attempt to do so. However, if a new-convert chooses to follow carnal-teachers to obtain his spiritual knowledge, over time, the unclean spirit will get back in by deceiving him with false doctrine. When that happens, as Jesus said, _" The second state of that man is worse than the first."_

The Apostle John summarized the salvation message saying, _" But as many as received Him, **to them He gave Power to become the sons of God,** even to them that believe in His name,"_ (K.J.V. St. John 1:12). Notice that the words "received Him" are past tense; also, notice that immediately after receiving Jesus, God then gives us the power "to become" the sons of God, which is "future tense." Clearly, God gives us the power we need to become one of His children the moment we accept Jesus by placing His Spirit with us to protect us from demonic spirits and to convict us of sin while on the faith-walk.

The words, " _To become the sons of God_ _,"_ are future tense, meaning that we can then become a disciple of Christ by obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit, while seeking God with all of our heart and soul. All of this means that believing in Jesus, and accepting Him to become the Lord of our lives, is only the first step toward becoming a child of God, which happens when, through our continued obedience to Him, God consummates His relationship with us, by placing His Spirit within us, whereby, we are then born again.

John concluded that verse saying, _" Even to them that believe in His name."_ Notice that he distinguished absolutely no difference between those who had received Jesus, and those who merely believed in Him, but had not yet accepted Him as their Lord. Why? Because they believed in Jesus; meaning that at any time during their lives; they could act on their belief by receiving Him, and then following on to know Him as well.

John 3:18 agrees with John 1:12 KJV. It states, _" He that believes in Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."_ Those who merely believe in Jesus are neither saved nor condemned. They are not condemned because at any point during their lives they are free to act on their belief by accepting Jesus, and then following on to know Him. However, those who don't believe in Jesus will never accept Him to become their Lord: thus, because of their disbelief, they condemn themselves.

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus spoke to the Apostles, and _" Commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise _[Holy Spirit baptism] _ of the Father,"_ (Acts 1:4). He did so, because He knew they would be unable to serve Him in Spirit and in truth, without the power of the Holy Spirit abiding within them.

He then said, _" John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. **And you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you**. And you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth,"_ (Acts 1:5&8). Salvation unfolds for those of us coming to Christ today in the same manner that it did for those saved through our Lord's ministry.

Satan uses the fact that we feel God's presence at times before receiving the Holy Spirit baptism to try and convince us that we have already received it. This is because he knows that is how God consummates His relationship with us, and his top priority in our lives is to prevent that from happening. (Note; receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is quite unlike what most novice Pentecostal pastors teach. More on that subject in part four).

After asking Jesus to become the Lord of our lives, God then commands His Spirit to remain with us to convict us of sin, to encourage us, and to help us keep the commitment we made to Him, while also preparing our hearts to receive the Holy Spirit baptism. This period is known as the "faith-walk," a time during which we are merely believers, because as new-converts, we generally don't feel saved. Although it is possible to sense our Lord's presence at times, especially during worship. Nevertheless, we are in fact carnal-minded until we receive God's Spirit within us. The Bible states: _" To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded, is life and peace," _(Romans 8:6).

The disciples themselves were carnal-minded, and very weak spiritually before receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, even to the point of denying Jesus. The same can be said for those of us coming to Christ today until we receive God's Spirit within us. But afterward, everything changes for us, just as it did for them. The power Jesus was referring to is the Holy Spirit's ability to ignite a Spiritual fire burning within us causing us to factually know that Jesus is Lord, while also drawing us into His word in search of spiritual truth. This is why Satan works so hard to keep us from receiving the Holy Spirit baptism.

Only the Holy Spirit can satisfy that relentless thirst crying out from deep within us. That's why Jesus said: _" Whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him _[Holy Spirit] _shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life_ _,"_ (John 4:14). From which we acquire the peace that passes all men's understanding. Neither fortune, fame, power, nor having everything we desire in this life will satisfy that thirst, only the Spirit of God can satisfy it, and make us whole. _" Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: and with His stripes we are _[Spiritually] _ healed,"_ (Isaiah 53:5).

The Bible sates that, _" Without faith it is impossible to please Him: For he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He rewards them that diligently seek Him,"_ (Hebrews 11:6). If you "diligently" seek Jesus, and live in obedience to your commitment to follow him, you will be rewarded with the Holy Spirit baptism, as evidenced in the following verses. Dr. Luke said, _" We are witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that **obey** Him,"_ (Acts 5:32). Paul said, _"And being made perfect, Jesus became the author of eternal salvation, unto all them who **obey** Him_ _,"_ (Hebrews 5:9).

When a young couple agrees to marry, they enter into an engagement period whereupon they expect each other to be faithful: if either one is unfaithful during that period, the wedding will be canceled. God expects no less from us while on our faith-walk. Remember, God will never force His Will on anyone, albeit, Satan will never pass up an opportunity do so.

If you remain faithful during your faith-walk, and "diligently" seek the Lord with all your heart and soul through His word, while also exercising your faith by simply expecting Jesus to manifest Himself to you as He promised, God will consummate His relationship with you by rewarding you with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and that's a fact. Remember, faith is simply believing and trusting God to do as He promised. I assure you that our Lord will keep His promise to you, if you keep yours to Him.

Referring to the necessities of life compared to obtaining spiritual growth, Jesus said, _" Seek you first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you,"_ (Matt. 6:33). _" Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give you the desires of your heart,"_ (Psalm 37:4).

Jesus asked the Apostles saying, _" Who, do you say that I am? Simon Peter quickly answered saying, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus then said, blessed art thou Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say unto thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,"_ (Matthew, 16: 13-18).

Paraphrasing that verse, Jesus was saying, "Peter, just as my Father has enabled you to personally know who I am, and I personally know who you are, it will be on this factual knowledge of our knowing each other that I will build my Church." The true Church is indeed built upon the rock solid foundation of knowing God, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it for that reason.

Jesus said, _" I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, **and am known of mine** ,"_ (St. John 10:14). Notice His words, _" And am known of mine,"_ meaning that His sheep also know Him. He also said, _" There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and they shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that,"if it were possible,"they shall deceive the very elect,"_ (Matt. 24:24).The words, _" If it were possible,"_ means that it is not possible to deceive the very-elect.

Mark tells us who the very-elect are: referring to the rapture, he said, _" And then shall He _[Jesus] _ send forth His angels, and shall gather together His "elect" from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven,"_ (Mark 13:27). Clearly, the very-elect Jesus referred to is His true Church, whose membership is founded on the rock solid foundation of "knowing God," which is why they cannot be deceived.

Referring to the very-elect, Jesus said, _" My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish; neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand,"_ (St. John 10:27-28). The very-elect cannot be deceived, and no man can pluck them from our Lord's hand, because they were born of the Holy Spirit, and have received the fullness thereof by renewing their minds while reading the Scriptures. Therefore, they know God, and will follow no man, which is why they cannot be deceived.

On the subject of believing in God, John said, _" But these _[the Scriptures] _ are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing you **might** have life through His name,"_ (John 20:31). The word "might" as used in that verse means that those who accept Jesus, and obey Him, will have eternal life, and those who don't, won't. Thus, some might and some might not.

John 3:15 and 16 states, _" Whosoever believes in Him **should** not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him **should** not perish, but have everlasting life."_ Jesus said, _"Should not perish."_ Meaning that, if you believe in Jesus, then, you **should** act on your belief by accepting Him, and then following on to know Him. However, if not, then you will perish.

The original Greek text uses the words ( _may not perish_ ), which means that you may or may not perish; it is up to you whether or not you wish to accept Jesus, and then obey the gospel He taught. Before His physical death, Jesus said, _" All things are delivered unto me by my Father, and no man knows the Son, but the Father; neither knows any man the Father, save the Son, **and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him** ,"_(Matt. 11:27).

During His miracle-working ministry, Jesus shared His message with everyone that would listen to Him, causing many people to believe that He is the Christ. Then, shortly after His ascension into Heaven, the Apostles and others who truly believed, and had dedicated their lives to Him, received the Holy Spirit baptism on the day of Pentecost. Whereupon, they then knew, for a fact that Jesus is the Son of the one true God, and that His word is true. This is because, as you are about to discover, that is how our Lord reveals Himself to us.

Jesus proclaimed, _" When the comforter _[Holy Spirit] _ is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, He shall testify of me,"_ (St. John 15:26), meaning, cause us to "know" with absolute certainty that Jesus is Lord.

For example; as a strong Jewish believer, Paul served God by arresting Christians for the purpose of having them renounce their faith in Christ, or be stoned to death. It should be noted that Paul became a Christian believer the day he was blinded by the brightness of Christ Jesus when confronted by Him on the road to Damascus, while traveling there to arrest more Christians. However, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul then factually knew that Jesus is the Son of the one true God. I say that, because afterward, when referring to God the Father, Paul stated, _" I know Him whom I have believed,"_ (II Timothy 1-12).

It wasn't until after Jesus revealed our Heavenly Father to Paul through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that he could say, _" I know Him _[God] _ whom I have believed."_ Had Paul known God before, rather than simply believing in Him, he never would have gone out arresting Christians: instead he would have protected them.

Jesus stated, _" If a man loves me, he will keep my words: And my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode _[live in his heart] _ with him,"_ (St John 14:23). This writer wishes to attest to you that when the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your heart, you will know it, because it is joy unspeakable and full of glory. Paul explained what it would be like when we are born again, he said, _" Old things are passed away; behold, all things become new,"_ (2 Cor. 5:17). In reality, it's a supernatural life-changing experience, and if you're a new-convert still on your faith-walk pursuing Jesus, you should be expecting this to happen to you. (It will be your burning bush experience).

Speaking about obtaining factual knowledge that Jesus abides within us, the Bible states, _" And hereby we **know** that Jesus abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given us,"_ (I John 3:24). And, _" Hereby we **know** that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit,"_ (I John 4:13). Those who have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit factually know they were born-again, because God's Spirit dwells within them.

God wants you to factually know that your salvation is secure. That's why He inspired the Apostle Paul to instruct us, saying: _" Examine yourselves to discover whether or not you are in the faith: Prove your own selves _[The word prove means to be in possession of factual knowledge]. _ Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates,"_ (2 Cor. 13:5). The Apostle is very clearly telling us that we are reprobates, which means lost souls or not one of the elect, if we don't know with absolute certainty the Holy Spirit dwells within us. The Bible states, _" The Holy Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God,"_ (Romans 8:16).

As stated in the preface, if you truthfully love the Lord first and foremost above all else, then you have been born again, and the Holy Spirit dwells in you! Paul said, _" No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but _[speaking] _ by the Holy Spirit,"_ (I Cor. 12:3). Paul is right, only those who have received the Holy Spirit baptism can factually state that Jesus is Lord: those who haven't can, at best, merely believe He is; and, as you know, believing is not the same as knowing.

Jesus said, _" As you believe, so shall it be unto you,"_ and Satan knows that's true, which is why he tries to convince new-converts that they receive the Holy Spirit baptism the moment they accept Jesus. He does so because he knows those convinced of that lie will most likely never receive God's Spirit within them, and therefore never receive the fullness thereof.

A carnal-Christian is not cold, because he has prayed the sinner's prayer and most likely attends church on a regular basis. But he's not hot for Jesus, because he has not received the Holy Spirit baptism, which gives us a desire to seek a relationship with Jesus through His word, which states _" Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you,"_(James 4:8).

Peter warned us about false teachers in the church saying, _" There were false Prophets among the people, and there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce false doctrine even denying the sovereign Lord who brought them bringing swift _[spiritual] _ destruction on themselves. And many will follow their lies, and they will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they made up,"_(II Peter 2:1-3).

Most of those preaching the perverted gospel believe they are preaching truth, and will argue their case before Jesus at the great white throne judgment. Jesus said, _" Many will say to me on that day _[white throne judgment day] _, Lord, did we not prophesy _[preach] _ in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and perform many miracles _[such as, building churches, feeding the hungry, and supporting the missionaries] _. Then will I tell them, I never knew you, away from me you evil doers,"_(NIV Matthew 7:22-23) _._

Deceived people try to do God's work for Him, and they often refer to themselves as true believers. However, believing in Jesus is not the same as knowing Him, which is why Jesus said, " _I never knew you_." Most people are smart enough to know that, if you claim to know someone, then it's a given the person you claim to know, also knows you. God said, _" There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death,"_ (Proverbs 14:12).

God desires for us to read His Word because He knows that Satan can easily steal away, or distort, that portion of His word we hear with our ears, but he can neither steal, nor distort that which enters in through the windows of our soul: our eyes. Paul said, _" If so be that you have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus,"_ (Ephesians 4:21).

Jesus is truth: only He can "make" you know truth. A man can know Biblical truth by allowing the Holy Spirit to teach him, but he cannot "make" you know it. At best, a man of God can share Biblical truth with you, and you can then accept, or reject it: But either way, you would still be unsure whether or not what you accepted is true or false. Only God can "make" you factually know that He exists and the Bible is His word. (You will discover how God can make you factually know those things in part four).

Referring to the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, He is the "Helper" the "Spirit of truth" "the Teacher" and the "Comforter." Those desiring to live for Jesus cannot live a life that's even somewhat pleasing to our Lord without the help of the Holy Spirit. This is because we are not strong enough on our own to overcome the addictions, temptation, and sin in our lives; thus, He is our Helper. In times of trouble He is our Comforter. And real Spiritual growth, through which we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit, can be obtained only by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us through God's word, because He is our Spiritual teacher.

God uses men such as myself to teach the plan of salvation and the rudimentary elements of His word; but He has reserved teaching the mysteries of His word for Himself. This is because God knows both our strengths and our weaknesses, and He teaches us accordingly. Then, after receiving sufficient Spiritual growth to accomplish His plan in our lives, God places us within the body of Christ in a position where He knows that we can best serve.

Be forewarned that with the help of carnal-men, Satan finally succeeded in changing key words in John 1:12, John 3:15, John 3:16, and John 3:17 to read exactly the way it has been taught for the past 700 years. Until 1971 all versions of the New Testament text used the words "may, should, or might" in John 3:15, 16, and 17, because that is what Jesus taught.

The translators of The Living Bible changed the words _" should not perish"_ to "may have eternal life" in John 3:15. And, in John 3:16 the words _" should not perish"_ was changed to "shall not perish." In John 3:17 the words _" might be saved"_ were changed to "but to save." Also, in an attempt to lend some credibility to their changes, they deleted the last sentence of St. John 1:12, which otherwise would have been in disagreement with their changes.

The bastards responsible for moving forward with the "Living Word Bible" had only one goal in mind, and that was to change those Scriptures to agree with the perverted gospel they preach. And, if you think I should apologize for referring to them as bastards, none shall be forthcoming, because the word perfectly fits those who claim to be men of God, but are, in fact, serving Satan. Such despicable men were the so-called church leaders Satan used to pervert the Scriptures so they would agree with the perverted gospel.

