Biblical End Time Discussions

Faith of our fathers

We have touched on the faith and courage of the Protestant Reformation in previous postings. Steve devotes an entire chapter to this topic in his book. I think this is also a good place for us to spend some time discussing true faith and the courage needed to stand up for Jesus. What is required of us? As I’ve written about before, we must follow the narrow path that Jesus mentions in Mathew 7:13, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” What is the narrow gate? Accepting God’s plan of salvation and His will for your life. Many enter through the wide gate because they follow their own selfish ways….which is following our enemy instead of God. Think about the world and the people in it. How many people do you know that are truly following God’s will for their lives? Who do you know that truly lives their life according to God’s Word? Who do you know that truly puts God #1 in their life? Most of us know a few people like this, but the vast majority of people (including many professed Christians) are not seeking God first. Obviously, if you want to know what true faith is composed of, the Bible is the source of what is required of us. If you want to see Biblical faith placed into practice, reading the history of the Protestant Reformers is another period in history that shows us the face of true faith. I believe it is important for us to see what they experienced, because I truly believe that we will face even worse persecution as true believers in our lifetime.

If you study the New Testament and the history of Christ’s Church after the fall of the Roman Empire, you begin to see a pattern develop. True believers in Jesus Christ are persecuted. Why? Our spiritual enemy attacks Christ’s followers. Were we warned? Absolutely. “I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for 10 days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). It is happening throughout the world today and it will continue to the end of time. In the U.S., things have been a little too comfortable. I believe we have allowed ourselves to become complacent in our worship and our commitment to Jesus. As I’ve written before, I believe we have been given a very stern warning in Revelation 3:14-22. It’s time to re-focus our lives on Jesus and His plan for us. We must prepare ourselves spiritually for what is coming at us. Instead, many of us are living nice, comfortable lives and waiting for a pre-tribulation rapture to spare us any actual tribulation, a secret rapture that isn’t coming. If we’re told in the New Testament to expect tribulation and persecution as true followers of Christ, and this has happened consistently throughout history since Christ’s resurrection, why do we believe we will be spared now? Is it because we don’t really want to face tribulation? Is it because we don’t really want to “be faithful, even to the point of death”? Is it because we’d rather believe that we’re going to live comfortable lives and then be “caught up” when the going gets tough? Bingo.

Let’s continue in “End Time Delusions” with the chapter “Faith of our Fathers” and see what some of the Protestant Reformers were required to do for our Savior.
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Protestants there are, but Protestantism is no more. –Alexander Vinet (1797-1847)

Through their acceptance of futurist and preterist viewpoints about antichrist, many people today don’t know who the real beast is. Yet our eyes have been opened. We know the truth. It won’t be easy, but with the Bible in our hands and God’s love in our hearts we must stand up for the “revelation of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1) and solid prophetic truth, no matter what the cost. It is my hope and prayer that God will impress the minds of many well-known TV evangelists, radio hosts, seminary professors, best-selling authors, and ministry leaders to reconsider their positions. Hopefully, like noble ships with a new command from their captain, they will yet change their course.

As we near the end of this section, I want to focus on a lesson of faith and courage – of standing up for Jesus and His prophetic truth. Turning away from futurist fiction with its imaginary Nicolae, and also the preterist persuasion of a long-buried antichrist, we are about to look at the real account of a man who battled the beast in history. This conflict took place in the 1400’s, during the time of the famous Roman Catholic Council of Constance, in Constance, Germany. The council met November 1, 1414 and continued until April 22, 1418.

“The total number of the clergy alone present at the council, though perhaps not all of them all the time, was four patriarchs, twenty-nine cardinals, thirty-three archbishops, one hundred and fifty bishops, one hundred and thirty four abbots, two hundred and fifty doctors, and lesser clergy, amounting to eighteen thousand. With the emperor and his train, kings, dukes, lords and other nobles, the members were ordinarily fifty thousand. At certain periods of the conference there were as many as one hundred thousand present. Thirty thousand horses were fed and thirty thousand beds were provided by the city.”

In our modern terminology we would have said, “This is a big event. Parking is limited.”

The Council of Constance condemned the writings of John Wycliffe of England, who lived in the 1300’s. Wycliffe taught at Oxford University and has been called, “The Morning Star of the Reformation.” The movie, John Wycliffe – The Morning Star, was awarded the title of Best Film from the Christian Film Distributor’s Association. Before Martin Luther, John Wycliffe protested against Rome, was the first to translate the Bible from Latin into English, taught salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone, placed the Word of God above popes and kings, and openly declared papal Rome to be the great antichrist of prophecy. The Council of Constance – more than forty years after Wycliffe’s death – decreed that his decaying bones should be dug out of his grave and publicly burned. His ashes were triumphantly thrown into a nearby brook. “This brook”, says an old writer, “hath conveyed his ashes into Avon, Avon into Severn, Severn into the narrow seas, they into the main ocean. And thus the ashes of Wycliffe are the emblems of his doctrine, which now is dispersed the world over.”

John Huss of Bohemia read the writings of John Wycliffe and continued many of his reforms. After denouncing Wycliffe, the Council of Constance summoned John Huss also, condemning him to the flames. Jerome of Prague was a good friend of Huss, and in April of 1415, before the martyrdom of Huss, Jerome arrived at Constance, hoping to help his friend. Unfortunately, he was seized by his enemies, cruelly dragged through the streets in chains, and promptly thrown into a dark, miserable, rat-infested dungeon. For almost a year, he was transferred from cell to cell. At last he was brought before the council. Fox’s Book of Martyrs declares that before that vast assembly these false charges were read to him: “1. He was a derider of the papal dignity. 2. An opposer of the pope. 3. An enemy to the cardinals. 4. A persecutor of the prelates. 5. A hater of the Christian religion.” Jerome was commanded to accept Romanism or be consumed at the stake.

Weakened by almost a year of horrible treatment, Jerome’s faith wavered, and he agreed in some measure to submit to Rome. But after he was returned to his rat-infested cell, he saw more clearly what he had done. He thought about his friend John Huss, who perished in the flames. He thought about Jesus Christ, his Savior, whom he had pledged to serve and who, out of love for Jerome’s lost soul, had endured the full justice of God’s holy wrath against sin and the incomprehensible pain of separation from His Father. Before his cowardly decision to compromise, Jerome had found comfort amid his sufferings in the assurance of Heaven’s favor; but now remorse and doubts tortured his soul. He knew other compromises must be made before he would be released, which could only end in his complete apostasy from God’s truth. As he looked into the whiskered faces of rats and felt cockroaches crawling around his toes, Jerome made his decision. He would no longer deny his Lord.

Jerome was brought again before the council, but this time he was determined to boldly confess his faith and to follow his friend John Huss to the flames. He publicly renounced his former denial and demanded, as a dying man, an opportunity to make his defense. “You have held me shut up three hundred and forty days in a frightful prison,” he protested, “in the midst of filth, noisomeness, stench, and the utmost want of everything; you then bring me out before you, and lending an ear to my mortal enemies, you refuse to hear me….If you be really wise men and the lights of the world, take care not to sin against justice. As for me, I am only a feeble mortal; my life is but of little importance.” His request was finally granted. In the presence of Europe’s judges, priests, and nobles, Jerome knelt down and prayed for the Holy Spirit to take control.

Jerome then gave an uncompromising defense in behalf of the truth. Referring to John Huss, he firmly declared, “I knew him from his childhood. He was a most excellent man, just and holy; he was condemned, notwithstanding his innocence…I also am ready to die. I will not recoil before the torments that are prepared for me by my enemies and false witnesses, who will one day have to render an account of their impostures before the great God, whom nothing can deceive…..Of all the sins that I have committed since my youth, none weigh so heavily on my mind, and cause me such remorse, as that which I committed in this fatal place, when I approved of the iniquitous sentence rendered against Wycliffe, and against the holy martyr, John Huss, my master and my friend. Yes! I confess it from my heart, and declare with horror that I disgracefully quailed when, through a dread of death, I condemned their doctrines. I therefore supplicate…Almighty God to pardon me my sins, and this one in particular, the most heinous of all.” Raising a bony finger toward his judges, he declared, “You condemned Wycliffe and John Huss…The things which they affirmed, and which are irrefutable, I also think and declare, like them.”

His hearers were stunned! “Shut him up!” screamed his enemies. “What need have we of further proof? We behold with our own eyes the most obstinate of heretics!” Yet Jerome stood unmoved, like a mighty rock amidst a hurricane. He thundered back, “What! Do you suppose I fear to die? You have held me in a frightful dungeon, more horrible than death itself. You have treated me more cruelly than a Turk, Jew or pagan, and my flesh has literally rotted off my bones alive, and yet I make no complaint, for lamentation ill becomes a man of heart and spirit; but I cannot but express my astonishment at such great barbarity toward a Christian.” He was seized by his guards and hurried back to the rats, beetles and vermin.

Jerome was again visited in his dingy cell and given one last chance to repent. “Prove to me from the Holy Writings that I am in error!” he responded. “The Holy Writings!” said one of his tempters. “Is everything to be judged by them? Who can understand them until the church has interpreted them?” Jerome replied, “Are the traditions of men more worthy of faith than the gospel of our Savior?” “Heretic!” spat back his accuser, “I repent having pleaded so long with you. I see you are urged on by the devil.” Thus Jerome, even though he was accused of being inspired by satan, refused to bow down to the traditions of mere mortals. “The Bible and the Bible only,” was his motto. This lesson is for us. We also may be accused of being Lucifer-led when we turn from preterist persuasions, futurist fables, and bestselling ideas. Nevertheless, with love in our hearts we should stick to “the Holy Writings”, no matter what the cost.

Sentence was passed, and Jerome was led out to the very same spot where John Huss had yielded up his life. He went singing on his way, his face lighted up with joy and peace. His gaze was fixed upon Jesus Christ, the Prince of Life, so why should he fear Dr. Death? Arriving at the place of execution, Jerome once more knelt down to say a heartfelt prayer. He was tied to a stake as branches of wood were piled around his feet. When the executioner stepped up to light the fire, this holy martyr exclaimed, “Come here, and kindle it before my eyes; for if I had been afraid of it, I had not come to this place.” As the flames began to rise, Jerome prayed again. His last words were, “Lord, Almighty Father…have pity on me, and pardon my sins; for Thou knowest I have always loved Thy truth.”

Do we love truth above tradition? Are we willing to stand up for Jesus Christ, the Author of Truth, and for the Holy Bible, no matter what the price may be? Dear reader, Jesus loves you personally. He has a special place in His heart for you and your family. He gave Jerome strength to stand up for what he knew to be right, and He will do the same for us. There is forgiveness only through the blood of the Lamb. Satan and mixed-up men may kill the body, but they can’t harm the soul (Mathew 10:28). Though the beast makes “war with the saints and overcomes them” on Earth (Revelation 13:7), in Heaven’s eyes “they overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, [as] they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11).

In our modern world of Delta flights, plasma TVs and heavily traded mutual funds, may our hopes still echo the words of the classic 19th century hymn, “Faith of our Fathers”:

Our fathers, chained in prisons dark,
Were still in heart and conscience free;
How sweet would be their children’s fate,
If they like them, could die for thee!
Faith of our fathers! Holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.

Frederick W. Faber, 1849 (1814-1863)
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Let’s take a look at a couple of things from this excerpt from Steve’s book. If you were still undecided about whether the Roman Catholic Church is, in fact, the antichrist and beast, think about the millions of people throughout Europe that were burned and tortured as a result of their ‘heresies’. If you’re saying to yourself, “Well, that was the dark ages….lots of bad things happened during that time in history,”….think about how Jesus preached and how this church behaved. The New Testament warns us not to judge people simply by their words, but by their actions. Did Jesus ever say to kill or torture someone if they disagreed with him? Absolutely not! Then why did the Catholic Church do this? Because they created their own version of Christianity based on man-made traditions and rituals. They were not concerned about Jesus and His teachings, only their own power and glory. Where do you suppose this doctrine came from? There’s only one other spiritual realm other than Heaven, so it’s easy to see where these church ‘leaders’ were getting their instructions.

If you then say to yourself -“Well, that was then and thank goodness I’m alive now!” You better start focusing on Bible prophecy and what it means for the immediate future. Does this ‘beast’ remain dormant? The Bible says no. The whole world will follow after this beast. Will we escape persecution from this beast? I’m 35 years old and I do not expect to die from old age. I believe that one of two things will happen to me. The first is that I survive to the end of this age and see Lord Jesus returning for me....so I believe that His return will be within my lifetime. The second scenario is that I will die standing against the beasts. It has been made clear to me that I will stand against evil…in some capacity. Regardless of how I’m asked to stand, I will not compromise my faith for anyone or anything in this world. Plain and simple. If I’m asked to do so, I will refuse…..regardless of the consequences. I still have a long way to go, but the Lord has placed me on His path for me. What path are you on? Are you traveling on the narrow path? Our brothers who lived during the Reformation fought the beast, we will be asked to do the same.

Facing Giants – David vs Goliath

As you’ve read what is written on this blog, you’ve probably felt a certain sense of fear at some point. As the truth has been revealed to you, a fear of the future, the beasts and what we face has slowly crept into your consciousness. How can we stand against these beasts? How can we be expected to fight them? They have too much control…..too much power. If I reject their mandates and their decrees, I will face imprisonment, persecution or death. How can I, one person, stand against them? God tells us that we can stand against overwhelming odds. We can win against forces that seem much stronger than ourselves. We can do so not because we are particularly strong, or intelligent or cunning. We can do so only by drawing near to our Lord and following His plan for us. It is He who wins battles and defeats evil. It is He who strengthens us and leads us in this war. He is looking for those with a heart like His own that will follow Him wherever He leads.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.
One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.” (Psalm 27 – written by David)

We have discussed fear in another post and have learned how the Bible instructs us to overcome our fears. So, in this post, we’re going to focus on how the Lord expects us to stand against our enemies in the face of overwhelming odds. As I’ve mentioned before, the Book of Revelation tells us that most will not stand against these beasts. They will look at these entities and be overwhelmed by their worldly influence and power. It appears that most will join them instead of standing against them.

“Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"” (Revelation 13:4)

This short verse gives us a very clear picture of our future. What are we told? Many will follow satan and these beasts. Many will be afraid of them. Many will think about how to overcome them, but in the end, they will fail to stand against the beasts due to their worldly power. If we look at these entities from a worldly perspective, they will look unbeatable. A world-wide political beast wielding the world’s military and police power coupled with a religious beast that will force unbiblical doctrine on the world – it will seem to the world that there is no way out – if you can’t beat them, join them. Of course, the Bible tells us we must stand against them. We must worship our Creator and reject the mark. How can we find the courage and strength to stand when others fall? By relying on our Lord’s wisdom and strength – not our own. Remember, this is His war, we are not asked to make our own plans to fight the enemy, we must draw close to Him and be obedient in order to follow His plan.

There are many examples in the Bible of how the Lord has strengthened both men and women to accomplish His will – but I don’t think there is another example in the Bible that as closely resembles what we face as the story of David and how he overcame Goliath. Even if you’ve never read the Bible, chances are that you’ve heard about this story. It’s a popular story because the little guy finds the strength to overcome the bully. Why do you think movies like Rocky and The Lord of the Rings are so popular? We all like to hear stories of how the underdog somehow overcomes great odds and beats the favorite. While you’ve probably heard about David’s battle with Goliath, have you ever read about David’s life? You may know that David later became king of Israel and ruled for many years, but do you know how he got there? Did he live a privileged life that led up to his becoming king? No. Did he come from a long line of kings and was next in line to the throne? No. Did he become king because he was physically and mentally strong? No. Super Intelligent? No. Did he avoid all temptations and sin? No. Did he always follow the Lord’s plan for him? No again. David became king because he loved the Lord. We’re told that he knew the Lord’s heart. David is the only human being in the Bible (other than Jesus) described as having a heart like the Lord’s. The Lord tells us that David had a heart like His. We’re going to briefly look at David’s life and learn what it can teach us.

This story begins in 1 Samuel chapter 16. The Lord has instructed Samuel to travel to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be king.

“Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?"
Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD."
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the LORD chosen this one." Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen these." So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?"
"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep."
Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives."
So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one."
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.” (1 Samuel 16:4:13)

Pay very close attention to what we’re told here. Does the Lord look at us the same way the world looks at us? No. The Lord sees our hearts – not our appearance. How does the world look at us? Most of the world looks at how pretty or handsome we are, how thin we are, how physically strong we are, how much money we have, the people we know, etc. – but the Bible is clear, God does not look at these worldly things. The Lord looks at our hearts. Jesse brought seven of his sons before Samuel, but all were rejected. Who did the Lord select to be king? The youngest son who was tending sheep. A shepherd was most likely the worst job offered to anyone. Take note that his father didn’t even bother to bring him initially before Samuel. What does this tell us? It tells us that Jesse probably didn’t consider him a possibility. Why choose David when there are older, stronger, better looking sons to choose from? Does the Lord choose the arrogant, the proud, the strong? No, the Lord chooses those for authority that love Him, worship Him and are obedient to Him.

