Are There Other Ways To Heaven If You Reject Christianity?

One of our readers named "Travis" really went out of his way to compose a very long comment on our recent article entitled "Why Do Christians Say Jesus Is The Only Way To Heaven?" and we thought that it was so interesting that we thought we would share it in a post.

The following is what Travis wrote.....

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Ben - here you go...

Point 1) Your analysis - The argument is basically "our religion is the one true religion because our religion says it is." - this is a false assumption.

Here you assume that Christians are saying our religion is true because we say it is (similar to Islam or other religions, etc). This is not the case. Christians believe that Christianity is true because Jesus Christ DIED on a cross and was RESURRECTED from the grave 3 days later (and appeared to the apostles, 500 believers, Paul, and others). If THIS can be proven false - then Christianity would be useless and our faith in vain. While believing this does require faith, it is not a blind faith as there is more evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ than you could even begin to imagine. (If you truly seek to understand Christianity and the evidence for the resurrection read Lee Strobel "The Case for Christ" or C.S. Lewis "Mere Christianity). If you don't want to seek truth and just like to bring up objections - it is your free choice.

Point 2)You argue "It is very silly to think that any God would force people to enter into a game of Russian roulette over their eternal souls."

God does not force anything. He gives evidence to His children (in the form of biblical prophecy fulfilled), gives them His word, reveals Himself in the form of man in Jesus Christ who dies and is resurrected, and allows people to choose for themselves. If God did not give us this free choice, there would not be the opportunity for us to choose and love God (which is the greatest commandment). It isn't a game of russian roulette. If one does not examine evidence for themselves, blindly chooses a religion based on what makes them "feel good" or because their parents had a certain religion, and does not seek truth, then that is their choice. God gave us the evidence, we have to want to seek truth.

Point 3) Your argument "Every religion claims real "evidence" and yet every religion also claims that you don't need evidence and should just have faith."

These generalizations come about from a lack of study of religions. The majority of religions claim evidence based on your current life's results (happiness in this life, increased wealth, inner peace, prosperity, etc) - think Eastern religions here. When it comes to evidence for Islam the claim is that Mohammed transcribed the Koran as was read to him by an Angel and it was perfect in grammar and substance. He performed no miracles. Christianity, however, does not necessarily promise great wealth or riches or prosperity in this life, it promises eternal life in the presence of God. The evidence for Christianity is in the miracles that Christ performed, the prophecies that were fulfilled in him in the Old Testament, and the ultimate evidence of His resurrection. Christians have evidence, AND faith. They are not mutually exclusive.

Point 4) Your argument "No intelligent God would punish people for picking the wrong religion"

This is an interesting position. To claim to know God's intentions and what He would or would not do is a little arrogant don't you think? Anyways, you trivialize the importance of the actual issue. People were not put on this Earth to just pick a decent religion and then "live a good life". What is the greatest sin in your opinion? While many would say murder or rape, etc (and no doubt these are quite bad) the greatest sin is to deny one's creator and live your entire life as though you don't need him and could care less what His plan is for your life. Your analogy is similar to a judge releasing Jeff Dahmer with no prison sentence. If our greatest point in life is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, then it is more than a matter of just "picking the wrong religion" and to not punish those who choose to snub their nose at God their entire lives for themselves instead of God would be morally unjustifiable for a perfect God.

Point 5) Your argument "There is nothing wrong with questioning the basic beliefs about life. This questioning is how we advanced as a species."

I agree. This is how many people are led to Christ. When we realize that we are guilty of sinning against God's law and realize that their is no way we could "earn our way" into his good graces, and we understand that Christ came to die for our sins and bridge the gap between us and God, so that we may spend eternity with Him is quite a blessing. Read the Gospels of Mark then John and tell me it doesn't move you at all.

Point 7) Your argument "It makes Christians believe they are better than others. I know all the responses with Jesus saying we are all equals, but it's a two-faced line. People who pick the wrong God or choose to be agnostic are not equal, they will suffer for eternity in hell."

Christians do not think they are better than others. (and if they do so they are not following the teachings of Christ) The Lord told us to serve others. He told us to spread the Gospel. He said that any of his believers who assist anyone in need is similarly assisting Him. There is an internal happiness that Christians may have because of their relationship with God. We desire to share this happiness with others. On a separate note, being agnostic is fine if you are truly examining evidence for a religion, and are postponing your decsion while gathering facts. If you are really seeking truth than the Lord will open your heart. The reality, however, is that many people maintain agnosticism because it is the "intelligent thing" to do according to the world. Skepticism and doubt is easy; having faith in something greater than yourself is the real challenge. Many people use the agnosticism to justify living sinful lives while convincing themselves that they are only doing it because there isn't enough evidence. To these people I ask - what piece or amount of evidence would convince you of the truth? If they can't give a reasonable answer that says more about their choices and their life than anything else I think. Choose to research and examine the evidence, pray for God to show you His truth (without putting your own restrictions on God) and wait to see His glory in action. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised.

God bless.

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Hopefully the comments by Travis were very helpful for Ben.

If Ben or anyone else wants to investigate the evidence for Christianity further, we would suggest the following article as a good place to get started: "8 Really Good Reasons Christianity Is True?"

A Reader Fulfills Bible Prophecy (But Not In A Good Way)

In response to our article entitled, "Sarah Palin Believes That Jesus Is Coming Back In Her Lifetime", a reader named John left the following comment:

"Hahahaha, this is great! Can't wait for Jesus to come back because Revelations says so!"

John may not realize this, but by mocking the return of Christ he is actually fulfilling Bible prophecy. In 2 Peter 3:3-4 it says this.....

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

So when John mocks the return of Christ he has helped to fulfill the prophecy of the apostle Peter.

But hopefully John will realize the error of his ways and will turn to the Lord Jesus Christ while he still has time.

The truth is that without Jesus, none of us has any hope:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0001/0001_01.asp

Some Thoughts On The Change That Comes When One Truly Turns To Christ

In response to our recent article entitled "2 Christian Pastors Say Being Gay Is A Gift From God On Oprah", Siphosami left the following comment.....

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2 Corinth 5:17 says "If any man be in Christ, he is a new being, the old is gone and the new has come" That simply means we cannot claim to come to Christ and not be changed to be like Him, that's the crux of Christianity, 1 John 3:2. And then verse 3 says "all who have this hope purify themselves as He is pure". True Christianity teaches that people come as they are to Christ but they leave changed. It is false religion that teaches people to stay with their sinful ways and expect God to understand. And it would not make sense for God to call homosexuality "shameful lust" and "pervesion" if He supported such a thing! So let us stop caressing peoples sins because we are trying to keep the peace yet we are allowing people to enter into eternal destruction by not helping them. And people need to understand that Jesus does not condemn people but the sin in people. So WayneJohn, Jesus did not fail us, it is us who are failing Him. Just take a look at the world around you where Jesus is denounced and you will understand why this world is like this!

