Halloween -- Should Christians Celebrate?

By Evangelist Stephen Piersall
God’s Preservation Ministry, sfprs.org/

If you have children, grandchildren, or perhaps a teacher, Halloween is hard for you to overlook. There are many different conclusions about whether to celebrate it or not. For some, it is a time for dress-up and candy and an opportunity for fun. That responsibility to decide to participate rests with the adults in the family, not the children. The peer pressure on children is far too great for them to be impartial. There are many who look at the holiday's origin as Pagan and associate it with the occult, and not observe it at all.

Some parents adopt the traditional Halloween practices, while others develop very different alternatives. These alternatives may include fall festival parties where children are encouraged to dress in a particular theme such as positive cartoon or book characters, famous historical characters, or Bible heroes. If you decide to make a major change in the way, your family celebrates Halloween, you may not need to do all the work yourself, or perhaps your local church may have something planned already.

Rather than separate completely from the night's activities, some Christians give gospel tracts along with treats to children who come to their homes and make Halloween an opportunity to witness for Christ. A good friend “Kristine McGuire” has a web site of a unique way a Christian can observe the day.

http://kristinemcguire.com/31-days-of-light-the-pumpkin-challenge/

The Clash of Two Worldviews: Christianity and Paganism

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

"Do not forget that the fundamental contrast has always been, is still, and always will be until the end: Christianity and Paganism, the Living God or the idols." (Abraham Kuyper, 1898)

I believe the Lord has called me to focus on shining the Light of truth on the the diabolical nature of the paranormal craze. However, this is not an isolated phenomenon, and this series is designed to help us to not miss the Pagan forest for the paranormal trees--even though I believe the paranormal is the chief culprit in the spiritual pollution of our land...by opening doors to the demonic in larger numbers than any other aspect of this large New Age umbrella. The more fascinated we become with the spirit realm, the more we open the floodgates to the influx of unclean spirits.

At 57 years old, I am a baby boomer, and our generation which jettisoned the God of our fathers at Woodstock, is hungry for spiritual reality. The pagan baby was conceived in the mid-sixties but was not born until the 1990's. We are possibly in the midst of the greatest threat ever to the Christian Church. As Dr. Peter Jones, professor of New Testament at Westminster Seminary said, "Does the average Christian know what is going on in our ostensibly  civilized society? Pagan ideology, sometimes of the most radical and anti-Christian nature, is taught in university departments of religion, theological seminaries, mainline church agencies, feminist networks and wicca covens across the land. It adopts the name of Christianity, but will render our world unrecognizable. ...if you doubt the success of this revolution (1960's), note the following statistic: in 1994, seventy-one percent of Americans and forty percent of those calling themselves "evangelicals" no longer believed in absolute truth." (Spirit Wars, pg. 35)

The Aquarian nightmare is here, and as Os Guinness said, we are weak at the very points needed to withstand this onslaught from the East. (The Dust of Death ) With absolute truth obliterated for so many Christians, where else can we turn for truth (eg. ethics) except inwards to ourselves and intuition, as ultimate reference points for reality/truth? So, we find ourselves and the Bride of Christ in severe crisis--many of those who say they are bible believing Christians, do not really believe in divinely revealed truth. If anything, the statistics are worse in 2013. If the bible is not really true, then why follow its ethical mandates? Do we have the backbone to discern or disarm the gnostic revival?

Christianity or Paganism.... the Creator and Redeemer of mankind, or goddess spirituality in which  meditation will usher in the dawning of a new era of realizing our inner divinity and a quantum leap in consciousness. This is much deeper than Culture Wars...it is spirit wars, and though we know that Christ will ultimately prevail in the war, He has not promised victory in every battle. American Christians need to wake up. It is time to take what we have learned about worldviews and examine this arch-enemy....which is creeping into our churches. What follows is what might be called the "Creed of the Religious Left." To understand what is happening in our culture, and by God's grace make a difference, we must grasp this occult worldview (Pagan goddess, New Age, Neo-gnostic).

