The Omega Letter Intelligence Digest
 

Vol: 34 Issue: 10 - Saturday, July 10, 2004

"A More Sure Word . . ."

by Jack Kinsella

I was encouraged to read in the secular news that a majority of Americans
identify themselves as Christians when asked to name their religious
faith.  Moreover, nearly 90% of Americans believe that there is a God.

The Barna Research group is considered the 'gold standard' in Christian
research polling, and it recently released a survey of the religious views
of America's teens.  According to Barna's research, fully 88% of American
teens identify themselves as Christians, and about one third of teens
overall claim to be born again believers. About 60% believe that "the
Bible is totally accurate in all of its teachings." And 56% feel that
their religious faith is very important in their life.

Encouraging numbers, indeed. At least, on the surface.  It would be nice
to believe that at the Rapture, at least a third of America's teens will
also hear, "Come up hither!" as the Church Age comes to a close.
Unfortunately, while most of American teens might claim Jesus, it would
appear that many don't really know Who He is.

The research also says more than half of all U.S. teens believe that Jesus
committed sins while He was on earth. About 60% agree that enough good
works will earn them a place in heaven. About two-thirds say that Satan is
just a symbol of evil, not really a living being. Only 6% of all teens
believe that there are moral absolutes.

And most troubling of all, only 9% of self-described born-again teens
believe that moral truth is absolute.

Assessment:

Not too long after the 'Passion of the Christ' was released, Pamela
Anderson was photographed wearing a T-shirt bearing the words, "Jesus is
my homeboy;" at about that same time, Hollyweird announced a new film in
production entitled, "Saved!"

Commentators predicted a coming revival as a result of Hollyweird's
discovery of Jesus -- especially when Gibson showed He could be a bankable
property.  Christian leaders were disappointed -- but shouldn't have been
too surprised -- to discover that "Saved!" was about as positive a
portrayal of Christianity as was the obscene film, "The Rapture" of a
decade ago.

It would appear that it is from this larger pool that most of the
self-described Christians of the polling research were drawn.  After all,
if 9% of self-described born-again Christian teens believe in moral
absolutes, my calculator says that means 91% of self-described born-again
Christian teens do not.

And that number quickly and steadily rose from just 52% of committed
Christian kids in 1992 who denied the existence of absolute truth.

A slight majority of professing Christian teens also now say that the
Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ never occurred.  Nearly 60% of
evangelical Christian teenagers now say that all religious faiths teach
equally valid truths.

The Bible says that the government of the antichrist will rest on three
main pillars of control in the last days, a global government, a global
economy and a global religious system.  The global government exists,
although not in its final form.

The Bible says the final form of government will be headed by the leader
of the revived Roman Empire.  Right now, it is embodied by the United
Nations, which is currently imploding at breakneck speed.  The 'Oil for
Food' scandal comes on the heels of UN failures from Somalia to Rwanda to
Iraq.  When it does collapse, and it must, Europe is uniquely suited to
step in and take over the UN's multinational infrastructure.

That a centralized global economy already exists is an undeniable fact.
The infrastructure for the global economy is currently controlled by the
UN via its various daughter organizations, like the WTO and the World
Bank.  Without them, there would be a world-wide global economic collapse.
Again, Europe is uniquely suited to step in and keep the global economic
infrastructure intact.

But what about the global religion?  The world is currently embroiled in a
global religious war between Islamic terror and institutionalized
Christianity and Judaism, putting America and Israel directly into the
Islamofacists' gunsights. This war is predicted to last a generation or
more.

And, according to the Barna data, the majority of those who will be
responsible for conducting this war believe all religious faiths teach
equally valid truths, even as nine out of ten deny the existence of
absolute moral truth.

There are already calls for a 'kinder, gentler, and more inclusive'
interfaith religious system, and the UN has assembled a council of
interfaith leaders to that purpose.  The argument is that fundamentalism
is responsible for religious conflict. Ergo, religious fundamentalists are
the enemy.  Any religious fundamentalist, Christian, Jew or Islamic.

The Apostle John describes the false prophet's religion as having the
appearance of Christianity, but teaching the doctrine of Satan. "And I
beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like
a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." (Revelation 13:11)

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy; "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,
that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." (1 Timothy 4:1)

Paul also wrote, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own
lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And
they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto
fables." (2 Timothy 4:1)

Today's briefing sounds pretty gloomy, but take heart!  God knows what He
is doing, and to encourage us during the dark times, He told us about it
in advance.  So that when we saw these things BEGIN to come to pass, we
would know that our redemption is at hand. (Luke 21:28)

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye
take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day
dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." (2 Peter 1:19)

The King is coming! He is coming SOON!  Tell your friends.