Lies in "Left Behind"

[schwartzie]

I could never get past book one, it was such junk! The POPE raptured? Gimme a break!



Title: WARNING! YOU CANNOT TAKE THE "MARK OF THE BEAST" FOR ANY REASON AND STILL GO TO HEAVEN! Part 1 of 2

Subtitle: Incredibly, the Left Behind series portrays the lie that a person who is "forced" to take the "Mark of the Beast" may still be in right standing with God and go to Heaven! Once you read the truth contained within this article, you will agree that, just perhaps, the Left Behind book series may be the most dangerous spiritual books in all of history.
Part 1 discusses foundational issues plus the deception that God gives believers a visible mark.
The New World Order is coming! Are you ready? Once you understand what this New World Order really is, and how it is being gradually implemented, you will be able to see it progressing in your daily news!!

Learn how to protect yourself, your loved ones!

Stand by for insights so startling you will never look at the news the same way again.

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THE CUTTING EDGE

INTRODUCTION

Sacred Cows and Disinformation Agents

Before we can begin our study, we need to address these two concepts, above, beginning with "sacred cow".

Sacred Cow -- n -- A person, idea, institution, or object regarded as immune from reasonable criticism [Referring to the veneration of cows as sacred to the Hindu]. {Tormont Webster's Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary).

In practical terms, a "sacred cow" is a " person, idea, institution, or object" that no one had better criticize or the roof will literally fall in on top of the person leveling the criticism. Too often, a sacred cow is nothing more, nor less, than a creation out of thin air by a skilled propagandist. Truly, Adolf Hitler was correct when he defined truth: "Truth is not what is; truth is what people perceive it to be".

In this article, we shall be criticizing one of the "sacred cows" of our current culture -- Tim LaHaye and his book series, Left Behind. Many people have said to us, "that is only fiction" and should not be taken seriously. If that is your belief, you do not understand the techniques of propaganda. Skilled propagandists have long known that fiction and works of comedy are most effective in selling controversial ideas to a public that would reject the message in another medium, such as essay. As people get caught up in a story line of a well-written novel, they begin to identify with the characters of the plot; they feel the fear and the joy of the characters. In other words, they empathize with the characters. Readers also unwittingly inculcate into their subconscious minds much of the value system portrayed in the story line.

The degree to which a person will accept the value system portrayed in the plot depends upon the strength and integrity of their own convictions which they had before they read the novel. Convictions are given strength by the anchor upon which they are based. If the anchor of a person's convictions is strong and unmovable then that person will not likely accept the value system portrayed in the novel; however, if the anchor is not strongly based, that person may experience a values shift as they read the novel.

In the case of Left Behind, a person who is Born Again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and knowledgeable in Scripture will reject the deadly premise of the storyline and will not allow themselves to be changed by anyone, by any argument, and by any source. But, if a person is a weak or a new believer who does not know Scripture well, or if that person is an unbeliever totally unfamiliar with Scripture, that person is likely to accept the value system and the teaching portrayed in the Left Behind series. In our humble opinion, the latter two types of people are the targets of this series. Their view of End Times events, of the Rapture, of the 7-Year Tribulation, and of the "Mark of the Beast" will be most assuredly fashioned after the teachings of Left Behind.

What is your frame of mind at this point? Are you open to hear what the Bible says, so you can realize the deadly deception contained within this book series? Or, have you allowed your mind to be thoroughly "propagandized" to where you will refuse to change your mind, no matter the evidence? If your attitude is "my mind is made up, don't confuse me with facts", perhaps you should not proceed beyond this point. We have written about the subject of the propagandized mind and what you should do to change it in NEWS1558, "Breaking Out of the Propaganda Box: Learning to Think In The Opposite Direction To Discover The Truth".

Disinformation Agent -- I learned all about this type of agent when I served in U.S. Army Intelligence for nearly 4 years, working for 2 1/2 years at a Pentagon-level facility in Okinawa. This type of agent is placed in the field many years before he will be called to active service. During these preparatory years, this agent will be careful to not look like the enemy who sent him, nor portray any of those values. If his target is America, he will act the part of the normal American husband, father, and provider. He will be patriotic and attend the football. basketball, and baseball games in which his children are a part.

Once he has built up a reputation as a solid American citizen, he will be able to pass the most vigorous background check the FBI can conduct! This agent is carefully maneuvered into his target area over a period of years, passing through the most vigorous background check imaginable. Once in his targeted position, the Disinformation Agent will provide at least 90% good, solid information; a highly placed disinformation specialist will provide 98% good information.

He will provide wrong information only at the most critical moment -- in the midst of a battle when the outcome is in doubt. The wrong information he provides is designed to turn the course of the battle raging at that particular time. Some agents have worked for over 20 years just to get into position where they could carry out 20 minutes of disinformation.

If he is ever discovered, many people will refuse to believe that he is a turncoat, for they will point to the many years of his service, during which time he faithfully provided absolutely right information. Such doubters will never understand that this is THE definition of a Disinformation Agent.

TIM LAHAYE -- LEFT BEHIND SERIES

Some Initial Misgivings

When the first Left Behind book came out, I felt an inhibition in my spirit that kept me from buying a book, even though I had a couple of LaHaye Bible study books on my bookshelf already. Something just did not seem right. One of the major areas of caution occurred in the promotion of the book. I could see that LaHaye was getting great coverage from the Mass Media; now, why would the Illuminist-owned Mass Media be so interested in promoting a book about the Christian Rapture? I knew from my study of the occult plan to produce Antichrist that the Illuminati knows that the Rapture of the Church is a very real event! Their demonic Guiding Spirits have told them about this event so they can begin to prepare their followers for the "simultaneous disappearance of millions of people in the twinkling of an eye"!

Therefore, if the Illuminati also believed in the Rapture of the Christian Church, what could they possibly gain by promoting a book that popularizes the event? The only answer that made sense to me is that they would promote and popularize the Rapture so that they could possibly deceive people from all across the religious spectrum: 1) Believers who knew their Bible; 2) Believers who did not know their Bible; 3) Unbelievers who certainly knew little, if any, Bible prophecy and doctrine. After studying this subject and reading the books, we believe the targets of this series are persons #2 and #2, above.

Remember, Jesus repeatedly warned of extremely dangerous, historically unparalleled, spiritual deception at the End of Age. Listen to the Words of our Savior:

"Jesus answered them, Be careful that no one misleads you, deceiving you and leading you into error." [Matthew 24:4; Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary]

"And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into error." [Matthew 24:11; Ibid.]

"For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders so as to deceive and lead astray, if possible, even the elect (God's chosen ones)." [Matthew 24:24; Ibid.]

Three times in 24 verses, Jesus warned that unparalleled spiritual deception would be one of THE hallmark characteristics of the End of the Age. Christians living in that era were to be especially on guard against such spiritual deception. What is the best way to guard against unparalleled spiritual deception? By carefully paying attention to God's Word [Bible] and measure developing world events against Scripture. Jesus not only stated this fact, but He promised His Rapture only to those people who were being fundamentally true to His Word. Listen:

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." [Rev 3:10]

Not only must we insist that the preachers and teachers of the current age measure up to Scripture, we must not tolerate any deviance from the Bible. Listen to the very pertinent warning from the Apostle Paul:

"Do you not know that just a little leaven will ferment the whole lump of dough?" [1 Corinthians 5:6b; Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary]

In Scripture, God likens "leaven" to false teachings. Paul was saying that "just a little false teaching" ruins the whole lump of dough! Just a little!

