Twitter, World Youth Day & Purgatory‏

Hello Friends!

Have you heard the latest antics protruding from the Church of Rome? Well, please allow me to explain… 

The Vatican is now offering time out of purgatory for those that follow the Pope on Twitter and follow the World Youth Day. Really?

 

As ridiculous as this may sound, Mr. Francis is quite serious. However, nowhere in the Holy Scriptures does one find the idea of Purgatory...

 

Twitter, World Youth Day & Purgatory

The Vatican has taken another step in its efforts to embrace social media by offering "indulgences" to followers of Pope Francis' (@Pontifex) Twitter account. So, how does that work? Great question! The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reports that the church will reduce the time Catholics have to spend in purgatory if they follow official Vatican events on TV, radio, and through social media. One such event is the Catholic World Youth Day, which took place in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, July 22nd. 

The Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins, will award the privilege to the faithful that follow the event using different forms of media. Pope Francis' followers are not immediately granted an indulgence for tracking the event, with the Apostolic Penitentiary noting that it would hinge on the user having previously confessed and being "truly penitent and contrite." Huh? Indulgences are given out when a Catholic performs an action recommended by the church. They're meant to encourage Catholics to lead a pious life, devoting themselves to charity and generally treating others with a Christian spirit. Is this really "salvation by works?" 

Although one may not be directly buying indulgences per se', one can apparently win them via social media savvy – a type of digital “get out of jail free” card. How clever! However, don’t get too excited just yet! The Vatican says that it doesn't count if you just click the blue follow button and never check back again. You must be an active follower – no cheating!

Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communication said:

"What really counts is that the tweets the Pope sends from Brazil or the photos of the Catholic World Youth Day that go up on Pinterest produce authentic spiritual fruit in the hearts of everyone"

Alongside its papal Twitter account, the Vatican offers an online news website and app, a Facebook page, and is currently planning to engage with users on Pinterest – the whole shebang! Even with all this technological outreach, it is quite obvious the Vatican and its Pope are quickly losing credibility more and more – day by day…

Let us not forget, it was the false idea of indulgences that was the very issue that sparked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. In stark protest to this unbiblical practice, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517.

God has a special invitation for His honest, sincere and searching people. The Lord Jesus Christ does not want His people to remain in a fallen state:

Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues – Revelation 18:4

God also shows us through His Word, the Bible, that he wants us to use our intellect to make intelligent, informed choices about who we are to serve and how:

Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool – Isaiah 1:18

Prayerfully, this latest silly stunt by the Vatican will cause more Catholics to realize the scam that is the Catholic Church in which they follow, trust and dedicate their eternal souls! May the Lord Jesus Christ open their eyes before it is too late…

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!


We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Matthew 16:19 - The Keys & The Kingdom: "Binding" & "Loosing"‏

Hello Friends!

Have you ever wondered as to what is meant in the Scriptures by the "Binding" and "Loosing" terminology found in the 16^th chapter of Matthew? If you were like me, your answer to this question is a resounding YES!

And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven – Matthew 16:19

 Did Jesus have Satan and demons in mind when He uttered these words in Matthew 16:19? What did Jesus really mean? 

 To answer these questions, let’s take a closer look at this very controversial passage of Scripture from a contextual and Hebraic perspective…

 

Matthew 16:19 - The Keys, The Kingdom, "Binding" & "Loosing"

The fact of the matter is that from this very verse, an entire theology has arisen from within Christianity. It is this very verse that is often used – out of context – to justify the binding of Satan and his demonic minions. Christians will often use this verse as their sole authority to bind Satan and to cast out demons. Although this verse is definitely implying spiritual authority for all followers of Jesus Christ, it is to be interpreted in the context of “church” discipline. It is also interesting to note that only the first part of this sub-verse is used by these folks – but what about the second sub-part? Why wouldn’t we also want to “loose” Satan? If we bind him, would we also seek to “loose” him? Obviously these thoughts are preposterous!

