God Will Soon Send “Fire and Brimstone”

Matthew 24

²¹ For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

²² And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

It is extremely evident that the judgments are very close. The same God that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah will also destroy the city or culture that gives itself wholly to wickedness. Every wicked citizen of America should thank God for the multitudes of us who still stand for Bible truth. When we understand the story of Sodom and Gomorrah we see that ten of God’s saints would have saved that city from fire. Thank God for the saints of the Lord.

     When the Rapture occurs the saints will be gone and then the fire will fall. Abraham must have helped the angels try to find the ten saints in that wicked city but there was only one and he was a failure. The Rapture must occur before the world becomes so filthy that it is nothing but a slime of darkness. The angels told Lot that they could do nothing until he was out of danger. That is about to be proven again. As soon as we are gone, it will be seven years of tribulation so vile that Jesus said, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not unto the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24: 37-39)

The day of a clear, public, Biblical expression about Jehovah God is almost over. More and more those who refuse to accept the generic term “god” for all religious statements are considered prejudice and arrogant. A North Carolina candidate for the U.S. Senate made the following statement in a column published in The Charlotte Observer. She was mayor of our city at that time. “We are a family – I plead that we might seek only to please the Father with our interaction. Isn’t believing that He responds only to being called ‘Jehovah’ or ‘Jesus’ or ‘Allah’ narrow, arrogant, human egotism?” (Charlotte Observer, Thursday, December 15, 1988). In other words, God has made faces and names and is seen by different cultures or people in many different ways.

Marian apparitions are helping to spread this identical idea. Mrs. Myrick reported, while speaking at Naples Baptist Church in Western North Carolina, that Mary’s message in Medjugorje, Yugoslavia, was for everybody, including Muslims. To all it was simply, “Be the best you can be.” These fraudulent visions are happening all over the world and drawing people by the millions to the shrines established at each location. More than anything else, they are recruitment centers for the Catholic religion.

Please note these two following quotes from a new book, All Roads Lead to Rome.

“The Vatican II’s Nostra Aetate included this statement; ‘Different religions have tried to respond to mankind’s search for the ultimate explanation of creation and the meaning of man’s journey through life. The Catholic Church accepts the truth and goodness found in these religions and she sees reflections there of the Truth of Christ whom she proclaims as ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life.’ She wishes to do everything possible to cooperate with other believers in preserving all that is good in their religions and cultures.’

“Alan Morrison links together the Inter-Church Process, the WCC and the New Age, each paralleling the other and converging towards a ‘world conglomerate of religions.’ He quotes pioneer theosophist, Annie Besant’s book Mysticism; ‘…The Roman Catholic has always kept a knowledge of that Path and method by which the supreme knowledge may be gained. He calls the end of it by a startling name. Generally the word Union is used, but take up some great book of Roman Catholic theology and you will find the startling word which I have in mind; they call it Deification, the deification of man, man become God, for nothing less than that is meant by Deification. And the Hindu and the Buddhist call it Liberation, the setting free of the human Spirit from the bonds, which have tied him down, from the matter, which has blinded him. The meaning is the same, the method is the same, the thing is the same. And so we realize that in the realm of the Spirit there are none of those divisions that mark off one religion from another in the separative plane of earth, and we realize that the Spirit is united where earth holds diversity, and that where knowledge takes the place of faith, there controversies sink into silence and the certainty of truth is know.’ (Annie Besant: Mysticism, Theosophical Publishing Society, 1914.)” (Michael de Semylen, All Roads Lead To Rome, Dorchester House Publications, 1991.)

Luke 21

²⁶ Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

²⁷ And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

²⁸ And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Robert Schuller’s worldwide tentacles are spreading the same message. “Man does not have a sin problem, but a negative image problem; he does not need saving, he needs a new positive mindset,” according to Mr. Schuller. Here is his description of the born again experience with the Biblical Saviour, Jesus Christ, replaced by the “Ideal One.” He still calls Him Jesus, but with terminology acceptable to all religions.

“To be born again means that we must be changed from a negative to a positive self-image – from inferiority to self-esteem, from fear to love, from doubt to trust.

“How can this happen? It happens through a meeting with the Ideal One. From my perspective I would expect such an Ideal One to ignore or reject me because of my own shortcomings. But if in fact the Ideal One receives me as his peer and treats me as an equal even though he knows who and what I am – the ill I’ve done and the good I’ve failed to do – then something profoundly deep will happen at the core of my personality. I will be born again.” (Robert H. Schuller, Self Esteem – The New Reformation, p. 68).

A new publication was recently announced, entitled Everyone Is Right. Some chapters are titled as follows: “A Comparison Of Religious Thinking,” “Creation and the Creator,” and “Christ, Krishna, and Buddha.” The book is a further step toward this idea of a “generic god,” offensive to no one, but acceptable to all who seek religious expression. The publisher is Lucis Publishing, earlier known as Lucifer Publishing. The name of the publisher fits the material.

I recently received a fund raising letter from “Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snow, Belleville, Illinois.” The letter included a number of things in which I was invited to participate. A prayer petition listed several possible requests. One was the “Return of all Christians to the Faith” (meaning to the Catholic Church). Another, was “Eternal Rest for the Deceased,” etc. You could purchase a memorial at the Shrine for $100 or $500. You could receive a bottle of Lourdes Water or a medallion candle. Here is a promise made by the priest that wrote the letter. “As a part of our celebration, I will personally pilgrimage to Lourdes, and it would be my privilege to place before the ‘Grotto of Miracles’ any special petitions you would like to bring to the Blessed Mother’s special attention.” (Personal letter, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Belleville, Illinois).