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We really enjoyed reading this comment. The truth is that if we truly love people, we need to warn them about sin. Sin is the major problem with humanity according to the Bible. But a large proportion of preachers and churches in America will no longer talk about sin at all. Many others try not to bring it up much because someone might get "offended". But the men of the God in the Bible were not afraid to preach the truth. In fact, Jesus was very direct about sin. Just read the gospels and see if that is not true.

Thanks again for the great comment Siphosami!

1 Million Gang Members Have America In Their Violent Grip

Federal authorities claim that there are now over 1 million members of criminal gangs inside the United States. These 1 million gang members are responsible for up to 80% of the crimes committed in America each year.

It just isn't big cities either. Smaller cities such as Omaha, Nebraska and Nashville, Tennessee have a massive gang problem. According to USAToday, 58% of state and local law enforcement agencies reported that violent criminal gangs were active in their areas last year, up from 45% in 2004.

The reality is that urban America is overrun with gang violence. When they aren't killing each other, they are raping, murdering and intimidating the communities around them. Wherever gangs are active, home invasions are common and drug dealing is rampant.

There are many areas of the United States now where you simply DO NOT go out of your home at night. People are literally prisoners in their own homes.

And all of this economic chaos is just making the situation that much worse. You have a horde of young men that can't get jobs and that do not see a positive future for themselves in society.

The following description of life in east L.A. is quite sobering.....

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GANG LIFE IN EAST L.A. by Joseph Rodríguez

East L.A. has long been a neglected neighborhood with a predominately Mexican population. It has one of the nation's highest drop out rates from schools, youth unemployment hovers around seventy-five percent in the most neglected areas, and teenage pregnancy is at an all time high in this community. There is an aspect of suicide among many of these gang kids (between ten and twenty-one years old) whose options have been cut off-no education, no work, and no opportunities for advancement. They stand on street corners and parks, flashing gang signs, inviting bullets. Its either la torcida (prison) or death: a warrior's path when even self-preservation is not at stake. And if they murder, the victims are usually the ones who look like them, the ones closest to who they are-their mirror reflections. They murder and they're killing themselves, over and over.

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The truth is that when a nation rejects God and teaches their youth to do the same, this is what happens. We should not surprised that the youth of America have become godless, brutal and violent. America has rejected God, and this gang problem is just one more symptom of that. In 2 Timothy 3:1-4, it describes how people would become in the last days.....

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God"

So if you live somewhere that is being overrun by gangs, what do you do?

You move.

For the sake of your family move somewhere safe.

Although soon will anywhere be safe?

Unprepared Survivalist Freezes To Death In A Remote Montana Cabin

The survivalist dreams of one Oklahoma couple ended in tragedy when one of them froze to death in a remote Montana cabin. The husband, suffering from hypothermia and half starved to death, was discovered propped up against the dead body of his common-law wife.

This just goes to show how stupid a lot of novice survivalists can be.

According to authorities, the husband had plenty of weapons, but they had no firewood, their food was gone and their clothing was very insufficient for the weather.

Authorities said that Mickey Charlene Davis, 67, was dead for about two weeks when they found the cabin. Two of the couple's three dogs were found dead, and two cats were also found dead.

The moral of the story is this.....

If you want to be a "survivalist" you better know what you are getting into, and you had better be prepared.

There are things that are much, much more important to have than weapons.

Number one, you and your family are going to need food. Even if you plan to grow food you better have a substantial amount stored up. In the times that are coming, even those in the cities will need to store up plenty of food.

Number two, you and your family are going to need clean water. Is there an abundant supply of water near your home? Will you be able to boil water if you need to?

Number three, you and your family will need a warm place to sleep. Make sure you aren't just relying on the power company to keep your home warm in the winter. If you need firewood, start chopping now. Always make sure you have a backup plan.

Number four, you are your family will need warm clothing if you live in a colder climate. Always make sure to have plenty of blankets as well. If the couple in the example above had stored up enough blankets and warm clothing the wife MAY have survived.

Number five, always have a way to communicate with the outside world. If the husband had been able to call for help, his wife could have been rescued.

Number six, always have a backup plan for everything. When you are out there surviving on your own and things don't go according to plan, what are you going to do? Have a plan.

The reality is that times are only going to get harder and people WILL want to start heading for the hills. Do your research and find out what you are getting yourself and your family into. Those who are prepared will have the best chance to thrive during the times to come.

Does Obama Plan To "Internationalize" The Temple Mount And Other Holy Sites In Jerusalem?

Knesset opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Wednesday that the Obama administration and leftist Israeli politicians plan to "internationalize" the Temple Mount and other holy sites in Jerusalem.

According to Israel National News, Netanyahu promised that he would fight this effort: “Some politicians are trying to blur the importance of the Temple Mount to the Jewish People by referring to it as the ‘Holy Basin.’ We, as Jews, know who built the Temple Mount.”

This report comes on the heels of an earlier revelation that Barack Obama held a secret meeting with Palestinian leadership last summer during which he expressed his desire to divide up the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.

According to WorldNetDaily, Barack Obama told the Palestinian leadership during a trip to that region in July that he supports a Palestinian state and a Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem, but he asked them to keep his remarks secret, according to a Lebanese newspaper.

So Barack Obama wants to divide up the land of Israel and give the Palestinians a capital in east Jerusalem?

As if we didn't have enough problems.....

Don't the leaders of the United States realize what they are doing?

God does not bless those who try to divide the land of Israel.

In fact, world leaders continue to operate under the delusion that they can find a solution to all of this conflict by dividing the land of Israel.

In Genesis 12:3, God warns that those who curse Israel will be cursed when he promised this to Abraham:

"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

In the book of Joel, God warns specifically against dividing the land of Israel.

Joel 3:1-2 states, "...I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of my people and my inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up my land."

Bill Koenig, the author of Israel: The Blessing or the Curse, has said this: "We know for a fact that God gave this land, through the Abrahamic covenant, He gave the land of Israel to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants, and this land is God's land."

In the Scriptures, the prophet Zechariah warned the nations about the city of Jerusalem in particular in Zechariah 12:3 -- "On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves."

So is there any evidence of a curse on those who try to divide the land of Israel existing today?

Consider some examples.....

#1) On April 30, 2003, America was positioned to be the catalyst for the so-called "solution" to the Middle East crisis. As Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was sworn in, the "Road Map" peace plan was set in motion.