Since Satan was successful in changing the words "should not perish" to "shall not perish" in The Living Bible without anyone within Christianity standing up to protest; and absolutely no rebuttal, at least none, of which I am aware. Satan was emboldened to inspire other carnal publishers to follow suit. Then, two years later (in 1973) The New International Version of the Bible was published, and it also states "shall not parish _"_ in John 3:16.

The Holman Christian Standard Bible (copyright 1996) states, " _That everyone who believes in Him will not perish_ _."_ The Common English Bible states, _" So that everyone who believes in Him won't perish." _John 3:16 continues to evolve with every new translation printed since 1971. This is because Satan wants people to believe that believing in Jesus saves them.

Those responsible were intent on changing the words "should not" to "shall not" in John 3:16, because it is the key verse used in the Roman road to salvation. And thanks to Rollen Fredrick Stewart, better known as the Rainbow man, it is also the best known Scripture in the Bible. (Mr. Stewart is now serving three life terms in prison for hostage terrorism).

John 3:17 K.J.V. states, _" For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." _They changed that verse to read, _" God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him," _implying that the entire world will be saved, which is exactly what Satan wants people to believe.

As previously stated, the word _"_ might _"_ means exactly what it implies, meaning that some might and some might not. In other words, some will, and some won't. Likewise, the word "may" means exactly what it implies, meaning that some may, and some may not.

I would best define the word "should" by saying that, if you get caught out in a heavy rainstorm and there is shelter nearby, then you "should" have the good sense to get in out of the rain, which would require an action on your part. However, Jesus gave us the best definition of the word "should," saying, _" I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believes in me should not abide in darkness,"_ (John 12:46). And, as you know, an action is required on our part to move from the darkness into the light.

The words "might," "should" and "may," all mean the same thing, and none of them implies that we are saved simply because we believe in Jesus. To the contrary, each of them implies that some action other than simply believing in Jesus is required to keep from perishing. "Shall not perish," "will not perish" and "won't perish" require no action at all except to believe that Jesus is God's Son, which is Satan's gospel.

Understanding these things is why when writing about the qualifications of those eligible to serve in a position of leadership in the Church, Paul said, _" Not a Novice _[carnal-Christian], _ lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the Devil,"_ (1 Timothy 3:6). Which is exactly what has happened to the many carnal-minded clergy persons preaching today, for whom this book was written.

The contributors of the following versions of the New Testament text, Original Greek, King James, Standard revised, American standard, and the New International, never once referred to our brothers and sisters in Christ, or to the church, as believers. They used the word "Saints" sixty-two times in each of the aforementioned versions. The word "brethren" was also used, but much less frequently..

## PART 2

# When and How the Church Began Self-destructing!

As we move forward furnishing biblical proof stating when God's Spirit takes-up residence in our heart, I appeal to those of you who have earned a Doctorate in Theology for your patience, and hopefully, your ability to hear both sides of an issue, before making a decision on a subject as important as when we receive God's Spirit within us.

I say that, because there will be times during this discourse that when disproving doctrine you were taught to believe, you may feel that it is somewhat condescending and feel inclined to quit reading. So, I ask you to very carefully consider the proof being furnished, and the fact that it is coming directly from God's Word with no Scriptures being taken out of context, meaning that, said proof is not conjecture, and therefore should not be condescending. In other words, it is God's word speaking to you; not this writer.

While reading this section you will obtain a perfect understanding of how Satan managed to set the Church on a self-destructing course. You will also discover that Satan has not eased his efforts to destroy the Church since the New Testament Text started becoming available to lay-people in the year 1523. If anything, he has intensified his efforts a thousand fold, and those in the clergy should be ever mindful of that fact.

Pastors, I ask you to imagine, for a moment that you are a lay-person seeking spiritual truth, and, in an effort to find it, you decide to sit down with the leaders of just four of the two hundred plus denominations in existence today. Then individually, you listen to each of them explain in detail the doctrines of their denomination.

For this scenario we'll pick the Catholic Church, Assemblies of God, Southern Baptist, and the Methodist. After listening to their leaders, you would undoubtedly find the differences to be somewhat confusing making it impossible to determine which of the four, if any, is really teaching Biblical truth. Now, multiply that time's fifty, and you can then begin to understand why so many people claim there is too much confusion within the ranks of Christianity. That confusion is also the main reason secularism is taking over the Church; however we will clear up some of that confusion in this chapter.

The aforementioned is also why Jesus said, _" When one hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, then comes the wicked one, and steals away that which was sown in his heart,"_ (Matthew 13:19). Confusing the gospel and teaching false doctrine has always been, and will always be Satan's primary goal to destroy those coming to Christ.

God wants you to read the Bible in search of truth, because He does not want you to be deceived with false doctrine. That's why Jesus said, _" If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth,_ _and the truth will make you free_ _,"_ (St. John 8:31-32).

These next few paragraphs contain just a few of our Lord's many warnings about carnal men and women whom Satan inspires to pervert the gospel message. When the Apostles asked Jesus, "When the end of the world would come?" The very first thing He said was, "Take heed that no man deceive you," (Matthew 24:4). That was first and foremost on His mind, because He knew that Satan would inspire men whom we would look up to and respect as being men of God to deceive those of us coming to Christ, such as those who taught you and me. Hence His words, "Let no "man" deceive you."

I didn't realize that I had been deceived until I witnessed the conversion of my wife. Afterward, being a mere believer, and more than a little confused, I went directly to God's word in search of truth for myself, and what I have learned is startling to say the least.

The first thing I learned is that I was not a Christian. Albeit, in church I had been taught from my youth that I was, simply because I believed in Jesus and had accepted him to become the Lord of my life. I also learned that when I stand before the Lord to be judged, no one will be there to defend me for my ignorance of God's word, because, after receiving salvation, I alone am responsible for my spiritual well-being.

Secondly, when Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the temple separating the most Holy Place from the congregation of the people was torn apart, signifying that man no longer needed to depend on another man for his salvation. This is why the Apostle Paul said, _" Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,"_ (Phil. 2:12). However, that can be accomplished only by having a man of God share the true gospel with us, and our willingness to read the Scriptures, which is God's special instructions showing us how to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and then grow in Spirit and in truth.

2 Chronicles 16:9 states, _" For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, seeking to show Himself strong in the behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him."_ Those with a perfect heart toward God devote time to seeking a closer relationship with Him by reading their Bible in search of truth, which is why God shows Himself strong on their behalf.

Due to the large number of Jewish people receiving Jesus during the Apostles' ministry, some of those whom Satan was using to pervert the gospel were doing so, in part, by trying to introduce the Levitical Law into Christianity. That was Satan's first line of attack against the Church, and he continues to use it to this day. Acts 15:1 states, _" And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren saying, except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved."_

Acts 15:6 states, _" And the Apostles and elders came together to discuss the matter." _After doing so, they wrote a letter to the Churches stating, _" Forasmuch as we have heard that certain men that went out from us have troubled you with words, **subverting your souls** , saying that you must be circumcised, and keep the Law; to whom we gave no such commandment,"(Acts 15:24)._ (They were referring to the Levitical law, not the laws of God as explained by the Prophets beginning with Moses, and ending with Jesus).

The Apostles concluded their letter saying, "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Fare you well," (Acts 15:28-29).

An example of Satan's ability to deceive those coming to Christ can be found in the book of Acts, which states, _" There was a certain man called Simon, which beforetime used sorcery and bewitched _[deceived] _ the people of Samaria, giving out that he was some great one. To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, this man is the great power of God. And to him they had respect_, _because for a long time he had bewitched them with sorceries_ __ [false doctrine], (Acts 8:9-11).

Satan was so successful perverting the gospel that Paul found it necessary to defend himself to the Corinthian church; a church he started. This happened because of the influence of carnal-men, who inspired the leaders of the church to begin questioning Paul's Spiritual authority, as noted in 2 Corinthians 13:3, where Paul said, _" Since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me."_

Paul defended himself against those Satan was using to deceive the people saying, **_"_** _For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ! And no marvel: for Satan himself, is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it's no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works ,"_ **** (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Satan continues to work within all of Christianity in exactly the same manner as Paul described.

Another good example of carnal-men trying to do God's work for Him was the Apostles themselves. Before receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they took it upon themselves to appoint someone an Apostle to replace Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed Jesus. Then, as noted in Act's 1:15-26, they chose a man named Matthias, who was then numbered with the other eleven Apostles. However, Paul was our Lord's choice to fill the vacancy. Had the Apostles been filled with the Holy Spirit at the time that never would have happened!

The Apostle John had problems with a carnal pastor named Diotrephes, prompting him to write a letter to a Spirit-filled friend of his named Gaius who lived near the church in question, alerting him about the situation. John said, _" I wrote to the church: but Diotrephes, who loves to have the **preeminence** among them, receives us not. Wherefore if I come, I will remember his deeds, which he does, prating _[speaking] _ against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither does he himself receive the brethren_, _and forbids them that would come, and cast them out of the church_ _,"_ (3 John 1:9-10).

Clearly, Diotrephes would have escorted the beloved Apostle out of his church had he insisted on sharing with his congregation. He knew that John wanted to share 1 John 2: 26-27, which states, _" These things have I written unto you concerning those who would deceive you. But the anointing _[Holy Spirit] _ that you have received from Him abides in you, and you need not that any **man** teach you: But the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him."_

Diotrephes did not want his congregants to hear that message, because he wanted to maintain exclusive control over them. Believe me, there are many pastors like Simon and Diotrephes preaching in churches all over the world today protecting their flocks from the truth in an effort to keep hidden their own ignorance of the Scriptures.

In Proverbs 6:16-19, we learn that pride tops the list of things God hates the most: God hates pride so much because Satan uses it more than anything else to destroy people. For example, because of pride, many carnal-pastors continue preaching false doctrine even after it has been proven they are wrong. Paul predicted that would happen saying, _" Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived,"_ (2 Tim. 3:13).

John said, _" Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits _[to prove] _whether they are of God: Because many false prophets are gone out into the world_ _,"_ (1 John 4:1). And in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, _" They shall deceive many."_ One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the discerning of Spirits as shown in I Cor. 12:10; but that gift generally works only in those who have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the fullness thereof.

In spite of the many warnings given by Jesus and the Apostles, historians recorded that "Satan had an iron grip on Christianity during the Dark Ages." And, as we continue, you will discover that, in spite of the advancements in education, both physical, and spiritual, he hasn't loosened his grip.

Please make a mental note of the fact that the following event happened approximately four years after the day of Pentecost. Also, notice that not one of the people mentioned in the following Scriptures had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit immediately upon accepting Jesus and being baptized. Therefore the Holy Spirit was with them at the time, but not in them.

Acts 8:14-16 states that, _" When the Apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria _[the entire city] _ had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John; who when they came down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He _[the Holy Spirit] _ was fallen on none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."_ This is exactly how salvation unfolded for the Apostles, and continues to do so for those of us coming to Christ today.

Satan is slowly deceiving the entire world by motivating carnal men to teach a doctrine stating that the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your heart the moment you accept Jesus. I realize that statement angers those of you, who were taught that doctrine. However, you have now read dozens Scriptures in part one proving that doctrine to be incorrect, and you'll find more indisputable Biblical evidence in the following paragraphs.

Allow me to explain when things went wrong! With the exception of only a few men, such as Ananias, whom God instructed to lay hands on Paul for him to receive both his sight and the Holy Spirit. Only the Apostles were given the power that by the laying on of their hands, the Holy Spirit was given to whomsoever they laid their hands. That fact baffled those studying the history of Christianity during the early Dark Ages, and a controversy arose about how one receives the Holy Spirit in their day.

Remember, those days were known as the Dark Ages because the majority of people were both uneducated, and unlearned in the Scriptures during that period, which was the perfect time for Satan to spring his greatest deception ever on all mankind.

Satan inspired carnal church leaders during that period to adopt the theory that, since the death of the Apostles, everyone apparently received the Holy Spirit baptism immediately upon accepting Jesus, and or being baptized. At the time, they used Acts, 2:38 to prove their theory, which states, _" Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."_

For more than 700 years carnal-clergymen used that one verse to try and prove that we are all filled with the Holy Spirit the moment we accept Jesus. This is because old habits are hard to break, and men tend to follow in the traditional footsteps of those who taught them. However, the word "and" as used in that verse means in sequence to the act of receiving Jesus and being baptized by submersion. It does not imply, nor does it mean that we will receive the Holy Spirit baptism immediately upon accepting Jesus, and or being baptized.

For example, a young man tells his parents that after graduating college, he intends to start his own business "and" get rich. Does that mean he'll suddenly get rich immediately after graduating college "and" starting his business? The answer is obvious; in fact, only recently was the Lord successful in getting the more educated of these theologians to pay attention long enough to point out that their novice interpretation of Acts 2:38 is incorrect: and that John 1:12, Acts 8:14-16, and Acts 19:1-3, all proved them to be wrong.

The aforementioned young man might indeed become rich "if" he devotes himself to the task of working hard to reach his goal after starting his business, but it certainly would not be immediate. Likewise, if we repent of our sins, and are baptized in Jesus name for the remission of our sins, and we then diligently seek Jesus with all of our heart and soul as the Scriptures instructs us to do, we will definitely receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit at some point during the faith-walk.

Upon discovering they could no longer use Acts 2:38 to prove their theory, Seminary professors sent their researchers back to the Bible in search of other Scriptures they might use to substantiate their new doctrine. They chose Ephesians 1:13, and 1 Cor. 12:13, because they are the only two Scriptures in the New Testament text that like-minded men might possibly misuse when trying to substantiate their new doctrine.

Ephesians 1:13 states, _" In whom you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: In whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise."_ The three key words in that verse are _" trusted"_ past tense, _" after"_ past tense, and _" believed"_ past tense. How much time had actually passed after these saints first believed, and trusted the Lord, before receiving the Holy Spirit baptism is uncertain, but Paul makes it abundantly clear that it was afterward!

After sending Dr. David Jeremiah of "Turning Point Ministries" what I thought at the time was a finished copy of this writing, I received the following letter from him stating. "Dear Joseph, This is a note to acknowledge that I received your letter and lengthy writings. Joseph, at a quick glance, we differ on the "baptism of the Holy Spirit." Specifically, what I teach is that "the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the imperceptible work of God when the believing sinner is placed by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ at the moment of his conversion." This baptism is unique to this church age. If one is a believer in Jesus Christ he has received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). Sincerely, Dr. David Jeremiah".

In all fairness to Dr. Jeremiah, approximately four more pages of additional Biblical proof concerning when we receive the Holy Spirit within us has been added to this writing since receiving the manuscript sent to him. And another ten pages were added in an attempt to better explain the materials he received. I had not included as much proof before, nor did I spend as much time explaining said proof, because I did not want to come across as being condescending.

As a student of the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit had taught me these things. I therefore mistakenly felt that those who have received a Doctorate in the Christian religion would at least be aware of the Scriptures sufficiently to see the truth concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit, when presented with Scriptural facts on the subject. However, after receiving several such letters from other large ministries as well, I realized that I was wrong, therefore, through this writing, I have rectified my poor sense of judgement.