The battle with Goliath begins in 1 Samuel Chapter 17:

“Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.
A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.
Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.” (1 Samuel 17:1-11)

Imagine this scene. One huge man is terrorizing an entire army. The entire army cowers as this man yells insults. Full grown men are afraid and do nothing. Sound familiar? We all face our own Goliaths. We have all had someone or something that has bullied or insulted us and we didn’t know how to handle them…..so we did nothing. Most of us are even now doing nothing as our government and our leaders are removing more and more of our freedoms. How should we respond? Let’s continue with David’s story to find the answer.

“Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul's time he was old and well advanced in years. Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem.
For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.
Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines." (1 Samuel 17:12-19)

For 40 days, no one in the entire army of Israel is willing to take on this man. Keep in mind what we were told earlier – “from that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power”. So, no one in the army is doing anything about Goliath and circumstances are bringing David to the battle. Events are being set in motion that will result in David becoming king of Israel.

“Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.” (1 Samuel 17:20-24)

So, once again the army of Israel cowers in fear and for the first time, David hears Goliath’s insults.

“Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel."
David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."
When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."
"Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.
David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."
Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." “ (1 Samuel 17:25-33)

David attempts to determine what is happening and his brother attacks his character. Have you ever followed the Lord and been ridiculed? We should expect it from the world. Undaunted, David turns to others and is told the situation. He then offers to fight Goliath. Remember, David is still a young boy….maybe 14 or 15 years old. Is he fighting alone? No. He is being led by the Lord. David knows that he does not fight alone. A young boy offers to fight the mightiest warrior their army has ever seen. If you were king, how would you respond? You would probably respond the same way Saul did – by telling him he’s crazy. How can a young shepherd boy fight a seasoned warrior?

“But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."
Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." (1 Samuel 17:34-37)

How does David respond? The Lord will deliver this Philistine to us. The Lord has saved me before and He will do so again. Why has the Lord told David that this Philistine will be delivered to him - ‘because he has defied the armies of the living God’. He defies our Lord. The Lord is placing David on His path for him and at the same time He delivers victory to the army of Israel.

“Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
"I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:38-40)

David has such a strong faith that he removes his armor. What does this boy take into battle? A sling, 5 stones in a shepherd’s bag and his staff. If you were Goliath, how would you respond to his boy? Probably the same way Goliath did – with unbelief and insults.

“Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" (1 Samuel 17:41-44)

Goliath can only see the boy in front of him. By following false gods, he is spiritually blind. He sees no danger in front of him. He laughs and insults – not realizing that he is taking on his Creator.

“David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

David’s response should have given Goliath pause. Something in Goliath’s mind should have sounded an alarm. Where has this boy found the courage and strength to fight when Israel’s army flees from me? Who speaks with authority and confidence like this in the face of overwhelming odds? He doesn’t sound like a boy – he sounds like a man given authority. Where is this authority coming from? Blinded by pride and arrogance, Goliath walks right into a battle with God. Should the outcome surprise us?

“As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.
When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the Philistine's weapons in his own tent.” (1 Samuel 17:48-54)

What can we learn from David’s encounter with Goliath? Do we need money, power, military might or the latest weapons to defeat our enemies? No. As long as we are following the Lord and His laws – as long as we are close to Him, He will protect us and deliver us according to His will.

So, when the beasts of Revelation tighten control over the world, should we fear them? Should we go along with their false doctrine? No. We must stand against the enemies of God. They don’t realize that they defy the Lord. Being blinded by pride and arrogance, they are focused on worldly wealth and power and don’t realize that they are fighting against God. We must praise and worship our Father and allow Him to guide us. If the Lord is with us, who can be against us? Best of all, we’re told their fate. The Bible tells us that they will suffer the same fate as Goliath.

I encourage you to study the life of David. Mike McClung (Lionheart Ministries) has created many CD’s on the heart of David. I have also listed a book entitled ‘Facing Your Giants’ by Max Lucado that documents David’s life and how it applies to us. You will find that David did not have an easy life. He endured many trials and tribulations after his confrontation with Goliath before becoming king. The king of Israel tried to kill him. He was rejected by his family and his people. He even fled to his enemies and was rejected. He spent time living in a cave after being rejected by everyone. Through all of this, the Lord never left David. We must always remember this. Even though things will get difficult, the Lord will help us and give us our true purpose. We must always stay close to Him. When the world tells us it’s impossible to stand against the beasts, don’t believe it. Nothing is impossible with God on our side.

What does the Bible say about Fear?

Since fear seems to be running rampant in our world today, let’s spend some time discussing what the Bible has to say about fear. In today’s modern world, we are constantly bombarded with reasons to fear. First and foremost, the current ‘war on terror’ permeates our media and our thoughts. It’s almost impossible today to listen to the news on television or on the radio or read the news in newspapers or on the internet without hearing or seeing something about the war on terror, the war in Iraq, the spread of terrorism, or North Korea and Iran’s nuclear ambitions. We’re constantly told in the U.S. how porous our borders and ports are and how easily it would be for terrorists to smuggle a nuclear device or ‘dirty bomb’ into our country. During the recent midterm elections, the Republican National Committee ran ads that showed Osama bin Laden in videos speaking about what he was planning next for the U.S. superimposed over a mushroom cloud. All of this obviously strikes fear in our population. Is it good for us to fear these things? Because of fear, we have given our government more power to protect us. Is this wise? We have given up freedoms (whether you realize it or not) under the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act of 2006. The National Security Agency (NSA) now monitors domestic phone calls and financial transactions. We believe that by giving up individual freedoms, our government will be more equipped to protect us from the bad guys. Is this an intelligent thing for us to do? Will our government use these new powers to protect us or is there something more sinister going on? Do you feel more or less safe now than you did 5 years ago? If you’re like me, something doesn’t feel right. We seem to be spending more on defense in the U.S. (half a trillion dollars), yet most of us feel less safe. Why? Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about fear before we answer these questions.

You may not know Psalm 23:4 by heart, but chances are you’ve heard it at some point in your life. It’s probably one of the most quoted verses in the Bible because it speaks about something we all must deal with….fear.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

What is the Lord telling us? He is saying that we live in a fallen world that is full of evil, but not to fear, for He is always with us and will comfort us. Even though evil things will come our way, do not fear this evil. Many quote this verse, but how many live by it? How many in the world today truly do not fear evil? I believe there are few. Why? Because few of us truly believe that God will comfort us….that he will be with us…and that he will give us the strength and power to overcome evil. We’re talking about true faith in our Creator to deliver us from evil.

What does the Lord say will result from fear?

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe” (Proverbs 29:25).

The Lord is telling us that if you fear people in this world, it could very well be a trap. Yet those that put their trust in the Lord will be kept safe. Once again the Lord tells us not to fear, but put our faith and trust in Him. Only He should be trusted. Time and again we are told not to put our confidence in men, but trust in the Lord. Only He will protect us and keep us safe from the evil in this world. Ask yourself this question – is the United States placing its faith and trust in the Lord or the things in this world? Do we place our trust with God or with our defense budget? Do we feel less secure because of terrorism or because our nation has turned away from God?

“For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that He will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you” (Deuteronomy 23:14).

Sadly, I believe that this is exactly what has happened to us. The United States has slowly turned away from God. We have removed God from our schools and offices, we removed the Ten Commandments from our courts, we have allowed His most precious children to be killed before birth, we worship wealth and the pleasures of this world and we approve all types of unbiblical practices in the name of ‘political correctness’. The fact is that the U.S. has turned away from God, and as a result, He has lifted His hand of protection from us. 9/11 was a spiritual warning and it is only the beginning.

There is another side to turning away from God - we don’t live according to His Word. When this happens, we are not prepared for our spiritual enemy. We don’t see with spiritual eyes so that we can discern his deceptive schemes. We walk around thinking we’re kings of the world, when in fact, we are poor, blind and naked. We may win battles in the natural world, but we are being steamrolled in the spiritual realm.

Do you think this is crazy? Do you think you live in a nice, safe country that can protect you? Don’t think we need to pray and seek God and His protection? Let’s take a closer look at Proverbs 29:25 and apply it to what is happening within our nation and the world according to what has been revealed to me.

Proverbs 29:25 tells us that fear is a trap. How does this relate to us today? It has been made very clear to me that the Illuminati (consisting of Freemasons, Skull & Bones, Bilderbergers, Council on Foreign Relations, etc) is using fear to gain control of both the U.S. population and the world. As I’ve mentioned before, they are the 2nd beast of Revelation 13. Think about it for a moment. Since 9/11, we have lost many freedoms and have started a couple of wars based on the attacks. You may say that we needed to give up some freedoms for security and the wars were needed to protect us…but what if the attacks were orchestrated by our own government? What if it was this ‘beast’ that caused the death of thousands of Americans? What if 9/11 was used to scare us into giving up freedoms? What if it was used to eliminate American freedoms in preparation for the next phase of the Illuminati’s plan for a one world government? What if the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were used to keep fear on the front page of the news and establish a base in the Middle East? It would be hard to keep us in fear if the ‘war on terror’ wasn’t producing some headlines. The truth is that 9/11 has produced fear in us that never existed before in America and it is a trap. Men tell us that we must give up freedom for security……which is not biblical. We are walking into a snare.

What does the Bible say about revenge? Does the Bible say that we should go out and attack whoever we think might attack us? No.

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends. But leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge, I will repay’, says the Lord. On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-21).

The Bible makes it clear - do not take revenge because the Lord will repay. Is this what the U.S. has done? No. We’ve done just the opposite. Our nation has gotten so far away from God that when someone speaks of faith in this manner he or she is most often labeled a 'religious fanatic'. Our President is not acting in accordance with biblical doctrine even though he says he is a man of faith (there are many other instances that I will discuss later). If our attack on Iraq was simply a response to an attack on the U.S., it would be unbiblical…but Iraq didn’t even attack us. The truth is that we did not attack Iraq and Afghanistan in response to a perceived threat. Something much more deceptive is happening. Most of us are not living lives according to God’s Word and His Laws and therefore, we are blind to the truth.

The Illuminati is using fear as their #1 weapon. Keep the population in fear and dependent on the government for protection….protection that comes with a price. I believe that the next phase of the Illuminati plan is a catastrophic terrorist event inside the U.S. that will cause widespread panic. This will be the natural explanation. Spiritually, it will be the Lord’s judgment upon our nation. Out of this growing fear, ‘the beast out of the earth’ of Revelation 13 will emerge. I will discuss this in more detail in the next posting.

Regardless of what may be happening to our country and the world around us, the Lord protects the righteous. He shields us, protects us, guides us and strengthens us. Remember, He is with us ALWAYS. He has guided me to these verses time and again to strengthen me. He will do the same for you. Pray to Him and He will answer you if you seek him with all of your heart.

"Security is our nearness to God, not our distance from danger."

Kenneth R. Hendre

‘A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.’ Psalm 91:7

‘But whoever listens to Me will dwell safely and will be secure, without fear of evil.’ Proverbs 1:33

‘Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you….In God I have put my trust; I will not fear.’ Psalm 56:3-4

‘In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’ Psalm 56:11

‘I will both lie down in sleep and peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.’ Psalm 4:8

‘The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; He shall preserve thy soul.’ Psalm 121:8

‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ Psalm 27:1

‘I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’ Psalm 34:4

‘My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.’ Psalm 121:2-3

‘Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.’ Psalm 55:22

‘Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.’ Psalm 27:3

‘But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.’ Psalm 33:18-19

‘The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.’ Psalm 34:7

‘Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me.’ Psalm 49:5

‘He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.’ Psalm 112:7

‘You who fear him, trust in the LORD— he is their help and shield.’ Psalm 115:11

‘Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked’ Psalm 3:25

‘The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.’ Proverbs 10:27

‘The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.’ Proverbs 15:33

‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10

‘Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults.’ Isaiah 51:7

‘In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.’ Isaiah 54:14

‘By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.’ Hebrews 11:7

‘But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.’ 1 Peter 3:14

"He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.’” Revelation 14:7

The Weather and God ’s Warnings

In 2004, 4 major hurricanes hit the state of Florida. The city of New Orleans was destroyed by a hurricane in 2005. Drought conditions seem to be worsening each year throughout the United States. Wildfires are increasing in regularity throughout the western U.S. Thunderstorms and tornadoes now develop well into November. In October and November 2005, tornadoes ripped across the Midwest causing extensive damage in Indiana and Kentucky. Summer heat waves are becoming the norm as global temperatures continue to rise. The last decade has been the hottest on record for the world. The following article appeared today, December 3, 2006, on the Reuters news wire:

“Flowers are blooming on the slopes of Alpine ski resorts and bears are having trouble hibernating in Siberia amid a late start to winter that may be a portent of global warming. Rare December pollen is troubling asthma sufferers as far north as Scandinavia, sales of winter clothing are down and Santa Claus has to reassure children his sleigh will take off on Christmas Eve, snow or no snow. From Siberia to Estonia, bears have had trouble going to sleep for their winter hibernation because their hideaways are uncomfortably warm, soggy and damp. Renowned for frosty winters, Moscow started the calendar winter on December 1 with the warmest December day since records began in 1879 -- 4.5 degrees Celsius (40.1 Fahrenheit). From Ottawa to Moscow, temperatures have been way above average at the start of the winter in the northern hemisphere -- with exceptions including a rare snowstorm in Dallas, Texas. Like many places, Austria has had the mildest autumn since records began and many ski resorts have delayed the season's start. Many scientists say a single warm winter is most likely part of the natural variations of an unpredictable climate. Still, years of mild temperatures fit predictions of global warming, widely blamed on human use of fossil fuels.”

I’ve seen a documentary showing how polar bear populations are declining in the northern Arctic due to thawing ice. Glaciers the world over are now receding at levels that are unprecedented in modern times. The strongest Hurricane ever recorded (Wilma) formed in 2005. Whether or not you believe in global warming, something is definitely changing within our world. If you’re like me, you get an uneasy feeling about what the future holds for us. What, exactly, is going on with our climate?

Have you noticed that as our world’s political climate seems less stable (terrorism, wars, etc), the world’s weather also seems less stable? The world will tell you that there is no way the two are related. Weather is weather, and people will be people. How can the weather be, in any way, related to the overall instability of the world? If you look at the world and our weather through natural, worldly eyes – you will never see a correlation. Look at the weather and the world through spiritual eyes – sight given to you through God’s power, and you begin to see a definite correlation. Once again, you must read the Lord’s Word and you must pray to receive true knowledge and wisdom. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about God’s warnings and what His Word says about weather during the last days.

Does the Bible tell us that God warns before judgment? Yes. The following is Chapter 4 from the Book of Amos.

‘Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring us some drinks!" The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks. You will each go straight out through breaks in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon," declares the LORD. "Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings— boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do," declares the Sovereign LORD. ……"I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. "Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.…..He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth— the LORD God Almighty is his name.’ (Amos Chapter 4)

This chapter begins with the Lord describing many of the women of Israel. They were rich, reveled in drunkenness and oppressed the poor. They were not living according to the Word and Laws of the Lord. They offered sacrifices to the Lord and occasionally gave tithes – and bragged about it. The Lord is telling us that these meant nothing to Him because they were living lives of sin, pride and arrogance. They took pleasure in sin and boasted about their religious devotion in front of men. They continued to sin against God even after numerous warnings from the Lord. After Israel was conquered, Assyrian pictures engraved on stone portray prisoners being led away with ropes tied to hooks in their nose or lips. The wealthy women of Israel’s capital were led away in judgment like cattle. These words ring true for us today. This chapter in Amos shows us that the Lord will use weather to warn a nation to return to Him. I believe that He is using it to warn the United States and I believe that He’s using it to tell the world that the end of this evil age is upon us.

In Mathew, Chapter 16, I believe that Jesus gives us a clue as to how to read the times in which we live:

‘The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away.’ (Mathew 16:2-4)

Jesus is obviously speaking to the fact that the Pharisees could not see that He was the Son of God. Although they were good at predicting the weather, they could not interpret the times in which they lived. Because they were not close to God, they could not see where they were on God’s timetable and His plan for salvation. They were speaking directly to God and couldn’t see it. This certainly applies to us today. With all of our technological advances, we know more about the natural world than ever before, but we’re still blind to the times in which we live. I believe that the clue to us in this message is Christ’s mention of the weather to the Pharisees, His mention of a ‘miraculous sign’ and most importantly, His mention of Jonah. Many attribute Jesus’ reference to Jonah to mean that He would be crucified and resurrected on the 3rd day, in the same way that Jonah spent 3 days in the belly of a whale. This is certainly true, but I believe there is more to His reference to Jonah. Other than the three days that Jonah spent in the whale, what is another sign mentioned in this Book? A storm.

