2015 Second Orlando Prophecy Summit, Part 42

Jim Fletcher    ~    Interviewed By Doug Hagmann & Joe Hagmann

Jim Fletcher blogs about prophecy on a regular basis and has his own radio show.  Jim was a Christian editor who took a trip to Israel in 1998 and the trip had a profound effect on him.  Jim was fascinated how everything in Israel was Biblical.  When one visits Israel, they will observe a chain of places and sites from ancient times until now.

Now we observe antisemitism in Europe, Germany, the Middle East and even in America.  Why is this?  We seem to be advancing faster and farther than we thought we might.  Zechariah tells us that all nations will come up against Israel and Jerusalem, hence we should expect this.  It hurts us to see America treating Israel this way, yet Bible prophecy tells us plainly that this is what we should expect.  There is more persecution recently against Jews, and even vandalism and destruction against their synagogues.  Jews are erroneously blamed by many as the great problem in the world, just as they were in Germany in the 1930’s.  It is amazing that the Jewish people are blamed for all the problems in the world when they themselves are the ones in the cross hairs.

In the American church, we do not see the leaders stepping up and supporting Israel.  Some even cozy up to Muslim groups so these are strange times that we find ourselves in.  There is a move away from the support of Israel even among top evangelical leaders.  These are peculiar circumstances that have taken us by surprise.  Benjamin Netanyahu was recently snubbed by President Barack Obama.  President Obama is a totalitarian and acting like a totalitarian.  This is unsettling for us to see the president treat Israel this way, and we probably have not seen the last of it.  We pray that a friendly administration towards Israel would follow this administration.  Nonetheless, Jim Fletcher does see the government of the United States of America one day abandoning Israel.  At the end of the day, however, Israel is NOT the nation in trouble- it is everyone else!  The Lord has promised to preserve them and fight for them, and He has done that consistently.  Israel has won many major battles since their inception as a nation in 1948 that do not make sense in the natural.  That trend will continue.  Jim Fletcher agrees with Bill Salus, that the Psalm 83 war will pit a confederation of nations against Israel.  There will be a miraculous intervention by the Lord.  Jim Fletcher expects a coalition to attack Israel just as we are told in Ezekiel.  A third temple will be built in Israel.  The temple coalition have the materials to do so.  It could happen within our lifetime.  Once this happens, events will move quickly.  Why do the Arabs believe they own the land on the temple mount?  The Koran even says the land belongs to the Jews.  Still, the Muslims believe they must conquer this land.

Jerry Falwell and Adrian Rogers  were staunch pro Israel leaders.  Since their passing, a vacuum has been left and filled with leadership that is not pro Israel.  Jim Fletcher does not believe we have seen the end of this trend.  We are seeing this happen at an alarming rate, and we will be even more separated from Israel.  Palestinians bring in propaganda and lies to American churches about Israel.

 

 

The Pastor’s Conference And Southern Baptist Convention ~ June 12-15, 2016 ~ Part 9

Monday Evening, June 13, 2016

Pastor’s Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis

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Johnny Hunt served at Woodstock, Georgia for thirty years.  

Johnny’s theme is enthusiastically finishing the journey for God.  2 Timothy 2:6-7  ⁶ The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.  ⁷ Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

Johnny Hunt was touched by Adrian Rogers and Jerry Falwell.  Paul pressed towards Christlikeness.  Paul poured into Timothy.  May our lives inspire others to obey.  Martin Luther:  “There are two days on my calendar:  This day and that day.”

Johnny Hunt’s two life verses:

James 1:25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Romans 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Johnny Hunt was saved forty three years ago.  Paul never got over his Damascus Road experience.  Live not for ourselves but for others.  Johnny teaches Timothy Barnabas ministries.  God is the great promise keeper (not us).  Our giants make us grow.  Caleb –  “Give me this mountain.”  May God help us want what we wanted when we finished, as we wanted when we started.

National Day Of Prayer: Thursday, May 5, 2016

Our nation has observed this day consistently since 1952, and sporadically throughout our history.  Obviously, it is not doing much if any good.  In the last few years, the weird, the bizarre, the profane, and perverse have been promoted and legalized.  If LGBT would have clamored for either/or restroom rights a generation ago, they would have been led to the outhouse.  “Gay” marriage is, and will always be an oxymoron, but our national lawmakers recognize this perversion for the first time in human history.  I would indeed pray fervently if I baked cakes for a living as a Christian.  …or if I were a florist or photographer.  As you know, they are being sued on a regular basis.

