THE HORENDOUS OMISSIONS IN THE NIV!

As most of those who know me already, know that I'm KJV ONLY! Why? Is it because I was taught to be in school, or because it's what my denomination uses, or it's what my father told me to use? NOPE! It's because I've studied the issue and found new modern bibles come from a corrupt fountain. After careful STUDY (2 Tim. 2:15), I've come to the conclusion that the King James Bible is the only word of God in English, and all others are PERVERSIONS of the truth. If you don't want to believe it, that's fine. But if you'll study the issue, you'll come to the same conclusion. All modern Bibles are corruptions which add, subtract, and take away from the words of God. (See warning against this in Rev. 22:18,19).

With that in mind, let's look at the ever popular *NIV Bible that came out in 1973, 1978, and 1984. (Um, that's right, it's copyrighted several times because it's been changed several times!).

Aside from the FACT that one of the translators of the NIV was a homosexual woman (see http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/niv_sodomite_on_committee.htm for more info), and that the NIV is based on critical texts done by two men who have their roots in Occultism named Westcott and Hort (See http://www.rrb3.com/bibles/engbibl/westcott_hort_only.htm), The NIV has many problems. For example, the NIV is missing ENTIRE VERSES! Who would want a Bible that takes out whole verses? Sadly, a lot of people, as the NIV is sold world-wide, and many people buy it.

If you can't believe the NIV is so bad, then I encourage you to look up:

Matt. 17:21, Matt. 18:1, Matt. 23:14, Mark 9:44 and 46, Mark 11:26, Mark 15:28, Luke 17:36, Luke 23:17, John 5:4, Acts 8:37, Acts 15:34, Acts 24:7, Acts 28:29, Romans 16:24 and 1 John 5:7 just to name a few.

ALL THESE VERSES ARE COMPLETELY REMOVED IN THE NIV!

So why is it still so popular? Why are there people who claim to be Christians buying a version that takes out WHOLE VERSES from the Bible? You'll have to answer that question, because I have no idea. I know I wouldn't buy a bible that takes out so many verses.

It's not only whole verses the NIV robs from the mouth of God. It's also words. It has been estimated by conservative scholars that there are more than 60,000 words less in the NIV than in the King James Bible. Where did these words go???

My wife and I sat down one day with the computer and started looking up words in the King James and in the NIV just to see how different they were. We didn't just think of any words, but we tried to stick to very important BIBLICAL WORDS or THEOLOGICAL WORDS which mean very much to Christianity and the doctrine of salvation. What we found was interesting. The NIV ALWAYS used LESS words than the KJV.

Below are just a few of the many words we looked up. You'll see the word first, the number of times it appears in the KJV next, and the number of times it appears in the NIV after that:

love 310 280

blood 447 375

grace 170 159

faith 247 231

sacrifice 218 205

offering 724 504

salvation 164 158

atonement 81 70

forgive 56 48

repent 46 43

life 450 409

Christ 555 522

Jesus 983 942

Lord 7836 6668

D0 you realize what this means? The NIV has less love, less blood, and less of God's grace! It speaks less of faith, sacrifice, salvation, the atonement, and repentance! Not to mention it pays less heed to the titles of God such as CHRIST and LORD!

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the NIV is taking out good sound doctrinal words! And this is exactly what God said not to do in 2 Tim 1:13, when it states: "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."

The Bible teaches us that in the last day there will be apostasy. Could it be the apostasy comes from a bunch of Christians carrying Bibles that are a lot lighter than the King James? Could it be their Reader's Digest like versions take away from the word of God and leave Christians anemic spiritually?

I believe you know the answer to that one. For Jesus said in Luke 4:4, "And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."

The word of God is like bread you eat. It is to be your SPIRITUAL DIET, and you are to live by EVERY WORD OF GOD!

Um, that is of course unless you have an NIV. In Luke 4:4 in that version we read: "Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"

But what about the words, "but by every word of God???" If we are supposed to live by every word of God, why does the NIV take out the very words of God in that verse that speak about what we are supposed to live by???