There are numerous anti-Christian worldviews, for example, the old, atheistic and materialistic humanism--but it is moribund. The failure of atheistic Marxism is a classic example of what happens when we do not take into account our incurably spiritual nature as humans....we wither. Religious Liberalism has recognized this....  it realized that it had no satisfactory spirituality, and so shed its old anti-supernaturalism. We all long for some "sacred canopy" which provides a framework for understanding the world as well as a vibrant spirituality.  Liberalism, or the Religious Left, has seized upon this new, occult pagan spirituality. Hence, Religious Liberalism has become intensely spiritual almost overnight...but not everything spiritual is holy. Let us take what we have learned re worldviews and analyze the primary worldview challenge to classical Christianity....and see how they clash.

1. Ultimate Reality--God is not outside the universe; She IS the universe. Instead of two kinds of reality--Creator and creation--there is only one (the creator IS the creation and vice versa). Mass and energy is what it all reduces to. The universe is expanding in consciousness as we evolve.Ultimate reality is poised for a quantum leap forward to utopia. Some form of goddess worship is at the heart of this worldview.

.Eastern thought must be made palatable to western sensibilities, so the radical monism (all is one) of eastern thought has given way to a "soft" monism. The Creator/creature distinction has been obliterated since the creator is co-extensive with the "creation".A pagan goddess spirituality is at the heart of ultimate reality.Lucifer is seen by many as the good force of creation. I have been hammering home the paramount importance in one's worldview regarding what Ultimate Reality is. Two radically opposed ways of understanding God are vying for the soul of America...indeed the world. One defends the truth, and the other a diabolical lie. Genesis 1-3...the cast of characters are reversed. In seminaries feminist theologians (men and women) are consciously re-interpreting the biblical narrative so that it is no longer "patriarchal" in its view of God.

I want to make a paranormal observation here--it is no coincidence that the notion of "residual energy/haunts" originated and flourishes after the collapse of the Christian worldview, and the adoption of an energy-centric worldview. The language we currently use re reality and energy, has made plausible that which is really utterly implausible. Simply put, NOTHING occurs in nature that even remotely resembles what is said to be happening routinely in the paranormal realm--intelligent storing of non-intelligent energy, which then self-summons itself to replay "memories"....acting like an audio and/ or video recorder. The book of Proverbs speaks of the foolishness of autonomous human thought. But such is the power of worldview assumptions, especially when there is a group dynamic.                                                                                                                                                                                          .
2. The nature of reality is not illusory, as in hard-core eastern monism. Rather, the physical universe is real, as is its mirror spiritual realm...both are eternal. The latter is populated with an endless assortment of spirit entities, which are vital to our gaining cosmic consciousness. Getting in tune with the vibrations of the universe (actually infinite universes) is the key to living "in reality." I got an email today inviting me to a mass meditation exercise of 20,000+ folks determined to ushering in a new phase of cosmic evolution for reality. Reality is not created and sustained by an infinite and personal God.
3. The purpose of life is planetary oneness achieved via vibrational changes and visualized meditation. Loving God with all of our being is seen as anachronistic and patriarchal...anathema!!. Rationality is downplayed and true meaning can only be achieved by mystical experience. Gnosis or knowledge of the self as divine is the highest goal or "salvation".
4. Humans are essentially good since there was no Fall in space and time.No original sin. Indeed, understanding our inner divinity is the main hallmark of this pagan spirituality (same old lie as in Eden)Spiritual understanding through meditation and intuition is the only means to "salvation."... Humans beings are divine, as is the rest of the universe. Creational distinctions between male and female are intentionally abolished. "Patriarchy", or male headship in home and church, is replaced with androgyny. Humans are a breed of animal.
5. The source of ethics--is our autonomous mind.(no objective truth revealed from an infinite personal God) Spirit guides play a significant role here as well, as they are said to be the voices of the goddess and the unfolding universe. The notion of absolute truth is denied absolutely in this system...which is self-refuting.
The primacy of experience and intuition in determining right and wrong has displaced the use of reason in studying the word of God. One's mystical experience has become the arbiter of each persons own ethical truth/s. Alternate expressions of sexuality are preferred to heterosexuality.
6. Human beings are seen as divine (instead of made in God's image). We are essentially good with no need of redemption, other than freedom from ignorance of our divinity. Deep differences between male and female are denied.
7. Regarding the afterlife there are some differences...some believe in  reincarnation and others do not. But the consensus is that we are poised to usher in an era on earth that is a veritable garden of Eden. Gnosis (knowledge) of one's divinity is the key to eternal bliss. When we die our souls are freed from the confines of our bodies and we many get "stuck" here...at least for awhile. There is no personal God before whom we stand for judgement.