Let us take a peek inside of the Christian church today.  Wednesday night prayer meetings usually feature anemic attendances.  Often other activities during this time slot, both inside and outside of the church, take priority over Christians in prayer.  If Christians do not respond for prayer in these regularly scheduled prayer meetings, then why should the National Day Of Prayer seem more significant?  Is an emphasis of prayer ON THIS ONE DAY (actually one mere hour) not actually simply to assuage our consciences?  Is it not a token?  Is it not merely perfunctory lip service?  Is this not indicative of the Lord’s warnings that “You have a form of religion but deny the power thereof.”  Sunday night services are cancelled by many if not most churches today.  (I have always wondered what those preachers do on Sunday nights).

I would suggest we need a national week of mourning over the ineffectiveness of the National Day Of Prayer.  We all know the spiritual plumbing stated in the often quoted II Chronicles 7:14.  The verse is very true and it would work if employed.  We quote it but we do not live it.

2 Chronicles 7:14 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁴ 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.

King James Version (KJV)Public Domain

The church has been out to lunch for well over a generation.  Most of us are familiar with revival NOT through experience, but only through what the  scriptures and history books tell us.  What does the church need to do?

1)We need to pray fervently…and not for just a day or for one hour within that day.  We need to pray without ceasing.  (I Thessalonians 5:17)

2)We need to humble ourselves, fast and mourn for this sin sick nation.  We should weep because the Lord has taken the great fearless preachers home (Jerry Falwell, Adrian Rogers, Dr. D. James Kennedy) and there are few if any who boldly proclaim God’s truth in the public arena.  We need to pray for the Lord to raise up other spiritual leaders.

3)We need to repent.  The doctrine of repentance is omitted from our pulpits today.  Without repentance, one cannot be saved.  (Luke 13:3,5)  Fornicators brazenly stride in the aisles of today’s church without remorse.  People live together outside of holy wedlock without shame.  Consciences are seared, as many lost souls have convinced themselves that somehow they are Christians.

If the body of Christ would do the above together, churches would become united, souls would be saved, laws would be changed, the community would be touched, and His presence would be felt.

Until if/when this happens, we will continue our slow descent into the abyss.

Pray For Revival In America.  Jesus Christ Is Our Only Hope!

Sharing The Gospel/Soul Winning ~ Quotable Quotation

“The problem with pastors today is that they are like doctors.  They do not make house calls anymore.”    ~    Jerry Falwell

McGregor Baptist Church, Ft. Myers, Florida Baptist Convention

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Is this true?  While teaching a class on soteriology (the study of the Savior and salvation) last week, I canvassed the class of 8-10 students with the following question:  When was the last time that ANYONE came to your door and shared the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ?  The answers were unbelievable and told volumes about the anemic state of evangelism, the community and the local church.

The question was NOT when was the last time someone invited you to church, it was when was the last time someone brought the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to your home.  The answer:  People from Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormons were frequent visitors over the decades but they brought their cult beliefs, and distortions of Christianity.  The entire class said that no one ever came to their door with the Gospel and explained to them how to become saved.  There was one exception:  A senior lady said she was visited by one with an evangelical flair who shared the plan of salvation in 1950!  It must have had a real impact on her in order to remember this for sixty five years.  In my case, I received a visit or two from Independent Baptist Churches who shared the Gospel many years ago in Virginia.  A local large Southern Baptist Church where I live now, sent out a FAITH team [FAITH is a witnessing strategy that presents the Gospel in a particular way, incorporating a simple testimony and specific scriptures] after we visited their church.  They talked about their church and invited us again, but did not share the plan of salvation.  (In their defense, they may have thought that since I was a pastor,  there was no need to share Christ, however, I would have respected them more so if they did).

Since we seem to compartmentalize our faith and “witness” only while in church, perhaps we need to focus on a powerful quotation by Francis of Assisi:

“Don’t go to preach unless you preach while you go.”

There is no substitute for grassroots one on one evangelism.  Marketing, methodology and events are all majoring on the minor.  There is no substitute for church leaders visiting the homes of the lost.  Picking up where Jerry Falwell left off, he finished by saying:  “…when the local minister visits the home, shares the Gospel and has prayer, where are these folks going to go when adversity strikes their family?”  Well said Jerry.

I honestly believe that the Mormons, Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses often display more zeal for a lie, than blood washed born again Christians display for the truth, life and the way.  (John 14:6)

Pray For Revival In America

The Silent Church

Are Christians Who Hold Traditional Beliefs Unwelcome To Work At HGTV? HGTV Yanks The Show After Activists Complain About The Beliefs Of Christian Co-Stars the Benham Brothers. Here is what led to the show’s cancellation– remarks by David Benham’s on September 6, 2012 during the Janet Mefferd Show:

“…if 87 percent of Americans are Christians and yet we have abortion on demand; we have no-fault divorce; we have pornography and perversion; we have homosexuality and an agenda that’s attacking the nation; we have adultery; we have all of these things, I mean, we even have allowed demonic ideologies to take our universities and our public school systems while the church sits silent and just builds big churches.”

