Signs of the Times

And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (Luke 10:18)
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Rom 8:37)

HERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS: WE WIN!

With all of the things that are happening in this world today some might find it easy to get discouraged or even fearful of the future. If you have loved ones who are close to you, though you may not fear for yourself, it is a natural thing to be concerned for those you love. Today we live in a world that is so visible and open it can easily make us feel that we are unprotected from anyone who really wants to harm or take advantage of us. Truly it is a day when being sheep in the midst of wolves seems to be much more understandable than it used to be.

Satan must find it to his advantage to have such easy access to the hearts and minds of humans through all the various media forms that are commonplace in our daily lives. It can be a constant battle not only protecting our children from such things but keeping oneself from being drawn into the anger, malaise and hopelessness that often seems overpowering as the world turns from the truth of God

Television and radio media may keep us abreast of all that’s happening in the world but rarely will it be Good News as the media finds the bad news sells better, or at least the people who want that kind of info are more likey to tune in regularly. Between terrorism, murder, crime, corruption in politics, drug abuse, home invasions, hostage situations, child abductions and other vile happenings that find themselves beating on the doors of our lives, it almost seems reasonable to cover your head and hide in a hole somewhere until it all goes away.

At times like this it is good to read the end of the story and remind ourselves how it all turns out. We win! Those of us who have put our trust in Christ will one day awaken to the victorious sound of “a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:” (Rev. 19:1) And we will be a part of that great throng singing praises to the Lamb of God. There will be no more tears, no more pain and no more death when this world of sorrows has passed away and we dwell forever in the presence of our Glorious Lord.

But what now? How should we live our lives while we await the eternal bliss that lies ahead? What about those around us who still don’t know of God’s great love for them. What about
our loved ones who still need Christ in their lives? This is where our job comes in. Though Jesus defeated Satan through His death on the cross two thousand years ago, the full victory
of that sacrifice has not yet been realized. And while we await the culmination of all things we must devote our lives to the task at hand: spreading the message, “The Kingdom of God is at hand”.

Whatever your life is, give it to Christ. Whatever your dreams are, give them to Christ. Whatever your situation is, give it to Christ. Whatever your need is, give it to Christ. Whatever your talents are,  give them to Christ. Whatever you have, give it to Christ. Give all to Him who gave His all for you.

Does this seem unreasonable to you? Are you unsure of these things of which I write and have you forgotten the promises of God for those who love Him? Are you holding back what you have to make sure you have enough to take you through what lies ahead? Maybe you have given your all before and things didn’t turn out the way you expected so you have been living in the ’safe zone’ to avoid future disappointment. Jesus told us that our lives would face great struggles and trials, but He also said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”. (Heb.13:5)

As Jesus beheld Satan fall from heaven, so we too will one day look upon the fallen angel who became the adversary of all goodness and say, ” Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;” Isa. 14:16

So lift your head up high and find the strength to go forward looking to the One who fought the battle for us and conquered the enemy. Yet a little while and we will see Him face to face.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” Romans 8:28

A friend of mine once asked, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could get to the place spiritually where we didn’t have to fall back upon Romans 8:28 so much?” If I remember correctly my initial response was “absolutely”, but after I thought for a while I realized that was the wrong answer. I will probably always need to depend upon God to rescue me from my lack of faith or my lapses in judgment, understanding or obedience while I’m in this world. In reality, I can’t make it without His help and I am pretty sure you can’t either, to which I say, thank God.

I have met people along the road of my life who go up and down in their walk with God upon every circumstance that comes their way. When they are getting what they want they say, “God is good”. When things are going rough, “Why is God doing this to me?” I have been there myself on occasion and in hindsight, it’s a terrible place to be.

Truth is, if we knew the answers to all the hard questions it probably wouldn’t make much difference. It’s not the answers that we lack, it’s the confidence of knowing that God loves us no matter what is occurring in life or what challenge we are facing. Built into the fallen human experience is the reality of something called doubt and because deep down in our hearts we know that we have failed to meet up to the perfect requirements of a holy God the devil can sometimes get to us and attack us with accusations and fears that make us lose sight of God’s promises.

The good news is that we don’t need to feel unworthy because of our failure to meet God’s requirements. Jesus met them all for us on the cross. (Romans 5:1 and Eph.1: 6) Or in the words of the once popular praise song, “He paid a debt He did not owe; I owe a debt I could not pay”.