Therefore, when you catch someone wrongly "dividing the Word of Truth", you must immediately take notice and apply that knowledge to your life, not willing to try to explain it away in any manner, shape or form! This understanding is critical to our article today, so keep it carefully in your mind, for Tim LaHaye wrongly divides the Word in his novels. This type of deception may take the form of either "adding to" prophetic Scripture, or "taking from" Scripture. God repeatedly warns against this type of heresy.

"You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish it ..." [Deuteronomy 4:2; Ibid.]

"Whatever I command you, be watchful to do it; you shall not add to it or diminish it." [Deuteronomy 12:32; Ibid.]

"Add not to His words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar." [Proverbs 30:6; Ibid.]

"I personally, solemnly warn everyone who listens to the statements of the prophecy ... in this book: If anyone shall add anything to them, God will add and lay upon him the plagues (the afflictions and the calamities) that are recorded and described in this book. And if anyone cancels or takes away from the statements of the book of this prophecy .... God will cancel and take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the city of holiness ... which are described and promised in this book." [Revelation 22:18-19; Ibid.]

Tim LaHaye both "takes away" and "adds to" in his novels. Remember, the two main targets of these Left Behind series of books are Christians who do not know Scripture and do not vigorously apply Scripture to their daily lives, plus rank unbelievers for whom these novels may be the only "Scripture" they will ever know! The more I thought of it, and prayed about it, the more I instinctively knew from the beginning that something was really, really wrong. Even when fellow Christians were simply "agog" over the book, I felt a great spiritual reticence.

The premise of the book implied by the title is that people had better get spiritually right with Jesus Christ, or they would be "left behind" when the Rapture occurred. There is nothing wrong with that premise, but there is a lot wrong with some of the details; however, the flow of the narrative is so smooth that the average person probably would not pick up on the problem, or would simply dismiss it as a minor issue -- after all, this is just a novel, right?

It is not our intent here to address all the various troublesome issues in this series. We shall limit this discussion to the two most dangerous deceptions of the Left Behind books, concerning the "Mark of the Beast". These two deceptions are:

1) That God places a visible mark on the foreheads of His believers

2) That a person may take the "Mark of the Beast" and still go to Heaven, still be in right standing with God

We shall discuss Deception #1 in this article, and Deception #2 in Part 2 of this series.

Jesus warned us that every Christian of every era must walk a very "Narrow Road" to Heaven, refusing to go down the "Broad Road" which the great mass of humanity is traveling --- that road leading to Hell where people believe that every religion is equally valid, that sin can be tolerated and that the Bible does not really mean what it says.

In this vein, let us now discuss the two most serious problems with the two Left Behind books entitled, "The Mark" and "Desecration". Now, let us examine each of these untruths in detail.

Unbiblical Contents About Which To Be Concerned

1) Visible Mark On Foreheads of Believers

"The authors used the propaganda technique of repetition to thoroughly embed into the reader's mind the false teaching that during the tribulation, those who really belong to Jesus Christ will have a visible mark on their foreheads that can be seen only by other Christians. They want the reader to believe that a Christian will not be able to see his own 'mark' but that he will know he is truly in the family of God because others with a visible mark will tell him they see his 'mark'. Only other Christians, not Antichrist's followers, will be able to see this mark. This is one of the most dangerous concepts in the Left Behind series. If the reader believes the 'mark of the believer' teaching is a real Bible doctrine", he can be spiritually mislead and possibly induced down that 'Broad Road' that Jesus says leads to Hell. ["God's Wrath On Left Behind", by Lisa Ruby, p. 95; Emphasis was in the original]

In the entire series of books, whenever the authors wanted to present a doctrine not found in the Bible, they use a slow and incremental approach to presenting the doctrine; in this manner, the reader would slowly "warm up" to the teachings rather than immediately rejecting them. The earliest instance we can see this gradual approach in the 'mark of the believer' doctrine occurs when Rayford is preparing to witness to Mac; he was fearful because he had no idea whether Mac was sincerely interested in hearing about Christ or merely pretending to be interested so he could betray him later.

Has God has placed upon every Christian a "Mark" of His own that is visible only to other believers? This most dangerous doctrine is a good example of a teaching from this Left Behind series that is not found in the Bible, nor even hinted at. This teaching is "added to" Scripture. Remember God's warning above:

"Add not to His words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar."

But, you say, Revelation 7:3 speaks of just this kind of mark in the forehead of believers! Let us examine this passage to show you that the meaning of this verse does not say that the marks on believers will be visible.

"Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." [Rev 7:3]

At first glance, you might think that this "seal" in the foreheads of these 144,000 Jewish evangelists are visible seals; however, a quick word study shows this not to be the case. The Greek word here for "seal" is, "sphragizo", Strong's Number 4972. Listen to the explanation given by Strong's:

"4972 - 1) to set a seal upon, mark with a seal, to seal -

1a) for security: from Satan
1b) since things sealed up are concealed (as the contents of a letter), to hide, keep in silence, keep secret: —Strong's Greek & Hebrew Dictionary

Please take a moment to understand the pertinent meaning: "to hide, keep in silence, keep secret". Obviously, this "seal" is a hidden seal, not visible. The same root word for "seal" is used in Revelation 9:4, where judgment is again delayed until God can put His "seal" upon their foreheads. However, we must understand that these seals are in the supernatural realm, and likely can be seen only by angels and demons, not by human beings. Two other verses clearly indicate this is the case.

1. Revelation 20:3 - "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled." [Rev 20:2-3]

Once again, we see the same word for "seal" as we saw in Revelation 7:3, the word "sphragizo", or Strong's Number 4972! Even Satan will be marked with a supernatural seal that is hidden from human beings!

2. Believers are currently sealed by the Holy Spirit, but we do not see any such visible seal. Listen:

Ephesians 1:13b - "... ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise ..." [Eph 1:13]

Ephesians 4:30 - "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." [Eph 4:30]

In both these verses, the same Greek word for "seal" or "sealed" is used: "sphragizo", Strong's Number 4972! This is a hidden seal that only God, angels, and demons can see. There really is not one verse in the entire Bible in which God placed a seal upon the foreheads of His elect that were visible to humans; His seal was always a supernatural seal visible only to beings which inhabit the supernatural realm! For the past 2,000 years, Christians have been "sealed" in the same manner as the believers in the Book of Revelation -- a secret seal, a hidden seal invisible to the normal person. Have you seen any Christian walking around with a visible seal in their foreheads, or have you read of any Christian in the past 2,000 years having such a seal visible to human beings? There aren't any visible seals on human Christians, for the seal of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians, above, is the hidden seal, visible in the supernatural realm. Remember, the same Greek word is used for "seal" all the way through the Book of Revelation!

Therefore, when Tim LaHaye states in his books that a Christian will receive a seal that can be seen by other Christians, he is "adding to" God's Word! No Scripture actually states this, and LaHaye offers none in his books to back up his story line. But, he does introduce the subject in a very subtle manner; he causes the character to pray to God.

"Because the new doctrine was presented as coming from God in answer to prayer, its credibility was greatly enhanced in the mind of the reader." ["God's Wrath On Left Behind", by Lisa Ruby, p. 96]

We can see this story line in the Left Behind book, "Soul Harvest", p. 46.

"Rayford covered his eyes briefly, 'God ... couldn't you give me a sign? Anything that would assure me I'm doing the right thing?"

