This past Easter 2014, the attendance at Central Christian exceeded 50,000. This includes our satellite churches and our prison ministry. Our family began attending in 1981 when the average attendance was 450 on Sundays. As we changed from a traditional church to being evangelical, the attendance rapidly began to increase. In 1991 it was decided that we had to have a larger sanctuary and pursued buying 80 acres. We learned two things: We would see Satan at work and God allowed us to see supernatural events occur that we felt were impossibilities to complete.

Our first service on the Russell Road property was held on October 1995. It was held under the sun on a temporary stage with 3000 people in attendance. The service ended with 96 people being baptized in two horse troughs. It was the largest number of baptisms on a single day in Central’s history up to that time. Some of those being baptized were people many would never have expected to confess their belief in Christ. They were men and women from every walk of life. Some were students, real estate salesmen, cocktail waitresses, cops, lawyers, carpenters and plumbers. Some men from the Henderson city government were in attendance and one well-known attorney, whose reputation for toughness was legendary, was baptized with his wife. Had they not witnessed, they may have had trouble believing it had happened.

When we started our building it was apparent Satan was certainly opposed to what was taking place and would do his best to interfere. It appeared Satan would enlist the help of those who were open to being obstructionists causing setbacks and project delays. Some of the criticism came from outside and inside the church.

There were communication breakdowns with the architect who, it was discovered toward the end of construction, had forgotten to put lights in the chapel and the rotunda stage had to be redesigned after most of it was already built. One of the subcontractors ran into cliche (hard-pan) when digging a trench for utilities and attempted to cancel his contract. Another threatened to sue the church for changing what we had planned to do after he had purchased materials. The electrical contractor lost most of his experienced workmen when they quit and went to work for one of the large casinos that was pushing for early completion and was paying overtime. This caused a number of wiring mistakes and took months to correct and resulted in more threats.

Our design team failed to provide for a cross. I heard complaints that our leadership was watering down the gospel or were we ashamed of Christ. A number of us made sure that a cross was erected on a mound outside the building.

For many years, Central partnered with a number of evangelical churches in the Las Vegas valley. It probably was at its best during the Billy Graham crusades in 1978 and 1980. It came as a surprise when in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s Central became a growing target for criticism from some of the other evangelical churches in the valley. The criticism was: Central is preaching a feel good gospel and you won’t hear a message on sin in that church.

Mary and Roger were asked to organize a prayer group. The team met regularly for the next ten year and over those years a number of people joined through periodic twenty-four hour prayer vigils. There is no way of knowing how the prayers of this team of hundreds of people impacted what took place over those years. But we saw a number of supernatural things that in human terms were inexplicable. One thing we do know, our church could never have moved from Mojave Road in Las Vegas to Henderson on its own resources. Central was either the luckiest church on earth or there were an incredible number of fortunate coincidences…or, God was active through the prayers of people.

Before we could build we ran into a number of problems. We had to comply with the federal Endangered Species Act, in place since 1973. What sort of endangered species could be on our 80 acre parcel of land? The former gravel pit had a ground water problem three feet below ground. Thousands of cu. yds. of dirt had to be hauled in. There then was a matter of flood control. The property was constantly flooded and a concrete channel had to be built and two bridges over the Pittman Wash channel. Then the City of Henderson required we sell them 24 acres to build a sports complex to accommodate six major league baseball franchises with spring training facilities. Which never was built.

If you have been going to Central for a short period of time you may believe the 150,000 sq. ft. building just appeared one day. For those of us who went through the finding of property and building the church allowed us to see how Satan operates and how God came to the rescue. Each of us came through the process with an increase in faith that God had a purpose for His church. That mission was to reach those who were unchurched in Las Vegas and help their lives be changed by accepting Christ as their Savior. We also estimate that at least 50,000 have also been converted through the church’s ministry. There is no doubt that God gave a vision to the Elder Board and the results indicate this is what He wanted the church to accomplish.

Originally, the church had planned to build an auditorium that would seat 10,000. Instead, it is now time to increase our seating capacity to over 4500. Shortly this project will begin and possibly we will be able to see the church and our satellite outreach, on special occasions, reach 75,000. Hopefully, most will come from new converts. Especially if we are getting close to the end times as some predict.

Those outside the church who were critical, we do hear sermons on sin and there are not too many feel good gospel messages. I must admit, there are not too many messages on hell-fire and brimstone, a tool that God uses to destroy the wicked. However, fear of hell is a good motivator but we think God’s love, that none should perish, is even better.

The United States stands in the way of Satan controlling the world through the Antichrist. America will fail, but it will be done from within. America has the potential, through our natural resources of natural gas and oil to have the most powerful military that could keep the world at peace, the most prosperous nation ever and the financial ability to assist every third world nation with food, medical supplies and education.