The NIV is not a "scholarly" work. It continually omits words, sentences, and even entire verses. Why then do people who claim to be Christians use it and preach from it? And further, why does it seem they get mad at you when you explain the problems with it like I have done just now?

All I can say is I want the words of God: ALL OF THEM! Why do I want them all? Because the word of God tells me I get a blessing if I keep them. That's right! Just look at Luke 11:28 "But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." Here is a precious promise from God that if I'll keep his words, I'll be BLESSED!

Where then does that leave the NIV and NIV users? Does that mean they are CURSED? For they aren't keeping God's words, rather they are following a perversion that has taken out much of what God said.

For more info on modern perversions and why the KJV is right, feel free to visit the following page on my website:

http://www.rrb3.com/bibles/engbibl/infallible_kjv_menu.htm

You can also read a book a friend of mine wrote that clearly shows that the NIV is not a carnal invention of men, but is the product of a conspiracy against God and his pure words. The book is quite long, but definitely worth a read, and can be found at:

http://www.rrb3.com/bibles/engbibl/spiritual_deception.htm

* (NIV stands for Nutty Idiot's Version. Um, wait, I mean Non-Inspired Version, no wait, it really stands for Not Infallible Version. Oh, that's right, those who put it out say it stands for New International Version).

FAITH IN THE BLOOD!

Years ago my Dad heard a preacher coin the term "BLOODLESS GOSPEL," in which he referred to a modernistic Gospel being preached in modern Fundamentalist and Evangelical circles which completely leaves out the blood of Jesus Christ.

There are many of these "bloodless Gospels" being preached in modern Christian circles, and they go something like this:

ASK Jesus into your heart

INVITE Christ into your life

ASK God to forgive you all your sins and give you eternal life

COMMIT your life to Christ

REPEAT the prayer of forgiveness

BEG God for forgiveness

All of these pseudo-gospels have one thing in common: THEY ALL TRY TO GET THE SINNER TO COME TO GOD OUTSIDE OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST!

You can ask, invite, commit, pray, and beg, God all you want, but unless you come to God a repentant sinner by faith alone in his finished sacrifice on the Cross, you'll never, and I repeat, NEVER get saved!

In the Bible, God's chosen method for salvation is by blood sacrifice. The whole Old Testament tells of animal sacrifices to God for the remission of man's sins.

In the New Testament we see THE LAMB OF GOD--Jesus Christ--coming to die for man's sins as the ultimate blood sacrifice. And, it is only through FAITH in his blood atonement that a sinner can become born again.

We find this simple truth not only through the entire Bible, but also clearly stated in Romans 3:25:

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."

This verse tells us that for Christ Jesus to be our own personal "propitiation" (i.e. our sacrifice for our sins in our place) we must place our faith in his precious shed blood.

This is again seen in the following verses of Romans which speak of "justification:"

Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

These verses in order tell us that JUSTIFICATION is by GRACE, by FAITH, and by BLOOD. In other words, it's by God's grace through our faith in His blood atonement on the cross of Calvary for our sins.

Are you saved? Are you trusting only in the shed blood of Jesus Christ alone for salvation? Or are you preaching a modernistic BLOODLESS GOSPEL, which instructs a sinner to DO SOMETHING, and ultimately trust in their own righteousness instead of God's?

If you preach any other way to heaven besides faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, you are guilty of preaching another gospel. (See what Paul says about people like that in Gal. 1:8,9).

This is why it's so important to preach salvation by FAITH IN HIS BLOOD.

For more info read my book "The importance of the Blood:"

http://www.rrb3.com/mypub/books/import_of_blood.htm

The Importance of One Little Word

My wife is so smart, and I love her to death. As we talk about God and the Bible, it never ceases to amaze me how a women’s perspective can really shine the light on things, and how every now and again a woman can say something so profound, it'll stop you in your tracks.