 

When Jesus Christ was living on earth as documented in the New Testament Gospel accounts, He was primarily speaking to His brethren – fellow Jews. They had their own culture and it was very different from the Gentile Roman culture in which they lived. This phrase was not a new phrase but rather a very ancient phrase which can be found in the Jewish Talmud. Therefore, this phrase cannot be understood to mean the binding & loosing of Satan and demons. It was a common Jewish phrase that referred to a declaration of what was lawful or unlawful. A Rabbi would use it to forbid or permit an activity according to their interpretation of the law. This was a rabbinic way of establishing “halakah” or rules of conduct. The Jewish Encyclopedia states the following:

BINDING AND LOOSING (Hebrew, asar ve-hittir)… Rabbinical term for ‘forbidding and permitting’… “The power of binding and loosing as always claimed by the Pharisees. Under Queen Alexandra the Pharisees, says Josephus (Wars of the Jews 1:5:2), ‘became the administrators of all public affairs so as to be empowered to banish and readmit whom they pleased, as well as to loose and to bind’… The various schools had the power ‘to bind and to loose’; that is, to forbid and to permit (Talmud: Chagigah 3b); and they could also bind any day by declaring it a fast-day… Talmud: Ta’anit 12a… This power and authority, vested in the rabbinical body of each age of the Sanhedrin, received its ratification and final sanction from the celestial court of justice) – Sifra, Emor, 9; Talmud: Makkot 23b

 On the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, He informed the disciples – who were to go out and spread the Gospel and establish His church – that they have the authority to establish rules of conduct for the believing community based upon His teachings. He was speaking to Jewish men and the term was understood by them to mean just that. It was their culture and was part of their Jewish faith. Jewish rabbis “bound” the law when they determined that a commandment was applicable to a particular situation, and they “loosed” the law when they determined that a word of scripture – while eternally valid – was not applicable under certain specific circumstances.

For example, the Jewish use of their phrase in the Talmud, the application of binding & loosing is applied as such. The following scenario was raised regarding theft and guilt… One finds something that does not belong to them, but does not search for the rightful owner. Question: When is such a search required and how extensive must the search be? The Talmud states:

“If a fledgling bird is found within fifty cubits of a dovecote, it belongs to the owner of the dovecote. If it is found outside the limits of fifty cubits, it belongs to the person who finds it” – Bava Batra 23b

The “do not steal” command was bound – or declared theft – if the bird was found within proximity to its likely owner but loosed – or declared not a theft – if found at a distance from a likely owner. The view is taken that the law of “do not steal” is not done away with, rather is the interpretation of the law. It is exactly this Jewish phraseology that Jesus was using with His Jewish disciples in this passage of Matthew 16:19.

In our modern English language, we have phraseology that is part of our American culture but may not make sense in another culture. A person who is not a native to English, could be quite well spoken in English. In fact, their formal English may be meticulous, yet the nuances of the English language could escaped them. When in the United States, they would have to also learn the phraseology which is not part of the English formal language. For instance, when someone says to them “what’s up” they may immediately look upwards to the sky, not realizing that the term “what’s up” is actually meant as a greeting! Likewise, the term “the boy who cried wolf” would have no meaning to this person unless they knew the story of “the boy who cried wolf”…

 

We must understand Jesus Christ’s teachings from the Jewish perspective – for He was a Jew, lived with Jews, was raised by Jewish parents and trained Jewish disciples for three and a half years. Western culture was not part of His teachings. To understand His teachings from the perspective – and context – in which He taught sheds new light on difficult passages such as the one in question here:

And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven – Matthew 16:19

As mentioned above, I also believe this passage in Matthew chapter 16 speaks to the obvious spiritual implications of authority given to all Christians to make righteous judgments based upon the proper contextual use of the Word of God through the process of church discipline. Jesus Himself eloquently shares His Wisdom later in Matthew chapter 18: 

Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven – Matthew 18:15-18

It is imperative that we seek the whole counsel of God – in context – when seeking the answers to the questions such as those addressed above. This is where we must rely on the Holy Spirit to instruct and guide us in our understanding. In our prosperity-driven, hedonistic Western culture, we have misunderstood – and misappropriated – this very important subject matter based upon Matthew 16:19 – often within the professing Christian church itself…

Closing Prayer Thoughts:

Thank you Lord for making all things understandable. Thank you also Lord for Your promise to the Jewish people as well as your promises to us as Christians as we await You soon coming – the Rapture!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!
 

