Lighthouse Trails E-Newsletter

LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH January 15, 2018 LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS PUBLISHING

In This Issue

If you like this e-newsletter that you are reading, you might also like the Lighthouse Trails Research JOURNAL: Our low-cost subscription-based print journal is mailed out to homes, churches, and offices 6 times a year. The 32-page journal contains the most important stories from our e-newsletter from the previous 8 weeks and also other features. You may wish to receive that in addition to this free e-newsletter. You can sign up any time during the year for the print journal. You can also buy individual or past issues here. Many people have now signed up for the print journal, and we are getting very favorable feedback that the journal is most beneficial. For common questions about the journal, click here.

Note: Because we are a research ministry, we do post news articles from various secular and Christian sources along with our own in-house articles if we believe our readers can benefit from the information. We also post video clips from YouTube at times. Also please note, any advertising on YouTube videos is not in any way connected to Lighthouse Trails and is beyond our control, but we make every effort to use only video clips that have no obscene or vulgar content including in advertising.

*Photos used in this e-newsletter that are not exclusive to Lighthouse Trails are either 1) in the public domain, 2) used in accordance with the US Fair Use Act, 3) or are from bigstockphoto.com unless otherwise mentioned; used with permission.

Letter to the Editor: UrbanPromise—Christian Doctrinal Statement Contrary to Its Focus on New Age Meditation Practices

UrbanPromise logo; used in accordance with the US Fair Use Act and Copyright Laws that allow the use of logos for informational and educational purposes in written articles.

Dear Lighthouse Trails:

I am writing to warn about UrbanPromise. Of course, in its stated doctrine and Mission and Vision, it is Christian; and at first glance, they are not ashamed of the Gospel. However, in just about every case of compromise that I’ve seen, it is not stated doctrine that we should be satisfied with, but the practical application of said doctrine(s). So let me tell you why I am warning about this organization.

Over a year ago me and my wife attended a dinner and performance (it was a plea for regular donors) for UrbanPromise that raised funds for their schools and ongoing youth programs internationally. My wife and I were invited by a friend and enjoyed the program for the most part. During the performance and explanation of what programs were included, we noticed that meditation and mindfulness were mentioned. My wife and I looked at each other in disbelief and questioned whether we actually heard what we thought we heard.

It wasn’t until I began to do some research on the organization’s website that I confirmed what we both heard that evening. I found that among promoting Jesus and the Gospel to at-risk youth within inner cities and in foreign countries, which is suppose to be the core of everything we do as Christians, that there was outright promotion and implementation of New Age practices aimed at those same youth [see this example, this one, and this one].

So I prayed and wrote an e-mail to the founder and president, Bruce Main, warning about the dangers of these practices especially when it comes to youth (screenshots of our dialogue below). Sadly, over a year later, nothing has been addressed and it seems the biggest concern is attaining funds to forward their cause and ministry.

Upon further review of UrbanPromise, the entire ministry was inspired by Tony Campolo and his call for “Christians to seek justice for the poor and liberation for the oppressed” (http://urbanpromiseusa.org/mission). It also has direct ties to Eastern University (funding), whom you have listed under the Colleges and Universities that Promote Spiritual Formation. So there should be no surprise that they would endorse/practice the things that those who have the most influence over the ministry practice and endorse.

I don’t know how useful this information will be to other readers, but I pray the Lord uses it for His glory somehow. Thank you for your continued and faithful stance on the Word of God; you have been a blessing and refreshment to me and my family. To this we are eternally thankful.

In Christ,

Mr. Smith

Related Information:

Tony Campolo: Coming to Christ Through Mysticism

What You Need to Know About Jim Wallis and the Social-Justice Gospel

Biometrics and Big Brother

By Roger Oakland
Understand the Times, International

A trend is sweeping the world that has the potential of impacting every person on the planet. It will mandate the way we buy or sell consumer products or identify our location as we move from place to place. Rarely a day goes by without news explaining how citizens around the world are being processed for the purpose of global personal identification. In order to understand what is happening, you need to know what is meant by the term biometrics.

Consider the following statement from an article titled “China Expands Biometric Collection Program in Xinjiang.” The article explains how personal privacy is being violated in the world’s most populated country:

Authorities in China’s Xinjiang region are gathering DNA samples, fingerprints, iris scans and blood types from all residents between ages 12 and 65, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports. Some of the data is being collected under a program “Physicals for All,” which provides free annual medical examinations. Biometric data is also being collected from those considered a threat to stability, known as “focus personnel,” and their families, regardless of their age. Previously, all passport applicants in the region have been required to submit biometric data.[1]

Or what about another similar program being forced on the citizens of India, the second most populated country in the world. Once again, citizens are being subjected to biometrics for identification purposes. According to an article titled “India is Building a Biometric Data Base for 1.3 Billion People – and Enrollment is Mandatory,” we read:

Inside the buzzing enrollment agency, young professionals wearing slim-fitting jeans and lanyards around their necks tapped away at keyboards and fiddled with fingerprint scanning devices as they helped build the biggest and most ambitious biometric database ever conceived. Into the office stepped Vimal Gawde, an impoverished 75-year-old widow dressed in a floral print sari. She had come to secure her ticket to India's digital future — to enroll in the identity program, called Aadhaar, or "foundation," that aims to record the fingerprints and irises of all 1.3 billion Indian residents.[2]

Perhaps, as you are reading this article, you are discovering the term biometrics for the first time. By the way, China and India are not the only countries moving in this direction. Many other countries including the United States, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, France, Germany, Israel, and Russia are working on biometric identification systems as well. This will be a global system of identification, and eventually all countries will participate.

Biometrics, by breaking down the word itself into syllables, means the measurement of human biological characteristics. For further clarification, read the following definition taken from the website Technical Terms that provides a good understanding of the importance of the term:

Biometrics refers to technologies used to detect and recognize human physical characteristics. In the IT world, biometrics is often synonymous with "biometric authentication," a type of security authorization based on biometric input. There are several types of biometric authentication. Common examples include fingerprint scanning, retinal scanning, facial recognition, and voice analysis. A facial recognition system, for instance, uses a camera to capture an image of a person's face. The photograph is then recorded and processed using biometrics software. The software attempts to match the scanned image with an image from a database of users' photos. If the scan is close enough to a specific user, the person will receive authorization to continue.[3]

Over fifty years ago, I read a book titled Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell which described the very system presently being implemented all over the world. Of course, at that time, I did not grasp what the author was writing about was something that could actually be implemented in my lifetime. However, later on my journey of life, I was enlightened by biblical prophetic insight explaining that the system Orwell was describing would become a reality in the last days as a means of monitoring and controlling all the citizens of planet earth.

Such a system is in place now. Technology has developed to the point where global citizens can be linked to a global computer instantaneously and monitored and controlled. Personal identification data is being gathered for this purpose with the use of biometrics.