Observation...emphasis on occult knowledge and experience, naturally leads to interest in necromancy....communication with the dead. EVP solicitation is necromancy and is substantially no different than using a  Ouija board, and just as dangerous. I mentioned this on Facebook the other day and one person tried  to show how they were different. However, they missed my main point--both address the spirit realm and inquire of it. Both give demons the "legal right" to attach and oppress.

Has the CLASH of worldviews become clearer? Not everyone who has, consciously or unconsciously, adopted a New Age worldview embraces all seven of its contents mentioned above. We all have inconsistencies in our worldview (I certainly have). However, in order to make a difference for Christ in our generation, we need to understand this mindset as a coherent system, diabolically empowered for the destruction of humanity. God help us to awaken!  May the Lord renew our minds that we may love Him more deeply and be more effective witnesses for Him in a lost, dark world.

The Nag Hammadi gnostic texts discovered in 1945 in Egypt (not to be confused with the Dead Sea scrolls) have become the sacred texts for this new spirituality.Perhaps we will discuss that next time and why these texts were NOT included in the bible....many are confused regarding this issue. May the Lord bless you!

Visions and the Supernatural

By Lisa Grace

Visions are one of the primary means of communication from God. The Bible makes it clear that in the later days, it is a form of communication God will use. (And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions  Joel 2:28 KJV and Acts 2:17).

What is a vision and how is it different than a dream?

Visions are mentioned in 73 Bible verses in the KJV. Visions have a clarity and can be had while in an "awake" state, or while in a dream state. You feel you are really there. It is literal, not allegorical. Events that will happen. Dreams are full of symbolism, while visions are the future reality.

Visions as a direct form of communication have less room for being interpreted incorrectly. Dreams require in interpreter. While visions maybe of such a far off future that it seems incomprehensible and almost impossible to understand. For instance, if one of the Biblical prophets saw a helicopter flying in the sky. or an airplane dropping bombs, how exactly would he describe it? Or a TV show, or a cell phone? A bullet train, or Siri?

Seeing into the future hundreds/thousands of years makes explaining an event almost impossible, even if you clearly "see" it. We all need references we understand, or there is no way to explain what was seen.

In some ways visions can be less readily understood than symbolic dreams. Yet at times God will choose to communicate in this way.

Why were visions given?

If we examine the events in which the visions occurred, we can see they were given for very few purposes. One is to strengthen the faith of the receiver. In these cases, they are told not to share the vision.  Another reason seems to be that of a warning. The visions are meant as a way of communicating where to go, what not to do, or who to trust.

The last reason is for the viewer to record what he has seen for future generations, and the viewer is told that while he must write down what he saw, it won't be understood until a much later date.

It's important to remember that visions are not for our own edification, but for God's purpose. Prophecy, visions, and dreams are the primary means God chooses to communicate His will to us.

How do we know a vision is sent from God?

Is it serving as a warning, and is it in compliance with the rest of Scripture? If it contradicts the Scriptures, it's safe to say—it's not from God. Any vision would be in support of what is already known in the Scriptures. If you've received a vision, God would clearly send to you the knowledge of what you are to do with the information.

Lisa Grace is the author of the popular Angel Series which is in development for a major movie. You can reach Lisa at: lisagracebooks@yahoo.com

Issue 137 – Chip Coffey Says YET!