Having faith in times of trouble sounds easy on paper but it rarely is in reality when it comes down to it. How can it be easy? We are talking about totally trusting a God that we cannot see. We are called to believe in and put our total confidence in Someone whom we have heard is there based upon writings handed down from the past, stories of others that went before us or maybe a personal spiritual experience or answer to prayer that we or someone else may have had at one time or another. In all honesty most of us have not heard God from the burning bush like Moses did. And if we did some doctor would probably show up and give us a prescription for Xanax and tell us we were bi-polar or some such thing. That’s where faith comes in. I tried living without it before and it’s no fun.

Still, faith itself is not enough. Though many of the modern teachers and preachers have put together systems of mindset and behavior that are supposed to produce faith in us, usually the result of such practices is like a basketball that continuously needs to be pumped up in order to keep bouncing back. And so we are told to watch everything we think or say lest we fall short and shipwreck the whole effort. How fragile is this kind of faith?

What about the praying parents filled with a positive confession and faith whose dying child is lying helpless in the hospital bed bathed in prayer, faith and love, yet still they see their loving child slip away into God’s eternal hands? Or the believing man of God, who faithfully lives to love and serve those around him, yet loses his family in a tragic car accident? Where does one go having devoted the prime years of his or her life to working for a company that went belly up and left them with nothing but an unemployment check for their years of dedication?

What words can comfort someone who has walked with God for many years and loses a son or daughter to suicide or drug addition? How many have spent years in a church or ministry totally confident in the spirituality of the leadership there only to find out that the minister had been having immoral affairs or worse during all the years he had preached such powerful sermons?

No beloved, it is not our ability to have faith alone to which we must turn in troubled times, it is the Object our faith that we must trust. God himself! We must believe that no matter what is happening in our life and the lives of those we love and care for, our God will never fail to do what is best for us and for all those who love and trust in Him. It is often only in the crushing of the fruit that the sweet nectar can be released.

As it was for the Son of God himself, “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone”. (John 12:24) Sometimes the things most precious to us must be placed in God’s hands by faith not knowing how He will use them or why He requires them.

Today, much of what was once thought of as secure and stable is being shattered into dust. Hard times are upon many if not most of us and it remains to be seen how we will fare through it all. Our status as a great nation is being ridiculed and assaulted by the very men and women who are supposed to defend and build it. Our financial institutions are failing from long abuses of incompetent and questionable practices, and most of our wealth and job-producing infrastructure is being sent overseas to avoid heavy taxation and labor costs. Our confidence in all of these institutions and in the future is on the verge of reaching critical mass; the shining potential of finding security in the things of this world has never been more in need of a change of batteries.

Paul also writes in Hebrews 2:10 , “For it became him, for whom [are] all things, and by whom [are] all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Then we hear the words of Peter saying, “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin.” (1 Pet. 4:1)

If God is allowing you to go through a time of testing it is to prove the work that has been done in you by the Holy Spirit. As metal in a blast furnace is heated to a high temperature to enable the dross to rise to the surface, so it is for the follower of Christ when it is time to form the metal of the spirit into a weapon of warfare.

How do you feel when you look at what is going on in the world today? Are you fearful? Are you concerned about the future? Are you in agreement with the doomsayers who see nothing but calamity, ruin and despair? Or do you in fact see the greatest opportunity of your lifetime to be effective for Christ. Do you believe that in Christ you possess the answers to the problems of the world around you? Well if you do feel that way . . . you are absolutely right!

To be honest I don’t know when Christ is coming back. There are signs that it could be soon and I believe it is very possible that we are in the final hours, but I’m not putting my chez lounge on the top of a hill to wait for the rapture. I’m rolling up my sleeves and getting to work. The fields are white unto harvest.

Do you recognize these things and have been praying that the Lord will “send forth labourers into his harvest”? (Matt. 9:38) Just remember this: after the Lord told his disciples to pray that prayer, the next morning He sent them. (Matt. 10:1)

You are that city set on a hill. You are the light of the world. You are the lamp that will not be hid under the bed when the darkness comes. Thank God that you have this promise that whatever comes against you can only eventually work for your good through the power of the eternal God whom you serve and the Spirit that works in you.

Have courage and set your eyes on the One who is seated in the heavens high and lifted up, for He has his eyes set upon you and called you His own.

Craig Marlatt

by Craig Marlatt

It is interesting to see how different people are reacting to the situation surrounding the Lakeland Revival and Canadian Evangelist Todd Bentley’s fall from grace. It certainly is a stark reminder of how frail we all are when we walk outside of God’s Word, and how much our adversary, the devil, will allow a believer to climb high up the ladder before knocking him or her off. Although it is one of his favorite methods – especially with those in leadership positions – it is surprising how easily ignored or forgotten this is by all of us when someone is in the midst of their ten minutes of fame.