‘The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.) The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.’ (Jonah Chapter 1)

So, Jonah was running from the Lord (rebelling) and the Lord used a storm to turn him around. Meteorologists will tell you that the increasing number and strength of hurricanes in recent years is cyclical. The U.S. is simply experiencing a cyclical ‘upswing’ in the number of hurricanes hitting its shores. At the same time, we seem to be getting hit with an increasing number of wildfires, torrential rains, floods and severe thunderstorms (with devastating tornadoes) that now extend into November. At the same time that our weather is becoming more intense, we’re facing an enemy that we can’t fight effectively. The ‘war on terror’ has no end in sight. Our leaders tell us it may never end. The war in Iraq is getting worse with no end in sight. What about our economy? It seems that the stock market and our economy are going along just fine. Are they? How long can we sustain a 9 trillion dollar deficit before the bubble bursts? If you read the Old Testament, there is one thing that always seems to precede the Lord’s judgment – prosperity. So, at the same time as our weather seems to be getting more unstable, the world’s political landscape also seems to be much more unstable.

The story of Jonah also tells us that even though the Lord may pronounce judgment, a city or nation can repent and be spared His wrath. ‘The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.’ (Jonah 3:5). ‘When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened’ (Jonah 3:10). The question we need to ask is this – does our nation realize that it needs to repent and return to God? Is it asking for forgiveness? It doesn’t take much contemplation to realize that the answer to both questions is no.

How many times do we hear someone today asking for a sign from God? His signs are all around us, but you’ll never see them unless you believe in Jesus, pray for wisdom and come close to the Lord. God’s warnings are not limited to the political instability in our world. They extend to everything in the world, including our weather. I believe that both the stability of the nations in our world and our climate will continue to deteriorate as we near the end of this age.

Let’s take a look at some instances where I believe the U.S. has definitely been warned. John McTernan published a book in 2001 entitled God’s Final Warning to America. John has done extensive research into natural disasters, financial collapses and how they relate to how America has turned away from God. I am only going to list a few examples here from John’s book.

1. On Thursday, September 21, 1989, the Washington Post had a front-page article about Hurricane Hugo approaching the United States. The Hurricane was expected to make landfall on Friday (the next day). The Washington Post also had another front page article on September 21st relating to abortion. This article said that the Bush administration only had until Friday (the next day) to make oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the Hodgson vs. Minnesota case. The oral argument was for the possibility of overturning Roe vs. Wade. The oral argument was never made and Roe vs. Wade was not overturned. On Friday, September 22, 1989, Hurricane Hugo slammed into Charleston, South Carolina, causing tremendous damage to the city and the entire state.
2. On June 28, 1992, hundreds of thousands of homosexuals and their supporters attended national Gay Pride day parades across America. On the very morning of Gay Pride day, the fourth and ninth most powerful earthquakes this century in the U.S. hit southern California. These quakes were so powerful, their effects were felt as far away as Idaho. The Los Angeles Times actually reported that the marchers had to brave the earthquakes to get to the Gay Pride day parade.
3. During the late winter and early spring of 1993, heavy rains fell on the Midwest. The Mississippi and Missouri rivers rose and approached flood stage. By mid-June the rivers were at flood stage. On June 25, shipping was halted on the Mississippi river. As Gay Pride day, June 27, 1993, approached, the rains increased until USA Today reported: “Then the skies opened up on June 19-21 filling the tributaries; and on June 25-27, finally putting the rivers over their banks.” The Mississippi and Missouri rivers actually began flooding on the weekend of Gay Pride day. The Great Flood of 1993, the worst in American history, started on Gay Pride day. The flood resulted in over $15 billion in damage.
4. During September, 1994, Vice President Al Gore represented the United States at the World Population Control Conference in Cairo, Egypt. As expected, he promoted abortion as a method of birth control. Abortion was promoted as a universal right. On September 12, the next to the last day of the conference, a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake rocked southern California. This was the eleventh most powerful earthquake to hit the U.S. this century.
5. On May 20, 1996, the headlines of the New York Times read, “Worst drought since ‘30’s grips Plains”. The article reported how a powerful drought had gripped the Midwest and western sections of the country. The article pinpointed October 1995 as when the drought started. October 1995 was also designated as Gay/Lesbian History Month by the National Teachers Association. This association passed a resolution for every school district in the nation to observe October as Gay/Lesbian History Month.
6. On February 25, 1997, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to release $385 million overseas into 100 countries for “family planning”. Pro-life forces in the Senate tried to stop the release of the funds because some of the money could be used for abortion. The Clinton Administration backed this release of funds and pushed the date of release of the funds to March 1. On March 1, the legislation was signed into law, and the money released. On the very next day, powerful tornadoes roared across Texas into Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. The storm stalled over Ohio, and torrential rains caused record flooding on the Ohio River.

I have mentioned Homosexuality a couple of times. Does this mean that God hates homosexuals? No. He hates the sin of homosexuality. In the same way that He hates the sin of pride, worship of wealth or the killing of the unborn. Jesus will forgive anyone if they will turn away from their sin and embrace Him. John McTernan mentions many other examples where severe weather and/or economic events coincided with our acceptance of abortion and homosexual activities. All of this doesn’t mean that if your house is hit by a tornado, you have somehow offended God. We live in a fallen world and Jesus made it clear that tribulations will happen to both believers and unbelievers. The difference is whether we have built our lives on Him and how we respond to these tribulations. I do believe, however, that God is making it clear that our support of abortion and our open acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle are unacceptable to Him. How long will we receive warnings before they turn into His judgment? Only He knows. I feel very strongly that we have passed the point of no return. I believe that the Lord has now determined that the only way to remove the sin from our nation is through judgment.

So, the final piece of this is – does Bible prophecy mention weather in our future? The answer is yes. One of God’s final judgments on the world speaks of the weather. ‘The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him’ (Revelation 16:8-9). It sounds like things are going to get very hot on this planet. We see the trends today, but where does it end? We can debate the causes in our natural world (greenhouse gases, fossil fuels, etc) for the increase in global temperature, but the truth is that this world is heading for a period of time where it is going to be very unpleasant – both from wars and from the weather. As the world turns farther away from God, our spiritual enemy will continue to increase his influence. Each of us much choose whether to fight our enemy and proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ or sit on the sidelines and watch the world’s decline from the sidelines.

A Servant of the Lord – Isaiah 49

Anyone who serves the Lord goes through tough times. Hardship is not something that should surprise us in this world. If you’re going to do great things for God – you’re going to go through great trials. This is how you become a ‘polished arrow’ in the verses below. This is how God molds you into His image – this is how He instills His character in you. This is how He prepares you to face our enemy and all of his schemes.

There have been times over the past 4 years where I became so tired and frustrated with my circumstances – I wanted to give up. I was tired of being broke and struggling to pay bills. I was tired of not being able to do all of the things I wanted to do. To be honest – I was tired of being tested – tired of the trials – tired of having the burden of knowing what was coming for us – tired of battling our enemy.

I wanted to walk away.

I argued with God.

Why is this happening to me? I’ve done what you’ve asked and it has led me to financial ruin!

I felt like God was asking me to run the race – with a broken leg.

I wanted to stop analyzing the world’s economic system and what the global elite are doing to the world. Most of the people in the world worship the world and the things in it – let them reap what they have sown. I’m tired of telling people the truth – when they aren’t interested. They are doomed – and I want out of here.

I felt like Job wrapped in sackcloth - sitting on a pile of ashes - wondering why this was happening to me – if I’m one of the good guys.

I think every person who ever served the Lord – has had similar thoughts and feelings about their circumstances and what they have been asked to do. I also think that the Lord let’s us vent at times. This world is hard – which is why our trials are tough – which is why the ‘narrow path’ is the most difficult path to take in this world – which is why few choose to follow Jesus. It’s not easy – and it never will be.

Although I have struggled financially – I’ve somehow always managed to get by. When I thought that no one was listening – I would get an email from someone who was encouraged by what I’ve written.

I rarely received what I wanted – but I have always received what I needed. Remember this.

There have been times when I simply needed something to lift me up. I needed a word from my Creator to let me know I was still on the right path.

Today – he gave me Isaiah 49. (Summer 2009)
______________________________________
Isaiah 49

The Servant of the LORD

1 Listen to me, you islands;

hear this, you distant nations:

Before I was born the LORD called me;

from my birth he has made mention of my name.

2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,

in the shadow of his hand he hid me;

he made me into a polished arrow

and concealed me in his quiver.

3 He said to me, "You are my servant,

Israel, in whom I will display my splendor."

4 But I said, "I have labored to no purpose;

I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.

Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand,

and my reward is with my God."

5 And now the LORD says—

he who formed me in the womb to be his servant

to bring Jacob back to him

and gather Israel to himself,

for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD

and my God has been my strength-

6 he says:

"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant

to restore the tribes of Jacob

and bring back those of Israel I have kept.

I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,

that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

7 This is what the LORD says—

the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—

to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,

to the servant of rulers:

"Kings will see you and rise up,

princes will see and bow down,

because of the LORD, who is faithful,

the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."

Faith and Trials

In the United States today, most of us expect everything to go our way. We expect to have good jobs, plenty of money, a nice home, money saved for retirement, nice vacations, security, etc…..and we do not like or expect any type of hardship. Many teachers today also tell us that God wants to bless us, give us good things – and they only tell us one small piece of the Gospel.

What is one very effective way that God strengthens us? Trials and tribulations. We read about how God uses trials in both the old and new Testaments. We read time and again how trials strengthen the faith of the Lord’s children. It stands to reason then, that we should expect trials in our life – and know that God is in control of them and our lives.

The following is another sermon by John MacArthur. John does an excellent job of explaining how God uses trials in our life.

The Purpose of Trials
Selected Scriptures
by John MacArthur

As we begin our study tonight in James chapter 1, you might open your Bible to that wonderful section of Scripture that is filled with so much hope for those of us who go through trouble.

While you're doing that, I want to share a letter with you. A couple of weeks ago, someone called me on the phone in our church and said, "I wonder if you could make a phone call for us to a brother in law who just had a terrible tragedy in his life."

And I said I would be happy to do that. So I called. And when he picked up the phone, responded, I said, "Hi, this is John MacArthur in California," he was in Colorado. And he was stunned for a moment because he had been listening to the radio and the tapes but had not met me personally, to my knowledge anyway. And he said, "I can't believe this. I can't believe you called me. I'm sitting here at the table writing you a letter."

And the letter came and in the middle of the letter, right in the middle of it it says, "Wow, praise God, this is where you called me." This is on page four of the letter. "I feel like God is telling me something."

Six:fifteen P.M. on the sixteenth of March, 1986, the letter says this:
I would like to tell you a story that begins over a year ago. The story is far too complex for me to write in a letter, at least in all its detail. I would like to share perhaps a paragraph of it with you.

My name is Dan. I met you at Grace Church briefly and I sat four rows back, dead center on December 22, 1985, you remember? My wife was not able to come as she was ill. We have a son, Luke, age 4 and a daughter age 22 months.

In March of 1985, my wife was diagnosed as having a brain tumor in her right cerebellum. On April 3, 1985, Carolyn went into surgery and they removed the tumor along with 80 percent of her right cerebellum.

On Good Friday, April 3, 1985, things were looking good and they moved Carolyn out of the ICU into a regular room. April 5, 1985, I went home to her parents' house around 10:30 P.M. I went in to kiss the kids good night and Sara, then 8 months old, was glassy eyed and staring off into space. I thought she was gone. The doctors at Children's Hospital took a spinal tap and said she had Spinal Meningitis. They told me she could die, or have any number of deficiencies. It would take 24 hours to tell if she would survive.

It was then that I really lost control. I could do nothing. As my daughter lay there on an inclined crib, she had splints on her arms and one leg. She had an IV in her left foot, right hand, left hand and scalp. She was tied down with her arms spread and had three monitors on her chest.

I wept. Lord, why her? She's so innocent. I was totally at a loss for answers. There I was trying to keep this from my wife, Carolyn, who was in another hospital. I couldn't. Lord, what would I do?

On Easter morning, April 6, I was at Children's, holding Sara with all the wires and IVs, sitting in a chair. And a nurse came in and told me that Sara had made it. The monitors indicated she had responded well to the antibiotics and they could take off all of the apparatus.

As you can imagine, during that time I did a lot of footwork between the two hospitals. In doing that, I was using Carolyn's car and she listened to radio station KWBI A.M. 91, somewhere in Longmont, Colorado. That's where I first heard you. I don't remember the date, but you were in the series, "How to handle persecution," from the book of Acts.

First time I heard, I had to stop the car. I was crying too hard to drive. My wife, Carolyn, courageously fought back from her surgery and even though her motor skills would never be normal, she never gave up. She was dedicated to her children and me and her Savior and Lord.

I've included some of her notes from the Bible study on "Kingdom Life." And they're in the back of the letter, her own notes, written with obviously a scrawling hand that would reflect some of the brain damage.

She was not a Bible scholar but she loved the Lord. She died May 8, 1986 in my arms, the third tumor was inoperable.

Praise God, we have a Savior who has conquered death. As I write this letter, I have wet eyes and the smell of funeral flowers fills my nostrils. I'm not writing this for sympathy. I just could not let it go any longer because I wanted you to know how much Grace To You has blessed me and my family. And I speak for those outside my family as well.

Please give my thanks to your staff at Grace To You and also to Grace Community Church. And then I love this at the end Many of your church have prayed for Carolyn and I and the family and P.S., we're praying for you and your new building. Your friend, Dan Hummel(?)

Now there's a man who went through a very, very wrenching emotional experience. In one sentence he said, "She died in my arms," and the very next sentence he said, "Praise God for a Savior who has conquered death." In the most profound of human agony, for the Christian there is great hope...there is triumph no matter how deep the trouble.

It's all a question of perspective. The family that I mentioned to you this morning, the Romanoski(?) family, whose two daughters were killed yesterday, have been staying with Russ and Heidi Moir. I asked Russ what their attitude is and he said to me, "To be honest with you, they were rejoicing today." Rejoicing? Over the death of two daughters in an auto accident?
"Well, they're rejoicing because both their daughters knew Jesus Christ and the other two students with them who were spared do not know Christ." Cause for rejoicing.

It's perspective. Going through any trial of life for a Christian can be a joyous experience if perspective is right. Now imagine for yourself the worst trial you could possible face. Maybe for some people it might seem to be financial crisis, all your investments are lost, your life savings. For other people it might be the loss of employment, you're fired, you have no income to support your family, you lose all your dignity. Or the announcement from the doctor that you have just received word that you're going to have to have a triple bypass immediately. Or that you have a massive brain tumor. Or, your husband does, or your son does. Or, the word has just come over the telephone that your daughter has had a terrible car accident and has died. Or, been raped. Or your wife has been murdered by a drug addict who broke into the house. Or maybe that your child has a fatal disease and only a few days to live. And we could go on and on and on. And frankly, folks, all of those things touch us one way or another, don't they? Because as Job put it, "Man is born into trouble as the sparks fly upward."

And anybody who tries to create a fantasy world where everything is perfect is only setting themselves up for even a more profound sorrow. It must be anticipated. And I have to confess to you that the anticipation of the reality of sorrow and agony and trouble coming close to us, cast a sort of a shadow even over our highest joys, doesn't it? In a sense, it mitigates even the most wonderful events of life. And maybe that's the reason that though Jesus wept rather commonly, as Scripture records, no place in Scripture does it ever say He laughed.

Perhaps He did. But His happiness at any occasion certainly would have been offset by His overwhelming sense of sadness over sin. All of us, to some degree or another, if we think realistically know we're going to face trouble. We're going to have to look right in the eyes of agony at some point in our lives. And we need to understand how to face that.

I was trying to think this week as I sat in my study of what to me would be the severest trial of all trials. The most painful experience to go through. And I thought about the classic Job who lost his family and his crops and his animals and everything. And I thought about that for a while, lost all his possessions, lost all his children. And worse, he was left with a wife who didn't understand anything. He was personally struck with disease. And that is admittedly a heavy duty trial.

But as I thought about it more, I thought of another person who in my judgment, and you may or may not agree with me, but who in my judgment probably was faced with potentially the severest trial any human being could ever endure. And the man's name is Abraham.

Turn with me for a moment back to Genesis 22. I really wanted to get into James but I just got to thinking about this and felt that perhaps this would give us a very good perspective. I think what God put Abraham through is unquestionably the most unimaginable test that anyone was ever given.