By Kirby Robinson

There is a potential for cancellation of tonight's radio show depending upon events in Washington, DC. My ego's not so big to think my humble opinions trump historical decisions. If there is a radio show, it'll be about evil and the Book of Genesis.

News broke yesterday that Chip Coffey had his tighty whities in a bundle and he wanted everyone to know about it.

It seems that a radio show host had the guts to raise questions concerning not only Chip Coffey's psychic abilities, but also those of many other psychics.

What was Chip griping about? Here it is, posted on his Facebook page.

just did a quick guest spot on MSP's KFAN 1003 and host Sludge treated me VERY disrespectfully. Is that the way he treats all his guests? Very unprofessional and uncool!

You'll hear and read different things from the paranormal peanut gallery [folks who think they know everything in the paranormal but can't recall their name unless they check their ID].

Here is what happened..

Chip was in Minnesota hitting the pavement hard trying to sell some tickets due to very sluggish sales. He was desperate to get on any show he could to drum up those ticket sales. Some folks claim he was invited to be on which isn't true. Chip was asking to be on.

The Power Trip is the name of the show. It's on a sports radio station. Here's the website:

http://www.kfan.com/pages/psn_powertrip.html

The show's hosts are known for being shock jock types. Why didn't Chip's spirit guides warn him of this? That question is too simplistic. His PR person was there, as was the rest of his posse, so they should have known what they were walking into.

Here is the interview:

http://www.kfan.com/pages/psn_powertrip.html?article=11735524

On the above page, click the play button to hear it. [Note that the interview reads Chip Cofey]. Chip's interview starts at the 18:49 mark.

Chip was asking to be on.

Chip knew how they felt about him and his profession.

Chip relies heavily on the word YET. Yet is one of the fallbacks that cold readers depend on. Why? Because cold readers will never give you a date. They can't.

Humor is often used as the fraud's defense mechanism. Theresa Caputo also uses it.

A psychic telling a woman she is going to get pregnant is a 50/50 guess. And yes, Chip guesses.

Every man eventually will have prostate issues. How can that be a prediction?

Chip called the man an "ahole" and made quite a scene in the hallway, leaving the office workers gasping at his temper.

Maybe Chip can be Anger Management 2.

Criss Angel Debunks the Long Island Medium

"If somebody's doing that for entertainment purposes, that's one thing. But if they claim to be communicating with the dead, I don't care if they're from my hometown, I don't care if they're my family members: I'll expose them and tell them what they really are," Angel says. "The Long Island Medium is just another charlatan. Any time she wants, we'll put her through a series of tests and I'll offer a million-dollar challenge to her. And you can put that in black and white." Here's the full story:

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/criss-angel-on-his-new-show-believe-it-s-healthy-to-be-skeptical-1.6241144

If Theresa Caputo was the alleged real deal, she could collect $1,000,000. What could she do with that million?

1 Pay Pat Longo for writing her book for her

2 Do $1,000,000 worth of free readings

3 Buy a new house instead of renovating her old one

4 Go on a long trip with her BFF Ron Tebo

5 Give it to the Red Cross

Next week a look into the new shows Snake Salvation and Preachers of L.A.  

The EYE ON THE PARANORMAL wants you as a blogger!

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What Happens During and Before Armageddon and End Times?

Hello my para beauties! I trust you had a amazing weekend and those you love are healthy. I've been asked more to touch on this subject which can get a bit dicey. This is my opinion and interpretation of what I read in the Gospel. So here we go....

Acts 4:12
Those that say the Book of Revelation has already happened base it on the assumption that Nero is the Anti-Christ and the mark of the beast (666) is representative of his name. The problem with that. The first verse of the first chapter " The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants WHAT MUST SOON TAKE PLACE. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John" (Revelation 1:1) This is not a history lesson, but a prophecy. Then there are those who will assume "soon take place" to mean immediately, but the whole book is not an immediate. There are some things that began at that point, and other things that will have to happen at a later date "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." (Revelation 4:1) There are a lot things from that point on that have not happened. The tribulation has not occurred, and Jesus has not returned.