The Bible continually describes evil people that were possessed by evil spirits. Some rulers and nations became so evil and inhumane that God used other nations to destroy them. Every nation has those types of people existing in every form of life. There are three types of people: those filled with the Holy Spirit, those who are not possessed and those that are possessed by an evil spirit. The one’s we must recognize as being potentially possessed by evil can be our neighbors, movie stars, athletes, teachers, doctors, ministers, business owners and politicians to name a few. Most of us would not want to consider anyone evil but they exist today as they did in Bible times. What about Hitler or Jim Jones and the Guyana massacre? There are millions of possessed people by the fallen angels that were ousted from heaven with Satan.

Those possessed with evil can be very likeable and pleasant, they often lie or exaggerate, they have no feelings of guilt, can be very manipulative, they need to continually be stimulated, they have little empathy for others, often depend on others for their lifestyle, irresponsible, sexually promiscuous and commit adultery, will admit to no wrong and will blame others, their overall behavior is usually unacceptable.

Lucifer, (Satan), and the fallen angels need to possess individuals and often innocently, people open themselves up to being possessed through Ouija boards, dungeons and dragons, spiritual séances plus selling their souls to the devil for fame, power or money as many celebrates have admitted of doing.

Can you name me any area of our society that these people do not participate? We may call them psychopaths and mentally disturbed. (Not that every psychopath is possessed.) However they can be teaching our children evolution and America is a terrible nation. Others could be politicians in it for the money, power and fame. They could also be doing the devil’s work in preparing for the eventual takeover of the Antichrist that ends with Armageddon.

Let’s use the ruler of North Korea as an example. It does not appear he is filled with the Holy Spirit. Would you say he is just a good, moral person making wrong decisions? Or, is he likely to be psychopathic and possessed? There are many good, moral people that have love in their hearts for others and are community active. They just are not possessed by the Holy Spirit or an evil spirit. You can detect them by their actions and behavior. Probably most are in this category. We must be careful that we don’t become another Salem where many were condemned of witchcraft and were killed. There is a difference between being judgmental and recognizing a corrupt person.

For centuries Americans were taught the Bible. No law could be enacted that contradicted the Bible. Many of our leaders in private and government were guided by God and the Holy Spirit. Once we stopped teaching the Bible and outlawing prayer in certain public places some leaders became influenced by Satan and his emissaries. Satan keeps taking more and more control and many of our leaders have accepted his recommendations for living their lives and enacting laws that support his positions. When a crisis comes who are they going to listen to God or Satan? Too many Americans are following the path laid out by Satan and reject the teachings of Christ and ignoring God and His Commandments. This is more evident in Washington, D.C. every day, supposedly the city with the greatest following of devil worshippers. Unless Americans change from being takers to becoming givers and servants, chances are little will change.

We seem to be bombarded by a number of demon possessed people living among us. They are in business to manipulate and take advantage of others. You read in the newspaper or notice on TV crimes that they committed scamming people out of life savings. You never would have expected because of their charm, being knowledgeable and intelligence. If we knew how they lived, we would be more careful in whom we deal with.

However, as Americans we want to believe there is good in everyone. We often are so naïve that we only want to see the good in people. If I were to tell you that a certain politician was possessed and gave many examples to prove my point, the majority would never believe it. It is good that we as a nation are forgiving people as taught by Christ. It can also be to our detriment.

When it comes to election time, we need to be more selective in whom we chose. Satan’s plan is to destroy from within and he could be the one who is making sure that his people get control. It is predictable, based on Scripture, that years from now America will pass its superpower status as many world powers have previously done. It just seems like more individuals are being possessed than in the past 200 years in America. When America’s indebtedness causes it to give up our world’s dominance, then Satan will be able to unleash the Antichrist to become the world’s leader.

The End Times
Daniel 12:1 – 4 – “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

Matthew 4:24 – “News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” Matthew 10:1 –“Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” Luke 10:17 – “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” Mark 16:17 – “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons;”

When the end time occurs, whose side do you plan to be on? Will you be a follower of those possessed by Satan or will you have the Holy Spirit in you? How well have you planned for your future? Is it all about here and now or about the afterlife and eternity?

If you were to ask: “Why was Lucifer and his followers kicked out of heaven?” This might be my reply.

When man was first created and placed on earth in the Garden of Eden, they became so evil that God decided to destroy them by flood and start over with Noah and his family. After time, their descendants gathered in today’s Iraq. There they all spoke the same language and decided to build a tower, under the direction of Nimrod, that would reach heaven. Satan was using Nimrod to prove that one person could rule everyone and bring peace to all and he (Lucifer) should have been God’s chosen one but wasn’t, to rule earth.