The "right thing" that Rayford was so anxiously inquiring of God was affirmation that Mac was a true Christian and not a secret follower of Antichrist, who would betray him. Rayford wanted to make sure he was not going to lose his life for Jesus' sake; in fact, all throughout these books, we see Christians motivated time and again by a very strong sense of self-preservation. We do not see Christian self-preservation at any point in the Book of Revelation or Daniel, for that matter. Listen:

"They [martyred believers] cried in a loud voice, O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood upon those who dwell on the earth? Then they were each given a long and flowing and festive white robe and told to rest and wait patiently a little while longer, until the number should be complete of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed as they themselves had been." [Revelation 6:10-11]

In fact, God hints that believers would be specially subjected to trials during the Time of the End in order to test their faith! Listen:

"And some of those who are wise, prudent, and understanding shall be weakened and fall, [thus, then, the insincere among the people will lose courage and become deserters. It will be a test] to refine, to purify, and to make those among [God's people] white, even to the time of the end, because it is yet for the time God appointed." [Daniel 11:35; Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary]

Therefore, when the Bible speaks of Christian martyrdom being a "test, to refine, to purify and to make those among [God's people] white", should we not be concerned that the Left Behind series consistently teaches that a Christian should be very concerned about his self-preservation! Ruby speaks to this issue very clearly, quoting from the book, "Nicolae", p. 325, where Rayford officiates at Bruce Barnes' funeral service.

"Can we be true Christians without being willing to lay down our lives for the testimony of Jesus? The Left Behind series teaches that we can and there are many examples of this in the lives of the Left Behind characters displaying the 'denying the Jesus Christ brand' of Christianity. The message that we can be truly saved but not be willing to give our life for the sake of the testimony of Jesus ...was presented ... in a passage in Nicolae ... the characters 'creatively' deny Jesus Christ before me while the reader is led to believe this is necessary in order to survive during the tribulation." [Ruby, p. 10-11]

While this attitude of self-preservation appeals to the flesh of a person not saved, it is not what the Bible teaches. People will testify of Jesus even if they know they will be turned in to be martyred, reflecting the attitude of our early Christian brethren. Listen:

"... and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." [Acts 5:40-42]

Thus, when the characters in this entire series spend much time and effort upon self-preservation, that attitude is not the attitude of the early Christian, nor should it be an attitude of a believer living at the End of the Age. We should be glad that we are "counted worthy to suffer" for Jesus, should that be our allotted part in the End of the Age struggle.

Now, let us discuss the second, and most important, doctrine presented in Left Behind that can send many people to Hell.



Are you spiritually ready? Is your family? Are you adequately protecting your loved ones? This is the reason for this ministry, to enable you to first understand the peril facing you, and then help you develop strategies to warn and protect your loved ones. Once you have been thoroughly trained, you can also use your knowledge as a means to open the door of discussion with an unsaved person. I have been able to use it many times, and have seen people come to Jesus Christ as a result. These perilous times are also a time when we can reach many souls for Jesus Christ, making an eternal difference.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, but have come to realize His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to accept His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can also do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you accept Him as Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually.

www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1886.cfm

[schwartzie]

Title: WARNING! YOU CANNOT TAKE THE "MARK OF THE BEAST" FOR ANY REASON AND STILL GO TO HEAVEN! Part 2 of 2


Subtitle: Incredibly, the Left Behind series portrays the lie that a person who is "forced" to take the "Mark of the Beast" may still be in right standing with God and go to Heaven! Once you read the truth contained within this article, you will agree that, just perhaps, the Left Behind book series may be the most dangerous spiritual books in all of history.

This Part 2 demonstrates that no one can take the "Mark of the Beast" and still go to Heaven!

The New World Order is coming! Are you ready? Once you understand what this New World Order really is, and how it is being gradually implemented, you will be able to see it progressing in your daily news!!

Learn how to protect yourself, your loved ones!

Stand by for insights so startling you will never look at the news the same way again.

YOU ARE NOW ON

THE CUTTING EDGE

In NEWS1886, Part 1, we laid the groundwork to properly understand the terribly false teaching in the Left Behind series that a person during the Tribulation Period may take the "Mark of the Beast" under certain circumstances and still be saved, still go to Heaven. We also discussed another real problem that we have with these books, i.e., that God gives a mark to His believers that is visible to other believers. This teaching is also dangerous and fits into the second problem we have just described.

If you have not yet read Part 1, we encourage you to do so now, before continuing on with this article.

Now, let us discuss the second, and most important, doctrine presented in Left Behind that can send many people to Hell.

A Christian May Take The "Mark of the Beast" And Still Go To Heaven

Two of the Left Behind books teach that a Christian may still be saved if he/she has been "forced" to taken the Mark.

Remember Jesus' promise to His fundamental Christians in the Church in Philadelphia, quoted in Part 1? Listen again:

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." [Rev 3:10]

The key phrase again:

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience..." [Rev 3:10]

The word, "kept" here is Strong's word, "tereo", number 5083. It means, "to guard, or to observe". In other words, it means that Jesus expects His fundamental Christians to carefully "guard" and "observe" His Word -- the Bible! Further, Jesus promises the greatest possible reward for carefully guarding and observing His Bible -- the Rapture of the Christian Church.

In this vein, let us see what the Mark of the Beast is and the punishment God promises for those who take the Mark.

"And he [False Prophet] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." [Rev 13:16-17]

From this passage, we can see what the "Mark of the Beast" is -- it is something implanted within the forehead or the right hand -- that the False Prophet will "cause" everyone on earth to take, without which no man can buy or sell anything. Before we go any further, let us examine the meaning of one word, "causeth". This Greek word is "poieo", Strong's Number 4160. It means:

"to produce, construct, form, fashion, to be the authors of, to make ready, to prepare" —Strong's Greek & Hebrew Dictionary

In no part of this definition does Strong's use the word, "force". However, certain modern Bible translations do use the word, "force". The following modern versions that translate this verse "forced" are:

* International Standard Version

* New Century Version

* N.I. V. - New International Version

* The Message Version

The word, "forced" takes on a very special meaning in "The Mark" and "Desecration" of the Left Behind series. LaHaye and Jenkins "devised a subplot in which a Christian character unwillingly received the mark of the beast and did not lose his salvation -- he was presented as being exempt from drinking of the wine of the wrath of God" as God's unchangeable Bible clearly states. [Ruby, p. 83]

Let us digress at this point to see the certain judgment promised to anyone who will take the "Mark of the Beast".

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." [Rev 14:9-12]

Notice that "any man" who receives the mark in his forehead or in his hand shall "drink of the wine of the wrath of God" and "shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb" forever and forever! Exactly 100% of all people who take the "Mark of the Beast" shall -- not perhaps or maybe -- be tormented in fire and brimstone forever and forever.

Notice also that their torment shall occur "in the presence of the holy angels, and ... Lamb". This verse makes it sound like the angels and the Lamb (Jesus Christ) will look at the torment of these people who took the mark forever. This reality may upset some folk who have been led to believe that Jesus is all Love, but our Savior has many more attributes, including Judgment [Read NEWS1822b].

Taking The Mark = Worship of Antichrist

Now, notice that the taking of the "Mark of the Beast" is coupled together with the worship of the beast! You cannot separate, or de-couple this verse! The Apostle John took note of the type of people who try to separate the attributes of Jesus! Listen carefully, for Jesus is the Word and the Word is Jesus according to John 1:1-14; therefore the same demonic spirit that tries to separate Jesus' attributes is the spirit who will try to convince you to separate these two Biblical elements -- receiving the mark and worship of Antichrist.