THE EARTH SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE WILL BECOME A GARDEN OF EDEN OR PARADISE WHERE PEOPLE CAN LIVE IN PEACE & SECURITY.

ARMAGEDDON IS SIMPLY GODS WAR TO CLEAN THE EARTH OF WICKED PEOPLE & ALL BAD THINGS THAT EXIST, & PEOPLE WHOSE WORSHIP IS UNACCEPTABLE TO HIM.

Why, though, would God wage a global war? Armageddon is closely related to one of his cardinal qualities, justice. The Bible declares: “God is a lover of justice.” He has seen all the acts of injustice perpetrated during man’s history. This naturally provokes his righteous displeasure. Thus, he has appointed his Son to wage a just war in order to do away with this entire wicked system.

Only God is capable of waging a truly just and truly selective war during which righthearted individuals on earth, will be preserved. And only Almighty God has the right to impose his sovereignty over all the earth, for it is his creation.

What happens to those that survive? No one needs to perish during Armageddon. The apostle Peter observed: “God, does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” And the apostle Paul stated that God’s “will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.”

Consider the good Har–Magedon promises to achieve, godly humanity’s peaceful future on this planet, no more pollution, no more war, no more poverty, no more disease or even death. God promises: “Look! I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:3,4

The one's living in a Paradise Earth will be the survivors of Armageddon, and the one's that will be resurrected & obey the rules that are layed out by Jesus Christ.

Psalms 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. King James Bible

[The Antichrist Covenant Week of 7 Years]

· [21] The Antichrist, also known as the king of the north and the little horn of Daniel—a Syrian and initially a man of peace executes a 7-year treaty with Israel in fulfillment of Daniel 9:27 (see also Dan. 8:23-25; Dan. 11:6, Dan. 11:11-16, Dan. 11:21-24; c/p. 1 Maccabees 1:29). This begins The Antichrist Covenant week of years. God's prophetic clock is turned on, as it has been turned off since the resurrection of Jesus and day of Pentecost. The last 7 years of the age or dispensation of grace has begun (Eph. 3:2).

[For an understanding of the distinctions between Daniel’s 70th week of years and the Antichrist Covenant week of years, please review Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, and the accompanying notes on Daniel 9:24-27.]

[22,23,24 and 25] Jesus opens the first 5 seals of Revelation during the first 3 ½ years of The Antichrist Covenant week (Dan. 9:24-27; Rev. 6:1-11).

1.5 billion [more] people die from: war, famine, plagues and the beasts of the earth [hungry because of the famine (Rev. 6:7-8)].

False Christs [false Messiahs claiming to be anointed] shall arise. There will be wars, rumors of wars, nation against nation [ethnic group against ethnic group] , kingdom against kingdom, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. Jewish Christians shall be called on the carpet for their faith because of the now restored Law of Moses in Israel, which is at peace with the Antichrist, killed, and shall become the most hated people on the earth for sake of the name of Jesus. The Jewish Church [especially] shall be plagued with offense, betrayal and hatred; false prophets shall arise and deceive many; sin shall run rampant and the love of many shall wax cold (Matt. 24:5-12; c/p. 2 Thes. 2:3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Pet. 3:3-4; 1 John 2:18-22; 4:1-3; Jude 3-4; 11-19)

The great falling away in the Church at large prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 gains momentum, as many Christians become offended at God when widespread persecution and killing of Christians increases, and the Church is not Raptured [caught away] before these things begin [see Two Prerequisites for the Rapture from The Thessalonian Letters In Verse Outline; see also The Offended Prophet from Seven Prophetic Pictures of the Rapture for an example of what can happen to God's people when they allow offense to take hold of their life].

· Mystery Babylon of the revised Roman Empire—its religious harlot—secures a lock hold on at least 10 of the governments of the old Roman Empire (Rev. 17) [See Rev. 17:9-10, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline; see also Endnote #28 and 29 on Revelation 17:18, The Chronological Revelation ].