Dr. Jeremiah is absolutely correct when saying that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the imperceptible work of God when the believing sinner is placed by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ. But, he is wrong when saying that happens at the moment of conversion, or perhaps he just doesn't understand the definition of the word "imperceptible," which in no way implies that we are filled with the Holy Spirit immediately upon accepting Jesus. In fact, during my thirty-eight years of serving Jesus, I have witnessed only one person whom I factually know received salvation, and was filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion.

He also stated that if one believes in Jesus he has received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This implies that those who simply believe in Jesus, but haven't asked Him to become the Lord of their lives, have also received God's Spirit within them. Oh, I know that's not what he meant, but that is what such statements imply, which is another reason secularism is taking over the church. In fact, most of the newer translations of the Bible published after 1971 infer the same thing.

Dr. Jeremiah stated, and most pastors teach, that if you believe in Jesus, you know Him. That belief makes Christianity the only religion in the world that claims believing is the same as knowing. Albeit, even those making that statement don't believe it, which is why they refer to themselves as believers. That statement defies human logic, and it's an insult to those of average intelligence, because we were all taught at an early age that believing is not the same as knowing.

Such statements, coupled with the perverted version of the gospel, is why I've heard a countless number of people who have never accepted Jesus say to me, "I believe in Jesus, so I'm a Christian." The Bible states, _" You believe there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe and tremble,"_ (James 2:19). It also says, _" The body without the Spirit _[Holy Spirit] _ is dead, so faith without works are dead also,"_ (James 2:26) _._

He said, "This baptism is unique to this church age," because when attending the seminary he was taught that Jesus apparently changed His mind about how we receive God's Spirit within us, which is what makes it unique to this church-age. In Acts 5:32 Dr. Luke states that God gives His Spirit only to those who "obey" Him; meaning in much the same manner we were expected to be faithful to our spouse during and after the engagement period.

Most married couples know that, if they were to stray into the arms of the opposite sex, a divorce may ensue. In other words, we don't expect our spouse to put up with our infidelity; while most Christians expect God to put up with all manner of their sins. That phenomena exist because of the way the gospel is currently being preached by carnal-minded men. That is also why the vast majority of people believe they will go to heaven when they die, no matter how they live their lives, if they believe in Jesus. The only thing such people have gleaned from the church is that Jesus died for all of their sins: past, present, and future.

Dr. Jeremiah used 1st Corinthians 12:13 to prove his point, which states, _" For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body_, _whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether bond or free; and all have been "made" to drink into one Spirit_ _."_ That is a true statement for those who have heard the true gospel, and remained faithful and obedient to our Lord while on their faith walk. The truth is: due to false doctrine, and disobedience, there are many people sitting in church that haven't been allowed to drink of God's Spirit: such as Simon of Samaria who offered the Apostles money to buy the Holy Spirit after it was freely given to those with a pure heart.

God has not given His Spirit to many believers, because, as Jesus said, _" A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit,"_ (Matt. 7:18). The corrupt tree Jesus was referring to is a carnal clergyperson preaching a corrupt version of the gospel; thus the blind is leading the blind, and all of those led to Christ through them will likely perish. Jesus said, _" Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you compass sea and land to make one proselyte _[new-convert] _, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves,"_ (Matt. 23:15).

Our Heavenly Father, and He alone, knows the heart of every living soul coming to Him. And, He has always been the one to decide when those coming to Him receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is why Jesus sits on His right hand speaking on our behalf. This was true during the first and second outpouring of God's Spirit on the day of Pentecost; this was true during the Apostles ministry; and this is also true today.

While hanging on the tree Jesus said, "It is finished," meaning that He had implemented God's plan of salvation perfectly, and that it would never be changed. Albeit, Satan has been chipping away at it ever since, making subtle changes that will allow him to eventually deceive the entire world.

In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist stated that Jesus would " _baptize us with the Holy Spirit, and with fire_." And, when those who truly know God received the Holy Spirit baptism, it did ignite a "Spiritual fire" burning within them, causing them to seek a closer relationship with God by reading the Scriptures, whereupon Jesus was able to teach them, enabling them to come into the knowledge of the truth. As a result, they eventually received the fullness of the Holy Spirit, thereby becoming one of His elect.

Now that you've read parts one and two, some of you may now be thinking about how you can apply this seemingly new knowledge to your personal ministry. However, if you are a novice in the Scriptures, for the reasons listed below, **you don't** , at least not yet. This writer can, and will sit down with anyone, including the Pope, and debate the subjects discussed herein with both vigor and Biblical knowledge, because the Holy Spirit has burned these things into my soul for the purpose of writing this book.

However, until the Lord burn's them into your soul, Satan would chew you up and spit you out when challenged by his wise and prudent servants. However, if you are willing to go back to square one by following the Lord's advice given in part four on how to allow the Holy Spirit to teach you, it will be the Holy Spirit in you doing the chewing, and spiting, because our Lord will most certainly equip you to do battle against Satan's servants.

God wants you to be able to preach with the same conviction and knowledge as did the Apostles. For example, over a span of approximately three years Jesus personally taught all of them except Paul. However, Paul wrote approximately a third of the New Testament text, so who taught him? God the Holy Spirit did! Paul explained how saying, _" But I certify you brethren, that the gospel preached by me did not come from man. For I neither received it from man, neither was I taught it, but by revelation of Jesus Christ,"_ (Galatians 1:11-12).

He then continued saying, _" But when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace. To reveal His Son in me that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood_. _Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them that were Apostles before me, but I went into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. Other of the Apostles saw I none except James the Lord's brother. Now the things that I have written to you; behold before God I lie not_ _,"_ (Galatians 1:15-20).

Notice that upon being called into our Lord's service, Jesus did not send Paul to those whom He had personally taught for them to teach him. Although, I feel sure those men would have made up the best Bible College the world would have ever known. Perhaps that's why the Holy Spirit led him into Arabia, then on to Damascus for three years, where there were no Bible teachers. Jesus did so because, He wanted to teach Paul, so that he could preach with the same conviction and knowledge as the others, not believing, but knowing.

To this day, our Lord desires to teach those whom He calls into His service. And, as previously stated, you can allow Him to do that by following His instructions, which have been compiled for you in part four. Then, and only then, will you be spiritually embolden and prepared to preach the truth concerning salvation, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or on any other spiritual subject.

Jesus taught us saying, _" A certain man_ [Jesus] _had a fig tree_ __ [a Christian] _planted in his vineyard_ [the world]; _and he came and sought fruit thereon, but found none. Then said he to the dresser of his vineyard_ [Holy Spirit]. _Behold, these three years have I come seeking fruit on this tree, and find none: Cut it down; why let it take up space in the ground? And he_ __ [Holy Spirit] _ answered saying, Lord let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it_ [shake its foundation], _and dung it_ __ [feed it the word] _: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down," (Luke 13:6-9)_.

## PART 3

# Biblical Truth "versus" the Doctrines of Man!

The Apostle Paul described the body of Christ saying, _" There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are all called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, and one baptism, _[Holy Spirit baptism] _ One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all," _(Ephesians 4:4-6). Wow! Think of the possibilities if that were true of all Christians today.

If all Christians are supposed to be a part of one body, all under one Lord, all having received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and all of one faith. Then, why are there so many different denominations, philosophical beliefs, and doctrines of man being taught today? Those verses are true, and we will find the answer to that question in God's Word!

The following Scriptures are being shared with you to prove, in our Lord's own words, how false doctrine can creep in and destroy you. More importantly, to prove that unclean spirits must come out of people possessed with them the moment they accept Jesus, but have not yet received the Holy Spirit baptism. However, that is not true for those demon possessed.

Acts 8:5-14 explains that as, a result of Phillip's preaching, everyone living in the city of Samaria, from the least to the greatest, had accepted Jesus. Verse seven states, _" For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many possessed with them;"_ verse sixteen states, _" For as yet He _[the Holy Spirit] _ was fallen upon none of them: Only they were baptized in the name of Jesus."_ Remember, that event happened approximately four years after the day of Pentecost, further proving that we're not all filled with the Holy Spirit the moment we accept Jesus, or when we receive the water baptism.

The Apostle Peter knew that to be true, which is why he said, _" Being born-again not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever,"_ (1 Peter 1:23). Peter is simply saying that we must be born-again according the instructions given in God's word, not according to the doctrines of man. For example, many pastors teach their followers that it is impossible to lose their salvation after receiving Jesus.

Can such pastors possibly believe that Satan cannot deceive anyone today? Is it possible they are unaware of the fact that God's Word states that Satan will eventually deceive the entire world? What about those Jesus told us about in Matthew 7:21-23? Also, what about the lukewarm which Jesus said that He will spew out of his mouth? Surely, all of these people have accepted Jesus, and believe they are serving Him: Whose spirit is causing them to believe a lie?

Dr. Jeremiah did not mention what you are about to read, but it was included in the writing he received, title, "Once-Saved Always-Saved: True or False." And since he is a Baptist, you can be sure he read it. That doctrine has been around since the early Dark Ages; in fact, it was one of the indulgences sold by the Catholic Church until 1517 when Martin Luther mentioned it twice in his 95 theses. Luther's "these" became known as the 95 atrocious things the Catholic Church was teaching in order to raise the money needed to build St. Peter's Basilica, and the many Cathedrals around the world.

The Baptists were the first protestant denomination to start preaching the once-saved always-saved doctrine after the Catholic's quit selling it as an indulgence. They did so in an effort to entice members of the Catholic Church to become Baptist. Number 32 of the theses states, "All of those who believe themselves to be certain of their own salvation by means of letters of indulgence, will be eternally damned, together with their teachers." Number 52 states, "It is vain to rely on salvation by letters of indulgence, even if the issuer, or indeed the Pope himself, were to pledge his own soul for their validity."

God said, _" If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he has committed, and keep my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live," (Ezekiel 18:21). But when a righteous man turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in them; for the iniquity that he has done shall he die. Again, when the wicked turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful, he shall save his soul alive," (Ezekiel 18:26-27)._

On the once-saved always-saved subject, Paul said, _" That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained it, or were already perfect: but I follow after it, that I may apprehend that for which I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. **Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended,** ** but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus**," _(Philippians 3:10-14).

He also said, _" And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, **if we faint not** ," (Galatians 6:9). _Notice the caveat, _" If we faint not." _Referring to our salvation, Jesus said, _" But that which you have already, hold fast till I come." _ Jesus tells us to hold fast, because He knows that we can lose our salvation by being deceived with false doctrine, which is why He instructed us sayings, _" Let no man deceive you."_ Paul said, _" If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins,"_(Hebrews 10:26).

When referring to Paul's writings, Peter said, _" As in all of his epistles, speaking in them of these things; some of which are hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrestle, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own_ [spiritual] _destruction. Therefore, beloved, seeing that you know these things, beware lest you also be led away with the error of the wicked, and fall from your own steadfastness_ _,"_ (2 Peter 3:16-17).

To the church in Sardis, Jesus said, "Remember therefore how thou hast received [Salvation] _ and heard, _[the gospel message] and hold fast, and repent."Notice that Jesus is telling the church to repent: "If therefore thou shall not watch, I will come on thee __ [the church] as a thief, and thou shall not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life," (Rev. 3:3-5).

Notice that Jesus said only a "few" of those in the Sardis church had not defiled their garments, and only they would walk with Him in white, and only their names would not be blotted out of the Lamb's book of life. The parallel to _" I will not blot out his name," _is that many names will be blotted out, because they allowed themselves to be deceived! Be forewarned that converts who doesn't spend ample time reading the Scriptures, fail to recognize false teachers, and often fall victim to them.

Paul said, _" And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption,"_(Ephesians 4:30). Our names are written into the Lamb's book of life the moment we make a commitment to follow Jesus, which is when God places His Spirit "with" us, thereby giving us the authority "to become" one of His children. And it remains there until the day of redemption, regardless of our lifestyle afterward, because our Lord will never leave nor forsake us.

Paul said, _" Grieve not the Holy Spirit,"_ because he knows that God's Spirit grieves for us when He sees us running to and fro in search of spiritual knowledge. While also being tossed by every wind of doctrine, because we are depending on carnal-men to teach us. Referring to pastors who teach false doctrine, Paul said, _" They have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof; from such turn away. For of this sort are they, which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lust, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth,"_ (II Timothy 3:5-7).

As a father, I too grieve over the possible loss of two of my six sons, because I know they are following carnal-men. Likewise, our Lord grieves over the possibility that our name may be blotted out of the book of life, because we are depending upon such men to teach us Spiritual knowledge.

When God seals us with His Spirit, it's His way of sealing a contract with us that He will never break. Unfortunately, many people who have entered into the Salvation contract with our Lord unknowingly break it through disobedience, or by following carnal-men.

Jesus warned us about false doctrine, saying, _" The thief _[Satan] _ comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy," (St. John 10:10). _ He said it in that order, because that is the exact order Satan attacks us. He first tries to steal away our opportunity to know God by using false doctrine to deceive us into believing that we can only believe in Him. If he fails, he then attempts to kill us spiritually by using his deceiving spirits to deceive us with false doctrine before we receive the Holy Spirit baptism, thereby making us ineffectual lukewarm Christians.

To succeed in killing us spiritually, Satan must deceive us just as he deceived Adam and Eve who had the use of their entire brain both spiritual and physical when he deceived them. If he fails, he then attempts to destroy us through adversity and temptation. But those who know God, and are rooted in His word, know that _" Greater is he _[the Holy Spirit] _ that is in you, than he _[Satan's deceiving spirits] _that are in the world_ _,"_ (1st John 4:4). If you truly know God and are rooted in His word, our Lord will never allow you to get into a situation that He cannot show you a way out of, that is, if it is your will to get out of it.

Peter said, _" For if after they have escaped the pollution of this world through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and are again entangled therein and overcome, the later end is worse with them than the beginning,"_(2 Peter 2:20). Something to think about, is it not! God said, _" When a righteous man turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die in his sin, and the righteousness he has done shall not be remembered,"_ (Ezekiel 3:20).

Jesus proclaimed, _" Then shall the kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom,"_(Jesus referred to them as virgins, because they were new-converts undefiled by the doctrines of man. And they all set out in search of Jesus who is the bridegroom. The lamp they each took with them is the Holy Spirit whom God places with us to guide us into the truth of His word). " _And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, but took no oil with them_ : _But the wise took oil_ __ [a genuine desire to seek the Lord] _ in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom_ _tarried, they all slumbered and slept_ _._

_ At midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; Go ye out to meet him. Then all of the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish_ _said unto the wise Give us of your oil for our lamps are gone out_ __ [their love for God had diminished] _. But the wise answered, saying, not so; least there be not enough for us, and you, but go to them that sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: "and the door was shut."_

_Afterward came also the other virgins saying, Lord, Lord, open to us, but He answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not ," (Matthew 25:1-11)._ Remember James words, _" Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you,"_ (James 4:8). Five were obedient to the Lord in their search for spiritual knowledge enabling them to build a relationship with Him. The other five didn't have time to draw near to God by reading His word, and diligently seeking Him. They were preoccupied with work, hunting, fishing, sports, soap operas, and other things; simply attending church twice a week was sacrifice enough for them.