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Guatemala & Poverty: A Nation Devoted to the Virgin Mary‏

Hello Friends!

In recent times, there has been an influx of organizations from various religious affiliations seeking financial donations and assistance from the public in regards to the dire needs of the citizens in Guatemala. Although this situation is indeed very unfortunate and disheartening, the historical data available provides an obvious root-cause to this dilemma - and it is spiritual in nature.

For the people of Guatemala, the Virgin Mary is synonymous with nationalism, patriotism, and personal identity. For the average Guatemalan, life without devotion to the Virgin is no real life at all. Icons and relics devoted to the Virgin are sensationally popular through all levels of their society. This so-called "Mother of God" reigns in the hearts and minds of the people of Guatemala as a queen and a goddess.

This idolatrous, pagan devotion was inspired by the Church of Rome and was implemented through its tyrannical subversion tactics - perfected by its sinister "Gestapo-like" Jesuit Order (Society of Jesus) - via a militant and tyranical process known as the “Jesuit Reductions.” The Guatemalan people are therefore subject to a life of abject poverty - spiritually and naturally.

This article will seek to expose the anti-biblical and sinful of devotion to the "Virgin Mary" found throughout Guatemala...

Guatemala & Poverty: A Nation Devoted to the Virgin Mary

Before 1525, the dominant religions of the people of Guatemala centered on animistic and pagan devotion to thousands of gods and goddesses. The technological genius of the Mayan civilization had past. The people were primitive, warlike, and highly superstitious. In 1521-1522, the Spanish conquistador Don Pedro de Alvarado entered Guatemala and easily subdued the Indians. Here the Spanish Inquisition was imposed upon the natives, as they were forced by torture or death to transfer their devotion from their native gods and goddesses to the Saints, the Roman Mass, and the Virgin Mary, as demanded by the Spanish.

The Spanish hoped to convert the Indians to Roman Catholicism. The horrors of the Inquisition had limited success in forcing the native population into conversion. A far more successful technique was synergism, which meant that allegiance to pagan deities was not halted, but rather transferred from the idols of the Guatemalans to the idols of the Church of Rome. Even non-Christian experts acknowledge this transfer of devotion. For example, James Nach once said:

"Preconquest Maya religious customs have survived to this day among the Indians and have been blended with [Roman] Christianity… Christian saints were soon added to the roster of Indian gods, and even today Indians frequently pray to their old gods outside the village church and to the Christian God inside the church” - James Nach "Guatemala: The Visual Geography Series", Sterling Pub. Co; Revised edition (1970)

The most extreme example of synergism between pagan spirituality and the Church of Rome is in the fanatical devotion the Guatemalan people have towards the Virgin Mary. She has absorbed the attributes of the Indian goddesses to the point that the paganism of the native population has been sanitized into consecration to Mary as the Queen of Heaven and the Mother of God.

Initial Observations
A visitor to Guatemala today will immediately see a nation obsessed with the Virgin Mary. Her image can be found on buses, posters, and in the windows of businesses. Virtually every private home in Guatemala has a family altar dedicated to Mary. These home shrines usually consist of a small statue of Mary behind glass, surrounded by flowers, candles, and rosary beads. An unusual custom of the Guatemalan people is to explode fireworks to the Virgin Mary as offerings. These explosions are heard all hours of the day and night, showing consecration to the "Mother of God". In 1993, the Congress of Guatemala voted that the Virgin Mary would be honored forever as the co-mayor, or the mayorist of the capital of Guatemala, Guatemala City.

Villa Nueva
As a suburb of Guatemala City, Villa Nueva represents a typical Guatemalan urban community. The central plaza of the city is dominated by a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to Mary, called the Iglesia Imaculata Concepcion (Immaculate Conception Church). There are such shrines in every Roman Church in the country, thousands of them. Without a doubt, the Virgin Mary means more to the people than Father God, Jesus Christ the Son or the Holy Spirit. To these people, Mary is everything.