The very next day began the worst month of tornadoes in United States history - more than 500 in a single month. Under normal conditions, 1,000 tornadoes hit the United States each year, but in just eight days that May, 375 twisters ripped across the heartland of America.

#2) May 9, 2003, President Bush addressed students at the University of South Carolina. Bush called on the Palestinians to embrace the roadmap to peace, and Bush expressed his desire to see the flag of Palestine raised over a free nation.

Hours later, tornadoes returned and Oklahoma City again became the bullseye for deadly twisters, reducing what was left of businesses and homes to splinters and bricks. The tornadoes of May devastated the Midwest with the third worst property damage in American history.

#3) On October 30, 1991, in a meeting scheduled by the first President Bush, Israelis and Palestinians discussed ways to achieve peace in the Middle East. Opening talks focused on trading parts of Israel for a peace agreement.

That same day, thousands of miles away, a powerful storm was brewing off the coast of Nova Scotia. On October 31st, what would be known as "The Perfect Storm" smashed into New England, pummeling the President's Kennebunkport, Maine home with waves 30 feet high. It was a storm so rare that the weather patterns required to create it only happen about once every 100 years.

#4) On August 23rd, 1992, Middle East peace talks resumed in Washington, D.C. The talks continued to focus on surrendering the biblical lands of Judea and Samaria in exchange for peace. Hundreds of miles south, Florida was the target for one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. Hurricane Andrew ripped through the state with an eye more than 30 miles wide and winds up to 178 miles per hour leaving a 32 billion dollar disaster.

#5) Between August 16th and 30th, 2005, Ariel Sharon expelled 9,480 Jewish settlers from 21 settlements in Gaza and four settlements in the northern West Bank.

On January 4th, 2006, Sharon had a stroke, and he fell into a coma and is now in a persistent vegetative state.

#6) The U.S. had strongly pressured Sharon to evacuate those settlers from Gaza.

On August 29th, 2005 the storm that would become Hurricane Katrina formed, and it devastated New Orleans and the surrounding areas to such an extent that they still have not recovered. The storm caused at least 200 billion dollars in damage.

#7) In June of 2001, George W. Bush sent CIA director George Tenet to Israel to attempt to implement the Mitchell Plan, a plan calling for, among other things, cessation of new building in the Jewish settlements.

On the same day that Tenet met with Israeli and Palestinian officials, tropical storm Allison formed in the Gulf of Mexico and moved over Texas, the President's home state, and dropped over 28 inches of rain over the Houston area alone, causing over $4 billion dollars in damage. The storm then moved to Florida and up the east coast causing damage as far as Pennsylvania. The meteorologists called Allison the "worst tropical storm in history".

There are many more examples of this phenomenon listed here:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1055/1055_01.asp?wpc=1055_01.asp&wpp=b

So will the United States continue to mock God and continue to try to divide up the land of Israel?

Let's hope not.

New Bill Will Turn Old Military Bases Into FEMA Camps

On January 22nd, Representative Alcee Hastings [D-FL] introduced a new bill in the U.S. House of Representatives called the National Emergency Centers Act (also known as HR 645).

If Congress passes this bill, the Department of Homeland Security will be REQUIRED to establish national emergency centers (FEMA camps) on closed military bases.

For years, mainstream apologists have tried to deny that the government was putting together a network of FEMA detention camps across the United States. But now the wording of this new law would require that closed military bases be converted into Homeland Security "emergency centers". Just check out this language from the bill: "Wherever possible, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall designate a closed military installation as a site for a national emergency center."

You can see the entire text of this new bill here:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-645

Let's take a look at some of the specific language in this bill.....

"In accordance with the requirements of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish not fewer than 6 national emergency centers on military installations."

This law would require that AT LEAST 6 FEMA camps be established on military installations around the United States. But it does not set a maximum. So the number of FEMA camps established under this law could be 6 or it could be 60.

"(4) to meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security."

This language gives the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to use these FEMA camps for any purpose that he or she wishes. That is a truly sobering thought.

".....capable of meeting for an extended period of time the housing, health, transportation, education, public works, humanitarian and other transition needs of a large number of individuals affected by an emergency or major disaster"

Note that the law would require that these FEMA camps be able to house (or imprison?) large populations for an extended period of time. There camps are not just being set up as command and control centers - they are being designed to hold "a large number of individuals".

".....capable of hosting the infrastructure necessary to rapidly adjust to temporary housing"

Once again we see that these FEMA camps specifically have the purpose of "housing" people.

(c) Location of National Emergency Centers- There shall be established not fewer than one national emergency center in each of the following areas:

(1) The area consisting of Federal Emergency Management Agency Regions I, II, and III.

(2) The area consisting of Federal Emergency Management Agency Region IV.

(3) The area consisting of Federal Emergency Management Agency Regions V and VII.

(4) The area consisting of Federal Emergency Management Agency Region VI.

(5) The area consisting of Federal Emergency Management Agency Regions VIII and X.

(6) The area consisting of Federal Emergency Management Agency Region IX.

Please note that the law REQUIRES that at least one of these FEMA camps be established in specific FEMA regions.

Which FEMA region do YOU live in?

If the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Defense jointly determine that there is not a sufficient number of closed military installations that meet the requirements of subsections (b) and (c), the Secretaries shall jointly designate portions of existing military installations other than closed military installations as national emergency centers.

This part of the bill actually requires the use of an active military base for a FEMA camp if there are not enough closed military bases to do the job.

Where do you think the FEMA camp closest to your house will be established?

Are you ready to go to a "national emergency center" when the government declares martial law?

What will your response be if they come to put you on a train that will take you and your family to one of these camps?

But you know what one of the saddest things is?

The machinery of martial law is being put into place, and the American people are hardly uttering a peep in protest.

Does The God Of The New Testament Really "Judge" People?

For one moment I would like you to imagine a scenario with me.....

Imagine a society where the police always caught the criminals. But after always catching the criminals, the justice system let them go every single time with absolutely no punishment for their crimes.

What kind of society would that be?

Would that be a just society?

Would that be a fair society?

What would it be like for criminals and murderers and rapists and child molesters to be running around knowing that even if they get caught there will never, ever be any penalty for any of the crimes they are committing.

Would that be a society that you would want to live in?

What would you call a justice system that had results like that?

Even though justice in our current society is far from perfect, at least there is an attempt to catch criminals and bring them to justice.

But you know what?

A large percentage of Christians in America today believe that God is just like that first justice system that never, ever punished the criminals.

Today many Christians believe that God would never punish anyone for anything.

After all, "judgment" was an "Old Testament" thing, right?

Wrong.

The truth is that God is a God of perfect love AND of perfect justice.

The judgment of God is very real.