My wife and I continually see something that bothers us. That is the changing of the definition of words. Words have meanings. However, a word can have more than just one definition. That's why it's so important to have people define what they mean, as time and again we come across people preaching or teaching something and using a word in a certain context in which they know what they are speaking about but others don't. They have taken liberties with the word to mean something, but don't explain what it means to others, leaving them in utter misunderstanding. Wars have been fought for such reasons.

Not only is it important to DEFINE things, but it's important to make sure you say EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN and MEAN WHAT YOU SAY. My wife and I have found that sometime just leaving out one little word can leave a person confused and possibly even damned.

My Dad used to say that it's best to: "Say more with less." In other words, he said we should take the time to think about how to say something in the most simplest terms, but make sure we cover all our bases in choosing exactly the right terms in which no one can be left confused by our statement."

When it comes to the doctrine of salvation, my wife recently added a word to one of my sentences that was so important that I couldn't believe I'd been leaving it out when I preach the Gospel. That one little simple word was the word "ALONE."

People often say, "Trust Christ." But that's really not enough. For it begs the question, "Which Christ?" The Bible speaks of more than one. In fact, it also speaks of the ANTI-CHRIST!

Others say "Trust Jesus." This too is not enough. Which Jesus? The Bible says there is more than one. (2 Cor. 11:4).

Some preachers preach "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!" But is that enough? It is confusing when you don't distinguish between HEAD belief and HEART belief. Many a lost person has thought, "Oh, I BELIEVE in Jesus!" But their belief is in the fact that he existed as a historical figure, not that they has died for their sins on the cross.

Others may say, "Trust the finished work of Jesus Christ." Or, "Trust His shed blood!" And this sounds very nice. In fact, I've preached this quite frequently. But my wife brought up the importance of adding one word to the end of each of these statements: "Alone."

For there are literally millions of people out there who do trust the blood, or do trust in Jesus' finished work, but they also trust in that and their own works. Their Gospel is one of FAITH and WORKS. They trust in what Jesus has done for them, but also believe it's not enough, as they must strive to please God to secure their own salvation, or to keep it.

Do you see the importance of one little word?

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. (Prov 25:11)

MY TESTIMONY

I was wonderously and gloriously saved on July 29th, 1992. But all my life I'd been in church. More specifically, I'd been in Fundamentalist churches. And even more specifically, those were BAPTIST churches. Sadly, I never was given the gospel one time. All I heard was a milk sop presentation of "love they neighbor" and "do good unto others." Sure I heard preaching about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but sadly not often. And I was never stressed the importance of trusting in Christ's finished work.

I even read Chick tracts all my life, and "prayed the little prayer" in the back. But I wasn't saved and had absolutely no assurance. That's why I "prayed the prayer" again and again, night after night, hoping it would somehow mystically change things and secure me a place in heaven.

It wasn't until I turned 18 years old that someone sat me down and took the time I needed to take me through the Bible and answer all my questions. That someone was my Dad. He took me to verse after verse and showed me my sin of trusting in my own righteousness (i.e. WHAT I DID FOR JESUS), and then lead me to trust solely and completely in the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.

I've told my testimony far and wide in many a church service. And I'll tell it again here, as it's so very important. And, because I hardly hear people talking about what I'm about to tell you in Christian circles today. They've forgotten the importance of the BLOOD, and one's faith in the bloody atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. This has often made me wonder if there aren't millions of others out there just like I was who are confused and still lost, "praying the prayer," time and again with no assurance of salvation.

One thing I learned is that when you are saved, YOU KNOW YOU ARE SAVED! It's a "know so salvation!" Not a "I sure hope so salvation."

MY TESTIMONY:

I remember it well. It was around 10:00 A.M. and my Dad asked me to come into the kitchen to speak with him. I sat on the counter as he asked me the profound question: "Son, are you saved, and if so, why?"

