A CONSUMING FIRE

   For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  (John 3: 17-18)

   As we read the four Gospels of the New Testament of the Bible, we are reading about the same Jesus that Judas Iscariot knew for more than three years.  In so doing, we are also reading the same words of Jesus that Judas Iscariot heard more than two thousand years ago. 
   By rejecting Jesus, however, Judas Iscariot also rejected God:  because the Son and the Father are one.   
   Furthermore, by rejecting God, Judas Iscariot also rejected the love, mercy, and grace of God the Father.
   And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For every one that doeth evil hated the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  (John 17: 19-20)
   Judas Iscariot loved darkness rather than light. 
   Judas Iscariot chose to do evil because he hated the light.
   Judas Iscariot never came to the light lest his deeds should be reproved.
   The men who killed Jesus had the same minds and the same hearts as Judas Iscariot:  they loved darkness rather than light, and they also hated the light.
   When people continuously reject the truth of Christ, they inherit the mind of Judas Iscariot:  they love darkness rather than light, and they also hate the light.  In so doing, they also become like the men who killed Jesus, for they have killed Jesus in their hearts. 
   The men who killed Jesus also knew the truth of the Lord's resurrection:  for then they began to murder the people who believed in Jesus.  For if they had truly believed that the Lord was still dead, they would have dismissed the believers of Christ as lunatics, or crazy people. 
   The Holy Spirit reveals the truth of Christ to people, and when people reject Christ, they also reject the love, mercy, and grace of God.  And by their rejection of Christ, they will continue to hide in their religion, for religion is darkness rather than light.  There, they will continue to cling to their dogmas and doctrines, rites and rituals, for they believe that their religion is more powerful than Christ:  at which time their minds become like the mind of Judas Iscariot, and they become masters of deception:  for they want others to believe how wonderful they are because of their religious arrogance. 
   When people say they believe in God, yet they reject Christ, their belief in God is amiss:  for the Son and the Father are one; therefore, people cannot have one without the other.
   When people say they pray to God, yet they reject Christ, their prayers to God are also amiss:  for the Son and the Father are one; therefore, because their prayers are not in the name of the Son, their prayers are amiss. 
   Satan is the lord and the god of man's religions; therefore, when people reject Christ, yet cling to their religions, their faith is in Satan and not in Almighty God:  for religion is the house of darkness, and not the house of light.  It is in the house of darkness where people are deceived, and by their own rejection of Christ, they become deceivers, just like Judas Iscariot, and they also become like the men who killed Jesus.
   Judas Iscariot believed he would get away with thirty pieces of silver, but he never believed that he would face the judgment of God.
   The men who killed Jesus also believed that they would get away with their murder of the Lord and not face the judgment of God.
   Likewise, when people reject Christ, they do not believe they will face the judgment of God.
   As for Judas Iscariot, his only interest in life was for himself.
   As for the men who killed Jesus, their only interest in life was for themselves.
   When people reject Christ, their only interest in life is for themselves.
   Consequently, self-love is a consuming fire, destroying people from within.  For when people love self, they become an idol unto themselves, for their only interest is in pleasing self:  for the love of God is not in them because they have rejected the only begotten Son of God, who is Christ Jesus the Lord. 
  

CHILDREN OF CAIN

    A recapped tire is not a new tire just because it has a new face:  but the old tire looks like new when it is given a new slab of rubber.  In time, however, the old tire will expose what it is because the new slab of rubber is built on a foundation of corruption.
   The religion of ancient Babylon is an old tire, and as the people at the Tower of Babel spread across the earth, they took their old tire with them.  To hide the identity of its age and its purpose, however, the people gave it a facelift:  they changed its name, gave it a new building, and gave it a new residence.
   That evil spirit of ancient Babylon has never vanished from the face of the earth, and it is just as evil and powerful today as it was four thousand years ago by the rivers of Babylon.
   Those places where Babylon exists today are in three locations:  Rome, Italy; London, England; and the District of Columbia (with its branch office at the United Nations in New York City).  These three are one and these three agree.  These three have three seats, and the three seats will become one.
   Rome controls the religions of the world, London controls the money of the world, and the District of Columbia (working with the United Nations) controls the government of the world.  These three are one and these three agree.
   The most powerful men in the world, however, operate in secrecy throughout a network of secret societies spanning the globe.  And these men, hidden in darkness, are representatives of the Satanic Priesthood.  Their knowledge is from the mystery religion of ancient Babylon, handed down from generation to generation to this present day, and their purpose is to bring the world into captivity in a religious system that is called the New World Order, which will be a restoration of the Tower of Babel.  And the United States is the capital of the New World Order.
   This Satanic Priesthood of men are the children of Cain, children of the devil.  As such, they are children of darkness, for darkness is their natural habitat.  They were born with evil minds and evil hearts. Their enemy is light.  They gather behind closed doors, in secret meetings in secret places.  They are highly intelligent, highly educated, and masters of deception, just like their father, the Devil.
   They mask their identity with false faces and false smiles, for in their hearts they have nothing to be happy about; for their hearts and minds are set on evil and destruction, and therefore they are incapable of true human emotions. 
   Yet, like snakes, they can be charming, and masters of entertainment.
   They also mask their identity by the clothes they wear:  expensive shoes, silk ties, and priestly garments of purple and fine linen. 
   They condemn the wealth of successful people while they abide in island castles with servants and chauffers, private jets, and armed guards. 
   They fare sumptuously every day while hungry people throughout the world crave the crumbs from their tables. 
   They tell the world to share and to help others while they hoard the world's money in private banks and real estate acquisitions.
   They employ women as seductive goddesses in music, movies, and television to entice men to follow them to a sea of sexual madness; but also to enter churches as delightful angels that ministers of Christ cannot resist.
   They are seen in churches and religious institutions, kneeling and praying, and clutching Bibles; and no marvel, for even Satan can quote the Word of the Lord.
   On September 11, 1990, President George Herbert Walker Bush gave his famous New World Order speech in which he told the world that the New World Order will produce a world of law and a world of peace.  His speech that day was a signal to the men of the Satanic Priesthood to go to work and to do the works they have been planning to do, and look at the evil that has come upon the world since 1990.
   On June 28, 1986, Barack Hussein Obama openly mocked the Holy Bible, including the greatest message ever written, The Sermon on the Mount.
   In so doing, such men as these killed Jesus of Nazareth, for the Son of God was a hindrance in their plan to conquer the world for Satan.
   Since that day in Jerusalem, moreover, they have been working to extinguish Christians from the face of the earth.  Since that day, they have been working to abolish the knowledge of God, to abolish the knowledge of Christ, and to abolish the knowledge of the Holy Bible:  for all of this knowledge must be extinguished from the minds of people before people will bow to Lucifer.
   For more than a hundred years, the men of this Satanic Priesthood have been training, educating, and equipping men and women to enter churches across America, posing themselves as preachers, teachers, and ministers of music in order to subvert the Gospel of Christ.  Many have also been church planters, posing themselves as preachers, and using churches as a place for recruiting hundreds and hundreds of men to join a secret society.
   As a result of this infiltration of evil, churches across America lost their power of God as they became entertainment centers where people gather to socialize, to have coffee and donuts, play baseball and basketball, take group trips for fun and fellowship, ocean cruises, and where music became the center of attention in worship.
   That old tire from Babylon, however, is still on the road, still rolling, and still gathering converts, for the fastest-growing religion in the world today is Witchcraft.     
   As you watch television and movies and listen to music, you can see and hear this evil power groaning as it is pulling more and more people into its depth of darkness---while people are happily being entertained, while they are forgetting about their troubles and their woes.
   The children of Cain killed Jesus of Nazareth, and the children of Cain are the most powerful men in the world today.
   And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:  and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already it is in the world.  (1 John 4: 3)
  