The Iglesia Imaculata Concepcion is an older building, open all day, frequently visited by the working class people of Villa Nueva. Behind the front altar is an example of the common spirituality of the people. There sits a small statue of Jesus Christ still hanging on the cross, overwhelmed by an enormous image of Mary in gorgeous royal robes, crowned as the Queen of Heaven. The imagery of this site is significant. These people praying in the church fully believe that they must pray to and through the Virgin Mary in order to have their prayers heard by Jesus.

A highly important aspect of the Iglesia Imaculata Concepcion is the side chapel dedicated to La Dormision y La Transicion de Maria (The sleep and the transition or assumption of Mary). Here the traditions and superstitions of Roman Catholic theology are manifested and venerated by the people. This shrine is dedicated to the idea that since Mary never sinned, she could never have really died, so she instead was placed in a dormant state until she was translated or assumed into heaven. In the hundreds of Marian shrines throughout various cultures, this altar is dedicated to the sleeping Virgin after her death!

Villa Nueva is a radical display of the demonic power the Roman Church has over its people. Nightly processions in city streets with loud singing and fireworks exploding bring the image of Mary from home to home. Paths of pine needles stay for days, as reminders of the route taken by the image of Mary from house to house. Streets full of mourning and screaming people are known to carry corpses of loved ones to the Iglesia Imaculata Concepcion, so Mary could be begged to intercede for the soul after death. It is obvious that devotion to Mary is also big business, as vendors are found everywhere selling statues, beads, prayer cards, and other "religious" items consecrated to Mary.

Antigua
Located about 15 miles west of Guatemala City is the ancient city of Antigua. The Catedral de Antigua (Cathedral of Antigua) was originally dedicated in 1545. Here a more tourist emphasis is found among the people, as cheap icons and imitation velvet paintings of Mary are sold both to natives and visitors. This cathedral, while in a state of disrepair, still shows the early architectural abilities of the conquering Spaniards. Local history says that the images brought from Spain replaced the local Indian images. Natives were whipped and beaten if they would not transfer allegiance from their pagan deities to the icons and images of the Roman Church.

The exterior of the Cathedra de Antigua is covered with exquisite carvings of the 12 Apostles, with a larger image of Mary above and central to the Apostles. Again, the placement of such icons sends a message to the people. Mary is above all others. Inside the Cathedral, numerous shrines and statues of Mary appear. Located here are two images devoted to the apparition of Our Lady of Guadaloupe, both surrounded with flowers and melted candies. Here another representation of the "dormicion" (sleep) and "transicion" (transition or assumption) of Mary can be found. This particular shrine of the sleep and transition of Mary is especially elaborate, as the sleeping Virgin is represented in a gorgeous white gown resting on cloud-like pillows, awaiting her assumption into heaven.

Guatemala City
A major metropolitan city of close to 2 million people, Guatemala City has a mix of both contemporary technologies and simple native customs. There are dozens of major shrines devoted to Mary in Guatemala City.

Our Lady of Guadeloupe Church is located in a congested, working class neighborhood. The massive stone structure dwarfs everything else in the area, towering over the community. Inside there is the familiar theme of a small crucified Jesus Christ overwhelmed by an elaborate, massive idol dedicated to Mary. Again, the message is clear. To get to Jesus, you must first go through Mary. This particular building is unique because of its enormous basilica dome, with a gigantic crown on its top. The crown, visible for miles around, symbolizes the crowning of Mary as the Queen of Heaven. Angels are carved showing them holding the massive crown about to be placed upon the head of the glorified Mary. The outrageous idolatry of such a site displays the obvious adoration to Mary.

In 1995, Pope John Paul II visited Guatemala City for the second time. It was here, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Guatemala City, that the Roman Pope publicly coronated an image of Mary. He bowed before the idol in worship and placed a crown of gold upon the head of the image. There are very few evangelical Christians who are familiar with this famous idol crowned by the Roman Pontiff. This crowned image is displayed in a side chapel within the massive cathedral. The importance of this statue is the theological significance of the crowning of the Virgin. In crowning the idol of Mary, the Pope publicly and flagrantly showed both his personal idolatry and the official acceptance by the Roman Catholic Church towards the pagan titles of Mary as the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven.

