Before I became an atheist back in the 60's, my parents taught me what they knew about the God of Israel, his son Jesus Christ, and the importance of living a life that was pleasing to God. From an early age, my mother trotted me off to Sunday School every week, where I learned the American version of the Christian faith. But, as I grew older, I rebelled against the church and my mother. The rebellion only intensified as I became a young man during the time the Vietnam war was in full bloom. So off to the Army and war I went with all the other young men of my generation. It was at this time in my life when I decided to toss my faith in God out the window. I didn't know until later that my mother, who was raised in the church, was at the same time realizing she wasn't really a Christian, that she never had been born again. Her church was like most, they only had part of the truth, and outer form, with no convicting power to convert anyone. They were all erroneously led to think baptism as infants was the beginning of their salvation.

For over ten years I wandered around in the darkness of atheism. I lived a life that seemed to come naturally. At the time it didn't seem to be darkness, for I enjoyed the pleasures of this life. The pursuit and love of money and the things it can buy was very rewarding. After all, I was living the American dream. The desire for sexual pleasures in those days had no boundaries. Pornography came easily and naturally, especially in Vietnam. I shamefully admit this because there are multitudes who are today trapped in this Satanic pleasure and delusion. It is not the unpardonable sin, there is forgiveness and hope, but only through the Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly, there are many in Christendom who look down on or condemn those who are bound by pornography. They sit in their church pews and think how holy they are because they don't watch dirty movies, and yet every Saturday night go to the local theaters and watch the latest PG-13 or R rated Hollywood production. In their self righteousness, they fail to understand that pornography is just the deep end of the same cesspool of movies they watch. I have learned this truth the hard way and I still struggle at times with worldly entertainment, trying somehow to justify it in my mind. Honestly, I think we should all be very careful what we watch. For most of what comes out of Hollywood is designed by demonic forces who manipulate the writers and producers of films.

During my years as an atheist, I was filled with self love and arrogance, and enjoyed mocking people who believed in God. I had a great self image and loved no one more than me, especially not any supreme being. There was no need in my life for the psychologist's couch to improve my self esteem and image. I thought most Christians were a bunch of weak hypocrites who needed some God as a crutch. I could care less what they thought of my way of life. They were the ones in need of the couch, not me.

As this lifestyle went on for years, I had no idea that my newly born again mother was praying for me all this time.

The God of Israel heard my mother's prayers; he saw her crying for her lost son. The real Jesus of the Bible came after me, he confronted me with my sin head on. My atheism had made me a fool and an idiot. I had become my own god. The psycho-babble of self image and self esteem had taken its toll on my mind and heart. In my mind, I saw myself nailing Jesus to the cross. Oh what sadness and shame filled my heart. Was Jesus truly alive and coming back in power and judgment any day as I was now reading in the Bible? A fear of God and the threat of an eternal Hell filled my mind and heart. Was my mother right; was there a God in Heaven? My life of pleasures coming from money, sex, and pride began crumbling around me. These things were just not as fulfilling anymore, no matter how much I tried. I had a choice to make deep in my heart and it was astonishingly simple; acknowledge and confess my sin, turn to the God of Israel and his son Jesus, or die and go to Hell! I was now convinced that Jesus loved me and provided the only way of escape from the horror of an eternal Hell. He gave his life for me, a wretched self-absorbed sinner, who deserved nothing but his wrath.

Read carefully Hebrews 11:24-26. "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward."

As Jesus confronted me personally then, the God of Israel is now confronting the entire world. And he will ultimately bring everyone to their knees, whether they want to or not. Even Satan will bend his knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. God the father is also hearing the tearful broken-hearted prayers of mothers and grandmothers for their lost children. Like Moses, everyone on Earth is now faced with a clear choice: The pleasures of sin that Satan is dangling in front of us, via the American New World Order, cleverly disguised in the language of, "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness;" or we can choose to suffer with the people of God, who love the living resurrected Jesus and his return.

The Bible exposes the deceitful pleasures of sin. The polluted, twisted desires for sex, money, and the arrogance of self love are described by the Apostle John as the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life, 1 John 2:16. Because of our fallen Adamic natures, the original desires for love and pleasure given by God to the human race have been perverted and distorted. This explains why it's hard for men to give up sinning because.....some sins just feel good. This is why Jesus said we must be born again. Only Jesus can cut away the sinful nature from our hearts or spirits that we are all born with. Only Jesus can give us a new nature that restores the original love and desires given by God to Adam and Eve. Only Jesus in our hearts, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, can overcome the sinful impulses yet remaining in our bodies. The daily battleground between our new hearts and our old bodies of sin is in our minds.