In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus tells us about three men who received Salvation, and then set out on their spiritual journey awaiting their Lord's return. Two of them increased in the knowledge of the Lord, enabling them to produce fruit for Him, but one did not. When their Lord returned, two made it into Heaven, and the other was cast into outer darkness.

I've heard many of the once-saved always-saved advocates make the following statement: "After being born into this world, can you then become unborn?" "Of course not," they quickly opine; at which time they then state, "And just as you cannot be physically unborn after being born into this world, neither can you be spiritually unborn after being born into the body of Christ."

Such teachers should be able understand that, although we cannot be unborn after being born into this world, there are many ways through which a physical death can overtake us, other than natural causes, such as sickness or an accident. All of which would motivate us to put forth a great amount of effort to avoid, if we knew about it beforehand. Likewise, we should also be aware of the fact that, just as an untimely physical death can overtake us after being born into this life, an untimely spiritual death can also befall us after being born of the Spirit.

Such a spiritual death would be brought about as a result of disobedience, or by following carnal-teachers. King Saul is a good example of how a man can suffer such a death. Because of Saul's disobedience, God took His Spirit from him, causing him to suffer an immediate spiritual death, (1Samuel 16:14). Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, is another example of how a man can fall from grace before receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Had Judas been filled with the Holy Spirit before betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, I do not believe he would have entertained the idea.

The following Scriptures do not apply to new converts, they apply only to those whom God, through His Spirit, has appointed elders within the body of Christ. Paul said, _" It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and who have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God, and tasted the powers of the coming age, if they shall fall away, to be brought back again into repentance. Because to their loss, they are crucifying the Son of God all over again, and subjecting Him to public disgrace,"_ N.I.V. (Hebrews 6:4-6). Once-saved always-saved proponents claim those Scriptures were intended strictly for the Hebrew Christians.

You have now read absolute Biblical proof that the once-saved always-saved doctrine is a false doctrine designed to destroy you and your loved ones. The question you should be asking yourself is: Why are there so many pastors who have earned a Doctorate in the Christian religion who are so unlearned in the Scriptures? Also, why is it being so strongly taught in churches and Christian schools across North America today? Can anyone possibly still doubt Satan's ability to deceive those supposedly serving God?

Young children taught this false doctrine grow-up believing they will make it into heaven regardless of how they live their lives; I know, because I was one of them. Satan inspires carnal-pastors to teach that message, because he wants people to believe that he cannot deceive them after they accept Jesus. The reason it is so easy for him to inspire carnal-men to teach that doctrine is because it fills the pews, in short, it's all about money; and it makes it so much easier for believers to give in to willful sin.

Satan wants people to believe they don't need to spend time reading the Bible, because they already have their ticket to heaven. God knew that would happen, which is why He inspired Paul to say, _" The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; **but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers to tell them what their itching ears want to hear. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall turn to fables** ,"_ (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

When attempting to substantiate the once-saved always-saved doctrine, many proponents are quick to point out Hebrews 5:9, which states, _" And being made perfect Jesus became the author of our eternal salvation."_ However, they conveniently leave out the remainder of that verse, which states, _" **unto all them that obey Him**."_

Our eternal salvation depends on our obedience to our Heavenly Father; in much the same manner as keeping our job depends on our job performance and obedience to our employer. When we're hired to do a job, our employer explains in writing our job description, and what the company's rules are. If we obey, we'll keep our job; if not, we'll lose it; it's as simple as that.

Understanding these things will help you better understand why Paul said, _" We should henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive,"_(Ephesians 4:14). Clearly, the easiest way an unclean spirit can get back into an individual after receiving salvation is through false doctrine. But, that takes time, which is why the unclean spirit could not get back into the man Jesus was talking about in Mathew 12:43-45 on his first attempt.

Jesus said, _" **The second state of that man is worse than the first** ,"_ because once someone has been deceived, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to reach that person with biblical truth. This is because Satan keeps carnal-minded Christians busy trying to defend their beliefs, while also trying to convince others to believe the Scriptures exactly the way they were taught. That's why Paul said, _" **Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived** ," (2 Timothy 3:13)._

Jesus said, _" A corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit." _And, _" A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit,"(Matthew 7:17-18)_. The corrupt tree Jesus is referring to is a man who was deceived into believing that he's a born-again Christian, when in fact, he's merely a carnal-believer. Deceived clergymen will also unknowingly deceive those they attempt to win over to our Lord.

Satan is slowly achieving his goal of deceiving the entire world, which includes everyone except the very-elect, and he is doing it largely through the misuse of the word "believer." Since most church leaders during the Dark Ages were only believers themselves, they took the title "Saint" from converts, to sell as an indulgence, and started calling members of the body of Christ believers, which apparently eased their own conscience. Nevertheless, the result of their decision is that many generations have now grown up believing they could only believe in God, which explains why there are so few that truly know Him.

During the formation of the Church, the Apostles always referred to the body of Christ as Saints: then after that title was taken by the Catholics to sell as an indulgence, those who truly knew God referred to their brothers and sisters in Christ as Christians.

Today, the body of Christ are called believers, but as you now know, Jesus gave His life so that we could know Him. He said, _" And this is life eternal, that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent,"_ (St. John 17:3). And you can be sure that our Lord, who is also the creator of languages fully understood the difference between believing and knowing.

Realizing that it is nearly impossible for new converts to distinguish between those serving God in Spirit and in truth, from the many carnal-pastors, who in Paul's words, pervert the gospel message, John said, _" I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray," (N.I.V. I John 2:26)_. Most of those preaching today believe the message they teach; they are simply teaching what they were taught to believe.

Satan easily influences such people, because they have not received God's Spirit within them. Carnal-clergymen neither understand, nor believe many of the Scriptures you've read thus far, which is just one of many reason God hasn't filled them with His Spirit.

Paul said it best when he stated, _" If our gospel be hid, _[meaning not understood] _ it is hid to them that are lost; whom the god of this world _[Satan] _ hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ Jesus, who is in the image of God, should shine unto them,"_ (2 Cor. 4:3-4). Today's church is a prime example of carnal-men trying to do Gods work for Him, but getting it all wrong.

## PART 4

# Peace Within the Body of Christ Through Truth, Not Silence!

The next few paragraphs were written, because they contain certain facts that every Christian should know, and also to prove how intensely Satan is waging war for control of your soul. Remember Peter's warning saying that, _" Satan roams to and fro throughout the world seeking those whom he might devour."_

Those who have studied the history of the early Church, all agree that Satan had indeed devoured most church leaders, beginning shortly after its inception through the year 1523. In fact, historians actually recorded that, "Satan had an iron grip on Christianity during that period." However, due to the efforts of a handful of men that truly knew God and were willing to reprove those in error of His word, Satan began losing some of his control.

The precedent for how the gospel would be presented to the people was set during the first 400 years of Christianity. But, it was done without the benefit of the complete New Testament text, meaning that man had to teach from available, but often corrupt, manuscripts.

While with the Apostles, Jesus personally taught them, however after the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit taught them as noted in Acts 6:2-4, which states, _" The Apostles gave themselves over continually to reading God's word, prayer, and the ministry of the word." _ Since the New Testament text did not exist at the time, it must be said that most of the Apostles' spiritual growth was obtained by reading the Old Testament text. I say that only to emphasize how important it is that we spend ample time reading the entire Bible in a systematic way.

After the death of the Apostles, most of the leaders in the newly established church were unscrupulous man-pleasing believers. I say that because they were competing with their peers selling indulgences to raise the money needed to build St. Peter's and the great cathedrals. Those bringing in the most money through the sale of indulgences were awarded the higher positions of leadership in the church. And those in the highest positions did not have time to spend reading the Scriptures in search of spiritual truth; their main focus was organizing those under them trying to build a ministry the people would follow.

The Latin Vulgate translation of the New Testament text, which contained all of the books in our present-day text, was not completed until the year A.D. 405, but even then, they were inaccurate. It was only through the studies of languages during the early fourteenth century, particularly those of Greek and Hebrew, that more accurate translations of the New Testament text began to emerge.

Due to the absence of the Scriptures, coupled with the vagueness of those available during the 1500 years following the death of the Apostles, Satan easily took control of the church in much the same way he had taken control of the Jewish religion.

During the period, known as "The Dark Ages," everyone who stood up to defend the truth of God's word was put to death. Tens of thousands were killed simply because the believing hierarchy did not appreciate having their spiritual knowledge brought into question by peasant's claiming to know God. One example was a young Catholic priest named Martin Luther, who posted his 95 theses on the church doors in Wittenberg, Germany, in the year 1517.

Man's ability to mass produce printed materials by means of the press was first made possible in Worms, Germany, in the year 1521, and Luther was the first Christian to use the power of the press to take his case to the people. His translation of the New Testament text was completed in 1523, and it immediately began falling into the hands of both noble and common men and women throughout Germany, eventually freeing him from a death sentence.

Historians recorded that William Tyndale was so troubled by the fact that the clergy in England had so little knowledge of the Scriptures that he said to their leaders, "Not many days hence, I shall cause the boy that drives the plow to know more of the Scriptures than you do." Then, in 1525, Tyndale's plow boy version of the Bible began falling into the hands of the English-speaking citizens in Europe. Shortly thereafter, Tyndale was burned to death, tied to a stake in a public park, for making the Scriptures available to converts. Reportedly, his last words were, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes."

In the year 1550, John Calvin left Switzerland for France with Bibles printed in French, resulting in thousands of people in France being converted. As a result, in only a few years their numbers began growing by the tens of thousands. These people were being saved, and filled with the Holy Spirit, simply because they were reading the Scriptures. They became known as Huguenots (meaning non-Catholic Christians), because they separated from the Catholic Church after discovering Biblical truth.

As a result of Calvin's accomplishments in France, Satan must have realized he was beginning to lose his grip on Christianity. I say that because he then inspired the Church leadership under his control to kill the French Protestants. (Those responsible for killing the French Christians may have believed they were serving the best interest of Jesus, just as Paul thought he was serving God when arresting Christians to be stoned to death). Then, during the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572, the Church butchered over 15,000 French Christians in a single day, and approximately 35,000 more who refused to rejoin the Catholic Church were killed in the ensuing months.

Thanks to the efforts of William Tyndale, and the King James translation team, we now have the most accurate version of the Bible ever printed available to us. God said that knowledge would be increased in the last days, and one of the ways He fulfilled that promise was by means of the press, giving us The King James Version of the Bible in the year 1611. For those of you who may not know approximately ninety percent of Tyndale's translation found its way into the King James text.

An important fact that everyone should know is that when King James authorized the translation of the Scriptures, he would not allow a single Christian be a part of the translation team for fear they might attempt to inject their own bias into the Scriptures. That's just one of the many reasons it's the most accurate version of the Bible available today.

During the Dark Ages the Scriptures were enshrouded in a mystery created by the fact that only the clergy had access to them. God used that mystery and man's curiosity to motivate people to read the Scriptures as soon as they were made available to them. The term "great revival" was first used during that period, and it was generated because many people were being saved, and filled with the Holy Spirit as a direct result of reading the Bible in search of truth. God knew that would happen to everyone who would take time to read His word in a systematic way; that's why He said, _" Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: not one of these shall fail,"_ (Isaiah 34:16).

Until 1523, no one except Latin speaking church leaders had access to the Scriptures because the original manuscripts were translated into only Latin. Satan chose Latin as an international church language in order to keep God's word hidden from the masses. I know what the historians have recorded as the reason Latin was used by the church, and they are right in the physical sense, but wrong in the Spiritual. I say that because Satan employed all of the underlying reasons used to bring it about, for that explicit purpose, and, yes, the god of this world does possess that kind of power.

For more than fourteen hundred years Latin was the language used in church for Bible reading and to deliver the homily. This was done in spite of the fact that more than 99% of those in attendance did not understand a single word being said. However, when it came time to start selling indulgences to raise the money needed to build St. Peter's Basilica and the great cathedrals, the priest spoke in the people's native tongue.

Those responsible for forming the Roman Catholic Church apparently lacked both creativity and spiritual understanding of the Scriptures. I say that because they patterned its structure after that of Judaism. For example, in Judaism, Pharisees were educated in the Levitical law: and it was necessary for the Jewish people to confess their sins to a Pharisee, so he could instruct them as to what sacrifices they needed to offer to receive forgiveness of their sins.

However, when Jesus died on the tree, the veil separating the congregation of the people from the most Holy Place was ripped apart, signifying that man no longer needed to confess his sins to another man to receive forgiveness. Those forming the Catholic Church apparently failed to get that message: they chose to have their members confess their sins to a priest, who would then tell them what they needed to do to receive forgiveness. This was done in an attempt to keep the people under the church's control! But of course, the Pope would instruct the Bishops, and the Bishops would then instruct the local priest as to what sins they could or could not forgive.

It should be noted that, because of the accomplishments of men like Martin Luther, William Tyndale, John Calvin, and others that truly knew the Lord, Satan began losing his iron grip on Christianity making it necessary for him to find a new way to regain control of not only the Catholic Church, but also the new denominations spawning from it.

For that reason Satan inspired the Catholic leaders to declare war on the Protestants to either destroy them or force them back under their control. This sparked three periods of war, each lasting thirty-years in duration, and one lasting seven. For more information on the aforementioned wars, go to your computer and type in "The Thirty Years' War," on your search engine.

Satan apparently realized that he could not win the battle being waged on behalf of Catholicism, through conflict, and he could not cutoff the source causing the flood of Bibles falling into the hands of people. Therefore, he uses his many deceiving and seducing spirits that Jesus told us about to inspire carnal-men to teach false doctrine. To this day Satan continues to work from within the most high places in the established churches for that very purpose.

God fulfilled His promise that knowledge would be increased in the last days, and He did so by using the power of the press. Henceforth, we no longer have an excuse to continue teaching as though we are still in the Dark Ages. Nonetheless, because old habits are hard to break, and men tend to follow in the traditional footsteps of those who taught them, many of the myths introduced during that period are still with us. Spiritual truth should always prevail over what Satan is trying to teach us through men deceived by his deceiving spirits, and if you are willing to read Gods word for yourself, it will.

Through Jesus, God took the responsibility of teaching the truth of His word from a deceived, disobedient, and gainsaying people (the Jews), and gave it to a group of Gentiles that became known as Saints; now referred to as believers. Acts 2:5 states, _" And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven,"_ which means devout men of all nationalities. But notice that the word "Jews" precedes the mention of other devout men from all Nations, which also represented the languages of all Nations.

God moved upon the hearts of many devout Jews and Gentile men from all over the world to be in Jerusalem that day to witness the coming of His Spirit to dwell in the hearts of men. (The word "devout" means trustworthy and honorable). The last part of Acts 2:4 states, _" And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." _ But notice that the word " _tongues_ _"_ is plural, meaning more than one tongue, also notice that the words, " _as the Spirit gave them utterance_ _,"_ indicates that God Himself determined what language each man spoke that day.