Genesis 11:5 – 9 – But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.”

In heaven, from the very beginning, God’s plan was to give the people on earth 1000 years of peace. Before that would take place, they had to learn life without peace and whether to select God’s leadership or their own.

An individual had to be selected that would represent God and rule for those 1000 peaceful years. God chose Jesus Christ to be the one that would bring peace to earth when it was time. This infuriated Lucifer that he wasn’t chosen. As a result, he and his followers rebelled and because of their rebellion and negative attitudes, they were ousted from heaven and were placed on earth.

While on earth Lucifer or Satan still communicated with God and was able to stand in God’s presence. It is my belief that Satan stated he could prove to God that he could rule the people of earth and bring them peace. We are told in the Book of Job that Satan told God, the main reason people were worshipping and following God was because of God’s blessings making them prosperous. This was why Job was tested to prove that He trusted God when all material blessings were taken away and he physically suffered from many sores.

Satan continues to try and prove that he can bring peace to the world and is slowing convincing leaders how this will be done. He will use the United Nations or the European Union to bring about a one-world government. The United Nations was founded to bring peace to the world. Many leaders have been indoctrinated into believing that peace will only come when all people live under the same laws and regulations and will have equal standards of living in order to block any envy that might exist in the hearts of individuals.

Up to this point, none of this can be proven. It is just a suggestion of what one person, the writer, surmises may have happened. It is just a fictional wondering how everything that happened developed.

Scripture is very clear that there will be a one-world government and a one-world religion for 1000 years when Christ rules the earth. Revelation 20:5 – “They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” The Bible also confirms that Satan wants to be able to also be the ruler of a one-world government and religion to prove that he can, but will fail.
It is very evident we are in the process of seeing Satan’s plan unfolding. A radical ideology or theology will change the world when most moral restraints are removed and fanatical teachers and politicians spread their beliefs. A worldwide anti-God movement does exist. This will include the continual teachings of evolution, situation ethics (no absolute rules), moral freedom and self-sufficiency (man is not accountable to anyone), sexual permissiveness (everything is acceptable), and death education (there is no life after death). How much of this will be emphasized as a result of the Internet? For everything positive that the Internet provides there is a ton of potential for evil. But how else was Satan to deceive the world without having the availability of the Internet, TVs and movies to spout his deception and evilness? How long would the world have lasted if all of these inventions occurred 1800 years ago? Are they truly the blessing that most of us believe they were meant to be?

There will come a time when the world is so indebted that there will be an economic collapse. The threat of wars, crime in the streets and the stealing of one’s identity will be so severe that all people on earth will accept any leader who they believe can guarantee peace and an organized and just government. The Bible says there is a person, the Antichrist, who will occur and conceive the world into believing that he is the messiah and a person of world peace. He will be so charismatic and perform supernatural miracles that even Christians and people of all faiths will accept him as the one we can trust to save us.

The world must go through these devastating times, before Christ returns to put an end to the Antichrist’s rule and a chaotic world. It is then that Christ and His followers will live for 1000 years, with glorified bodies, in peace and love for one another. Satan is out to prove to God that he can rule the world and Scripture says God knows he will—temporarily, then the end to Satan.

Again, much of what has been written is based on Scripture but it is somewhat—no more than a possibility.

This coming May 14 Israel will have been in existence 66 years. After the Temple and Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. Jews were killed and the rest were scattered to all nations. Rainfall decreased and the land became a desert. When Mark Twain visited Israel in 1867 He said it was the most desolate place in the world. He related that you could travel for miles not seeing a person.

After the Jews began returning to Israel after World War II rainfall began to increase. They developed an irrigation system and today they export fruits, vegetables and citrus fruits to other nations. Did the land become a desert because of man-made causes, since there was no one living there? Did the rainfall increase because of something man did? Satan must destroy the power of the United States to execute his one-world government. I believe climate change is part of that plan. He also is trying to turn the U.S. into another Sodom and Gomorrah to promote his one-world religion.

Isaiah 27:6 – “The time is coming when Jacob’s descendants will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole earth with fruit!” NLT

Isaiah 62:4 – “Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City” or “The Desolate Land. Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight” and “The Bride of God,” for the Lord delights in you and will claim you as his bride.” NLT

Who will convince you of climate change? Will it be political leaders or the Bible? California is suffering its worst drought in it 153 year history. The mid west and the east coast suffered their worst winter in a number of years. There have been a number of major earthquakes recently. Sunday I listened to four sermons on TV in a row and each minister stated we are living in the end times. I have been reading the Book of Ezekiel and the prophet predicts God’s punishment for their disobedience and then after each prediction Scripture says: And they will know that I am God. The world’s problem is we do not recognize God and live by His commandments.

