Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

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January 2009 Issue

Billy Graham: the Spokesman for New Evangelicalism
Jan 1st, 2009
Art Sadlier
Uncategorized

Raymond Teachout makes the following correct assessment of Billy Graham's ministry.

"Billy Graham has had much fruit for his labour. Even from a casual knowledge of his ministry and his preaching, one cannot miss his advancement of a more unified ecumenical global church. This ecumenism is based on the inclusive gospel which he has embraced and which he has been propagating for decades, whether through his crusades or through the institutions he has set up. His biggest influence on evangelicalism as a whole is to have substantially brought down the wall which once distinguished genuine believers from those who are trusting in their sacramental faith to get them to God. As this wall is taken down, the greater 'unity' being formed is based on an inclusive gospel. It is not the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is exclusive, absolute and through faith alone.

The very fact that Graham has preached an inclusive gospel has caused great confusion in the ranks of the faithful. Even most who oppose Graham's ministry have missed the real issue. The issue goes far beyond the problem of a lack of separation. It deals with the very basics of the gospel. Some and maybe even much of what Graham has to say is biblically accurate. But when you hear him through, his message as a whole turns you away from the gospel of Jesus Christ unto another message ... the sting-less message of evangelical inclusivism."

In his press release of December 8, 1957, Dr. Ockenga outlined the "organizational front" which would win the respect of liberalism and defeat the grungy forces of fundamentalism. He outlined the organizational front of the New Evangelical movement after listing the first five points he said....  "Sixth, there is the appearance of an evangelist, Billy Graham, who on the mass level is the spokesman of the convictions and ideals of the New Evangelicalism."

Billy Graham has dominated the Evangelical scene for over fifty years, and his influence has dominated evangelicals.

William Ashbrook stated, "Every fundamental pastor has faced the fame of Billy Graham. Newcomers attracted to the church ask the pastor, "What do you think of Billy Graham?" Woe to the pastor who has a negative hint in his answer. If he dares to question the famous evangelist's associations, positions or policies, he is immediately dismissed as unloving and non-evangelistic. Many fundamental churches would be twice their size if they only went along with Billy Graham. Graham's conduct has become the popular norm for evangelicalism, more valued than what the Bible says."

He continues, "I do not want to belabour what everyone already knows about Billy Graham. When he burst upon the national scene in the late 1940's he held positions which would have been shared by Bible believers in every denomination. He believed in an inerrant Scripture, the lost condition of all men, the necessity of salvation through the blood of Christ and the eternal destiny of man in either heaven or hell. He would have shared a desire to be separate from the world, a hatred for the liberalism which had robbed modernistic churches of the gospel, a clear perception of Roman Catholicism as a false religious system, a non-charismatic orientation and recognition of atheistic communism as one of the shrewdest works of the devil. It would be my observation that, in every one of these areas, Billy Graham has moved from orthodoxy to accommodation. The neutralist penchant to be accepted by the world has led to an accommodation to the world's view in every area."

Salvation without the Saviour?
McCall's, in January 1978 carried a five-page interview and story on Billy Graham titled, "I Can't Play God Any More." The theme of the article was to show that Graham no longer held to his dogmatic (Biblical) convictions of the past. For instance, Graham is quoted as saying:

"I used to believe that pagans in far-off countries were lost - were going to hell - if they did not have the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached to them. I no longer believe that."

Graham is also quoted in the same article as saying:

"I believe that there are other ways of recognizing the existence of God through nature, for instance - and plenty of other opportunities therefore, of saying yes' to God."

