From the onset of Lighthouse Trails in 2002, we have always endeavored to be connected with the body of believers scattered throughout the world who are very concerned, as we are, with the state of the church today. Many of our readers have told us they feel very alone and even ostracized in witnessing the apostasy in the churches today prior to their finding our website and realizing there were other Christians who saw what they did.

We know firsthand how it feels to be labeled troublemakers for having legitimate concerns about what is happening in the church today. We too have felt disillusioned as we have witnessed a gradual departure in the churches from the Word of God. Pulpits throughout the land, many of which formerly proclaimed the biblical Gospel of God’s saving grace through the sacrifice on the Cross now espouse an assortment of pseudo-gospel, pop-psychology, seeker-friendly, Purpose-Driven, Calvinistic, progressive, New Age, mystical/contemplative spirituality that may be chicken soup for the soul but what God calls an abomination (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). It is no wonder that God, in referring to the lukewarm, warns that He is ready to “spew thee” out of His mouth” (Revelation 3:16). How much better it would have been if churches and their pastors had stuck with John 3:16!

Out of this frog’s slow-cooking kettle, some emerged only to witness that a great many were staying in the pot. Many discerning believers now find they have become watchmen for the Lord, compelled by God to sound out a clear warning of the impending doom of the church. In fact, it appears that God is presently calling out believers from various denominations to stand up and be counted among those who refuse to comply with the compromised experience-driven Christianity of today. Yes, God is calling out His own.

If you love Jesus Christ and His Word and if you really want to serve Him, now is the time to be fully surrendered to the Lord without reservation. Whatever the cost. We are invited to the wedding feast, ready to meet our Savior, with wicks trimmed and lamps burning. Now is the time to make ready.

Nearly on a daily basis now, we witness our very earth in what seems like birth pangs, while most people, though perhaps seeing that something is amiss, do not turn to Scripture and Bible prophecy to understand the meaning. Again, God is sounding out a warning to make ready.

Even now, while the reality of the Antichrist and a one-world global religion is looming closer and closer all the time, preachers and teachers are sitting at their desks inking out sermons that discredit Bible prophecy.

LIVING INSIDE A BUBBLE
If you are a pastor, or a church leader, remember that you have a great responsibility. When we first began Lighthouse Trails Publishing, we contacted our pastor at that time, trying to encourage him to warn his congregation of the apostasy that was beginning to creep into the church back then. His reply was that he lives inside a bubble and consequently sees no need to warn his congregation about anything as long as he keeps expounding the Word to them. Our reply to him was “you may be in a bubble, but your congregation is not.” The question is this: if it is not the pastor’s job to warn his congregation of impending spiritual danger, whose job is it? In the Old Testament, the prophets referred to individuals with this kind of responsibility as watchmen or shepherds. The prophet Zechariah, for example, has much to say about the responsibilities of a shepherd in chapters 10 and 11. In referring to the spiritual condition of his day, he said:

For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd. (Zechariah 10:2)

Nothing could speak more succinctly of the condition of the church today. We never dreamed in all our years as Christians that there would ever be such blatant heresy as we see in the organized Christian church today. Years ago, we would never have imagined that anyone would be given the green light to stand in front of a congregation and deny the atonement of Jesus Christ. Yet this is exactly what is happening in the emerging/progressive/contemplative “church” as well as in some of our Bible colleges and seminaries. Many have fallen from a great height, and we should be mourning as God surely must be mourning.

If you are a pastor who feels it is not your calling to warn your congregation, let us remind you that the closest New Testament equivalent to the Old Testament watchmen or shepherds is the position of a pastor. There is a time for speaking uplifting encouraging words of peace and comfort—but when ravenous wolves are about, is it not wiser to “reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2)?

WHAT IS THE TEST?

Sometimes we are asked, what is the criteria for deciding whether or not a doctrine or practice is biblical or validates criticism? Over the years, a number of pastors, elders, and youth pastors have contacted us and told us we have no business in doing what we are doing. We have often thought after hearing this that what we would like to say in reply is, “If you pastors were doing it, people like us wouldn’t have to.” It has not been a pleasant task, but the church needs to be warned of the impending danger. If you have read our books, then you understand what we are talking about.

But getting back to the question, what is the test for deciding if a particular teaching or practice validates criticism? There is but one test that we have used consistently from the inception of Lighthouse Trails. The Book of Proverbs says: “A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight (Proverbs 11:1).

And again from Proverbs: “Divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord; and a false balance is not good  (Proverbs 20:23).

It is interesting that Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, placed such emphasis on accurate scales. It is even more amazing that God would call false scales an abomination—amazing only until we realize that God is speaking of the spiritual—not just physical scales here.