Deuteronomy 28:8 – 12 – “The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.”

Do you believe that God can make it rain? Do you believe that Jesus caused the storm to cease when He and His disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee? Do you believe God can cause droughts or grant abundant prosperity? Then why would you believe in man-made global warming or climate change?

The United States has potential to be the most prosperous nation we have ever been. We could be so militarily powerful that we could cause complete peace in the world. Financially we could help every suffering nation have clean air, water, the latest medical provisions and spread the gospel to every person.

Here is what our politicians and Satan do not want you to know: Domestic oil output has increase 50% since 2010 and has created work for more than one million jobs. We have imported 800 million less barrels of oil this last year. This means we have saved $100 billion that have stayed in the U.S. rather than giving to foreign countries.

Because of production of natural gas, prices are less than half of what they were in 2008. That is a savings of approximately $125 billion dollars according to a Yale study. Research states that roughly $300 billion a year is coming from new production of natural gas and oil. For example, there are close to 7,000 wells in North Dakota’s Bakken reserves and there could be 100,000 wells. Some have said we have enough natural gas reserves to provide America for the next two hundred years.

If we chose to allow the Keystone pipeline from Canada to the gulf coast we could possible get a gallon of gasoline back to less than $2.00 per gallon. It is estimated more than 10,000 jobs would be created almost immediately. However, President Obama thinks it would be less than a 1,000.

Can you see why Satan does not want the United States to take advantage of our natural resources? If you were a political leader with about one million dollars and knew you could make one-half billion by promoting global warming, would you do so? Remember when Satan tempted Jesus and offered him the world if He would worship him? I wonder: are there any politicians that would accept that offer today if Satan were to offer it. Or what would they be willing to do for money? I believe Satan has deceived a lot of people. As the morality of the world gets worse, Satan will deceive many who are religious to reject God’s Commandments and ways of living. If you don’t see the decaying morality that is happening today, you have not been watching TV or reading the evening news.

I believe we are living in the end times and Satan does not want you to believe it. If you thought that within years the world would end, would you change if you thought there was a slight chance you could end up in hell? If everyone believed we were at the end, we would not have enough churches to handle the crowds. Satan—the great deceiver! He wouldn’t want that. Presently, he is preparing the Antichrist to take over and rule the world and we are submissively allowing it to happen in order to be politically correct.

The Obama administration had given Israel and Palestine until April 29, 2014 to reach a peace treaty. This past week the Palestine government reached an agreement with the terrorist’s organization Hamas to form a unity government. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu angrily refuses to discuss further peace talks. My prediction: it could be years before this peace treaty happens.

It was believed that from peace talks between Israel and Palestine that Israel would give up the West Bank or Judea to Palestine and they would share the Temple Mount for Israel to build their Temple. Israel would remain in control of Jerusalem. Some believed the agreement would be temporary for seven years as prophesied by Daniel because Palestine wants part of Jerusalem for their capital and Israel would not agree at this time. It is believed that the Book of Daniel states that the Temple would be built during the first three and half years, once the agreement was reached, and then the Antichrist would break the treaty and the Jews remaining on the West Bank would be killed. Three and a half years after that would be the War of Armageddon and Christ returns to end it.

It has been my belief that the treaty with Palestine and Israel would be negotiated by the United Nations and the Antichrist would come from that organization. The United Nations would agree on a peace settlement allowing for two countries to exist and Israel be allowed to build their Temple and the two governments would be politically forced to accept. This would still be a seven year agreement as described by the Prophet Daniel. We are fairly certain that when the Temple is built and animal sacrifices take place, the Antichrist will force Israel to stop and the Antichrist, with United Nation backing, takes over and determines what happens from then on.

I was having a problem with Israel and Palestine reaching a peace agreement at this time. The Bible indicates there will be a one-world government and a one-world religion.

Revelation 13:1 – 2 – “The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon (Satan) gave the beast (Antichrist) his power and his throne and great authority.” The Antichrist seems to have the backing of nations such as a leopard-Germany, a bear-Russia and a lion-England that make up the United Nations.

In the Book of Daniel he gives a similar description. It is believed the Antichrist will have passions and instincts of a beast along with the intellect of a genius. The Apostle John gives a vision of the Antichrist that will have tremendous control and power that will run an evil world system. He will have total power and can do as he desires. He will become so powerful that opposing him would be futile. All nations on earth with serve him. Only those who have his mark on their bodies will be able to buy and sell in the world’s economy.
Many in America are leaning toward seeing this happen. Their belief is that everyone on earth can become equal. There would be a redistribution of wealth. There would no longer be wars. Everyone would have to abide by the same laws and rules. He will not only be the head of government, he will be the government, speak for it, think for it and decide for it. The Antichrist, from the Jewish Temple, will announce that he is god.