The Big Brother system is here, and the Bible makes it clear where this is headed in the future. In the apostle John’s vision, he described the times in which we are living very well and the establishment of the “big brother” the Bible calls the Antichrist. He wrote:

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he 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.[4]

Click here for source at Understand the Times, International

Moody’s Enrollment Plummets Due to Leadership’s Moral Failings and Liberal Leanings

Photo used in accordance with the U.S. Fair Use Act.

LTRP Note: Lighthouse Trails has been reporting on and challenging Moody Bible Institute for several years because they have been progressively promoting and turning to contemplative spirituality via Spiritual Formation programs. And yet, in our dealings with them, they have always denied doing this. As we have pointed out so many times, once a school begins going down that path, liberalism (or what we call emergent) and a twisted view on the Gospel and the Bible are the byproducts. Perhaps Moody leadership thought they would increase enrollment by becoming trendy, culturally relevant, emerging, contemplative, and liberal. They forgot one thing – God doesn’t bless the mixing of truth and error – in fact, He judges it.

The following article was posted in November of 2017. On January 10th, the Broken Twig blog posted a new article titled “Moody just accepted resignations of President Paul Nyquist, Provost Junias Venugopal & COO Steve Mogck.” While replacing Moody’s leadership may solve some of their problems, if the school doesn’t acknowledge their embracing of the contemplative prayer movement, they will not climb out of this hole but will continue falling further into it.

By The Broken Twig blog

“We’re in a storm.” That’s the reason President Nyquist recently gave for a nearly 30 percent drop in enrollment at Moody the past four years, which has caused the institute to close its Spokane campus and cut more than 20 faculty in Chicago. Nyquist took no responsibility for this dramatic drop in enrollment, which occurred on his watch, but attributed it to a nationwide trend – a “college bubble” that is bursting. He also pointed to a changing culture that rejects Christ and His Word and fails to raise children interested in a Bible education.

While it’s true that many have predicted that the future pool of college applicants is shrinking, bursting a bubble that’s prevailed for decades, it doesn’t explain Moody’s dramatic downturn in such a short amount of time. In fact, total fall enrollment in post-secondary institutions from 2013-2015 decreased only two percent nationwide. During that same time period, applications at Moody plummeted from 1,300 to 1,040 – a 20 percent drop! . . .

Enrollment at Moody was steady until 2013 when it began to plummet. In September of that year, Moody changed its longstanding policies regarding alcohol, smoking and gambling. In fact, the policy position was so startling, even the New York Times wrote a piece documenting the change. Click here to continue reading. (LT Note: As of 1/15/18, the Broken Twig site has disappeared. We read this comment from their Facebook page: "Their last post indicated that since alumni, donors, etc have been brought up to speed this site has completed it's objective and we, as a collective group, all carry the mission and responsibility to pray for Moody and bring accountability to the concerns brought out into the light.")

Letter to the Editor: There is No Doubt That Moody Has Gone Contemplative – This Year’s Radio Programs Proves It.

Embracing Contemplative Shows Ill Effects at Moody Bible Institute in Ecumenical “Road to Rome” Event

Moody’s Pastors’ Conference Teaching Lectio Divina This Week – And Seven Years of Warning by Lighthouse Trails Go Unheeded

Letter to the Editor: UrbanPromise—Christian Doctrinal Statement Contrary to Its Focus on New Age Meditation Practices

Biometrics and Big Brother

Moody’s Enrollment Plummets Due to Leadership’s Moral Failings and Liberal Leanings

Biola University – Going . . . Going . . . Gone As President Takes Sabbatical At Catholic Contemplative Monastery

What Would D. L. Moody Say Today to Moody Bible Institute About Mingling Truth and Error?

War on the Saints – Part 1

What May Seem Right May Be Wrong

Four New Lighthouse Trails Book Releases

NEW BOOKLET: Fearing God in a Fearless New Age

Leave a Review and Get a Discount Coupon and Check Out New Release

Supporting Lighthouse Trails

SIGN UP FOR THE LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH PRINT JOURNAL (not this e-newsletter)

FLAT RATE U.S. SHIPPING AND HISTORY OF LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS

Quick Links for Lighthouse Trails

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR INFORMATION, DEFINITIONS, AND MORE, USE OUR TOPICAL INDEX.

or Our Blog Search Engine

If you are NOT a subscriber to our 32-page Journal delivered to your home, office, or church (not this free e-newsletter you are reading) and want to be, click button to subscribe:

(The subscribe button above is for the hard copy journal delivered to your home, office, or church, not this free e-newsletter you are reading.)

SUBSCRIBE TO THIS FREE E-NEWSLETTER

Who We Are

Lighthouse Trails is a Christian publishing company and research project ministry. We work with a group of Christian journalists and authors, all who understand the times in which we live from a biblical perspective. While we hope you will buy and read the books and booklets we have published, watch the DVDs we have produced, and support our ministry, we also provide extensive free research, documentation, and news on our Research site, blog, e-newsletter, and now our subscription based print journal. We pray that the products as well as the online research will be a blessing to the body of Christ and a witness to those who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, trusting in Him for the salvation of their souls.

Contacting Us

Click here for contact information.

SUPPORT
LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS

WRITERS WE USE

lynn lusby pratt

LIGHTOUSE TRAILS READERS SUPPORTING BRYCE HOME'S INTERNATIONALSINCE 2011
(NOW IN 7 COUNTRIES)

Biola University – Going . . . Going . . . Gone As President Takes Sabbatical At Catholic Contemplative Monastery

Photo: From the Glastonbury Abbey; used in accordance with the U.S. Fair Use Act for the purposes of critique and review.

For many years, Lighthouse Trails has written about the slide that Biola University in Southern California has taken into contemplative spirituality. Our first indication that the school was heading that way was in February of 2006 when we learned that Biola was actively participating in a publication called Conversations Journal, a magazine whose primary purpose is to bring contemplative spirituality to the church, and editorial involvement includes names such as Richard Foster, Basil Pennington (a Catholic mystic), Tilden Edwards (co-founder of the panentheistic Shalem Institute), and others of the contemplative viewpoint. Since then, we have watched as Biola has gotten whole-heartedly on the contemplative band wagon with its own Institute for Spiritual Formation through Biola’s Talbot School of Theology.

Fast forward nearly twelve years to the fall of 2017 when the longstanding president of Biola, Dr. Barry Corey, took a month-long sabbatical leave starting with a week at the Glastonbury Abbey in Massachusetts (a Benedictine monastery) then wrote about his time of contemplative silence at the Abbey for the students of Biola in an article titled “The Abbey Makes Space for the Soul” in the school’s student-run newspaper Chimes.