In 2 Timothy 4:1, the apostle Paul tells us that God will judge the inhabitants of this world:

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead

In 1 Peter 4:5, the apostle Peter echoes the same sentiments:

But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

In Hebrews 13:4 it tells us that God will judge those who are sexually immoral:

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

In Revelation 11:18 we are told that God will destroy those who destroy the earth:

The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.

In Hebrews 9:27 we are reminded that we only get one life (no reincarnation) and after that we face judgment:

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment

Well, what about Jesus?

Wasn't his message all about peace and love?

Well, yes it was.

But also there was NOBODY in the Bible who talked about hell more than Jesus did. Just consider a few examples.....

Matthew 5:29

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Matthew 23:33

"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

Luke 12:5

But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

The reality is that the Scriptures consistently tell us that a judgment is coming. In John 3:36 it says this:

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.

The Bible consistently teaches that without Jesus to pay for our sins that we remain under the wrath of God. The love of God is very powerfully portrayed in Scripture, but also the perfect justice of God is also very powerfully portrayed. Just consider the picture of God's justice that is painted in the following passage of Scripture.....

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

But people don't like to hear about God's justice. They don't WANT to hear that judgment is coming. In fact, the people of today sound very much like the people that the apostle Paul was describing in Romans 2:5.....

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

That's right.

Most people today are terribly stubborn.

They don't think they need God.

They think they can do whatever they want.

Even many people who "believe" that God exists think that He would NEVER judge them.

However, if we turn to the end of the book we read about the final judgment of humanity, and it should be sobering for all of us when we read what is to happen.....

Revelation 20:11-15

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

So is there any good news? Yes, there most definitely is.

Remember, God is a God of perfect love AND of perfect justice.

We stand guilty before God because of our sins, but God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for OUR sins.

In John 5:24 it describes the destiny of those who are willing to accept Jesus into their lives and receive that forgiveness.....

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can receive Jesus Christ into your life, then we would encourage you to read the following information.....

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1049/1049_01.asp

Were The New Testament Documents Considered Scripture By The Early Church?

Who decided what books were going to make it into the New Testament?

Were the New Testament documents considered to be Scripture by the early church?

You know, the truth is that most Christians have not even considered these questions.

Most Christians don't even think about them.

Even though there has been a relentless assault on the Bible in movies, television, books and on the internet, most Christians still stick their heads in the sand and won't even think about where the Bible originally came from.

Rather than being able to defend the Bible, we have noticed that most believers in Christ have NO IDEA where the Bible came from.

In particular, we have noticed that there is substantial confusion even among Christian leaders regarding the development of the New Testament.

Even most pastors have fallen for the misconception that a bunch of people sat around a big table during some grand "council" (such as the Council of Nicaea) called by Rome and picked out which books would go into the New Testament.

Hopefully after enough people read this article this question will be settled once and for all.

First of all, the canon of the New Testament was not even remotely on the agenda at the Council of Nicaea:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea

But that fact hasn't stopped Dan Brown, the author of the Davinci Code, and many others from trying to promote the claim that that New Testament books were not decided upon until the 4th century during the Roman Catholic councils.

So does this ridiculous claim have any merit whatsoever?

Well, for starters, Dan Brown is not a religious expert in the least. In fact, Dan Brown admitted in court that his wife did most of the research for the Davinci Code:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/mar/12/books.danbrown

The truth of the matter is that the Davinci Code is interesting fiction, but the facts about the development of the New Testament tell us an entirely different story:

Fact #1) Paul's letters were already considered scripture in the mid 1st century. Take a look at how the apostle Peter himself called Paul's letters Scripture:

2 Peter 3:14-16

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

This passage demonstrates that the apostle Peter himself believed that the letters of Paul were part of Scripture in the middle of the first century. In fact, this was so obvious to the apostle Peter that he mentions this fact as if it is common knowledge.

Fact #2) The apostle Paul, writing between A.D. 62 and A.D. 65, quoted Luke 10:7 and called it Scripture.

First, take a look at Luke 10:7.....

Luke 10:7

Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.

Now look at how the apostle Paul quoted Luke 10:7 as Scripture in 1 Timothy 5:18.....

For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."

This clearly establishes that the apostle Paul himself considered the gospel of Luke to be Scripture in the middle of the 1st century. It is not surprising that the apostle Paul had access to the gospel of Luke since it was written by his traveling companion Luke.

Fact #3) Irenaeus, writing about 170 A.D., tells us that the four-fold gospel was already a rock solid fact by then:

But it is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are. For since there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds, while the church has been scattered throughout the world, and since the "pillar and ground" of the church is the Gospel and the spirit of life, it is fitting that she should have four pillars, breathing incorruption on every side, and vivifying human afresh. From this fact, it is evident that the Logos, the fashioner [demiourgos] of all, he that sits on the cherubim and holds all things together, when he was manifested to humanity, gave us the gospel under four forms but bound together by one spirit. (Against Heresies 3.11.8)

If the four gospels had already been well established by 170 A.D., then how in the world can anyone claim that the four gospels were picked out in the 4th century?

Fact #4) The fact of the four-fold gospel is also reflected in the "Muratorian Fragment" which was written about the same time (around 170 A.D.) that Irenaeus was writing. The Muratorian Fragment lists for us almost the entire New Testament canon. The document may have indeed been a complete list of New Testament books, but we only have a portion of the ancient document. While we do not have the very beginning of the document or the very end of the document, the portion of the document that we do have tells us that there are FOUR (and only four) gospels.

Fact #5) We have approximately 50 manuscripts of the New Testament that PRE-DATE the Roman takeover of the established church in the 4th century. So there WAS a New Testament before Rome ever called a "council".

Fact #6) We have more than 32 THOUSAND New Testament quotations from the early church writers of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. In fact, we could recreate virtually the entire New Testament just from the scripture quotations of the early church writers of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. We can be QUITE certain that the New Testament we have today has come down to us just as it was from the earliest days, and we can be QUITE certain of what the early Christians of the 2nd and 3rd centuries considered to be Scripture.

Yes, the Roman government came along in the 4th century and corrupted and paganized the institutional church. There were many Christians who resisted this, and they were persecuted brutally. However, Christianity and the Bible were doing JUST FINE before Rome ever came on the scene. Anyone who says that the books of the New Testament were selected in the 4th century simply does not know their history.

What Will You Do When The World Begins To Run Out Of Water?

Once upon a time it was believed that humanity would always have an almost endless supply of fresh, clean water. Those days are gone. For the first time ever, ecologists are using the term "peak ecological water" to describe the approaching reality that the world is rapidly running out of clean fresh water.

While other environmental issues get the headlines, the danger of the world's looming water crisis is severely underreported by the world's media.