The Antichrist will seduce the world by imitating Christ’s resurrection. Many will accept him as the Jewish messiah who is here to rule the world. He will be able to duplicate miracles that Christ performed. He will give the world everything the Jews believed Christ should have done but didn’t. They believe he is the one that will bring total peace to the world.

John wrote in Revelation that the Antichrist will copy Christ to the point that even grounded Christians in faith and are knowledgeable of Revelation could be easily deceived. The temptation to believe in this leader will be great. Nations will implement his laws and policies. Seducing spirits will inspire the arts, philosophies and sciences. People will think the Antichrist is the greatest benefactor the world has ever known.

The Antichrist will be given three and one-half years to do anything he wants and he will be totally against the church. Mark 13:14 – “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” The abomination of desolation is the Antichrist standing in the Temple saying he is god.

Can you see why I questioned whether Israel and Palestine would reach a peace agreement as the Obama administration had predicted? There are just too many things that must happen prior to this occurring and it will only be done by the United Nations. If our administration knew the Bible and believed it, they could have spent time on others things than trying to force Israel and Palestine to obtain an agreed upon peace. It will happen but only as Scripture predicts. Therefore, if my predictions are correct, there will be some time before we see Armageddon. That does not mean there will not be wars between nations in the near future. Just that Armageddon, the end, is further out.

If you believe in a pre-Tribulation rapture, Christ could come at anytime to take His church. He could come before all of the above takes place. Scripture tells us we are to live a godly life until He comes. If you knew Christ was coming next week would there be anything you might want to change?

I Thessalonians 4:16 & 17 – “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” Rev. 1:7 – “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” Matthew 25:13 – “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Matthew 24:36 – “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Matthew 24:42 – 44 – “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Until an individual reaches the age of accountability they are deemed innocent. A Jewish boy became an adult when he reached the age of 12. He then had to obey the obligations of the laws. When Jesus was 12 he had a thorough understanding, according to Scripture, of what God required. At that age, he was at the temple hearing and asking questions of the religious teachers. Jesus had determined His unique relationship to God. We assume it was then that Jesus discovered, for sure, who He was. The fact that He was the Son of God; He was a perfect child and obedient to His parents.

How was it that Jesus was able to live a life without sinning? It all starts with love. The more you love and respect someone the more you want to please them. Jesus, as a child, had received the Holy Spirit. He had a special relationship with God and communicated directly. Christ worshipped His Father God. His love and respect for God was so great that He was willing to do whatever God’s will was. Christ had to know the following Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:12 – “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” This Jesus did.

A person who falls in love and has a tremendous respect for another wants to do whatever it takes to please them. It seems like a person can die out to their self-centeredness, at least temporarily, in order to worship the one they love deeply. What God was asking of the Jews is what we may be willing to do to the one we love. We are willing to love, serve them, and walk in obedience to meet their needs with all of our heart and soul. God knew that love was the motivator that could change man’s motives and behavior. This is why I believed He commanded that we love and worship Him and others as ourselves. Otherwise, man’s carnal instincts would control him and life on earth would be as unbearable as it was prior to the flood.

Romans 6:1 – 7 – “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.”

How can we live without sinning? If we follow the two greatest Commandments found in Mark 12:30 – 31 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

We do not have the self-discipline or the love relationship with God that Christ had. But it was His love and compassion that kept Him from sinning. The more we love and worship God, the less we will yield to temptation. The one thing that can block love is self-centeredness. True obedience comes from one’s heart. If we are capable of giving our heart to God we will be set free from sin.

There are estimated millions who have had near death experiences. They were pronounced dead and then came back to life. It is believed that the Apostles John and Paul had a glimpse of the afterlife as well. Steven, the first Christian martyr, received a vision of heaven. He said: “Look I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” The book; “Heaven Is For Real” tells about a four year old having a similar experience. What they tell us is they come back with a different understanding of love and the importance of serving others. They see the two love Commandments in action about how love changes how a person’s perspective of life changes. Maybe if every one of us had a chance to see heaven we would become more disciplined and obedient to God’s will and ways and sin could be controlled. This is why we are told to die out to self. This is not easy. But at least we know it is a heart filled with love than can stop us from sinning.

The reason I am bringing this information to your attention is we as Evangelistic Christians believe an afterlife as described by the Bible is under attack. If these near death people can meet people in heaven who died prior to their birth and return to tell all about them, should they not be believed? There are others who tell of an experience in witnessing hell. One near death experience person came back to life and told his doctor don’t let me die. I must get out of this hospital and get my life right. If an afterlife experience can cause an atheist doctor, who witnessed hell and converted to Christianity, would that help you to believe that there is an afterlife as the Bible teaches?