SIX FLAGS OVER THE WORLD

   The children of God should be the happiest people in the world!
   Our faces should be a mirror of the joy of our salvation, which is in Christ Jesus the Lord!
   Our voices should be an instrument of the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into His wondrous world of light!
   But as we look at the faces of many people in many churches, what do we see?
   We see gloomy faces.  Sad faces.  Long faces. 
   We see tired and slouching bodies that struggle to stand and sing the hymns as if they are trying to get through another song so they can be seated to rest their tired and weary bodies, and trying to be discreet as they cover their yawning lips. 
   They glance at their watches, not wanting to be noticed. 
   We hear voices that struggle to pray, saying prayers as if they are memorized and rehearsed, and repeating the prayers they have heard others say.
   We watch ministers reading to people from notebooks of massive notes they wrote Tuesday morning in order to free their calendars to play golf the rest of the week.
   And without written programs, people wouldn't know what to sing, when to stand, when to sit, when to kneel, when to shake hands, or when to say Amen; for the whole time of worship is an orchestrated program, on time and on cue---while the pages of their Bibles are still stuck together.
      
   A church used to be called the House of the Lord.
   Auditoriums used to be called sanctuaries.
   Platforms used to be called pulpits.
   The Speaker for the day used to be called the Preacher, or the man of God.
   Committee members used to be called the elders of the church.
   The Good Book used to be called the Holy Bible.
   The Man Upstairs used to be called Christ the Lord.

   Preaching used to be a calling from God; not it's an answer to a CAREER OPPORTUNITY advertisement in a newspaper with company benefits.
   Singers used to be ministers of music; now they give musical concerts, designed to thrill people.

   Could it just be that people in churches have lost their first love and the thrill of the Lord is gone from their lives?  Or is it possible that they have never experienced the Lord?
   Perhaps people have simply received a good dose of religion---and they like it.
   The evidence of their feast days is likely to be found in the things of this world that thrill them:  baseball games, football games, movies, music, television, holidays, politics, electronic gadgets---all combined for a continuous diet of entertainment.
   No wonder churches are dying across America!  For the only time people get excited is when they are leaving the buildings.
   Where is everybody going?
   They are going to Six Flags Over The World!
   To push another number on the jukebox!
   To drop another CD in the slot!
   To stomp and shout at another football game or baseball game!
   To watch continuing dramas on television!
   To play with their electronic gadgets---computers, cell phones, iPhones, iPads.
   And they are off to Florida to suffer for Jesus while on vacation.

  




  
  
  

REDEEMED

   Know ye not, that so many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:  that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:  knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  For he that is dead is freed from sin.  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:  knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.  For in that he died, he died unto sin once:  but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  (Romans 6: 2-11)

   The resurrection of Lazarus of Bethany by Jesus Christ is the hope of all believers in Christ; for if we do not believe in the resurrection of Christ, how can we believe in the resurrection of Lazarus?  But if we believe in the resurrection of Christ, as well as in the resurrection of Lazarus, this is the evidence of our faith in Christ the Lord:  that, just as Christ raised up Lazarus from death, we believe that we, too, shall be raised up by Christ after our bodies are dead.  And with our faith in Christ, we are placing our faith in Him by the belief that Christ can do everything He said He will do, and in so doing we are placing our belief in eternity in the hands of Christ the Lord. 
  Lazarus, then, becomes the example of our faith in Christ.
  Knowing this, we can believe that Lazarus was baptized into Jesus Christ and that Lazarus was baptized into his death.
   That Lazarus was buried with him by baptism into death.
   That like as Christ was raised up  from the dead by the glory of the Father, Lazarus was also raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father.
   That as Christ should walk in newness of life, Lazarus also should walk in newness of life.
   That as Lazarus was planted together in the likeness of his death, Lazarus would also be in the likeness of his resurrection.
   That the old man of Lazarus was crucified with him, that his body of sin might be destroyed, and that Lazarus, in his resurrection by Christ, should not serve sin.  For that he is dead he is freed from sin.
   That if Lazarus be dead with Christ, Lazarus shall also live with him.
   That as Christ being raised from dead dieth no more, then, for Lazarus, death hath no more dominion over him.
   What, then, can we say about Lazarus and his resurrection by Christ?
   Lazarus was a new man and he walked in newness of life. 
   Therefore, being redeemed for his sin by Christ before his death, he was freed from the dominion of sin after his resurrection!  Never again did Lazarus experience pride.  For after his resurrection, he was totally humility, just like Christ.  From that day forward, the mind and heart of Lazarus was always about others, and not about himself. 
   When the redeemed of the Lord are raised from death in the last days, we will recognize one another just as the people who loved Lazarus recognized him after his resurrection.  For we will have new bodies, just as Lazarus was redeemed from death with a new body.
   Because of our faith in Christ, we can therefore believe by faith (speaking futuristically) that we are redeemed from the dominion of sin, we are redeemed from the dominion of death, and we are redeemed for eternity to walk in newness of life with Christ the Lord! 
   Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:  but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.  (1 John 3: 2)

                                Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
                                   even lift them up,
                                   ye everlasting doors;
                                   and the King of glory shall come in.
                                Who is this King of glory?
                                    The LORD of hosts,
                                    he is the King of glory.  (Psalm 24: 9-10)
  