According to Dr. Peter Gleick, the president of the Pacific Institute, this crisis is one that people need to start paying attention to quickly: "Is there such a thing as ‘peak water’? There is a vast amount of water on the planet—but we are facing a crisis of running out of sustainably managed water."

In the same press release, Dr. Gleick also added this: "billions still lack the most basic water services."

It certainly doesn't help that some of the worst drought conditions in a generation are being experienced around the globe right now.....

*Australia recently experienced the worst drought it has ever recorded. In fact, according to the Australian government, the word "drought" makes farmers feel depressed and should be replaced with the word "dryness".

*California officials say that the drought in 2009 may be the worst in California history.

*Farmers in Argentina are struggling with the worst drought in 70 years.

*CNN reported that much of the U.S. is now experiencing a drought, and experts says that things could get much worse.

*In fact, 71 percent of Texas is in some stage of drought.

The extent of the problem facing all of us cannot be understated. The following are some very disturbing facts about the world's water crisis from water expert Maude Barlow.....

-Every eight seconds a child dies from drinking dirty water.

-A new desert the size of Rhode Island is created in China because of drought every single year.

-In the developing world, 90% of wastewater is discharged completely untreated into local rivers.

-By the year 2050, 1.7 billion people will live in "dire water poverty" and will be forced to relocate.

-Half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by people who have contracted waterborne diseases.

-The World Health Organization says contaminated water is the cause of 80% of all sickness and disease worldwide.

-Newborns in the global north consume 40 to 70 times more water than in the global south.

-In China, 80% of the major rivers are so polluted they don't support aquatic life at all.

-The women of South Africa collectively walk the equivalent distance to the moon and back 16 times a day for water.

What are you going to do when the world's fresh water really starts to run out?

During these end times it will be imperative that you have a reliable source of clean water for you and your family.

The truth is that the water crisis is getting worse every single day. If this problem is not addressed soon we will be facing a worldwide tragedy of a magnitude that is unimaginable.

Why Do Christians Say Jesus Is The Only Way To Heaven?

Have you ever wondered why Christians would be so intolerant to say that their religion is the only right way? Isn't it arrogant to say that only members of one religion are going to heaven while everyone in all the other religions are not?

Doesn't it seem silly to say to people: "Out of all the religions in the world, you better pick the right one, because if you pick wrong you will not win the lottery to get into heaven"?

How could Christians believe this?

After all, didn't Jesus teach understanding and tolerance towards all other religions?

Well, no.

The reality is that Christians believe that Jesus is the only way because Jesus said so Himself.

In John 14:6, Jesus said this:

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Hmmmm, that sounds pretty exclusive to me.

So, was Jesus wrong?

Was Jesus a liar?

His apostles taught this exclusivity as well.....

In Acts 4:12, Peter said this:

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

The reality is that salvation is found in Jesus alone.

If there were other ways to get to God, then there was NO reason for Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.

Jesus could have just come, taught us about all the other ways to get to heaven and have our sins forgiven, and then could have left without ever going to the cross.

But the reality is that there is no other payment for our sins.

That is why Jesus HAD to go to the cross.

Being man, Jesus could die for the sins of men, and being God, Jesus could die for an infinite number of sins.

Jesus paid for your sins and my sins and the sins of the whole world so that we could be forgiven and so we could have eternal life.

In John 3:36 it says the following:

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

So, if you do not receive the free gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ you WILL NOT see eternal life.

Well, some may argue, what about all the people before Jesus came?

The truth is that the people who worshipped God before Jesus came were looking towards the Messiah just as we now are looking back on the coming of the Messiah. The "Old Testament" was packed with prophecies about the Messiah, and almost all of the ceremonies in the Old Testament prophetically foreshadowed the life, ministry, death, resurrection and second coming of the Messiah who would come and pay for their sins. There has always been just one true religion.

Well, you may ask, how do you know that Christianity is true?

After all, most other religions must be accepted on blind faith, because there is no real evidence to back the claims of other religions up.

But that IS NOT the case with Christianity.

When it comes to Christianity, there is literally a mountain of evidence.

If you are not familiar with the evidence for Christianity, the following is a good place to start:

http://evidenceforchristianity.blogspot.com/2008/10/do-logic-reason-modern-science-make.html

The truth is that Christianity is not about blind faith.

In fact, you can know 100 percent for certain if you are going to heaven or if you are headed for the lake of fire.

In 1 John 5:11-13 it says this:

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

I love that last part - "so that you may know that you have eternal life."

Now, if you believe that, there is something else you need to realize.

If Christianity is true, then it is the most important issue to every man, woman and child on the entire earth.

If you have found eternal life through Jesus Christ, then you have a moral responsibility to share that good news with other people.

In Mark 16:15-16, Jesus impressed this point upon his disciples with these sobering words:

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Jesus echoed these same sentiments at the very end of the book of Matthew.

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus uttered these famous words:

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

The reality is that there is only one true path. Only Jesus died on the cross for you. Only Jesus can save you. If you want to know more about this Jesus and about how He died on the cross for your sins and about how you can have eternal life through faith in Him, then we would recommend the following resource for you to check out:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1049/1049_01.asp

A Chinese Expert Proclaims That China Is Likely To Experience "An Epidemic" Of Human Bird Flu Cases In The Coming Months

One Chinese health official stated yesterday that China was likely to experience "an epidemic" of human bird flu cases in the coming months. This chilling warning comes at a time when China has announced its fourth human case of the bird flu in January alone.

Wow!

This is getting frightening.

Another article on the Chinese bird flu situation has this headline: "China Fears Bird Flu Could Kill Thousands During Lunar New Year". That article described how medical experts now fear that bird flu could soon develop into a form that will cause a "pandemic that could kill millions of people worldwide."

Bird flu seems to become a bigger problem each year, and this year in particular it is hitting Asia really hard. In particular, India is on the verge of a bird flu panic as rumors of human to human bird flu transmission have also been spreading there.

Health authorities in Assam recently placed 300,000 people under surveillance in areas where the bird flu was spreading among poultry. Recent reports indicated that 150 people were suffering from fever and upper respiratory infections there.

The bird flu virus spread rapidly among poultry in six Assam districts. Authorities are claiming that the bird flu has now reached "epidemic" proportions among the birds of that area. More than 250,000 poultry have been slaughtered in Assam and an estimated 150,000 more birds were scheduled to be killed.

India had been hoping that the bird flu would be more under control this season. The World Health Organization described the January 2008 outbreak of the bird flu in neighboring West Bengal state, when more than 4 million birds were killed, as the worst bird flu outbreak ever in India.

However, it is not just India that is having massive problems with the bird flu. The disease is causing headlines all over Asia:

*Cambodia recently confirmed a new human case of the bird flu.