_" Now when this was noised abroad _[among the different groups gathered there] _, the multitude came together, and they were confounded, because every man heard them speak in his own language **.** And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans,"(Acts 2: 6-7)._ Only the 120 Hebrew-speaking Jews saved through our Lord's personal ministry were filled with the Holy Spirit during the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit that day.

Those who witnessed this event were not just gathered around these men expecting something to happen. They were undoubtedly gathered together in different groups that spoke the same language. However, when those groups heard these Jewish men preaching Jesus in a language they all understood, they immediately began drawing closer to them to listen to what they were saying. We know they wondered how these men could speak so many different languages because they remarked among themselves, saying, _" And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" (Acts 2:8)_.

God succeeded in getting the attention of these devout men from all nations, causing them to pay close attention to what His disciples were saying: which explains why more than 3,000 others were filled with the Holy Spirit later that day. And I would like to point out that not one of those who received the Holy Spirit that day did so as a result of the laying on of hands. God Himself decided who would, and who would not receive His Spirit that day, just as He does today.

Afterward, these devout, Spirit-filled new converts then went back into their own countries telling their kinsman, and fellow countrymen, about the many things they had both seen and heard. As a result, many hearts were prepared to listen to God's servants when they came into their land preaching Jesus. Through that event, our Lord successfully laid the groundwork for Spirit-filled men to go into the entire world preaching the gospel. Thus, the responsibility of teaching truth effectually passed from the Jews to the Gentiles on the day of Pentecost.

Paul said, _" Have they _[the Jews] _ stumbled that they should fall? God forbid; rather, through their fall Salvation has come unto the Gentiles to provoke them to jealousy"(Romans 11:11)_.

Personally, I don't believe the Jews can find much to be jealous of when they look at what they perceive to be Christianity today, and I would have to say that we have failed God just as miserably as did their forefathers. Even more so, because we managed to do it during this dispensation of grace, during which the Holy Spirit is available to everyone willing to submit his will to God.

It took nearly 2,000 years for the Jewish leaders to become so self-righteous and knowledgeable in the Scriptures that even a miracle-working Jesus could not teach them. It has also taken 2,000 years for Christianity to reach the depths of despair and ignorance in which it now exists. Satan's ability to deceive man, and man's ability to intentionally, and unintentionally, deceive other men is why spiritual truth has eluded most of those in today's church as well.

Complacency and the belief that Satan is a defeated foe are two of Satan's best weapons. Satan will be defeated in the end, but not until he has deceived the entire world. He hasn't completed that task yet, but until then, he will continue fighting, devouring as many as he can. But for now, God is about to do a marvelous thing in the short time we have left before the first resurrection.

Just as Jesus offered the Priest and Pharisees an opportunity to repent of their traditions or perish, He is now giving us an opportunity to repent of our laziness and begin seeking His truth in earnest or be left behind during a period of separation, which, in reality, has already begun. Will we respond to what our Lord is trying to do in today's church by not only seeking truth, but by also standing up to defend it against those subverting it, or will we leave Jesus hanging on the tree by continuing to go our own way?

Jesus prayed for each of us saying, _" That they all may be one; as thou, Father, are in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. **And the glory which thou gave me I have given them that they may be one, even as we are one** ," (St. John 17:21-22)._ The glory mentioned in these verses are both God's mercy and His grace through which He extends an invitation inviting us to be united into fellowship with Him through the blood of His Son by having our human spirit fertilized with the Holy Spirit, which is how we become born-again.

God desires for those in His service to become one "in truth" in the same way that He and Jesus are one in truth. One of the many functions of the Holy Spirit is to teach us, which is how we become one in truth with Him, and with one another, thereby creating unity and spiritual truth within the body of Christ. In verse 21 Jesus stated why He prayed for us to be one "in truth." He said, _" **That the world may believe that thou hast sent me**." _Notice the word "may" in that verse.

Without a doubt, most people in all nations would believe that Jesus is Lord if all Christians were one in Spirit and in truth. Such a church would present a united front to the people of all nations rather than the many different philosophical beliefs and doctrines of man currently being presented by denominational missionaries around the world. Having said all of the above, "I am of the opinion that it's far too late for that to happen, because the day of the Lord is close at hand."

At the turn of the Nineteenth Century, the world council of churches initiated a very strong movement aimed at bringing about unity among the various denominations. The leadership of all denominations, or any individual church, could join their movement by agreeing not to teach on subjects where there were doctrinal differences between them and other member churches.

Most church leaders in all denominations agreed to participate, and I am of the opinion they did so because they were so illiterate in the Scriptures that, when challenged to prove their doctrine, they could neither prove theirs to be correct nor disprove their counterpart's doctrine. After all, it is so much easier to simply agree to disagree.

Henceforth, they reached a universal agreement stating: we won't tell our congregants that your denomination is guilty of teaching doctrine that we believe to be in error of the Scriptures if you won't tell your congregants that we're teaching doctrine that you believe to be inaccurate. This simply means that Bible truths that may have been taught in some of those churches in the past will no longer be taught in the future.

To put the matter into proper perspective, these ministers have adopted a policy of peaceful coexistence with other churches. It's called "hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil" of other churches, no matter what. But, there is a world of difference between physical-unity and spiritual-unity.

Quite simply, these lazy clergymen, unwilling to suffer any form of persecution, simply agreed to sit back and peacefully allow Satan to do his thing within the body of Christ. May God forgive us for even thinking that we might cure any of the many ills within the church by not speaking out against those in error of God's word, even though the Scriptures command us to speak out.

Where would the church be today if men like Martin Luther had denied the urging of the Holy Spirit, and refused to speak out against those in error of the Scriptures in his day? His message not only motivated the established church to excommunicate him, it also sentenced him to death. Nevertheless, the threat of death hanging over Luther didn't stop him. Instead, he continued preaching truth and publishing it, because he could not stand the thought of forsaking God's will to become a man-pleaser.

None of the Prophets, Apostles, or the thousands of other men and women martyred for the cause of Christ wanted to die. To the contrary, each of them would have preferred to live and continue serving our Lord. Nevertheless, they were killed because they refused to succumb to the will of church leaders who had not received the fullness of the Holy Spirit. That's why Jesus said, _" **Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword** ****_ [God's word], _ for I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be those of his own household," (Matthew 10:34-36)._

Jesus made that statement because He knew that spiritual truth divides those who have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the fullness thereof, from those who were deceived into believing they have. Like Martin Luther; Christians taught truth by the Holy Spirit cannot, and will not, agree with others whom they know to be wrong. Instead, they will stand up in defense of the Scriptures, even in the face of death, which was the case with those before them who lost their lives defending the gospel message.

Seeking peace between the denominations may seem to be a noble thing for participating clergymen to be doing, but it is not the will of God. I say that because this is nothing more than an attempt to bring about peace and unity at the expense of Spiritual truth.

Satan's deceiving and seducing spirits are responsible for the absence of spiritual truth in most church leaders today, and it's these lazy carnal-minded leaders who are willing to sacrifice Bible truths by not preaching on them. Truth taught by the Holy Spirit is what Jesus had in mind when He said, _" **And the glory which thou gave me I have given them that they may be one, even as we are one**."_ If there is to be unity among us, it will come only through the Spirit of truth, which is the Holy Spirit.

Most people defend their spiritual beliefs by saying, "Well, nearly everyone interprets the Scriptures differently anyway. "Satan created that cliché to give people a way of excusing their ignorance of God's word. After all, it's much easier for them to simply agree to disagree if they don't know the truth and cannot use God's word to prove a point of contention. Referring to such people, Paul said, _" **They have a form of godliness, but are denying the power thereof, from such turn away** ,"_ (2 Timothy 3:5).

Only the Holy Spirit can both teach us and make us understand God's word, which states, _" Let God be true, but every man a liar," (Romans 3-4)_. Those taught by the Holy Spirit preach the same message, and no contention exists between them. However, if it did, the Holy Spirit would quickly bring the contentious party into line by revealing truth to him, if he's genuinely submitting his will, while depending on God to teach him. Writing about those who deny the Holy Spirit of his power to teach them, Paul said, _" They are ever learning, but never able to come into the knowledge of the truth,"_ (2 Timothy 3:7).

God said, _" **The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple** ," _(Psalm 18:7). Seeking God through His word sanctifies us and converts our minds, which prepares us to receive the Holy Spirit baptism. Afterward, when reading God's word, the Holy Spirit teaches us: this is how we receive both spiritual wisdom, and the fullness of God's Spirit. The Bible states, _" The entrance of thy words gives light unto the soul; **it gives understanding unto the simple** ," (Psalm 119:130)_.

We are born into this world learning, first from our parents, then from our educators; this is the only way to obtain physical knowledge, but only God can make His word come alive for us. John said, _" The anointing you received from Him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you, because the same anointing teaches you about all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you; you shall abide in Him"_ (1 John 2:27).

Isaiah wrote, _" Whom shall He _[God] _ teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine?"_I would like to draw your attention to the word _" make"_ in that verse: only God can make you know, for a fact, that Jesus is the Christ; only God can make you know for a fact that His word is true; and only God can make you know, for a fact, that you'll be raised from the dead, and that Heaven is a very real place, and not a fairy tale!

God tells us whom He will "make" to know those things; He said, ** __**_" **Those weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts** ," (Isaiah 28:9)_. _" Weaned from the milk and drawn from the breast,"_ means no longer feeding from the breast of those who led us to Christ, which means no longer depending solely on men like me, or any other man, to obtain your Spiritual knowledge. He then said, _" For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept: line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little," (Isaiah 28:10)_.

The word "precept" means "a command, or principle intended as a general rule of action." In this case, the rule of action is the very special way that God teaches us, and "makes" us know Spiritual truth. Isaiah then said, _" Line upon line, line upon line," _which means that it's ongoing. For example, while you are reading your Bible, notice that the line you are reading is upon the next line that you are about to read: thus, line upon line. Here God is telling us that we must read His word. Isaiah later clarified his words saying, _" Seek you out of the book of the Lord, and read. Not one of these shall fail," (Isaiah 34:16)_.

God is a jealous God, and He does not want a man such as myself standing between Him and you serving as your Bible teacher. I am only allowed to teach salvation and to warn you about how Satan seeks to destroy you. More importantly, I am to teach you how to allow the Holy Spirit to teach you the deep things of God. Jesus wants you to factually know that His word is true, and not merely believe it to be true simply because someone like myself said so.

Jesus said, _" When the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: For he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he _[the Holy Spirit] _ shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come," (St. John 16:13)_. Jesus didn't say the Holy Spirit would speak to us about those things we hear with our ears, He said that He would speak to us about those things He hears. For example, while reading the Bible, the Holy Spirit hears the words as they are formulated in our mind, and He teaches us accordingly, depending upon where we are in our Spiritual growth.

Jesus said, _" He shall glorify me: for He_ _shall receive of mine_ _,_ [the word] _ and He shall show it unto you," (St. John 16:14)_. The Holy Spirit will never speak of Himself, He always speaks through God's word, and He uses God's word to prove those things He teaches us. This causes our faith to increase, which is why Paul said, _" So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God," (Romans 10:17)._ The more time we spend reading the Scriptures, the greater our fear of God, our love for God, and our faith grows, and the closer we become to receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Seven times in the first three chapters of the book of Revelations Jesus said, _" **He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches**._" The Spiritual interpretation of that statement is: let he who has received the Holy Spirit within him learn to understand what the scriptures are saying to us. Paul said, _" But the natural man _[those who haven't received the Holy Spirit baptism] _ receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned,"_ (I Cor. 2:14).

Our Heavenly Father said, _" Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding," (Proverbs 3:5)_. _" **It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man**_. And, _**It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes** ,"(Psalms 118:8-9)_. Jesus wants us to depend on Him for our Spiritual growth because He knew there would be many false prophets in the world attempting to deceive those being drawn to Him.

God used a dear lady whom I knew only as Sister Bevans to explain how I should go about obtaining spiritual growth. She was the adult Sunday school teacher and the matriarch of the church I was attending at the time. I was a new-convert and she ministered to me in ways that I could never explain. It was as if she knew exactly what I needed to hear and ministered accordingly. I sometimes felt like I was the only person being ministered to, but, of course, there were others, all of whom loved her every bit as much as I did. To this day, I've never known anyone that knew the Bible as well as she did, and that includes myself.

One night after church I asked her how she had come to know the Scriptures so well, and I expressed my desire to know God and His word the way she did. I then asked for her advice on how I should go about accomplishing that. She answered, saying, "Well, Eddie, I'm 81 now, and Parkinson's has begun to take a toll: for that reason, it's all I can do to read the New Testament through three times a year and the Old Testament just once. But, for many years, I read the Old Testament at least three times a year, and the New Testament seven."

She explained that Jesus and His word are one (the entire Bible), and the more time we spend reading, the more the Holy Spirit is able to teach us, and the more like Jesus we become. Over the years, I've learned that Sister Bevans was right, and if you would like to obtain real spiritual growth, then pay attention to the remainder of this chapter.

Referring to Jesus, John said, _" That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and with our hands have handled, of the word of life,"_ (1 John 1:1). And, _" In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God,"_ (John 1:1). _" And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth,"_ (John 1:14).

Jesus said, _" I am the living bread_ [word of God] _ which came down from heaven: If any man eat of this bread_ [the word], _he shall live forever: And the bread that I will give is my flesh_ [the word was made flesh], _which I give for the life of the world_ _,"_ (John 6:51). _" I am the way, the truth, and the life: No man comes to the Father, but by me, the living word of God_," (John 14:6).

The Bible states, _" For there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one,"_ (1 John 5:7). Referring to the second coming of our Lord, John said, _" He was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called: The Word of God,"_ (Revelations 19:13).

Jesus said, _" I say unto you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whosoever eats my flesh, and drinks my blood _[reads the word] _, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day._ _For my flesh_ __ [the living word] _ is meat indeed, and my blood _[the Spirit] _ is drink indeed. He that eats my flesh, and drinks my blood _[the word] _, dwells in me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eats me, even he shall live by me,"_ (John 6:53-57).

Just as our physical body receives nourishment from the food we eat, we receive both Spiritual strength and growth when partaking of God's word. The only way you can partake of our Lord's body and blood is to read your Bible. A wafer, and thimble of wine will never get the job done.

If you read only ten chapters a day, you'll read the entire Bible through three times in less than a year; but, when reading, do it in a systematic way. Don't jump around reading a little here, and a little there as taught by a book instructing you on how to read through the Bible in a year. Start in the Gospel of John and read through the entire New Testament. Then go back and start in the Gospel of Matthew, and read it again; afterward, start in Genesis, and read thorough the entire Bible. Remember, we receive both our spiritual grade school diploma, and spiritual master's degree by partaking of God's word, with the Holy Spirit serving as our professor.