My first answer was: "Yes, because I go to church."

You can imagine how that went over, as he showed me in the Bible that salvation is not through church attendence.

He asked the same question again, and I responded, "Yes, because I've been baptized!"

He then showed me verses that prove no one is saved by water baptism.

Asking the question again, I answered, "Yes, because I'm a good person!"

Again the sharp two-edged sword of the scriptures pricked my heart, as he showed me verse after verse which showed me my sinfulness wickedness, and how no one is saved by good works.

Asking the question again, I retorted, "Well, I think I am!"

He responded, "But wouldn't you like to know for sure?"

I paused and then said, "Yes, yes I would."

He then took me to the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, and other verses, showing me what Jesus did for me on the cross in my place for my sins.

He then gave the following illustration:

"Let's say you went into McDonald's and killed five people in cold blood. You would deserve the electric chair for such a crime!"

I agreed. He continued:

"Well, let's say they put you in the chair and they are just about to flip the switch, but then I come in and say, Let him go! I'll take his place!"

I responded, "What? You'd do that for me?"

He quickly retorted, "NO!"

But what he said next hit me like a ton of bricks...

"But son, that's exactly what Jesus Christ did for you! He took your electric chair on the cross of Calvary! He paid for your sins in your place!"

All my life I'd heard of what Jesus did. But I'd never made it personal.

My father then took me to Romans 3:25, which states:

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."

It was right then there I trusted in the shed blood of Jesus Christ alone as sufficient to save me and give me eternal life!

My Dad then asked me, "When did you get saved?"

I quickly answered, "JUST NOW! For now I plainly see what Jesus has done for me, and I trust his blood alone!"

I'm so glad I'm saved and I know it! And, I no longer doubt it! I KNOW I'm on my way to heaven. Why? Because I'm trusting in what JESUS DID, and not in anything I do to get me to heaven. It's just like the hymn says:

JESUS PAID IT ALL,

ALL TO HIM I OWE,

SIN HATH LEFT A CRIMSON STAIN,

HE WASHED IT WHITE AS SNOW!

Are you saved? Or are you like I was before I trusted the blood atonement of Jesus Christ done on my behalf. Are you trusting in your works, your baptism, your church attendance, your prayer, or anything else besides the finished blood atonement of Jesus Christ alone? If not, why not trust the blood alone? For the Bible clearly teaches in Heb. 9:22, "...without shedding of blood is no remission."

Jesus has done all that's necessary to secure your salvation. All you must do is trust his sacrificial blood atonement is all sufficient. If you believe, you are saved. If you don't you are lost, it's that simple!

God's What?

I just checked my email this morning, and I got an email from a guy telling me about a new book praising the Spanish "GOMEZ BIBLE." (Better said, the GO-MESS Bible!)

SO, I clicked on the link, and found the book entitled, "God's Bible in Spanish." I would imagine that the author is insinuating that the GOMESS Bible is God's word in Spanish.

Well, as a Spanish Speaker, that's very hard for me to swallow!

I've followed the GOMES Bible from the very beginning, and was greatly appauled at it's foundation, it's work, and its eccumenical results. I also couldn't believe the many errors, anti-TR readings, and pro-1960 readings in that versions.

That's why I wrote a book about the GOMEZ, and put it on my website. You can still read it at:

http://www.rrb3.com/mypub/books/truth_about_gomez.htm

Almost everyone I've talked to who's read it, have said the Gomez is an awful translation, and a horrible attempt to give the Spanish Speaking world a pure Bible.

However, I don't have what the Gomez has, BIG NAME FAMOUS PEOPLE ENDORSING IT!

I found on the Internet more about the modern Gomez, and those who are recommending it, and they are all big name fundamentalists. However, almost all of them are Americans, and not native Hispanics. And quite a few of them don't even speak Spanish!

To see some of those who endorse the Gomez, go to: http://www.rvg.bz/ And then click on "endorsments."