An afterlife or near death experience tells us they are able to hover over their body below and see and hear what is being done and said. They see a bright light and the end of a tunnel.They relate of being surround by complete peace. They then either meet others who are in heaven or hell. Those visiting hell tell of demons, heat and terrible smells. Those visiting heaven tell of a family and friends reunion. They most often do not want to return. Those who go to hell want to return immediately. An experience like they have had helps them to live without sinning.

A Christian friend of mine that I have known for 35 years had accumulated wealth. His wife was a CEO for a corporation and they seemed to have everything. Their children were doing well and they seemed to have had every need one could want, met. He confided in me that he feared having a Job experience. It seemed to be on his mind too often. Let me give you some background on the Bible’s story of Job.

Satan came before God and claimed Job trusted God only because of the wealth God had allowed him to have. God allowed Satan to test Job by destroying his children, all of his livestock, his servants and his home. He then was covered with painful sores. His wife advised him to curse God and die (Job 2:9).

God allowed Job to be tested because He knew what Job would do but, Satan didn’t. Job had a life of prestige, was extremely wealthy and was a community leader. He had it all. He was a devoted worshipper of God and God had prospered him enormously. However, Satan caused him to fall from great riches to becoming penniless. In addition, he suffered great physical pain as Satan was trying to prove to God that people only worship Him because of God’s many blessings and prosperity.

When nothing remained for Job, he had a conversation with God. Job’s love of God never wavered through it all. He developed an even greater relationship with God. Job’s story, at that time in history, people believed that good people prospered so what sin had Job committed? If this were true, everyone would want to become a Christian and Satan’s belief would be correct. People worshipped God to become properous and

There is only one religious leader who died and came back to life and that was Jesus Christ. As many as 500 people witnessed seeing Him after His death and resurrection. His disciples saw Him rise into the clouds as described in Acts 1:8 – 11. A day is coming when He will return the same way He left, coming from above through the clouds. His supernatural experience of leaving this world provides evidence that what Christ taught we can believe, that He was the Son of God.

It is difficult for many to believe that Christ died and came back to life. The Bible tells us the apostles at first did not believe. Prior to death Christ had a body the same as any one of us. However, He came back with a different body and initially He was not recognized. God will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body when Christ returns the second time (Phil. 3:21). We are told that we will have a body that will last through eternity. We will be recognized but if we were ugly and scarred, we will be given a perfect body pleasing to the eye. I doubt if it will have tattoos on it!

When Christ returns to earth to rule for a 1000 years not only will our bodies not be the same but the earth will be different than it is now. “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.” Rev. 22:3 – We are told that earth will become perfect and a utopian paradise like the Garden of Eden. Romans 8:20 – 21 – “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”

Why should a child of God fear death? Many do not feel comfortable in believing they have been saved and have been forgiven. It isn’t unusual for Christians to have fear based on past guilt, a feeling of unworthiness or a belief that we probably deserve punishment. In many cases it is a lack of trust in God and possibly we have a devil that wants to defeat us. The Bible tells us that Satan works on people’s fears and tries to deceive us into believing we have not been accepted as a child of God.

Ephesians 1:13 – 14 – “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

Our proof is being sealed by the Holy Spirit. It is our guarantee that we have been forgiven, redeemed and have become adopted into the family of God. If we do not have the Spirit of God within us we do not belong to Christ. And when the Holy Spirit enters us He brings the promise of glory to come. The Spirit is the guarantee of coming immortality, a guarantee of our inheritance and the pledge given to believers by God to assure them that the glory of the life to come, promised in the gospel, will actually happen.

It is difficult to overcome legalism. Many believe you must work your way to heaven. Do we feel like we have lived up to God’s standards? We must sincerely rely on the promises of God and never on our feelings, which can deceive us. We must accept we are saved by faith and not of works.

I Corinthians 15:51 reads: “Listen, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.” And verse 55: “Where O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?” Physical death can be our doorway to heaven where our spirit and soul shall live with God, Christ and positive-loving people forever. Should we be fearful to walk through death’s door? Not if we have accepted God’s promises.

God tells us there will be a time when the world, as we know it, will end and a different new world will exist. Those of us who believe in God and the Bible want to know what we might expect when the end happens and what will this new world be like. Isaiah 11:10 – “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.” Christ will reign and all nations will live in perfect peace and live according to His ways. I certainly do not dread the end times regardless how bad they will be. I am looking forward to living throughout eternity in a resting place that will be glorious with Jesus in charge rather than living with Satan and his emissaries who are running this place.