In Genesis 22 verse 1, it says, "It came to pass after these things that God did test Abraham." This is a peirasmos, folks. This is a trial for Abraham. This is a test for Abraham. He was faced with the severest trial that is imaginable. God did test Abraham.

"He said to him, Abraham, He said, Behold, here I am. And He said, Take now your son...notice the emphasis...your only Isaac whom you love." Almost as if God is rubbing it in. Not just your son, but your only son. Not just your only son but the one you love. "And go into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you about." It's incredible. I want to sacrifice out of you and I want a human sacrifice, I want your son, I want you to go there, I want you to kill him as an offering to Me.

This did not fit Abraham's theology. There was no history in the covenant of God of human sacrifice. That was a pagan thing. No child of God would ever offer his own in human sacrifice. Furthermore, this was the son of promise. God had touched the dead loins of Abraham and allowed him to bring to a consummation, a relationship with his wife Sarah who was also dry in her own loins and produce a son, a son of the covenant, a son of promise, a son of hope, a son of Sarah who was barren all her life.

Why would God call for human sacrifice when He never had called for human sacrifice before? And to do so would be the antithesis of everything Abraham knew to be true about God. Why would God go to great lengths to enable a man and a woman nearing 100 years of age who had been barren all their life to produce a son then ask the son be killed? Why would God make a promise to Abraham that he would be the father of nations and the seed that would come out of his loins would number as the sands of the sea and the stars of the heaven and then kill the only child he had?

The whole idea was absolutely bizarre. All hope of progeny in old Abraham would die. All hope of promise would die. Abraham would be killing his love, killing God's promises, striking a blow at God's Word, striking a blow at the character of God, striking a blow at the covenant faithfulness of God, killing the promise of God and cutting off the line of Messiah. Absolutely inconceivable.

And what makes it the severest trial ever is not that Isaac was to die, but that Abraham was to kill him with his own hand. Incredible. It's one thing to have the one you love die, it's something else to be told to kill that person. An unthinkable trial. A trial that made sense no way, not theologically, not in terms of the nature of God, not in terms of the plan of redemption, not in terms of God's Word, not in terms of His love or of Abraham's love for Isaac. If there ever was anything that God commanded to man to do that deserved a rather lengthy argument, this was it. And we would have understood if Abraham had said, "Look, God, could You explain this, please? This makes no sense. I can't do it."

Notice his response. Verse 3, "And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son." What? In the morning he got ready to leave, to go. "And he cut the wood." He had to cut his own wood to put his son on to burn him to death. And he rose up, and he went to the place which God told him to go.

Amazing man, absolutely amazing man...no questioning, no delay, no argument, no dispute, no reaction. Three days later, verse 4, "Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men," he had some people going along with him, "abide here with the ass and I and the lad will go yonder and worship." Watch this one, "And come again to you." You ought to underline that. I and the lad will go and worship and we'll be back. Here's the secret. Keep that in mind. He said we'll both come back.

"And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, laid it on Isaac his son. He took the fire in his hand and a knife and they went both of them together. And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, My father. He said, Here I am, my son. He said, Behold the fire and the wood but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" O my, this is agonizing...a trusting son who doesn't know what's going on, says in such a loving way, and gently to his father about this act of worship, "Where is the lamb? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they went both of them together." And you ought to underline that. You see, I believe down deep in Abraham's heart, he knew God had something in mind that was consistent with God's character and consistent with God's covenant. I don't know that he knew what it was specifically, but I think he had a good idea.
"And they came to the place of which God had told him and Abraham built an altar there." He had to build the altar. "Laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son." No struggle on Isaac's part either. "Tied him up, laid him on the altar upon the wood. Abraham stretched forth his hand, took the knife to slay his son." You can stop at that point.

Unbelievable. Do you understand by reading that story what it means when it says "Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness?" Do you understand why the New Testament says that Abraham is the father of the faithful? He is the greatest single model of trust in God the Bible knows anything about apart from Christ. The man is at the point of plunging the knife into the breast of his own son. An unthinkable thing. What a trial. Contradictory, indescribable, painful, murderous, inconsistent with everything he knew about God...and yet he is submissive, he is obedient, he will worship at any cost. And God took Abraham's willingness for performance. God judged him on his willingness and didn't make him carry out the act.

Verse 11, "The angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here I am. And he said, Lay not your hand on the lad, neither do anything unto him for now I know that you fear God." Guess what, this was a test and Abraham...what?...passed. He passed. He would obey the Word of God no matter what. "You have not withheld your son, your only son from Me." Umph...
Now Abraham shows us that we might be tested in things very near to us. We might be tested in things very dear to us like a son or a daughter, or a husband or a wife or a friend. We may have to offer up our own Isaac, give the ones we love most over to the Lord, not only in death but maybe in life. Maybe by letting them go the way that God wants them to go, not necessarily the way we want them to go. You see, when Abraham was willing to give up Isaac, no matter how much Isaac meant to him in every way, he showed by being willing to give him up...watch this...that he had the right to keep him. See that? He wasn't possessive. He would release him to God's will. Why? Because he would do anything God asked him to do.

Now we all have a lot of trials in life, but I can't ever imagine a trial like that. I can't imagine what I would do if God told me to do that....I can't imagine what I would go through. But I think we can conclude from this that the more excellent or the more difficult the obedience, the more excellent the obedience. And the more difficult the obedience, the more self denial is inherent in it. So here you have an obedience that takes tremendous self denial and therefore is the most excellent. Abraham passed the test. He says, "Now I know you fear God." In other words, you truly reverence God at any cost. What a trial.

The commentary on this trial of Abraham is given in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Would you look there for just a moment? In Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 17, how did Abraham do this? How could he bring himself to this? Hebrews 11:17 tells us very clearly, the first two words of verse 17 tell the whole story, "By...what?...faith Abraham...and here it comes again, you ought to underline it...when he was tested." This was a test. I think about that on the radio. The other day I was driving in to the church and the little beep came on and said, "This is a test." And I thought about Abraham. God was saying, "Beep...this is a test. Beep...the test has just been concluded." This is a test. "And when he was tested, he offered up Isaac and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called."
How could he do that? Here it comes...here's the key, verse 19, "Accounting, or taking note of the fact, that God was able to raise him up even from...what?...the dead." You know why he was willing to do that? Because he believed God could raise the dead. Had he ever seen the dead raised? Not to my knowledge, but he believed God could raise the dead. What he really believed was this, that God was so true to His Word that if He made a promise, He would even raise the dead to keep it. Tremendous faith.

Now I don't want to read too much into the story but it just may be that Abraham was a little disappointed when he wasn't allowed to take his son's life because he would like to have seen a resurrection. We don't know that. But he believed, if need be, God would raise him from the dead.

Now what does that tell us? It tells us that a man can go through the severest imaginable trial of life if he really trusts God. And if he believes that God is on the throne, that God will keep His promise, that God never makes mistakes, that God always fulfills His word and that God will accomplish His purposes, it is that kind of faith that passes the test. When Abraham was put through the peirasmos, when he was tried or tested, he passed. And I say again, is it any wonder, is it any wonder that this man is the single greatest human model of faith? In Galatians 3 verse 7, "Know ye therefore that they who are of faith are the sons of Abraham." Anybody who lives by faith in God is in a spiritual sense a son of Abraham. He is the father of the faithful. He is the model of faith.

Verse 9 says, "They who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." He knew that through his loins the nations of the world would be blessed. And he knew God kept His word and God would bring it to pass.

Now, beloved, we have to realize that God is going to allow us to go through tests. And the thing that sustains us in the midst of that is our trust in God, our faith that God is working all things out for His own holy purpose. I know we dream of worldly ease, and we like to create a perfect environment, we want to have absolute comfort. We want to get all the rough spots out of life. We want to make sure everything is perfectly settled. Frankly, I've never known such a moment in my life. Every once in a while I think there's one there and I find out there isn't.
But the fact that we have temporary rest and temporary ease sort of fools us into thinking we might find a permanent exemption when that is not the case. I remember the words of the psalmist, you remember Psalm 30 verse 6, he said, "In my prosperity I said I shall never be moved." Implied, but I was wrong. "When I was fat, I thought it would always be like this." And you can live in a fool's paradise if you want, never forecasting any trouble, promising yourself ease. But that isn't what Christ said. He said, "Watch and pray that you enter not into peirasmos, trials." Watch, look for trials, pray, ask for strength. Watch and pray.

I was reading, as I often enjoy doing, the works of Thomas Manton, a marvelous Puritan writer. And I found one line in some of the things I was reading this week that stuck in my mind. He said this, "God had one Son without sin, but no son without a cross." It just goes with the territory. We're going to have trials. Psalm 23 says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me." Trials will come, the confidence is in the presence of God.

Now, let me talk a little bit more by way of introduction and I..as I said, I wanted to get into the text itself but so many things came into my mind this week that probably should have been covered in the introduction. So if you'll indulge me a bit.

Trials can come to us through several means and with several purposes in mind. Let me just suggest some to you, all right? First of all, trials come to test the strength of our faith. And we really did get into that last week, I just want to touch this one. Trials come to test the strength of our faith. There's a great illustration of this in 2 Chronicles 32:31, you don't need to look it up, I'll quote that portion of it. It relates to Hezekiah who was king and of Hezekiah it says this, listen, "God left him to test him that he might know all that was in his heart." Did you get that? God left him to test him that he might know all that was in his heart.

That who might know? Well, not God. God didn't need to know by testing what was in Hezekiah's heart. He knew by omniscience, right? Does God have to test you to find out what's in your heart? No. God doesn't have to test any of us to find out what's in our heart, God tests us so we can find out.

In other words, He assists us in doing that spiritual inventory. He assists us in self examination. I need to know and you need to know the strength of our faith. And so, God brings trials into our lives to demonstrate to us the strength or weakness of our faith. If you're right now going through a severe trial, it is revealing to you the strength or weakness of your faith, isn't it? If you're shaking your fist at God, if you're wondering why it's happening, if you're fretting all the time and worrying, if you're in anxiety from morning till night, there's a good indication that you have a weak faith.

If, on the other hand, you're going through a trial and you find yourself resting in the Lord, having placed it into His care, letting Him bear the burden of it, and going on your way rejoicing as best you can in a difficult situation, waiting for God to show you the way out, then you are seeing for yourself that you possess a strength of faith.

So, in one sense then, we ought to be thankful for trials because they assist us in the inventory of our own faith. That's very helpful. I always want to know where my faith is so that it can be stronger. For the stronger my faith is the more likely I am to be useful to God.

When Habakkuk was going through the mystery of his own situation in the devastating promise that the Chaldeans were going to come and wipe out his people, in spite of everything he said, "Even if the fig tree doesn't blossom, and the fruit is not in the vines and the labor of the olive fails and the fields yield no food and the flocks are cut off from the fold and there's no herd in the stalls," in other words, if everything that I know of as normative in life ceases, "Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation, the Lord God is my strength and He will make my feet like mountain goat's feet and make me walk upon my high places."
And then at the end he says, "To the chief singer on my stringed instruments, this is praise, sing it." In the midst of an absolutely unsolvable mystery, his trust never wavered. He learned through that the strength of his faith.

And so one of the purposes of testing is to reveal to you and to me the strength of our faith so that we can move along the path to greater strength. Job was tested. As a result of his testing in chapter 42, that familiar text, he says, "I had heard of Thee," speaking of God, "with the hearing of mine ear, now my eyes seeth Thee and I repent, I abhor myself, I repent in dust and ashes." In other words, he said I want to confess my sin. Lord, I have never really seen You the way I see You now. And I realize that some of the things I thought about You and said about You and felt about You were sinful. Lord, my faith in its weakness has been revealed. So trials come as a test to the strength of our faith.

Secondly, we must recognize that trials come to humble us. They come to remind us not to think more confidently of our spiritual strength than we should. It's closely connected to the first one, but a little different. They come not only to show us our strength, but they come to humble us. Lest we think that we are more strong spiritually than we are.

This is illustrated, I think, perhaps as graphically as anywhere in Scripture in the wonderful testimony of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12, you know it. He says in verse 7, "And lest I should be exalted above measure." In other words, lest I should think more highly of myself than I ought to think because of the abundance of the revelations. And to be caught up into the third heaven...and all of the things that Paul was able to do in the power of the Spirit, miracles and signs and wonders and mighty deeds and revelations coming out of him from God. And through all of these things, he could well have been exalted in his own mind. So lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh to buffet me, to just beat me up all the time, lest I should be exalted above measure.

And we must realize that God allows trials in our lives, especially when we are blessed in places of spiritual service, to keep us humble, lest we think more confidently of our spiritual strength than we should and start to feel that we're invincible.

There's a third reason as I thought these things through, and these are really my own reflections, trying to look at it from the biblical and the personal viewpoint. I believe the Lord brings trials in our life also to wean us from worldly things...to wean us away from worldly things. Have you found that maybe the older you've gotten and the more things you've accumulated, the more furniture or cars or houses or bank accounts or whatever, the more success you may have had, the more worldly things you've done, you've been here, you've been there, you've traveled, you've seen this, you've seen that, have you noticed that as that has gone on in your life, those things tend to have less and less significance? There was a time when you thought that they were the most desirable things in life and now you no longer feel that because they have not been able to deal with the real issues of life? They don't really solve deep problems, great anxieties, hurts.

And when trials come into your life and you reach out for all those worldly things and they make no difference, and they mean absolutely nothing, that trial is weaning you off of those things. Because it is demonstrating their utter inability to solve any problem...or to provide for you any real resource in a time of stress. We need to be weaned away.

Philip, you know, in John 6, he comes to Jesus and he says, "Boy, how we going to get bread to feed these people?" He's looking at things from a worldly viewpoint. "How...where we...there's no stores around here. And there's not enough bread anyway. We've got a multitude here, a massive crowd. How are we going to get food for 5,000 men plus women and children?" And so he says, "Well, Philip, you tell Me, where are we going to buy bread?" And it says in verse 6, "And this He said to test him." He wanted to find out whether Philip looked to worldly resources. And, of course, he did. But it wasn't any good at that point, and the Lord then created a meal and very quickly weaned Philip off the worldly things and satisfied him with the spiritual things.

I think about Moses, you remember in chapter 11 of Hebrews verses 24 to 26? He had been raised in Pharaoh's house. He had been brought up as a prince in Egypt. For 40 years he was educated. He was literally in line in the Pharaoh's family for prominence. He had reached the apex of Egyptian society which was at the height of the world. All the education, all the money, all the prestige, all the honor, all the success, all the comfort was there in his hands. But he considered the reproach of Christ, the Lord's anointed, greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. See, he had gotten his eyes off all of that and he began to be concerned about the trial of his people. And the Lord used that trial to wean him off of worldly things. Trials will do that.

There's a fourth, I think, purpose in trials. I think they call us to what we could an eternal hope. Trials in life, I don't know how they work with you but they work this way with me, trials in my life tend to make me want to go to heaven. Have you noticed that? That's what I'm saying. I don't want to make it too difficult, it's pretty simple. They call us to an eternal hope. Like the dear man who wrote me the letter and said she died in my arms, praise the Lord for a Savior who conquered death. All of a sudden for him, heaven is sweeter than it's ever been. Or the little family that lost two daughters, heaven is sweeter than it's ever been. And they have a new...what should I say?...a new disinterest in the passing world, wouldn't you say that if you've lost a loved one? If the most precious people in your life and the most precious person in your life, the Lord Jesus Christ, and if the most precious possessions in your life have been laid away as treasure in heaven, you're going to have a very very disengaged relationship with this passing world.

So trials...trials tend to show us the bankruptcy of human resources and wean us off the world and sort of settle us on the heavenly hope. In Romans 8, among many scriptures that could be noted, we just support that thought, in Romans chapter 8 it says, "The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. If so be that we suffer with Him, we may also be glorified together. And I reckon, or I count that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." As I go through suffering, Paul says, I just get more and more hungry for glory. "And I see the whole creation groaning and waiting for the hope to be realized, waiting for the glorious...verse 21...liberation of the children of God." And then in verse 24, or 23, "We are groaning, waiting for the redemption of our body," verse 24, "we are saved in hope."

So we go through trials. Trials give us a greater affection for that which is eternal. They help us long for the eternal city. They set our affections on things above. That's a very important spiritual thing. They cause us to think on things divine, things heavenly. And that's what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:16, "For which cause we faint not, for though our outward man perish, the inward man is renewed day by day and our light affliction which is but for a moment works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." And then he says this, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

How did he get that kind of attitude? Oh, it's very easy. Just go back to verse 8, "We're troubled on every side. We're perplexed. We're persecuted. We always bear in our body the dying of Jesus Christ." Verse 12, "Death works in us." He's going through so much trouble, it's little wonder he doesn't like the world, he'd rather be in glory. So you see, trials have a very, very helpful purpose. They test the strength of our faith. They humble us, lest we think more confidently of our spiritual strength than we should. They wean us off of worldly things. And they call us a heavenly hope.