There's no short cut to obtaining Spiritual growth, just as there is no short cut to obtaining physical growth. But, as my wife likes to say, there is a fast lane, which simply means that the more time you spend reading God's word, the faster you'll learn. To obtain a Bachelor's Degree in any field of endeavor, you are required to study many books and have many teachers instruct you. However, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, we use only one book (the Bible), and one teacher (the Holy Spirit), to obtain both our Spiritual high school diploma, and our Spiritual Master's Degree. Just be patient, and allow God's Spirit to do His work in you by reading the Scriptures, which continually renews God's Spirit within you.

Jesus said, _" I thank thee, Oh Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because thou hast hidden these things_ [the Scriptures] _ from the wise and prudent _[educated elite] _, but revealed them unto babes,"_ (Matthew 11:25): meaning new-converts filled with the Holy Spirit. He also said, " _It is written in the Prophets: they will all be taught by God_ ,"(N.I.V. St. John 6:45). Jesus said, _" **Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth** ,"_ (St. John 17:17).

Paul said, _" I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. **And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good, acceptable, and** ** perfect will of God**,"_ (Romans 12:1&2).

Due to the way the gospel message is currently being taught, most converts have ignored Paul's command by reaching out to the very institution to which they belong to renew their minds and were indoctrinated by man. For that reason, they never learned what God's good, or acceptable, will was for them, let alone His perfect will.

## PART 5

# The End of the World!

In the book of Revelations we read about seven golden candlesticks, which represent the seven churches. There are seven stars which are the angels of the seven churches, and seven letters to the seven churches. There are seven seals on the book of life; seven trumpets that must sound; three woes, seven thunders; and seven vials filled with the wrath of God, each of which is to be poured out onto the whore. Revelations 2:1 states that _Jesus walks_ __ [ministers] _ in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks_, which represent a church on each of the seven continents.

Each of those things becomes more significant as events unfold in these last days, and I believe that even a novice in the Scriptures would agree that we are fast approaching the end of this church age. Hence I have written the following, which will let you know approximately when the tribulation period will begin, and, at what point during the tribulation, the rapture will likely happen. Herein, you will discover exactly who the whore is; what she consists of; where the anti-Christ will come from, and where the "Ark of the Testament" can be found.

Due to the way the end times have been taught in the past, you may find this writing to be somewhat confusing: especially since the events the Apostle wrote about were not written in the order they will actually occur. However, with God's help, I will do my best to explain it in a way that will make it easier to understand, although, it may be helpful to read it several times.

But first, lately I've received numerous e-mails from people sending me links to websites about people either searching for the Ark of the Testament, or claiming to have found it. One in particular claimed to have found remnants of it buried directly beneath the very spot where Jesus was crucified. Nevertheless, all the speculation about the possible whereabouts of the Ark of the Testament simply proves the ignorance of carnal-men who have ample time for everything except heeding God's instructions to read the Bible.

I say that because if such people spent a mere fraction of their time reading the Scriptures, as they do at trying to show themselves approved to their following, they would know exactly where it is. Revelations 11:19 states, _" And the temple of God was opened in Heaven, **and there was seen in the temple the Ark of His Testament**. _God Himself has preserved the Ark of His Testament, because it will also be used during the millennium reign of Christ.

Now, let's move on to the rapture, and approximately when it will occur. Please pay close attention to the following Scriptures, because they tell us about the rapture, the anti-Christ, and from what city he will rule.

Second Thessalonians, chapter two, verses 1, 3, & 4 state, _" Now we beseech you brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him_ [the rapture]. ** __**_Let no man deceive you by any means: For that day_ [the rapture] _shall not come, except there comes a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition_ __[Anti-Christ]; ** __**_Who opposes and exalts himself, above all that is called of God, or that is worshiped, so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."_ Now, backup and read those verses again. (The falling away will be addressed later in this chapter).

As you can see, Paul makes it abundantly clear that the church will be here when the anti-Christ reveals himself to the world. The temple, or the remainder of it, is in Jerusalem. Some Bible scholars teach that a new temple must be built before the anti-Christ reveals himself, but I wouldn't bet my spiritual life on it.

The Apostle Paul mentioned the judgment seat of Christ in Romans 14:10, but the Apostle John witnessed it in heaven. He said, " _And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: And them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God_ _,"_ (Rev. 15:2).

_" And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hand, but the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection,"_ (Rev. 20:4-5).

_" Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: On such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priest of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him for a thousand years,"_ (Rev. 20:6). Clearly, the body of Christ will be here when the anti-Christ manifests himself to the world. And, as you continue reading, you'll learn that the anti-Christ will reveal himself approximately three and a half years into the seven year tribulation period, which lets us know approximately when the rapture will occur. More on the rapture in our Lord's own words later in this chapter.

But first, the vast majority of carnal-Christians, and most non-Christians are looking for a timeline that would let them know when the tribulation period will actually begin. Most of these people are not right with God, and they know it: which is why they are looking for a timeline that will help them know when they should start getting right with God. And, there are many ministries out there offering to sell them one to feed their own bellies, but I wouldn't stake my spiritual well-being on any of them.

It had never rained on the earth during Noah's lifetime before the flood. The Bible states that, _" God had not caused it to rain upon the earth. **But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground** ,"_ (Genesis 2:5-6). There existed a terrarium type of atmosphere for the first two thousand years before the flood. The people living during that period knew that Noah was a righteous and honorable man, but they also knew that it had never rained upon the earth. For that reason they ignored Noah's plea for them to repent, and to help in the construction of the ark.

Rain was their timeline; they would wait until they saw water falling from the skies to repent. They knew that Noah was a righteous and compassionate man, and that he would let them on board the ark if they cried out to him that they had repented of their sins. God also knew that Noah would feel compelled to do so, which is why He sealed up the door to the ark before the rain started to fall. The time had come and gone for them to repent. Another good example can be found in the parable of the ten virgins: the five that were ready went in to be with the Lord but the five that had to go buy oil for their lamps were shut out.

Therefore, for the aforementioned reasons, and others too numerous to mention here, I plead with those of you who know you are not right with God to heed the message you read in part one: God will not let you down; He will receive you with open arms. In second Corinthians 6:2, Paul stated, _" Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."_ Don't put it off any longer.

For the benefit of those growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, there are two future events you should be aware of that could possibly mark the beginning of the seven-year tribulation period. First, a possible United Nations brokered treaty, backed by the United States, forcing the Israelis to accept a two-state resolution with the Palestinians allowing each of them to have their capital in the city of Jerusalem. If that were to happen, I am of the opinion that it would anger our Heavenly Father to the point that it would trigger a catastrophic event that would likely affect the entire world.

That event could possibly be the electrical grid going down nation-wide, and in most other countries as well. If that were to happen, and it is a pre-planned event by those advocating for a one world Government, the power grid would stay down long enough to bankrupt many businesses around the world, causing the world's financial systems to collapse. Such an event will spur anarchy such as never before seen, forcing martial law.

After a lot of finger pointing by the affected countries accusing other countries for their grid going down, the world leaders would eventually be forced to come together to create a temporary one-world currency, which is when the forming of a one-world government would move into high gear. Then, shortly after a new temporary financial system has been setup, the power will come back on, and things will settle down somewhat for the next few years.

Immediately after martial law has been declared, the military will be given the audacious task of going door-to-door collecting your firearms, and it is God's will that you give them up peacefully. The military will simply be doing their job of trying to protect you. Those who take up arms during that period can either be killed, or locked up in one of the much talked about detention camps created to detain those creating anarchy.

When you see these things happening, the day of the Lord is upon us, and those who take up arms thinking they can change what the government is doing, will, in fact, find themselves fighting against God. Jesus said, _" He who picks up the sword, will die by the sword."_ So, place your faith in God, not in the many fear-mongering ministries out there who play on converts' fears to extract money from them to feed their own bellies.

Since the whore mentioned in the book of Revelations is the main object of God's wrath, let's now find out who, or what, she is. In Revelations 17:1, John said, _" And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials_, _and talked with me, saying, come here, I will show you the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters_." It is important to remember that, when John saw the whore, he saw her exactly as she will appear at the time of her destruction, because that is the period he is seeing, and writing about her.

In Revelations 17:6-7 (NIV), John stated, " _I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of those who bore testimony of Jesus: when I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to me: Why were you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman, and the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns_ _."_

John said, " _And here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits_ _,"_ (Rev. 17:9). The seven mountains are the seven continents; each one represented by one of the seven golden candlesticks, which constitute God's people on each continent. The beast carrying the whore consists of governments, both past and present that allow her existence because they believe she is being helpful by teaching good morals and helping to subvert the people. The ten horns are ten kings (government leaders) who did not exist when John wrote the book of Revelations, but are in the world today.

John was astonished when he saw the whore, because as a Christian, he expected her to consist of only false religions. But, what he saw was a woman drunken with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus (many of whom were killed by the church during the Dark Ages, or were saints killed in the coliseum and amphitheaters by the Roman Empire under Nero's rule). There's no doubt that John was bewildered by the fact that the perceived Church could be even partly responsible for the deaths of so many people. Nevertheless, what John saw and wrote about is why most Protestants believe the Roman Catholic Church is the whore.

Speaking of the whore, Jesus said, _" Come out of her, my people,that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached into heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities,"_ (Rev. 18:4-5). Notice that Jesus instructs "His children" to come out of the whore; think about that for just a moment! Could it be that the perceived church is a part of the whore?

Some of them are our Lord's children, which is another reason the Catholics and Protestants point their fingers at each other as being the whore. Jesus said, _" How much she has glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she says in her heart,_ _"I sit a queen and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow_ _,"_ (Rev. 18:7).

Jesus is the king! The whore says in her heart: I will be His queen, and, therefore, I shall see no sorrow, because I cannot lose my salvation; and the rapture will come before the tribulation begins. The words spoken in the heart of the whore are another reason many people believe the perceived church is the whore. Now, bring to mind Jesus saying that He will spew the lukewarm out of His mouth, and I think you'll get a mental picture of why so many people believe that.

To believe that the perceived church could possibly be a part of the whore, one would also have to believe that Satan will eventually deceive the many perceived Christian ministries in the world. But then, that is exactly what Jesus said would happen. Revelations 12:9 states, _" And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, **which deceives the whole world**." _

Rev. 18:23 states, _" **And by thy sorceries** _[false doctrine] _**were all nations deceived**." _Notice the words, _" all nations were deceived,"_ we must remember that many nations such as China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, India, North Korea, and others are comprised predominately of people belonging to other religions besides Christianity, which would include every religion known to man. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the many nations of the world were deceived by false doctrine being preached by all of these different religions.

Nevertheless, if you're a lifelong Catholic in your seventies, you were taught that the whore is the Protestant denominations; and if you're a lifelong Protestant in your seventies, you were taught that the Catholic Church is the whore. They are both right, and both wrong. Both recognize that the whore could be the perceived church, but neither of them is willing to admit being part of it.

However, you are about to discover that the whore is in fact, all religions, (mystery Babylon) through which Satan will eventually deceive the entire world. Albeit, the perceived church for which Jesus gave His life and the many Muslims will feel the worst of God's wrath. Those taught to believe that a revived Persian Empire is the mystery Babylon are just flat out wrong. I realize that Satan is currently working very hard to manipulate your thinking into believing that, because that's what he wants you to believe.

Many carnal Bible scholars believe that Rome is the city on which the whore sits, because they reason, as natural-men do, and, therefore, misinterpret the following Scripture, which states: _" **And the woman which thou saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth** ,"_ (Rev.17: 18). They believe Rome is the city, because during John's ministry, Rome controlled every civilized government in the world. They fail to understand that what John saw was the world as it will appear during the tribulation period, not as it was during John's lifetime here on earth.

These carnal-scholars teach that the seven heads are seven mountains in and around the city of Rome, but that's not true. With the technology available today, you can simply Google the city, and get a good satellite view of it on your computer from the convenience of your own home, and see for yourself; there are no mountains either in or immediately around the city of Rome. It's a well-known fact that Bamberg Germany, and Rome, Italy, are known as the only two cities in the world built on seven hills. It is also a well-known fact that some people can make a mountain out of a molehill.

Now let's go back to Revelations 17:18, which states, _" And the woman which thou saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth."_ I would be remiss not to mention that there exists a small contingent of so-called scholars that believe New York City could be the city. They believe that because the 192 member body of world leaders convenes there once a year in September for the United Nations General Assembly. However, it is important to note that neither the United States, nor the city of New York, reigns over these world leaders. Therefore, New York City could not possibly be the city.

Now pay close attention to the following Scripture where the angel of the Lord said, _" **The waters which thou saw where the whore sits are peoples, and multitudes, and Nations, and tongues** ,"_ (Revelations 17:15). This means all the people of the world, all the nations of the world, and all languages of the world, which represent all religions of the world, and all the continents of the world: all of which means that Rome could not possibly be the city.

Revelations 18:3 states, _" For all Nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies."_Now, while pondering that Scripture, allow me to pose two questions for you.

Are the headquarters of the many world religions located in the city of Rome, making it possible for the Kings of the earth to commit fornication with them from Rome? No! Has the city of Rome, or the country of Italy ever produced such an abundance of goods and delicacies that it could supply the rest of the world their needs, thereby making the merchants of the world rich? No!

However, the many nations of the world either grow foodstuffs; catch seafood; mine gold, silver, copper, and all other raw materials; manufacture ships, airplanes, implements of war, trucks, all means of travel; and all other manufactured goods and products used by the people of the world. These products are then shipped to every nation, on every continent, where the many merchants then sell them. Some of which have indeed become quite wealthy: which further proves that Rome is not the city.

When God begins taking vengeance on the whore by, among other things, pouring out the seven vials filled with the wrath of God onto the whore no nation, or group of nations, will be able to come to her aid, because God will allow no such interference from man during the last three years before Armageddon; things will unfold on His timetable.

The only people or armies involved in God's war against the whore will be those whom He preordained would be. For example, Rev. 16:12 states, _" And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared."_ It will be necessary for God to dry up the Euphrates River to make way for the kings of the east to join the battle, when He is ready for them, because all bridges will have been destroyed. Also, all shipping, air, and vehicular traffic, including motorized boats, will have ceased to operate. Troop movement will be either on foot, horseback, or camel-back.

After God severely limits the power of the most powerful leaders in the world, the Bible states that, _" The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond man, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, And said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, **and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb: For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand** ,"_(Rev. 6:15-17).

After pouring out the seven vials filled with the wrath of God, Armageddon will then take center stage. Referring to Armageddon, God said, _" Behold the day of the Lord will come, and thy spoil shall be divided in the mist of thee. For I will gather all Nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people _[the Jewish people] _ shall not be cut off from the city._

_Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those Nations, as He fought in the day of battle._ _His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a great valley and half of the mountain shall move to the North, and half of it toward the south_ _,"_ (Zechariah 14:1-4).