A DEAD MAN'S BONES

   Judas Iscariot must have been one of the most miserable people on the face of the earth.
   Little is known about Judas:  where he came from, his parents, family life. 
   Perhaps he never knew his parents as a mother and a father. 
   Perhaps he was an unwanted pregnancy, and, as a young child, perhaps he was passed from house to house. 
   Unloved and unwanted, a boy who learned to live on the streets, doing the best he could do to simply survive, even if it meant stealing food, stealing money, or taking the clothes and shoes off dead people, and maybe that was all he knew.
   Perhaps he was a child of physical and sexual abuse, which alienated him deeper and deeper into himself, warping his innermost being, causing him to never trust people, and not caring if people liked him or loved him, and not caring to know the difference.  And maybe survival was all he knew.
   Along his road of life, he met Jesus of Nazareth, and Judas became one of the twelve disciples.  Perhaps this environment was the first home and the first hint of family life that Judas had ever known.
   Even then, little is written about Judas, and neither was much said to Judas as he traveled with Jesus and the disciples for more than three years:  listening to the sermons that Jesus preached, and watching the miracles that Jesus performed; for neither did the resurrection of Lazarus from death impact the heart of Judas!  There is so much silence of Judas it is as if Jesus had eleven disciples instead of twelve.
   At the feet of Jesus, however, Judas Iscariot received the greatest education a person could ever receive, from the world's greatest teacher, yet he rejected everything the Savior said.
   Judas Iscariot was a prisoner of his past, and he could not let go of the old man within him and embrace the Son of God, for he preferred to live his old ways and to survive by the only method he knew, which included no trust in Jesus.
   In the life of Judas Iscariot, Jesus of Nazareth was the first person to ever love him, and the Lord would be the last. 
   Jesus never gave up on Judas, and even after he kissed the face of the Son of God on the day when Christ was crucified in Jerusalem, Jesus called him friend.
   To be honest before the Lord, perhaps all of us can relate to the story of Judas Iscariot in some way; for I know that I, too, had years of misery, years of wandering in the wilderness, years of surviving and doing the best I could do to get by, and years of mistrust of people, and years of feeling unloved and unwanted.  Kneeling before Christ was a decision I struggled to make, but when I did it, it was the best decision I have ever made in my life!
   Perhaps Judas Iscariot struggled, too.  But when he rejected the only friend he ever had, his past became his graveyard.  He lived a miserable life, he died a miserable death, he never had a funeral, and no one was there to weep for Judas, nor to bury this dead man's bones.
      For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul.  (Mark 8:  36-37)
   But in conclusion, do you remember the parable Jesus gave us (in Luke, chapter 16) about the rich man who died and went to hell and the words he heard from Abraham?
      If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead?
   Judas Iscariot saw Lazarus, back from the dead, yet Judas refused to acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ.
  
  
  
  

DEATH BECOMES US

      My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:  because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me:  seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget about thy children.  (Hosea 4: 6)

   The United States is not healthy.
   The United States is not well.
   The United States is sick.
   The odor of death is rising across America, and the people have an immunity for the stench of death.
   While the people of the United States continually complain about the lack of jobs and the lack of personal income, the entertainment business is thriving!  Television, movies, music, and sports have a never-ceasing flow of money.  Conditions are bad, we say, but let the entertainers entertain us.  Help us to take our minds off our troubles and our woes.  Things are bad, we say, but here's our money for another song, another movie, another World Series, and another Super Bowl.
   Even churches across America have become entertainment centers.  Bring on the singing minstrels to thrill us and to get us pumped up before we sit in silence to listen to a positive message about how good we are and how good we can be.  For even churches have become big business, and the competition is stiff.  That old fashion Gospel News is too old fashioned.  Get with it.  Get hip.  Get modern.  To draw a crowd, turn down the lights and turn up the noise.  To get the young people---we were told years ago---bring in the music that young people like.  Give them something they can relate to.  Wear dark clothes.  Grow beards. Stomp and shout.  Bring in the guitars, the amps, the drums, and give them that rock 'n roll!
   When Jesus cleansed the Temple in Jerusalem, He said,
      My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves. (Matthew 21: 13)
   When the Lord arrived at the funeral of Lazarus,
      Jesus wept.  (John 11: 35)
   When Jesus was on His way to the cross in Jerusalem, He said,
      Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.  (Luke 23: 28)
   Knowing this,
   When was the last time you saw a church gather to pray?
   When was the last time you saw a preacher, minister, or priest weeping for his people?
   When was the last time the music stopped as people stood in silence before the Lord?
   As churches have been falling across America, moving along in shadows of darkness has been the arrival of Witchcraft, which is now the fastest-growing religion in the United States---taking young adults, teenagers, and children into its chamber of darkness:  while many of its converts have disguised themselves as ministers of music and now hold positions of power in Christian churches as well as positions of power in Christian music, which is now a big business in the world of entertainment.
   The United States is falling.  Our Golden Age is in our past.  The future of our nation will never be any better than it is today.  The state of our union stinks.  The smell of death is in the air. We were invaded by the unseen enemy, and spiritual corruption is all across the land.  Our nation turned its face against God, against Christ, and against the Holy Bible, and now the future of our nation is in the hands of the mercy of God; for neither this nation, nor any nation, will be a nation of freedom and prosperity if this nation, or any nation, forgets God.
   Have we forgotten that God is holy?
   Have we forgotten that Christ is holy?
   Have we forgotten that the Holy Spirit is holy?
   Have we forgotten that the Holy Bible is holy?
   Still, even in the midst of our darkest storm, God is available to help us in the time of trouble if we truly desire His help from above and pray together on bended knees:
      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?
      When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
      Though an host should encamp about me, my heart shall not fear:  though war should rise up against me, in this will I be confident.
      One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
      For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:  in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.  (Psalm 27: 1-5)
     
  
  

THE KING IS COMING!

  Near the end of the last chapter of the Gospel of John, after the Lord's resurrection, Jesus gives Peter a prophecy of how Peter will die, in verse 18; then, in the next verse, Jesus said:  Follow me.
   In the next three verses, we read these words:
   Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?  Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
   Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?  follow thou me.
   Now that we know that Lazarus is the disciple whom Jesus loved, Peter's question to the Lord is about Lazarus:  what shall this man do?
   A question many people have is this:  did Lazarus die a second death? 
   Is it possible, however, that Jesus allowed Lazarus to continue living, to have sons, and that Lazarus is still alive on the earth today? 
   Is it also possible that Christ has kept the identity of Lazarus hidden for centuries? 
   As Jesus said to Peter, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? 
   The 11th chapter of the Gospel of John is a story about the resurrection of Lazarus by Jesus of Nazareth.  But this chapter of John is also a prophecy of things to come.
   Lazarus is of the bloodline of Eleazar, son of Aaron, and the Priesthood of Levi.  Martha and Mary are also of this same bloodline. 
   Martha represents the House of Judah. 
   Mary represents the House of Israel. 
   Lazarus is the Priest of Levi, though the Priesthood of Levi was not functioning in Israel during the time of Jesus.
   Jesus is the King of Israel, and in the 11th chapter of the Gospel of John, the King is coming to raise up the royal priesthood and to reunite the House of Judah and the House of Israel:  to put the family back together again.
   The sisters, Martha and Mary, sent word to the King and said, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 
   Later, we are told that he whom thou lovest is asleep, that he is dead, and that he stinks.
   Israel turned its back against God.  Israel turned its back against the Son of God.  And Israel locked arms with pagan Rome and has been working in a secret conspiracy with Rome and against the church of Christ for nearly 2000 years.  Therefore, Israel went to sleep, Israel died, and Israel stinks because of its association with evil men, which has produced spiritual contamination all over the world through the false church of Rome, to which Israel bows, even to this day.
   Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
   When the King returned to Bethany, he raised up Lazarus, the priest, and thereby reunited the House of Judah (Martha) and the House of Israel (Mary) and the family was together again.
    In the latter day, the King is coming to restore the House of Israel and the House of Judah, and the Jews and the Israelites will be a happy family as they will acknowledge Jesus the Messiah, who is Christ the Lord.
   Likewise, the King is coming for the church, for the redeemed of the Lord.
   Who, then, should proclaim that the King is coming?
      Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; and gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.  They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.  Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distress.  (Psalm 107: 2-6)
    