Of course, it makes sense to us that the president of a strongly contemplative university would spend time in silence at a Catholic mystical retreat center. We have been explaining for many years now that contemplative prayer came to the evangelical church from the Catholic monasteries (e.g. Thomas Merton at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky). So naturally, a contemplative proponent such as Corey would be drawn to a Catholic contemplative retreat center. It’s like going back to the roots of what has become the foundation of Biola’s “faith.” And with the president himself boasting of his time at the Glastonbury Abbey, no doubt, many students will wish to follow suit. Most of them probably won’t have the money to take a week off and fly across the country to Massachusetts (college students are generally strapped for funds – Biola’s yearly tuition runs over $40,000 a year). But with President Corey’s glowing report of his time at Glastonbury, students can at least order a few books from Glastonbury’s online bookstore.

Here are some titles Biola students might purchase from the Glastonbury bookstore: Becoming the Presence of God (Contemplative Ministry for Everyone) by Michael Ford, Finding Our Sacred Center by Henri Nouwen, Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation by Richard Rohr, Christ in All Things: Exploring Spirituality with Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, Guidelines for Mystical Prayer, What the Mystics Know: Seven Pathways to Your Deeper Self by Rohr, and a multitude of other similar books. The majority of the books in Glastonbury’s bookstore radiates with the contemplative message that God is in everyone. For those who are new to understanding contemplative spirituality, THAT is the foundation of contemplative prayer (i.e., Spiritual Formation) – God in everyone, which of course, if was true, then Christ died for us in vain as man would not need a Savior separate from himself. This is why we have given our lives up to warn the church about the infiltration of this panentheistic spirituality that now affects over 90% of the Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries. If contemplative spirituality (as promoted at Biola) is legitimate, then the Gospel is not needed, and those of us who believe in it are the worst of fools.

Some reading this may be thinking, well, just because Dr. Corey visited a contemplative monastery doesn’t mean that Biola itself is promoting or teaching contemplative prayer. On that matter, we could give one example after the next (see links to some of our former research below). But let’s look at just a few recent things from Biola’s website:

First, in Biola’s Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, in the Fall 2017 issue is an abstract from an article titled “Evangelical Spiritual Disciplines: Practices for Knowing God” written by Dr. Tom Schwanda (Associate Professor of Christian Formation & Spirituality at Wheaton College). It reads:

Evangelicals are not known for their awareness of or appreciation for their own history. . . . “evangelicals . . . have never been introduced to the richness of their own spirituality. Many evangelicals, and more broadly Protestants, were unaware of spiritual disciplines until Richard Foster’s groundbreaking publication Celebration of Discipline first released in 1978. While Foster wrote as an evangelical he was recovering the classic spiritual disciplines that have been shaped by 2,000 years of the Christian church. As important as this was there is also both historical and practical value for evangelicals to recognize the rich spiritual treasures within their stream of Christian spirituality. This article seeks to redress this weakness in one limited way by examining the origin of evangelical spiritual disciplines and their development over the past three centuries. (source; emphasis added)

What Dr. Schwanda means is that evangelicals have been missing out on “classic spiritual disciplines” (primarily contemplative prayer), that is until Richard Foster brought them to us. He’s also saying that Christians don’t have to look for these disciplines from other religions or belief systems because we already have a heritage of Christian mysticism in our own backyard (i.e., a long line of Catholic mystics). Ray Yungen tried to explain this in his book, A Time of Departing. Read the section below, which should provide some insight:

In [Thomas] Merton’s efforts to become a mystic, he found guidance from a Hindu swami, whom Merton referred to as Dr. Bramachari. Bramachari played a pivotal role in Merton’s future spiritual outlook. [Henri] Nouwen divulged this when he said:

“Thus he [Merton] was more impressed when this Hindu monk pointed him to the Christian mystical tradition. . . . It seems providential indeed that this Hindu monk relativized [sic] Merton’s youthful curiosity for the East and made him sensitive to the richness of Western mysticism.”

Why would a Hindu monk advocate the Christian mystical tradition? The answer is simple: they are one in the same. Even though the repetitive words used may differ (e.g. Christian words: Abba, Father, etc. rather than Hindu words), the end result is the same. And the Hindu monk knew this to be true. Bramachari understood that Merton didn’t need to switch to Hinduism to get the same enlightenment that he himself experienced through the Hindu mystical tradition. In essence, Bramachari backed up what I am trying to get across in A Time of Departing, that all the world’s mystical traditions basically come from the same source and teach the same precepts . . . and that source is not the God of the Old and New Testaments. The biblical God is not interspiritual!

Evangelical Christianity is now being invited, perhaps even catapulted, into seeing God with these new eyes of contemplative prayer. And so the question must be asked, is Thomas Merton’s silence, Henri Nouwen’s space, and Richard Foster’s contemplative prayer the way in which we can know and be close to God? Or is this actually a spiritual belief system that is contrary to the true message that the Bible so absolutely defines—that there is only one way to God and that is through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice on the Cross obtained our full salvation? ( A Time of Departing, 2nd ed., p. 199)

Second, to show that Biola is promoting contemplative spirituality, if you examine the editorial staff for the Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, you will see numerous contemplative and/or emergent names (Ruth Haley Barton, Klaus Issler, Kyle Strobel, Larry Crabb, Bruce Demarest to name a few); there is no way that the Journal is not going to be promoting contemplative spirituality.

One more example, in Biola’s class SEED570 Introduction to Spiritual Formation, one of the textbooks being used is Adele Ahlberg Calhoun’s book, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. In a Lighthouse Trails review of this book, we quote Calhoun from her book where she states:

I would be remiss not to mention the spiritual tutors that I know only through books: Dorothy Bass, Eugene Peterson, Gerald May, M. Basil Pennington, Dallas Willard, Phyllis Tickle, Fredrick Buechner, Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen, Richard Rohr, Jonathan Edwards [not a contemplative], Francis de Sales, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Ignatius Loyola, St. Benedict, Julian of Norwich and many more. Their ideas, voices and examples have shaped my own words and experience of the disciplines. (Acknowledgment’s page)

If you are not familiar with these names, please take some time to study them. They are all mystical advocates. Calhoun’s book does not belong in any school that calls itself Christian. You can see on the Biola website that Calhoun spoke at the school in 2013 as well. In our review of Calhoun, we showed how she advocates the spirituality of Catholic panentheists Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington.

If there is a Biola student reading this article, we beseech you to weigh this matter out in light of Scripture. Your president is pointing you to a spiritual outlook that negates the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is as New Age, panentheistic, and universalistic as it gets. Henri Nouwen, whom you have most likely heard about in some of your classes at Biola, said this statement near the end of his life after spending years practicing contemplative prayer:

Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God’s house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God.”—From Sabbatical Journey, Henri Nouwen’s last book, page 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition

Nouwen came to this conclusion after immersing himself in the very same contemplative silence that Glasonbury Abbey lives by. If the above statement by Nouwen were true, then everyone (even Hitler) will be saved, and it really doesn’t matter what belief a person holds to because every way, every path (be it Buddhism, Hinduism, even atheism) will be a path to God.