Another site found in Guatemala City is the Nuestra Senora de la Ascencion Iglesia (Church of Our Lady of the Ascension). Located several blocks from the main plaza, this modest building represents the true spirituality of most Guatemalan people. To them, the Virgin is everything. All of their spirituality is centered on Mary. In this church building the worship of Mary is unrestricted. An enormous statue of Mary towers over the altar. Through her hands must flow all grace unto the world. She is represented as a crowned goddess, exalted upon an eagle in the clouds, surrounded by adoring angels. Nowhere in this altar scene is there any representation of Jesus Christ.

Guatemala was liberated from Spain in 1821, becoming a republic in 1847. It was not until 1872 that Guatemala was granted freedom of religion. No longer would the Kings of Spain and their Inquisition against the people be tolerated. The Church of Rome lost formal political control in Guatemala, but not the practical piety of the people. Three hundred years of official Catholic oppression by law and the practical synchronism of pagan customs has created a country that remains to this day approximately 95% Roman Catholic.

In relation to the Virgin Mary, the entire country looks to her daily for grace. The central government recognizes her as the mayorist of the capital city. The concept of a mother earth goddess that gives life, known to the natives for centuries before the Spanish arrived, has been transplanted to the mother of Jesus. Natives in rural areas are not ashamed to call the mother earth goddess by both her Indian name and her Christianized name - Mary. Urban people have also made the transition to Marian spirituality by synchronism and absorption of pagan beliefs. The candles, chants, offerings and devotion once reserved for the mother goddess of Mayan times is now enthusiastically transferred to the Virgin Mary as presented to the people by the Church of Rome.

In Conclusion:
 
In addition to Marian perversions of the true Gospel message peddled by the Roman Catholic Church which have led hundreds of millions astray, there are the further abominations of corrupt banking practices, laundering of drug money, trading in counterfeit securities and dealings with the Mafia (fully documented in police and court records), which the Vatican and her representatives around the world have long employed. Nino Lo Bello, former Business Week correspondent in Rome and Rome bureau chief for New York Journal of Commerce, writes that the Vatican is so closely allied with the Mafia in Italy that:

"many people ... believe that Sicily ... is nothing more than a Vatican holding." – Nino Lo Bello, The Vatican Empire (Trident Press, 1968), p. 167. See also David A. Yallop, In God's Name (Bantam Books, 1984); Richard Hammers, The Vatican Connection (Penguin Books, 1983)

The Roman Catholic Church is by far the wealthiest institution on earth. Yet, one hears from Rome periodic pleas for money-persuasive appeals claiming that the Vatican cannot maintain itself on its limited budget and needs monetary assistance. Such pleas are unconscionable Jesuitical ploys. The value of innumerable sculptures by such masters as Michelangelo, paintings by the world's greatest artists and countless other art treasures and ancient documents which Rome possesses – not only at the Vatican but in cathedrals around the world – is beyond calculation! At the World Synod of Bishops in Rome, England's Cardinal Heenan proposed that the Church sell some of these superfluous treasures and give the proceeds to the poor. Needless to say, his suggestion was not well-received…

The more deeply one probes into the history of the Roman Catholic Church and its current pagan practices, the more impressed one becomes with the amazing accuracy of the vision John received centuries before it would all be lamentable reality. John's attention is drawn to the inscription boldly emblazoned upon the woman's forehead:

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH – Revelation 17:5

Perhaps the Lord would set the Guatemalan people free from the wide-spread pain of poverty and famine that engulfs their culture if they would repent of their sins of idolatry and paganism by turning to Jesus Christ alone for Salvation and make Him the Lord of their lives - and country...

*NOTE TO OUR DEAR ROMAN CATHOLIC READERS: We are not guaranteed tomorrow - tomorrow may be too late!

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak those things which are done of them in secret – Ephesians 5:11-12

And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues – Revelation 18:4

Do not trust your precious soul to Rome and her anti-christ doctrines... Come out of her and repent. If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ – alone – your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Bono, Socialism & Focus on the Family‏

Hello Friends!