“There is an agenda in America that seeks to silence people who disagree with it. Christian beliefs are especially targeted. It begins with Christians.” David Benham on the O’Reilly Factor.

Gay activism is what silenced these Christian brothers. These activists want to silence any Christians who oppose them. The radical left wants to shut down anyone with whom they disagree.

Does this infer that gay activists are stronger than the church? Well, yes, right now, given the fact that the Christian Church seems to be in retreat and is not being the “salt” that she should be. The church however, if she did God’s will and became active in our culture would once again pave the way for decent family values, integrity and ethics. I do not see the courageous leaders to pave the way on the horizon. Hopefully God will raise up leaders who can stand in the gap. A great vacuum seems to have been left after the passing of two spiritual giants who spent there entire careers challenging our culture based on the Word of God:
1) Jerry Falwell– Pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church and president/founder of Liberty University, both in Lynchburg, Virginia. 2) Dr. D. James Kennedy– Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Pray for the effectiveness of the church in this sin sick nation. Most people are lost and have no idea that we are ripe for judgment. Pastor Steve

The Theology Of Rick Warren And The Purpose Driven Movement

Nearly two years ago, a member of our church noted that pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback church made a statement in an attempt to consolidate Islamic and Christian relations. Warren said: “….we both believe in the same God.” These unbelievable statements are a trademark in his ministry. He wins many over by saying: “I am just a regular guy.” Others sympathize with him as well we should, over the recent tragic loss of his son. But these issues have absolutely nothing to do with the faulty theology that comes from his ministry. Why does Mr. Warren not tell Muslims that Mohammad needs to be saved through the blood of Christ? What an opportunity to do so. If the cross alone saves (Acts 4:12; John 14:6), then why does Mr. Warren not play the role of a Christian evangelist and share the Gospel with Muslims rather than compromise with them? Following is my response to our parishioner who asked me my thoughts about Rick Warren. If you are interested in further information, simply Google pastor Rick Warren and you will see endless information associating him with the New Age Movement, universalism, compromise, Chrislam (the path to one world religion) and much more. Many in Christendom are offended by this type of information. Truth vs. deception means more to me than anything, and my understanding and accepting truth means more than friendship with anyone. Henry Clay said: “I would rather be right than president.” You can judge one better by their enemies than by their friends. By the way, Jesus said we would have enemies (of the cross) and He said to love them. “To be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God.”

Warren has vacillated with the themes of universalism, homosexuality, relationship with Robert Schuller, salvation, and many other important Christian themes ever since he has been in the public eye. I would expect him to deny all these things because if he did not, he would immediately lose all credibility. I dialoged with a Purpose Driven Church (PDC) Public Relations (PR) man, Gilbert Thurston, several years ago and I never cared for his answers defending the PDC movement. David Hunt of the Berean Call (TBC), John MacArthur and Phil Johnson (Grace To You), Gary Gilley, Paige Patterson (a great leader and theologian), James Sundquist (author of Who’s Driving the Purpose Driven Church), Noah Hutchings of Southwest Radio, and most recently Jack Van Impe have all exposed Rick Warren and his teachings. I spoke to Paige Patterson personally and he told me tactfully at a meeting in Sarasota “that there were major concerns about Warren’s theology.” If you Google him and study him for a couple two or three hours, you will observe that the theologians who are erudite in the Word question his theology and expose him. Study him. Have you EVER heard Charles Stanley, John MacArthur, Chuck Swindall, Adrian Rogers, Johnny Hunt, Jerry Falwell, Jerry Vines, Hayes Wicker, David Jeremiah, Max Lucado, Jack Van Impe, Dr. D. James Kennedy, Franklin Graham, etc., etc. questioned and suspected in such a way? No. There is no conspiracy against Rick Warren. His theology and public statements often go against the grain of our faith. He says on page 220 of the PDC book: “…anyone can be won to Christ if you discover the key to his/her heart.” A fellow pastor said to me about that statement: “Well, what is wrong with that?” I told him it was an apostate statement. I do not look for keys. I share the Gospel and the Lord “has mercy upon whom He will have mercy.” Couldn’t Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, find the key to the Rich Young Ruler’s heart? What an apostate statement, diametrically opposed to the Bible, making salvation man centered rather than God centered. [Mr. Warren: Please note that Jesus said to repent (Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:3,5) and be born again (John 3:3). THIS IS AN ACT OF GOD. Salvation has absolutely nothing to do with finding keys to people’s hearts. If his understanding of salvation is skewed, then the whole of his theology is convoluted as well.] His ministry is replete with these things. The key is this: Where there is smoke there is fire! I have noticed that everyone who is a bonafide and sound Bible theologian questions and suspects Warren. The masses follow him. I have never trusted him nor did I ever finish the above cited PDC book he wrote. Look at him on Google. He has a section called New Age and many other questionable headings. You will not find that with Charles Stanley. Again, please feel free to forward this if you feel led. God bless, Pastor Steve