This new world will not be boring. King David, Washington, Einstein, Edison, Ford, and others made a difference. Don’t you think God can create things we could only dream about? God created the enjoyment of marriage. He will do whatever it takes to keep us happy with peace and joy in our hearts. Some of us will die and go to Heaven where God has had years to prepare mansions for us to enjoy. Others will be caught up into the air and return with Christ to populate the earth under His control. He will be able to control the weather as He did on the Sea of Galilee. We will have an economic system that will be fair to all. We will have jobs and responsibilities. We will be given new immortal bodies that will never get sick or die because of how we think, live and what we eat will preserve us.

Revelation 21:1 – 5b – “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

Who ever thought heaven would be boring and there wouldn’t be fun things to do doesn’t know God. I just hate dieing to get there. I would prefer to be raptured and meet Christ in the air with plenty of other Christians, return to an earth that has been uncursed, rehabbed and miss heaven.

No matter how good you are or how well you live it takes more than that to get to heaven. Animal sacrifices were done to forgive the sins of the Israelites in Old Testament times. However, those sacrifices did not forgive personal sins. When a God fearing and obedient Jew died, they went to Paradise or Abraham’s bosom. It was not possible to enter the presence of God unless their individual sins have been forgiven. These God fearing Jews in Paradise had to wait until Christ was crucified and went to Paradise so their sins could be forgiven and they could then enter heaven.

God’s plan was to replace animal sacrifice so that an individual could have their sins forgiven and could immediately enter heaven and into His presence as His child. It could only be done through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

James 2:10 – “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” Any time we break these laws we are guilty of sin and are a lawbreaker. Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” We are all born with a carnal nature but we are not considered sinners until we reach the age of accountability. The Bible is very clear; we cannot enter the presence of God as a sinner, which is why we must be forgiven. Yet, we know that young children who die go to be with our Heavenly Father. Therefore, at the point of accountability everyone becomes a sinner and is no longer innocent, is separated from God and lacks a relationship with Him. Eve, after sinning, asked the serpent, “Why have you done this to me, that I am separated from the glory given to me by God?”

As sinners, the law required that we be punished for our sins. God’s plan was to sacrifice His Son as a substitute for our sins so Christ could pay for our punishment and we could be redeemed and forgiven. Christ had to live a sinless life, without blemish, be sacrificed as a substitute for animal sacrifice, providing a way for forgiven individuals to enter heaven.

II Peter 3:9b – “Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God created every one of us with a purpose. It is our requirement that we seek God’s purpose and direction for our lives. We know the two most important commandments and they are found in Luke 10:27 – “He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” If every person kept these two laws there would be no need for any other laws or a law enforcement agency. In addition, we are to have a personal relationship and be a friend of God.

So that man would not perish, Christ was crucified on the cross, the worst death possible. If a person would believe and accept that Jesus was the Son of God and divine, He was crucified to take the place for our punishment, if we accepted Him as our Lord, believe that He atoned for our sins, we are willing to repent and commit to becoming a new person in Christ, we are born again. Because of Christ’s death on the cross we can be given a new life, inspired by the Holy Spirit that God gives to those saved to help live a holy life as Christ teaches.

Not everyone who believes lives a holy life. Hebrews 12:14 – “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

Isaiah 29:13 – “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” Matthew 7:22 – 23 – “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:13 – 14 – “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.”

Don’t let legalism trap you into thinking that you are to have a performance-based relationship with God. I have seen a number of Christians wear themselves out trying to please God through works. Some have become so frustrated and discouraged that they stopped coming to church entirely.

It is Christ’s crucifixion on the cross and God’s grace that forgives sin and not something we earn. Grace may be defined as God’s unearned favor. It seems like just before a president leaves office he will pardon a number of people. Assume a person was a murderer at age 18 and forty years later the president pardons him. The person may have deserved death yet he was offered a pardon or grace. We all have sinned and our guilt could be punishable by death. But Jesus died that we might live and be our salvation if we accept Him. Therefore, we can accept the pardon, God’s grace to forgive us, or we can turn it down. Grace then is what God does for us that we cannot do for ourselves. So without God’s pardon or grace we would then be left to receive what we deserve as just punishment.

How often have we met brilliant people who have been absolutely unable to comprehend or understand the meaning of grace? According to one survey, 40% of Christians throughout the U.S. believe they will get to heaven through good works. Why is it so hard to understand that we are saved by grace through faith? Many believe living a good moral life and helping others is all that is required to get to heaven. They do not realize that inwardly they have a corrupt heart. Or, there are those who understand God’s grace but do not apply it to how they live.
SO DO NOT BELIEVE YOU CAN WORK YOUR WAY TO HEAVEN.