Biola University has been introducing students to the beliefs of Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, and many other mystics for a long time. Forty thousand dollars a year is a lot of money to pay for an education like that!

Note: Any Biola student, professor, or staff member who would be willing to read A Time of Departing, the book we publish that explains contemplative spirituality, we will be happy to send a free copy. Please just email us at editors@lighthousetrails.com. Your name will be kept confidential.

Some of our other coverage on Biola University since 2006:

2017 – Biola University Brings in Emergent Speaker for Students, as Pathway to Apostasy Continues

2017 – Evangelical Universities & Seminaries Offering Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation – Going into the Deeper Waters of Contemplative Spirituality

2016 – Erwin McManus, Moody, Liberty, Cedarville, and Biola Help Pave the Emergent/Social Justice/Progressive Future with Barefoot Tribe

2016 – Mindfulness! Heard of It? What Does it Mean, and Where is it Showing Up in Christian Circles?

2014 – Letter to the Editor: Rick Warren, the Road to Rome, and More Trouble at Biola University

2013 – Biola Conference Welcomes Ruth Haley Barton as it Continues Heartily Down Contemplative Path

2008 – Lee Strobel’s Son – Founder of Contemplative Ministry – Biola Named as “Partner,” Lee Strobel as “Supporter”

2008 – Biola Magazine Managing Editor Admits Biola Promotes Contemplative Spirituality

2008 – Biola University Student Reports on Contemplative Chapel Services – Warns Parents to Avoid Biola

2006 – The Shape of Things to Come: Biola University Embraces Contemplative Spirituality

2006 – Biola University … and Emerging Spirituality

What Would D. L. Moody Say Today to Moody Bible Institute About Mingling Truth and Error?

Dwight L. Moody

By Dwight L. Moody

I do not see how any Christian, most of all a Christian minister, can go into these secret lodges with unbelievers. They say they can have more influence for good, but I say that they can have more influence for good by staying out of them and reproving their evil deeds.

You can never reform anything by unequally yoking yourself to ungodly men. True reformers separate themselves from the world. But, some say to me, if you talk that way you will drive all the members of secret societies out of your meetings and out of your churches. But what if I did? Better men will take their places. Give them the truth anyway, and if they would rather leave their churches than their lodges, the sooner they get out of their churches the better.

I would rather have ten members who are separated from the world than a thousand such members! Come out from the lodge.

Better one with God than a thousand without Him! We must walk with God, and if only one or two go with us, it is all right. Do not let down the standard to suit men who love their secret lodges or have some darling sin they will not give up! (source: https://www.thebereancall.org/content/dwight-l-moody-masonry).

(Photo in public domain.)

War on the Saints – Part 1

By Bill Randles

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:4-8)

[A]nd of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:20-22)

We are all undergoing, whether we believe and acknowledge it or not, a tremendously intense level of spiritual warfare such as never seen before in history.

The Bible tells us that this intensive, high-level spiritual warfare would be one of the characteristics of the last days. The book of Revelation warns us that in the very last times, the Abyss, i.e. “the bottomless pit” will be opened and the earth will be inundated by a locust like Demon invasion, sent to torment all men. Paul warns us that in the last days demons will be teaching people doctrine and that those doctrines would even infiltrate the church, causing many to fall away.

God is allowing evil to come out into the open and to have a last Hurrah, a final opportunity to fully manifest itself, in the sight of all men, offering to fallen and deceived and Christ-rejecting mankind the kind of “world order” that Satan and his evil Spirits have long promised, as an option to the promise of the Kingdom of God.

This is truly (their) Hour, and the power of darkness.

Thus shall Satan be given temporary permission to “Make war” on the Saints,( The Holy People), and to overcome them . . . a seeming string of “victories” for we are told that the Dragon wears many crowns (Revelation 12:3), and we shall realize soon that all worldly power and influence is revealed to be at the service of the Beast, utterly turned over to it.

The Saints will have no worldly influence, they will be powerless to defend themselves when attacked in this world, and they will be impotent to set the record straight when they are lied about by the Synagogue of Satan. We must hold to the truth and patiently await the ultimate triumph of the Seed of the woman. In many cases, we will win by losing for we “love not our lives unto death.”
It is time for we who love and profess Jesus in this world to realize the spiritual warfare which wages about us, that we might engage properly. We need to see spiritually and to think from a spiritual perspective.

Our war isn’t against flesh and blood, and people are not our true enemies. We can pray for those who have set themselves against us and overcome any evil they do against us with good.
The adversary, Satan, is now operating against the church, using people, social systems, institutions, technology, to convey his Philosophy, empty Imaginations, vain reasonings, knowledge that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, right into our thinking. With modern technology, there has never been a better time for Satan to do this, for what better way to convey “Images” than through our tablets and smart phones?

A child of, let’s say, ten is frequently given a little handheld portal to all of the knowledge, entertainment, and teaching in the world! Frequently these things are handed over with little or no supervision. The technology represented by that “Smart Phone” exceeds the technology it took to land men on the moon! How are we going to supervise this opening into our child’s mind?

Who is going to be there to counter the Satanic propaganda, the lies, the false and distorted imagery, the anti-Christian narrative of current events, history and the lionization of vile people—at the same time as the frequent demonization of good people?

The War is on folks, and it is non-stop until the Messiah comes to crush the Serpents head! The Devil knows his time is short and that now is the time to seduce, cajole, and deceive as many people as possible away from God.

Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. (Revelation 12:12)

(Photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission. Article used with permission from Bill Randles.)

What May Seem Right May Be Wrong

By Roger Oakland
Understand The Times, International

Man’s way or God’s way? That is a very important question. When it comes to growing God’s church, is there a right answer? Some believe there are ways to promote church growth by applying certain principles that are based on human insight and growth methods. What does God say?

Every Christian wants to see the church grow. Jesus made it clear before He ascended to the Father that His followers are to be His witnesses. Believers are called to share the good news of the gospel until He returns. We want to see our churches filled to overflowing. But what happens when the Christian Church, in its zeal to reach the unconverted, begins to embrace ideas and methods that are far from biblical to attract the lost?

We must always remember that a zealous Christian leader who has the ability to communicate can also be a subtle deceiver if he or she mixes truth with error. Further, there are those who are so convinced they are standing on the truth that when they are confronted with biblical truth, they simply cannot see their error. No matter who one is or what position is held, everyone needs to be open to correction from God’s Word.

In the book of Proverbs, we are told why this happens. Solomon wrote: All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. [1] Then to make the point even more evident a few verses later, we are admonished: There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. [2] Click here to continue reading.

Four New Lighthouse Trails Book Releases

Lighthouse Trails is pleased to announce the release of four new books:

The Trinity: The Triune Nature of God by Mike Oppenheimer

The Trinity has continued to be challenged throughout history and is still the watershed issue of our time.