When Jesus returns he will then change our sinful bodies and make them like unto his own, which is one of the reasons I long for his coming.

As I listen and watch America's so-called Christian political leaders struggle with the complexities of the religious holy war unfolding in Israel, which is enflaming all the world, I don't hear them proclaiming the only message that can bring the peace they're seeking. Why aren't President Bush and his "Christian" cabinet boldly, and from a broken heart, crying out to the Moslems, Hindus, and Jews, the true gospel of Jesus Christ and his return in power and glory to take back the government of the nations? Are they ashamed of him? Do they believe what Jesus said to all men..."Ye must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God?" Do they believe that only repentance and faith in the shed blood of Jesus can bring peace and security to mankind? Allied with America's church leaders, have they together become the wolves dressed in sheepskin suits that Jesus warned us about?

America's Christian leaders, from President Bush on down, and from George Washington until today, have been deceived by the pleasures of sin. Keep in mind that one does not have to sink to the level of my depravity to enjoy sin's reward. Many have fooled themselves by comparing their self righteous lifestyles with men like me, who had degenerated to the lowest levels of morality and ungodliness. They have cast aside Jesus, the lamb of God, and replaced him with another Jesus, another gospel. It is the prosperity, patriotic, and psychology gospel of Laodicea they are following, Revelation 3:16-17. They are walking in the footsteps of the Christian militarism of Emperor Constantine, who seduced most of Christendom in the fourth century. They have bit into the apple from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They were all born that way, as we all were, and just plain enjoy the taste of the deadly fruit. But the pleasure of sin is only for a season. This Laodicean perversion within Christendom, which will produce the Antichrist, is one of the greatest signs that this season of sin is about to come to an end. Putting that together with the return of the nation of Israel in 1948, and the violent uproar as to who controls Jerusalem, clearly indicates the climactic end of this evil generation is near. Discouragement, despair, destruction and death always follow the pleasures of sin, so beware.

Many people have angrily responded to my online book and articles stating that Christian politicians must do their civil jobs by separating their faith from their public work. They tell me, "Mr. Bush was elected to be President, not an evangelist." Listen carefully, if a politician publicly announces that he is a Christian, it becomes the business of the body of Christ, not only to love and pray for him, but also to warn him when his words and deeds are contrary to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian men who want to be civil leaders can't leave the prophecies, principles, and person of Jesus Christ at home while they go off to work. The Apostle Paul said that whatever we do in word or deed, to do it all in the name of Jesus Christ, Colossians 3:17. Honestly, I can't imagine how a true follower of Jesus could get elected in any nation, let alone to the Presidency, the most powerful office in Satan's world system.

Think about it for a moment. Jesus said of his followers that the world system would hate them because they first hated him. He said that people hated him because he testified that their works were evil.

To my critics, who say I shouldn't say such things as this about the President and his men, I am fully aware of the biblical admonition to love, pray, respect, and honor the civil authorities, which by the way, America's founding fathers conveniently ignored or forgot to do in 1776, as they made war against England. As followers of Jesus we are to obey and never violently resist or overthrow the leaders of any nation, no matter how evil they may be. That judgment is reserved for Jesus. God is allowing the Gentiles to rule this world system, under Satan's control, until that day when Jesus sets up his kingdom from Jerusalem. However, we are to warn them of the wrath of God to come and to be saved from sin and Hell by the blood of Jesus. America's polluted Christian system will reap the whirlwind of God's judgment for cherry picking the teachings of Jesus and tossing out or changing doctrines they don't like. I plead with them all to reconsider their ways before it is too late.

Sincerely, Jack D. Hook

Babylon the Great is Falling

http://www.babylonthegreatisfalling.net

chook@qwest.net

I am answering with the assumption that you are writing with an open attitude and are asking yourself DOWEKNOW all the riches that are ours in Christ Jesus. As I read your writings, I am overwhelmed with one thought. It must be very difficult for you to live in a world of such imperfections. You have a great zeal for the things of the Lord. I get a mental picture of you and you have a whip just like Jesus did when he went after the money changers in the temple. I can see, and fully understand, how you are longing for the days of Theocracy (God personally ruling the world). They are gone as far as an earthly government is concerned! (The only time this happened was with the nation Israel, and it lasted only a short time before the Israelites decided they didn’t want God messing in their affairs!) We live under a democracy with all of its struggles and human shortcomings. Other countries function under different types of government. In reality, a church’s operation reflects whatever government system it happens to be under; consequently, there are no true Theocracies. The life that exists in the Spirit of born again believers is the only place where a Theocracy is at work, and that only in part. Most often the body or the soulical part of mankind overrules the Spiritual. Where we have to become wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove is in tempering our zeal with the Gifts of the Spirit, which in turn produces the Fruit of the Spirit.

