Running On Empty? 

by Tony Pearce
Light For The Last Days

Will we cope with the coming crisis?

At the time of writing this article (11/6/08) the cost of oil has almost reached $140 a barrel, more than double the cost of $68.2 a barrel in May 2007.  The Russian energy giant Gazprom has warned that crude oil is set to skyrocket to $250 ‘in the foreseeable future.’ At the same time gas and electricity bills have gone up by 11.4% since May 2007.  The price of food is also going up.  The official measure of food inflation is 6.6% but the price of essential foods is going up by 19.1%.

Trade Minister Baroness Vadera acknowledged that Britain is facing a ‘very testing period’ and said that this is ‘the first real economic crisis of globalisation.’

Various reasons are being given for the crisis, the main ones being these:

1. Oil producing countries are keeping prices artificially high to increase their profits.
2. Wall Street speculators are using scare stories to drive up prices.
3. We are beginning to see the results of ‘Peak Oil.’

 
If reasons one or two are correct then there is hope that a solution will be found and after a period of some economic turbulence things will calm down and carry on as usual.  If reason three is correct then it really could be the beginning of the end of the world as we know it.  The cost of petrol will rise regardless of the protests of consumers and the complaints of politicians.  It is simple economics – supply and demand.

In January 2006 I wrote a book ‘The House built on the Sand’ (available from us for £6 including postage) in which I quoted Matthew Savinar who said, ‘Some geologists expect 2005 to be the last year of the cheap oil bonanza, while many estimates coming out of the oil industry indicate a seemingly unbridgeable supply-demand gap opening up after 2007.’  Now that we are living after 2007, US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman has told Congress (22/5/08): ‘The high priced energy environment is being driven by the fact that demand has outstripped supply.  We have sopped up all the available spare oil production capacity in the system and there is no silver bullet that will immediately solve our energy challenges or drastically reduce costs at the gas pump.’ 

Most of the easily obtainable oil in the world has been discovered and output is now falling in 60 out of the world’s 98 oil producing countries, including Britain’s North Sea oil. Even major oil producers like Saudi Arabia have already passed their peak.  Matthew Simmons, author of the book ‘Twilight in the Desert’ says that 90% of Saudi oil comes from seven giant oil fields all of which are running down.  The world’s largest oil field in Ghawar, Saudi Arabia, was estimated as having 87 billion barrels of oil in 1948 and may have no more than 5 billion barrels left.  Even now the Saudis are pumping seawater into the Ghawar oil field to keep the pumping pressure high enough to get out the remaining oil. The Burgan oil field in Kuwait, the world’s second largest, is also past its peak.

Places where there are large untapped fields, in particular the Niger Delta and Iraq, are off limits because of daily violence.  Now oil companies are seeking to exploit areas where it is more difficult and expensive to get the oil out like the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic.

The problem is that we have built a society which relies on the plentiful supply of oil for almost everything we do.  90% of our transportation is fuelled by oil.  95% of all goods in shops involve oil use.  It is the height of folly to build a system that is based on the assumption that the oil required to keep it going will always be available. Governments are now beginning to wake up to this and they are looking for alternatives to oil, but none of them are adequate.  Wind and wave power may be able to supply a small amount of power for electricity but they are useless for transportation.  Ethanol is not a good substitute for oil as it uses up arable land and is expensive to produce.  In 2006 20% of America’s corn crop went towards producing ethanol which accounted for 4.3% of the petrol sold.  So to replace 100% of present US fuel consumption would require 500% of the corn crop.  How sensible is it to use corn for feeding cars when people in the world are starving?

Another important issue is the location of the oil producing countries and the oil consuming countries.  A chart of the world’s top oil exporters and importers shows the vulnerability of the developed western industrial nations.  The top 10 importers of oil are as follows (figures for 2006 in millions of barrels per day):  USA (12.22), Japan (5.1), China (3.44), Germany (2.48), South Korea (2.15), France (1.89), India (1.69), Italy (1.56), Spain (1.56), Taiwan (0.94).  The top 12 exporters are Saudi Arabia (8.65), Russia (6.57), Norway (2.54), Iran (2.52), United Arab Emirates (2.52), Venezuela (2.2), Kuwait (2.15), Nigeria (2.15), Algeria (1.85), Mexico (1.68), Libya (1.52), Iraq (1.43). Information from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0922041.html

The major oil importers are located in Europe, North America and the Far East.  Apart from Norway and Mexico none of the top oil exporters are countries which can be considered 100% reliable and supportive as far as the interests of Europe and America are concerned. Five are Muslim countries in the Persian Gulf region and two in North Africa.  Russia is the second largest exporter and is already showing signs of using its energy resources of oil and gas to regain its super power status in the world.

