True Freedom Of Mind, Soul, and Spirit

: Name: TruthInLove; Location: United States

Friday, May 18, 2012

Where Is Your Money Going? Charities, Churches, and New World Order

Friday, April 27, 2012

The Great Deception: The New World Order Plan – Denver Airport

The Great Deception: The New World Order Plan – Denver Airport: An African woman in colourful native garb; a Native American woman who's heritage the airport's art supposedly celebrates; a blonde girl...

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

When Will Jesus Return?

Jim Reed, Pastor lakemurraychurch.org

Question

Do we know when Jesus will return?

Answer

Here’s the short answer: no. Please read the following long answer which is necessary so that
the short answer can be understood.

Jesus spoke of his return in Matthew 24:36
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but
only the Father.

Three more times in Matthew 24, and a fifth time in Matthew 25:13, Jesus explicitly stated that
no one knows the day of his return. It is safe to say Jesus was adamant that the time of his return
was to be a sovereign mystery. FIVE TIMES, within the distance of about 25 verses, we are told
that no one knows the day of the return of Christ. Only God knows.

We can read in Acts, chapter one, that after Jesus rose from the dead he appeared to his disciples
for a period of 40 days and taught them many things about the kingdom of God. Those must
have been very rich teaching sessions about all kinds of topics. It is instructive that we are not
told what Jesus taught except for one or two little morsels. Here’s one:

“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Jesus said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his
own authority” (Acts 1:6-7).

Let’s review. Five times, in a short section in Matthew, Jesus stated that no one knows when the
second coming of Christ will be: not the angels in heaven and not even the Son. Then, in Acts
1:7, we are told that we are NOT to know. Despite this very explicit and clear teaching from the
Second Person of the Trinity, there are those who still persist in thinking that they know more
than God Incarnate.

Some people justify their right to set a date for the return of Christ by citing a verse from the
prophet Amos.

Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the
prophets (Amos 3:7).

This verse is understood as an absolute prerequisite that God must reveal ALL of his plans to his
servants the prophets before he can act. Honest students of the Bible must ask themselves if this
is what this verse means. The answer is no.

Amos was employing hyperbole. Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration to make a point. We all
use hyperbole when we speak. For example, a person who is worried about something might
say, “There’s a ton of weight on my shoulders.” No one thinks that there is a literal 2,000 lb.
weight on this person. It’s hyperbole. It’s an exaggeration to make a point. Worry is crushing
him. We get it.

Amos was using hyperbole to make it very clear to those hearing his message that what he was
prophesying regarding Israel would be fulfilled without any doubt. Therefore, people had better
listen closely to him. Hyperbolic language is used throughout the Bible. To press hyperbole
beyond the scope of the common rules of language leads to absurdity. Below are three principles
that will help us learn to read the Bible properly.

THREE PRINCIPLES TO REMEMBER WHEN READING SCRIPTURE

1. Interpret smaller passages with larger passages

Another way to state this rule is to say that “Scripture interprets Scripture.” We compare a small
portion of Scripture with larger portions. Ultimately, we must consider all of Scripture in
context as we interpret any smaller portion. Therefore, if we are told something very plainly and
often, we are not to use a single verse to counter that teaching. We keep the smaller portion in
context with the whole. We are very clearly and plainly told by Jesus himself that we are NOT to
know the time of his return. To use one verse in Amos to counter a clearer teaching is not acting
in a responsible manner.

Take another look at the verse in Amos. Notice the hyperbole. Notice that if we don’t notice the
hyperbole the verse becomes meaningless. If the Sovereign LORD does nothing without
revealing his plan to his servants the prophets, then the Sovereign LORD is no longer sovereign.
Of course God has done things without revealing his plans to his prophets. Common sense
should tell us that God has done a multitude of things without first consulting his prophets. Plus,
we have Jesus himself (speaking from his human nature) that HE doesn’t know when he will
return. And it can be easily argued that Jesus outranks any other human prophet who ever
existed, or ever will exist.

If people were truly interested in what the Sovereign LORD had to say, they would obey him.
A careful reading of the accounts in Matthew 24-25, Acts 1 and other passages about the return
of Christ will show that these passages are clearly focused on obedience and discipleship, not on
guessing the date of the second coming of Christ.

2. Know the two main tests for a false prophet or a false teacher.

TEST # 1 – False Teaching

If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to
you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he spoke takes
place, and he says, “Let us follow other gods: (gods you have not known) “and let
us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The
LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and
all your soul. It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere.
Deuteronomy 13:1-4

Events that appear to be miraculous do not supersede Scripture. This is a difficult test because
human nature gravitates toward the sensational. But here, we see that God is concerned about
teaching. No miracle of any kind must lead a person to accept false teaching. All teaching must
be measured by what has been already revealed by God and has become Scripture.