  

THE BELOVED DISCIPLE

   Speaking of Christ, John the Baptist said, He must increase, but I must decrease.  (John 3: 3)

   John the Baptist was a humble man, and he knew that Jesus was greater than himself.  For it was John the Baptist who pointed people to see the Lamb of God, instead of wanting people to see himself.
   So was Lazarus a humble man.
   In the Gospel of John, Lazarus is the disciple whom Jesus loved.
   Lazarus sat with Jesus when the Lord was anointed two times in the two suppers prior to the Lord's crucifixion.
   Lazarus sat with Jesus at the Last Supper before the Lord was crucified.
   Lazarus stood at the cross of Jesus with Mary, the mother of the Lord, and with Mary Magdalene and other women.
   Lazarus ran with Peter to the empty tomb on the first day of the week.
   Lazarus was in the boat with Peter and the disciples while they were fishing after the Lord's resurrection; for there, it was Lazarus who said, It is the Lord.  (John 21: 7)
   Throughout the Gospel of John, the unidentified disciple is identified as Lazarus as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
   In the heart of Jesus, there is something special about this family of Bethany:  Lazarus, his sister Martha, and his other sister, Mary Magdalene.  For it is written, Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.  (John 11: 5)
   Before the death of Lazarus, he never spoke of himself; and after the Lord resurrected him from death, all he did was speak about the Lord, and never about himself.
   After his resurrection, Lazarus knew there was something different about himself.  He knew he had a new body.  He knew that he did not appear to people as he had appeared to them before his death.  He also knew that people were coming to see him, perhaps more than they were coming to see Jesus.  For at the supper for the Lord in the house in Bethany, six days before the Passover, Lazarus understood the words of John 12: 9---Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there:  and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 
   Thereafter, Lazarus decreased in order for the Lord to be increased. 
   Never in the heart of Lazarus did he desire to be a celebrity because of his new status.  Never did he want to be a gazingstock by placing himself on a pedestal, nor desiring the praise of men, nor by going on the road as the main event of a circus.
   In the Bible, it is not uncommon for God to change the names of people for His purpose.  Abram became Abraham.  Sarai became Sarah.  Jacob became Israel.  Peter became Cephas.  Saul became Paul.  Therefore, in order for Lazarus to decrease that Christ would increase, Lazarus became John the Evangelist.  Which means that Lazarus is the writer of the Gospel of John, the three epistles of John, and the last book of the Bible, The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
   For after his resurrection by Jesus of Nazareth, Lazarus not only had a new body, but he also had a new mind!  Even in his death, the Lord enabled Lazarus to see things that the other disciples never saw.  Who else, then, was more qualified to present Jesus as God in the Gospel of John?  Who else had an understanding of things past, things present, and things future than Lazarus?
   At the conclusion of the Gospel of John, it is written:
      And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.  (John 21: 25)
   Could these many other things which Jesus did be the things that Jesus did beyond the grave?
   For in his death, Lazarus was enabled to see things through the mind of Christ and therefore to know that In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.  (John 1: 1-3)
   Who else would know from experience that Christ is Almighty God, from everlasting to everlasting? 
    Who else would know from experience the I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1: 8)?
   As it was for Lazarus, so will it be for all people who place their faith and trust in Christ! 
   Just as Lazarus was raised up from death, so will we! 
   Just as Lazarus was given a new body, so will we!
   Just as Lazarus was given a new mind, so will we! 
   Just as Lazarus was enabled by Christ to understand things past, things present, and things future, so will we!
  

O FOOLISH MAN!

      The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.  (Psalm 14: 1)

   Have you ever wanted to be a god?  To be in total control of your own life?  To have no authority over you?   To do as you please with no one to stop you? 
   Disobedient children are as gods in their own minds.  They care not for the authority of their parents; neither do they want their parents to get in their way, for they believe they know best what is best for themselves. 
   As such, disobedient children will pursue evil; and the more evil they pursue, the more evil they will do.  To them, their parents are stupid and do not know anything that is good.
   Just like disobedient children, a man without God wants to be a god.  He wants to be in total control of his own life, to have no authority over him, and he wants to do as he desires to do with no person standing in his way.
   As such, he wants to build his own tower to heaven, and thereby live in a place forever, a place that is designed by himself and for himself, just as he imagines his heaven should be in his own imagination.
   Hell? 
   There is no hell in the mind of a fool, just as there is no God in the mind of a fool.
   Therefore, if a man upon the earth says he is a god, men without God will believe in him as a god and will follow him all the days of their lives---especially if they believe that this man holds the key that unlocks heaven.
   Such is the power that men have over men.  And if this man convinces other men that he is a god, then those men will also convince their wives and their children to follow them to follow the man who has convinced them that he is a god.
   All of this is the working power of deception, and this power of deception abides in men in the house of religion.
   Such were the minds of the men who killed Jesus, for, in their own minds, they became as gods:  they became the Judge, the Jury, and the Executioner.  Not only them, but the men of Rome became as gods as well.  To them, there was no authority to prevent them from killing people, even from killing the only begotten Son of God.
   So, too, are the minds of people today whose trust is in a man of religion:  a man who has convinced them that he is god, even the people of religious Christianity:  for their faith is in this man, whom they believe can forgive them for their sins, and in whom they also believe holds the key that unlocks heaven until them---as long as their faith is in him, and not in Christ.
   To them, a church is no more than a building with a cross stuck on the roof.  But their faith is not in Christ, neither do they have faith in the Holy Bible, nor in the words of Jesus, which are written in the Holy Bible.  For their faith is in their god-man, and their faith is in his words, whose words they believe are greater than the Word of the Lord.
   Such people are hypocrites---pretending to be Christians, yet denying the power of the Lord's salvation through His death on the cross, but also by their denying the power of the Lord's resurrection from death!
   In the Apostle Paul's epistle to the Christians living in Galatia, he wrote:
      O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?  (Galatians 3: 1)
   And again, in Paul's epistle to the Christians living in Corinth:
      For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.  (1 Corinthians 1: 18)
   Is this same truth in the lives of people today, living in the United States and in nations all over the world?
   who hath bewitched you to believe that there is no God?
   who hath bewitched you to believe that a man, or a religion, is greater than Christ the Lord?
   