The Daily Mail (7/6/08) carried an article by Rosie Boycott ‘Nine meals from anarchy’ – the phrase used to describe how looting and riots over food would grip Britain if our oil supplies were suddenly stopped.  A few days later (11/6/08) there was an article by Christopher Booker on ‘The Real Fuel Crisis’.  ‘Worried about a panic at the pumps?  Thanks to decades of government neglect, Britain is set to lose nearly half its electricity in six years.  The implications of that are truly terrifying.’ 

In the event of a crisis blowing up in the Middle East involving Israel and / or Iran, it is not difficult to see a scenario unfolding in which oil from the Persian Gulf could be shut off or severely depleted.  If Russia then decides to shut down supplies to Europe and the West, the price of oil would go through the roof.  The super rich may still be able to use their cars (with armed bodyguards to protect themselves), but the rest of us would be lucky if we could get around on bicycles. 

If you put all this together it raises some serious questions about the viability of our society.  Yet few Christians ever think about such things.  We are forever hearing prophecies of imminent revival or being told that if we get enough people together to do acts of kindness we will so impress the unbelievers that they will turn back to God.  But all this could be suddenly shaken by world events way beyond our control. 

I passed by a church which had a poster outside saying ‘Make poverty history.’  I wonder if that should be replaced with a poster saying ‘Make prosperity history.’  If we faced a sudden crisis on a huge scale many people might find themselves questioning their faith, especially if they have been hooked on the prosperity doctrine that God is obliged to provide us with all the luxuries of life as well our necessities.  The crisis now unfolding is in fact a judgement of God on the folly of our world which has mocked His message and messengers and trusted in its own wealth and cleverness for so long. 

At the same time we pray that this crisis will wake people up to the truth of the Gospel and the prophetic word of God.  We should tell people that riches are uncertain in this life, but that there is a certain hope laid up for those who trust in the Lord Jesus.  Materialism and pleasure seeking are the main barriers to people thinking about spiritual issues today.  Of course there is no certainty that such a crisis would turn people to the Lord.  The prophetic scriptures tell us that most people will turn to the Antichrist in the last days.  But there is no doubt that when people’s security is shaken they are more likely to look for answers and we need to be ready to tell them the way of salvation. 

Such a crisis would make big changes to our churches.  Travel would become difficult so going long distances to church may become impossible.  Neighbourhood churches ready and able to preach the Gospel and give hope and direction to people in a state of crisis would be vital for spreading the faith. Big evangelistic events with superstar preachers brought in from America would no longer be possible, so if the Gospel is going to be preached it will need local Christians to take the message to the people who live in their area.

In the social unrest that is likely to accompany a major economic crisis, those in authority would have to take measures to enforce order.  These may include some suppression of freedom of speech which could lead to Bible believing Christians who share their faith risking persecution.  As happened in the Soviet Union there may emerge an official church which does what it is told by the state and an unofficial underground church which is faithful to the Lord and does what He tells us to do. 

One of the effects of the oil trade has been a huge transfer of wealth from the western nominal Christian countries to the Islamic countries of the Middle East.  This is one reason for the growing submission to Islamic demands in Europe and America and the worldwide spread of Islam.  Already our freedom to give reasons why we do not believe that Islam has the true revelation of God is being eroded. Muslims who turn to Christ are finding themselves in danger in the western world as well as in the Middle East.  Those who proclaim that the Lord Jesus is the one way to God are discovering that they are not ‘politically correct’ and often face opposition and condemnation from apostate church leaders as well as political leaders. 

If we are going stand firm we need a sure hope and understanding of the purpose of both the first and second coming of the Lord Jesus.  We need to understand that He came the first time to suffer and die as a sacrifice for our sins and to rise again from the dead to give eternal life to all who believe in His name.  We need also to know that He will come again in power and glory and that He will judge the world in righteousness according to how we have responded to the message of the Gospel. 

Prophesying the events of His second coming, Jesus spoke of the ‘distress of nations in perplexity’ (Luke 21.25).  The phrase used here implies a crisis with no way out.  He said these things would cause men’s hearts to ‘fail them for fear’ as they look at what is coming on the world, but to His followers He said, ‘When you see these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near.’  Luke 21.28. 

One of the remarkable features of much of the UK church today is the deletion of the doctrine of the Lord’s return from most pulpits.  It seems the nearer we get to the event and the more signs we see of its imminence the less church leaders wish to speak about it.  Nevertheless the Bible has a lot to say about it, and warns us of a coming global crisis (the great tribulation) which will affect all nations. Many current events and trends line up exactly with prophecies of the last days.  We have produced material available on request for giving to people dealing with such issues. 