So what we are looking for is a spiritual balancing scale—something that will reappear throughout the Bible—through the Old and New Testaments. There is such a scale, a consistent theme, which John refers to in his first epistle:

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (1 John 4:1-3)

Some Bible commentators have believed that John was referring here to a particular sect who denied that Jesus Christ actually came in a human body. If that is all John meant, then this passage is of little relevance to us today, because you will scarcely find anyone who does not believe that Jesus as a historical figure was a man who walked the earth. But the name Jesus Christ in this passage is not a historical term; it is a name loaded with meaning —referring to Jesus as the Messiah, God come in the flesh, our Savior and Redeemer, who atoned for our sins. If we look at the context of 1 John 4, we can verify that this is what John is talking about because in it he says, “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14). In other words, John is saying here, I am referring to the Jesus I wrote about in my gospel— the Word made flesh who in the beginning was with God and was God (see John chapter 1).

This is the balancing scale we have been looking for. Just as all human history and our blessed hope hinges on what Jesus did on the Cross, so too we can weigh a doctrine or practice by whether or not it agrees with the fact that we are justified by faith alone through the atoning, redemptive work of Christ on the Cross. The question then is, does a particular doctrine or teaching agree with the Gospel the apostles all preached?

With this discerning tool in hand, if you stop to measure all of the world’s religions and systems, you will find that all of these are opposed to the Gospel. The natural man will not acknowledge the need for a Savior, consequently all of the world’s belief systems (except biblical Christianity) are works based—believing it is possible to earn our way into Heaven or to become “Christ-like” through mysticism and “spiritual disciplines.” But the Gospel says it is not possible. John knew all too well the contrariness of the natural man and the world’s belief systems. That is why in the same chapter of his epistle, he offers another test:

[H]e that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:6)

In other words, John is saying that when the world rejects you for sharing the Gospel, it is because the Spirit of truth is not in them.

Whichever way you look at it, the Gospel is the fulcrum of our balance in discerning truth from error. When Lighthouse Trails Publishing began, this became, and has always been, our standard of truth and also the deciding factor as to whether something is significant enough to bring to the attention of our readers.

CARELESS ABOUT THE GOSPEL?

You may recall that in the Old Testament the Israelites took great pains in transporting the Ark of the Covenant. According to the instructions given by God to Moses (Exodus 25:13-15), the Ark was to be carried by staves (poles) on the shoulders of the children of the Levites (1 Chronicles 15:15). However, in 1 Chronicles 13:7-10, contrary to Moses’ specific instructions, they put the Ark on a cart to be pulled by oxen. But the unexpected happened. When “Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled . . . the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him” (1 Chronicles 13:9-10). The Levites, who were the “pastors” of that day, were careless about following Moses’ instructions; and it ended up costing a life. The Ark of the Covenant was a type and foreshadowing of the Gospel. It was sprinkled with blood to symbolize Christ’s death on the Cross. Today, similar to back then, so many pastors and Christian leaders have become careless about the Gospel. If you are one who has grown careless with the Gospel, isn’t it time to make some changes and return to following the instructions of the Lord?

The Gospel is the most precious thing on God’s heart, and it is worthy of our defense and protection.

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(photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission)

 I live in Canada, north of Toronto, Ontario, and have kept track of your website for at least ten plus years now. I am not sure how I came across your site, but I had been reading books by the Berean Call, and they had books on the emerging church and such so maybe they had links to your site. I have bought a number of your books over the years.

As I was reading your email updates, I noticed the booklet on the origins of Lighthouse Trails and its timing as well. Your story mirrors our experience in so many ways. Having been saved in 1969 as a 19-year unchurched young man, I became involved with the Brethren assemblies which were at that time conservative evangelical. Some are still today, but many are dying out. Getting married and having children certainly changes your focus and as you point out, certain things began to change in the pulpits largely unnoticed by me.  Eschatology and prophecy definitely took a back seat to newer leaders. I remember being encouraged to get involved with “Promise Keepers” as well, but I wasn’t keen on sharing my life with complete strangers so passed on that. It was only years later I found out they are ecumenical and have Catholic roots. I also remember the NIV becoming the best thing since sliced bread in the 70s, and over the years we have been swamped with a plethora of new improved versions. So trying to follow the preacher as he reads from ever-changing texts has become impossible. The music bands and all the camps: emphasis on raising up “young leaders.” Where have they disappeared to? Most have walked away from the church.