The triune nature of God is one of the core doctrines of the Christian faith and distinguishes Christianity from all other belief systems. Yet, the Trinity has continued to be challenged throughout history and is a watershed issue of our time. How does God define Himself, and how do we explain to others the God of the Scriptures?

Mike Oppenheimer’s book demonstrates that the Bible—in both Old and New Testaments—is absolutely definitive in portraying the Lord God as one God, while maintaining three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It also examines the qualities and characteristics of each of these persons according to Scripture.

With over 300 Bible verses, Oppenheimer’s Trinity book will serve as both a standard and a witnessing tool in understanding the triune nature of God from a biblical perspective.

140 pages | Softbound | $11.95 | ISBN: 978-1-942423-24-9 | ORDER

MOSCOW EXPRESS AND OTHER STORIES FROM RUSSIA By Georgi Vins

Some of the stories are Georgi’s own personal experiences and others are of those of friends and co-laborers in Russia. A bonus section in the book titled “My Prison Camp Diary” was written by Georgi when he was imprisoned for his faith in Christ in a Soviet prison from 1966 to 1969. The diary papers were smuggled out of the prison and were published in 1975 by a U.S. publisher while Georgi was serving a second prison sentence.

As Georgi finished writing Moscow Express years later, he realized that the inoperable tumor discovered in his brain would soon end his physical life. The final chapters of the first section of this book were, quite literally, written on his deathbed. However, as with his previous books, he desired to lift up the name of Jesus Christ and glorify the Lord, so he pressed on with the project despite his declining health. The manuscript was finished just as Georgi’s strength ebbed too low to work anymore. On January 11, 1998, after fifty years of actively serving the Lord, Georgi Vins passed from life on Earth to his eternal home. He has left a legacy of courage and enduring faith in the midst of severe persecution.

Author Bio: Georgi Vins was a Baptist pastor imprisoned a total of eight years in Soviet concentration camps for preaching the Gospel. In the middle of his prison term in 1979, he was suddenly stripped of his Soviet citizenship and exiled to the United States. He settled in Elkhart, Indiana, where his wife and children were allowed to join him. Georgi established a Christian ministry in the U.S. to represent and aid the persecuted church in the Soviet Union. He is also the author of The Gospel in Bonds.

160 pages | Softbound | Photos | $12.95 | ISBN: 978-1-942423-27-0 | ORDER

THE MESSIAH FACTOR by Tony Pearce

“Who Do You say that I am?” was the question Jesus asked the disciples.

This book looks at some contemporary Jewish answers to that question (and answers to those answers). It also examines the history of anti-Semitism and how that has influenced people in our modern era. Whether Jewish or non-Jewish, The Messiah Factor brings many vital issues to the table challenging us all to answer that question, “Who do you say that I am?”

Issues raised include:
Why has the professing church often persecuted Jewish People?
Where was God when the six million perished?
If Jesus is the Messiah, why is there no peace in the world?
Do events in the Middle East today tie in with the prophecies of the Bible, and if so, how will they end?
What clues do the Hebrew Prophets give to Messiah’s identity?

208 pages | | Softbound | Photos | $14.95 | ISBN: 978-1-942423-26-3 | ORDER

CHANGED BY BEHOLDING by Harry Ironside

How is the Christian changed into the image of Christ? Is it through our own holiness or goodness? No, not possible. We do not become holy by looking into our own hearts. We shall only find corruption there. We are to look unto Jesus, and as He becomes the object of our hearts, as we consider and ponder on His holiness, purity, love, and compassion, His devotion to the Father’s will, we shall be changed, imperceptibly to ourselves, perhaps, but none-the-less surely, into His blessed image. By putting on the new man (rebirth), being cleansed by His Word and hiding it deep in our hearts, we are changed by beholding Him.

Changed by Beholding is a series of lectures given by Harry Ironside regarding salvation and the ensuing life that follows one’s decision to put his faith explicitly in Jesus Christ. The book includes the lyrics to numerous ageless hymns and Ironside’s unforgettable anecdotes that illustrate what a life looks like when it is sold out for God.

This special edition has two appendices written by Ironside as an added bonus: “The Greatest Text in the Bible” and his testimonial “My Conversion to God.”

140 pages | Softbound | $11.95 | ISBN: 978-1-942423-28-7 | ORDER

** GET ALL 6 2017 LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS BOOK RELEASES IN ONE PACKAGE AND SAVE (check it out here)

NEW BOOKLET: Fearing God in a Fearless New Age

NEW BOOKLET: Fearing God in a Fearless New Age by Warren B. Smith is our newest Lighthouse Trails Booklet. The Booklet is 18 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are as much as 50% off retail. Our Booklets are designed to give away to others or for your own personal use. Below is the content of the booklet. To order copies of Fearing God in a Fearless New Age, click here.

Fearing God in a Fearless New Age (A Blessing, A Treasure, A Fountain of Life)

By Warren B. Smith

Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. (Psalm 128:1)

We are living in fearful times, yet the Bible repeatedly tells us to “Fear not.” Scripture assures us that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). It teaches us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and that “perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18). But at the same time the Bible continually tells us to “Fear God.” How is this seemingly apparent contradiction regarding fear to be reconciled by those who wish to follow God and do His will?

The New Age Take on Fear

In this rapidly changing world, it is important to understand how the biblical concept of “fear” is being redefined by both the world and the church. In particular, a variety of voices on both sides would now have us believe that “the opposite of love is not hate but fear.” It is important to note that this deceptive concept about fear was popularly introduced into the world by a channeled New Age Christ through a set of metaphysical/occult teachings titled A Course in Miracles. In the Introduction on the very first page of this over 1000 page tome, The Course’s “Jesus” proposes this foundational New Age teaching that “the opposite of love is fear” but cleverly adds—“but what is all-encompassing [love] can have no opposite.”1 He says—“Teach only love, for that is what you are.”2 Thus, The Course’s New Age reality is that because love is “all-encompassing” and because God is love, all is therefore God. Consequently, The Course’s false Christ teaches that all fear is delusional and part of a hapless dream from which the dreamer needs to be “gently wakened” by God’s “happy dream.”3 To deliver us out of our “fearful dream,” we are told that God’s dream” is being sent to bring us to our senses and to the realization that we are love and we are God. There is no fear! What becomes apparent is that these false teachings lay the groundwork for a New Age/New Gospel/New Spirituality to completely supplant biblical Christianity. No fear and no fear of God because we are all love and we are all God—all in the name of “God’s dream.” How unbiblical and truly diabolical!