How do we prepare for such a time?  Obviously we should avoid any unnecessary debts, especially building up credit card debt.  We should look for ways to conserve energy and prepare for a time when we will have to do without many things we now rely on, including cars.  We should also be grounded in the Word of God, not putting our trust in false promises of men, be they politicians or preachers.  We should not seek to escape from society by fleeing to a place of refuge in the country, but should be using the time now to warn people of the troubles that lie ahead and to tell them how to be saved through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus.   We are producing material (see end of this magazine) to help you do this. 

We should also be realistic in what we tell people.  To be honest I am tired of hearing Christians making claims that are questionable and promises they cannot possibly deliver on, especially in the area of health and wealth.  The fact is that our society is heading for the judgement of God and the kind of scenario I have outlined here would be a fitting end to a rich decadent society that has treated God’s word and His commandments with contempt.  The first message of John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus and the Apostles was ‘Repent’ and it will be the last message of this age also.

How long we have before all these things come to pass and at what point the Rapture of the church will come, only the Lord knows.  But we have His command to redeem the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5.16) and to ‘occupy until I come’ (Luke 19.13).

Iran, Israel and the nuclear bomb.

Iran’s President Ahmadinejad has called Israel a ‘stinking corpse’ which should be wiped off the map.  Many fear he may be trying to gain the means of making his threat a reality by getting the nuclear bomb.  Iranian officials have noted that Israel could be eliminated with nuclear strikes and that the Muslim world would survive Israeli retaliation because it is extensive and populous.  According to the Shiite Muslim belief held by Mr Ahmadinejad there will be a time of great trouble on the earth before the saviour figure known as the Mahdi arrives.

Israel’s opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu has made repeated statements that the ‘Iranian threat’ must be dealt with decisively.  He compared the situation to 1938 in Germany when the Nazis publicly stated their intention to annihilate the Jewish people and the world stood by and did nothing.  He warned that Iran is racing to arm itself with nuclear bombs which would be directed first at Israel and then at the ‘Big Satan’, the United States and the ‘Moderate Satan’, Europe.  At present the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, is in trouble over a financial scandal and may have to resign.  His government is very unpopular and in the event of an election it is likely that Netanyahu would become Israel’s leader. 

The situation in the Middle East appears to be coming to a head and the next few months could be critical.  President Bush has only six months to go before he steps down from the White House.  The United States has made preparations for an air strike on Iran and has the cruise missiles and bombers needed to smash Iran’s deepest nuclear installations.  But whether Mr Bush would risk the conflagration that could result from an attack on Iran is not so clear.  However both Presidential candidates, McCain and Obama, have both made strong statements about preventing Iran getting the bomb. McCain has said "There is only one scenario worse than military action in Iran and that is a nuclear-armed Iran." 

If Iran was attacked it would certainly counter attack with Israel, oil installations in the Gulf and the strategic straits of Hormuz the most likely targets.  The straits of Hormuz are the narrow strip of water at the head of the Persian Gulf through which the oil exported from the region flows.  With the US and global economies in trouble already as a result of high oil prices, shutting off the world’s most vital oil artery would almost certainly tip the world into an economic crisis which would make the present troubles look like a tea party.  Such a conflict would also bring Russia into the picture as the Russians have supplied Iran with nuclear material and anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles. 

If Bush refrains from attacking Iran could Israel do so?  Writing in the May 7 edition of Newsweek Michael Hirsch said ‘a number of circumstances make an Israeli air strike on Iran more likely before the end of 2008.’  The Israelis believe that Iran will have nuclear weapons by 2009 or 2010.  They believe diplomacy has failed and that President Bush’s successor will be unwilling to get involved.  They see Iran’s strength building up and that time is running out. 

Any Israeli attack would set off a major war in the Middle East.  Iran is arming Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon with missiles to fire at Israel.  The hopes of President Bush for a peace settlement with the establishment of Palestinian State on the West Bank would disappear. The price of oil would shoot up and Israel would be blamed for risking the world’s oil supplies.  Jewish communities in the diaspora would be at risk.   On the other hand doing nothing about Iran’s nuclear threat means that not only Israel but also the rest of the Middle East, the United States and Europe could be in the firing line of Iran’s weapons. 

The best hope for a solution would be a change within Iran and a more moderate government coming to power.  There does not seem to be a great deal of hope of that happening at the moment. 