Fifthly, trials also serve a very important purpose because they reveal what we really love. They reveal what we really love. Could anything have been dearer to Abraham than Isaac? Anything? It's questionable that anything could be dearer to him than Isaac...anything in this world, certainly God was dearer to him than Isaac. But that was the test, to find out did he love Isaac more than he loved God? Or did he love God more than he loved Isaac? That's the test. You see, trials will reveal what you really love, by how you react. You see, if you supremely love God, you're going to say, "Thank You, God, for what You're accomplishing through this. Help me to see that and give You glory though You're allowing this to happen."

But if you really love self more than God, you're going to say, "God, why do You do this?" And you're going to be irate and you're going to be upset and you're going to be bitter and you're going to be full of anxiety. You see, there's a sense in which if anything is dearer to you than God, then He has to have it. He's got to remove it. So in my own life, I just want to make sure nothing is dearer to me than the Lord because I don't want Him to remove it...not that He always does.

I was thinking about this and reading back in the Pentateuch a little bit. I came to Deuteronomy chapter 13, verse 3, "Thou shalt not hearken to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams." This would be a false prophet. "For the Lord your God...look at this...tests you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." Wow, the Lord is testing you to see who you really love, whether you love Him with all your heart and all your soul. In Luke 14:26, "If any man come to Me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea and his own life, also, he cannot be...what?...My disciple. And whosoever doesn't bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."

Now what in the world is He saying? Is He literally saying that it's a Christian thing to hate everybody including yourself? No, what He means by that is if you do not love God to the degree that you willingly if necessary cut yourself off from father, mother, wife, children, brethren, sister, and your own life, then you don't love God supremely. You're not worthy to be His disciple.

Well, what do you mean cut off? We mean by that this, that you will do the will of God first and foremost, no matter what appeals those others make to you. No matter what appeal your father might make or your mother, or your wife or your child, or your brother or your sister, or your own flesh, you will do the will of God no matter what appeals are being made because therein lies your supreme love.
God wanted, in the case of Abraham, to let Abraham find out and all of us find out, who Abraham loved most. He said to him, "Isaac, your only son whom you love." Abraham passed the test. Whom did Abraham love most? God. And that's the value of the trial. Abraham found out he loved God most and everybody found out that. That's so important to know. When you go through a trial, find out what it reveals about your love.

There's a sixth purpose in trials that really is very, very helpful, and that is this, trials teach us to value the blessing of God. They teach us to value the blessing of God. Reason...reason teaches us to value the world. Sense, feeling tells us to value pleasure. Faith tells us to value God's Word, God's Word and God's favor, God's blessing.

Reason says grab what you can grab in the world and go. Sense and feeling says find pleasure at any price. Faith says obey the Word of God and be blessed. See, trials teach us the blessing of obedience. In the midst of a trial, we obey and are blessed. That's what they are intended to teach. They show us that obedience at all costs brings the blessing of God. The psalmist says in Psalm 63:3, and this out of personal experience, "Because Thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee." God, I have seen Your loving kindness, and it's the best thing there is...the best thing there is.

Jesus is the perfect example of this in Hebrews 5, in the days of His flesh, He offered up prayers, supplications, with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death. Jesus going through the trial in the garden, that's what's being pictured there. And He was sweating, as it were, great drops of blood, weeping and crying out to God, deliver Him. And He was heard in that He feared. And though He were a Son and a beloved one at that, yet He learned obedience by the things He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey Him, through...watch this...through suffering, He was obedient and God exalted Him.

Philippians 2 puts it another way, "He was humbled, took upon Him the form of a man, offered Himself in death and God highly exalted Him."

Trials come to put us through suffering that we may obey in the suffering and then receive the full blessing of God. And I would say that when you go through a trial, if you learn to obey God, you will experience the exhilaration of His blessing. That's His promise.

Let me give you two others that are purposes of suffering. Number seven, suffering comes...and this is a very, very valuable purpose...suffering comes to enable us to help others in their suffering. Sometimes when suffering comes, it may have no more purpose than to make us better able to assist others in their own suffering. I think of that in regard to the twenty second chapter of Luke where Jesus says to Peter, "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan's desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat." Satan's going to take you and shake you. "And I've prayed for you that your faith fail not." Now watch this, "And when you are turned around," when you come through that thing, He says, "strengthen your brethren." There you go. A wonderful purpose, that's like Jesus in Hebrews chapter 4, Hebrews chapter 2 also, who becomes a faithful merciful high priest, able to help those who come to Him because He has been through every trial we've been through, right? That's what makes Him a merciful faithful high priest.

So, we go through trials for the purpose of being able to help others. How wonderful...how wonderful that God allows us to learn by experience to instruct others.

And then finally, the eighth, and this leads us right into the passage...we'll have to wait a week, but eighth, trials come to develop enduring strength for greater usefulness. They come to develop enduring strength for greater usefulness. Again, Thomas Manton said, "While all things are quite and comfortable, we live by sense rather than faith. But the worth of a soldier is never known in times of peace," end quote.

That's right. The worth of a soldier is never known in times of peace. God has His purpose in trial. And what it is to do is to give us greater strength. As you go through one trial, you're spiritual muscles are exercised, you're stronger for the next one. That means you can face a greater foe. That means you're more useful. You go through another trial, and another trial and another trial and all those are strengthening, strengthening, strengthening until now your usefulness is on the increase, your endurance makes you more useful. And then the more useful you are, the more used you are and the more used you are, the more you accomplish in the power of the Spirit for the glory of God.

So, let me sum it up. What is God's purpose as He tests us? First, to test the strength of our faith that we might know where our strength is, or isn't. Secondly, to humble us, lest we think more confidently of our spiritual strength than we should. Thirdly, to wean us away from worldly things. Fourthly, to call us to a heavenly hope so that we live in the above and not in the below. Fifthly, to reveal what we really love. Sixthly, to teach us to value the blessing of God and to appreciate it as it comes to us out of the times of suffering. Seventh, to enable us to help others in their trial, to bear one another's burdens. And eighth, to develop enduring strength for greater usefulness so that God can thrust us into greater places of ministry and effectiveness.

Now aren't these all worthwhile purposes? All of these fit into the plan of God by His grace. But the question still lingers in your mind, as it does in mine...Fine, they're going to come...let's go back to James 1 for just a closing thought...it says they're going to come, the testing of your faith, it's going to come, verse 3. Verse 12, "Blessed is the man that endures the testing, after he's tried, he's going to be rewarded." They're going to come, there's no way to avoid them.

And we might say, "I know they're going to come and I know all of these things are God's purposes in them and He wants to accomplish all of this. I can buy into that. But it still doesn't answer the question: how do I get through it in the middle of it? How do I make it through? It's fine to have all this in place on a list in my sermon notes, how do I get through that trial?" And that's where James 1:2 to 12 really speak to the heart.

First of all, it takes a joyous attitude. The first means to persevering in a trial is a joyous attitude. "My brethren, count it all joy..." The second is an understanding mind, "Knowing this..." that this test is producing something. The third is a submissive will, "Let patience have its perfect work." In other words, let it happen because God is at work. The fourth, in verses 5 to 8, is a believing heart. Ask God for what you need. And ask, verse 6 says, in...what?...in faith. You have to have a believing heart to believe that God has a purpose and that He will supply everything you need for that trial...a believing heart.

And finally, in verses 9 to 11, a humble spirit...a humble spirit. You persevere through trials with a joyous attitude, an understanding mind, a submissive will, a believing heart and a humble spirit. Now next time we're going to look at those final two...a believing heart and a humble spirit. I just wanted to set it up and I want you to notice, we're going to look at some very, very exciting truth where it talks about asking of God for wisdom, where it talks about asking in faith, never wavering. It talks about a double minded man and how that man forfeits anything from God. And then we're going to look at that whole area of a humble spirit and what part that plays in endurance.





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Why does God allow misery and suffering?

When discussing God and His relationship to the world, one of the most often asked questions is this: ‘Why does He allow so much suffering and misery in this world?’ It’s a very good question. If you happen to discuss God with someone who doesn’t believe in Him, chances are that you will eventually be asked this question. A standard answer is that human beings invited sin into this world (Adam and Eve) and as a result, the world is in a fallen state. Because we’re living in a fallen world, bad things are going to happen to us. A more specific answer goes much deeper than this. In order to truly understand why God allows suffering and misery, you must begin to understand God’s character. A few months ago I was given a short article written by John Balukian that does an excellent job of answering this question. Who is John Balukian? As you will read, John was a simple man with terminal cancer who was given one last task to do before he left this world. As you will see, at first it seemed like a small thing to do. What John learned (as every Christian does) is that we’re asked to be obedient to our Creator regardless of how small or large we think the task may be. He will take care of the rest. We have no idea how our lives can impact others and God’s plan for this world – but He certainly does. Like every true man of God, John would tell you that this comes from the Lord - he is simply a servant doing what he is asked to do. This will be longer than most of my posts, but I feel strongly that the Lord has asked me to give this to you. As we near the end of this age, suffering and misery will get worse - we need to understand why.
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Dear precious reader:

Regardless of what kind of person you are, regardless of what you have not done, in God’s eyes you are extremely precious. Bring to mind right now the most vile and repulsive person you can think of. Can the same be said of that person? Is that person extremely precious in God’s eyes? Absolutely, positively! What is it that makes a person precious? Connection with God. When the Creator has free access to the creature he will re-create the creature into His own precious image.

This is a letter of introduction to the article I am enclosing. Many people have been greatly helped by this humble article, so please pass it on that others may be helped. Thank you. This material may be reprinted, copied or re-used in any form so long as the original text is not altered or abridged in any way. This is not my message, so please do not change it. This is God’s doing. Those who know me know that I have no natural abilities of this kind and there’s no way under the sun that I could possibly write an article like this.

Briefly, about myself: After losing the battle with Lymphoma, I permanently checked into this Veterans Administration Medical Center Nursing Home in Fresno, California, as a terminal cancer patient with only a short time to live. I just could not understand why god would not heal me! I had diligently studied the laws of health, healing, prayer, faith, total commitment, etc. I was anointed twice by Godly men. And, on top of all this, I had great plans to give our message to thousands of winter visitors who come each year to the warm desert areas of Arizona and California. But human plans aren’t worth anything. The sooner we all learn this, the better.

The greatest surprise I have ever had in my life and the happiest that I have ever been was after my little world fell apart and I was admitted to this Nursing Home, waiting to die. This beautiful, generous gift that God gave to me – this article He impressed me to write – marvelously turned everything around for me. After having failed Him all my life, He very kindly and graciously gives me a gift like this! My parents certainly gave me the right name. In Hebrew, the name John means “God is gracious”. God has certainly been gracious to me. After I go to my “rest”, this paper will keep right on working. When I think of how kind, how generous and gracious God is, and how He is treating me, what can I do but just cry!

It all started when my former roommate told me he was an atheist. I told Charlie that in order for a person to come to an intelligent conclusion about anything, he would have to first look at all the facts – all the evidence. I asked him what evidence he examined that brought him to such a drastic conclusion that God did not exist.

Charlie related stories of tragedies and suffering in his family and friends. Then he concluded with, “If there is a God, would He allow things like this to happen to good people?” (He stressed the word good.) I said excitedly, “Charlie, I have an answer. Just read the first chapter in this book (“Why Was Evil Permitted?), and you will see this whole thing from an entirely different perspective.” His answer was, “No, I’m an atheist and I don’t believe in life here-after.” Poor Charlie. To think that 30 minutes of reading was too much trouble for him! It reminds me of the thousands who died because they refused to just look at the uplifted serpent [Numbers chapter 21]. It was at this time I decided to write a small article showing what God is like and why He had to allow sin and suffering to devastate this world. As I started writing, it was very evident that I was receiving Divine assistance. I had no idea of God’s plan to place this paper around the world. I only wrote it to be used here in the Nursing Home.

Two hours after I started handing out the papers here in the Nursing Home, a patient came to my room with tears in his eyes and told me how touched he was by reading my paper. He asked for written permission to make copies and pass them out. He’s from Atascadero, California. A sister is sending a copy to the Braille Foundation, and if they use it, it will go around the world. My pastor’s wife is sending a copy to the Pacific Press to see if they will put it in booklet form for colporteurs to place in Medical/Dental offices, etc. Many came back for extra copies to give out. Groups are passing them out in their door to door work.

In just a matter of three weeks I have had to broaden my thinking from a small local work here in this V.A. Medical Complex to a work that goes around the world. I am absolutely overwhelmed. I never expected anything like this! God is so good to me that I can hardly stand it. People have offered to give me money for this work. I really don’t want anyone’s money until I use up all my own. Thank you.

When a person sees God as He really is, a God with such unbelievable kindness toward one who is so undeserving, then that person’s prayers change from words to tears. Then the story of Mary washing Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair becomes the most beautiful story in the Bible [John, chapters 11 & 12). When you realize the true sacrifice of God – His willingness to die eternally for you, and your heart constantly overflowing with love and appreciation for Him, it is then that God’s purpose of allowing sin to devastate this world has been accomplished forever.

With my warmest regards,

John Balukian

Now, Do You Believe God?

In your opinion, who is the most controversial person who ever lived? Without a shadow of a doubt, it is God, Himself. Many see God as being tender-hearted, caring, highly sympathetic toward all His creatures and they see that He is not willing that any should perish. And they see that His love and feelings for them are so deep that He willingly allowed His Son to come down from heaven and become one of us and go through terrible sufferings and insults and die for every one of us so that if we wanted to, we could live forever.

Why Didn’t God Nip This Whole Thing In The Bud?

All this is very touching; however, a serious question must be answered before this makes any sense. Why didn’t God nip this whole thing in the bud and prevent all this terrible suffering and misery to come into our world? He could have done it and done it with ease. God knew what would happen if He allowed sin to come into our world, and yet He allowed it. Why?

Many people are puzzled over this and I was too. But now that I have the answer, I can see that what God is doing makes a lot of good sense. And certainly, God is very desirous for each of us to have an intelligent understanding of religion. In writing this little paper to answer this question and others, I am well aware that many different types of minds are reading it. I must be very careful and not take anything for granted and try to write this so clearly that everyone who reads it can’t help but understand.

In the Beginning….Love

So, let’s go back to the beginning and take a look at what life was like under God’s marvelous government of love. We will see also how this terrible problem of sin began and why God, very wisely, did not nip this whole thing in the bud; but allowed it to wreak havoc in this poor world for these last 6,000 years. The Bible tells us that God is love and also His character, law and government is love. The beautiful relationship of God with His children was also one of love. But now, really, what is love?

What is love?

It was after a number of years of being a struggling, up and down Christian that I began to really understand the meaning of this vital word. Love is a small word that is used in a wide range of meanings; from the Hollywood barnyard love to the outstanding sacrifice of God on the cross. Love has deep feelings and emotions. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 13, shares with us the beautiful and noble qualities of love. But in order to grasp a fuller understanding of this word, and how it relates to God’s government and people, let’s define love as a principle.

Illustration of a Principle

To make sure that everyone clearly understands what this word (principle) means, I’ll give an example: Remember the saying, “Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you”? It’s so easy to see the principle involved here and to understand what this word means. Say that your boss treats you harshly and unjustly. According to the principle that’s in this saying, how should you respond? Certainly not the same way he treated you. What a brilliant and beautiful idea. Think of the peace and harmony that would result from following such a simple principle!

The Principle of Love

Now, let’s define this principle that is in love and put it in one simple sentence so that no one can possibly misunderstand it. The greatest demonstration that was ever given, or could ever be given, was when God willingly suffered and died so that you and I would be able to live. We are talking about God – The majestic and awesome Creator of this whole vast universe! As if that isn’t enough to blow your mind, think on this: God was not only willing to die, but to die eternally just so that you could live eternally. (Jesus knew that He would rise up again to life after three days. But in His darkest temptation, when He cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” He did not know that he would ever live again, but He chose to save man at any price.) Dear reader, can you really grasp that? Would God die eternally just for Saddam Hussein? Absolutely! But why? Because this is exactly the type of person He is. God is love. He is this principle.

It is not difficult to see the principle in love, is it? When it came right down to choosing to save Himself or His children, He chose to save His children – and at what a terrible price! He put His children first and Himself second. So in one sentence, and in my own words, here is my definition of this principle: “Love is a principle that always puts the other person first.” What another brilliant and beautiful idea! With God and all His creatures living by this principle, no wonder heaven and the entire universe enjoyed such supreme happiness and experienced such peaceful harmony.