A Course in Miracles and God’s Dream

First published in 1975, A Course in Miracles has become a cult classic that is often referred to as the New Age “Bible.” Allegedly channeled by “Jesus” to clarify “misunderstood” Bible teachings with his “new” revelation, The Course’s false Christ emphatically teaches God’s “happy dream” that there is no sin,4 no evil,5 no Devil,6 and no need to get saved by an external Savior named Jesus Christ. He says we save ourselves7 and the world by recognizing that we are all “one”8 because we are all “Christ”9 and we are all “God.”10 This New Age “Jesus” teaches that “a slain Christ has no meaning”11 and warns us not to “make the pathetic error of clinging to the old rugged cross.”12 He declares that “The journey to the cross should be the last useless journey.”13 Again, all of these false teachings are described as part of “God’s dream” to save the planet as he “wakens” everyone from their “fearful dreams” with his “happy dream”14 that we are all “one” because we are all “God.”

“Fearing God” is Insanity and Madness?

A Course in Miracles lesson number 48 states—“There is nothing to fear”15 and that especially includes not “fearing God.” Fearing God according to this New Age “Jesus” is bogus and directly equated to one’s fear of being God. The Course’s false Christ says we are not to fear God because we are God.16 But he takes our not fearing God a significant step further. In redefining fear, The Course’s New Age “Jesus” describes the Bible’s teaching on the “fear of God” as “stark insanity and raving madness.”17 He goes so far as to state that the Bible’s take on the “fear of God” is the last remaining “obstacle” to “peace.”18 He says that when humanity overcomes its “fear of God” and is collectively “awakened” by “God’s dream” to the reality that they are God—then and only then—can inner peace and world peace be finally realized. However, the Bible’s teachings on the “fear of God” have nothing to do with fear being the opposite of love and our being God. More importantly, Scripture is unequivocal in its oft repeated teachings on the fear of God and how we are to literally fear and revere and joyously worship the one true God who we definitely are not.

Gerald Jampolsky, Oprah Winfrey Endorse The Course

A Course in Miracles gained enormous popularity when psychiatrist/author Dr. Gerald Jampolsky’s best-selling 1979 book Love is Letting Go of Fear promoted The Course and its New Age teachings. However, the biggest endorsement of The Course came in February 1992 when Oprah Winfrey featured then-fledgling author Marianne Williamson and her book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah told her worldwide television audience that she had “purchased a thousand copies” of Williamson’s book because she had never “been as moved by a book” as she had by Williamson’s book about A Course in Miracles. Oprah said she believed that the teachings of A Course in Miracles “could change the world.”19 Thanks to Oprah, the false New Age Christ had just been mainstreamed into everybody’s living room. After Oprah’s endorsement, Williamson’s book about The Course shot to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for several months.

Pastors Following New Age Suit

Robert Schuller
Several years after the publication of Jampolsky’s 1979 book Love is Letting Go of Fear, Pastor Robert Schuller celebrated Jampolsky as his featured guest on his worldwide Hour of Power television program. The late Schuller also cited him in his best-selling 1982 book Self-Esteem: The New Reformation. Quoting Jampolsky’s Course teaching that “The opposite of love is not hate, but fear,” Schuller described this false teaching as “profound theology.”20 In this same Self-Esteem book, Schuller made multiple references to the New Age term “God’s dream.” Through his writings, teachings, and television ministry, Schuller passed along The Course’s New Age take on “fear being the opposite of love” and the term “God’s dream” to millions of people—but perhaps most especially pastors. At his longstanding Robert H. Schuller Institute for Successful Church Leadership, Schuller communicated his beliefs and teachings to countless pastors over the years. Graduates from Schuller’s Institute routinely incorporated Schuller’s teachings into their own ministries. Perhaps the most famous “graduate” from Schuller’s Institute is Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren.21

Rick Warren
Echoing Schuller, Jampolsky, and the false Christ of A Course in Miracles, Rick Warren took the New Age teaching on “fear being the opposite of love” one step further. He tried to make it biblical! In an April 9, 2009 article written for The Christian Post, Rick Warren, without citing any Bible reference, wrote—“The Bible says the opposite of love is fear, and the opposite of fear is love.”22 Yet, there is no properly translated Bible that says this. The only “Bible” that says this is A Course in Miracles—the New Age “Bible.” What Schuller described as “profound theology,” Rick Warren was now describing as biblical. And just as Schuller passed this false New Age teaching about fear being the opposite of love to countless pastors like Rick Warren, Warren is now passing this false teaching on to a new generation of pastors—pastors like Jason Mitchell.

Jason Mitchell
In the May 5, 2017 edition of the popular Christian publication Relevant Magazine, there was an article by Pastor Jason Mitchell titled “The Opposite of Love Isn’t Hate.” In the article, Mitchell wrote—“The opposite of love isn’t hate—it’s fear.”23 Several months prior to the publication of his article, Mitchell’s Pennsylvania church spent six weeks of Sundays going through Rick Warren’s book The Purpose-Driven Life. Whether or not Mitchell picked up this teaching of fear directly from Rick Warren is not the point. The point is that—thanks to Robert Schuller and Rick Warren—this false New Age teaching on fear is now in the church.

The Bible’s Warning

Not surprisingly, the Bible specifically warns about false teachings on fear that are taught by the precepts of men and not by God:

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men. (Isaiah 29:13)

Fear God—Yes!

Consult any dictionary or thesaurus, and it will not tell you that the opposite of love is fear; it is hate. And while the word “fear” in the Bible is translated from Hebrew and Greek words that have slightly varying and nuanced meanings, the word fear generally means just that—fear. The degree of fear in these definitions can range from “mild uneasiness to stark terror.”24 The frequent biblical command to “Fear not” means we are not to give undue respect or regard to man or to be unnecessarily anxious or afraid of the challenging circumstances that inevitably arise in our lives. But the Bible is exceedingly clear that we are to definitely fear God. But our fear of God is ideally tempered with joyous love, worshipful adoration, and reverential regard. This loving but real fear of God bears witness to the supreme significance of our relationship with Him and to the eternal consequences the relationship holds. We are to both love and fear who He is—“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).

Fear Man—No!

An important distinction must be maintained between the “fear of God” and the “fear of man.” The Bible says we are not to fear the “reproach” or “revilings” of man (Isaiah 51:7). It warns that the fear of man is a “snare” (Proverbs 29:25) and a “sin” (1 Samuel 15:24-25). But the fear of God is “for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24). The Bible teaches that while we are not to fear man or the circumstantial challenges we may be confronted with—we are to fear God. But why? So the Lord can scare, intimidate, manipulate, demean, and ultimately control us? Not at all. Scripture makes it clear that the “fear of God” is a most amazing and wonderful thing. It is the beginning of “knowledge” and “wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10). Our fear of God is not only not an “obstacle” to peace—it is something that will bless us (Psalm 128:1), make us “happy,” (Proverbs 28:14) and cause our soul to “dwell at ease” (Psalm 25:12-13).