· The gospel of the kingdom is preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then the end comes (Matt. 24:14). [Just as happened in the Book of Acts, it is persecution of the Church that causes the gospel to be fully preached in all the world (c/p. Acts 8:1-4)].

· The Church began as a Jewish church on the day of Pentecost. There will be a latter day ingathering harvest of Jews back into the Body of Christ before the return of Jesus (Exo. 23:14-16, Rev. 6:9-11; c/p. Matt.20:16).

· The great prostituting whore city of the revised Roman Empire—Mystery Babylon—is destroyed by the 10-horn confederacy of revised Roman nations (see Rev. 17:16, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline). The 10 horn / kings of revised Rome then give their power, strength and kingdom to the Antichrist. The revived Grecian Empire is thus formed (see Rev. 17:10-11, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline). [See also, The Mystery of Mystery Babylon Revealed,]

The Rapture of the Church at Midweek

· Between the 5th and 6th seals of Revelation the Church is raptured; it is seen for the first time in heaven in Revelation 7:9, having been "snatched out" of the earth during the great tribulation [literally, the tribulation, the great: the first 3 ½ years of The Antichrist Covenant week]: caught up to meet the Lord in the air (Rev. 7:14; 1 Thes. 4:15-17. See also The Midst of the Feast, and The Body of Christ from Seven Prophetic Pictures of the Rapture).

· Jesus opens the 6th seal: all creation praises the Lord. The rocks cry out! (Luke 19:40; Rom. 8:19-21). All men remaining on the earth know the wrath of God has come—because they can't find any Christians! [see Rev. 6:12-17, The Book of Revelation In Verse-By-Verse Outline ]

I hope I've helped the best I can using biblical text explaining this subject per request of many. It's a lot to take in but we know who wins this battle and we praise his Holy Name. God is in control! We have nothing to fear. Obama or any world issues with any president. God is in control. Not man.

Written By Jennifer L Auld

Bad Bad Thing Saturday ~ Fake Psychic Sylvia Mitchell Convicted

By Kirby Robinson

"A jury found a Manhattan psychic guilty on Friday of swindling two women out of $138,000 in a case that probed the fine distinction between providing an unusual service and running a confidence scheme." Read the full story here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/12/nyregion/greenwich-village-psychic-found-guilty-of-stealing-thousands-from-clients.html?_r=0

 "A 16 year old boy has died from drinking 18 litres of water, which was claimed to possess magical power, during an exorcist ceremony in Songkhla province." Full story here:

http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE1USXpPREE1TXc9PQ==

Do you know of a para-celeb, psychic, ghost hunter, demon chaser, or false teacher who’s eligible for the award? You can take part by sending us a name and why you think they should receive the BAD BAD THING award. Contact freeallspirits@live.com for more information.

Keep current and follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/eyeonparanormal

EARN EXTRA MONEY! If you have a website, forum or blog you can set up an Amazon Associates Affiliate Program link and sell the Kindle version of our books. "Is the Long Island Medium the Real Deal?" [also in paperback!], "Never Mock God: An Unauthorized Investigation into Paranormal State's 'I Am Six' Case" [also in paperback!], "Investigating Paranormal State," "Paranormal State Exposed" and "Paranormal Teachings: The Best of Shedding Some Light" and earn money. You can also sell other books and products that Amazon offers. Here's the link: https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/

The Nature of God and the Greatest Question of All

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

"For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor. 5:21)

I have been accenting the paramount importance of the doctrine of God in our worldviews...how it effects everything. How we view Ultimate Reality has a domino effect on the other six worldview issues. There are several worldviews in our culture, but the one gaining ascendancy is New Age or Neo-gnostic/occult, which we will look at perhaps next time. Obviously, the concept of Ultimate Reality in this pagan goddess spirituality differs significantly from biblical Christianity.