LAZARUS: AN EPILOGUE

   And after the resurrection of Lazarus from death by Jesus of Nazareth, there was something different about Lazarus.   From the moment Jesus said, Loose him, and let him go, everything was different about Lazarus!
   Lazarus was not the same person they had buried.  No longer was he sick.  No longer did he have leprosy.  His body was different.  All of his internal organs and bones were new.  His brain and blood were restored.  He had new skin.  He walked and talked differently.  His life had an entirely new and different meaning.  He had believed in Jesus before dying, and he believed in Jesus after the Lord resurrected him from death.  And Lazarus wanted to be near Jesus from that day forward, in Bethany as well as in Jerusalem, for he knew that Jesus was his Redeemer. 
   On the day when Lazarus was resurrected, it is written: 
      Then many of the Jews that came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.  (John 11: 45)
   And again, six days before the Passover at the home of Lazarus in Bethany,
      Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there:  and they came not for Jesus's sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.  (John 12: 9)
   Still, there were others who did not believe on Jesus even though they knew that Lazarus was alive again, for their hearts were still cold:
      But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; because that by reason of him many went away, and believed on Jesus.  (John 12: 10-11)
   For now, not only did they seek to kill Jesus, but they also wanted to kill Lazarus!
   Martha and Mary, however, were the first persons to believe that Jesus could raise up Lazarus from death, for Martha said:  I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
   To which Jesus responded:   I am the resurrection, and the life:  he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  and whosoever believeth in me shall never die.  Believest thou this?
   And Martha replied:  I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come unto the world.
   Over the past 2000 years, millions of people have come to believe as Martha and Mary believed before Jesus raised their brother from death.
   Over the past 2000 years, millions of people have come to believe by the same faith that Lazarus believed before his death. 
   Over the past 2000 years, millions of people have come to believe in everything that Lazarus believed after his own resurrection by Jesus.
   For we have come to believe by faith that Jesus is the resurrection, and the life:  he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. 
   Therefore, just as we believe that Jesus raised up Lazarus from death, we also believe that Christ will raise us up after death in the resurrection of the last days; for if we did not believe in the resurrection of Christ, neither would we believe in the resurrection of Lazarus, and neither would we believe that there will be a resurrection of the dead.
   As it is written in the Word of the Lord:
      And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:  but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.  (John 20: 30-31)
   And again,
      And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.  (John 21: 25)
   And in the words of Jesus to Martha,
      Believest thou this?
     
  
  

"BEHOLD HOW HE LOVED HIM!"

   One of the most loving stories told in the Bible is the story of the love Jesus had for three people---for a man named Lazarus, and for his two sisters, Martha and Mary---and of the love they had for him.   
   This story begins in the Gospel of John the Apostle, in chapter 11.

   NOW a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)  Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick.
   When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
   Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.  When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.  Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judea again.
   His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?
   Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of the world.  But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
   Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him:  but Mary sat still in the house. 
   Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
   Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
   Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection of the last day.
   Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life:  he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live again.  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.  Believest thou this? 
   She saith unto him, Yea, Lord:  I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. 
   And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.
   Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 
   When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, Where have ye laid him?
   They say unto him, Lord, come and see.
   Jesus wept.
   Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
   Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid.  And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.  And I knew that thou hearest me always:  but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 
   And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin, Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
   THEN Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.  There they made him a supper; and Martha served:  but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
   Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair:  and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
   Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there; and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.
   Then two days before the Passover, Jesus was invited to another supper in his honor:
   Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 
   The anointing of the feet of Jesus was for his death, and the anointing of his head was for his seat of authority:  Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel.  (2 Kings 9: 3)
   Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!  Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!  And from that hour that disciple took her into his own home.
   THE first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher.  Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him.
   Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher.  So they ran both together:  and the other disciple did out-run Peter, and came first to the sepulcher.  And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went not in.  Then cometh Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the other clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.  Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and believed.  Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
   But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping:  and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.  And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?  She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.  And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 
   And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?  whom seekest thou?  She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
   Jesus said unto her, Mary.  She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 
   Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am no ascended to my Father:  but go to my brethren and said unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
   Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
  
   Lazarus, Martha, and Mary Magdalene---a special family in the life of Jesus.  They were disciples of the Lord.  When Jesus was anointed two times, they were there, and Lazarus was also present at the Last Supper.  They were at the cross of Jesus when the Lord was crucified, and they were witnesses of the Lord's resurrection.
   Lazarus was that disciple whom Jesus loved.   Having been resurrected from death by Jesus, he had insights about Jesus that the other disciples did not have.  For this reason, there are Bible scholars who believe that Lazarus was the writer of the Gospel of John as well as the writer of the last book of the Bible, The Revelation of Jesus Christ. 
   As it is written at the conclusion of the Gospel of John: 
   This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.  And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.  Amen.
  
  
  
  
   
  

A WALL OF SHAME

   The world is falling and is quickly becoming a world of spiritual darkness all across the face of the earth!
   Crimes against humanity are increasing daily, and all of the police departments in the world cannot stop, nor contain, the tidal wave of evil that is sweeping across every nation upon the earth!
   Nations that once stood for God do not stand for God anymore!
   Nations that once stood for Christ have turned their faces against Christ!
   Nations are against nations, kingdoms are against kingdoms, and people are against people!
   The whole world is becoming a place that is unsafe to raise children!
   The trafficking of women and girls for prostitution and pornography is increasing!
   The trafficking of children for pornography and pedophilia is increasing!
   The trafficking of drugs for drug addictions is increasing!
   According to the Global Slavery Index, dated October 17, 2013, there are an estimated 30 million enslaved people in 162 countries worldwide! 
   On the Index's "List of Shame" are the nations of China, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.  In Mauritania in West Africa, 4% of the nation's population are slaves.  And even in the United States, there are approximately 60,000 enslaved people.  Most of these slaves are women, teenage girls, and young boys, and they are sold and traded for physical labor as well as for sex.  Many of these people are also used as human sacrifices in Satanic religious rituals worldwide.
   As we watch the most powerful men in the world dance and prance across political stages and religious platforms, what do they say about the slavery of humans worldwide?
   Nothing!
   What do they say about the illegal prostitution of women, girls, and boys worldwide?
   Nothing!
   What do they say about pedophilia worldwide?
   Nothing!
   What do they say about the illegal trafficking of drugs worldwide?
   Nothing!
   Instead, they want us to believe that human government is good for us!
   Instead, they want us to believe that human religion is good for us!
   The killing of Jesus was a performance of the most powerful men in the world, the men of religion and politics, and they wanted the killing of Jesus to be believed as something that was good for people!
   As it is written in the Word of the Lord,
      Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said,
      What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.  If we let him alone, all men will believe on him; and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and our nation.
      And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them,
      Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
      And this spake he not of himself:  but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
      Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.  (John 11: 47-53)
   But with God we have a better way than the ways of men.  For with God we have hope and the assurance of a better tomorrow:
      If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  (2 Chronicles 7: 14)
  