"And every spirit which does not acknowledge and confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh but would annul, destroy, sever, disunite Him is not of God, does not proceed from Him. This nonconfession is the spirit of the antichrist." [1 John 4:3; Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary]

In exactly the same manner, anyone who would attempt to separate, destroy, sever, or disunite [Rev 14:9-12] is listening to the spirit of Antichrist! When a person receives the "Mark of the Beast" that person is worshipping the Beast. That is how Omnipotent God looks at it! That settles the question forever.

But this type of "severing" and "disuniting" of Revelation 9 is exactly what the authors of Left Behind do! Now you know the spirit behind Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins! The Biblical formula is exactly as we stated above: Taking The Mark = Worship of Antichrist

Finally, note the last sentence of this Revelation verse, 14:12: "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Once again, Jesus is commending His saints for their obedience to His Bible. The phrase, "They that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus", speaks directly to this issue of a person refusing to separate the 'receiving of the mark' and the 'worship of Antichrist'.

The Scripture is plain -- any current author who would attempt to separate these two elements, by the above Biblical definition, is listening to the spirit of Antichrist.

Caused, Not Forced, To Take The Mark

As we stated, above, the King James Version clearly states that the False Prophet shall "cause" everyone on earth to take the mark. There is a wide gulf of difference between the word, "cause" and the word, "force". In fact, this difference is so huge that Biblical doctrine is essentially changed. "Cause" means to "bring into existence or effect by agency, power or influence". This is precisely the manner in which the real False Prophet shall stand before the people of the world to present the implantation of the "Mark of the Beast". He will explain that everyone is to pledge their loyalty to Antichrist and receive an implanted 'mark', without which no one could buy or sell in the global marketplace. The False Prophet shall further explain that the penalty for anyone refusing to take the implanted 'mark' shall be death by beheading. Beyond the reality of this threat, there shall be no further coercion. Antichrist wants the voluntary worship of the peoples of the world, because he wants to be like God. There will be no "forced" taking of the 'mark' as we see in these Left Behind books; no one will be physically held down to have the 'mark' forced in him.

The word, "force", on the other hand, means to make something happen by a power that cannot be resisted. In these LaHaye books, thugs hold Chang down while his Dad implants the 'mark' of Antichrist, a mark physically visible to everyone. "Forcing" people to comply by physically overtaking them by an irresistible power removes the power of choice from them. A person who is forced to do something in this manner cannot then be held responsible because someone else is imposing their will on him. Everyone who is forced to take the mark would automatically be in compliance with the stated law because no one would be able to choose to disobey. There would be no need for a penalty if there were no choice but to obey. Remember, the severity of the penalty is not what defines force. Satan would love to have the ability to force people to worship him and take his identifying mark, but he is unable to do so. That is why he hopes he will be able to deceive them into not holding fast to the plain teaching of prophetic Scripture. Satan wants people to spiritually faint and confess Antichrist, and take his mark, an accomplishment he can achieve only if people give heed to seducing spirits through false prophets that tell them they will be forgiven even if they take the 'Mark of the Beast'. God will not send people to an eternity of smoke and torment in the Lake of Fire because someone else physically forced them to commit this unpardonable, irreversible, unforgivable sin!" [Ruby, p. 84-85]

Separating Biblical Truth Into Two Parts Produces A Lie

Now, let us return to our discussion, above, that Revelation 14:9-12 contains two parts which God coupled together with the key word, "and". Let us review this verse carefully.

"If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand..."

The Apostle Paul declares that every word of Scripture was breathed into existence by God. Listen:

"Every Scripture is God-breathed, given by His inspiration, and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteousness, in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action." [2 Timothy 3:16; Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary]

Since "every Scripture is God-breathed" that means Jesus placed the conjunction "and" in the above verse! Our Savior placed this word to connect the two phrases so that we would know His Truth -- that receiving the mark in their forehead or hand means that those people are worshipping Antichrist! Taking the mark equals worship of the Beast!

The matter is really this simple! You cannot allow any modern religious prophet to arise amidst great acclaim to teach you something the Bible does not teach! Let us quickly see how LaHaye and Jenkins slyly teach that a person can take the "Mark of the Beast" and still be in right standing with God so he or she can still go to Heaven.

"The authors of the Left Behind series separated the soul-damning acts of being marked with the beast and worshipping the beast, in order to try to justify the fact that Chang remained a Christian after he received the mark of the beast. Chang had the mark of the beast, but the character Tsion said he did not accept this mark, and would not worship him:

"You did not accept the mark of Antichrist, nor will you worship him." ("Desecration", p. 10; Emphasis in the original) [Ruby, p. 91]

As we stated earlier, LaHaye wrote the storyline in such a manner as to depict men holding Chang down while his father implanted the Mark of Antichrist. Scripture does not teach that anyone will be physically forced to take the real Mark of Antichrist in such a manner, so it is extremely unwise -- even foolish -- for a so-called Christian Bible teacher to depict such a scenario in a book read by tens of millions of people. As we stated before, the people who will be deceived by this lie will either be nominal or new Christians who do not know their Bible well, or unbelievers who certainly do not know End Times prophecies! For this latter group of people, the Left Behind series will likely be the only "Bible" and the only "prophecy" they will ever read!

Just in case you do not believe that this de-coupling is taught in the Left Behind series, listen to Jerry Jenkins responding to a believer named Karen. She is urging Jerry to repudiate the belief as espoused in the books that a person can take the Mark and still be saved. Listen to the dialogue, posted on the Left Behind message board on 3/19/2002:

"Karen: Jerry! I plead with you again to repent and set this straight... It is not my assertion that one with the mark would be lost, it is God's."

"Jerry Jenkins: I disagree, and I think your Scripture reference shows the exception and proves my point.

"If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark..."

"The verse clearly says if a man worships the beast and his image, and nowhere in the story does Chang do that." (Jenkins concludes this thread]

There you have conclusive proof! The authors of Left Behind are clearly and deliberate de-coupling this prophecy in order arrive at their most unbiblical and personally damning conclusion, i.e., that a person can take the "Mark" and still be saved as long as in his heart he is not worshipping Antichrist. Jesus said clearly that taking of the "Mark" equals Worship in His eyes. When the Omnipotent Jesus tells us how He will view the situation, how can mortal man dare contradict Him?

Yet, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins do exactly that!



Likely Scenario

Christian author, Constance Cumbey, reports in her best-selling book, "The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow", that the Illuminati plans to hold a global Luciferic Initiation Ceremony soon after Antichrist arises. During this ceremony, people will be given the opportunity to express their love for, and loyalty to, Antichrist. As an expression of this love and loyalty, each person on earth will be implanted with the real "Mark of the Beast". Anyone refusing to take this Mark will die through beheading.

Constance then reports that, since the Illuminati recognizes that they will have to process hundreds of millions of people in a relatively short period of time, they plan to use public sports stadiums and gymnasiums in this effort. Therefore, consider this likely scenario.

In football stadiums throughout the United States, people will be ordered to gather so they may pledge their loyalty to Antichrist and take his 'Mark'. It is probable that people will be processed through the stadium in mass groups. The first capacity crowd -- 60,000 - 100,000 -- will file in and take a seat. Government officials will then explain to them the procedure by which they will come down on to the field of play, one by one, to pass before a government official. Each person will be asked simply to pledge their allegiance to Antichrist, perhaps by repeating a standard oath similar to our current Pledge of Allegiance. Then, after repeating the oath, each person will have the 'Mark' implanted.