With regard to Billy's accommodation to Roman Catholicism, in the McCall's article Graham stated:

"I am far more tolerant of other kinds of Christians than I once was. My contact with Catholic, Lutheran and other leaders - people far removed from my own Southern Baptist tradition - has helped me, hopefully, to move in the right direction. I've found that my beliefs are essentially the same as those of orthodox Roman Catholics, for instance. They believe in the Virgin Birth, and so do I. They believe in the Resurrection of Jesus and the coming judgment of God, and so do I. We only differ on some matters of later church tradition." (Quotes from New Neutralism)

In our lifetime we have seen a transition from Philadelphia to Laodicea, from Fundamentalism to New Evangelicalism. We have seen an evolution within New Evangelicalism, First- the Church Growth movement, then- the User Friendly Church,- then the Purpose Driven Church, now - the impending transition to the Emergent Church. This transition has been based on a departure from Biblical instruction concerning what the church is to be, what the church is to do and how it is to do it. The pattern for the Church is clearly laid out in the scriptures. New Evangelicalism violates that pattern.

I believe that New Evangelicalism is the last days religious deception that Jesus warned of in Matthew 24:5, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; (I Speak for Christ) and shall deceive many." I believe that New Evangelicalism is apostasy, God's remedy for apostasy is to separate from it. Failure to separate from New Evangelicalism and New Evangelical Churches and New Evangelical philosophy leads to the perversion of the gospel and the destruction of the Church. If God's people had separated from New Evangelicalism from the beginning it never would have gotten off the ground.

I believe the greatest single issue of the hour for God's people, is separation from New Evangelicalism!

Judgment is Overdue
Jan 1st, 2009
Art Sadlier
Uncategorized

There is a striking parallel between Israel prior to the Old Testament Day of the Lord and North Americans today. Israel had given themselves over to sin and wickedness. Over and over the Lord had pardoned and forgiven them until the day they finally crossed the line of God's mercy and grace. Jeremiah said of them, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved".

Our society has been given over to sin and wickedness, just as Israel in Jeremiah's day.

The other evening I watched a news special about teen pregnancy. Statements were made which revealed much about our society. It was stated that the abstinence campaign was counter productive, that those who pledge abstinence are more likely to become pregnant. There followed a rant which poured scorn upon the whole idea of abstinence. According to this special, 95% of American adults had been involved in sex outside of marriage.

Gay marriage is promoted far and wide. Gay rights trump all other rights. The American President-elect has chosen a homosexual biship as his spiritual confidant. Rick Warren stated that he is opposed to gay marriage but not homosexual partnership. Sodom looks relatively good in comparison to our society.

Fifty million abortions in the last several decades slaughtered children designed by God and precious to Him, in their mother's wombs. The American President-elect voted in favour of live-birth abortion.  These are babies who are aborted and, after surviving the attempted abortion, are killed at birth. 

Today our TV screens are filled with sexual innuendo, sex acts and sexual perversion. Our society is totally given over to wickedness, immorality, drunkness, materialism and every kind of evil.

The Lord said to Jeremiah, "Pray not for this people, neither lift up a cry of prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble".

As I look around me I feel like Jeremiah who said, "Oh, that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daugher of my people".

The World Changes but not the Human Race
Jan 1st, 2009
A.W. Tozer
Uncategorized

"That ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind." Ephesians 4:17

TO A CHRISTIAN, CONDITIONED AS HE is to observing life from above and judging all things in the light of eternal values, the modern feverish devotion to the newest invention and the latest happening seems more than a little ridiculous!
One thing seems to be quite forgotten: the world moves and times change but people remain the same always. Just as a pendulum remains fixed at the top while it swings back and forth from one extreme to another, so the human race remains basically unchanged while it moves through its limited arc.
No responsible person will deny that some changes made by the race over the years have been improvements and so may have represented progress and advance. However, just what we are supposed to be advancing toward has not been made very clear by our leaders!
It would seem humanly difficult, indeed, to show that we are moving toward an end when we do not know what or where that end is, or even if such an end exists at all.
The only parallel we can think of at the moment is that of a deadly-serious and fanatically determined dachshund chasing breathlessly after its tail-a tail, incidentally, which is not there because it has previously been removed. Add a large number of other dachshunds, bespectacled and solemn, writing books to prove that the frustrated puppy's activity is progress and you have the picture!