  
  

BRETHREN OF DARKNESS: PART TWO

   The most powerful men in the world are the most evil men upon the face of the earth. 
   These are the men who hide their evil behind the shroud of politics and religion as they hide their true characters behind the mask of smiling and serious faces, and by adorning their bodies in fancy suits and priestly garments.
   For thousands of years, such men have controlled and dominated the behavior of people, across nations and continents, by controlling and dominating the minds of people.
   And so it is today.  These men control the money of the whole world.  They control education, entertainment, publishing companies, television, radio, professional sports, music, and news organizations.  They control the politics of all nations, and they also control the religions of the world. 
   Across time, these men have infiltrated Christian churches with false disciples, false apostles, false ministers, pastors, and preachers, and they also established New Age churches.
   These men also control occultism, including the Church of Satan, Church of Witchcraft, Church of Pagans, Church of Paganism, Church of Wicca, and the Church of Atheism.
   As these men control the behavior of people through politics, they also control the behavior of people through religions, false churches, and the occult. 
   To control the world, there is no manner of evil that they will not do.  Not only have they embraced evil, but they abide in evil---while appearing to be honest faces in governments and trustworthy ministers and priests in religions and false churches.
   As a result of these most powerful men in the world, the whole world is living under a cloud of spiritual darkness---and the darkness is getting darker. 
   For even in Western Europe, Australia, Canada, and the United States memberships in occult churches and atheist churches are growing in record numbers:  which means that while the knowledge of Satan is increasing, the knowledge of Christ is decreasing.  Before much longer in time, these nations will look like other nations all over the world as cities all over the world will look like the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
   For young people, the occult is an attractive world:  they can do whatever they desire to do with no limitations, no boundaries, and no restrictions from people in politics, nor from people in "normal" religions.  Not only have they embraced evil, but they abide in evil.  They adorn their bodies with garments that reflect their spiritual conversion:  dark clothing.  They congregate with people in dark places, away from the light, for now they are children of darkness:  children of the devil---and there is no evil that they will not pursue; for the greater the evil, the greater the thrill.
   Please remember:  the men who killed Jesus had the same minds as the minds of the most powerful men in the world today; for today's worldly leaders are brothers of the same brotherhood of darkness, and their duty is to keep the knowledge of Christ hidden from people all over the world, for this is their secret agenda, their secret war.
      Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armor God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  (Ephesians 6: 11-13)

BRETHREN OF DARKNESS: PART ONE

   Men of secret societies, men of politics, and men of religion do not want women meddling in their secret enterprises of drugs, pornography, prostitution, pedophilia, sexism, and racism.
   Such men view women as no more that objects for sex, or to give birth to babies---but no more.
   Such men expect women to treat their husbands as godfathers. To them, she is forbidden to enter secret societies, politics, or religion. Instead, she is expected to be seen clinging to her husband's arm, but to remain silent, to nod when he speaks, then to quietly disappear when the men gather in the cigar room to smoke, sip brandy, and discuss matters of utmost secrecy behind closed doors.  Neither is she supposed to know all that her husband does in his secret world.
   The most powerful men in the world are members of secret societies, politics, and religion. 
   Such men also prefer sex with prostitutes and sex with children than sex with their wives, which has been the behavior of the most powerful men in the world throughout human history, in both political empires and religious empires.  That behavior has never changed.
   Ever wonder why drugs, pornography, prostitution, pedophilia, sexism, and racism are always the hottest arenas that are never abolished? 
   It is because the most lucrative arenas of crime are controlled by the most powerful men in the world.
   Such men are masters of hypocrisy as well as masters of deception.  Adorning themselves in expensive suits and priestly garments, they also control the world's legal systems and law enforcement agencies.
   With such power over people, who would dare accuse a king of consorting with prostitutes?
   Who would dare accuse a president of snorting cocaine?
   Or who would dare accuse a high priest of religion with having sex with little boys?
   Such men prefer to meet in their secret chambers in places of darkness because darkness is their natural habitat.  It is there where they keep their secrets hidden under the cover of darkness.  It is there where they map their secret plans, their secret war against Christ.  And it is there where they count the money that they have extorted from people through their power to control financial institutions and religion. 
   For out in the light, they deceive people to believe that they are honest men and that their deeds are honorable, for even their religious brethren of darkness are able to convince people that they are gods, capable of forgiving sins!
   If you will recall, it was men of darkness who killed Jesus.  They hated Jesus then, and they hate Jesus today.  And their secret world today is all about their secret war against Christ:  to abolish the knowledge of Christ, to abolish the knowledge of God, and to abolish the knowledge of the Holy Bible---while deceiving people to believe that they will usher in a New World Order, a new age for mankind, a world of peace and prosperity for all.  In truth, however their New World Order is a global trap of people to produce a global empire of slavery.
   And now you know why religions all over the world are in favor of the New World Order:  their partners in politics are their spiritual brothers.  Such men have the mind of a serpent because their minds are consumed with the evil knowledge of Satan.
   Jesus never came to earth to launch a new religion, nor to promote secret societies of men.  Neither did the Lord trample women and children beneath his feet.
      For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, that his deeds should be reproved.  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they are wrought in God.  (John 3: 16, 17, 20, 21)

A RABBI'S ROBE

   Jesus was a preacher from Galilee, a simple man with a simple message, and all of his sermons were new, fresh, unscripted, and a delight to the ears of people. 
   He didn't hang out with the religious crowd, and his best friends caught fish for a living!
   People called him Rabbi even though he never wore a Rabbi's robe.
   He went to the people instead of waiting for people to come to him.
   He never commanded nor demanded people to bow at his feet, nor to kiss his ring.
   Jesus was different.  He was not a friend of the priestly class, and neither was he a friend of Rome.    
   He demonstrated his concern and love for people, he never asked them for their money, and by his example of kindness, the people loved him---while the religious crowd in Jerusalem wanted him dead.
   Dead? 
   Even Pontius Pilate rejected to the idea of killing Jesus when he said,
      Why, what evil hath he done?
   But kill him they did---not because he had done anything wrong, but for who he is. 
   For two thousand years, the story of Jesus has never changed, and people all over the world have come to love him by coming to know him---a simple man with a simple message. 
   And all of his sermons are still new, still fresh, still unscripted and still a delight to our ears, as if we are hearing him preach for the first time:  from a man who never wore a Rabbi's robe.

   Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and for ever.  (Hebrews 13: 8)

MORE THAN A DREAM

   Throughout my lifetime, I have always wanted to be a writer, and, from time to time, I wrote short stories, poetry, and even made attempts to write a novel:  always hoping to create a wonderful story, have a book published in hardback, which would reach the New York Times bestseller list, after which I would become famous as well as become filthy rich.  No longer do I dream such a selfish dream.
   Two years ago, I made a promise to a person that I would write something about God.  Just the very thought of writing about God is an awesome thought, for what could I possibly say about God that has not been said?  Or what could I write about Him that has not been written? 
   Nevertheless, I made the promise, with the stipulation that I did not know how to write about Him, I did not know what I would write about Him, and neither did I know when I would begin such an undertaking.  Neither did I know who would read my writing about God.
   Knowing this, I began to pray to God about this how, what, when, and also the who---as I continued to live my life, doing all the things that I normally do, day by day. 
   Days of praying became weeks, weeks became months, and finally, in November, 2011, the Lord began to answer my prayer as He revealed to me that I could write a blog, which would enable people from anywhere in the world to read my story about Him.  He also gave me the title for my blog, the 7th Highway.
   After this, my praying did not end.  For now I needed God for the stories as I totally trusted in Him, by faith, to do that which I am incapable of doing by myself:  because I wanted these stories to be all about Him, and not about me, and no one knows more about God than God. 
   Thus, day by day, and story after story, I have totally trusted God for the stories that I written over the past two years.  For even this blog today, MORE THAN A DREAM, the Lord wanted me to write as a testimony of my faith in Him, and of what God can accomplish, through people, if they will trust in Him.
   Two years ago, I never dreamed that the 7th Highway would be viewed 15,000 times by people in the United States as well as by people in 86 nations and on 6 continents!  The Lord has also given me 600 stories to tell about things past, things present, and also things future, and each story has been a story of truth.
    Two years ago, I never dreamed that the 7th Highway would be read by people in the world's most populated nations, by people in the world's richest nations, but also by people in the world's poorest nations.
   Over these two years, my hope and prayer has always been that all of these stories will help people to know more about God, about Christ, and about the Holy Bible.  My hope and prayer has also been that these stories could be a vehicle that could help others to know Christ for the first time.
   Beyond this, the stories I have written have been good for me, and I have learned more from the Lord in these two years than I could have ever dreamed.  For without Him, I would not know all that I now know, just from writing these stories.
   If a friend should ask you to do a certain project for the Lord, please consider it carefully:  for it could be the Lord speaking to you through a friend.
   Let me leave you now with one of my favorite scriptures from the Bible:
      For I know that my redeemer liveth,
         and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
      And though after my skin worms destroy this body,
         yet in my flesh shall I see God:
      Whom I shall see for myself,
         and mine eyes shall behold,
         and not another;
         though my reins be consumed within me.  (Job 19: 25-27)
        

A FEARFUL THING

   What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?
              ---Pontius Pilate, 2000 years ago

   For what shall it profit a man. if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
              ---Jesus of Nazareth, 2000 years ago

   There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
   And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at the gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table:  moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
   And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom:  the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
   But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed:  so that they which pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
   Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou shouldst send him to my father's house:  for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
   Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
   And he said, Nay, father Abraham:  but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
   And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. 
          ---Gospel of Luke, chapter 16: 19-31

   Consider the rich man and all that he had, yet he made no plans or preparations for his life beyond the grave.  He ignored God, ...and in hell he lifted up his eyes....  Would you agree that he exchanged his own soul for all that he had accumulated in his life?
   In your own words, what will you do then with Jesus which is called Christ?  Or what will you profit if you should gain the whole world and lose your own soul?
   Before the door of death closes behind you, please consider the Word of the Lord:
      It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  (Hebrews 10: 31)
        

ZOMBIES

ZOMBIE:   a person who appears to be lifeless, apathetic, or totally lacking in independent judgment; automation; mechanical; a being stripped of its will, humanity, and normal behavior of outside forces, either supernatural or mundane.

   Across the United States and in many nations around the world, there are many, many people living their lives as if they are zombies:  or in a trance, spellbound, and sleepwalking.
   Such people are living as if life will proceed as they have known life to be for all of their lifetimes.   
   They arise from sleeping, go to their jobs, their schools, eat lunch, go shopping, chat on telephones, drive their cars; and, for some, they go to their places of worship on their Sabbath days of the week, and then they go home to eat, to relax, and to sleep:  to rewind the keys in their backs.
   They believe their college football game will arrive on Saturday, as planned and uninterrupted.    
   They believe their professional football game will arrive on Sunday, as planned and uninterrupted.
   They believe their television program will be on time, as planned and uninterrupted.
   They believe they will return to their jobs and go to their schools on Monday, as planned and uninterrupted.
   They believe that the sky is blue and the grass is green, and that the afternoon tee at the country club will be on time, as planned and uninterrupted.
   In the near future, the zombies know that Santa Claus will be coming to town, on time and uninterrupted.
   A short time thereafter, the zombies know that the Easter Bunny will be hopping down the bunny trail, on time and uninterrupted.
   While people across America know that our nation's economic machine has hit a speed bump, they also believe that the mechanics of economics will re-tune the engine and America's economy will be thriving again, and that everything in Camelot will be wonderful again.
   While Rome was burning to the ground, Nero played his fiddle; and while the Titanic was sinking in the icy waters of the North Sea, the band played on. 
   We can watch television news coverage of a typhoon that hit the Philippines and Vietnam, yet not be bothered by the sights of suffering people because it's just like another TV show, or like a disaster movie:  we turn the channel and move on.
   For several thousand years, people have been listening to the same yarns from politics and religion from the same spool of thought without questioning their words or motives:  we simply nod in agreement and move on to more important matters at hand, such as having fun and being entertained.  Tragedy is not in my family, my home, or my back yard, so do not worry me about it.
   And, for several thousand years, people have been believing that we will eventually achieve world peace, that people will lay down their clubs and their guns, and everybody will love everybody around the world, in one big brotherhood for all mankind---with a global government that is of ourselves, by ourselves, and for ourselves.  Presto! 
   The people of politics and religion want people to behave themselves like zombies. They want people to obey their commands.  They want to extinguish independent judgment in people and to keep them dependent on politics and religion.  They do not want people to think for themselves, but rather to be mechanical, robotic, and not to have a will of their own.  They want people to respond to commands when they are off the leash as well as they respond to commands when on the leash.  They want people to believe that religion and politics knows best what is best for them.
   Do not listen, therefore, to the voices of people who speak for God.
   Do not listen to the voices of people who speak for Christ.
   Do not listen to the voices of people who speak for the Holy Bible.
   For all of these voices, they are told, are leading them away from the solution for their problems, for the solution for their future, as well as for the solution they have found for their sins.
   In truth, there is something about the name of Jesus that people fear, even for many people who attend Christian churches.  For to identify themselves as a Christian, this is a brand name they do not want to wear.  Thus they hide behind the titles of Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Mormon, etc.   For outside of their houses of worship, they fear to breathe the name of Jesus.  Thus they become as zombies:  mechanical, robotic, unable to think independently, unable to make independent decisions, and still on a leash by their religious masters.  They never become voices for Christ, voices for God, or voices for the Holy Bible.  For even as they sing songs about Jesus in regal robes, their words are of no more value than leaves blowing in the wind that fall to the earth, dry, and return to dust.
   Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  (John 3: 3,5,6)