While the people are seated in the stadium to await their turn to come down on the field, they will be treated to hours of a dreadful spectacle.

At one end of the football stadium, a podium will be set up, in front of which shall file -- one by one -- all the people who have been filed into the stadium. If a person refuses to take the implantable "mark", they will be forcibly marched to the other end of the stadium where numerous guillotines will be operating. The people waiting their turn in the stadium seats will have plenty of time to watch the graphic sight of people being beheaded, with blood gushing out from every execution. Heads will roll and bodies will be roughly gathered up and tossed into trucks for disposal.

The scene will be terribly blood and will cause so many people to agonize to the bottom of their souls.

Doubtless many people in the stadium seats will coalesce into smaller groups who will shout and talk back and forth. Every single person will have to decide what they are going to do when it becomes their turn to pass before the government official. Every person in the stands will want to live, and not die. The human mindset is strongly oriented toward self-preservation, so the temptation will be to buckle under, just accept the 'Mark' so you can "get on with your life". The great majority will simply make this decision, unaware of the eternal damnation to which they have just consigned themselves.

But wait, another guy speaks up within the group! "The Bible says that anyone who will take the 'Mark of the Beast' will go to Hell". This statement is likely to provoke a lively debate within the group. Some people will say that what is occurring to them now has no bearing on the "myth" which the Bible teaches for the End of the Age; other people say, 'this guy who calls himself Maitreya The Christ is very popular and did end all wars'!

Another person speaks up, pointing out that the implantable chip awaiting them at the podium is to be placed either in the forehead or in the right hand, just as the Bible foretold. In fact, he notes that every detail of this monumental event squares precisely with Bible prophecy! This event has to be the prophesied 'Mark of the Beast', which means that everyone who allows that implant into their body is going to Hell. The crowd murmurs with pure, unadulterated anger and fear.

"Hold on", shouts yet another person. "I read a series of books written by a couple of Bible preachers called 'Left Behind'. In several of the books, one of the key Christian characters had the 'Mark of the Beast' forced upon him and he was still a Christian! He was still going to Heaven!"

Some one else shouts out, "Why -- we are having this 'Mark' forced on us too, at the pain of beheading. If this Christian character could accept the 'Mark' and still be OK, then we can too!"

Just like that, all the details surrounding Chang and his taking of the 'Mark' become clouded; all people remember at that monumentally important time is that a Bible preacher wrote a novel in which the leading Christian character had the 'Mark' forced upon him and was still OK with God.

The Illuminati will have just won a tremendous victory, as great numbers of people will make the decision to take the 'Mark' based upon their recollection of the Left Behind series. This scenario is exactly how a Disinformation Agent works. He gives 95% or more good, solid information so he can build up his credibility; then, at just the right moment, or on just the right issue, he shall give false information. As we said earlier, some agents have worked for over 20 years just to get into position where they could carry out just 20 minutes of disinformation.

In like manner, it is highly likely that the entire Left Behind series may have been written just to communicate these two falsehoods, i.e., that God will give each believer a visible mark and that a person may take the "Mark of the Beast" and still go to Heaven.

Polluted Headwaters Will Create A Polluted Stream

In NEWS1818, we reported the very sad fact that the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, of the Unification Church has bankrolled a great number of current Evangelical Christian leaders! The Rev. Moon is as pagan and lost and Illuminist as anyone can possibly be! It is a matter of grave seriousness that he has provided large sums of money to these many Evangelical leaders, for such a large bankrolling strongly implies control over their ministries.

One of the earliest Evangelical leaders to take Moon's money was none other than Tim LaHaye. Quoting from our NEWS1818:

"Well-known author, former pastor and educator Tim LaHaye was named by a Wheaton College institute as the most influential leader in the evangelical Christian movement. The institute named LaHaye the most influential evangelical leader in the United States of the last quarter century. He and his wife, Beverly, the leader of Concerned Women for America, have been a driving force in the organizational efforts of evangelicals, including the Moral Majority and the respected political think tank Council for National Policy. Other contenders for the distinction included renowned evangelist Billy Graham, Campus Crusade for Christ's Bill Bright and Focus on the Family's James Dobson." ["Tim LaHaye 'most influential leader', WorldNetDaily, June 2, 2001]

However, the distinction of being so well respected is clouded by the information provided below:

"Most famous for his 'Left Behind' series of books and movies. Tim LaHaye's relationship with Moon goes back at least 17 years. In 1985 as was reported earlier, LaHaye was addressing several hundred evangelical Christians, the flock he claims to guard and feed ... He exhorted that they go willingly to jail with the Rev. Moon in demonstration to his imprisonment over tax fraud." ["Unholy Alliance", Part I]

Moon's Prison Time For Tax Fraud Seen By Tim LaHaye As "Unifying Christianity"

Shockingly, LaHaye's strong support for Rev. Moon is borne out by none other than Moon's "right hand man", Bo Hi Pak, writing about Moon's jail time and his visits from La Haye.

"Father has suffered on many other occasions ... even though Father suffered in Korea and North Korea, that was not the cosmic age for universal salvation. That was not the worldwide level. Today here in the United States, which is the microcosm of the world, whatever Father does has a universal impact ... What Father has accomplished at Danbury is the restoration of Christianity and the unification of Christianity. Father brought Christianity into one with the Unification Church. Christians began to understand Father and accept Father and Father's dispensation."

Bo Hi Pak continues:

"One good example is Dr. Tim LaHaye's visit to Danbury ... During the drive, Dr. LaHaye said, 'It is incredible what our government did to Reverend Moon, to confine Reverend Moon in this kind of place.' When we got to Danbury, he met Father, who was wearing humble prison clothes. He held Father's hands and the first words Dr. LaHaye spoke were, 'Reverend Moon, I apologize on behalf of my government.' Mother saw that Dr. LaHaye's eyes were red and he was crying. What a beautiful union, a beautiful union of brothers, like Esau and Jacob. Father and Dr. LaHaye were embracing." ["Truth is My Sword", Volume II: Chapter 45 Mount Danbury", www.tparents.org/library/unification/books/tims2/tims2-45.htm, by Bo Hi Pak, February 3, 1985]

Tim La Haye then appealed to his followers to "go willingly to jail with the Rev. Moon in demonstration to his imprisonment over tax fraud." ["Unholy Alliance", Part I, Ibid.] However, did you notice that LaHaye willingly participated with this pagan, Illuminist false religious leader to complete "the restoration of Christianity and the unification of Christianity" and to achieve "a beautiful union, a beautiful union of brothers, like Esau and Jacob"? [Ibid.]

No true Christian leader would ever, ever, ever join with a pagan occultist like this, allowing himself to be declared his "brother"! The Bible firmly forbids this kind of union with an unbeliever! Listen once again:

"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." [2 John 1:10-11]

AND:

"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness?" [2 Corinthians 6:14; Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary]

This action clearly labels Tim La Haye as a Christian Tare, a counterfeit Christian. Yet, LaHaye is so popular and so revered, he is named the most influential of all Evangelical leaders! Further, untold millions have gobbled up his "Left Behind" series of books and movies, believing them to be a genuine explanation of the Rapture of the Christian Church.

LaHaye not only wished Moon "Godspeed", he then urged his followers to financially support him during his tax fraud prison sentence!