A.W. Tozer

World Government Waiting in the Wings
Jan 1st, 2009
Art Sadlier
Uncategorized

The biblical last days prophecies given to us in Daniel and Revelation indicate the following scenario; the Rapture of the Church will be followed by the appearance of anti-christ and the signing of the peace treaty see 1 Thess. 5:1-4.  Revelation 17:12 indicates at that point the ten nation Revived Roman Empire will come into being and last a short time, "one hour"-3 1/2 years- until the mid-trib point. Then these ten kings give their power to anti-Christ, the beast of Rev. 13:7 & 17:13. The World Government that we anticipate will not actually materialize until the mid-trib point.

The interesting thing is that if we are seeing the foreshadowing of a world government, and we are, then the rapture must precede it by at least 3 1/2 years. Listen up! The trumpet is soon to sound!

We are seeing signs that the world is poised on the cusp of world government. The nations are now facing problems that are global in scope and can only be solved through global initiatives. There is a global financial crisis which all nations are ready and willing to join together to solve. There is a global war on terror that is bringing the world together in a cooperative effort to stave off disaster. There is a problem of global warming which is bringing the nations together as never before. There is the problem of nuclear proliferation.

As the prophetic scriptures foretell, the EU has been occupied developing the infrastructure for what appears to be a world empire.  Jacques Attali, an adviser to President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, argues that: "Global governance is just a euphemism for global government." As far as he is concerned, some form of global government cannot come too soon. Mr Attali believes that the "core of the international financial crisis is that we have global financial markets and no global rule of law.

For years leaders have been promoting one world government, now the conditions are right for its implementation. Perhaps another crisis or two will finish off the drive, a nuclear exchange or an out of control war in the mid-east. It has been stated that the people and nations who are resisting world government will, when the right crisis comes along, be happy to embrace it.

I believe there is coming  a Global Political Transformation through which we will see the present antagonism and lack of cooperation between nations largely disolve. I believe there are seven factors which will facilitate this change.

1. The Financial Factor ... Time Magazine says we are seeing the complete unravelling of the world's financial system. Though they are careful not to create panic, the world's leaders have clearly indicated that the financial crisis is world wide and only a world agency can solve the problem. They are evidently prepared to accept such authority over them. That equals global government.
2. The Terror Factor ... the drive for cooperation among nations to deal with terrorism is unprecidented. The UN is currently involved in dealing with piracy on the high seas, this is a move to a world police force for which the nations now seem ready. A nuclear terror attack would bring a desperate world together with a desire to impose global authority and take away national rights.
3. The Climate Change Factor ... again the cooperation among nations to deal with this problem is totally unprecedented. This is also a global problem and demands global regulation. Nations are evidently ready to submit to globalization in this area as well. 
4. The Nuclear Factor ... nuclear proliferation now seems about to spin out of control, again only a powerful global authority with the power to impose its will on the nations can solve this monster problem.
5. The American Factor ... we are told by the Obama advisory team that President Obama is planning to address the Islamic world, perhaps from the capitol of an Islamic nation. His goal is to bring about a new cooperation among all the nations of the world. America seems doomed to lose her dominant position in financial matters, it seems the US dollar cannot survive and will be replaced by a new world currency, possibly the Euro. If the American economy collapses, ultimately the mighty American military machine will be starved out of existence. Such a situation would be another open the door for a world government.
6. The Israel Factor ... Today there is one thing upon which the whole world is agreed, in fact the whole world labors under the delusion that world peace and unity are totally dependant on the establishment of the two state solution in the mid-east. This goal has driven the nations for decades now and the drive is reaching  a climax. It seems that only global government can implement and enforce this objective.  
7. The Peace Factor ... in the midst of growing turmoil and unrest the world cries out for peace. If the above this turmoil were to suddenly grow exponentially, it would drive the nations in desperation to surrender to a world government. The scriptures tell us that there is coming a man out of Europe who will deceive the nations with a false peace proposition. Dan. 9:26,27, 1 Thess. 5:3

The stage is being set. Before that man appears on the world stage, the trumpet will sound  and the Bride of Christ will be caught up to be with the Lord. Are you ready?