We must never forget the warning from James, ” Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God: for god cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed.” (James 1:14) In other words, sin is already inherent in the fallen nature of man, our job is to subject and subdue it to the will of God by obedience. The devil cannot be blamed for our sin, he just has thousands of years of experience in knowing when and how to entice us. The late comedian Flip Wilson was wrong when he cried, “The devil made me do it!” He should have said, “The devil told me to do it, but it was me who did it!”

Though God does not tempt us, often his testing is similar in appearance to the temptation of Satan. Satan tempts us to destroy us, while God tests us to prove us. We would do well to remember King David whenever we think we are above temptation and vulnerability to sin. King David was a great man after God’s own heart, yet he committed terrible acts of sin when seeking to fulfill his own lustful desires. (2 Sam. 11)

It is important never to forget that our adversary is in fact a very powerful spiritual being. He was once a great archangel with tremendous authority and power. Though he despises man (and especially those who follow Christ) his primary target has never changed: He hates God and seeks always to blaspheme God’s authority and scorn his holiness. Men are just readily available paraphernalia which he uses to accuse God when he so easily traps them into sin and rebellion. (2 Sam. 12:14) And he is patient in his work.

It has been a growing idea in the Church that Satan is in fact nothing more than a loud mouthed bully with no real powers to threaten or harm a Christian who knows how to stand his or her ground. Much of the Warrior Church mentality comes from this teaching and it certainly lends itself for an exciting service. I have been to meetings where the praise music or the sermon turned quickly into fist shaking and shouting down the devil, somewhat like professional wrestlers often do to each other before entering a match. I must say I have never sensed any great anointing at that time, though often people go away shouting and grinning, convinced that they have won a great battle and put the devil in his place sulking in a corner somewhere watching Dr. Phil.

It would do good to remember Michael the archangel and his encounter with Satan when disputing for the body of Moses. He did not dare to bring a railing accusation against the devil but he said, “the Lord rebuke you”. (see also Zech. 3:1,2)

Some reading this may be thinking to yourself, “But haven’t we been raised above all powers and principalities in Christ?, and isn’t Satan under our feet?” While this is true from God’s perspective, it is only true in the same way that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:6) Other than Bentley, Bob Jones, Patricia King and some of these other modern day “prophets” who claim to go to the third heaven on a daily basis, I don’t know many others who would tell us they are quite so close and familiar with the Almighty God. We are there by faith in God’s Word and the finished work of Christ. In this life we must still wrestle against these powers that call upon our flesh, and we gain the victory through obedience to God and resistance to Satan’s temptations. This is the process of growth that is conforming us into the image of Christ.

The recent rise of the Neo-Apostolic Movement is, I believe, an idea hatched in the ego of man, driven by a need to see God do something powerful in our time. We today are so trained by media for a constant stream of excitement and experience we don’t know what to do if things are not happening the way we like them. Because of this, many churches have gone to an extreme variety of programs and media to make sure the people are receiving the level of stimulation they are accustomed to in their daily life. Many pastors know that if they don’t provide these things people will go elsewhere to find them, so rather than live with a smaller congregation they make the necessary investment to stay current.

It is not untypical for each generation to believe that they are in fact THE GENERATION that is of the utmost importance to the plan of God. The founding of this movement is primarily attributed to C. Peter Wagner. His basic premise is that for the past twenty centuries the institutional church has never properly recognized the Apostles role and that now God is raising up a new generation of Apostles who will lead the Church out of denominationalism into the great light of this truth. Of course he and his other leaders are the ones “mandated” to recognize these New Apostles and so they travel the world doing seminars and ‘aligning’ those whom they see as the Chosen Ones.

The recent coronation in Lakeland, Florida of Evangelist Todd Bentley by Wagner and others from this group certainly brings to question the lack of discernment and/or motives that somehow overthrew their reason and good judgment. Just a few weeks after their proclamation of Bentley’s “alignment and commissioning” Todd was discovered to be in a relationship with a female staff member and it was announced that he and his wife were filing for divorce. Shortly after that he stepped down from leading his ministry. Bentley Coronation Ceremony

While many of us would agree that the institutional church structures leave much to be desired, certainly they are only as individually diverse as their leaders are. If there is to be a renewal movement away from denominational thinking one can easily see the limited potential of organizations promoting such far fetched teachings substantiated only by experience, hype and numbers, while swapping Biblical Revelation for popularity and excitement.