In the Bible we read of a great conflict at the end of days after Israel has been regathered from the nations.  This conflict, known as the War of Gog and Magog, is described in Ezekiel 38-39.  An allied army led by a great power to the uttermost north (Russia) and including Persia (Iran) comes against Israel and meets its doom in a supernatural intervention of God on the mountains of Israel.  At this time there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel (Ezekiel 38.19).  ‘I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all my mountains,’ says the Lord God. ‘Every man’s sword will be against his brother.  And I will bring him to judgement with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone.  Thus I will magnify myself and sanctify myself and I will be known in the eyes of many nations.  Then they shall know that I am the Lord.’  Ezekiel 38.21-23. 

This event will shake the nations.  ‘And I will send fire on Magog (Russia?) and on those who live in security in the coastlands (the western world?).  Then they shall know that I am the Lord.  So I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let them profane my holy name any more.  Then they shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.  Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,’ says the Lord God.  ‘This is the day of which I have spoken.’  Ezekiel 39.6-8. 

Only God knows how far off this event is but we can be sure that the present crisis in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf is not going to go away.  The only hope we have is to trust in the Lord.

Revival or Deception?

Jesus said in the last days of this age there would be a situation which he described as the ‘distress of nations with perplexity.’  The word in Greek translated ‘with perplexity’ is ‘aporia’ meaning with no way out.  In other words at the end of this age there will be a crisis so severe that there will be no solution to it.  In fact bringing this age to an end and starting again will be the only solution from God’s point of view.  Things will be so bad that it will be impossible to patch up, repair or recondition the state of the world.  This will apply to the physical world as multiple crises combine for the final perfect storm created by human rebellion against God. 

It will also apply to the spiritual world as all manner of errors and deception bring people into bondage to evil spirits instead of true faith in God through the Messiah Jesus.  Sadly we are seeing more and more error and deception taking over the professing church of Jesus Christ.  We have liberal theology questioning more and more of the Bible, especially the Creation, the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the only Saviour of humanity and the hope of the Lord’s return to judge the world in righteousness.  We have supposed evangelicals joining hands with Roman Catholicism in ecumenical prayer gatherings and projects to save the world.  In doing this the evangelicals have to compromise on the teachings of the scriptures in order to accommodate the errors of Rome.  

Now we have God TV broadcasting night after night ‘miraculous revival’ meetings taking place led by Todd Bentley in Lakeland, Florida.  The miracles are apparently being done under the power of the ‘anointing’ which causes Todd Bentley to shake backwards as he waves his arms over the audience and shouts ‘Fire, Fire, Fire!’  Then people start roaring, groaning, shaking, jerking, experiencing burning sensations in the body and laughing uncontrollably.  There have been reports of people having their eyes rolled in the back of their heads and women gyrating and pulsating like they are being ravaged from behind by some unseen force.

Bentley is credited with bringing ‘a million people into the kingdom of God in the last eight years’ and with being ‘one of the most accurate prophets of our generation’ (interview with Patricia King on Xtreme Prophetic TV show).  People travel from around the world to pick up this ‘anointing’ which is said to be the most ‘contagious’ one ever. Some Christians are convinced that this is the great end time revival that will bring multitudes into the church and transform the world.  Others that it is a great deception that will end in tears and tragedy. 

Bentley claims that his miracles are accomplished with the help of angels – in particular an angel called Emma – who provide him with revelations and are bound to do his bidding. ‘Angels are commissioned to carry out the word that God's servants speak and prophecy,’ he says.   In fact angels are messengers of God who do His will but there is nothing in the Bible to suggest that humans can command them to do our will.

Bentley claims succession to noted false prophets – in particular William Branham, Paul Cain and Bob Jones.  Branham is now dead, but Paul Cain and Bob Jones have both endorsed Bentley’s ministry.  William Branham was a Pentecostal preacher who made a name for himself in the 1950s with claims of sensational miracles.  He was denounced as a heretic by the Assemblies of God on account of his false teaching. Branham denied the doctrine of the Trinity claiming it comes from hell, and taught that the zodiac and Egyptian pyramids are on a par with the authority of Scripture.  He taught that Cain was the product of the sexual coupling between Eve and the serpent in the Garden of Eden.   He first taught the Latter Rain teaching of the ‘Manifest Sons of God’. This teaching states that in the last days a ‘new breed’ of believers would attain to immortality and conquer the last enemy of death. Latter-Rain prophets look forward to the appearance of a glorious end-time church which will become perfect and thus qualify for immortality here upon the earth prior to Christ's return. (Branham died in a car crash).  The prophetic movement teachers identify this great end time company as the  ‘Manchild’ of Revelation 12, which will rule the nations with a rod of iron. This indestructible and immortal company become impregnated with the presence of the ‘Christ’ and they will put all things under their feet.  In fact the Bible teaches that in the last days the Antichrist will reign and true believers in Jesus Christ will be persecuted.  The idea that Christians can become perfect or immortal here on earth before the return of Christ is a delusion.