TEST # 2 – False Prophecy

You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by
the LORD?” If what a prophet proclaim in the name of the LORD does not take place
or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken
presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
Deuteronomy 18:21-22

God demands 100% accuracy on any predictions of future events. The premise should be
obvious: God makes no mistakes. Many religious leaders make bold proclamations of future
events that do not transpire as predicted. Who will put their teachings to the test? This leads to a
third principle.

3. Personal Responsibility

Personal responsibility comes under the heading of discipleship. Jesus left us with his very
famous last words in the book of Matthew:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:17-20

Please notice what Jesus was concerned about at the end of the age. It was not that we would
know the time of his coming, but that we would be his disciples. A disciple is a learner.
Disciples are people who are willing to learn how to obey. Religious leaders are not exempt
from the call to learn how to obey. They too are called to obey God’s Word.

Every believer is personally responsible to know Scripture. It is hard to know how to obey
something if you don’t know what it is you are to obey. One of the reasons so many false
teachers can get away with their errant predictions of the return of Christ is that too many
believers are asleep spiritually – the very thing Jesus was warning about when discussing the
time of his return.

We must take up the mantle of discipleship. We are called to test all things to determine truth.
(See 1 Thessalonians 5:17). We are called to be like the Bereans. (See Acts 17:11). We are not
to believe everything, but test teachings. (See 1 John 4:1). This is our personal responsibility.

Labels: prophecy, prophets, truth

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

False Propets Exposed

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/false_prophets.htm

http://www.heisnear.com/falseprophets.html

http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/falseprophets.html

http://www.preteristarchive.com/StudyArchive/f/false-prophets.html

http://www.falseprophetstoday.com

Saturday, August 27, 2011

False Prophets and Cult Leaders: Wearing the Emperor's New Clothes

The Emperor's New Clothes
by Hans Christian Anderson

Once upon a time there lived a vain Emperor whose only worry in life was to dress in elegant clothes. He changed clothes almost every hour and loved to show them off to his people.

Word of the Emperor's refined habits spread over his kingdom and beyond. Two scoundrels who had heard of the Emperor's vanity decided to take advantage of it. They introduced themselves at the gates of the palace with a scheme in mind.

"We are two very good tailors and after many years of research we have invented an extraordinary method to weave a cloth so light and fine that it looks invisible. As a matter of fact it is invisible to anyone who is too stupid and incompetent to appreciate its quality."

The chief of the guards heard the scoundrels' strange story and sent for the court chamberlain. The chamberlain notified the prime minister, who ran to the Emperor and disclosed the incredible news. The Emperor's curiosity got the better of him and he decided to see the two scoundrels.

"Besides being invisible, Your Highness, this cloth will be woven in colors and patterns created just for you." The emperor gave the two men a bag of gold coins in exchange for their promise to begin working on the fabric immediately.

"Just tell us what you need to get started and we'll give it to you." The two scoundrels asked for a loom, silk, gold thread and then pretended to begin working. The emperor thought he had spent his money quite well: in addition to getting a new extraordinary suit, he would discover which of his subjects were ignorant and incompetent. A few days later, he called the old and wise prime minister, who was considered by everyone a man with common sense.

"Go and see how the work is proceeeding," the Emperor told him, "and come back to let me know."

The prime minister was welcomed by the two scoundrels.

"We're almost finished, but need a lot more gold thread. Here, Excellency! Admire the colors, feel the softness!" The old man bent over the loom and tried to see the fabric that was not there. He felt cold sweat on his forehead.

"I can't see anything," he thought. "If I see nothing, that means I'm stupid! Or, worse, incompetent!" If the prime minister admitted that he didn't see anything, he would be discharged from his office.

"What a marvelous fabric," he said then. "I'll certainly tell the Emperor." The two scoundrels rubbed their hands gleefully. They had almost made it. More thread was requested to finish the work.

Finally, the Emperor received the announcement that the two tailors had come to take all the measurements needed to sew his new suit.

"Come in," the Emperor ordered. Even as they bowed, the two scoundrels pretended to be holding a large roll of fabric.