Around 2006, having moved north of Toronto, we started going to _____________, and we liked it there; even though Brethren do not traditionally have pastors, this one did. Anyways, as a bit of a speaker sometimes, I was asked to lead a home Bible study. The book I was to use was on prayer by a fellow I had never heard of named Richard Foster. The Chapel had also recently (prior to us joining the church) used Rick Warren’s book, A Purpose Driven Life. While reading Foster’s book, I was shocked by its content. It was speaking about Catholic mystics and popes in glowing terms and then about Ignatius of Loyola and his spiritual disciplines. Fortunately, the Internet was available, and I researched the author and the persons referred to like Merton and Henri Nouwen. Most of the elders of the church were in the Bible study I led, and they got an expose of the author and the book. Sadly, I don’t think most of them agreed with me or cared. Later, I got an earful for daring to research the author. There were and are still some in that church who care for the truth but many just want to be told pleasant words by which to live by preachers who take anecdotes from life and apply it to believers. Nice people, but prophecy is considered a dubious topic.

It was around that time that I began to have more time to read again and began reading books by Ray Yungen, David Cloud, and Dave Hunt among others. It really opened my eyes to the changes that had taken place in the church at large. I do believe the Lord put us in that church to act as a breakwater to the flood of emergent and ecumenical teachings. I believe we had some success for a while. Over the years as older ones died or moved away, Christians from the Middle East with an anti-Israel bias became more dominant and though not openly stated, I could feel a chill whenever I mentioned Israel. One Sunday a number of years ago, I mentioned how shameful it was that our city was flying the pride flag together with the Canadian flag. Afterward, a sister who had been there for many years came and rebuked me gently saying being gay wasn’t sin but an illness. In my mind, I thought, what Bible is she reading?  How can so-called Christians sit and take the Lord’s supper and hear about how He died for our sin and rose from the dead, year after year, and yet be so clueless? Then came the Covid lockdown which our church, along with 99% of churches in Canada, embraced fully and still are locked down or restricted in many ways. So, after all these years, we felt we had come to the end of the road with our church home and are waiting on the Lord to open up another door.

After reading your beginnings, I was impressed how similar your experiences have been to ours when trying to confront the growing apostasy and the apathy of many believers toward these terrible doctrines of demons. I apologize for such a long letter. God bless you as you serve Him. Just to let you know Canada is not a Christian country and has not been for many decades. We are the canary in the coalmine for you in the States, so whatever you see up here is coming your way on a much larger scale.

Yours in Christ,

Allan

1)“3rd-graders Told to Rank Themselves on ‘Power and Privilege'” by OneNewsNow

2) “Lisa Miller Back in the U.S. After Nearly 10 Years in Hiding” by various sources

3) “Canadian Father Jailed For Talking About Court-Ordered Transgendering Of His Teenage Daughter” by The Federalist

4) “Christian College Sues Over Biden Order Banning Gender Segregation” by Epoch Times

5) “DC Talk’s Kevin Max Identifies as an ‘Exvangelical,’ Says He Follows ‘the Universal Christ’” by Christian Headlines

6) “Canadian Pastor Arrested on New Charges After ‘Underground Worship’ Following Church Building Seizure” by Christian News Network

7) “Colorado Can Force Christian Web Designer to Create Same-Sex Wedding Site, Court Rules” By Christian Headlines

8) Interview: “Former Homeless Man: San Francisco’s Approach to Homelessness Will Lead to More People Living on the Street” by The Epoch Times

9) “Pope to Focolare-Linked Bishops: Help Realize God’s ‘Dream’ of Harmony in World” by Vatican News

10) “Pandemic Could Be Solved Quickly If Politics Thrown Out: Dr. Ben Carson” by The Epoch Times

Lighthouse Trails has been blessed and privileged to work with dozens of committed, discerning, Bible-believing authors since 2002. Below is a list of 10 articles we posted in 2021 by some of these men and women (in order of date posted – earliest first).

1)”The Warfare is Confessional (Whom Do We Really Fear?)” By Bill Randles

Sooner or later, every Christian, on some level, will be called upon to make the good confession. The setting is never a favorable one; it will range from either mildly hostile to absolutely death-dealing hatred, but we are being and will be called upon to make our confession. We don’t have to rehearse our confession. The Holy Spirit will give us what to say when we are called up before various human tribunals. It will just come out of us naturally, this good confession of truth, in the day of our own trial. Read more.

2) “Covid, Vaccines, Global Reset,” and Israel By Tony Pearce

We live in strange times, with changes that took place to our way of life in 2020 which we would not have thought possible at the beginning of the year. Now we are wondering what 2021 will bring. We are being told that the arrival of the new Covid-19 vaccine signals the light at the end of a dark tunnel. In November, U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson said, “Together we can get through this winter, suppress the virus until vaccines come to our aid, and then reclaim our lives and all the things that we love.”1 He implied that this would happen by spring 2021. Read more.