However, I am thankful for God’s mercy. Because man did not want God’s rule, He has let many systems of government evolve down through the centuries. I feel that we are fortunate to have our system of government. We live under in a nation that can still freely say, "One nation under God"—whose people are still free to voice a strong opinion when this freedom is challenged. You might contend that our nation has few Christian attributes. Again, I am thankful for the mercies of God. He never did say that His work would be done in a mighty manner by mere, mortal humanity. Instead, He said He would accept our "mustard seed" of faith. Thank God for President Bush’s mustard seed that he voiced and "cast into his garden" before the world. Thank God for the mustard seed of faith in any government official. God does not lie. He gave us this underlying principle of the kingdom of heaven in this Scripture so that we could be comforted and have patience when things don't happen just as we want them, when we want them.

Luke 13:19
...It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

(Whole Chapter: Luke 13 In context: Luke 13:18-20)

Luke 17:6
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

As I read, it would seem that your mustard seed has grown to vast proportions. You are confident that your beliefs are strong and are far reaching. But I read a lot of condemnation in your writings. The world is looking for compassion. I am well aware that we live in a Babylon system but the world will not return to a Theocracy until Jesus comes again. Meanwhile, there is a way we are to "occupy until He returns." This is perhaps the hardest concept to grasp; this separating of our human man, with its great zeal and knowledge, from the meekness we must possess as a Christian. Yes, we are to warn our brethren of the wrath to come. But this wrath will not be one generated by "Babylon." The explanation of this wrath is again as simple as the mustard seed. It will be God’s wrath because His Son was rejected and that criteria only! And what Son! The one that came to this earth as a "seed," born of a virgin, born in a manger, died on the cross, and Who was resurrected on the third day.

God doesn’t need us to rant and rave about the big things occurring in the world system (Babylon). The TV news rants and raves about these--these things that do not bring peacefulness to struggling mankind. We do not need to "flagellate" ourselves every time we hear about some imperfect man or woman in our worldly governments. God needs us to "rant and rave" about the simplicity of His Son, His death on the Cross, and His love for the unlovable. We should not write and dwell upon the imperfect. We do not have time. We need to present the only Perfect Solution to the world.

The world is slipping into hell because too many vocal people in the church have become doomsday forecasters, news reporters of world calamities, or judges of others that just don’t seem to have a faith that measures up to theirs. No one has to measure up to another's standards. Indeed, we cannot measure up to the perfect standard done by Christ; we can only accept His plan of salvation. I leave you with this Scripture. It is the one that we should be putting upon banners, on billboards along highways, in every by-way, and most importantly, BACK into our churches. It is as small as the mustard seed but it is the only thing written that contains any power. We can write millions of words, give opinions, dissertations, commentaries or great welling sermons, but all of this can be done in vain. May we stop condemning and get back to converting.

John 3:
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

In our zeal, we want to do great, mighty, and wonderful things for God. We must let him be our example. The great, mighty, and wonderful thing He did for us was to give His Son as "His mustard seed." We need to stop warning people about the bad world system because if they have lived any length of time, they are already aware of the adverse things mankind has on this earth. We need to start telling about the simple love of God which is His unmerited favor/Grace. We cannot earn it, we cannot buy it, we cannot conjure it up, we cannot mind-meld it, we cannot get it by any means other than accepting His Son Jesus. Here is the regenerating power, the changing power, the compassionate power that the world needs to see.

Genesis 3:
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

John 10:16
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Romans 15:5-6
Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:10
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

1 Corinthians 2:16
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:14
But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:4
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Philippians 1:27
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Philippians 2:5
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

(Whole Chapter: Philippians 4 In context: Philippians 4:6-8)

This is where the Christian world has led people astray. We have so many tangents and doctrines of men that it would be almost impossible for God’s people, this vast army of believers, to be likeminded. Perhaps this is going to be His greatest miracle of all, this miracle of making one body out of so many diverse teachings. The Church does exist and is operational and is supposed to have a profound effect upon a troubled world. Have we seen a great influence by the Body of Christ upon the world scene? Yes, we certainly have and do each day. We may not see what we want, but it is the only staying power that separates mankind from barbarism. What is the mindset of the Body of Christ? He did His Summation just before He ascended to the Father. May we shut up with great opinions and get back to the simplicity of these verses. SELAH! We do not have time to do anything else.

Dear Pastor

Greetings!

It is my honor and pleasure to take this opportunity to write as I came across your ministry over the Internet. I believed that my letter is a big surprise to you yet, it is with great joy to share my ministry work here in the Philippines through letters.