"Here it is, Your Higness, the result of our labour," the scoundrels said. "We have worked night and day but, at last, the most beautiful fabric in the world is ready for you. Look at the colors and feel how fine it is." Of course the Emperor did not see any colors and could not feel any fabric between his fingers. He panicked and felt like fainting. But luckily the throne was right behind him and he sat down. But when he realized that no one could know that he did not see the fabric, he felt better. Nobody could find out he was stupid and incompetent. And the Emperor didn't know that everybody else around him thought and did the same thing.

The farce continued as the two scoundrels had foreseen it. Once they had taken the measurements, the two began cutting the air with scissors while sewing with their needles an invisible cloth.

"Your Highness, you'll have to take off your clothes to try on your new ones." The two scoundrels draped the new clothes on him and then held up a mirror. The Emperor was embarrassed, but since none of his bystanders were, he felt relieved.

"Yes, this is a beautiful suit and it looks very good on me," the Emperor said trying to look comfortable. "You've done a fine job."

"Your Majesty," the prime minister said, "we have a request for you. The people have found out about this extraordinary fabric and they are anxious to see you in your new suit." The Emperor was doubtful showing himself naked to the people, but then abandoned his fears. After all, no one would know about it except the ignorant and the incompetent.

"All right," he said. "I will grant the people this privilege." He summoned his carriage and the ceremonial parade was formed. A group of dignitaries walked at the very front of the procession and anxiously scrutinized the faces of the people in the street. All the people had gathered in the main square, pushing and shoving to get a better look. An applause welcomed the regal procession. Everyone wanted to know how stupid or incompetent his neighbor was but, as the Emperor passed, a strange murmur rose from the crowd.

Everyone said, loud enough for the others to hear: "Look at the Emperor's new clothes. They're beautiful!"

"What a marvelous train!"

"And the colors! The colors of that beautiful fabric! I have never seen anything like it in my life!" They all tried to conceal their disappointment at not being able to see the clothes, and since nobody was willing to admit his own stupidity and incompetence, they all behaved as the two scoundrels had predicted.

A child, however, who had no important job and could only see things as his eyes showed them to him, went up to the carriage.

"The Emperor is naked," he said.

"Fool!" his father reprimanded, running after him. "Don't talk nonsense!" He grabbed his child and took him away. But the boy's remark, which had been hearrd by the bystanders, was repeated over and over again until everyone cried:

"The boy is right! The Emperor is naked! It's true!"

The Emperor realized that the people were right but could not admit to that. He thought it better to continue the procession under the illusion that anyone who couldn't see his clothes was either stupid or incompetent. And he stood stiffly on his carriage, while behind him a page held his imaginary mantle.

___________________________________________________

In the above story, I see all false prophets, cult leaders, and other abusers as the Emperor, and those who follow them the closest as being the page standing behind him holding clothes that don't exist. Really, though, everyone who follows them blindly (to one extent or another) is like all the people of the land in this story who are too proud to tell anyone else that they can see that the Emperor is, in fact, naked. It is only the innocent child who is willing to be completely honest and begin unravelling the illusion. And, at first, no one really wants to listen to the voice of innocence and the voice of reason. They would rather say that that voice is foolishness (or bitterness, or deception, or confusion, or division, or demonic influence, etc.) I also see the scoundrels as portraying the demons who deceive the false prophets, cult leaders, and other abusers.

Monday, May 23, 2011

More on Beware False Prophets: Steve Foss

I finally realized how to turn a DVD message into an uploadable message. Though the message I am going to post as an expose of Steve Foss was too long to post to Youtube or Blogger, I managed to post it in Xanga:

http://lrdoe.xanga.com/videos/f88bb1190739

Please note what Steve Foss actually says at 19:39, about 2/3 of the way through the clip ("nf" in "sinful") vs. 21:49 ("mp" in "implies") and 22:32 ("mp" in "imply"). Steve Foss actually said, "Jesus lived a sinful life" (not a "simple life"). That's a pretty serious error (either a verbal slip, or worse). When I emailed him and his staff about this error, they ignored my email. When I confronted them in person about it, on June 20, 2008, they blamed the Holy Spirit, saying, "When someone is under such a powerful anointing, they lose control of themselves and sometimes make mistakes." If Jesus lived a sinful life, there is no hope of salvation. If the Holy Spirit inspires us to make mistakes, we can't believe the Bible as the Word of God because the Bible was written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a completely sinless life; and the Holy Spirit never makes mistakes nor causes anyone else to make mistakes. Steve Foss and his ministry do not deserve my support. If you take the Bible seriously, they don't deserve your support either. A humble prophet of God would not make false statements; and he and his staff would not consider blaming God for mistakes. In a series entitled, "Fear Man or Fear God," don't you think it's appropriate for the preacher and his staff to practice what they preach and genuinely show more of a fear of God than a fear of man?