Let me briefly show how the primacy of what God is like effects the other issues, and then I want too camp on what is the most important issue of all--how can I be saved?

1. Ultimate Reality in the bible is the infinite personal God who is really there, and who has spoken to us Person to person in the bible. God is good--meaning He is holy and loving.
2. Since God is both infinite and Personal He took great delight in creating the heavens and the earth, the visible and invisible. (Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:16)
3. Since God is personal, He loves us and desires to be our primary love...He does not leave it to guesswork as to what our purpose in life is--it is stated in His communication to us.
4. The text above speaks of Jesus' sinlessness. Since God is really THERE, and spoken truth to us, we have an adequate basis for ethics. "Be holy because I am holy". (1 Peter 1:16)
5. God is infinite and personal and He made us finite and personal--that is, IN HIS IMAGE. Again, no guesswork as to what humans ARE, because of who God IS! (Gen.1:26ff)
6. We spoke of the three Lordship attributes of God last time (control, authority, and presence) This assures us that the flow of history (and our own personal history) is moving in a meaningful, linear fashion to it's culmination in the Second Coming/restoration. History is the stage upon which God is driving the drama of redemption.
7. The afterlife is, yet again, not a matter of speculation because God/heaven is really THERE. "For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ...",   "...it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement." The moment we die we appear before the Lord's throne, and are sent to heaven or hell for all eternity. (2 Cor. 5:!0; Heb. 9:27) The greatest argument against the notion of trapped spirits is the nature of God (and His perfect atonement). His nature will also reveal in technicolor how we MUST be saved and enter His perfectly holy heaven.

Do you see how the existence and nature of God effects EVERYTHING? If we had the time, I would like to show how Ultimate Reality as energy/matter would "answer" these worldview questions. We would see that it, and all non-biblical worldviews, are utterly bankrupt to provide adequate answers to our deepest questions.

But what of the greatest question of all: how can I know I am going to heaven after death? Though it is not listed as a worldview component, it underlies and is implied in all of seven components--especially the nature of God. Once again, when we ponder our eternal destiny, the nature of what Ultimate Reality is will guide our thinking. For example, in the history of humanity there are three basic answers to that question. Though details may vary in a multitude of ways, we can accurately summarize three basic views of salvation--which (not surprisingly!) flow from one's view of Ultimate Reality. Let's look at these now.

1. Auto-soterism or self-salvation...otherwise known as Pelagianism (named after the heresiarch, Pelagius). Whether New Age, humanism, atheism, deism or theological liberalism (and scores of others), we either save ourselves by being good or we essentially "save ourselves" by denying that we even need salvation. The details vary from one belief to the next in auto-soterism (e.g. annihilation vs continued conscious existence), but the defining feature is that we don't need a Savior....we will earn or merit our way to our next incarnation or heaven. Perhaps the most common view of salvation is, "Justification by death alone." All we have to do is die, and we fly off to paradise.

The only way one can subscribe to Pelagianism is by having a seriously defective or deficient view of God's nature. Theological liberalism often states that the essence of Christianity is" living the Sermon on the Mount". Hmmm.....I wonder if they have ever carefully read this lofty sermon by Jesus? There is a spiritual logic to the beatitudes, which are the heart of the Sermon on the Mount, and the first is, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:3) That is, blessed (well being in one's relationship with God) are those who recognize they are desperately in need of divine grace and mercy, for they are spiritually bankrupt in themselves. A deficient view of God's holiness will lead to a deficient view of our true spiritual condition. In other words, self-salvation is the noxious fruit of having a distorted view of Ultimate Reality in our worldviews.

2. Semi-pelagianism or Arminianism (named after Jacob Arminius) is a half-way house between self-salvation and salvation by grace alone. Stated another way--we are saved by faith in Christ plus.... (fill in the blank). My intent is not to offend anyone, but to state things accurately and urge us to think (Berean style). I was raised in a devout Christian home, but the gospel was, "We are saved by faith in Jesus, plus doing certain things...but if you do other certain sins, that will kill the grace of God in your soul. You will lose your state of salvation until you do x, y, and z." I am intentionally being vague. However, regarding the view itself--we are saved by faith in Christ AND good work/s-I will NOT be vague. As Paul said to the "Arminians" of his day, "As we have said before, so now I say again:If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." (Gal. 1:9-10) The heresy Paul was eternally condemning to hell was the notion that we are saved by faith in Christ plus being circumcised. That was the Galatian heresy which so agitated Paul and the Lord.