The Principle of Sin

But then a completely different principle raised its ugly head and the peace and harmony of the universe was shattered. In this principle, Self is put first instead of putting the other person first. It all began when Lucifer, the highest angel in heaven, wanted to become God. For him to pursue such an insane and impossible ambition, he had to first cast aside this beautiful principle of love and take hold of the principle of sin. So, we see that the principle of sin is self-seeking, selfishness, putting one’s own desires ahead of God’s desires and everyone else’s. Now we have two entirely different and directly opposite principles operating in this world and they are totally incompatible.

The Deadly Blindness of Sin

This raises a very interesting question. What could possibly be the reason why a created being would dare stand up in opposition to his Creator and actually believe that he could take over His throne? We are referring to God, the One who created this whole vast universe; the One who has unlimited power and authority; the One who knows the end from the beginning. And, on top of that, Lucifer knew that to be God, one has to have creative power – power to create something out of nothing. This same power is necessary to sustain all creation. If this power was cut off, the entire universe would immediately disintegrate, which of course, would mean his own death too. And yet Lucifer still wanted it and vigorously pursued it. Why? It just doesn’t make any sense!

Lucifer was not a dummy or a slouch. He was the most brilliant, intelligent, talented, and beautiful of all angels; and also had the highest position (right next to the throne of God). Without even realizing it, Lucifer made a fatal mistake by pushing aside God’s principle of love and taking hold of the selfish principle of sin. What happened when he did that? He actually separated himself from God. Since God is the very source of all light, truth and wisdom; all good judgment, common sense and balanced thinking; when Lucifer turned away, he lost all of this and stepped right into darkness. He was now blind. He became unreasonable and unbalanced in his thinking.

God’s Way of Keeping Pride Out of Our Hearts

If Lucifer had remembered one thing and had taken it to heart, he would not have gotten proud and possibly this whole problem of sin would not have arisen. I mentioned the noble qualities that Lucifer had; his brilliance, beauty, talents, position, etc. Where did he get these? God gave them to him. Every good thing that Lucifer had was a gift from a gracious God. A deadly problem arose when Lucifer began to think of all these beautiful and noble qualities and characteristics that he had as being his naturally rather than as precious gifts from God. That opened wide the door to pride. Pride always brings self into the picture and puts it first. This is the very principle of sin. What a lesson for us! If we would never let go of the idea that every good thing we have is a loving gift from a gracious Creator, we would shut the door to deadly pride.

Who is Telling the Truth – The Creator or the Creature?

Getting back to our original question: Why didn’t God nip this whole thing in the bud by simply putting Lucifer to death? Look at all the terrible misery He could have avoided. Wouldn’t you have done just that if you were in charge? Not if you were able to see the end from the beginning, as God is able. Suppose you were there witnessing all of this. On one side is God, whom you love and worship. Opposing God is Lucifer, whom you respect and admire. God says one thing and Lucifer says the opposite. Who are you going to believe? Remember now, you had never heard a lie before; you have no idea what sin is really like; and certainly to accept the idea that Lucifer, if given the opportunity, would go so far as to actually kill God, would be unthinkable to you!

In this situation, if you saw God kill Lucifer, what would you think? You would consider God to be totally unreasonable and unfair. In fact, you would begin being looked at as a tyrant. You would not serve God any longer because you loved and appreciated Him, but would serve Him because you became afraid of Him. God wants us always to be free, happy and trusting.

God’s Children Were Created to Fully Appreciate Him

Let’s take a closer look at God’s situation. If God had created His children to be mere robots, there would be no problem. All He would have to do would be to program their computers to never sin again. God would never have to be concerned about His children disobeying Him or rebelling. But who would want children like that? God wants His children to have the highest type of life and to never stop growing and developing. In order to have this type of children, God created us in His own image. He created us with the ability to reason things out and come to intelligent conclusions. God gave us a heart that could fully appreciate Him and spontaneously respond to His love and kindness. He made us free.

Change of Name to Fit the Character

When Lucifer rebelled, God changed his name to fit his character. Lucifer means “Light Bearer”, Satan means “Adversary”. So, from now on, I will refer to Lucifer as Satan. Satan toured the vast universe and with great piety and carelessness, he cleverly spread vicious lies about our gracious God. This brought in untold confusion and perplexity. I must remind you again that no one had ever heard a lie before. This will help you to understand why there was such serious perplexity. So we see the deep damage that Satan did by planting the seeds of disturbing suggestions and doubts in the minds of all.

Sin Shall Never Rise Up Again

God promises that after this terrible experience of sin is over, that sin shall never rise up again. Never! Is it because God will not allow it to happen again? No, that would be defeating His purpose. His children are always free to sin any time they want to, but no one will ever want to. Because all these disturbing seeds of doubt have been completely removed and absolute trust and admiration for their gracious God has been fully restored. Since God never used fear or force, what means does He use to accomplish this miraculous feat?

Truth is God’s Weapon

Let’s sharpen the focus. In Genesis 3:4, Satan contradicts God and calls Him a liar. The issue in this controversy is not who has the greater power or anything like that, but the issue is who is telling the truth. Truth is on God’s side. Satan is deathly afraid of truth because it exposes his lies and deceptions and this will definitely be the cause of his total defeat.

What is the topic we hear most about today? Isn’t it how bad everything is getting? Crime, sickness, the insane legislative policies of our politicians, etc. Who wants this type of life? It all started when Lucifer began telling lies about our gracious God. This undermined confidence in God. Before this whole problem of sin can be resolved permanently, total confidence in God must be restored. Truth restores. The truth about God’s character; how He feels about His children; the unspeakable sacrifice and suffering He is willing to go through to save us, and many other truths.

Do You Really Know What Faith Is?

I have come to the place where I don’t take anything for granted anymore. This little word, faith, for instance, is extremely important (“Righteousness by faith”, “Justification by faith”, “Salvation by faith”, etc.). If we don’t understand what this word means, then how are we going to understand how faith in God is restored? I know people who have been Christians many years who flunked this easy, simple, homely test.

Sally was driving through Death Valley in the month of August with the temperature over 120 degrees. All of a sudden, her car quits. After waiting for several tormented hours, a car pulls up with one man in it who is a total stranger. Immediately, another car stops with one man and she knows him real well. He is her pastor. Now, for Sally to best demonstrate what faith is, which car should she get into – the car of the stranger or the car of the friend? You might be thinking, “What kind of question is that? Of course she is going to get into the car of her friend.” But wait a moment. We are trying to clarify what faith is. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” So now, once again, for Sally to best demonstrate what faith is, which car shall she get into, the car of the stranger or the car of the friend?

If you hesitated to answer, chances are you don’t really know what faith is. True faith is not blind. True faith is based upon evidence. How could Sally possibly determine if the stranger could be trusted if she had no experience, no evidence by which to judge him? She couldn’t. She had ample evidence that her friend could be trusted. So in order for Sally to best demonstrate what faith is, she could get in the car of the friend. In order for God to completely gain the faith of His children, He had to give them the evidence upon which they could intelligently judge Him. He gave them mountains of evidence during these past several thousand years which came to a convincing climax upon the cross.

The Cross Tells a Convincing Story

The entire universe looked on in total shock and in complete silence as they watched their Creator dying on the cross. With His last living breath He managed to cry out, “It is finished.” Then He died. At that very moment, God came off victorious. How can that be since He is the One who died? As the universe looked on, their sorrow turned into heart-warming joy as they saw and suddenly realized the truth about God’s willingness to pay the supreme price of dying eternally for his children. This beautiful truth they witnessed with their own eyes, completely removed every trace of doubt that satan planted with the lie; that God did not have His children’s best interest at heart. The truth revealed how fantastic our gracious God is. Their hearts were so touched and filled with love and affection for their gracious God that nothing could ever change it.

Let’s go back to the beginning again and let’s say that God did nip this whole thing in the bud by putting Lucifer to death. We know that this act of God would have been totally unacceptable to you. But how about when you stood before the cross in absolute shock and watched your Creator die? Here is 4,000 years of undisputed evidence and demonstration of how far Lucifer would go and, on top of that, the demonstration of the terrible malignancy of sin. Now, you can see clearly that if God had put Lucifer to death at the beginning, you would have wholeheartedly agreed that He did the right thing. It’s too bad that God had to take the long and painful way around, but it’s the only way that His children could understand.

Sin is insanity

We need to take a closer look at sin to see what it really is. Here is another homely illustration: A scorpion wanted to get on the other side of the pond. He asked a turtle swimming by to take him over on his back. The turtle replied, “Do you think I’m crazy? You would sting me and I would die.” The scorpion said, “Do you think I’m crazy? If you died, I would die too, because I can’t swim.” The turtle thought for a moment and then said, “You’re right. Nobody would be that crazy! Get on my back and I’ll take you across.” When they were about halfway across the pond, the turtle felt a sickening sting on the back of his neck. He turned his head and said, “Why in the world did you do that?” The scorpion replied, “I just couldn’t help it, it’s my nature.”

Why would the most intelligent angel in the universe kill God, since it is God who gives Him life moment by moment? It certainly doesn’t make any sense, does it? The Bible defines sin in several ways, but my personal definition is: Sin is insanity!

A Law of the Mind

It’s a law of the mind that we will become like the one we worship and admire. It’s terribly important then that we know what kind of person our God is. Jesus warned His disciples in John 16:2-3 “Yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.” Why will these persecutors resort to violence? Because they think God is this way. God does not force anyone’s conscience. He wins hearts by his gentleness and love. What do you think of a God who created this whole vast universe; who has all this power and authority, yet He is so humble that He willingly washed twelve pairs of filthy feet when His disciples refused to do it? This appeals to me to no end. God is the most humble person in all this universe because He lives by the beautiful principle of love. God always puts the other person first and Himself second.

The true God of heaven appealed to the hearts of His rebellious children with kindness and love. He didn’t use a sword! There are millions of people who believe that the end justifies the means by using force in God’s work. This is what a band of religious fanatics had in mind when they rode into the town of ErZurum over a hundred years ago. They came to take the life of the Christian minister if he did not yield to their wishes. They were not familiar with the weapons of kindness and love. Their weapons were force and fear. They were out to force the Christians to change their beliefs.

They were highly disappointed when they learned that the minister had died. So they did the next best thing by taking the minister’s widowed wife and her three little girls to the town square. Surrounding this poor widow they all drew out their huge, wicked knives. The leader, raising his voice demanded that she renounce Christ and declare before all these people that Mohammed was the true prophet of God.

Everyone knew what would happen if she refused, and with tears they begged her to comply. Speaking in Armenian so that these men couldn’t understand, they said, “We know you love Jesus. God knows you love Him. Please, please do what they say and save your life. Think of your children!” Oh, what terrible pressure! Standing before her were her three little girls petrified with fear. The oldest girl was my mother.

The Sword Never Wins

But my Grandmother didn’t put herself first, she put her God first. She had learned the principle of love. Raising her voice and speaking in perfect Turkish, my Grandmother said, “I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.” Without a moment’s hesitation they slashed her to the ground and hacked off her head. My mother’s tender mind was affected for the rest of her life. I remember while growing up, whenever my mother thought of her mother, she would cry.

The Basic Reason Why a Church Would Turn to the State for Power

What would you say would be the basic reason why a church or religious organization would turn to the state (government) for power to force others to accept their religious teachings? Is it because they don’t have power – the Holy Spirit (the power of God)? Why don’t they have the power of God? Because God uses only one kind of power – Love. His method is winning the heart, not forcing the conscience with threats and fear. God’s method of winning hearts is simply putting the other person first. God always has that person’s best interests at heart and He is willing to go through any amount of suffering and to pay any price to save that person. He is not willing that any should be lost. How can a sincere, honest person fight against that?

What Makes a Person Savable?

Just what is it that makes a person savable anyway? The Apostle Paul makes it very clear in 1 Corinthians 13 that even a person loaded with talent, doing God’s work with zeal, making tremendous sacrifices by putting all his means in the work and even going as far as giving his body to be burned is not savable if he does not have love. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why. Love is a principle that always puts the other person first. God and all His children live by this principle. If you refuse to live by this principle, you couldn’t possibly fit in. You would be out of harmony with the entire universe.

Love is a Gift from a Gracious God

God is very reasonable and understanding. He generously gives us everything that He requires of us. We need love? He will see to it that we have it. Every good thing that we have or will need now and throughout all eternity will be given to us as a gift from a generous and gracious God. We are absolutely dependent upon God for everything and always will be.

There Are Only Two People in Religion

Now we come to the bottom line. The sharp focus is on only two persons: you and God. Oh, if I had only done this years ago I would have avoided many disappointments and discouragements. Never again am I going to allow my religion to become complicated or confusing. One to one contact with God, forming a bond and friendship that can never be broken, is actually what religion is all about. It’s just that simple. Just imagine, the very best friend you have is the One who created this whole vast universe. Wow! Can you bend your mind around that?

Another thing I find extremely helpful is to personify a text. Take Romans 6:14 for example: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” I love the strong, positive, emphatic way this is put. To me, this is saying that, in no way will sin dominate me. Then it goes on to tell why. When I read this text, this is the picture that comes to my mind: I am standing before the law, which I picture as a huge giant, towering over me. I’m a sinner and condemned to die. There is absolutely nothing I can do to appease him or to escape. But the text says that I am under grace. To me, grace means that I’m being treated, not as I deserve, but with unlimited kindness and generosity. There is no such thing as grace without there being behind it a very gracious person. I see, standing nearby, this most gracious person. He says to me, “You’re in deep trouble, but I can help you. Do you want Me to help you?” I say, “Please do.” So, He steps in between me and this giant and He puts His arm around me. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after flesh, but after the spirit.” [Romans 8:11].

The Most Precious Moment of Our Life

At that precious moment, I am safe to save – I am savable. The moment that I accept God’s gracious offer to take over my life and to personally be my Savior, everything is right between God and myself and not one person in all this universe can say anything against me. The law has nothing against me now, because God has taken full responsibility for my becoming fit for heaven. God paid the full price for me by living a life without sinning and by His death, so that I can go clean and free. What a precious gift! And what a precious Savior!

How Can God Save Saddam Hussein?

Saddam Hussein has been portrayed (especially by the West) as being an exceptionally cruel national leader who would not only be willing to exterminate all the Kurds, but would enforce cruelty on his own people to achieve personal power and prestige. He has a lot of blood on his hands! (by the way, does God love Saddam Hussein as much as He loves Mother Teresa? Of course He does!) Say that the Holy Spirit is able to touch Saddam Hussein’s heart and, miraculously, he accepts God’s gracious offer. He is willing now to have God take complete charge of his life and also to take full responsibility of fitting him for heaven. Now, let’s see how God does this.

Saddam Has No Sins?

That’s exactly right! As soon as God is allowed to take over Saddam’s life (and how is this accomplished? Simply by Saddam praying and requesting that God will take over his life and really meaning it), He takes away all of Saddam’s sins. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” [Romans 8:1]. This text means exactly what it says. God not only takes away Saddam’s sins and completely frees him of the responsibility of all the sins he ever committed, but he graciously restores Saddam to his God-given dignity. How is this accomplished? Simply by connection – connection with God. (It’s like a branch that’s connected to the vine). It’s a precious gift from a gracious God. Every good thing we have, or ever will have through all eternity, is a gift of love from our loving Creator. Sad to say, Lucifer lost hold of this precious truth. The wonderful and noble qualities of wisdom, beauty, talents, position, etc., that he possessed, he started regarding these as his naturally, instead of precious gifts from God. We are not only seeing, but feeling, the disastrous results.

Day by day, the more Saddam walks with his God, the more thrilled he becomes as he sees the type of person God is. He sees God as a fantastic person who actually has his best interest at heart. As a national leader, Saddam always put himself first and his people second. What a contrast! And you can be sure that Satan spread enough lies about God to give the people the impression that God was totally selfish and arbitrary. As I mentioned before, truth is on God’s side. As the truth is known about God, there will be such a heart appreciation for this type of God that no one will ever want God to be any different. They will be thrilled to follow Him throughout eternity. This is why sin shall not rise up again – EVER!

One of Heaven’s Greatest Surprises

One of the greatest surprises that heaven will have for us is learning how much it costs God to get us there. Besides God paying a price on the cross that will never be fathomed, God has suffered unmerciful abuse, insults and criticisms of all kinds. He is blamed and cursed for everything. Here, at the nursing home, if the kitchen forgets to put a slab of margarine on a tray, God is cursed. God is even blamed for all the forest fires. In legal circles, it’s called “An Act of God”.