*Several weeks ago a hospital in Indonesia was overwhelmed when it admitted 17 patients believed to have bird flu in just 2 days.

*The government of Hong Kong recently shut down all chicken farms and markets, killed 80,000 chickens and halted chicken imports from mainland China after the bird flu virus was detected at a poultry farm there.

The bird flu is even popping up in the United States again. FoxNews is reporting that bird flu was recently found in a duck in the state of Rhode Island.

The truth is that the bird flu is as big of a threat as it ever has been. With all of humanity's technological advances, the reality is that a serious flu pandemic could still race across the earth and kill millions of us easily.

What will you do if a bird flu pandemic races across the world and millions start dying?

How do you think your neighbors will react?

Are you ready?

You better get ready.

Sarah Palin Believes That Jesus Is Coming Back In Her Lifetime

According to one resident of Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin told him that she believes that Jesus Christ will return to earth during her lifetime.

Wasilla resident, Phil Munger, a music composer and teacher said this about Palin: "She looked in my eyes and said, 'Yes, I think I will see Jesus come back to earth in my lifetime'."

While most Americans may find this belief strange, a significant minority of Americans do believe that they will see Jesus Christ actually return to earth while they are still alive.

One Associated Press survey revealed that 24% of American adults expect to still be alive when Jesus returns to this earth.

So is there any rational reason for Palin and these other Americans to believe that Jesus could be coming back to earth during our lifetimes?

Well, many Christians would argue that there are ancient prophecies that are being fulfilled in our lifetimes right in front of our very eyes.

Below are just a few examples.....

1) The rebirth of Israel and the rebuilding of the Temple.

Did you know that no nation that has ceased to exist has EVER come back into being after 2000 years of not being a nation?

But the Bible says that Israel would once again be a nation in the end times and that the Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem.

See Ezekiel 37, 2 Thessalonians 2, Revelation 11, etc.

Result: THAT HAPPENED AND IS HAPPENING

For more information on the rebuilding of the Jewish temple, go to the link below and click on "Preparations for the Rebuilding of the Temple":

http://www.christian.tv/index.php?module=ctv&action=mediaCenter&cid=22

2) The rebirth of the Roman Empire.

Did you realize that the Bible predicts a resurgence of the Roman Empire in the last days?

See Daniel 2, Daniel 7, etc.

Result: THAT IS HAPPENING

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union

3) The Bible foretold that we would have to have a mark on our right hand or on our forehead to buy or sell.

See Revelation 13

Result: THAT IS HAPPENING - Are you ready for the soon coming Mark of the Beast?

http://themoralcollapseofamerica.blogspot.com/2008/09/uks-biggest-credit-card-provider-says.html

4) The Bible foretold that there would be an army of 200 million men.

Prior to the 20th century the population of the world was such that an army of that magnitude was absolutely inconceivable.

See Revelation 9:16

Result: THAT IS HAPPENING

http://www.trumpetmin.org/prophecy.htm

5) The Bible foretold a time when all the people of the earth would look upon God's prophets in Jerusalem.

Before television and modern communications that would be IMPOSSIBLE.

But now, since the 20th century, the prophecy of Revelation 11:9 can be fulfilled.

See Revelation 11:9

The truth is that there is so much prophecy that is being fulfilled right in front of our eyes, and yet so many are willingly blind to it.

At least Sarah Palin realizes what is going on.

Did you also know that the second coming of Jesus the Messiah was written about in the Old Testament hundreds of years before Jesus even came the first time?

Check out the following amazing scriptures. In the book of Daniel, it talks about a "son of man" that is given "authority, glory and sovereign power" and that "men of every language" worship Him. It also says that His kingdom will NEVER be destroyed.....

Daniel 7:13-18

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 'The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.'

This next piece of Scripture from the book of Zechariah even tells us EXACTLY WHERE Jesus will return to this earth. (Hint: it is exactly the place where he left this earth from).

Zechariah 14:3-4

Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.

So we know that when Jesus returns to earth it will be at the Mount of Olives and that the Mount of Olives will actually split in two at His return.

But sometimes non-believers will mock you when you tell them about the return of Christ.

In 2 Peter 3:3-4, the Bible even promises that people would mock the second coming of Jesus Christ in the last days.....

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

Indeed, one of the objections you will run into when you start sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with people goes something like this:

"Well, the early Christians believed that Jesus would return in their lifetimes, and since He didn't, then Christianity must not be true".

Now, those of us who know the Word of God know this is totally false.

In fact, the Bible is VERY clear that Jesus would not return right away.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 we read this.....

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?


We see here that the apostle Paul tells us that there are certain events that must occur before Jesus returns.

Among those things that must happen is that the "man of lawlessness" must be revealed. This "man of lawlessness" is most commonly referred to as the antichrist. This antichrist will cause extraordinary havoc during a 7 year period of time that the Bible calls "the Great Tribulation" (Revelation 7:15).

After that 7 year period of time of extreme difficulty and chaos, Jesus Christ will return in a moment that will be the most dramatic in all of human history. Matthew 24:29-30 describes what that moment will be like.....

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Are you looking forward to the return of Jesus Christ?

Are you ready?

Something to think about.....

God Is The Most Radical Environmentalist Of Them All

Today there are many voices telling us that we should take care of the environment, but humanity is doing more damage to the environment than ever. We are filling up our air, land, rivers and oceans with a never ending onslaught of toxins, chemicals, carcinogens, pharmaceutical drugs, plastics and human waste.

We are destroying the habitats of thousands of species and we are now seeing extinctions at an unprecedented pace.

We are raping the earth's resources and are depleting them at a staggering rate that much of humanity simply does not understand.

We are depleting the oceans and the topsoil so rapidly through overfishing and overfarming that the ability of humanity to feed itself in the future is seriously in question.

We are genetically modifying crops, plants, animals and almost anything else we can get our hands on. In doing so, we are permanently altering our ecosystem, our food supply and our genetic future.

If all of that wasn't enough, the use of depleted uranium munitions and other forms of modern weaponry is causing environmental destruction of a type that we have never seen before in human history.

All of this environmental destruction is devastating animal and plant life around the earth, it is causing much of humanity to get sick with a variety of frightening sicknesses and diseases, and it is bringing into serious question the ability of the human race to survive in the long term.

Do any of you still have any doubt that we are the most wasteful society in the history of the world?

For those of you who have ANY doubt that we are the most wasteful group of people in the history of the world, go here and watch this 20 minute video entitled "The Story of Stuff":

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

The reality is that we are gluttons and pigs and horrible caretakers of this planet.

But the God of the Bible is the ultimate environmentalist.

You don't believe me?

Consider some of the following examples.....

Exodus 23:10-11

"For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove."