3) “Glorifying the Savior / Exposing Deception” By Richard and Linda Nathan

​It was 1962, and there was a sense of awakening in the air, a call to a different kind of life. Young people hearing the siren song were pouring into San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury District from across the nation. A once-declining neighborhood, the Haight was blossoming overnight into a counterculture Mecca, spreading the new consciousness in a chaotic profusion of hippie pads, light shows, and drugs.

One sunny spring day, we met at an anarchist meeting.

Richard’s father, Julius, was a tough Marxist revolutionary who had known Chinese premier Mao Tse Tung prior to the 1949 communist takeover in China and had organized cannery workers from Monterey to San Francisco. Now he supported a hotbed of radical leftists who ran Ye Olde Anarchiste Bookstore in the Nathan storefront apartment on Ocean Avenue. Read more.

4) “Creating Hate” By Manning Johnson

The Red [Communist] propagandists distort the facts concerning racial differences for ulterior motives. All the right is not on the Negro side. Neither is all the wrong. The same holds true with regard to the white man’s side. The repository of good or evil is not to be found in any particular race. Black men are just as good or as bad as white men. Yellow men are just as good or as bad as brown or red. It ill behooves anyone to speak about the other. White men sold white men as slaves. Black men sold black men as slaves. Black rulers are no more humane than yellow, red, or white rulers. Neither are they less brutal. Read more.

5) “Dead Men Talking—Necromancy in Today’s Church” By Warren B. Smith

In 2010, Steve Berger, founding pastor of the Grace Chapel megachurch in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, wrote a book with his wife Sarah titled Have Heart: Bridging the Gulf Between Heaven and Earth. The book described how they claim to be in spiritual contact with their deceased son Josiah. And like Titanic’s William Stead, the Bergers, as professing Christians, were attempting to justify and normalize the practice of interacting with the dead. Read more.

6)“The Turning” By Mike Oppenheimer

Lying has always been with us but has now reached epidemic proportions having no limits. I’m shocked when I occasionally hear the truth from those who more often lie. The fact is, liars are accepted more quickly than those who tell the truth because they lie so well. There are liars in the pulpits of the church, liars in politics, liars in medicine; everywhere you turn you can’t get a straight and honest answer. Read more.

7)“Astroworld Tragedy and a Generation Under a Demonic Spell” By Gregory Reid

Occultism and Satanism are on the rise among youth. TikTok is showing new trends where youth are showing others how to call on their “other personalities” to help them develop multiple personalities. Naturally, they will be calling on demons without knowing it. It’s just the next step up from when schools were teaching kids to find their “imaginary friend” and talk to them. We are already seeing some real dangerous manifestations of these things when the “multiple personality” or “other” begins taking over. I’ve also seen videos of the next insane iteration of the gender blending pronouns like “ze” and “zer,” as two spiritually marred and confused kids told others they refer to themselves by their
“demons.” Read more.

8) “Calvinism, Catholicism, or Blessed Assurance—Which One Will It Be?” By David Dombrowski

When I was a boy, about eight years old, a stranger in a Safeway grocery store parking lot gave my mother a plaque he had cast of plaster of paris that bore the words, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). Mom had a special devotion to the Lord because as a child of about twelve years of age, after losing both her parents to mushroom poisoning, she knelt alone in a small chapel in Poland and invited Jesus into her heart. This was not something she was told to do but rather something she longed to do that she might have the life-long companionship of God in a world that had enclosed her with loneliness.  Read more.

9) “2021 Parliament of the World’s Religions” Continues Spreading Interfaith Message By Carl Teichrib

Saturday was the first day of the 2021 Parliament of the World’s Religions, a global gathering of faith leaders from a multitude of religions, along with political and social influences – all working within an interfaith context to bring “Heaven on Earth” and “save humanity.”

Yes, I’ve heard this with my own ears as I’ve attended Parliaments in the past. In the history of the Parliament, this year’s event is number 8. The first took place in 1893, and approximately 4,000 people attended. This historical event became a key turning point for our modern era of internationalism, bridging East and West, and acting as a catalyst for the idea that we could secure global peace and harmony (and the Twentieth Century turned out to be exactly the opposite). Read more.

10) “When the Unthinkable Happens” By Maria Kneas

The apostle Paul wrote nearly a fourth of the New Testament. He had amazing revelations about God. Much of our theology is based on his writings. Yet he said: “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9). Paul includes himself among those who only know “in part.” If the apostle Paul only knew in part, then no church, no denomination, and no individual has all the answers. All of us have areas where our understanding is limited. Read more.