On the next few pages you'll learn that, when the seventh trumpet sounds, the rapture of the church will occur. But first, let's see what happens when the seventh angel pours out his vial filled with the wrath of God. Revelations 16:17-19 states, _" And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; **and there came a great voice out of the temple in Heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done**. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightning; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since man was upon the earth. And the great city _[Jerusalem] _ was divided into three parts, and the cities of the Nations fell: and great Babylon came into remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath."_

Notice the words; "And the "cities" of the Nations fell," and "great Babylon" came into remembrance before God. Most of the world's major cities have a seaport with many ships either loading or unloading their cargo at any given time, and as noted in the following Scriptures, those on board these ships will see the tremendous destruction of most of the world's greatest cities.

Revelations 18:17-20 states, _" For in one hour so great riches is come to naught. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off; and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city. And they cast dust on their heads, and cried weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea, by reason of her costliness! For in one hour is she made desolate? Rejoice over her, Thou Heaven, and you Holy Apostles and Prophets; for God has avenged you on her."_

John said, _" **And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of Saints, and all that were slain upon the earth** ,"_ (Rev. 18:24). Notice the words _" In her was found the blood of prophets, and Saints," _which means that the whore was responsible for the deaths of all those killed while serving God, and she was judged for having spilled their blood. Remember, it was the so-called religionist people of all persuasions, including the early church that killed the prophets and many Christians serving our Lord.

To obtain a better understanding you should read Revelations, chapters sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen, all of which are about the whore and her destruction. Then read the first seven verses of the nineteenth chapter, and you'll discover that the only thing left for Jesus and the resurrected Saints to do afterward is the clean-up operations. Satan will then be bound and locked away, and the beast and the false prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire. Afterward, the next thing on our Lord's agenda is the marriage supper of the Lamb.

All of the aforementioned concerning the whore clearly indicates that the entire world under Satan's rule is the whore (mystery Babylon). When the angel of the Lord showed John the whore, he saw that she was made up of all the many religions of the world, most of which he was unaware. And he was shocked to see a deceived lukewarm Christianity lumped in with them, all of which constitute the whore.

Now, let's take a look at the anti-Christ, and who he will be. The words "anti" and "Christ" tell us a lot; one of the definitions of the word "anti" is anticipatory, which means in expectation of something. And indeed the Jewish people are anxiously expecting their Messiah to come and deliver them from their enemies and bring about a lasting peace. Now, let's take a look at the word "Christ," which means "Messiah." Spirit-filled Christians factually know that Jesus is the Christ, because their human spirit was fertilized with the Holy Spirit, thereby creating Spiritual life within them.

The Prophets foretold of the coming of a Jewish Messiah, but none spoke more eloquently than did Isaiah when he said, _" For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace,"_ (Isaiah 9:6).

Referring to predictions made about the coming Messiah and other things, Isaiah asked, _" Who has believed our report,"_ (53:1). Most of the Jewish scholars certainly didn't believe it; they rejected Biblical revelations that Jesus was their Messiah: however, because of the miracles worked by Him they did accept Him as a Prophet.

Those filled with the Holy Spirit factually know that Jesus is who the angel was referring to in Rev. 5:5 when the angel said: _" Behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loosen the seven seals thereof." _The Scriptures found in the next paragraph explain why the Jews expect their Messiah to conquer their enemies: thus a man of conquest is what they are going to get. I know there has been much speculation about who the anti-Christ might be, but the Scriptures will tell us if we have an ear to hear.

Jewish scholars are very familiar with the following Scriptures, which speak of a coming Messiah, and with great anticipation they await his coming. In Genesis 49:8-10, Jacob prophesied saying, _" Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thy enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: From the prey, my son, thou are gone up: he stooped down; he crouched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh _[the Messiah] _ come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be _[the rapture] _."_

Those who know God, know that Jacob was prophesying about Jesus, but the Jews did not accept Him: they are still looking for their lion from the tribe of Judah. Therefore, the anti-Christ will undoubtedly be a Jew whose ancestry must be traceable back to the tribe of Judah, or the Jewish people will not accept him. The Jewish Anti-Christ will be a man of war, and he will come onto the scene at a time when complete annihilation of Israel seems imminent. And, if Hamas, the European Union, and the Iranians continue to have their way with the U.N. Security Council, that won't be very long. Especially since President Obama seems to dislike the Israelis as much as former president Jimmy Carter.

For those of you who didn't know, Mr. Carter was instrumental in shaping the formation of the oil cartel (union) for the oil-producing Arab countries. That move has given the militant Muslim countries all the money they need to buy the weapons needed to wipe Israel off the map, which is their declared goal. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan are the only three Arab countries in the Middle-East that have signed treaties declaring Israel's right to exist.

Now, back to the rapture, Paul said, _" But now He _[God] _ has promised, saying, yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven,"_ (Hebrews 12:26). The shaking here on earth begins at the beginning, and continues through the entire tribulation period. Paul then stated, _" And this word, yet once more, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of those things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain,"_ (Hebrews 12:27).

The shaking Paul wrote about that happens here on earth are the hardships the church will suffer during the first three and a half years of tribulation. Those who cannot be shaken loose of their faith are the very-elect that Jesus said cannot be deceived. Those that will fall during the shaking are believers who were deceived into believing they received the Holy Spirit baptism the moment they accepted Jesus, and for that reason, never followed on to consummate a relationship with Him **.** This is the falling away that Paul told us about when he said, _" Let no man deceive you by any means: For that day _[the rapture] _shall not come,except there comes a falling away first_ _,"_ (2 Thess. 2:3).

There are presently millions of people in church who genuinely believe in Jesus, but came to Him through the perverted gospel Jesus and the Apostles warned us about. These people were led to believe they could only believe in Jesus, and were taught that the rapture would occur at the beginning of the seven-year tribulation period. When reality hits these believers and they realize they are actually well into the first half of the tribulation, and are still here, they will then realize they were lied to, and, sadly, most of them will fall away.

On the subject of whether or not the Saints of God will face any persecution during the tribulation, Daniel said, _" And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he _[Anti-Christ] _ corrupt with flatteries: But the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many, yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help: But many shall cleave to them with flatteries,"_ (Daniel 11:32-34).

The Bible also states, _" And the dragon _[Satan] _ was wroth with the woman _[the tribe of Judah from which Jesus descended] _, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus,"_ (Rev. 12:17). I personally believe that John was referring to the Messianic Jews in the aforementioned Scripture, but I am not 100% sure of that.

Revelations 13:7-10 states, _" And it was given unto him _[Satan] _ to make war with the Saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all Kindred's, tongues, and Nations. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man has an ear, let him hear. He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity: and he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the Saints."_

John also wrote about the shaking that will occur in heaven, which happens at the beginning of the last 3 1/2 years of tribulation. He said, _" And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels: and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan **,** which deceives the whole world,"_ (Rev. 12:7-9). _" Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the Devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time,"_(Rev. 12:12).

Referring to the first resurrection, Paul said, _" Behold I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, **at the last trump: For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed** **,** " _( _1 Corinthians_ , 15: 51-52). The seventh trumpet will not sound until after the anti-Christ has manifested himself to the world claiming to be the Christ.

Referring to the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the Bible states, _" But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the Prophets,"_ (Rev. 10:7). Meaning the end of this church age, precipitating the first resurrection (rapture), which is when God recalls His Spirit back into the third heaven. And as Paul said, _" If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you,"_ (Romans 8:11).

Rev. 11:15 states, _" **And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying: The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever**."_ When the seventh trumpet sounds, Satan will be dethroned, and Jesus then becomes the God of this world; and, in His own words, He shall rule it with a rod of iron. However, He must first purge, and purify it of evil.

(In the beginning, God gave man dominion, "absolute ownership," over the earth and all living things, but man, through sin, gave dominion to Satan, thereby making him the god of this world. When Satan offered the kingdoms of the world to Jesus in an attempt to get Him to serve him, he knew that Jesus understood they were his to give).

Now, for the duration of the tribulation period, God will extract His vengeance on the seat of Satan, the beast, the false prophet, and the whore (mystery Babylon), by, among other things, pouring out the seven vials filled with the wrath of God onto the earth. (None of which will be poured out until after the rapture). For those of you who were taught that the rapture will not occur until the end of the tribulation period, I would like to remind you of the Prophet Zechariah's words stating that the saints of God will return with our Lord for the battle of Armageddon. Need I say more!

Referring to the last 3 1/2 years of tribulation **,** Jesus said, _" For then there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be. **And except those days should be shortened** , there would be no flesh saved, **but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened** ,_ (Matthew 24:21-22). Matthew24:24 states, _" There shall arise false Christ, and false prophets, and they shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."_

Bible commentaries, most of which were inspired by Satan, teach us that the very-elect Jesus was referring to in that verse are the Jewish people, but no! They were deceived by staunchly refusing to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus was referring to those who truly know Him. He said, _" But for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened,"_ meaning they will not have to go through all of the second half of the tribulation, although, they must first enter into it for it to be shortened.

Speaking to the remnant of Jews that must be saved alive until our Lord returns to begin the millennium reign, all of which will come from the twelve tribes of Israel, but are not part of the 144,000, Jesus said, _" When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the holy place. Then let them, which are in Judaea, flee into the mountains: let him, which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house. Neither let him, which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray that your flight be not in the winter, or on the Sabbath day,"_ (Matt. 24: 15-20).

John also mentioned these people, saying, _" And the woman _[the Israelites from which Jesus descended] _ fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days_," (Rev. 12:6).

_And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time_ __ [three and a half years], _ from the face of the serpent_," (Rev. 12:14). These people must be saved alive throughout the entire tribulation period. Therefore, they must be protected from all the mayhem resulting from the emptying of the seven vials filled with God's wrath, or there would be no purpose for the thousand year reign of Christ.

Referring to the anti-Christ who will first claim to be the Christ, and then, according to Paul, ultimately claims to be god, Jesus said, _" Behold, I have told you before. If they say unto you, He is in the desert; go not forth, behold He is in the secret chambers; believe it not,_ _Then if any man say unto you, lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not_ _,"_ (Matthew 24:25-26). Jesus warns His very-elect about these things, because He knew they would be here when the Anti-Christ reveals himself, and He did not want them to be deceived.

Jesus then explained exactly what it would be like when He returned for the Saints. He said, _" Immediately after the tribulation of those days_ [meaning the days He had just finished telling us about, when the anti-Christ reveals himself] _shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light_ , _and the stars shall fall from heaven_ [the shaking Paul and John told us about when Satan and his angels are thrown out of the third heaven] _and the powers of the heavens are shaken_ _,_ " (Matt. 24:29). Notice that Jesus did not say immediately after the tribulation, He said immediately after the tribulation of those days.

Jesus then continued, saying, _" And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:_ [people around the world will see a symbol of Jesus in the sky] _And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn_ [those who rejected Jesus will indeed mourn, but those who know him will rejoice], _and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of the heavens with power and great glory. And he shall send forth His angels with a great sound of a trumpet_ [the seventh trumpet] _and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other_ _,"_ (Matthew 24:30-31).

You have just read about the first resurrection (rapture), during which Jesus does not set foot on Earth. Jesus wants people all over the world to see Him in the clouds of heaven during the first resurrection to excite and comfort the Saints, and to allow the doubters to see that he really exists, hoping some of those alive at the time will repent of their sins, and eventually be judged from the book of life in the second resurrection, which is the great white throne judgment. Albeit, under the circumstances existing at the time, that will be an extremely difficult thing to do, because the Holy Spirit will no longer be here on Earth. Clearly, there will be no secret rapture!

God seals Christians the moment they receive the Holy Spirit within them. However, the 144,000, who are the first fruits unto God, all of whom come from the twelve tribes of Israel, must be sealed with the Holy Spirit before the rapture or they will not make it. Remember Paul's words, _" But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you,"_ (Romans 8:11).

Notice that in Rev. 7:8 the last of the 144,000 are being sealed with the Holy Spirit, but in verse nine we are no longer talking about 144,000 people, because the rapture occurs immediately after the last of them are sealed. Rev. 7:9 states, _" After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and, kindred's, and people, and tongues stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes."_

For a better explanation of exactly who the 144,000 are, we go to Revelations chapter fourteen, verses 1-3, which states, _" And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on Mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from Heaven, as the voice of many waters, and the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping. And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beast, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the one hundred forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth."_

The next two verses tell us that they are all young virgin boys, which are the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. Rev. 14:4-5 states, _" These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God."_ Clearly, they were young boys with pure hearts who never once had an evil thought or experienced any sin in their lives! Can you imagine a boys' choir numbering 144,000?

Jesus said, _" An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; but there shall be no sign given to it,"_ (Matt. 12:39). More than ever before the world seeks after miracles, and the Anti-Christ is going to be more than willing to give the people the miracles they are looking for to prove that he is their Messiah. Referring to the anti-Christ, John said, _" **And he doeth great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven onto the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles, which he had power to do** ,"_(Rev. 13:13-14).

After the Anti-Christ takes his seat in what is considered to be the most Holy place for the Jewish people, claiming to be the Messiah, and has worked miracles for the entire world to see to prove it, most of the Jews, many Muslims, Buddhists, Hindu, and the vast majority of Christian believers will then support him, all of which ultimately moves him to claim that he is god. You have now seen proof that before the first resurrection occurs, Christians will be faced with the harsh reality of having to receive the mark of the beast, which means to swear allegiance to the Anti-Christ, or reject him by refusing to take the mark.

Clearly, the rapture will not come until after the mark of the beast has been implemented. (If anyone attempts to tell you otherwise, insist that he or she show you scriptural proof). Nevertheless, the rapture will come before the first of the seven vials filled with the wrath of God is poured out onto the earth to torment the whore. How long we will be here after the anti-Christ declares that he is god, and the mark of the beast has been implemented, I cannot say, but I have good reason to believe that it will be weeks rather than months.

Before receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a carnal-Judas Iscariot, who had witnessed many miracles done by Jesus, betrayed Him. Also, before being filled with the Holy Spirit, a carnal-minded Peter denied Jesus three times on the night Jesus was arrested.

Both Judas and Peter had seen the dead raised, and witnessed many other miracles. However, without the power of the Holy Spirit abiding within him, Peter did not have the wherewithal to face death, and Judas sold Jesus out for thirty pieces of silver. But, neither will you be able to face death if you have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

I say that, because the strength we need comes only through the Holy Spirit, which is why God said, _" **Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord** ,"_ (Zechariah 4:6). Spirit-filled Christians living during the time the mark of the beast is being implemented know they will likely be killed, but they also factually know they will not taste death. For example, when they were about to crucify Peter, he mocked them saying that he wasn't worthy to die in the same manner as Jesus, and asked them to nail him to the tree upside down.

Another example is when Steven was about to be stoned to death for preaching the greatest sermon ever preached; the Bible states, _" That Steven, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, **and Jesus standing on the right hand of God** ,"_ (Acts 7:55). Steven then said to those who were about to stone him, _" Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God,"_ (Acts 7:56). I assure you that, while Steven was being pelted with stones, Jesus had already taken him by the hand, and he was too excited to feel any pain whatsoever.