Not even the most wacked out environmentalist would suggest making farmers rest their land once every seven years.

But can you say "overfarming"?

Can you say "depletion of the topsoil"?

Perhaps the God of the Bible knew what He was doing after all.

Leviticus 19:19

"Keep my decrees. Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material."

Surely this command must be unreasonable!

So no polyester?

No nylon?

No genetic engineering?

No genetically modified crops?

Only 100 percent biodegradable clothing for everyone?

No clothing and other junk filling up landfills forever and ever?

Perhaps God knew EXACTLY what He was doing after all.

The reality is that God has known exactly what is best of us all along, and when we do our own thing we really, really mess things up.

And the truth is that the Bible says that God is going to judge those who destroy the earth....

Revelation 11:18

"The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great— and for destroying those who destroy the earth."

The truth is that we all need to repent for our greedy and selfish ways.

God entrusted this earth to mankind and told us to take care of it.

But we didn't.

We have raped the earth.

Not only that, but we have broken God's laws in just about every way imaginable.

We have all sinned over and over and over, and we all stand guilty before God.

But the good news is that there is forgiveness for our sins if we are willing to receive it, and that forgiveness comes through Jesus Christ:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1049/1049_01.asp

YES Or NO: Will You Take The Chip When They Come For You?

Under the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), the FDA is going to start requiring the microchipping of certain types of farm animals and livestock. The homeless, hospital patients and employees of certain corporations are being microchipped in some areas of the United States. This is a technology that is spreading and is not going to go away. What will you do when one day they come to chip you?

Will you take a microchip someday when the government requires you to do so?

Please answer YES or NO and feel free to explain your answer in the comments section below.

Will you willingly take the chip when they come for you?

It may be really easy to resist it when they introduce it on a voluntary basis at first.

But will you resist it when you cannot have a bank account without it?

Will you resist when you cannot buy or sell without it?

What will you do?

Where will you live?

How will you buy food?

Will you resist when they start putting people without the chip into camps?

Will you resist when they start waterboarding you?

What about when they threaten to put a nail through your eye?

What about when they put you in a cramped, windowless cell and they turn out all the lights and they let dozens of hungry rats in?

What about when they start torturing your children right in front of you?

Will you still resist then?

Will you still resist when they threaten to burn all of your skin off with acid and then throw you into a blazing fire?

Is it worth it for you to resist?

Why not just make things easy on yourself and take the chip and then you can stay in your house and buy and sell and you can go to work and live normally and the new world order will get of your back?

Perhaps you think that you will never have to face such a choice.

But the Bible says that everyone will face this kind of a choice in the end times.

It will be known as "the Mark of the Beast" and we don't know exactly what form it will take, but Revelation 13:16-17 tells us that if you do not have it on your right hand or your forehead you will not be able to buy or sell without it.....

He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Revelation 14:9-11 tells us the ultimate destiny for ANYONE who takes the Mark of the Beast:

A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."

Will you have the power to resist the Mark of the Beast when the time comes?

There are some who will.

Only those who have Jesus will have the power to resist when that day comes. I urge you to invite Him into your life today.....

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1049/1049_01.asp

Evangelical Pastor On Hell: "It Isn't Sexy Enough Anymore"

In Christian churches across America, the topic of hell has almost virtually disappeared. Even in evangelical churches the concept of hell is hardly ever mentioned any longer as many churches now consider the idea of hell to be "too negative" to preach from the pulpit.

A stunning new article from the San Francisco Chronicle entitled "Hell losing its fire in American sermons" really got our attention today. It described how hell is literally vanishing from churches across the United States.

In the article, the Chronicle quoted Bruce Shelley, a senior professor of church history at Denver Theological Seminary as saying this: "Churches are under enormous pressure to be consumer-oriented. Churches today feel the need to be appealing rather than demanding."

Bill Faris, the pastor of Crown Valley Vineyard Christian Fellowship put it this way: "It isn't sexy enough anymore."

For those who are familiar with the Christian movement in America, this should not come as a surprise. The reality is that the trend is now for churches to focus much more on the quality of this present life than to consider what is going to happen in the next life.

But does hell actually exist?

Is it a real place?

Well, there is one gentleman who is telling people all over the United States that not only is hell real, but that he has been there.

Bill Wiese claims that he was given a 23 minute tour of Hell, and he is not shy about describing the absolute unspeakable misery that lost souls have to endure there.

Bill Wiese claims that he witnessed the searing flames of hell, felt total isolation, experienced the putrid and rotting stench of burning people, heard deafening screams of agony, and saw terrorizing demons.

At the end of Bill Wiese's experience, he claims that the strong hand of God lifted him out of the pit.

He also heard Jesus say: "Tell them I am coming very, very soon!"

It took him 1 year just to settle down from his experience. After his life changing ordeal, he spent seven years studying the Scriptures to find answers about what he went through.

Everyone is curious about the afterlife, and in the video linked to below, Wiese shares his insights to commonly asked questions such as:

* Is hell a literal burning place?

* Where is hell?

* Do you have a body in hell?

* Are there degrees of punishment in hell?

* Are there children in hell?

* Can demons torment people in hell?

* Can "good" people go to hell?

Before you dismiss the idea of hell, you should seriously watch this video.

But is it fair that some people are going to go to hell?

Have you ever thought about that question much?

It is an incredibly important question.

Is it really and truly fair that some people are going to hell instead of heaven?

Why not just let everyone into heaven and make everyone happy?

It's a fair question.

So what is the answer?

Well, one thing that we have learned through all these years is that God seems to really value the idea of meaningful choice.

So let's set up a scenario.....

Imagine that your sister was just raped and tortured brutally by some sick, twisted, perverted, arrogant man who had been doing the same thing to other women for years and years.

How would you feel if that happened?

It is quite likely that you would probably be enraged beyond belief. Your anger would probably be absolutely exploding inside of you. Your very soul would be crying out for justice.

But then you receive some good news......the rapist has been caught and he is going to go before the judge.

You feel (perhaps naively) that now you are going to get some real justice.

However, at the trial, the judge says to the rapist, "Well, you made a few little mistakes, but you are alright with me dude......let's go hit the bars. I need a drink. Case dismissed!"

How would that make you feel?

The reality is that evil deserves to be punished, and any judge that refuses to punish evil is a wicked judge.

What if God said to Adolf Hitler: "Ah I see you killed six million Jews, but I'm cool with that......come and let me show you around your mansion."

Would God say that?

Of course God would never say that!

The reality is that God is a God of perfect love AND of perfect justice.

Evil deserves to be punished, and God is certainly going to punish it.

Imagine if all the wicked men in high places today got away with their wickedness not only here on earth but in eternity as well.

Would that be fair?