To show the extent to which the Catholic Church is willing to go in their push for worldwide ecumenicalism, the January 1992, Catholic Digest carried a daily devotion by Buddha. Here is the devotion for Saturday, January 11, 1992, “Teach this triple truth to all; a generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” (Buddha.)

Mrs. Sue Myrick, who I mentioned at the beginning of this article, made a statement at Naples Baptist Church that summarizes the whole idea of a One World Religion. She said, “If all the religions of the world would join hands and pray, we would have world peace.” This statement is an honest expectation of millions who reflect several different streams of religious thinking. The Catholic Church certainly believes that they are the true custodians of “faith” and are working diligently to lead a revised worldwide religious empire. New Agers are very close in thinking to the Catholics and teach a kind of Global Consciousness that will usher in peace as soon as all minds are free of negative thinking. They actually teach that God is a component of all natural life and that ongoing evolution is slowly freeing society of its diseased parts. Soon, we will enter, according to their prophets, the “Age of Aquarius.” They call it “The Crystal Kingdom.” Bible-believing Christians are the key element of disease and must be eliminated.

Revelation 6

¹² And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

¹³ And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

¹⁴ And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

The “Spirit of the Goddesses” is a more subtle form of this same movement. Pentecostals, Charismatics, and Evangelicals have entered a mindset of compromise and human centeredness that will serve to deliver their flocks to this same new religion. Please notice several trends in almost the entire church world.

1. Psychology: The new ministry style for pastors is to hire a counselor on staff or recommend the flock to a local counseling program. The Word of God, the Cleansing Blood and the Holy Spirit are no longer the adequacy of church life. It’s professional to send the hard cases to those trained to administer therapy. Our very life in the past was motivated to witness God’s miraculous power and the hard cases were our food for greatness. Entire churches were built by a few incredible miracles that stirred the entire community.
2. Human Potential Movement: Almost every pastor in any church of significant size has become an advocate of “Human Potential.” Sermons don’t identify sin, but the cause of low esteem and human relation failures. These sermons are rooted in a few verses of Scripture and old terms of classic theology are freely used, but the meaning is subtly changed. The result is an entertained congregation that has lost any fear of God. Their only fear is that they may not be successful, unless they practice the techniques of success spelled out in the new pulpit presentation.
3. Pleasure Seeking Congregation: The Evangelical church world has become a non-threatening location for exercise, games, social contact, trips to the favorite pleasure centers, and a club setting for religious identification. These churches will not tolerate a prophet of God denouncing sin (except select sins), who disciplines the congregation for their lack of fasting, praying, cross-bearing, plus their Sabbath-breaking, nudity of dress and harlot/whoremonger lifestyle. If a “John the Baptist” walked into these pulpits, it would create havoc in the church family.

No wonder the members of these churches pay no attention to the utter loss of the fear of God in our church world. The new generic “god” is no threat to their faith, because their faith has very little, if any, root in an awesome reverence for the great God, Jehovah, or His redeeming Son, Jesus Christ. Some would even question my connection of the generic “god” idea to these modern churches. Were they not related, you would hear an uproar when religious or political leaders dared speak of God as some faceless or nameless divinity.

The First Commandment

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). The very basis of Biblical Christianity is our unquestionable surrender to the one true God, Jehovah. To even suggest that He might be called “Allah” or some other name outside the Holy Bible is blasphemy. It would be the very same as the grievous sins of Israel when they followed Baal, Ashtoreth, or other gods of the Canaanites.        Listen to the Scripture as it describes the decline of King Solomon.

“And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land. And the seventh year

Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the king’s son. And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king’s house; And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down. And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD about the king. And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand: and he that cometh within the ranges, let him be slain: and be ye with the king as he goeth out and as he cometh in” (2 Kings 11:1-8).

 Jude 7-8

⁷ Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

⁸ Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

The judgment of God that fell on Israel because of this backsliding was one of the darkest periods of their history. There is no sin against God more grievous than to lose the sense of His identity. Yet, this must happen to prepare the church for the great apostasy. The One World Religion will be a marmalade of religious ideas. The one and only true God, Jehovah, will be the one God hated and His narrow-minded followers persecuted and martyred. By the middle of the Tribulation, there will be a multitude of martyred saints who go up out of this darkness to stand before the throne of God.      The Bible calls this company the Tribulation Saints.

“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 7:13-17).

Bride of Christ, Firstfruits

Don’t confuse these Tribulation Saints with the Bride of Christ. They will already have been with Jesus Christ for 3½ years, because they escaped before the Great Tribulation began. Here is God’s promise to those who refuse to be weakened in faith by these troublesome times. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name” (Revelation 3:10-12). Apostasy rages, but the God-fearing refuse to bow, bend, or burn. We are the overcomers, and will be His spotless Bride.

The Antichrist and His Generic God

The very essence of Satan’s reign during these end times is his ability to reduce man’s concept of God and to present to the world, including the church, a new god, acceptable and worshipped by all. Daniel describes this scenario perfectly. “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain” (Daniel 11:36-39).

The deception is in full swing. Only godly men and women with spiritual backbones like sawlogs will survive these last days. The subtlest thing about worldliness and the compromise of holiness standards is the spiritual blindness that always follows. A sharp discernment is absolutely necessary for these dark days and any weakness in lifestyle blinds the ability to think in clear Biblical terms.

Make a new commitment to the God of the Holy Bible. Get personally acquainted with Him in a very close relationship by the only Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Our “one” approach to God is the name and blood of His Son. Don’t even consider some idea foreign to this basic truth. Remember, it is not enough to have believed that He is the only God, you must surrender to His Sovereignty over your entire life. “Take up your cross and follow Him.” You will never be sorry!