The following is Part 4 of this 6-part series ....

-- Spiritual Signs --

Hey everybody ... This is a BIG one, so let's get started .... The Gospel narratives picture the Pharisees & Sadducees, the official religious leaders of Jesus' time, walking around in a spiritual fog. .. They simply didn't recognize that the Son of God was walking around in their midst! .... Why? ... Either they didn't understand the prophecies .. or .. they just ignored them completely! (complacent) ...   These same religious leaders asked Jesus to show them a sign from heaven. (Matthew 16:2) .. Jesus' response cut to the heart of their insensitivity ... "You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."   (Matthew 16:3) ... Simply, prophecy was being fulfilled before their very eyes and they couldn't see it! .... Think this is true today? .. You bet it is! ... Spiritual deception, as prophesied by Jesus Himself in Matthew 24:5, 11 & 24, is exploding all around us! .. False prophets & teachers, cults, and new Bible translations that totally distort the true teachings abounds in today's society. ..   Let's for a moment look at 2 Timothy 4:3-4 ... "For a time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4) They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." ..... The time Paul was telling Timothy about here ('For a time will come') is today's time .. the last days.   Unsound doctrine is flourishing in most every corner of the world right now. .. Just look right here at home. .. The likes of Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, and many others are 'adjusting' the scriptures to 'suit their own desires.' ... Rick Warren, for example, said that 'he's not certain if 'gay behavior is a sin.' ,,, He also is 'uniting with the Muslims under one banner to make us all more tolerant towards one another.' ...... and Kenneth Copeland is the self-annointed leader of the 'wealth movement,' which has garnered a huge following which includes many new leaders. ... Their basic premise is to have each of us give them lots of money, and by doing so, they say God will reward us greatly! ... Just an idea here, but why not have them just go directly to God for the money and eliminate us as the 'middle men' ... And by the way, just taking a quick glance at my concordance, and it shows some 22 verses in the New Testament that go directly against this 'wealth' theology. .. Here's just one .. "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Luke 16:13) .. Pretty plain, if you ask me ... And then there's Joel Osteen, which we will talk about more in a minute .....   Continuing on for a moment, here's another example of just how far some of our 'solid' leaders will go to 'suit their own desires' ... Just take a glance back to the 2012 Presidential election which featured a Mormon running on the Republican ticket. ... What I witnessed still sticks in my craw! .. Here's just three reasons why. .. Starting with Mike Huckabee, he stated this .. "Faith may not be the issue when it comes to politics." ... What?! .. You'll put aside your basic beliefs to justify voting for a member of a cult?! ... And then there's David Jeremiah, which told me and other Christians that "it is a sin not to vote." .. Again, What?! .. Lots of scripture come to mind to totally destroy this position, but not now. ...   And the third is Billy & Franklin Graham. .. After Romney visited them shortly before the election, all Mormon cult information was removed from their website and they placed ads in national publications in support of, once again, a member of a cult! ... Now I will say that the Grahams & Jeremiah have mostly very solid ministries, but this is a classic example of what can happen when we get 'caught up in something .. in this case, 'nationalism.' ... It's the 'Let's do anything to get our political agenda out front.' ... In 1 Timothy 4:1, Paul talks about how, in the last days, men will follow 'deceiving spirits' so as to achieve their own desires. ... I believe these examples are just some of what Paul was trying to tell us ......   There are so many more examples, but for the sake of time, I'll go to just two more ... and these two are the 'ultimate champions' of latter-day deception, in my opinion, at least .... The first is Joel Osteen. .. The following comment is from Hank Hanegraaff from the Christian Research Institute. ... "OSTEENification is nothing short of the wholesale transformation of American Christianity. The fresh new face of 'baptized' humanistic psychology - a new Babel reaching to the heavens, all the while promising 'your best life now.' In short, Joel Osteen is the de facto high priest of a new brand of Christianity perfectly suited for a feel-good generation. And his claim to America's largest church is just a small part of the story. With one billion impressions per month on Facebook & Twitter, he is the hip new personification of God-talk in America. But behind Osteenian self-affirmations - 'I am prosperous' - my God is a supersizing God' - there lies a darker hue. Behind the smile is a robust emphasis on that which is negative. If you are healthy and prosperous, words created your reality. Conversely, if your baby dies or your wife contracts cancer, you are the prime suspect. The moment you speak something out, you give birth to it. This is a spiritual principle, and it works whether what you are saying is good or bad, positive or negative."   In the previously quoted scripture of 2 Timothy 4:3-4, look again to verse 4 ... "They will turn away from the truth and turn aside to myths." .. MYTHS! .. This is exactly what Osteen, and other modern-day gurus are doing! ... Teaching myths! ... Things that are contrary to the truth of the Holy Scriptures! ... These seeker-friendly, no judgement, get rich quick, 'be a better me' theologies are NOT what was taught by the author of our faith. ... Today's primary goal for these 'smooth talkers' is to get as many as possible under their control which leads to their fame & fortune. ... And the real crime? ... Because of these ungodly teachings, many will miss out on the rewards of eternal bliss. .....   And finally .. (you may have already guessed) .. the last one has to be the current Pope! .. I mean, this guy will say and do anything to get you to like him and his church. .. OK, he starts out with a huge following - just because he IS the Pope - but now he's adding all the 'fluff & spin' that seems to accompany much of today's Christianity. .. Here's just a few examples ... Homosexuality is now just fine - don't worry about.! .. and then of course, atheists can now go to heaven - faith certainly isn't necessary to go! .. And oh yes, we serve the same God as the Muslims. .... Oh really? ... How do you 'merge submission with grace?'..... and this last one wins it all in my book ... when on a recent South American tour, if you were to follow him on Twitter, you would receive 'extra credit' towards an early release from Purgatory (the false Catholic teaching of a 'holding tank') ... and again, the people are rejoicing and in love!   Here's the bottom line ... Revelation 17 is clear in its teaching concerning the soon-coming World Church. ... It is my belief that the Vatican, which sits directly in the middle of the 'City of Seven Hills,' will be the headquarters of this world religion ... and all the stuff the Pope is doing and saying right now only lends to the strengthening of this whole operation. ... 'Appease Everyone! ... Say & do all things for all people! ... They will come running with open arms, because no matter what they say or do or how they live, it doesn't matter anymore!' ...... Simply, it is all BLASPHEMY! ... Trust me when I say, the "Great Whore" - the "Harlot" of Revelation 17 is rising and will soon 'partner' with the coming world leader (Anti-christ).   OK .. I could carry this subject on for hours & hours, sadly because there is so much of it going on all around us! .. But then, the Bible clearly tells us this would be the case in these final days .. again, pure proof-positive that we are, in fact, in the final throes of the Church Age. ....   I will close with what I consider one of the most amazing & overlooked prophetic scriptures in the Bible ... Daniel 12:8-9, which says .... "I heard, but I did not understand. So i asked, 'My Lord, what will the outcome of all this be?' 9) He replied, 'Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.' " .... WOW! ... If we do just two simple things .. first, read & learn the scriptures .. and then just look around, it is so simple to 'see it!' .. The scriptures are coming alive before our very eyes! .. The Lord's triumphant return is just a heartbeat away! .... Hallelujah! ...   Know that I love you all and so encourage each of you to be diligent in your walk as we draw ever closer .... If we stay strong, WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS! ...... Hallelujah! ...   Until Next time,   Red