On June 25, 2013, the popular Evangelical ministry Focus on the Family interviewed social justice, ecumenical, globalist, Agenda 21 promoting Bono, lead singer of the rock band U2. It is interesting to note that Bono also spoke at the American Jesuit out-post, Georgetown University…

Bono, Socialism & Focus on the Family

In a popular article Bono also refers to Karma being "at the heart of the universe." This of course is New Age/Eastern Mysticism. Bono is widely known in his concerts for chanting "Jesus, Jew, Mohammed, it’s true" as he wears a headband touting the “Coexist” logo displaying the Christian Cross, the Star of David and the Crescent moon of Islam. 

Jim Daly of Focus on the Family ministries has declared Bono a Christian - but is he really a Biblical Christian? Perhaps someone in Jim's sphere of influence should inform him that false teaching and the promoting of false teachers is not at all "pro-family" or Biblical - it is a sin!

 

This ecumenical interview was conducted at the American Bible Society which engaged in an unholy alliance with the Vatican back in 1967. Eugene Nidar was a key figure in forging UBS/Vatican agreement to undertake hundreds of interconfessional Bible translation projects worldwide based upon the corrupted Critical Text. Known for using functional equivalence principles – otherwise known as Dynamic Equivalency – it is responsible for such heretical paraphrase, New Age, pagan versions of the “bible” as The Message by Eugene Peterson.

There are 142 different Bible societies which are tied together organizationally as well as spiritually. To support any one of the Bible societies is to participated in apostasy. Yes, we realize there are some born again people working with the Bible societies. Revelation 17-18 describes the apostate one world religion and one world government of the last hours of the church age. The picture is that of total apostasy and wickedness, and yet the Bible says some true people of God are involved in these movements. God’s call is very clear:

           Come out of her, MY PEOPLE, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues – Revelation 18:4

 
Consider three simple lessons from this passage...

First - There are some truly saved people in the End Times movement of apostasy.

Second - God calls from heaven to those who are saved, exhorting them to separate from the apostasy.

Third - Those who ignore this call are partakers of the sins of the apostasy and will be judged.

Mr. Daly should also seriously consider the following warning from the Word of God which speaks to the issue of mixing and mingling Truth with error:

Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds – 2 John 9-11

Many pro-family groups have succeeded in convincing self-professing Christians to embrace what the Jesuitical Communist Party could never get them to accept – “social justice” and the redistribution of wealth: a.k.a.- Socialism ~ Jesuitical Communism! Thus, many of the pro-family groups have been a very dangerous religious "trap" within evangelicalism. 

These same pro-family groups are also succeeding in seducing self-professing Christians to follow what even the enormously famous New Ager Oprah Winfrey could not get them to follow – Pagan Spirituality.

 

Bono also spoke at the Jesuit's Georgetown University shortly after the 2012 re-election of Barack Obama, during which he clearly celebrated Obama - whose policies are the very antithesis of what Focus on the Family has professed for many years. How could a Christian ministry embrace an unrepentant Bono as a believer in Jesus Christ, when by Biblical definition, he is clearly an "antichrist" spirit?

It also appears that many of the New Religious Right, and Neo-evangelicals are – at least partly – responsible for the recent ruling to pass Homosexual “marriage” by the U.S. Supreme Court, which is an obvious part of God’s direct judgment on America and what I refer to as the ever growing false-dominant church.

In Conclusion:

As noted above, the Bible warns in other places as well, that if true Christians affiliate themselves with those who are apostate and disobedient, we will be partaker of their evil deeds.

The decision is clear. The pressures of family, tradition, security, fear of the unpopularity of a separated position, and many other things are brought to bear against the Christian who desires to be faithful to God in an apostate day. God is calling from heaven and requiring a complete separation of His people from apostasy. Whom will we fear – God, or man? To whose voice will we hearken – Jesus Christ’s or the world’s?

Our prayer here at Encouraging Concepts is that America, its leaders, its citizens and the shepherds over the true remnant church of Jesus Christ would begin to again bless God by repenting of their sins and speaking His Truth - in love. Perhaps then God may, in turn, graciously bless America - again. Please join us in this prayerful endeavor!  

 

WARNING TO AMERICA: - Repent of your sins before it is too late!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)