Scripture tells us, God’s purpose for us is never an afterthought; it was planned prior to our birth. This has always intrigued me. What was God’s purpose for my life? If I knew that, I am sure doing that which I was created to do, would make my life different and more meaningful. I continually searched for the answer. (Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”)

The Bible is very clear that God has a purpose for us and he created us with the abilities to fulfill whatever that purpose might be. Satan has an agenda to keep us from performing what God had intended for us. Satan plants the seeds of insecurity, low self-esteem, unworthiness and even fear to stop us from completing what God intended. He may use parents, siblings, teachers or employers to put us down. It seems he finds ways to discourage and defeat us, but only if we allow it. Most people live lives with God-given gifts that they have never developed or used. What would the world be like if we all sought God’s intended purpose and we used our talents to go with it?

Over the years I have offered employees promotions to management positions. Almost without exception they asked: “Do you really think I can do that?” My answer was always: “If I didn’t think you could do it I would not be offering you the opportunity.” It reminds me when God asked Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. Moses started making all kinds of excuses. It’s as if Moses had no faith or trust in God and he was allowing his perceived inadequacies to limit his potential. Are we any different than Moses? However, God assured Him that He would tell him what to say and promised to guide him in his confrontation with Pharaoh. We read in Romans 9:17 – “For Scripture says to Pharaoh: ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’” There are a number of Scriptures that tell us God has a purpose for both believers and non-believers. God did not want Pharaoh to give in too easily. I have wondered: Is the Holy Spirit given to us to help us fulfill our life’s purpose?

Have you ever wondered if you could overcome the fears you deal with, what are you really capable of doing? The American dream is still available to those who realize that it won’t be given to them; we have to prepare and then earn it. I have read many books on the power of positive thinking. I have studied management principles and went to numerous work-related seminars to improve my skills. The one book that has helped me the most is studying the Bible. Scripture convinced me that I could do all things through Christ with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Bible helped me to deal with my unworthiness, inadequacies, fears, etc. After studying and reading the Bible for years I was convinced God had a purpose for me. In addition, I could expect the help from the Holy Spirit Just as God had helped Moses. I realized my purpose was much different and significantly smaller but, God cared about me as he does you.

I began to understand that if I knew my purpose my life would be more fulfilled. The more I studied the Bible the more I began to realize that my purpose was to develop a Christ-like personality. I had to be a risk taker, be flexible, capable of loving others, be teachable, and become transformational, we must not be stubborn. I had to get rid of negative thinking, being unforgiving, hateful and self-centered.

I began studying God-given temperaments conceived by Hippocrates over twenty-four hundred years ago, divides people into four basic categories which he named Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy and Phlegmatic. Each temperament has both strengths and weaknesses that form a distinct part of his nature throughout life. Each individual is born with a primary and a secondary temperament. It is quite possible for two people classified in the same temperament group to be as dissimilar as a banana and an onion. One may possess a majority of the temperament’s strengths, while the other person exhibits a majority of its weaknesses. Two children born with the same primary and secondary temperaments raised in different family environment can be completely different even having the same tendencies.

A Sanguine temperament is outgoing and sociable but can be loud and rude. A Choleric personality is decisive and a risk taker but can be also tactless and argumentative. The Melancholy person is analytical and organized while also critical and skeptical. A Phlegmatic are patient and people oriented, but they are typically timid and indecisive. A Melancholy probably would not be a successful salesperson and a Sanguine probably shouldn’t become a CPA. If there secondary temperament was one of these and the primaries were changed, they could then be a salesperson or a CPA.

My temperaments indicated that I could be a leader and people oriented. My original career goal, prior to college, was to become a CPA. It did not take me long into accounting to know I did not have the temperament for that and switched to business management. We must understand our basic temperaments cannot be changed and are God given. We often find people who dislike their jobs are because their temperaments do not fit what they are doing.

One thing I learned was the importance of preparation that the Apostle Paul continually stressed. It was the key to success. I learned the seriousness of trusting in God’s promises. I became aware that the Holy Spirit was given to us that we might have confidence and comfort in what we were doing, a guiding hand to do it well and to know when we were fulfilling God’s purpose in our life. God had opened doors through which we could chose to enter. Yes, there were times that doors slammed shut and probably kept me from going in the wrong direction.

I also learned that there were many things I could do that would fulfill that purpose. If I found a mate that had temperaments that supported my temperaments’ strengths and not my weaknesses it should be a happy marriage. Marry a person that brings out your weaknesses and things probably will not work well together. I made the right choice.

My experience working with thousands of people is those who discover their purpose and their temperaments seem to live a more fulfilled life and Christians appear to become more spiritually mature by feeling they are using the talents that God created them to use.