Paul Cain was an associate of William Branham and called him ‘the greatest prophet whoever lived.’  He was involved with the Kansas City Prophets who brought grandiose claims that a ‘new breed’ of super prophets were beginning to arrive on the earth who would change the world forever.   Cain was credited with an extraordinary gift of being able to tell people details about their lives which he could not possibly have known about.  He also made some blatantly false prophecies, including a prophecy of revival coming to England and that Bill Clinton was anointed of God to lead America out of the New World Order.  He later confessed to being an alcoholic and a practicing homosexual. 

Bob Jones claims to be guided by an angel (like William Branham and Todd Bentley).  He claims frequent (even daily) experiences of being taken up into heaven and says that Jesus commissioned him to touch the leaders of a new last days church that would ‘bring a billion souls to myself in the last day.’  Eddie Gruen, a pastor from Kansas City, published a report compiling the outlandish teachings and occult like practices of Bob Jones and other members of the Kansas City Prophets.  Jones was later discredited and removed from leadership after he admitted to sexually molesting two women who had gone to him for ministry.  Now restored to ministry, he appeared on a recent TV programme with Todd Bentley still boasting of daily trips he makes to heaven.  Unfortunately he is also suffering from a kidney disease and having to have painful dialysis treatment for this.  He asks for prayer about this condition.  Why doesn’t he ask Todd Bentley to heal him instead of going to the hospital?  Is it because he knows that the healings are fake?

With most charismatic Christians today if you mention the word ‘healing’ or ‘miracle’ they suspend all critical faculty and go off into waves of ecstasy.  They never question whether or not the healings are really taking place.  In a newsletter produced by Andrew Strom commenting on the Florida events a pastor is quoted as saying, ‘When Todd Bentley conducted a healing meeting in a large charismatic church in England in 2005 he laid hands on many people who were apparently healed.  I know of at least one instance when a pastor’s wife with cancer was prayed for by Todd.  Soon afterwards she heard voices in her head telling her ‘to drown herself like her father did.’  The poor woman ended up in a mental hospital. I believe she still has cancer.  No one is following up or keeping records of what happens to people who have hands laid on them by Todd or others like them.  I have kept records as far as I can concerning this particular church.  Over a relatively short period there has been a dramatic increase in premature deaths, cancers, marriage break-ups, sickness and disease amongst the congregation where the leadership have allowed this type of ministry into their church.  Many people left the church in fear.  These are the consequences of following this type of ministry which no one is aware of or wants to address.  I know.  I have visited the people in hospital and attended one of the funerals.’

If Todd is to be believed they could well end up in hospital as a result of attending his meetings.  In one of the most appalling scenes I have ever witnessed on God TV (which is saying something) he claims that ‘God’ told him to grab a crippled lady and bang her legs up and down like a baseball bat, to kick another lady in the face with his biker boot.  He also ran and hit a man so hard ‘it drove him back several feet! He hit the ground and his tooth popped right out of his mouth!’  The worst thing about this madness was that the congregation was sitting there laughing at all this.  This blatant incitement to violence if repeated by his deluded followers could well end up with these preachers being arrested for assault.  It would certainly cause any unbeliever watching to reject Christianity as dangerous lunacy and even move for the suppression of the faith by the authorities.

Jesus warned of a great deception in the last days of this age.  His first word when asked by the disciples about the sign of the end of the age was ‘Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in my name saying I am the Christ and will deceive many. … For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive if possible even the elect.’  Matthew 24.4-5, 24.  It is clear that evidence of the miraculous is no guarantee of faithfulness to God.  The Antichrist and the False Prophet perform miracles by the power of the devil.  ‘The coming of the lawless one (the Antichrist) is according to the working of Satan with all power, signs, and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved.’  2 Thessalonians 2.9-10.  ‘He (the False Prophet) performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men and he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast.’  Revelation 13.13-14. 

Any true miracle will always glorify God and point to the Lord Jesus, not angels or men, as the only mediator between God and humanity.  In the programmes I have seen of the events in Florida I have not seen any preaching from the Bible or heard any explanation of the Gospel.  People are invited to come to Jesus or to come to catch the fire but unless they understand what the Gospel means they are not coming to the real Jesus.  At the very least they must understand that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried and rose again on the third day and was seen by the disciples.  They must understand that we are sinners who deserve God’s judgement and hell, but in God’s mercy He is offering us eternal life through the blood that the Lord Jesus shed at Calvary.  They must know that they need to repent and believe that Jesus died and rose again and they must be willing to confess their faith before men. (See 1 Corinthians 15.3-6, Isaiah 53.6, Romans 3.23, Acts 2.38, Romans 10.9-10).  Anyone who really understands this should come in a sober and penitent way not in this wild uncontrolled and irrational behaviour which has much more to do with paganism than true Christianity. 