The perplexing thing about this new movement is that in their attempt to do away with and discredit the existing institutional church denominations, they have created another institutional denomination. The only difference is that they are now attempting to be in charge. To quote The Who song – We Won’t Be Fooled Again – “Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss”.

Of course these teachings are nothing more than a rehashing of the old Manifest Son’s of God doctrine in a new skin called Dominion Theology. This is an attempt to explain Romans 8:19 and set a timetable for the rise of a group of Super Saints who will be like Christ and have nearly all of His powers to boot. I’m reminded of the temptations set before Eve in the Garden when Satan said to her, “and ye shall be as gods”, (Gen. 3:5b) and again to Jesus in Matthew 4:3-9. (All these things I will give thee – verse 9b). After hearing that one of their chief leaders was knighted several years ago by a Roman Catholic organization called The Knights of Malta, I wonder if they will soon openly recognize the Roman Papacy as having been the only church leadership that understood Apostolic Authority for these past seventeen centuries?

As usual, it comes down to a desire to be in Authority. Some men are not contented to rule their own lives, they feel a necessity to reign over others. The problem is history shows us that those who do so usually fail to bring their own selves under subjection and soon a lust for power takes over followed by a false sense of entitlement. Once this happens the only thing that can save them is a hard crashing fall, which Satan will accommodate and God will allow. Having seen this scenario played out many times I am sure of one thing: God will allow a fall from position and power rather than a descent into hell if there is a way to save the soul. There are a host of fallen leaders from recent decades that I won’t list by name who could verify what I am saying.

When I look at some of the men and women emulated by this group as great leaders and prophets from this past century I cringe at the thought of how blind we can become in our efforts to see, all while claiming great spiritual insight. For instance, when I attended the Lakeland Revival for one evening I was stunned to hear Todd Bentley and his associates exalting Paul Cain as the greatest prophet of our time. Paul Cain, the man who was recently exposed as having a long history of homosexuality and a very questionable list of “prophetic” utterances. And Bob Bob Jones (Not the fundamentalist Founder of Bob Jones University) , one who claims to speak daily with angels and have visions which take him into the third heaven as regularly as you and I might go to the grocery store. A man who himself was dismissed from leadership in the Kansas City Vineyard Church for counseling women in private to get ‘naked before the Lord ‘ in order for him to be able to give them a clear word of personal prophecy.

Also that evening in Lakeland, Todd, (in the middle of praying for people onstage),  received a cell phone call from Gwen Shaw of End Time Handmaidens, a woman whose teachings are as occultic as any openly New Age organization on the planet. He also recognized a host of other women “prophetesses” who teach weird doctrines and claim visions and manifestations reminiscent of the ’60’s and ’70’s LSD trips.

This is no laughing matter though to be sure. How dangerous this stuff is to the body of Christ has yet to be seen for sure. It is probably best expressed in one of Bob Jones’ prophecies from a Vineyard Prophecy Conference in 1989:

“I have called the best of every bloodline in earth unto this generation. I have elected to bring them forth in this generation . . . the elect generation . . . even the bloodline of Paul. . . of David . . . of Peter, James and John. They will even be superior to them in heart, stature and love for me. Your children will possess the spirit without measure, They will move into things of the supernatural that no one has ever moved in before . . . coming into the divine nature of Jesus Christ . . . a Church that has reached the full maturity of the Godman! This generation is going to see the beginning of this new world order.” Bob Jones – The New Order

Sounds like something one might hear from one of George Noory’s guests on the Coast To Coast Radio Program in the wee hours of the morning. Only they are usually talking about half-breed children born of aliens mating with earth women, not a coming group of anointed end-time Christian soldiers.

In spite of what Mr. Jones thinks, the Bible teaches that the Divine Nature of Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit and we receive this Divine Nature when we are born again. It comes as a result of God’s “exceeding great and precious promises” found in the Bible.  (2 Peter Chapter 1). He (Holy Spirit) is freely given to every believer and is transforming us into the image of Christ, not into some Superhuman race coming in the end times to whip up on the Antichrist.

I find it interesting that there is an almost perfect parallel with this doctrine happening right now in the Hollywood movie scene. It seems like the only guarantee for getting a sell out audience these days is to produce a movie about one or more of the DC Comics Superheroes. I’m not sure who is imitating who though. Is the world desperate for superheroes to solve all of our problems or is the Church looking for superheroes because we are bored with the old status quo of being a faithful Christian grounded in Scripture looking for His Glorious appearing?

Either way, I’m not taking any chances. I’d better go out and get some Kryptonite before it’s too late. Hmm, let’s see was that eBay or Overstock.com that had the big sale going?