The Boy Scouts Of America……………….latest on the bubble

Perhaps by the end of today we will know if the B.S.A. will accept and condone sodomite members and scout masters. Our enlightened president has endorsed this. Unless there are several born again Christians in leadership capacities in scouting, I would expect this further indictment of our nation’s immorality to pass.  I wonder if our president had a son who knowingly had a homosexual scout master, if he would allow him to go with him on an overnight camping trip? The Christian Church is either silent or simply capitulating to this abomination which has swept our land. A former voice of opposition decades ago was the singer Anita Bryant. Anita was slandered and vilified for her stand, and compromised to a “live and let live philosophy.” Anita did not realize that she was entering Satan’s lair and expected everyone to rally behind her. She did not count the cost of taking a firm stand for God. Another prominent voice in opposition was that of Jerry Falwell who has the hide of a rhinoceros. Jerry would still be voicing the truth today if the Lord did not already take him home. Jerry Falwell always wore slander from ungodly people as a badge of honor (Matthew 5:10-12, II Timothy 3:12). What a shame that more believers today cannot do the same! Yes, one with God is a majority. …..”broad is the way that goes to destruction, MANY go thereof. Narrow is the road to the kingdom, there be FEW who find it.” Pastor Steve

Fallen Man’s “Trinity” — “Lady Luck, Mother Nature, and Father Time”

The eastern seaboard recently suffered from an earthquake which centered in Mineral, Virginia and affected a massive area including Maine, Georgia and Illinois. Right on its’ heels was hurricane Irene which caused tremendous destruction in the coastal states from the Carolinas to New England. The especially destructive tornado in Joplin, Missouri, and others throughout the south seem like ancient history. Republican presidential candidate, Michele Bachmann, made a statement that the secular world thought was rather peculiar. I will never forget her statement. She opined that these destructive weather phenomena could be related to God’s judgment on our nation, and upon our sins. The rapid counterattack that I observed on my Yahoo home page painted her into a corner with Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell’s comments after 9/11/01. She is labeled as a religious fanatic by the press for believing that God has the audacity to intervene in the affairs of men. The secular world has less awareness of God’s involvement in the weather than my insurance company which labels major catastrophic events as “acts of God.” Well, SHOULD the Christian believe that God intervenes in the affairs of men, particularly through weather patterns? Maxwell House is good to the last drop. We are quick to quote II Chronicles 7:14 as we seek revival in our decrepit nation, but let us focus on the verse immediately preceding it. II Chronicles 7:13 “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people…..” God intervenes in EVERY way and orchestrates absolutely everything together as He accomplishes His perfect will. Lost souls have no idea of this whatsoever. Let us focus more specifically on the mindset of a soul without Christ. Because of their rebellion against God, here is what they say about God’s spokesmen: Hosea 9:7-9 “…the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God. They have deeply corrupted themselves…” So the next time a worldling persecutes you, YOU HAD BETTER THANK GOD, “for so they persecuted the prophets before you.” I cannot help but laugh every time I hear a news anchor ask the weatherman “What kind of weather do you have for us today, Roger?” The Creator of the universe and the One in charge of everything is totally nixed from the equation. More attention is given to “luck”, which has no source and makes no sense. And of course it is all right to refer to “Mother Nature” about our weather but never mention the real Source. Amazing, is it not? Man makes himself a fool (Psalms 14:1A “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…”) when he prides himself as an atheist or agnostic, and attempts to understand his existence outside of God. Left to himself man comes up with profound cause/effect reasons for our actions and existence through slogans such as “the fickle finger of fate.” If you are 45 or older you can perhaps recall a few of the banal bumper stickers whereby people revealed that they saw no real purpose for our existence: 1)”S___ Happens.” 2)”He Who Dies With The Most Toys Wins.” [Wins what?] 3)”Life Is A B____ And Then You Die.” (You fill in the blanks) Profound stuff, eh? The Bible says that “the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world.” It also says that “the carnal (lost) man cannot understand the things of God, for they are foolishness to him.” It takes an act of God called the new birth (John 3:3), to wake up fallen man and give him an understanding of spiritual reality and his purpose in life. Blessings, Pastor Steve