The latest news is the Gomez is now being pushed by Chick Publications. (See http://www.chick.com/articles/endorsement.asp for more.)

But even though the Gomez has such grand endorsements, nice webpages, and world wide acknowledgement, is it really "God's word in Spanish?" Would God really use such a version? And what do true Spanish Speaking natives say about it?

As a Spanish-Speaking Evangelist to Spanish-Speaking People, I'm hearing the exact opposite from Spanish Speaking people about the greatness of the Gomez.

I get phone calls all the time from people who are put out with the Gomez. They say things like, "It's street spanish, and not the beautiful old Castellan Spanish of the old 1602."

Others say, "It reads too closely to the 1960, yet it claims to be based on the old 1909!"

And even others state, "God doesn't talk to me through that version like he does when I read an older version or older revision."

You can make up your own mind, and I'm sure you will. But seeing as the SPANISH BIBLE ISSUE is about SPANISH SPEAKING PEOPLE, then shouldn't we go to them, and find out what they think about such a version?

The truth is the GOMEZ Bible, however endorsed it might be by big name Americans, is not gaining as much popularity in Spanish Speaking circles as those behind it would like you (English Speakers) to believe.

As you study the many different editions of the GOMEZ, it's incredible that that version even got off the ground. Below are just a couple of problems in the first edition of the Go-mess Bible, that I've exposed in my book, "The History and Truth About the Gomez Bible":

John 2:10 Gomez has Jesus going to a keg party, where people are drinking FERMENTED LIQUOR instead of NEW WINE!

1 Corinthians 7:36 The Gomez gives permission for a man to marry HIS OWN DAUGHTER!

How do such blazing errors even get into a version of the Bible???

Thankfully, these and many other errors were changed in newer editions, but one must ask, "Should we trust a man who introduces such doctirnal errors into the Bible?" And further, "If he changed those, how do we know he didn't change something else just as bad in other verses?"

Gomez further claims to be against the modernistic 1960 Spanish Bible. But as you go verse by verse in his version with the 1960, the old 1909, the original 1569 and 1602, and others, you find Gomez chose to make his version read closer to the 1960, many times even changing synonyms and word order in sentences to match that version! (Proof can be found in my book).

So is there a better version out there? And is there a version that Hispanics are talking about as the best?

Yes there is! It is the 1602 Purified Spanish Bible, also known as the 1602 Monterrey, the 1602 TR (in the New Testament), and the Valera 1602 Purificada.

As a matter of fact, as you study the whole Gomez movement, you see a peculiar thing. The 1602 Purified came out several years BEFORE the Gomez. But instead of getting behind it, Mr. Gomez chose to make his own translation to compete with it.

Gomez said he used the original 1909, the King James in English, and the Hebrew and Greek (by the way, he doesn't know Hebrew and Greek), and began work in 2002, finishing in 2004. (His version is still known as the Gomez '04 by many.)

Gomez' method for translation work? He claims he was "emailed" suggestions for changes, which Gomez mulled over and then changed if he thought it needed to be. (Gail Riplinger calls the Gomez a "Stop-Gap" translation for this very reason.)

Gomez' method sounds a little like those behind the 1960, who "mailed" out pages of the 1909 and asked people to tell them what they thought should be changed. Then the BIBLE SOCIETY changed what they thought should be changed.

Compare this to the Iglesia Bautista Biblica de la Gracia, who put out the 1602 Purified Spanish Bible. They worked since the early 1990's learning Hebrew and Greek. They used the original 1569, the 1602, the 1543 Enzinas, the 1556 Juan Perez de Pineda, and many more. They also used the King James and the original 1909. They further prayed and fasted as they went verse by verse in their work. They followed Valera's preface of his original 1602 Spanish Bible revision, by doing the work TOGETHER, instead of leaving the work to ONE MAN. They further believed in the importance of the LOCAL CHURCH as the body of Christ doing the work of keeping God's words, instead of giving them away to BIBLE SOCIETIES, which used the corrupt Critical Texts of men.