In fact many people who have come to Christ from a New Age or occult background see strong connections between this kind of behaviour and what they were into before coming to Christ.  In an article on this subject Yakov Prasch notes that in these meetings ‘people react to the powerful suggestion, or touch, of the minister by barking, crowing, jerking, jumping on the spot, falling over (‘slain in the Spirit’), screaming, crying, becoming tingly, having visions, seeing lights and so on. These effects, in various measures, have always followed occult ministry – the most extreme form being kundalini yoga. Awakening kundalini energy is so dangerous that many yoga gurus refuse to fully release it in disciples – but Charismatics have no such qualms and people get hurt.’

Much of the church today is looking for gimmicks to bring people into the churches.  They try one thing after another, but ignore the Master’s instructions and some even boast that they ‘don’t do doctrine’.   In fact doctrine is a dirty word in many Christian circles today.  But when the church abandons doctrinal teaching it is inevitably on the way to error and ultimate collapse. Isaiah 29 shows what happens when the word of God is no longer taught and the true prophets of God ignored – the Bible becomes a closed book and they end up following an empty man made religion.  Jesus told the disciples to go into all the world and make disciples ‘teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.’  Matthew 28.18-20.  Teaching involves doctrine.

Jesus said His doctrine was from the Father (John 7.16-7) and that He had come from heaven so He could tell us the truth about God and the kingdom of heaven (John 6.43-51). The apostles taught new believers the doctrine they had received from the Lord.  ‘And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers.’  Acts 2.42.  They filled Jerusalem with this doctrine according to the opposition (Acts 5.28).  Obviously this was not some weird experience or wild behaviour, but something which related to the sacrifice of Jesus for the sin of the world.

Paul told the Ephesians that ‘we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ.’  Ephesians 4.14-15.  He told Timothy to pay attention to doctrine and to teach it in the church.  1 Timothy 4.16. He says ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.’  2 Timothy 3.16.  He also says ‘The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.’  2 Timothy 4.3-4. 

That time has certainly come.  People today are looking for preachers who will tell them what they want to hear – that they can have power, wealth, health without having to bother with repentance, obedience to God’s commands and walking humbly with God.  As a result they are being blown about like leaves before the storm and turned aside to fables.  Fables are basically made up stories.  The kind of revival happening in Florida feeds on stories and testimonies.  The stories become ever more exciting – healings, people being raised from the dead, angels coming and filling your teeth with gold, sending down feathers into meetings etc. 

No one bothers to ask how much of all this is happening in reality and how much is in the imagination of the people giving the stories – in other words how much is based on fables.  If it is real and they have such power why don’t they go and empty the hospitals?  Why does Bob Jones need dialysis for his kidney problem? Why are there as many people suffering from various diseases in ‘signs and wonders’ churches as there are anywhere else?  Why do any of these preachers die in road accidents or of cancer?  If such extraordinary things are really happening why does the world for the most part pay no attention and even laugh at the claims being made?

When Jesus and the Apostles did miracles everyone knew something supernatural had happened, including the opposition.  The Apostles never made exaggerated claims about what they were going to do in order to get people excited.  They demonstrated the fact of the risen Lord Jesus Christ through the signs that He granted them to do and then they explained what had happened to the people.  In Acts 4.14 we read how the Sanhedrin reacted to the healing of the cripple at the Temple:  ‘Seeing the man who had been healed standing with them they could say nothing against them.’   They might not have liked it but they could not deny that a notable miracle had been done and that it was evident to all who dwelt in Jerusalem. 

People like me who criticise this movement are often compared to the Pharisees in the New Testament.  On the contrary if I really saw genuine lasting, medically verified miracles happening on the scale that is claimed I would join in praising God.  But I see many disappointed people who have been prayed for over and over again and who remain just as sick as they were before and then have the added burden of being told it is because of their lack of faith that they are not healed.  And that makes me wonder who are the real Pharisees.