Years ago, I was working with a number of other different tradesmen in a building. Usually, on a job like this, there is a certain amount of swearing going on. But, on this particular day, it seemed that almost everyone was having a problem and God was getting blamed for it all. The cursing was so bad that I stopped my work and just listened. I thought to myself, “If there is this much cursing arising out of this one building, how much is rising out of the whole town of Paso Robles?” I had a very impressive picture of God in deep sorrow, bending over the world in loving concern. With this picture in mind, I visualized millions and millions of angry voices in every language and dialect, in every part of the world, cursing God. There is a deafening roar of curses constantly ascending up and hitting our gracious Creator right in the face.

But love is stronger than hate, and God is bent on saving us no matter what the cost; no matter how much pain He has to suffer; no matter how much He is insulted; no matter how much He is falsely accused; no matter how much He is hated and rejected. Satan would have us to believe that God doesn’t care, but the very opposite is the truth. For 6,000 years our gracious Creator has been lavishing His love upon us under such repulsive conditions. After 6,000 years of presenting all of this evidence – this mountainous amount of visual demonstration, God has one question for you: “Now do you believe me?”

Suffering is Priceless

One of the best things that ever happened to me was when I became terminally ill. When I got sick and was suffering, it made God’s suffering very real to me. I was absolutely overwhelmed that the Majesty of this whole vast universe with all His power and authority would even care about a person like me, let alone go through all that He was going through to save me. God could not reveal His love for me any more powerfully or effectively than by His sacrifice and suffering. This kind and gracious person touched my heart. My religion now is a person. My religion is a God.

Welcome Home

Do you think that you could find one person in God’s vast universe who would be willing to trade places with you, no matter what your condition or how much you are suffering? The beautiful truth is that you could not find even one person who would not be willing to trade places with you. How do I know this? I know this because God is love and love is a principle that puts the other person first. All of God’s children live by this beautiful principle of love. The entire government of God is based on this wonderful principle.

No matter who you are, no matter what kind of life you have lived here, there will be an experience for you in heaven that is one of supreme happiness and total acceptance. Whether you are looking into the eyes of your Creator or rubbing shoulders with the Holy Angels, one message will come through to you loud and clear, WELCOME HOME!!

John Balukian
V.A. Nursing Home

MEMORIAL

John Balukian went to his rest in Jesus on September 27, 1994. One of John’s favorite Bible verses can be found in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

John’s strength and courage and hope came from a firm belief in this promise. Rest well, Friend.
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It’s hard for us to understand sometimes, but the truth is that we (human beings) invited sin into this world. God gave us a perfect world and we invited satan and sin into it. God did not create a fallen world for us, the world was originally without sin. What you see around you everyday is the result of our fateful decision – violence, death, destruction, misery, etc. We brought this misery upon ourselves. You may think that this was Adam and Eve’s fault, not yours…but we make similar choices everyday. Instead of walking the narrow path and choosing God’s will for our lives and following His paths, we instead choose our own way and choose to sin against our Creator. Fortunately for us, our Creator loves us so much that He has provided all of us a way back to Him. Regardless of what you’ve done, regardless of what is happening in the world....He loves you and wants you to know Him. There is only one way to Him, through faith that His Son Jesus gave His life for you. You do not need anything in this world to be saved. You do not need a church, a pastor, a priest or a religious ritual. True men of God can help you, guide you and teach you, but they can’t save you. The same is true of God’s church. It’s important to remain close to believers, but simply being in close proximity to God’s children will not save you. Only you can believe in God’s offer of salvation and accept it. How do you do this? You can do what I did. Pray to your Father in Heaven. Go someplace by yourself where it is quiet, fall on your knees, and tell Him that you believe that Jesus died for you, that you want to know Him, to see Him, to become what He created you to be. He will hear you. Tell Him your fears, ask Him for stronger faith, for understanding….to be more like Him. Ask Him for help against our enemy. Seek Him. If you truly want to know Him, you will find Him. Believe in the Truth that is Jesus Christ. Pray everyday…..and then listen. Pay attention to the quiet, still voice inside you, pay attention to the circumstances in your life. Expect Him to reveal Himself to you. He knew everything about you before you were ever born….your strengths and weaknesses. He will strengthen your faith, transform you and show you your true purpose….regardless of what you’ve done in your past. He will replace the sand that has been the foundation of your life with the Rock that is Jesus Christ. Your fear of this world will fade away and you will be set free. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Mathew 7:24-27.

It’s not always easy to look past the misery in this world to His kingdom, but that’s what we must do. We must never lose the hope that exists for us. It doesn’t matter how bad things get here, our Father has prepared a place for us in Heaven….never forget this. I’m writing this post in April 2007. I don’t know when you are reading this, but I do know that the Lord has given me these words to give to you. You are reading these words because the Lord is communicating to you….specifically to you. I am simply a humble messenger, doing what I’m asked to do.

Regardless of how bad things may get in this fallen world, never forget:

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Wealth and the Bible

Let’s spend some time discussing wealth and what the Bible has to say on this subject. It seems our society has become focused on wealth and becoming rich. We’re constantly reminded in this world that being rich is a good and desirable goal. We see this in the Wall Street Journal and listed on the Fortune 500. We read about it in daily newspapers and listen to ‘experts’ talk about wealth on programs such as CNN and Fox News. Most of us invest in the stock market with the hopes that we’ll one day strike it rich or at least receive high enough returns to retire comfortably. American CEO’s are the highest paid corporate leaders in the world with some earning 400-500 times what the average worker takes home. If you’re like me and have managed a business whether on your own or for a corporation, then you know that in today’s world, you’re only as good as your last week, month, quarter, year. Have a good week? Great, now have a good quarter. Have a good quarter? Spend an hour celebrating and then focus on the year. Have a good year? Better start planning a strategy to do even better next year. If you are successful, you receive rewards in the form of raises, bonuses, better benefits, etc. Have you ever wondered, as I have, whether all the time spent on the pursuit of business/working success is worth the time? Of course you don’t need to manage a business to feel the stress of the working world today. All of us are concerned with earning more money, working our way up, receiving better benefits…..and we’re all concerned with job security considering that we could be ‘downsized’, ‘reassigned’ or fired due to ‘synergies’ created by a merger. Even if you’ve been successful and have reached your financial goals, my guess is that you’ve reached the goal and thought - ‘Is this it?’ It probably hasn’t been as satisfying as you thought it would be. Regardless, it’s as though we’re all on this big treadmill that seems to be going faster and faster and we can’t get off and we can’t slow down. It’s as though someone is dangling a carrot in front of our faces that we can never quite reach. What does the Bible teach us about the pursuit of wealth?

“But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:8-10)

The Bible teaches us that money isn’t the root of all evil (as is often quoted), but the love of money. If you believe that everything in the world is the Lord’s and you’re simply a steward of His possessions, then you won’t fall into the devil’s trap of falling in love with money and wealth. If you begin to view your money as only yours, to do with as you please, then you are starting down a dark path....which is what we, as a nation, have done.

Since public corporations seem to make up over 90% of what we read about in the business world, let’s take a moment and look at the decisions they make and why they make those decisions. As I’ve mentioned before, I have some experience with corporate decision-making. I’ve never been a CEO of a company, but like many others in middle management, I’ve had to execute senior management decisions within my area of responsibility. Let’s start by asking some basic, high level questions. What is the purpose of a corporation? What are the goals of a corporation? What influences the majority of high level decisions within a company?

Don’t worry, I won’t go into a long-winded discussion on microeconomics and financial statements. For our purposes here, we’ll stick to the basics. Obviously, public companies are focused on their stock price and the company’s return to shareholders. Companies initially issue stock in return for capital (cash) that they can use to grow their business, invest in research, etc. They want their stock price to rise so that their shareholders are satisfied and that, in return, benefits the employees of the company in many ways…increased salary, bonuses, stock options, career advancement, etc. The stock price is the focus of any publicly traded company. It is certainly the focus of anyone who invests in stocks or mutual funds.

Have you ever thought about what really affects stock prices? The answer is ....just about everything. Obviously, how well a company is performing financially and operationally impacts their stock price. The problem with stocks is that there are many other things that affect their prices - scandals, fraud, wars, terrorist activity, the overall economy, the overall stock market, interest rates, inflation, Federal Reserve decisions, Federal legislation, etc. If a big investment institution (private equity funds, hedge funds or the big Wall St. banks) buys or sells a big chunk of stock in a company, they have the power to raise or lower the price to some degree (regardless of what you're told, all investors are not the same). Mergers & acquisitions can have a big impact on stock prices. So, even though our society consistently tells us that we should invest in stocks because of past history (we always hear about past 5, 10, 30 years trends), does the past really give us a true indication of the future? As it relates to something as risky as the stock market, the past has absolutely no bearing on the future. Yes, you can see trends, but you can't see if a war is going to break-out tomorrow. You can't see if a terrorist event is going to happen tomorrow. Did 9/11 affect your checking account or savings account? Did the value of your CD's drop? No. How did your stocks do? We are blindly following flawed advice that says you have to invest in stocks in order to save for retirement. The U.S. has invested trillions in the stock market. Where is our faith? Are you placing faith in things of this world or your Creator? What do you think God sees when He looks at the stock market? I have an idea - greed. The truth is that the stock market is a house of cards and it's going to fall. How? I don't know specifically, but remember, only one card (a negative event) needs to fall for the whole house to come down.

For simplicity, if we were to point to one, overriding factor in a company’s stock price, I believe it would be growth. Stock analysts always point to a company’s sales/revenue growth, profit growth, prospects for growth, hindrances to growth, etc. when discussing stocks. Sales and revenue must continue to grow at an acceptable level (10%, 20%, 30+%), profits must grow, etc……in order for investors to continue to invest in a company’s stock. If you’re a CEO of a publicly traded company, you’re focused on (among many other things) how to grow your business through internal growth, acquisitions, etc., while keeping costs as low as possible. You're constantly under pressure to find ways to grow your business. You can't just run a nice profitable business, you must get bigger. The treadmill never stops running.

So, with these things in mind, let’s answer the questions above. What is the purpose of any corporation? We could say that companies provide products and services that benefit us…and that’s a good thing. This is certainly true for some companies, but the one overriding purpose for any publicly traded company is to make money. If you aren’t profitable, how long will your investors continue to support you? I think the Dot Com bust of 2000 showed us the answer. If you have a great idea, you better turn the idea into a profitable business within a couple of years (depending on the industry) or you’re going to find yourself under ever increasing pressure to do so. What are the goals of a corporation? Every publicly traded company has operational and financial objectives that will meet or exceed expectations. They must meet sales, revenue, cost and profit expectations or their stock could decline. What influences decisions within the company? Most high level decisions revolve around whether the outcome of these decisions will have a positive or negative impact on these same metrics – sales, revenue, costs and profits. If we step back for a moment and really think about what drives corporations and their decisions, we see one overriding theme - the pursuit of money. What does the Bible say about spending our lives in pursuit of money? God's Word is clear - pursue God, not money. The love and pursuit of money will lead you into all kinds of evil. If you're wondering how corporations can do evil, you won't have to look far. Remember, the measuring stick is not the world - don't compare yourself or your business to the world and think you're a-ok. The measuring stick is God's Word. Pollution, deforestation, fraud, embezzlement, bribes, 'creative' accounting, oppressing the poor, pursuit of profits above all else, etc. Think about the structure of a corporation. The people at the top are usually wealthy, while the people at the bottom struggle to get by. In fact, corporations are consistently rewarded for paying the lowest wages possible (an example is outsourcing) regardless of whether they are doing fine financially. Yes, people with more responsibility should make more, but not 400 times more and not at the expense of others. Every time you read about layoffs, outsourcing or 'downsizing', who usually loses their jobs? Those at the bottom of the corporate ladder are usually the most affected. Who usually benefits? The people at the top. Wall Street normally applauds these 'cost reductions'....which many times leads to more compensation to those making these decisions. They never mention the lives that are turned upside down because of these decisions. For weeks now (April 2007), I have been reading about how the downturn in the subprime market is causing a spike in foreclosures and mortgage company bankrupcies. Many articles have discussed how this could trickle down to affect many areas of the economy. Not one article I have seen (in the Wall St. Journal or other publications) has discussed the impact to the families who are being evicted due to the foreclosures. I'm sure their are many reasons for the problems - people taking on too much debt, economic downturn in some areas, overzealous mortgage salespeople & companies, etc., but this is how the world looks at things. Very rarely do we read about the human cost. This cost doesn't affect the bottom line. The corporate working world can chew you up and spit you out. God tells us this in His Word - you and I are going to have problems throughout our time on earth (work included). The difference for those that believe in Him is that we know He's watching over us. We will always receive what we need according to His will.

‘Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."’ (Hebrews 13:5)

With all of this said, let’s ask the toughest question of all – is it easy to run a company in today's world based on the principles in God’s Word? I believe the short answer is no. Why? Because the #1 focus of most companies is the pursuit of money. If you were to listen to any publicly traded company’s quarterly earnings call, would the CEO begin talking about how they were following God’s plan? Would the CEO talk about how their success this quarter contributed to the company’s ability to give back to God? It seems a little strange to us to even suggest something like this. In today’s world, we inherently want to separate our working world from our personal world. We don’t think in terms of blessing and cursing as it applies to the companies we work for. Why? We like to think that if I live my personal life according to God’s Word, it’s ok if I let things slip when making decisions for my company. The truth is that God asks us to stand against our enemy in every aspect of our life. One of the benefits of forming a corporation is that employees of the corporation are shielded from liability (this changed to some degree with the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation, but we won’t go into details here). If a defect on a car causes an accident, the people involved in the accident don’t personally sue the CEO of the company who built the car, they sue the corporation. This is one of the ‘benefits’ of creating a corporation. In the same way, we feel that God (I was certainly included) wouldn’t ask us to stand against such overwhelming worldly thinking and actions at work. What if we were fired because we didn’t conform? Instead of relying on Him, we rely on ourselves and worry about how the world will react. Never forget, the world wants you to conform to its way of thinking and our workplace is just another conduit for our enemy to get to us. The Bible tells us that we must stand against our enemy - always. God is always faithful and will provide for us.

Let’s look at an example. If you’ve read my initial letters, then you know that I spent a few years working for a cable company. When our company launched our services in Knoxville, we had a few ‘adult’ channels as part of our channel lineup. I simply accepted this as part of being in this business. A couple of years after we launched, our company decided to launch ‘level 2’ adult channels. These are more graphic and the price is higher. I held out on offering these channels until we were the only division without them. Eventually, I gave in because ‘every other division offered them’ and they offered us more ‘revenue’. Once the Lord began to change me, I no longer viewed these channels as ‘revenue’. I viewed them as they truly were – a way for our enemy to lead people down dark paths. What came to mind for me was this – a family man who has never viewed pornography sees an ad for the Playboy channel late at night while watching ESPN. He decides to order one movie…which leads to other movies and possibly the Internet. After awhile, his wife discovers that he’s viewing these things and ……you can guess the rest. All of us are susceptible to this temptation (yes gentlemen, the Lord knows we are weak in this area. He created us to be visual, but only to look at our wives!). If someone is not a strong believer in God, all they need is a little push to get hooked on this stuff. Ask any pastor and they’ll tell you how damaging pornography can be. It can destroy marriages, families, homes.

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness.” (Luke 11:34).

Of course, it only starts out with a movie. This is how the enemy works. It became very clear that I was going right along with the plan. I can tell you that it is a very sobering moment when you see that you are being used by the enemy. Would I have felt responsible if the marriage of someone I knew ended because I decided to show these movies? Of course not, I’m simply trying to earn a living – who am I to push my values on someone else? This line of reasoning doesn’t make much sense to me now. I thought I was doing ok in this world, but I was not strong enough to resist our enemy because I was relying on my own understanding and strength…I failed time and again to resist.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Once I began following the Lord, I was led to this verse:

"Return, faithless people," declares the LORD, "for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.” (Jeremiah 3:14-15)

Let’s briefly take a look at a few Bible verses that comment on wealth and the pursuit of wealth:

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:23-24)

Is Jesus telling us that if you are wealthy it is impossible to enter God’s kingdom? No. It is difficult for wealthy people to enter heaven because in most cases, wealth and the pursuit of riches becomes their master. They put their pursuit of wealth ahead of God and money becomes the focus of their lives. Are we warned about this? Absolutely.

"No one 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.” (Matthew 6:24)

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)

How do you know who you’re serving? It’s not hard. If God asked you to give up everything as part of His plan for you, could you do it? Be honest. Two years ago I could not have done it. If you seek God and allow Him to change you, money will no longer be your master because He will give you true faith. The Lord may bless you with wealth, but you’ll view it as His – you will only be a steward of His money to use for His kingdom. This is how you determine whether money is your master. Do you view it as yours or His?