The majority of pastors are currently preaching a message inspired by Satan to deceive converts into believing they will not have to suffer any hardships for Jesus in the last days. This is because Satan doesn't want converts to be prepared for the perilous times to come. And, as stated throughout this writing, Satan doesn't care if you believe in Jesus, but he certainly doesn't want you to know Him, which can only be accomplished through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and receiving the fullness thereof.

The Bible makes it perfectly clear that the church will be confronted with having to take the mark of the beast: which is the separating of the sheep from the goats, and the wheat from the tares. The few who are alive at the time that truly know God, will with great joy refuse to take the mark, because they know their redemption has finally come. However, most of the many believers who have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit will accept the mark of the beast thinking they are doing the right thing.

Our Lord didn't lie when he said in Rev. 12:9 that Satan deceives the entire world, and He will not call the Saints home until after Satan has finished doing just that. As long as there is a single soul on earth that can, and will, come to God through Jesus in Spirit and in truth, the Lord will tarry, but that depends on how well we do preaching salvation. This is why Jesus said, _" But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only,"_ (Matt. 24:36).

Those belonging to other religions were deceived long ago, meaning that Satan must now complete his task of deceiving the many carnal Christian ministries in the world, each of which look to man to obtain their spiritual knowledge. Then, when God sees there isn't another single soul on Earth that can come to Him in Spirit and in truth through the perceived-church, He will set things in motion to call the Saints home.

Currently, there are thousands of the very-elect Jesus spoke about busy serving God. These people were educated in the Scriptures and trained by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they know God's word, and they share Jesus with everyone that will listen to them, taking their time to explain the many Scriptures found throughout this writing. However, since their message is different from that of the churches, Satan convinces most of those they share with that they are simply good God-fearing, but overzealous, people, and that the many pastors educated in the Christian religion could not possibly be wrong.

When Jesus came into Jerusalem for the Passover, thousands of people who had both seen and heard about the miracles worked by Him, and had heard Him preach in their Synagogues, lined the streets to honor Him, and they hailed Him king of the Jews. However, a few days later, when many of these same people heard their spiritual leaders yell "crucify him," many of them also yelled "crucify him." In like manner, most of the believers in the world today will follow the Anti-Christ believing that he is the Christ; and, as Jesus said, they will betray those serving our Lord in Spirit and in truth.

When the Apostles asked Jesus when the end of the world would come, the last thing He said was, _" And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the entire world for a witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come,"_(Mathew 24:14). Most people would say that the gospel is now being preached in every nation on earth by means of missionaries, and on radio and television. But, no, the gospel currently being preached by means of those ministries largely only begets more lukewarm believers that will never know God.

When the many so-called Christian ministries in the world have totally failed, our Lord will then send forth an angel to fulfill His promise. John said, _" And I saw another angel fly through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every Nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,"_ (Rev. 14: 6). The Saints of God know that when God says that He will send an angel, it will be an angel, not a satellite.

The angel will have but a short time to preach the gospel, because, when he appears on the scene, the Anti-Christ will have manifested himself to the world, and implementation of the mark of the beast will be in progress. It is my belief that only those of other religions who truly have a heart for God will heed the angels' message, and be saved by refusing to take the mark of the beast.

Another reason Jesus will send an angel to preach the gospel during that period is because, after the Anti-Christ declares that he is god, he will kill everyone who attempts to practice his religion, especially the few Saints of God left alive at the time. However, God wants His message preached to those living at the time, because eventually they will all bend their knees before Him at the white throne judgment, and they must all be found without excuse.

John then saw another angel flying through the air saying, _" Babylon is fallen, because she made all Nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,"_ (Rev. 14: 8). The angel of the Lord will not be allowed to make that statement until all carnal-Christian ministries have been deceived. And God wants you to know that we are much closer to that happening than the majority of people think **.** _" And the third angel followed them saying with a loud voice **,** if any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand: The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,"_ (Rev. 14: 9-10).

As previously stated, shortly after the image of the beast has been set up, and everyone on earth has been forced to either accept or reject his mark, God will then call His Spirit back into the third Heaven. Immediately after the rapture, the Lord will then send the two witnesses He told us about in Revelations Chapter 11 to preach the true gospel to those left behind for a thousand two hundred and sixty days in Jerusalem.

As noted in Rev. 11:10, the Anti-Christ will do such a thorough job convincing people that these two Prophets are evil that, when they are killed, the people will be so happy they'll send gifts to one another to celebrate their death. The Bible states, _" And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified," _(Rev. 11:8).

Speaking of the two witnesses John said, _" These have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with plagues as often as they will. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall kill them," (Rev. 11:6-7). "And after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell on them that saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying, come up here, and they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them,"_ (Rev. 11:11-12).

You have now read biblical proof that the body of Christ will be here when the anti-Christ makes himself known to the world. Perhaps you should ask yourself how Satan could possibly deceive so many people. All of which claim the Holy Spirit taught them...

## PART 6

# Truths All Saints Should Know!

The answer to the age old question about why we must be born-again dates back to the beginning of Creation and the Garden of Eden, where both the tree of knowledge and the tree of life once grew. The Bible states that, _" Out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; The tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil,"(Genesis 2:9)_.

The tree of knowledge was not placed in the garden to tempt man; to the contrary, it was put there to give him a choice in his destiny. Through obedience, man could partake of the tree of life and live forever, or, through disobedience, he could choose to go his own way by partaking of the tree of knowledge. When partaking of the tree of knowledge, Adam and Eve gained the ability to discern right from wrong, but, along with that knowledge, came an immediate spiritual death. And as a result, the physical death would then follow, because God would no longer allow man to continue partaking of the tree of life in his sinful state.

The Lord God said, _" Let us make man in our image, after our likeness," (Genesis 1:26)_. God used the words "us" and "our" in reference to Himself, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all of which comprise the Trinity. The following Scriptures bear witness to the fact that Jesus (in His spiritual form) was with God when Adam was created. _" In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. **The same was in the beginning with God** ," (St. John 1:1-2)._

God the Father is an Almighty consuming power possessing the ability to change into other forms whenever He wishes. Created man could stand in His presence only in the image he was created, which is without sin. Those who stood before God with sin in their lives were destroyed by His awesome presence, and, although God hates sin, He loves the sinner. God sent His Son into the world so that through His body and blood (the word) we might be justified in the faith by being reunited in fellowship with Him upon receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

God hates sin so much that He withdrew His presence from Mount Calvary when Jesus (for our sakes) took the sins of this world upon Himself. At that moment Jesus cried out, saying, _" **My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me** ," (St. Mark 15:34)? _The fleshly part of Jesus felt forsaken at that moment, but the spiritual part of our Lord then knew that His work was finished, which is why He then said, _" It is finished," (St. John 19:30)_.

God divided himself into three Godheads in order to minister to us in our sinful state, without our being destroyed by His powerful presence. Through Jesus, God demonstrated His tremendous love by making it possible for each of us to be reconciled to Him. Through the Holy Spirit, God works in the hearts of all men, drawing them to Him, and it's only through His Spirit abiding within us that we can receive spiritual growth, and be brought back into His Holy presence.

When God said, _" Let us create man in our image,"_ He meant in the same sense that He is God over all the heavens, and cannot sin unto Himself. He would create man to be the god of his own life, and over all the earth. Before their fall, Adam and Eve could not sin; in fact, they had no concept whatsoever of good or evil. This is because they were created to inhabit a perfect world wherein there was no evil, and therefore no sin. Therefore, they could not sin, but, as god of their own lives, they could choose to disobey their Creator.

If the tree of knowledge had not been placed in the midst of the garden, Adam and Eve would not have been in control of their lives. Instead, they would have been like controlled subjects, much the same as our domesticated farm animals that have no choice in their destiny. Albeit, God said, **_" Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth," _**_(Genesis 1:26)_.

The word "dominion" means absolute ownership, proving that man was created to be in control of his own life, and the physical world as well. The Scriptures reveal that Adam and Eve had a much higher intelligence than those of us living in this age. This is because their brain was more attuned to the spiritual aspects of life than the physical, and I offer you the following Scriptures as proof:

_" Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field," (Genesis 2:19-20)_. Adam was able to do this because he had the use of his entire brain, both spiritual and physical, which enabled him to know the personalities and characteristics of each species, enabling him to name them accordingly.

The last verse in the second chapter of Genesis states, _" And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."_ I submit to you that they were not ashamed because they had the use of their entire brain, and two-thirds of it was attuned to the spiritual aspects of life. The part lost, as a result of disobedience, had to do with the spiritual aspects of man's descent. Notice that the greater emphasis was on the spiritual rather than the physical, which is why they were both naked, but were not ashamed.

The Scriptures shown in the following paragraphs reveal how man lost his spirituality. _" Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made," (Genesis 3:1)_. The word "subtle" means skillful, ingenious, cunning, crafty, devious and wily. Now imagine the serpent being possessed by Satan. That should give you some idea what Adam and Eve were confronted with the day they were deceived into disobeying God. Notice that Satan was smart enough to deceive Adam and Eve, who had use of their entire brain; however, most of those making up Christianity today truly believe that Satan cannot deceive them! Something to think about isn't it?

Before the fall of man, the serpent was not a snake, as we tend to think. Remember, it was not until after the fall of Adam and Eve that God cursed the serpent, saying, _" Thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shall thou go, and dust shall thou eat all the days of thy life," (Genesis 3:14)_. The serpent was apparently part of a group known as beast of the field before being reduced to a lower life form.

While you are reading about Adam and Eve, Satan may speak to you (through your mind) saying, "doesn't it insult your intelligence to believe that the serpent could actually speak to Adam and Eve, and they could understand what he was saying? You know that humans cannot communicate with animals!"

Satan plants such thoughts into our minds to create doubt, because he does not want us to accept God's word in the literal sense. But, he's right, man cannot communicate with other life forms today, and he's the reason why. Nonetheless, we must remember that Adam and Eve had the use of their entire brain, meaning both spiritual and physical, during their conversation with the serpent, and they could communicate with him.

_" And he _[Satan speaking through the serpent] _ said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden,"(Genesis 3:1)_. Satan asked that question because this was his first encounter with God's prime creation, and he was on a fishing expedition to find out how Adam's and Eve's minds worked, in hopes of gaining an advantage over them. _" And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die," (Genesis 3:2-3)_.

After hearing the words, _" lest you die,"_Satan then knew that Eve was thinking of death in the physical sense rather than the spiritual, and that gave him the advantage he was looking for. He then responded, saying, _" You shall not surely _[immediately] _die: for God doth know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil_ ," (Genesis 3:4-5). Notice that Satan didn't outright lie to the woman, but he told her some half-truths, causing her to believe a lie, which is how he works to deceive us through deceived clergy persons today.

_" And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food. And that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desired to make one wise: She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband there with her, and he did eat," (Genesis 3:6)_. Their eyes were already open, which is how they knew the tree was pleasant to look upon. Nevertheless, the next verse states, _" And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons," (Genesis 3:7)_.

Clearly, their disobedience cost them the loss of the spiritual part of their brain bringing about an immediate spiritual death for them. Suddenly, their attention is focused only on the physical realm of life, and now they are ashamed of their nakedness.

_" And the Lord God said, Behold the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever," (Genesis 3:22). "So he drove out the man; and placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life," (Genesis 3:24)_. Then, we see an expression of God's great love for the now fallen man and his wife: _" The Lord God made coats of skins, and clothed them,"_(Genesis 3:21).

Now, because of their disobedience, we are all born into this world spiritually dead, with the use of only the physical part of our brain. The Bible states, _" Wherefore, by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that we have all sinned. For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ" _(Romans 5: 12 & 17) _._

Being born-again will not give us the use of our entire brain back in this life, but that will be achieved during the first resurrection when the Saints of God shall be changed into the very likeness of Christ. Nonetheless, the Holy Spirit will use a small portion of that part of our brain to bring about a balance of spiritual power in our lives, if we continue in His word.

The same opportunities that were available to Adam and Eve are also available to us. The circumstances are somewhat different, but the opportunities are the same. Man is now the god of his own life (unknowingly following Satan) until he decides to turn to God; and Jesus is to us what the tree of life was to Adam and Eve, because it is only through Him that we can receive the gift of eternal life.

Jesus is the word of God, the way, the truth, and the life. He is also the tree of life from which His children can partake by simply reading the Bible. Through His word, God creates a spiritual awakening within us whereby we then become new creatures. " ** _Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: Old things are passed away; behold all things are become new_** _,"_ (II Cor. 5:17).

## PART 7

# Satan was not created to be the Destroyer of Man!

Satan was created as the Archangel, Lucifer, who was once the highest ranking and most powerful of all the Angels in Heaven. (The other two Archangels are Michael and Gabriel). In the beginning, not one of all the Angels in heaven including Michael or Gabriel, could go directly to God the Father without Lucifer's permission.

After creating man for His own pleasure, God himself would come down into the Garden and commune (talk) with Adam; thus, man had direct contact with God. And that made Lucifer jealous, therefore, he set out on a quest to bring man under his control.

Speaking about Satan, Ezekiel said, **_" Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God _**[he was there to deceive Adam and Eve]. _ Every precious stone was thy covering, the Sardis, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day thou was created. **Thou art the anointed cherub that covers; and I have set thee so** **:** _[meaning the highest ranking of all the other angels] ** __**_you were upon the Holy Mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire _[the many planets] _._

_**You were perfect in thy ways from the day thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee.** By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee," _(Ezekiel 28:13-17) _._

_" How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning, How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations," _(Isaiah 14:12)! Just as God the Father rule's supreme in all three heavens, Satan seeks to be the supreme power over man and all the earth.

Satan was able to tempt man, because God created man in His own image (god of his own life), meaning that man had a choice in his destiny. Satan was successful in his attempt to deceive Adam and Eve, thereby becoming the god of the physical realm of life.

After Jesus was led up into the mountains to be tempted, _" The devil said unto him, all this power will I give thee, **and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me;** and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore will worship me, all shall be yours. Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and him only shall thou serve," _(Luke 4:6-8). _" Again, the Devil took him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and said unto him, all these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me," _(Matthew 3:8-9).

Please understand that, when Satan offered the world to Jesus, he was not offering something that he didn't control. Make no mistake about it, Lucifer became the God of this world by deceiving Adam and Eve. God the Father created this world and gave control of it to man. Then, man through sin, gave control of it to Satan. So, as the ruler of spiritual darkness in this world, Satan is also god of the physical realm of life."

The Apostle Paul knew that to be true, which is why he said, _" But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. In whom, **the god of this world (Satan)** hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is in the image of God, should shine into them," _(2 Cor. 4:3-4). Satan is also known as the prince of darkness.

God loves us very much, and He sometimes shakes our foundation in an effort to bring about repentance. If this writing has shaken your foundation somewhat, then, pray this short prayer: _" **Create in me a clean heart, Oh God; and renew a right spirit within me**."_

AMEN

If you wish to contact me; my e-mail address is: (josephenix@gmail.com)