There is nothing in the New Testament to suggest that the Apostles rushed around laying hands on people to impart an experience of ‘fire’ or power.  In fact the ‘anointing’ which most of these preachers talk about has no basis in biblical teaching.  In the Old Testament the word ‘mashach’ (verb) and ‘mashiach’ (noun) is used exclusively of anointing priests and kings and prophetically of the Messiah which is the English form of the Hebrew mashiach.   Jesus the Messiah is both Priest and King so the Old Testament anointing points to the anointed one – the Messiah.  In the New Testament the word for ‘anoint’ in Greek is ‘chrio’ (verb) and ‘chrisma’ (noun) from which we have Christos (the anointed one or Messiah).  ‘Chrio’ is used 5 times in the New Testament (Luke 4.18, Acts 4.27, 10.38, 2 Corinthians 1.21, Hebrews 1.9).  Apart from the Corinthians reference all these verses apply to Jesus Christ as the anointed one. 

The verse in Corinthians reads ‘Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God who has also sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.’  This has nothing to do with transferable anointings calling down fire, but is about God placing us into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, a theme found elsewhere in Paul’s letters (1 Corinthians 12.3, 12-13, Ephesians 1.13-14).  The only use of the noun chrisma in the New Testament is 1 John 2.27:  ‘These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.  But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.’  In this case the anointing is given by the Holy Spirit in us who guides us into the truth, reveals what is false and glorifies the Lord Jesus (John 16.13-15).  That is one anointing which we really do need today. 

The ‘transferable anointing’ actually never happened in scripture.  Acts 8 is an interesting passage in which Philip preaches in Samaria and many people are saved, but Peter has to come from Jerusalem to lay hands on the people so that they might receive the Holy Spirit.  When Simon the Sorcerer sees what is happening he offers to pay for the ability to pass on the Spirit to others.  One wonders what today’s signs and wonders preachers would say to this generous offer from a wealthy donor to fill their funds.  In fact Peter says ‘Your money perish with you because you thought the gift of God could be purchased with money. … Repent therefore of this your wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.  For I see that you are poisoned with bitterness and bound by iniquity.’  Acts 8.22-23. 

The laying on of hands is used in Acts in order to commission ministry and to give spiritual gifts and in working miracles.  Nevertheless the kind of manic laying on of hands on everyone who comes up at a meeting pushing them over as a sign of the power of the Holy Spirit is not to be found in Acts or the Epistles.  In fact Paul counsels Timothy ‘Do not lay hands on anyone hastily.’  1 Timothy 5.22.  The fruit of Paul laying hands on Timothy was the very opposite of the frenzy and manic behaviour we are witnessing today in Lakeland:  ‘Therefore I remind you to stir up in you gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’  2 Timothy 1.6-7.  Far from some magical power been transferred by the touch of one anointed person to another, the message of the Christian faith was to be spread by teaching its content from one to another:  ‘And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.’  2 Timothy 2.2.  How much we need this today.  

Signs of the Times

Somark – the latest in RFID technology

We have reported in the past about RFID (Radio Frequency ID) chips which can be inserted under the skin of an animal or a human.  These chips contain information which can be read by a scanner and used to identify the one who bears them.  As such it is a possible fulfilment of the prophecy of Revelation 13:16-17: ‘And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.’

What we see in Revelation 13:16-17 is that the government of the final global dictator to come, the prophesied Antichrist, is going to require all mankind to accept what is commonly referred to as the mark of the beast as a symbol of allegiance to himself. Those who accept the mark will be able to buy and sell. Those who don’t accept the Antichrist as their god will and refuse to accept the mark will be branded as criminals, hunted down and killed unless they can somehow evade capture.

While the chips are interesting in the light of this prophecy they do not match up with it exactly.  The word used for ‘mark’ in the Greek is charagma which denotes a stamp or impression. It may also indicate an engraving or even a tattoo.   What is interesting is that having tattoos and cutting of the flesh is much more acceptable today despite the fact that it is forbidden in the Bible:  ‘You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord’  Leviticus 19.28. 

Now an amazing new technology has been developed which does away with the need for the microchip in order to place the information on the body.  Called Somark it has been described as ‘Invisible RFID Ink Safe for Cattle and People.’

The company producing it, Somark Innovations, announced that it has successfully tested biocompatible RFID ink, which can be read through animal hairs. Co-founder Mark Pydynowski said that the ink doesn’t contain any metals and can be either invisible or coloured. He declined to say what is in the ink, but said he’s certain that it is 100% biocompatible and chemically inert. He also said it is safe for people and animals.  The process developed by Somark involves a geometric array of micro-needles and a reusable applicator with a one-time-use ink capsule. Pydynowski said it takes five to 10 seconds to ‘stamp or tattoo’ an animal, and a reader can detect it from 4 feet away. Somark says the technology could eventually also be used in laboratory animals, dogs and cats, prime cuts of meat, and military personnel.  The process of applying Somark is closer than anything yet produced to the use of the word charagma in Revelation 13.16.