La Haye also formed the Council For National Policy (CNP) in 1981. There are "definite ties between this 'Christian' organization and the Rev. Moon's openly anti-Christ organizations ... this group is also associated heavily with the controversial and cultic Church of Scientology ..." ["Unholy Alliance", Part I] David Wegener, of Hope For America, emphatically states that CNP is a "Christian equivalent to the Illuminist Council on Foreign Relations"! Thus, in keeping with the Dialectic Process, the Illuminati has established two special groups to further their plans: the CFR and the CNP -- Thesis and Antithesis, Yin-Yang! [Read NEWS1007 for treatment of Thesis - Antithesis]

"In 1983, American Coalition for Traditional Values (ACTV) began with Tim LaHaye, Falwell, Robertson, Bakker, Robison, Humbard, and Swaggert. The money that started it came from the Moonies. It was right after Gary Jarmin, ex-Moonie, introduced Tim LaHaye to Col. Bo Pak, Rev. Moon's right hand man." ["This is a Bizarre World", www.angelfire.com/TN/bizarrotom/]

LaHaye is also leading the group of Evangelicals who are teaching that the Illuminati shall rebuild ancient Babylon in the End of the Age, and that Babylon will rise to the dominance foretold of Economic Babylon in Revelation 18, even though such teaching is completely at odds with the great majority of Bible scholars who lived and served in past times. For example, the Old Scofield Bible says in its footnote to Isaiah 13:19-22:

"Verses 12-16 look forward to the apocalyptic judgments (Rev. 6-13). Verses 17-22 have a near and a far view. They predict the destruction of the literal Babylon then existing; with the further statement that, once destroyed, Babylon should never be rebuilt (cf. Jer 51:61-64). All of this has been literally fulfilled. But the place of this prediction in a great prophetic strain which looks forward to the destruction of both politico-Babylon and ecclesio-Babylon in the time of the Beast shows that the destruction of the actual Babylon typifies the greater destruction yet to come upon the mystical Babylons." [The Old Scofield Study Bible, KJV]

The two understands you need to grasp are:

1) "All of this has been literally fulfilled."

2) "... the destruction of the actual Babylon typifies the greater destruction yet to come upon the mystical Babylons."

In other words, the End of the Age destruction of Babylon will be against "mystical Babylons", not the physical Ancient Babylon.

I would trust the Biblical analysis of the old line scholars whose leadership by the Holy Spirit is well documented, before I would believe modern scholars who are Bush-apologists. We recall the spectacle of Chuck Missler appearing before his constituents shortly after Bush's election to announce that Bush was God's man of the hour and his four years as president might be the final time of grace before judgment finally falls! Yet, we know by examining President Bush's fruits, he has so many deeds that are totally inconsistent with Biblical good fruit we cannot possibly conclude he is a genuinely Born Again Christian [Bush's Good Fruits vs Evil Fruits]

Further, we are troubled by two practical issues regarding the building up of Ancient Babylon at the End of the Age to the point where she will become the Economic Babylon of Revelation 18.

1) Coalition Forces have poisoned the Iraqi land with Depleted Uranium [Read NEWS1843]. We posted a news article on Daily News Updates for January 15, 2004, entitled, "U.S. ammunition plant reaching its limit", The Seattle Times, which demonstrates that we continue to heavily expend D.U. ammunition on a daily basis. When Depleted Uranium munitions explode, fine radioactive explodes everywhere; later, the strong wind storms that regularly ravage the country will then pick up this fine dust and spread it everywhere. If the land is poisoned with Uranium and if it has gotten into the water supply, how likely is it that Ancient Babylon will every be inhabited again?

Isn't it interesting that the prophecy says Babylon will never be "inhabited", not "rebuilt"?

2) The Lord established a firm timeline by which all End of the Age prophecies must be fulfilled. Listen:

"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So also when you see these signs, all taken together, coming to pass, you may know of a surety that He is near, at the very doors. Truly I tell you, this generation, the whole multitude of people living at the same time, in a definite, given period will not pass away till all these things taken together take place." [Matthew 24:32-34; Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary]

Here, Jesus is saying that once Israel (Fig Tree) comes back to her land, all the prophecies of Matthew 24 shall begin to come to pass as a unit and shall conclude before the "generation" that witnessed the return of Israel back to her land passes away. What is meant by this term, "generation"? The Jewish generation is thought to be around 40 years; the Easton Bible Dictionary states that the exact time of a generation is 38 years. However, the term used in this passage as "generation" is the Greek word, "genea", which is Strong's Number 1074. While this word has multiple uses, the one usage used in the Parallel Bible, above, is, "the whole multitude of men living at the same time".—Strong's Greek & Hebrew Dictionary

Thus, the meaning is that the people who saw Israel start back to her land will not have all passed away before all prophecies are fulfilled.

When did the "fig tree" begin to "put forth her leaves", i.e., begin the return to the land? Historians will tell you that the return of Israel back to her ancient land was rendered inevitable by the Balfour Declaration of 1917, when the British Government stated that Israel had a right to return to her homeland. Since people are living 80-90 years, the time for all events to wrap up to completion would be 1997-2007.

However, if you take the beginning date to be 1948, when Israel actually returned to her land, the time frame for conclusion would be 2028 - 2038.

The world now stands in 2004. While Saddam Hussein restored a lot of the palace area of Nebuchadnezzar, the rest of the city of Babylon lies largely uninhabited. The United States now is the Economic Engine of the world, and it took us 100 years to get to this point, plus two world wars which uniquely acted to concentrate both political power and economic wealth into our hands. It seems totally illogical for Ancient Babylon to rise from her zero point now to economic world dominance in less than 50 years! Thus, even if the re-inhabitation were to start in 2004, it would be 2054 before Babylon could rise to dominance, a date that does even not take into consideration the stiff economic competition provided by the United States, Japan, China, and the European Union.

The time calculations are thus: 1948 to 2054 = 106 years

This period of 106 years is well beyond the firm time period our Lord set into place, in Matthew 24:32-34! The world does not have the time required to build ancient Babylon up to such world dominance and still stay within the time confines that Jesus firmly set!

Thus, we are reticent to believe these modern Bible teachers so cozy with President Bush, teaching that Ancient Babylon will be rebuilt so that it would be the political and economic sphere of the Kingdom of Antichrist. The Bible seems to prohibit such a renewal of inhabitation, the land is being poisoned by Depleted Uranium, and the logical time period to rebuild Babylon into a world political and economic giant seems to be too long.

We must simply wait with eyes and ears of Faith to see how events turn out. However, we believe that the Economic Babylon of Revelation 18 is the United States as we detail in the last half of NEWS1830. We originally postulated this viewpoint in 1992 and believe it more strongly today than ever before.

Allowing The Bible To Have The Last Words On The Consequences of Taking The Mark

In conclusion, let us allow Jesus to have the final Word as to what the consequences shall be for anyone who takes the "Mark of the Beast". We have already shown Revelation 14:9-12, above, and shall not repeat it here. Listen to the other passages in which Jesus tells us what punishment shall be meted out to those people who received the "Mark", or those people who refused to take the mark of Antichrist.

"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God." [Rev 15:1-2]

These people were believers who refused to take the "Mark". They are pictured in Heaven getting their reward. At this point, I should warn you that, if a person who is not a believer refuses to take the "Mark" and is beheaded, that person will not go to Heaven; as always, the entry into Heaven is reserved for those who receive Jesus as Savior, repenting of their sin, asking Him to cleanse them of their sin with His shed blood, thus becoming Born Again. However, an unbeliever may recognize that he or she is facing the prophesied "Mark of the Beast" and repent of their sin and receive Jesus as Savior just before they are killed. That type of person would enter Heaven!