There always has been, and always will be, differences amongst Christians this side of heaven. However, the essence of the gospel must be protected, regardless of what people say. The folks in Galatia were not pelagianists, or believers in self-salvation. However, they did add to the finished work of Christ on the cross by saying,"In order to be saved, you must believe in Christ and be circumcised." Today, that same sort of belief is alive and well in America, and globally. Only the Lord knows the true state of a person's soul and many folks raised in these traditions are truly born again, but it must be due to some happy inconsistency. Only the Lord knows when the line is crossed in practice--all I can do is state the biblical principle, for which I do not care what man thinks. What I plead for you to consider is that many professing Christians--either because they hold to a "easy-believism" or a version of faith plus works heresy--are not really saved and will spend eternit y in hell. That grieves me...and it certainly grieves the Lord.

The issue again is the nature of God. If we have depth view of God's holiness, then we will have a depth view of our sinfullness. With a deep awareness of our radical corruption comes a vision of the glorious beauty of grace. A deep appreciation of God's utter, burning holiness will reveal the utter futility and madness of adding anything to the finished work of Christ on the cross. A person on this faith and works treadmill can never enjoy (if they are consistent) an abiding joyful assurance of salvation. There will always be the insecurity of, "Did I do enough, or did I do TOO much sin today..did I get kicked out of God's family?" Listen, I lived this way  growing up and it was horrible, even as a child.

The third way of salvation is the biblical way...the true way of salvation. GRACE. We are saved by faith alone in the finished work of Christ on the cross. (Romans 3 & 4;Eph. 2:8-10...Gen--Rev) "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it s the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." I included v. 10 because it is often left out when these verses are quoted and it addresses a significant issue--what is the role of works, if we are saved by grace alone? Concern regarding "cheap grace" or easy believism is valid, but is no reason to throw the "grace baby" out with the dirty water. Luther re-discovered the pure gospel in 1517 after it had languished under severe legalism for 1, 000 years or more. He put it this way, "We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." The book of James is about the evidence of true faith. Good works have no meritorious value but they have immense evidential value. As the text in Ephesians states, we were saved in order to be pleasing to the Lord.

This is not a systematic theology, so I need to wrap up. We come finally, again, to Ultimate Reality--the nature of the biblical God--which reveals the sovereign grace of God Almighty. All this talk of worldviews is foolish and empty if we ourselves are not reconciled with our Creator. 2 Cor 5:21 is one of the most important verses in all of Scripture  for understanding the meaning of the atonement and justification. The sinless Son of God became a substitute for us...substitutionary atonement. We are justified by faith alone. To say that are saved by faith or grace alone is to say we are saved by Christ alone (and His finished work on the cross) Justification involves a double transfer. Christ became sin "for us"--and was punished "for us"--but His 33 years of righteous living (the righteousness of God) is imputed or counted to us as well. It pleased the Father to transfer our sins to Jesus, and to transfer Jesus' perfect life to us. We are declared eternally "Not Guilt y!" and the Father sees us "IN HIM".

The only way we can stand before the holy Father is due the robe of righteousness wrapped around us. Though it may not make sense to the world, we must be saved by grace alone because of how absolutely just, holy and righteous God is. Every sin is an act of cosmic treason against a thrice holy God and deserves eternal punishment. However, since we are in union with Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension..God not only accepts us, He absolutely delights in us! (Isaiah 62:3-5) He delights and rejoices over us...may we relish this, and dance for joy because salvation is of the Lord....from beginning to end. For all eternity we will sing the praises of the King of Grace! Amen.