Imagine if all child rapists got away with their wicked crimes and never received any punishment.

Would that be fair?

The truth is that most people raise this issue because they don't want to be accountable to God or anyone else.

The heart of this objection is that people do not trust God's punishment to be just.

Those who are guilty rarely think they deserve their punishment, while those of us on the outside looking in usually feel that the guilty deserve more punishment. Ask the majority of inmates in our prisons today.....very few of them would admit that they got what they deserved.

So what do we truly know about the coming punishment? We do know from the scriptures that there will be varying levels of judgement:

Matthew 11:20-24

Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

So is your judgment going to be the same as that for Satan or for the person next to you? The scriptures seem to indicate not.

God is just, and we can trust God that all of his judgments will be perfectly just. We do not need to worry about that.

But the reality is that the Bible very clearly says that there is punishment for sin. Just consider the following piece of Scripture.....

Revelation 20:10-15

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

So is there any good news?

Yes there is!

God is a God of perfect love and of perfect justice.

God loves you and Jesus took your judgment on Himself at the cross.

Jesus paid for all the sins of mankind through His death on the cross.

Being man, Jesus could die for the sins of men.

Being God, Jesus could die for an infinite amount of sins.

We all stand guilty before God, but out of His great love Jesus willingly died in our place and took our penalty for our sins.

What amazing love!

If you ask Jesus into your life, you can have eternal life in heaven with Him, and that is great news!

It is those who receive the gift of forgiveness that Jesus purchased for us that will have eternal life in heaven.....

I John 5:11-13

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

If you would like to know how you can invite Jesus into your life and have your sins forgiven forever, then we would encourage you to check this out:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0001/0001_01.asp

Is It Wrong To Genetically Modify Humans To Make Them Better?

We have already genetically modified much of our food and many of our animals to make them "better", so would it be wrong to take the next step and genetically modify humans to come up with "better" people?

After all, on Monday Jonathan Roman authored an article in the Guardian in which he insisted that "there's nothing immoral about becoming partners with God in the work of creation."

If we can cause our fruits and vegetables to grow larger and have them last longer on the store shelves by genetically modifying them, why not use this same technology to improve mankind?

Already our advanced knowledge of genetics is beginning to be used to weed out potential diseases.

Consider this headline from earlier this week: Britain's First Breast Cancer Gene-Free Designer Baby Born.

Doctors at the University College Hospital in London "created" a number of embryos for the baby's parents and screened them for the variant BRCA1 gene which supposedly leads to a higher risk of breast cancer. Then they picked out one of the embryos without the gene.

So what happens to the embryos that were not used? Perhaps they were frozen for future use. Perhaps they were dumped in the wastebasket.

Of course they make it sound really great. The mother was able to pick an embryo that is very unlikely to develop breast cancer. Who would be mean enough to be against that?

That is how they always introduce these things.

They make it sound like they are saving lives and preventing disease.

They make it sound wonderful.

But what about choosing embryos with blue eyes and blonde hair over other embryos?

Wouldn't choosing children who look more appealing give them a better chance for a happier life?

Consider the questions that are raised about this issue in the following video.....

But why should we simply stop there?

Why not combine humans with other types of lifeforms?

Who wouldn't want to create a stronger, faster human that could live far longer?

Shouldn't we allow science to be free to move there experiments in any direction that they think will be for the good of humanity?

Imagine a world where the government uses your DNA without your consent to create human/animal hybrid creatures for bizarre scientific experiments. Does that sound like a plot to a far-fetched Hollywood film? It's not.

The U.K. House of Commons recently passed a law entitled the "Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill" that allows human/animal embryos to be created through cloning which scientists may then use for "scientific" experiments.

Where will the scientists get the DNA they need for this cloning? Well, another provision in the bill allows scientists to take DNA from certain classes of people without their consent. So if you live in the U.K., and you belong to one of those classes of people, you can now be cloned without your consent.

Does any of this disturb you?

It should.

Did you realize that the 3000 year old book of Jasher (a book of ancient history that is quoted in the Biblical books of Joshua and II Samuel) tells of evil genetic engineering that was going on in the days of Noah?

You can find the text of the book of Jasher here:

http://www.ccel.org/a/anonymous/jasher/4.htm

Of particular interest is Jasher 4:18.....

"and the sons of men in those days took from the cattle of the earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other, in order therewith to provoke the Lord"

The truth is that all of this genetic modification is not something new.

According to the book of Jasher, this type of wickedness was going on just before Noah's flood.

Now we are doing the exact same thing in our day, but we think we are so "advanced". The reality is that we are only "advanced" in wickedness.

We are opening up a door to great evil, and the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:37 very appropriately describe the current state of affairs.....

"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."

Barack Obama: The Most Pro-Abortion President In History?

We are only a few days away from the inauguration of President Barack Obama. During the campaign, Barack Obama left little doubt where he stands on the issue of abortion. Now that he is about to be sworn in, will he continue to be so stridently pro-abortion?

On the campaign trail, Barack Obama told the American people exactly what his first act as president would be:

"The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do."

-- Senator Barack Obama, speaking to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, July 17, 2007

The Freedom of Choice Act is truly an insidious piece of legislation. It would basically invalidate every single restriction on abortion in every U.S. state - even those that the Supreme Court of the United States previously found consistent with Roe v. Wade.

The Freedom of Choice Act would invalidate all parental notification laws, waiting period laws, and all requirements for full disclosure of the physical and emotional risks of having an abortion.

It would also overturn the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, and it would deny the right of religiously-based hospitals to refuse to perform abortions.

So that is what Barack Obama would accomplish.

On his first day.

Since 1973, more than 40 MILLION innocent babies have been chopped up and slaughtered in the American abortion mills.

What the United States has done is beyond imagination. The reality is that we have dissected our babies, burned them alive, sucked their brains out and yet the American people seem to care about this issue less than ever.

How far down the toilet have we gone as a society when we kill about a million babies a year, and nobody even gets upset about it anymore?

Is there any hope?

Is there any chance that Barack Obama could change his mind?

Well, Barack Obama is so rabidly pro-abortion that he even voted AGAINST a bill that would have provided medical care for infants that survived an abortion procedure. Even Hillary Clinton was not in favor of that.

For a full examination of what Obama believes regarding abortion watch the following video.....



It is time for all of us to wake up to the horror of abortion.

Let's take a really quick look at one very cruel method of abortion which the Freedom of Choice Act would once again legalize.....

Five steps to a partial birth abortion:

1) Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's legs with forceps.

2) The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.

3) The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.

4) The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the skull.

5) The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.

America must wake up while it still can.

This is a tragedy of unprecedented magnitude that cannot be ignored. Let us pray that the leaders of this country will awaken to the horror of this national slaughter.