"And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image." [Rev 16:1-2]

Shortly after people take the "Mark of the Beast", God shall cause a terrible sore of some type to come upon them. Note in this passage that the physical act of taking the Mark is, indeed, equated with a worship of that Beast - Antichrist. You simply cannot de-couple the taking of the mark from worship of Antichrist, as "Left Behind" teaches.

"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." [Rev 19:20]

The two Beasts of Revelation -- Antichrist and False Prophet -- are finally seized for their many actions, not the least of which is the act of forcing everyone on earth to take the "Mark"; both are hurled into the "lake of fire burning with brimstone."

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." [Rev 20:4]

Believers who lost their lives because they refused to take the Mark of the Beast are pictured as receiving great honor - thrones - because they refused. These people will be given new physical bodies so they can live with Jesus for His Millennial Reign.

As you can readily see, the Left Behind series of books pose a deadly and eternal danger to the souls of people! Bible-believers will not be deceived, for they will hold fast to Scripture, refusing to be budged. However, nominal Christians who do not know prophecy and unbelievers who have no idea what prophecy foretells, are likely to be the ones deceived. Once they believe that they can take the "Mark" and still be saved, they are set up for eternal destruction.

Since Tim LaHaye has been receiving Illuminist monies from Rev. Moon for many years, and since he defended Moon with tears during his incarceration for Tax Evasion, can we trust him now to be faithful to the Scripture in his Left Behind series of books? Indeed, we cannot! With great desire for you to not be deceived into taking an action that will send you to Hell for eternity, we implore you to see this series for what they are -- a massive disinformation and propaganda campaign. At the most decisive moment in world history, Left Behind is likely to deceive tens of millions of people to take the one action that will land them in Hell, for which there is no remedy. No one can take the "Mark" and then turn around to repent, even if they do so with great tears of spiritual pain. When you take that "Mark", God slams His Mercy Door shut!

Do not be deceived!

www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1886b.cfm

[schwartzie]

False Doctrine In “Left Behind”: The Remnant Teaches Against the Doctrine of the God-Sent Strong Delusion



There are many apostate teachings and examples in the Left Behind series. I have summarized these in the last chapter of my book, God’s Wrath on Left Behind. I have noticed that one of the predominant send-you-to-hell teachings is the omission of the God-sent strong delusion teaching in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. This doctrine has not only been omitted in the series, but is also repeatedly taught against in various ways in The Remnant.

Everyone who has already been exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ is at risk of receiving the strong delusion sent by God. Those who have heard the gospel but refuse to love the truth and forsake their unrighteous lives will receive this delusion if the Antichrist rises to power while they are still in rebellion to God’s authority over their lives. Noah warned of the judgment of a worldwide flood, and the scriptures warn of a flood of delusion sent by God himself to all who refuse to love the truth as revealed in the Holy Bible and continue to have pleasure in unrighteousness.

What is the God-Sent Strong Delusion?

2 Thessalonians 2: 1-13
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

The God-sent delusion, which the authors completely omitted in the Left Behind series and actively taught against through the storyline of Desecration and especially The Remnant, means that God will cause every person who had the opportunity to follow Jesus Christ before that “that Wicked” rises to power, but would not, will believe the lie.

When “that Wicked” is revealed he will come “after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” He will come with all “deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish.” Who will perish? Those who “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (See 2 Thess. 9,10)

This is the reason why “God shall send them strong delusion, “that they should believe a lie.” Which lie will the people who received not the love of the truth before that Wicked is revealed believe? They will believe what that Wicked “shows” himself to be: God. (See 2 Thess. 2:11)

What happens to those who believe that Wicked’s lie? “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thess. 2:12)

People who refuse to believe the truth and stop having pleasure in unrighteousness will be caused to believe that Antichrist is really the true God. God himself will cause them to believe this lie and they will be damned! They will not be able to fight against this delusion. They will believe it because God will cause them to believe it. God’s judgment is this: “If you want to serve sin now (and therefore the Master of it), you will serve him during the tribulation as well. The doors of the ‘ark of salvation’ will be shut when that Wicked is revealed during the tribulation.

Many Christians “believe” the truth on their terms, which means they continue to have pleasure in unrighteousness. They must understand that if they believe in Jesus but still enjoy unrighteousness, their definition of believing is not the same as God’s, and they will receive his judgment to believe the lie if they do not repent and begin serving God now with single-hearted devotion. God chooses us to salvation through not only our belief of the truth, but also through sanctification of the Spirit: “because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” 2 Thess. 2:13b

Lionel Whalum Definitely Would Have Received the God-Sent Delusion

The authors made a point of reinforcing the “no God-sent delusion” theme in all the books of the Left Behind series. This time it was even more blatant if that is possible. They made certain the reader knew that Lionel Whalum was witnessed to by a born-again Christian, but that he refused to be saved. Two days later after the “disappearances” occurred, he was suddenly saved in ten minutes. The morals of the story? The God-sent delusion does not exist, and the disappearances will be the catalyst for the salvation of many souls. (The Bible teaches the opposite of both of these morals.)

The Left Behind series teaches that the “disappearances” will be the best thing going for evangelism, and if that does not work, then those not saved as soon as they hear of disappearances might turn into the “undecided.” It is anti-biblical and spiritually dangerous to teach that during Satan’s time of world-wide control, with untold numbers of demons having free reign, that people will not only not be deluded by God to believe the lie, but they also might spend years wavering between God and Satan, wondering just whom they will choose! This is out-and-out “send you to hell” teaching.

Today is the day of salvation, not years down the road in the tribulation, where the God-sent delusion is the rule and salvation is only for those who did not have opportunity to hear the gospel. It will NOT be you if you have already heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Left Behind series lies about this and it is not evangelism, it is anti-evangelism and antichrist to teach the doctrine of the second chance in place of the God-sent delusion.

In the following excerpt, we see that Lionel Whalum’s children pleaded with him to be saved, but he rejected the Lord Jesus Christ:

“Now our kids, on the other hand–two girls with a boy in between–they went the other direction. They got off to college and wound up, every one of them, in the kind of church I grew up in. Wrote us. Pleaded with us to get saved. Asked why we hadn’t exposed them to this when they were kids. Flabbergasted me, I have to tell you.

“But did it reach me, change my mind? not on your life.” (The Remnant p. 311)

Lionel Whalum was depicted as being witnessed to again, but he hardened his heart against the wooing of the Holy Spirit. Predictably, right after the disappearances, his hard heart suddenly softened and he believed in the Jesus he had rejected just two days before:

“One time the guy who invited us the first time asked if he could talk to us afterward. When it was just the four of us–his wife didn’t say anything– he kind of put it to us. He told me that wasn’t what he meant. He laid out how to become a born-again Christian. I had heard it. I knew. It was just a little overboard for me, that’s all.” (The Remnant p. 312)

“Two days later, millions of people all over the world disappeared. Including–are you ready? –every last person in that Bible study except us. And all three of our kids were gone.” (The Remnant p. 112)

“Saved?” We got saved in, like, ten minutes.” (The Remnant p. 112)

This example (there are more like it in the Left Behind series) teaches the reader that he can indeed refuse to believe the truth and continue to have pleasure in unrighteousness and repent at his own leisure. Whalum repented sooner (but still too late to escape the strong delusion), but the “undecided’ spent years in a state of spiritual limbo while Satan ruled the the earth.