PROMISES, PROMISES

   Every political and religious empire in human history has been a war against people:  robbing people of their freedom, their homes, their possessions, their children, their money, and stripping people of even their dignity as human beings.
   Even today, in nations that have oppressive governments and oppressive religions, look at the people in these nations and what do you see? 
  You will see people living in poverty; people in need of food, clothes, and blankets for their children; people dying from starvation, malnutrition, disease, and other sicknesses; and people in need of fresh water and medical supplies, doctors and nurses. 
  Who hears the cries of these people in their wilderness journey of life?
   Do you honestly believe that these people believe that there is a God in heaven who loves them and cares for them?
   This is the year 2013 A.D. and yet there are millions and millions of people still living in thatched huts with dirt floors, without fresh water systems, without adequate sanitation systems, without electricity, without schools for children, without medical facilities, doctors and nurses, and without hope of a better tomorrow.  And as these people suffer in their wretched circumstances, the priests and the politicians are picking the pockets of all the loose change they can get out of suffering people!
   The suffering of people is the evidence of corrupted politicians and corrupted priests.  And as you look across Central America, Latin America, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, what do you see?  You will see the power of religion and governments crushing the life out of people!
   At the same time, you will see politicians and priests making promises, promises to people, and the people are believing in false hope, for their days never get better. 
   Thus, for thousands of years, politicians and priests have been making the same promises that are never fulfilled.
   As a result of misery, people turn to drugs to find relief for their pain.  They turn to alcoholic beverages to find relief for their pain.  They turn to the world of occultism to find relief for their pain.  Even though their physical circumstances never improve, they escape reality with "mind trips" from alcoholic beverages and drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, and opium.  And they get their fixes through a network of cartels, owned and operated by the politicians in governments and the priests in religions.
   For thousands of years, priests and politicians have not wanted people in their nations to know about God!  They have not wanted their people to hear about Jesus Christ!  And they have not wanted their people to know about the Holy Bible! 
   Instead, what they have wanted is to keep people as slaves to their governments as well as slaves to their religions!
   As it has been across the world for thousands of years, so it is today in the year 2013 A.D.  Nothing has changed.  People are still getting the same promises, promises that they have been getting for thousands of year from the same people:  politicians and priests.  And people worldwide are still living in poverty and slavery to governments and to religions.
   So far, the people of the United States have not experienced an oppressive government and an oppressive religion.  Not yet.  But that day is coming when the people of the United States will become slaves to an oppressive religion and to an oppressive government, for the hand of evil is overtaking the world.
   In the latter days, when the hand of evil will circle the earth, blocking out the light of Christ, the whole earth will become a place of physical darkness before the return of Christ the Lord.
      Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  Who is this King of glory?  The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 
      Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  Who is this King of glory?  The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.  (Psalm 24: 7-10)
  
 

DRAGNET

   The men who killed Jesus were the most powerful men in the world:  represented by the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem, the ruling authority of Israel, and Pontius Pilate, who represented all of the evil and ungodliness of Rome.
   These men had no conscience.  They were not seekers of truth, but seekers of  power over people, and seekers of wealth.  To them, killing people was all in a day's work, and watching people die did not bother them.
   Two men of the Sanhedrin, however, were different.  One was Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night in search of truth, which he found in the words of Jesus.  The other man was Joseph of Arimethea, the great-uncle of Jesus.
   The men who killed Jesus were members of an underworld syndicate of evil, and on that day in Jerusalem the mind of the Sanhedrin and the mind of Rome came together and became one unit, working together to accomplish their goal.
   Throughout human history, the leadership of human governments and the leadership of religion have been just like the men who killed Jesus:  members of an underworld syndicate of evil, to rule over people, and to amass the world's money.  Killing people is just part of their job description, and they enjoy watching people suffer and die, for their hearts are hollow.
   The leadership of false churches, for more than fifteen hundred years, have been men of this same underworld syndicate of evil, to rule over people, and to amass the world's money.
   The leaders of false churches know that they know their churches are not real, for they, too, are members of this underworld syndicate of evil.  They know that their purpose is to defraud people out of their faith, to defraud people out of their money, to defraud people out of their souls, and to defraud parents out of their children. 
   Beginning with the first false church in Rome, and from building false churches all over the world, those men know what they are doing.  They know that their function is to work with their brothers in governments in a combined effort to rule over people and to amass the world's money.
   The leaders of false churches also know that their fancy suits and priestly garments are simply their work uniforms, and they go to work every day to earn their wages.  They punch a time-clock and accomplish their daily assignments, which is their "to do" list.  And at the end of their daily shift, they go home, eat supper, watch television, get a good night's sleep, and return to their place of employment tomorrow morning.
   False apostles, false teachers, false ministers, false priests, and false churches are part of the same underworld syndicate of evil that has dominated human history for thousands of years:  to rule over people, and to amass the world's money.  These men are highly trained, highly educated, and highly efficient.  They operate as a well-oiled machine.  They are very good at what they do.  And all of these men hate Jesus just as much as the men who killed Jesus in Jerusalem.  They hate the Holy Bible, and they also hate Christians.  To them, Christians are infidels and worthy of death, for Christians remind them of Christ, whom they hate.
   All of these men of evil have no conscience.  They have no heart.  They have no love.  And they will kill for their belief and their cause, which is their crusade against Christ.  Their function is to convince people that they are Christians when they become members of their false churches.  Their function is to deceive people to surrender their faith, their souls, their money, and their children.
   The men of false churches are false fishermen:  instead of leading people to Christ, they are filling their dragnet with the souls of people for Satan, including children and babies.  And they KNOW what they are doing!
   Furthermore, the men of this underworld syndicate of evil believe that they have an invisible empire; yet the evidence of this empire is clearly visible in governments, in religions, and in false churches.  For these three are ruled by the most powerful men in the world, and they are just like the most powerful men in the world who killed Jesus.  And ever since that day in Jerusalem, the behavior of the most powerful men in the world has never changed:  they rule over people, and they control the world's money. 
   Jesus warned us that men like these would arise upon the earth. 
      Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  (Matthew 7: 15)
      If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  (John 15: 18)
      They shall put you out of the synagogues:  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, or me.  (John 16: 2-3)