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Beware of False Prophets: Steve Foss

I have been advised to not post any videos by this person because, if people view the videos, they might want to view more of the Foss videos. However, having been drawn into an addictive cycle of involvement in abusive groups following my involvement in Foss's RAD NITE group in 1989-1990, I wanted to try to save other people from that sort of thing.

I first met Steve Foss in 1989, three years after he "accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior." He had been a diligent student of Morris Cerullo for the whole three years and was trying to spread Cerullo's take on the Gospel to as many people as possible.

Steve had been a high-school drop-out, having gotten into so much trouble from rebelling against authority (and from doing drugs) that he was told he was inelligible for graduation when he was just 6 credits away from meeting the graduation requirements. He was so rebellious that he refused to enroll in summer classes in order to complete the requirements. However, not long after that, some friends of his invited him to attend a Morris Cerullo conference; and he became addicted to the psychological highs he got from that. This is also when he went forward to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He immediately became a devout disciple of Cerullo, listening to Cerullo's tapes for several hours per day. He also completed his GED so that he could enroll in seminary and begin training for ministry. However, he refused to go very far through seminary because he didn't like what the seminary psychology books said about demons. He hasn't spoken well of seminary ever since (he calls seminaries "cemetaries"). He has looked down on people educated through seminaries, as well as people who refuse to go through his discipleship course. He even speaks badly about people in other churches where the discipleship program is very remarkably similar to the one he leads (Kip McKean's Intrnational Churches of Christ and International Christian Churches). And he teaches his students to do the same.

In January, 1990, I went with several other RAD NITE people to a relatively local Morris Cerullo conference where the mother of another RAD NITE student was an altar worker. She prayed with me, claiming complete healing from insulin-dependent diabetes. Now, I have had diabetes for most of my life; and I haven't met any diabetic who wasn't and isn't hoping for a cure. As a high school student, my desire for a cure was at least as strong as anybody else's desire, because I wanted to fit in with my peers; and, at that age, that meant not having health problems. I still hope for a cure, but now that's for different reasons: Nobody will insure a diabetic (unless required by law to do so), I am still too thin for glucose sensors and insulin delivery devices (though, obviously, taking insulin beats dying from diabetic keto-acidosis). I can't gain weight in the right places no matter how hard I try; and when I do gain a weight, I have other problems. I never have had the right kind of body for diabetes (or cerebral palsy or scoliosis or any of my other many health problems). Thus I was a prime candidate for Morris Cerullo's (and Steve Foss's) brand of faith healing. I went to the conference in January, 1990, believed the altar worker when she declared me completely healed of diabetes and subsequently tried to discontinue my use of insulin. I went without insulin for 3.5 days before having to be rushed to the nearest emergency room with severe dehydration, uncontrollable vomiting, etc., etc., etc. I was pretty close to dead by then; and I still tried to argue with the ER doctor that God had healed me of diabetes. The doctor won the argument; but I still refused to believe that I remained insulin-dependent. My plan was that, immediately after returning home, I would again go off of my insulin to prove my faith. Fortunately, God got my attention. While I didn't want to believe (at that time) that He, indeed, does work through healthcare professionals, I couldn't really say or do much for the several days that I was in the hospital. Somehow God managed to convince me that staying on my insulin as prescribed in no way was an indication of a lack of faith in Him. He would eventually convince me that I don't need to prove my faith to Him at all. He knows all things. And He is far more interested in my spiritual and psychological healing than in my physical heaing because my soul and spirit are eternal; and my sick, disabled body is only temporal. Yes, God can heal people physically, as well as psychologically and spiritually; and He will eventually heal all of His children in every way. There are times when He heals people instantly through prayer and the laying-on-of-hands. Most of the time, He heals people medically (through surgery or other medical means). All the time, He heals people ultimately (by taking people to Heaven). Sometimes He uses a combination of healing by giving healthcare professionals knowledge that just comes to them while they are helping a patient. Whatever way God chooses to heal a person, He always confirms the healing to the patient or the patient's family, through the patient's healthcare team. I occasionally go to a faith-healing meeting and chat with people after the service; and I tell them about my own experience and plead with them to see God's different ways of healing His children. Hopefully, they listen and save themselves the unnecessary pain and close calls with death that so many people have had. Hopefully, their lives are spared. Hopefully, their faith not only survives but thrives. Hopefully, they draw closer to God through all that they go through, rather than running away from Him. Hopefully, they see that He wants to be in close relationship with them and that He isn't about religion but about relationship. Hopefully, they will find themselves experiencing His unimaginably deep and unconditional love for them, no matter what their circumstances.