The “Undecideds” are Already Serving the god of This World

The Bible says that whoever is not serving Jesus Christ is already serving the god of this world by default whether he realizes it or not, but the authors have concocted the category of the “undecided.” These people are never deluded into serving Satan; they just can’t make up their minds whom they want to serve. (See The Remnant, p. 119) They are in a spiritual neutral zone. This lying, false hope given to the reader is that he can wait a long time to decide whom he wants to serve. In fact, he can even wait until the tribulation is nearly over and Jesus’ Second Coming is near. Anyone who believes this example depicted in The Remnant will end up believing that antichrist is God and will be damned.

All “undecideds” already serve the god of this world because they have not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and been translated from the kingdom of spiritual darkness into the spiritual kingdom of God’s dear Son. The authors outrageously teach through The Remnant that there will be three categories of people during the tribulation: The “believers”, the “followers of antichrist,” and the “undecided.” This is a cruel lie. The “undecideds” will worship antichrist if they reject Jesus Christ. They will not live in a spiritual neutral zone.

They will be swept into the demonic whirlwind and worship the beast like the rest of the world if they do not believe when God gives them the opportunity to believe. If you live in the United States, that time is BEFORE the tribulation begins. No matter where you live, if you are reading this article, and have access to my site, you are accountable to God. You know how to avoid the strong delusion, and God has lovingly directed you to this article because he does not want to judge you by sending you strong delusion. He wants you to repent today and live.

There will be the “don’t knows” but they will change into either real remnant Christians (not The Remnant kind) or reject the gospel preaching and immediately come under the delusion to believe the lie. God will use his sealed witnesses to fearlessly preach the gospel during this time. Sealed means protected, not tattooed with visible crosses. Also, the real remnant witnesses will not use anagrams like satanists do to hide their identity and they will not wear disguises, which is a carnal and useless weapon. They will walk in the Spirit and go where the Holy Spirit leads and speak what he is leading them to say.

The “Undecided”: A Group in the Tribulation That Does Not Exist in Scripture

The authors have used the phrase, “the undecided” to denote people who still could not make up their minds whom they wanted to serve even five years into the tribulation. The authors want you to think that people can live during the tribulation for years trying to decide whether they want Jesus Christ or Antichrist and not be affected by demons pulling them into the worldwide worship of antichrist.

The God-sent delusion is real and we must purpose to avoid this damning judgment and help others to escape it as well. It is a judgment that God will send upon all who refuse to surrender to him (both Christian and the unbeliever) before “that Wicked” is revealed.

What about those who have not heard the gospel and then enter into the tribulation? God has made provision for these people. He will send forth 144,000 Jewish evangelists to preach the gospel. The God-sent delusion is for those who scorned the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ over their lives even though they knew of him and of his gift of salvation.

Those who already heard the gospel and rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, or accepted him on their own terms which means they continued to have pleasure in unrighteousness and were not being sanctified in the Spirit, will receive the strong delusion when “that Wicked” is revealed. They will not have a “second chance” to be saved as the Left Behind series falsely and diabolically teaches.

The “Undecided” Might Decide if They See Signs and Wonders?

What is even more unsettling, is that the authors even narrated what the undecided might need to see to decide:

Tsion was troubled in his spirit by a deep sense of foreboding. He knew he would not be able to shepherd all the way to the Glorious Appearing every person who had arrived in Petra. And yet he believed that when they had seen the mighty and miraculous hand of God, many of the undecided would be persuaded. (The Remnant p. 338)

This passage is suggesting that the gospel of Jesus Christ as written in the Holy Bible is not enough, and that is why they remain “undecided.”. These “undecided” might need to see some miracles to be persuaded that Jesus is really who the Bible says he is.

Jesus warned that “There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”. Matthew 24:24

The real remnant will not be trying to persuade the lost to believe in the true God of the Holy Bible because of miracles they see, but will seek to lead the lost to God through his written Word, the Holy Bible. Signs must not be the determining factor of what is of God because the antichrist will work many signs and lying wonders by Satan’s power.

If you are “undecided” today because you have not seen the signs you are looking for, please beware. Satan is quite capable of obliging you with lying signs and wonders in hopes of deceiving you into accepting him instead of Jesus Christ.

What you see with your eyes is not necessarily what you are truly getting. Satan will dangle in front of your eyes anything that will put you on the path to his desired end for your life. Only the Bible is the perfectly lit lamp where what you see written plainly in context, is always what you will get.

The “Undecideds” Might Wait Too Long

“This may seem an unparalleled opportunity to plead once again for the souls of men and women, because millions will lose loved ones. But the Scriptures also indicate that this may come so late in the hearts of the undecided that they will have already been hardened. (The Remnant p. 386)

Here we see a little bit of realism. Now the reader is being led to believe that there could be a point of no return if you remain “undecided” too long. This does not rectify the false teaching of the “undecided”— the person who knows the gospel but refuses to commit to Jesus Christ and stays in some kind of spiritual neutral zone during years of the tribulation.

Muslims Refusing the Mark of the Beast?

The authors’ teaching against the God-sent delusion was especially obvious in the passages about Muslims refusing the Mark, but also rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ. Whoever does not have the Holy Spirit will not know antichrist is not God. The Muslims will think he is Allah, the Buddhists will think he is Buddha, The “continuing to have pleasure in unrighteousness Christians” will think he is Jesus Christ, etc. The authors are teaching that the God-sent delusion does not exist by this example, and it is seriously soul-subverting. (See The Remnant, pp. 291-294)

Loyal to Antichrist, But You Won’t Take the Mark of the Beast?

“We know Wongs. Late middle-aged couple. He very loyal to potentate but never took mark.” (The Remnant p. 265)

If you will recall from The Mark, Mr. Wong worshipped Antichrist. We later learn he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ (the authors almost never ever use this title in the series but I love it and use it often) AFTER he had already believed on antichrist! This will never ever happen in real life. Whoever believes the lie will be damned. (See 2 Thess. 2:11-12)

Why do the authors want you to think this is possible…that someone could believe antichrist is God and worship him, but not yet take his mark, and then come out from under this strong delusion and be saved? Believing the lie is a judgment from God, and he will not reverse it.

It is evil to teach people they can be saved when salvation is no longer possible. Just as it is a lie of Satan to tell people they can still get saved after death, it is just as heinous to teach them by example that they can believe antichrist is God and still get saved later.

If You Have the Mark of the Beast You Might Not Want to Worship the Beast?

Here is yet another example of the way the authors taught against the God-sent delusion as well as repeating the false doctrine of separating having the mark of the beast and the worship of the beast:

Even many who had already taken the mark of Carpathia were punished for not bowing to worship his image three times a day. (The Remnant p. 224)

The Bible is plain the mark of the beast and the worship of the beast go together. (See Rev. 14:9, 14:11, 16:2, 19:20) Those who believe the lie, that the beast (antichrist) is God, will WANT to worship him. They will be under the strong delusion that he is God, and their minds will be given over to Satan’s control. They will not simply have a mark but have minds that are not under Satan’s control. Those who refuse the mind of Christ before the tribulation will have the mind of Satan during it.

This article is a brief overview of the examples in The Remnant that teach against the God-sent delusion as promised in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2. For your further investigation, here are some pages that refer to the “undecided”: 119, 122, 222, 224, 264, 338, 370

soldierservant.wordpress.com/2007/06/21/false-doctrine-in-left-behind-the-remnant-teaches-against-the-doctrine-of-the-god-sent-strong-delusion/