We are given many warnings about pursuing wealth:

“Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.” (Luke 6:20-25)

Don’t let the riches and pleasures of this world keep you from maturing spiritually:

“While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, " 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'

"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (Luke 8:4-15)

This is another parable that certainly applies to us today:

"Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:15-21)

What does the world tell us? Acquire all the money you can. There is certainly nothing wrong with having a reserve for tough times, but we are constantly told to store up as much as we can. This doesn’t mean that you should spend everything you earn, but seek God’s guidance on how He wants to use what has been given to you. Don’t store up a lot of money and then sit back and take it easy. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, so stay close to the Lord, do not put your faith in money.

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? (Luke 16:10-12)

We’re being told here that if you are faithful with a little, the Lord will give you more to manage for him…and not just wealth, but ‘true riches’. He will give you more authority to carry out His will. Most importantly, we are told that you cannot serve God and money. Don’t think that making lots of money and giving small amounts on Sunday means that you are serving God. If you are truly following the Lord, you are tithing on Sundays and giving when and where He asks you to give. Your focus is on Him.

There are many lessons given to us in James chapter 4. One of them speaks directly to us today regarding how we are living our lives. We pursue worldly business and things with no thought about what the Lord wishes us to do. We don’t ask God for what we need, we try to do it all ourselves.

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.” (James chapter 4)

We must overcome the world and our focus on worldly things through faith in Jesus Christ:

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:3-5)

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

And finally, we are given warnings to those who are focused on wealth in this world and those that have taken advantage of the poor:

“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.” (James 5:1-6)

As you think about these things, remember what we’re told from this passage in Luke. No matter what you have done to this point, it’s never too late to allow God to change your life and accept His offer of salvation - until you leave this world. Once we die in this world, there are no more chances. The Bible is clear on this subject.

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' " (Luke 16:19-31)

I just read a couple of articles about why Americans are never satisfied with what we have. Even though we are the richest nation on earth, we want more. It’s always interesting to read secular articles try to explain these things when the Bible does a much better job in one sentence. In the fallen world in which we live, material gain is never good enough.

“…..the eyes of man are never satisfied.” (Proverbs 27:20)

In the end, we all need to remember why we’re here. We’re not here to live nice, comfortable lives and focus on gaining material wealth. We are here to love and serve our Creator in a spiritual war…just as He loves us. If our enemy has diverted you from your true purpose through worldly pursuits, it’s time to ask God for forgiveness and start on His path for your life. Remember, if you’re reading this, you still have time.

Lastly, it doesn’t take a doctoral degree to see what most corporations focus on – the pursuit of money and power. There’s not a whole lot of difference between corporations and governments in the world today (both are in the business of power and money). In some areas, they actually seem to be blending together. Where is this pursuit of money leading us? The above verses spell it out quite clearly. In addition, the Bible tells us that we will not be able to buy or sell unless we accept the mark of the beast. While I don’t believe that the mark of the beast is technology related (previous post – this is a spiritual mark), I do believe that technology will certainly come into play. How else could the coming political beast prevent buying and selling? By removing cash from the world’s economic system. To buy and sell, you will need to be part of the ‘system’. Who will control the ‘system’? In the physical world, it will obviously be this beast. In the spiritual realm, satan will be in control of this. He will put enormous pressure on us to relent and give up – give up our life in eternity. Now think about this – who is inventing the technology to do this? Our government? No. Private enterprise – corporations. Also remember that as larger and larger mergers & acquisitions take place, more control is placed in the hands of fewer people. The same thing is happening as governments grow larger and exert more control over us. So, fewer and fewer people are controlling more and more of our money supply, economic policies, job opportunities, etc. Does this make you a little uneasy? It should. Bible prophecy tells us that power will be consolidated at the very end of this age. It’s happening right in front of us.

Again, this isn’t an attack, it’s the truth. Corporations make decisions on what’s best for the company and pay no attention to whether it’s the correct, Biblical thing to do. In effect, they are not following God’s plan, but our enemy’s. If you are thinking that it is impossible to run a company according to Biblical principles in today’s world, then you believe our enemy’s lies – just as I did. This type of Godless decision-making will ultimately lead to technology that places the world into bondage. There will remain only one way to get free – Jesus Christ.

If you are someone in a leadership position within a company, ask yourself who you are following. Which team are you on? Regardless of what you’ve been told, there are only two teams. Be honest with yourself. Don’t let our enemy tell you that your life should be used to make money and die rich. If you lead a Godless life in the pursuit of money and never ask for forgiveness – never receive God’s offer of salvation, there will be nothing that He can do for you at that point. You will have rejected all that He did to save you from an eternity in desolation. Worldly success is a deception - don’t be deceived. True success is walking in our Father’s perfect will.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” (1 Timothy 6:17-18)

Wealth and the Bible – Wall St. Journal Article

After writing the previous post, I saw this in today's Wall Street Journal:

Wall Street's profit undertow: drugs and anxiety
By Tim McLaughlin 1 hour, 31 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street's push for record profits is ruining careers, tearing apart families and keeping drug dealers busy, mental health experts say.
While record bonuses make some Wall Street bankers feel invincible, others become emotional wrecks from pressure to perform and some hit rock bottom, experts say.
Harris Stratyner, a psychologist at Caron's New York Recovery Center, said some executives he treats are experimenting with cocaine, opiate-based drugs, Ecstasy and marijuana, as well as abusing alcohol.

"It's like they're chasing a dream. Even when they make tremendous profits, they're still worried," he said.

Alden Cass, a clinical psychologist who counsels Wall Streeters with drug addictions, said drug abuse and high anxiety are undercurrents to the current boom.
"When things are really good, they feel invulnerable," Cass said. "That can lead to adultery, substance abuse, problems with the law."

When it comes to profits, things are really good.

Six of the largest U.S. investment banks -- Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Citigroup, JPMorgan & Chase Co., Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns -- combined for $17.6 billion in first-quarter profit this year. That's after shelling out $28.8 billion for pay and benefits, financial statements show.

Those profit and pay figures are more than double those seen in the first quarter of 2000, the last days before the dot-com bubble burst. New York's comptroller estimates Wall Street's 2006 bonuses will generate $1.6 billion in state tax revenue.

COCAINE AND HILLBILLY HEROIN

"To my knowledge, we have not seen an uptick in drug use," Morgan Stanley spokeswoman Jean Marie McFadden said.
The other five firms declined comment or did not return telephone calls.
But Cass said opiate abuse among his clients is rising and they openly talk about being hooked on prescription drugs like OxyContin, known as hillbilly heroin.

"That's what has changed from previous booms on Wall Street," he said.
Cass and Stratyner said their clients sometimes conceal their habits by taking prescription drugs they get for back surgery or sports-related injuries. The Internet has also expanded the black market for drugs.

Wall Street professionals in their 20s use Ritalin and Adderall, prescription drugs used to treat attention-deficit disorder and hyperactivity, to enhance their performance as they grind out 100-hour weeks, Cass said.

Big bonuses and the need to blow off steam have helped invigorate demand for cocaine in Manhattan, according to two junior bankers who did not want to be named.
Juan Rodriguez, convicted of selling drugs to investment bankers and other professionals, said his clients never complained about the price of cocaine, even as it escalated.

"My customers were all business individuals," Rodriguez said, citing Morgan Stanley bankers as among his clients.

Morgan Stanley said the company has a strong policy against substance abuse and uses random drug testing.

PASSING THE TEST

One hiring manager at a major New York bank said new staff must take a urine test, which is typical for the industry. But he said new hires can choose when to schedule the test during a 45-day period before their start date.

"Our drug test is not so much a test of whether you actually take drugs as it is an intelligence test to see if you can figure out how long it takes to get traces of the drug out of your system," said the manager, who asked not to be named.
The hiring manager said his employer also had a policy of random drug tests for employees but that in several years he had never encountered anyone subjected to such a test.

Drugs are not the only reason for executive meltdowns.

Overwhelming pressure and anxiety to meet profit goals undid star trader David Becker as he rose the Citigroup ladder.
Nine months after becoming global commodities chief, Becker found himself on the fast track to prison. The largest U.S. bank discovered in 2004 that Becker and others conspired to overstate profits by $20 million.

Becker, 41, pleaded guilty and is serving a 15-month sentence in federal prison. He declined to comment.

Before he committed his crime, he sought psychiatric help to deal with the pressure of balancing family and career, court papers show.

A metaphor for his life was a painting he owned depicting a man being pulled by all four limbs, Becker's psychiatrist, Dr. Barbara Deutsch, wrote to the judge in the case.

"He felt enormous pressure to make the group's budget at all costs," Deutsch wrote. "He felt identified with this tortured man."

His Empire in Tatters, German Billionaire Takes Life

I have mentioned in previous articles how people who are focused on the world are likely to be greatly affected by negative events. This is especially true of wealthy people. As I’ve said before – if your life is focused squarely on money and that money is taken away – worldly people have nothing left to fall back on – no money equals no hope.

Our enemy is very good at setting people up by promising them everything and then delivering only misery. Follow him and you might live a life of privilege – for awhile. The problem is that he is in the business of killing, stealing and destroying – so any privilege or gain that might benefit you temporarily from following his ways – will eventually lead to your destruction. We are seeing this often as the financial crisis continues to erode wealth across the globe. We are beginning to see wealthy people lose their wealth – and their lives. I can hear the whispers - how will you survive? How will you feed your family? How will you deal with the humiliation? You have no power, no wealth – you are nothing – let me show you the way out. Instead of falling on their knees and asking God for help – they listen to our enemy – and seal their fate for eternity – which was the goal of our enemy from the beginning. As I have mentioned before – he knows his fate and he wants to take as many of us with him as possible.

I don’t know what else to say except – don’t believe our enemy’s lies. There is hope – but you won’t find what you’re looking for in this world. If you are on the edge of hopelessness – maybe at the point of giving up – you’ll need to trust me. It’s not a coincidence that you are reading this now. We can get out of this mess – but we can’t do it alone. Say a quiet prayer and ask God to come into your life and help you. Ask him to show you the truth and to give you faith and hope. Pray that we all turn away from our evil ways and focus on our Creator and His will for us. Ask him to shift your focus from the world – to Him.

There is a Heaven – and He wants you to be with Him there.

jg – January 7, 2009
______________________________________

JANUARY 7, 2009

His Empire in Tatters, German Billionaire Takes Life
By MIKE ESTERL
Wall St. Journal

FRANKFURT -- Adolf Merckle, one of Germany's wealthiest men, committed suicide after his family business empire began unraveling amid mounting debt, his family said Tuesday.
The suicide of the 74-year-old multibillionaire, whose holding company had roughly €30 billion, or $40 billion, in annual revenue, is one of several deaths of businesspeople tied to the global financial crisis.

The news of Mr. Merckle's suicide came after a consortium of about 30 creditor banks put the finishing touches on a bridge loan of roughly €400 million to the family holding company, VEM Vermögensverwaltung GmbH, which oversees dozens of firms in industries from drugs to cement.

But VEM had to hand over significant collateral to the banks as a prelude to a broader restructuring in the coming months that is expected to strip the holding company of many assets, said people familiar with the matter.

Mr. Merckle, who shied away from the spotlight, inherited his family's pharmaceutical company in the 1960s and expanded aggressively. He eventually controlled major stakes in Phoenix Pharmahandel, a German pharmaceutical wholesaler with about €20 billion in revenue; publicly listed HeidelbergCement AG, with more than €10 billion in sales; and generic drug maker Ratiopharm International GmbH, with about €2 billion in revenue.

But Mr. Merckle lost hundreds of millions of euros last year in misplaced stock-market bets, said people familiar with the matter. Much of the loss was tied to short positions in Volkswagen AG, in which he wagered that the stock price would fall. Instead, it skyrocketed late last year in what market participants have described as one of the most dramatic short squeezes ever. In a short squeeze, investors who were betting against a company are forced into the market to buy back stock after the price rises.

Bankers say Mr. Merckle also overstretched with highly leveraged acquisitions. He increased his indebtedness in 2007 when HeidelbergCement acquired U.K. building-materials company Hanson PLC for about £8 billion, or $11.6 billion. VEM confirmed late last year it was in refinancing talks with creditors.

HeidelbergCement's share price fell 6.2% Tuesday on Frankfurt's stock exchange to €31.26 a share. That is sharply off its 52-week high of €115.47 reached last March. Mr. Merckle increased his family firm's stake in Germany's largest cement company to about 80% in recent years.
Mr. Merckle's body was discovered Monday night near train tracks outside the southern German city of Ulm in what local police described Tuesday as a "railway accident." There are no signs that anyone else was to blame, they added in a statement.

His family said Tuesday that he had committed suicide. "The distress to firms caused by the financial crisis and the related uncertainties of recent weeks, along with the helplessness of no longer being able to act, broke the passionate family businessman, and he ended his life," the family said in a brief statement.

Refinancing talks with banks in recent weeks proved difficult because creditors were wary of extending VEM new funds without sizable guarantees and Mr. Merckle was reluctant to concede too much control, said people familiar with the matter. Talks were further complicated by the number of banks involved, they added.

In a rare interview last month, Mr. Merckle told the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung he had survived "many so-called stock-market crashes" but that he "couldn't calculate a banking and financial crisis of this dimension."

Mr. Merckle's wealth was estimated by Forbes magazine last year at $9.2 billion. VEM also owns stakes in companies making goods ranging from all-terrain vehicles to textiles.
In recent days, Ludwig Merckle, one of Mr. Merckle's four children, took the lead role for the family in negotiating the bridge loan with banks, according to a person familiar with the talks. Ludwig helped his father manage the investments through VEM, taking on an increasingly important role in recent years.

The roughly €400 million loan is designed to give VEM and creditors about three months to craft a broader restructuring blueprint for the Merckle family empire. But swift asset sales are expected to be difficult amid the tough market conditions. A VEM spokeswoman declined to comment Tuesday on any possible asset sales.

The dramatic fall of Mr. Merckle's business fortunes shocked many in Germany's financial community, where he enjoyed a reputation as a savvy investor.

Other Deaths

Thierry Magon de La Villehuchet, 65 Founder, Access International Advisors Date of Death: Dec. 23
Workers discovered the body of Mr. de La Villehuchet in his firm's New York office. Mr. de La Villehuchet's firm oversaw a fund with assets invested by Bernard L. Madoff, according to a person familiar with the situation. An attorney for the firm told detectives that Mr. de La Villehuchet's firm had lost $1.5 billion in the Madoff scandal.
* * *
Alex Widmer, 52 Chief Executive, Bank Julius Baer Date of Death: Dec. 3
Overseeing the private bank, Mr. Widmer turned the Zurich firm into a leading bank for wealthy clients. Julius Baer officials said Mr. Widmer's death wasn't linked to problems at the bank.
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Kirk Stephenson, 47 Chief Operating Officer, Olivant Ltd. Date of Death: Sept. 25

In late September, Mr. Stephenson drove to a rail station about 30 miles from his London home and stepped onto the tracks as an express train approached. Mr. Stephenson co-founded the investment firm in 2006. Olivant began accumulating a 2.8% stake in UBS and leading a revolt to turn around the Swiss banking giant. The UBS shares were put in a Lehman Brothers Holdings account with a proviso that allowed Lehman to use the assets as collateral. With Lehman in bankruptcy Olivant may never recover the assets.

One senior German banker described Mr. Merckle's business style as "down-to-earth and very cost-conscious." The billionaire businessman lived in Swabia, a region of Germany with a reputation for "frugality, where you turn every penny twice," and that's how Mr. Merckle was viewed by many investors, the banker added.

Mr. Merckle voiced distress about the rapidly changing opinions of his business dealings as reports surfaced in recent weeks about his debt problems. "We are being thrown into the same pot as hedge funds," he told Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung last month.

But he insisted that his holding company was suffering from a "pure liquidity problem" and that his focus had always remained building up solid businesses.

As Mr. Merckle grew increasingly desperate to keep his empire afloat, he lobbied the regional government in his home state of Baden-Württemberg late last year for temporary financial backing but was turned down.

German police said Mr. Merckle's family reported the businessman missing late Monday, "after he left the house in the afternoon and didn't return as usual." Around 7:30 the same night, a railroad worker noticed a body near Blaubeuren, where Mr. Merckle lived, police added in a statement Tuesday. Blaubeuren is about 100 miles west of Munich in southwestern Germany.

Mr. Merckle's death isn't the first linked to the financial crisis. French financier Thierry Magon de La Villehuchet, founder of Access International Advisors, was found dead in his Manhattan office just before Christmas. He reportedly lost $1.5 billion on behalf of customers in Bernard L. Madoff's alleged Ponzi scheme. Police, who called it an apparent suicide, found a box cutter as well as what appeared to be sleeping pills.

Earlier, an investment-fund executive at Olivant Ltd. in London and a veteran Bear Stearns Cos. manager in New York committed suicide.

Write to Mike Esterl at [email protected]