Suppressing Christians

All over the world it is becoming more difficult to spread the Christian faith.  In Russia the government has tacitly endorsed the Russian Orthodox Church which strongly opposes all evangelism by non Orthodox groups.  Evangelism by Protestants is all but banned and harassment of Protestant worshippers is meant to discourage adherents. Protestant churches are required by law to register with the government if they do anything more than pray in an apartment. But even when the churches register, the government usually finds fault with their paperwork and reject their application to be a legal body of worshippers. 

An Algerian woman, Habiba Qawider, is facing jail for converting from Islam to Christianity and for carrying 10 copies of the Bible on a bus.  In Uzbekistan Christian missionaries are denounced by Islamic theologians as being ‘as dangerous as the terrorist activities or the illegal drug trade.’  Uzbekistan bans missionary activity, religions that are not registered with the government and printing of faith based literature without state consent. The Iranian parliament is reviewing a new law that would impose a death penalty on citizens who leave Islam.  Despite this growing pressure a Christian broadcaster reports large numbers of young Iranians disillusioned with the harsh Islamic rule seeking and finding faith in the Lord Jesus.

But it is not just countries traditionally associated with persecution of Christians where the heat is being turned up. The Canadian government has ordered a Christian ministry that teaches doctrine and the differences between Christians and cults to be shut down because its reference materials were ‘critical’ of the beliefs of those who are not Christian.  Lorri MacGregor, who has dedicated her life to explaining Christian beliefs since she found her way out of the Jehovah’s Witness system years ago, said that Canada’s version of a ‘hate crimes’ law prevented their work from continuing as it had for nearly 30 years.  She was told that whenever she commented on other religions and their difference with Christianity she had to say that all religions are equal.   In other words she had to deny what Jesus said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and no man comes to the Father except by Me.’  John 14.6.  she has now moved to the USA to continue her ministry but believes the same conditions will apply there within the next 10 years.

Two Christian preachers were stopped from handing out Bible extracts by police in Birmingham, England, because they were in a Muslim area.  They were told by a Muslim police community support officer that they could not preach there and that attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity was a hate crime. The community officer is also said to have told the two men: ‘You have been warned. If you come back here and get beat up, well, you have been warned.’    They were also told that they were in a Muslim area and were not allowed to spread the Christian message.

Jesus said that before the end comes his followers will be hated of all nations and ‘brought before rulers and kings for My name’s sake’. (Matthew 24.9, Luke 21.12).

Global food crisis

Across the world higher grain prices, fertilizer shortages and rising energy costs are combining to spell hunger for millions in what is being characterized as a global ‘silent famine.’  Global food prices, based on United Nations records, rose 35 percent in the last year, escalating a trend that began in 2002. Since then, prices have risen 65 percent.    ‘This is the new face of hunger,’ said Josetta Sheeran, director of the World Food Program, launching an appeal for an extra $500 million so it could continue supplying food aid to 73 million hungry people this year. ‘People are simply being priced out of food markets. ... We have never before had a situation where aggressive rises in food prices keep pricing our operations out of our reach.’

Poor harvests, natural disasters and mismanagement by corrupt governments like Zimbabwe are adding to the problem. According to some experts, the worst damage is being done by government mandates and subsidies for ‘biofuels’ that supposedly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and fight climate change. Thirty percent of this year’s U.S. grain harvest will go to ethanol distilleries. The European Union, meanwhile, has set a goal of 10 percent bio-fuels for all transportation needs by 2010.  ‘A huge amount of the world’s farmland is being diverted to feed cars, not people,’ writes Gwynne Dyer, a London-based independent journalist. He notes that in six of the past seven years the human race has consumed more grain than it grew. World grain reserves last year were only 57 days, down from 180 days a decade ago.

The crisis has led to food riots in many countries.  It threatens the stability of governments, especially in the Middle East.  In Egypt and Jordan hard line Islamic groups like the Muslim Brotherhood are giving away food to the poor and calling for strikes to protest against the price rises.  Officials worry that the Islamists will use the crisis to gather more support from angry young Muslims and end up overthrowing the governments.

How long before the four horsemen of the Apocalypse ride out bringing war, famine and death?  See Revelation 6.

All of these things happening mean that the world is heading for the last days of this age.  That is both bad news and good news.  The bad news is that nothing we can do will save the world system and the great tribulation of which Jesus spoke is on its way.  ‘For then there will be great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened no flesh would be saved.  But for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.’ Matthew 24.21-22.  The good news is that Jesus is coming, this time as King of Kings and Lord of Lords with all the power of God at His disposal.  If we put our trust in Him now we have a glorious future:  ‘For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ shall rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words.’  1 Thessalonians 4.16-18.