In 2007, somebody sat next to me in church and told me I needed deliverance. I was a very broken person at that time. I had beeen badly abused in every imaginable way by then; and I was very vulnerable. I thought the lady had the answer I was looking for. So I agreed to have her over at my apartment that June to pray with me for as long as it took for me to find complete deliverance. She told me I had demons I didn't even realize existed; and she claimed that there were objects in my apartment that were cursed and demonically influenced. She and I prayed for my deliverance for six hours (this was more than two years after I spent nine hours in prayer with other deliverance ministers); and she finally declared me completely free. Near the end of the prayer session, she recommended that I give Steve Foss another chance. As an adult, I could do that without getting into too much trouble with my family; and I gave him another chance. By this time, he had a far wider-reaching influence than before. In the late 1980's, he only had a small youth group. By 2007, he had an international influence, reaching millions of people around the world and boasting that his discipleship course has been "completed by over 100,000 worldwide." I jumped right in. I took the course in a matter of two or three months, when it was designed to be taken over the course of a year. I did note that Foss still speaks badly of churches and church leaders who have not taken his course; but I let that slide. I even purchased three of his second-year courses. And it was in one of the lessons in one of those courses that God opened my eyes again. On Disc 2, Lesson 5, of "Fear Man or Fear God," Steve said that Jesus Christ lived a sinful life. I thought that, certainly, this must have been a verbal slip. Certainly, Steve meant to say that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life; but I listened again and again and again; and he did indeed say that Jesus Christ, according to the Bible, lived a sinful life. Two days later, I emailed him and his assistant Pamela Beauvais about this. I said that I only brought up that issue because Steve made a major mistake. My email was ignored. I went to a Carriers of the Glory Bible conference in Keller, TX, the very next month. It was late when I finally had a chance to talk with Pamela about this. I would have talked with Steve; but he was very busy, and I was too tired to wait around until he ceased to be busy. So I talked with Pamela; and I asked her if she and Steve had received my email regarding the serious mistake. She said they had; and I asked her what they were going to do about it. I thought it would be great if they could edit out the mistake and edit in what is supposed to be there, or at least post a disclaimer to their Website or send out a disclaimer with every copy of "Fear Man or Fear God" saying that Steve had made a mistake. However, all she did (with Steve's auhority and authorization) was to say, "When someone is under such a powerful anointing of the Holy Spirit, sometimes they lose control of themselves and make mistakes." So, basically, Steve said Jesus Christ lived a sinful life, and Pamela blamed the Holy Spirit for the mistake. I wonder what they will say about God, the Father. I don't know why; but I continued my financial support of Steve Foss "Ministries" for 16 months after that before I finally came to my senses again and stopped. They sent me a letter every month thanking me for my donation (and asking for more), along with a CD which gave me a psychological high but did nothing for me spiritually. Once they sent me a letter asking me to send them an amount of money that exceeded my monthly income (they said pretty much that the world is going to hell in handbasket and that they needed more money from me); and they promised me that, if I sent them the large amount of money, my name would be permanently engraved on a stone in their new church. Fortunately, by then, I was really starting to see the light; and I didn't fall for the pitch that time. I didn't want my name to be permanently associated with them or their church; and I need the money more than they do. I have not supported them for more than a year now. Instead, I support people who are needier than I am. I have increased my contributions to people locally and internationally who are destitute in every way; and these donations are substantially larger than the ones I made to Steve Foss and his group. Yet, though I have less for myself now than I did then, God has blessed me. He has given me greater wisdom in the use of my limited income and has made me truly content with what I have (even the health problems). So the smaller amount goes farther than the larger amount, even though the economy is worse now than it was then. I guess that is just one way God was telling me to not throw away any more money to someone who was wasting it and to give it, instead, to those who are truly in need.

I have tried to post a video with this blog. If it wasn't successful this time, I will try again later.

God bless all of you who read this. And if you happen to be with Steve Foss Ministries or Morris Cerullo World Evangelism or Benny Hinn Ministries or any other such organization, may God give you the only blessing that I can rightfully biblically ask Him to give you. May He bless you with the overwhelming conviction of sin for all the harm you have caused to the Body of Christ as well as all the lost souls you have turned away from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. And may He bless you with the overwhelming desire to repent wholeheartedly and to never sin again.

http://www.watchmanscry.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9517

http://lrdoe.xanga.com/f88bb1190739/