“Fear of the Lord” Rests Upon Jesus

The prophet Isaiah—prophesying about the coming of the Messiah (the true Jesus Christ)—describes how the spirit of “the fear of the LORD” literally rests upon Him.

And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:1-2)

Jesus Taught the Fear of God

Our Spiritual Adversary, through his deceptive “God’s dream” theology, wants to redefine fear as something that is the opposite of love and not even real. He wants to eliminate fear because he does not want us to fear and revere the one true God. He does not want us to know the benefits and blessings that come from fearing God. And he most certainly does not want us to know that Jesus Christ Himself specifically taught that we should all fear God. He said we are not to fear those who kill the body, but we are to “fear him” who is “able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:27-28)

The “fear of the Lord” is not only something God desires (Deuteronomy 5:29) but also what He requires (Deuteronomy 10:12)—not for His good, but “for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24). Contrary to the false New Age Christ and those who wittingly or unwittingly espouse his false New Age teachings about fear, Scripture repeatedly tells us just how important and necessary the fear of God is for the serious believer.

Fear Of God

Fearing God is What God Desires
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! (Deuteronomy 5:29)

Fearing God is What God Requires
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. (Deuteronomy 10:12)

Fearing the Lord is a Fountain of Life
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27)

Fear of the Lord is His Treasure
And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. (Isaiah 33:6)

Fearing God Pleases God
The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. (Psalm 147:11)

Fearing God for Our Good
And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. (Jeremiah 32:39-40)

Fearing God is for Our Good Always
And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. (Deuteronomy 6:24)

Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Knowledge
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)

Fear of the Lord is to be Sought and Understood
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3-5)

Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10)

Fear of the Lord is the Instruction of Wisdom
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility. (Proverbs 15:33)

Fear the Lord and Bless the Lord
Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD. (Psalm 135:20)

Fear the Lord and be Blessed
Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. (Psalm 128:1)

Fear the Lord and Praise the Lord
Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. (Psalm 22:23)

Fear the Lord and be Praised
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)

Fear the Lord and Trust the Lord
Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. (Psalm 115:11)

Fear God and Obey His Voice
Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. (Deuteronomy 13:4)

Fear the Lord Above All Other Gods
For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. (Psalm 96:4)

Fear God—There is None Like Him
Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. (Jeremiah 10:7)

Fear God and Go Not After Other Gods
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you. (Deuteronomy 6:13-14)

Fear God and Keep His Commandments
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Fear God and Worship Him
But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. (Psalm 5:7)

Fear the Lord with Reverence and Godly Fear
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29)

Fear God Greatly and Revere Him in the Assembly
God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. (Psalm 89:7)

Fear the Lord and Let Him Be Your Fear
Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. (Isaiah 8:13)

Fear the Lord and Rejoice With Trembling
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. (Psalm 2:11)

Fear God by Serving Him and Cleaving to Him
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. (Deuteronomy 10:20)

Fear the Lord and His Angel is With Thee
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. (Psalm 34:7)

Fear God and Serve Him Only
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. (Joshua 24:14)

Fear God and Serve Him in Truth
Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. (1 Samuel 12:24)

Fear the Lord and His Eye Is Upon You
Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33:18-19)

Fear God and Be Accepted by Him
But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (Acts 10:35)

Fear the Lord and Have No Want
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. (Psalm 34:8-9)

Fear God and Receive His Goodness
Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! (Psalm 31:19)

Fear God and Receive His Mercy
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. (Psalm 103:11)

Fear God and It Shall Be Well
Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him. (Ecclesiastes 8:12)

Fear the Lord and Be Satisfied
The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. (Proverbs 19:23)

Fear God and Your Soul Shall Be at Ease
What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. (Psalm 25:12-13)

Fear the Lord and Be Happy
Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief. (Proverbs 28:14)

Fear of the Lord Is to Hate Evil
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. (Proverbs 8:13)

Fear the Lord and Depart From Evil
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. (Proverbs 3:7)

Fear God and Avoid False Prophets
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. (Deuteronomy 13:1-4)

Fear God and be Delivered from Your Enemies
But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. (2 Kings 17:39)

Fear God and Have Strong Confidence and a Place of Refuge
In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.(Proverbs 14:26)

Fear the Lord and Don’t Sin
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. (Exodus 20:20)

Fear the Lord and be Shown His Covenant
The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant. (Psalm 25:14)

Fear God and Receive a Banner
Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. (Psalm 60:4)

Fear of God for Those Who Rule
The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. (2 Samuel 23:3)

Fear God and Honor All Men
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. (1 Peter 2:17)

Fear God and Fellowship with One Another
Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. (Malachi 3:16)

Fear God and Submit Yourselves One to Another
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:21)

Fear God and be a Companion to Those Who Keep His Precepts
I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. (Psalm 119:63)

Fear God and Beware of Those Given to Change
My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change. (Proverbs 24:21)

Fear of the Lord is Clean
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever. (Psalm 19:9)

Fear of the Lord Brings Honor
By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. (Proverbs 22:4)

Fear the Lord and Walk Uprightly
He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him. (Proverbs 14:2)

Fear God and Walk in His Ways
Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. (Deuteronomy 8:6)

Fear God and Perfect Holiness
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

Fear God and Declare His Works
And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. (Psalm 64:9)

Fear God and Declare What He has Done For Your Soul
Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. (Psalm 66:16)

Fear God and Teach Your Children to Fear God
Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. (Deuteronomy 4:10)

Fear God and Individually Grow
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:2)

Fear God and Churches Grow
Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. (Acts 9:31)

Fear God and His Salvation is Nigh
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. (Psalm 85:9)

Fear God and Be Saved
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. (Psalm 145:19)

Fear God and Give Him Glory
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him. (Revelation 14:6-7)

Fear God and Fear His Name
Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. (Psalm 86:11)

Fear God and Glorify His Name
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. (Revelation 15:4)

Fear God by Passing Your Time Here in Fear
And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. (1 Peter 1:17)

Fear God From All the Ends of the Earth
God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. (Psalm 67:7)

Fear God and His Goodness in the Latter Days
Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3:5)

Fear God All the Earth
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:9)

Fear God All Day Long
Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. (Proverbs 23:17)

Fear God as Long as You Live
Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. (Deuteronomy 4:10)

Fear the Lord Through All Generations
They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. (Psalm 72:5)

Fear God Forever
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever. (Joshua 4:24)

Fear of God: Foundational to Our Faith

Scripture tells us that one of the foundational attributes of the early church was their fear of God:

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. (Acts 2:42-43)

If the false Christ Antichrist of the New Age movement continues to have his way, fear will continue to be redefined out of the world, out of the church, and out of our lives. This redefinition of fear is at the heart of the deception and why fear being the opposite of love is taught on the very first page of the New Age “Bible”—A Course in Miracles. But those who truly love God and His Word also fear Him. When it comes to the fear of God, fear and love are intimately bound together—they are not opposites. Teaching that they are opposites is to play right into the hands of our Spiritual Adversary and His anti-christ New Age/New Spirituality.