The 1602 Purified Spanish Bible is the purest and best Bible available today in the Spanish-Speaking world. It's based on the Hebrew Masoretic and Greek Textus Receptus texts. However, it's a true CASTELLAN Spanish Bible. It followed old PROTESTANT texts in Spanish, as well as the KING JAMES, and is not tainted with any modern 1960 readings like the Gomez.

But, what's that? You haven't heard about the 1602 Purified? Hmm, I wonder why? Could there be a reason? Could it be someone is intentionally trying to keep you from hearing about it? (Read my book for more).

As I talk to Spanish-speaking people who've read the 1602 Purified, I get amazing feedback. They all love it. It is real Spanish, and not modern spanish like the Gomez. It is much closer to the original 1569 and 1602, and thus easier to understand for most Spanish people. As the updated 1960 and Gomez chose to use modern Spanish words, instead of the long standing Reina-Valera words that God has given us for over 400 years.

Is the Reina-Valera Gomez "God's Bible in Spanish?" That's up to you to decide. But you owe it to yourself to study the issue to see if you are really getting the whole truth. Because the Bible says we are in the last days, and in the last days there will be APOSTASY.

I firmly belive we are in that time. And I can clearly see much apostasy in our ranks. Could it be the Gomez is not all it's cracked up to be? Could the Gomez be adding to that apostasy?

I'll let you decide. But would you at least be willing to look at all the facts?

For more about the Gomez, go to my book at:

http://www.rrb3.com/mypub/books/truth_about_gomez.htm

Growing or Exploding?

GROWTH IN BUSINESS

Where ever I go, I ask a lot of questions. One thing I really like to do is ask different businesses and corporations about how they work. It has always amazed me how talkative people are, and how willing they are to tell you about their companies, and how they function. And I've learned a lot about how success is measured.

I've also owned my own Landscape and Lawncare business for five years, and that's helped me see some things too. Probably the most imporant lesson I've learned from my experience/experiences of hands on and by word of mouth about economical and financial lessons is that in our modern economy sucess is not measured by how much money your business MAKES but rather by how much your business DOES.

Let me see if I can explain.

Most big companies have quarterly reports. Everyone looks at those reports and looks for one thing: GROWTH. They are not looking to see if that company is in debt up to their ears, or if that company is laying off employees, or if that company is making a profit. All they want to see is if this quarter is better than last quarter. In other words, they only wish to see if that company is doing more business than before: that the company is GROWING. But growth doesn't always measure profits.

But what if that business had to lower its prices in order to show growth, and is now making less money than it did before? No one seems to ask that question. And sadly, I've seen just that happening over and over.

Sucess in our society is measured in GROWTH, and not in INCREASE. That is to say, people aren't judging a company on how much capital it has accumulated, only how quickly and rapidly it seems to appears to be growing, compared to other companies.

GROWTH IN RELIGION

The best way to illustrate the modern "growth doctrine" is with the MEGA CHURCH MOVEMENT in America. Just because a church grows BIGGER doesn't make it BETTER. In fact, most mega churches in America, although they are growing in numbers, are in debt up to their eyeballs as they are constantly borrowing money to build bigger buildings. And what kind of people are they getting to come to such a church? I'll give you a hint. It's not good, godly, sanctified, spirit-filled Christians who love God. Instead, it's usually people who go to church on Sunday Morning only, and then never darken the door the rest of the week. The kind of people who feel they are doing God a service by going to church, and doing their duty so they can spend the rest of Sunday doing their own thing.

That's why most Mega Churches usually have two services: An early morning service (for those who wish to go fishing and hunting right after) and a regular service, for those who are used to going between 10:00 to 11:00 and then 11:00 to 12:00.

