Friday, November 25, 2016
In world news, it is exciting to see God moving end-time authorities onto the world stage. The Trump / Pence administration set to occupy the White House on January 20, 2017 is, in fact, a divine move of Almighty God. Yet, unholy spiritual powers (unseen by most for now) in the incoming administration, will ultimately be manifest as hostile agents of end-time division.
President-Elect Donald J. Trump and V.P-Elect Mike Pence, both profess to be Christian men. Intimately close to Donald Trump, however, is his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, an Orthodox Jew whom Donald Trump hopes is instrumental in creating a lasting Israeli / Palestinian peace, as reported by The New York Times, The Hill, Arutz Sheva and Breaking Israel News. Additionally, Mike Pence has cousins in Israel who are Orthodox Jews, also giving him special and unique ties to Israel.
And appointed by President-Elect Donald Trump, to the office of White House Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor, is Steve Bannon, a devout Irish Catholic with close ties to the Vatican and Jesuit Pope Francis. The confluence of Christian, Orthodox Jew, Catholicism and satanic Vatican powers seems set to usher in the end-time, “covenant with many for one week” (Dan. 9:27).
Additionally, include the fact that, “the Nascent Sanhedrin—a group of rabbis attempting to restore biblical governance to their nation—has sent letters to Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, urging them to join forces and fulfill their biblically mandated roles by rebuilding the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem”. (Charisma News 11/23/2016)
Dear saints of the Most High God in Christ Jesus, are the spiritual eyes of your heart open to see and believe what is unfolding right before us? End-time prophetic truths are leaping off the pages of Scripture and are being fulfilled. But the question is, have you believed and prepared for, “the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:9) or do you believe the pre-trib rapture false hope and lie?
Now is not the time to relax. The DOW may be soaring and consumer confidence rising, but a foreboding tribulation road lies ahead. We must be ever vigilant in heart, mind, spirit and soul. Ever since the Protestant Reformation it’s been the evil plans of the Vatican to gain control of not just the State of Israel, but also global religious domination. And under the reign of Antichrist, Jesuit Pope Francis will accomplish that task…for a temporal season.
Now, the apostasy of false unity.
The end-times are becoming more dangerous as many high profile pastors and church leaders demonstrate a false love for unbelievers by uniting false religions with Christ; namely Islam and Judaism, which have absolutely no union with Christ whatsoever. Considering Christianity, Judaism and Islam as though we all worship the same God is apostasy in the first degree.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is highly exclusive, for, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Yet, many professing Christians are either ashamed of, or afraid to defend Christ, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
After the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, the earthly veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom, and God no longer dwelt in a Temple made by men. And ever since that time God the Father has figuratively placed Himself behind another veil making Christ the only Mediator between God and man, (1 Tim. 2:5). Furthermore, just before Jesus left this earth He said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18). Period. Case closed.
Scripture warns, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine…and they will turn their ears away from the truth” (2 Tim. 4:3–4). And again, God commands His saints, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14–15).
While we must be in this world, Christ calls us to guard our relationships, saying, “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 John 1:9–11). But largely, for fear of men, the church rejects this practice.
Certain influential pastors, however, claim to be “bridge-building” when they hold inter-faith luncheons, gatherings and prayer meetings with Imams of the Muslim religion. Others cause Christians to believe they should observe certain Jewish Feast and Festival days of Judaism.
Some Christians have even adopted the worldly saying, “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided” (JK Rowling). But this is only true if believers are united in belief of “the testimony of Jesus Christ”. Saints may not apply such sayings in order to find spiritual unity or so-called “common ground” with unbelievers and people of false religions.
Jesus said to His followers, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. [that is, spiritually] For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matt. 10:34–36). This is the difficult path.
Billy Graham, interviewed by Robert Schuler, at the Crystal Cathedral in 2007, falsely said unbelievers, “knowing they need something”, are saved without Christ. And in 2015, though dismissed from her job, Wheaton College Professor Larycia Hawkins, pictured with Rev. Jesse Jackson by her side, proclaimed her belief that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.
The influence of Billy Graham reaches millions of people worldwide. We can only pray that his false witness of salvation will not lead a single soul to an eternal hell. As for Professor Hawkins, she probably considered herself a strong Christian, especially working for a Christian college and surrounded by Christian faculty and students. Yet, she turned away from Christ and to apostasy.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6) and remains non-negotiable until, “the first resurrection” (Rev. 20:4–6), “at the last trumpet” (1 Cor. 15:51–52, “at the last day” (John 6:40, 44, 54), “when the Lord Himself will descend from heaven” (1 Thess. 4:16), “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31).
Here’s what you need to know about the Islamic religion. Muslims deny that God has a Son. They believe Jesus was a prophet, but deny that He is God. Mohammed is Islam’s prophet, and Allah their god. In their unbelief they are separated from God, though claiming Abraham as their father. But God said, “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either” (1 John 2:23).
In our witness to unbelievers, we are not called to analyze our faith with false religions, for Jesus said, “whoever will not receive you or hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” (Mark 6:11).
Here’s what you need to know about Judaism’s Orthodox Jews. They hate the very name of Jesus Christ, refusing to believe that Messiah, the Son of God, has already come in the flesh. Therefore, “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?” (1 John 2:22). And, “he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). This is why a true Christian parent will NEVER bless his child’s conversion to Judaism or Islam.
And as Christians, God defines the security of our relationship with Him, saying, “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, [meaning national Jews] severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off” (Rom. 11:22). The condition of not being cut off by God is, “if you continue in His goodness”.
Dear saints, guard your hearts in what you believe and why you believe it. If you’re ever tempted to enter into dialogue with Muslims or Orthodox Jews about Islam and Judaism, please be certain of your own maturity and steadfastness in Christ. If not, you may end up like Professor Hawkins.
The Holy Bible is filled with examples that God forgives sincerely confessed sin, but He will not forgive unbelief. But if the unguarded mind is tempted by the works-based deceptions of Islam, Judaism or Catholicism, the heart can be led astray to unbelief, “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:14).
Marlin J. Yoder