The Conclusion—Fear God

The Bible makes it very clear that we are to fear God, and we are not to adopt false teachings about fear that are taught by the precepts of men (Isaiah 29:13). In the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon states that when all is said and done—we are to fear God and keep His commandments:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

To order copies of Fearing God in a Fearless New Age, click here.

Endnotes
1. A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume (Glen Ellen, California: Foundation for Inner Peace,1975), (Introduction) p. 1.
2. Ibid., (Text) p. 94.
3. Ibid., (Text) p. 584; p. 377.
4. Ibid., (Workbook) p. 183.
5. Ibid., (Text) p. 38.
6. Ibid., (Text) pp. 49-50.
7. Ibid., (Workbook) p. 119 Lesson 70 “My salvation comes from me.”
8. Ibid., (Text) p. 125.
9. Ibid., (Manual) p. 87.
10. Ibid., (Text) p. 147.
11. Ibid., (Text) p. 425.
12. Ibid., (Text) p. 52.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid., (Text) p.377.
15. Ibid., (Workbook) p. 77.
16. Ibid., (Text) p. 147.
17. Ibid., (Text) p. 422.
18. Ibid., (Text) p. 420, p. 606.
19. Oprah Winfrey Show, February 4, 1992, quoted from DVD copy of program and transcribed by author.
20. Robert Schuller, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982), p. 51.
21. Warren Smith, Deceived on Purpose: The New Age Implications of the Purpose-Driven Church (Mountain Stream Press: Magalia, CA, 2004), p. 80.
22. Rick Warren, “Easter: God’s Antidote to Fear” (The Christian Post, April 9, 2009, https://www.christianpost.com/news/easter-god-s-antidote-to-fear-37969).
23. Pastor Jason Mitchell, “The Opposite of Love Isn’t Hate” (Relevant Magazine, May 5, 2017, https://relevantmagazine.com/god/faith/the-opposite-of-love-isnt-hate).
24. Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology online at biblestudytools.com.

This booklet is dedicated to Pastor Larry DeBruyn (1944-2017).

To order copies of Fearing God in a Fearless New Age, click here.

Leave a Review and Get Discount Coupon and Check Out New Release

If you have ever purchased or been given any Lighthouse Trails products, we invite you to leave a review (or reviews) on our Lighthouse Trails store site. If you do, you will receive a 10%-off coupon that you can use on your next purchase at Lighthouse Trails. Even if you don't plan to buy anything on the store, we hope you will still consider leaving a review (or reviews) as this helps readers when they can read what other people have to say about our resources.

Leaving a review is easy. Just visit our store, use the search engine to find a particular product. When you get to a product page, you will see a box that says "Rate This Product!" You will have to have an account to rate any product, but that is easy too. Just click this link to create an account.

Thank you in advance,

The Editors at Lighthouse Trails

NEW RELEASE - DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR NEW DEVOTIONAL RELEASE: Pressing On Through It All By Warren B. Smith

Supporting Lighthouse Trails

SUPPORTING LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS: For those who would like to support Lighthouse Trails, we always appreciate both your prayers and your giving. And for those who have faithfully done that over the years, we thank you with all of our hearts. We know that some people may have the impression that Lighthouse Trails does quite well financially because we sell products that we publish and because our resources have had such a far reach; but, the truth is, other than a small salary for each of our two main editors - Dave and Deborah Dombrowski - and royalties for our authors, it takes everything made through sales to keep Lighthouse Trails operating. Publishing, at least for small presses such as ours, is rarely a high-profit business. It would take a best seller to see that, one that the masses of people love. And because we are not just a business, but even more so a ministry, we keep our prices as low as we can, give away many resources, and have also made much of our material available for free on the research site and blog. That's not how big corporations run things as that would hurt the bottom line (profit), but we see the needs out there, and we trust God to keep us going as long as He sees fit.

It is our prayer that we will faithfully be humble servants of the Lord’s work for years to come should the Lord tarry. If you would like to donate to Lighthouse Trails, you may send a donation by mailing it to: Lighthouse Trails, P.O. Box 908, Eureka, MT 59917. Or you may call 866/876-3910. There is also a donate option on our store website. (There is also a PayPal option on that page.)

Lighthouse Trails is not a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization, so your donations will not be tax deductible.

SIGN UP FOR LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH JOURNAL - MAILED 6X/YEAR

The Lighthouse Trails Research journal is a 32-page subscription-based journal mailed to your home, office, or church and can be ordered at any time during the year. Your subscription (which will entitle you to a full twelve months of journals-6 issues) will start when you subscribe. Click here to read more information or click here to sign up. Subscription rate: $15/year (6 issues) for U.S.; $29 for Canada; $42 for other international. (There is no added postage charged for the journal - the mailing costs are worked into the subscription fee.)

When you sign up, you will receive the most current issue of the journal at the time you subscribe. Click here to subscribe now. You can order past subscriptions for $3.

You may purchase subscriptions for friends, family members, pastors, etc. Just put that person's name in the ship to area when ordering online.

Call 866/876-3910 or e-mail sales@lighthousetrails.com.

To order single past issues, click here.

For various addresses, just order single subscriptions,or mail in the addresses and payment.

NOTE: This subscription-based journal can be used in addition to this free e-newsletter you are getting in your e-mail box (the e-newsletter will continue to be sent out 2-4 times a month via e-mail at no charge). (view sample issue of print journal) It's never too late to subscribe for the print journal - anytime is fine.

TO RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO THE LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH JOURNAL, CLICK HERE.

If you are a subscriber to our print journal, click button to renew:

**SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT RENEWING LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS * PRINT* JOURNAL SUBSCRIPTION

If you are a subscriber to the lighthouse Trails Research Print Journal, it may be time for you to renew your yearly subscription. To RENEW your yearly subscription ($15/year), click here. You can renew your subscription at any time. Just indicate on the store which month you want the renewal to start. If you can't remember when you subscribed, we'll double check when you renew and make sure the renewal starts on the right date. If you have any questions, you can call us at 866-876-3910 or e-mail at editors@lighthousetrails.com. You can also renew by mail (see address at bottom of page), by fax (406-889-3633), or by calling.

Note: This notice does not pertain to this e-newsletter you are reading. The e-newsletter is free and requires no subscription.

Click button to renew your subscription for the Lighthouse Trails Research Journal.

To subscribe to the journal, click here.

FLAT RATE U.S. SHIPPING AND INFORMATION ABOUT LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS

$6.00 FLAT RATE SHIPPING ON ALL U.S. ORDERS
(less for orders under 1 pound)

(We ship to all countries worldwide.)

FREE BIBLE VERSE TEA SAMPLES WITH EVERY ORDER!
(except with media rate, journals, and some smaller orders where it might change the shipping costs)