The kinds of services in churches also show the kind of people who attend. There is usually a contemporary service in the morning, and then a traditional service shortly thereafter. What is a contemporary service? It's usually a meeting where they turn the lights down and sing "Christian Rock Music." In other words, it's the same atmosphere they are in Saturday Night at the bar, only now it's "Christian," because the words are about God instead of about beer, sex, and loose relationships.

After the Rock 'n Roll is over, the pastor usually preaches a limp sermonette, lasting about 15 minutes, and then prays for God to bless his people as they leave. It's a shallow Christianity which doesn't produce much results! Growth does not equal spirituality.

A lesson that everyone should take to heart is that just because something is "growing" doesn't always mean it's getting better! It just might be something is corrupt on the inside, and it's getting bigger cause it's about to "EXPLODE!"

The Mega Church movement is the exact opposite of the early church. It grew and spread across the known world. The church grew, and lasted for almost 2000 years. The reason? SACRIFICE. Christians willingly laid down their lives for the cause of Christ.

Compare this to the modern church, which knows very little of sacrifice. They boast how they are "rich" and have "need of nothing." But God said they were poor, and blind, and miserable, and naked. (See Laodicea in Revelation chapter 3).

Sadly, modern Christianity today judges others and judges the spirituality of churches as a whole by their SIZE. They have bought into the worldly idea that "GROWING" is truly what makes one sucessful.

GROWTH IN POLITICS

Now back to the secular world, and the global economy, where sucess is measured by GROWTH alone. What if GROWTH were attained at the expense of something or someone else?

In politics, we find this is the case. Our government has now turned into a BUSINESS, and it is growing. The U.S. government now owns 70% of America's economy. But it's at the expense of the American people, who have to pay for the governmental takeover of the private sector.

The typically line from politicians is, "Look how much we are doing and how big we are growing. That means we are doing something, and it must be something good, because we are growing!"

But growing isn't always a good thing, especially when it comes to government. History proves, the more government controls things, the worse things get.

I'll never forget the story in the news a few years ago about the governement run cafeteria in Washington that was supposed to feed the congressmen and representatives. Care to guess what happened to it? IT WENT BANKRUPT!

The United States government can't even run a meager cafeteria, why oh why then would we expect them to be able to run anything else?

The attitude of the government really defies logic. Their answer to everything is SPEND MORE MONEY AND THAT WILL FIX IT!

The standard line is that Stimulus packages (i.e. SPENDING) will lead to more growth! Yeah, it does just that. It makes our country's national debt, GROW EXPONENTIONALLY!

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that a growing debt will lead to disaster. Especially when no one has the money to repay that debt!

SPENDING MORE will never get you ahead. You cannot spend yourself to success!

So there you have it. We should never judge success based on growth! Instead we should look at PROFIT, SACRIFICE, and, RESULTS to see real growth.

The Date of the Rapture?