I believed it is not by accident but by God's grace He really made it possible.

Let me introduce my name, ministry, and family and a little background about my work here in the Philippines. I even enclosed a recent photograph of myself, family, and my ministry for you to have a chance to know me better.

I am Rolando S. Aboloc, 41 years old, I was blessed with five kids and I am grateful that the Lord nurtured them into His Divine ways. I am an independent tribal minister of the Lord for the great commission. I have started this very rewarding missionary work way back 1996 as its started from one of the indigenous family in one of the small mountain village here in Davao province, until it grew up to many families in an adjacent and neighboring villages. The Lord moves in a tremendous ways through miracles until we finally were able to put up five indigenous churches that right now we oversee.

I am engaged in church planting, outdoor meetings, home bible studies, pastoring church, handing out Gospel tracks to bus terminals, hospitals, prison cells, as well as feeding children. My vision is focus on tribal and indigenous cultural communities and less fortunate in our societies, As I found it more interesting to served the Lord despite of hardship for the sake of paramount need for souls harvest. Hence, I am glad to witness it with my own eyes that lost souls are save for Christ. I just cannot afford to see them die without Christ.

This ministry that I have is self-supporting, self-propagating, and self-governing. I run this very rewarding missionary work by faith through the generous contribution of our poor tenant brethren who love the Lord despite of their poverty living conditions.

This place of ministry that I engaged in is thickly populated with muslims and paganism a religious belief coming from our ancestral religious taboo, were people are used to worship stone and etc. there are always strong pressure on our part because me and my family are being harass, mock, and even harm, my heart bleeds seeing them lost yet, despite all the pressures that we encountered, hardship that we faced, we are not discouraged we are seeking God to our fervent prayer that somehow God will open up their minds and hearts to the genuine truth that we both preach and live.

As I came across your website over the computer, I was prompted to write assuming that you can help us with sound, accurate, vibrant, spirit filled messages and enriched wisdom to your teaching materials, as the Lord surrounded us with many gifted and willing men and women who are ready to take the gospel of salvation to the lost souls in all provinces, cities, rural areas, mountain villages here in Mindanao even to the entire island of Philippine archipelago. To do this, I believe we need also prayer support from you, who are willing and be able to endow us with spiritual cover and mantle of authority to put their shoulders to wheel with us and stand with us in this great calling for us to lay down our lives for our brethren. I strongly believe that we are one in the body of Christ, i do hope that you are open to welcome us as part of your family ministry there though we are here in the Philippines. How we really wish as well to see you personally and it is our honor and privilege should you have time someday to visit and share the gospel here in the Philippines. You are very welcome to visit and see our work personally here in the Philippines.

Lastly may God bless and your family and all your Divine undertakings rest assured that we will keep in touch with you with our prayers and reports of our work here in the

Philippines.

Looking forward to hear from you soon............

Ps we may request your favor to extent to us your teaching and reading materials for us to grow more in the Lord

Brother in Christ,

Native Missionary Pastor

Rolando S. Aboloc

P.O. Box 82217

8000 Davao City

Philippines

Just let me say that we will put your site in our section for missionaries/missions. I noticed that you did not ask us for fund-raising efforts but rather chose to live among your congregation and live as the people live. I know this is difficult but rich is the person that can grasp the truth and example of Christ in this Scripture.

Hebrews 2:
1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
...
7 Thou madest him (Christ) a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Please do not think us uncaring about your circumstance. But we are very confident that Christ will supply all of the needs for your particular call. We found following Christ to be like a treasure hunt. However, unless you are moving and on the path , you cannot find treasures. They were always strewn along the highway in the hearts of people that helped us mightily as we traveled. We never did fund raising and always had plenty. There were times that I would return from church and find money that had been placed in my pocket when someone had hugged me. I never knew where the money came from but God did. I would find boxes of material for making clothing left on my doorstep. As I began to sew and use up the material to make clothing for my children, I would find money down in the box. Had I never started sewing the clothing and taking care of the needs of my little ones, I would never have found the money. It would have just sat in my closet or perhaps I would have given it away to charity and have missed the blessing intended for me. One older pastor’s wife gave me a book entitled, "I Am Out To Change My World." I put it beside my bed intending to read it. Eventually I did pick it up and start to read before falling asleep. As I progress through the book, there was money placed between the pages about halfway through. I could go on and on about how God supplied our needs. It is true that He brings to life the 23^rd Psalms as you progress on down the path of a true call to minister. Every promise in these Scriptures is yours and I have underlined the verse that gives the promise of supply.

Psalm 23:
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.