For thousands of years people have been guessing when the rapture will be. Paul thought it would be in his time. Just read his words in Rom 16:20: “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet SHORTLY. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” The apostle John also thought it would happen during his lifetime. For in Rev 1:1 we read, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” Both Paul and John thought Jesus was coming quickly. But they were wrong. Almost two thousand years wrong! Date setting for Christ's return didn’t stop with the apostles. The Catholic Church expected the Lord’s return in the year 1000 A.D. They were way off! Miller set the date in the 1800’s, and boy was he wrong! And then you have Charles T. Russell (the founder of the Jehovah Witnesses) setting the return of the Lord in 1914, or, um, was it 1917, um, I mean 1918? Oh, that’s right, he was wrong on all the many different dates he set, as well as those who came after him setting dates in the 1940’s, and 1970’s. And then there’s the book: “88 Reasons why Jesus Must Come in 1988?” It sold very well, until 1988 was over! Then the author decided he’d try to sell “89 Reasons why Jesus Must Come in 1989!” Obviously sales weren’t as good as expected. I remember my old Pastor boldly proclaiming 1993 as the year of the rapture, as that would leave 7 years exactly for the tribulation, and then Jesus could come at Armageddon in the year 2000. But Jesus didn’t come. The reason being is the book of Daniel tells us that the two thousand years of the church age starts when the Messiah was “cut off” (i.e. crucified), and not when he was born. 1998 was the new date set by many because the number 1998 is the sum of 666 x 3. Again they were wrong. When 2000 rolled around, quite a few Christians looked at the new millennium as a great time for Christ’s return. But nothing happened. And then we heard nothing of the rapture, or a date for years. That is until I hypothesized the year 2010 in a small gospel tract. Was I wrong? I think so. I’m leaning more now to 2011, 2012, or even 2033. But some are saying I’m not wrong about 2010, and that the rapture must come in the Fall of 2010, around September. But this is not what I’ve been taught. I’ve always heard from scholars, preachers, and Bible teachers that the rapture must come in the Spring. And I’m going to give you a few reasons why below. First of all, there are the three feasts in Israel in which all men had to appear before the Lord. These were: 1. Feast of Passover 2. Feast of Pentecost 3. Feast of Tabernacles The first, Passover, takes place first during the year, and corresponds with when Jesus died on the cross. The Bible clearly calls Him: Christ, the Passover (1 Cor. 5:7) Second is the feast of Pentecost which takes place 50 days after the Passover. It was during Pentecost that Jesus rose up into heaven in front of his apostles in the book of Acts chapter 1. Verse eleven tells us these important words: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Many take this verse to say that Jesus went up at Pentecost, and thus he must come back (at the rapture) on the feast of Pentecost. This would make the rapture around March or April on our calendar. Then there is the feast of Tabernacles. It was a feast in which the people of Israel built “booths.” (See Lev. 23:41-43 and Neh. 8:14). Now, why is it important to mention the booths. Well, if you look at the following verses, you’ll see Peter mentioning building booths… 1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. (Mat 17:1-4) Here is a type of the Second Advent, or Armageddon. Jesus sees Moses and Elijah (the two witnesses in the tribulation), and he is transfigured in front of them. Peter then wants to build tabernacles for all three of them. Why? I believe he’s thinking about the feast of tabernacles, and he wants to build them something nicer than just booths. The interesting thing is the first four words in verse one: “And after six days…” If you take 2 Peter 3:8 that one day is one thousand years and one thousand years is like one day, you would get 6000 years in the verse. That is to say in type after 6000 years, Jesus is transfigured. This would make it even more applying to the Second Advent. In Levi. 23:34-35 we read more of the feast of tabernacles: “34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. 35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” Notice the feast of tabernacles is spoken of as a feast of seven days (the seven thousandth year of history, known as the millennium?), and is a holy feast in which men are not to work. Sounds like a type of the millennial rest to me! Each of the three feasts correspond with the life of Jesus in order. Passover with his crucifixion. Pentecost with his return to heaven. Thus, would not Tabernacles correspond with his return at Armageddon to rule and reign in the millennium, when he tabernacles among men? I believe it does, and this is why I don’t believe the feast of tabernacles, which usually falls on or around September in our calendar, can be the date of the rapture. Another reason why the rapture must come in the Spring is found in the book of Song of Solomon. In 2:10-13 we read the following: “10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; 13 The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Song of Solomon is a great type of Christ and the church. Thus, the above passages would speak of Christ’s return for his bride at the rapture. Notice it pin points the season in which the rapture comes, by saying the winter is past, and the flowers appear. Further, it’s a time of singing of birds, and the voice of the turtle. And, it’s when the fig tree gives figs and when the tender grape gives a good smell. All this points to one season—SPRING TIME! This is what I’ve been taught, and why I personally believe that the rapture will be in the Spring during Pentecost. I hope I’m wrong! I hope he’ll come in September of 2010 or even sooner! But I think Jesus is coming in the Spring Time in the next few years, and no later than 2033! Got anymore reasons why the rapture must come in Spring? If so, I’d like to hear them.