The Wonderful World Of Astronomy

Genesis 1:14-19, “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:  And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.  And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”

I absolutely love astronomy! For the past couple years I've been watching YouTube documentaries about the universe, which have sparked my curiosity into the subject. The more that I learn the more intrigued I become, fascinated by God's amazing universe. Psalms 145:3, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” Our faithful omnipotent God is more than amazing!!!

Did you know that NASA says there are approximately one septillion stars? That's a 1 with 24 zeroes behind it! Yikes! And yet of those one septillion stars, mankind will only ever be able to physically visit one of them, our own Sun (which is 93 million miles away). The next nearest star Alpha Centauri is 4.24 light years away (25 trillion miles). Even if one of our fastest space probes travelling at 40,000 mph were to attempt the journey from Earth to Alpha Centauri, it would take 625 million years! So you see, man will never visit any star except our own Sun.

Astronomy is one of my hobbies, which I am getting more heavily into lately. I can't get enough of it. Every night as I sleep, I listen to the Calm Space or Sleepy Science YouTube channels. The man's voice from Calm Space (in the Netherlands) is very calming and I love learning facts about God's wondrous universe. The man's voice is also relaxing on the Sleepy Science (in the United Kingdom) channel. I encourage you to listen to these channels at night. I keep the volume just high enough so that I can understand what is being said, but not so loud that it wakes me up. Setting the volume at the proper level is important. The videos are each 2 hours long, intended to help you sleep. I love this stuff!

Helpful Tools For The Hobbyist Astronomer

I recently learned about some really awesome apps for mobile phones:

• Sky View (SkyView® is an app that lets you identify and learn about celestial objects in the sky, day or night. You can use your camera, schedule alerts, time travel, and share your discoveries with friends and family. I paid a one time fee of $4.99 to enable the full version, which lets you see all the full color constellations and thousands more stars)
• Star Tracker (Pretty much the same function as Sky View, but different controls. Get outdoors with your friends and enjoy star gazing! Let StarTracker guide you to explore the universe. I paid two fees: $0.99 and $2.99 to enable the full version)
• NASA (Launch into the joy and wonder of space exploration with the NASA app! Stream live mission coverage on NASA+, see the latest images from the moon and beyond, and so much more.)
• International Space Station (The Spot the Station mobile app is designed to notify users when the International Space Station (ISS) is visible overhead from their location.)
• Stellarium Mobile (Stellarium - Star Map is a planetarium app that shows exactly what you see when you look up at the stars.)

It was the 4th of July yesterday. I couldn't sleep, so I was outside this morning in my backyard using Sky View and Star Tracker. I love these tools! The GPS technology inside your phone allows the apps to locate and display where stars, planets, meteorites, the International Space Station and other astronomical things are found. It's amazing technology!

The Amazing Planet Venus

You can even use the apps inside your home. If you want to know where Saturn is, the app will show you. I've been watching the bright planet Venus all week in the evening sky from West Pensacola where I live. For the month of July, the planet Venus is called the “Evening Star” in the western sunset, and the Morning Star at sunrise in the east. Since Venus orbits closer to the Sun than Earth does, it is usually found close to the sun in the sky.

Venus is a remarkable planet, with an average surface temperature of 867° Fahrenheit, and an atmospheric pressure of 1,350 psi. Earth's pressure is 14.7 psi at sea level. Venus rotates at a speed of about 4 mph, which is slow compared to other planets in the solar system. Whereas the Earth turns on its axis once every 24 hours, Venus has a rotational period of 243 days, making one day on Venus longer than a year on Venus (which is 225 days). That is so weird!

The Soviet Union sent a total of eighteen probes to Venus as part of the Venera program between 1961 and 1984. The probe to survive the longest lasted for 127 minutes before the atmosphere of sulfuric acid, extreme pressure and lead-melting heat destroyed it. The Venera 13 probe holds the record for the longest survival on the surface of Venus, lasting 127 minutes before succumbing to the extreme conditions. Wow! List of missions to Venus.

It is my humble opinion that God made all these remarkable planets, stars, nebulas, black holes, galaxies, supernovas, dark matter and endless wonders of the universe to impress us as his creatures, who were all made in His image.

For under $100 you can purchase a decent pair of 15 x 70 Astronomy Binoculars to observe the stars. If you already have a tripod for a video camera, these binoculars will fit on the same tripod (they're all standardized). You need a tripod because the glass get heavy over time. It has never been easier to study, be fascinated by and follow the sky. God is more than amazing!

Astronomers are unsure if the cosmos keeps going infinitely, or if the universe has an end to it. Based on the following Scripture passage, I think the universe has an end to it. Psalms 147:4, “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.” If God telleth the number of stars, it sounds like there's an exact number, which would indicate that the universe does end. God not only knows how many stars there are, but He calls them all by their individual names. Wow! NASA guesses there are at least one septillion stars! I cannot even wrap my brain around that gargantuan number because it is so big. Let me write it out, so you can see how many stars there are in the known universe...

1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars!

Just to count to one trillion (if you could count one number per second non-stop) it would take 31,700 years. Then there's quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion and septillion. These numbers are so large that the human mind cannot process them. And yet, our omnipotent God who spoke them into existence by the mere power of His Word has a personalized name for each star.

Before 1924, astronomers all thought the Milky Way Galaxy was the universe. It wasn't until 1924 that astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889-1953), discovered that there were other galaxies far beyond our own Milky Way Galaxy. Dr. Hubble discovered that the Andromeda Galaxy is located 2,480,000 light years from the Earth.

Then in 1929, Dr. Hubble discovered that the universe is expanding, which discovery led to the theory commonly known as The Big Bang. Scientists worked backwards and calculated that the universe must be 13.77 billion years old. But since the universe has continued to rapidly expand during that time, astronomers are able to peer 46.5 billion light years into the cosmos.

When I was a kid, I used to walk up the stairs on a moving escalator, which made me feel like I was moving super fast (and I was). Although my feet were stepping up the stairs at a normal pace, I was moving much faster since the escalator was also carrying me up to the next level. That's similar to what has been happening to the cosmos for the past 13.8 billion years. 

Although no object can travel faster than the speed of light (671 million mph), space itself can. That is an amazing reality and concept. So, during the past 13.8 billion years (a measurement of time), the cosmos has expanded 46.5 billion light years (a measurement of distance). This is why astronomers will never be able to see beyond 46.5 billion light years into the cosmos, because the light being produced now is too far away to catch up. Literally, the cosmos is expanding faster than the speed of light, so that light will never reach earth's telescopes.

It is my humble belief that the universe ends just beyond the point where man cannot see further. What would be the point? And remember, God “telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names” (Psalms 147:4). If you'd like to just try it out, you can freely download limited versions of Sky View and Star Tracker for free. My favorite though is Star Tracker. It only cost $3.97 total for enable the full version. First I paid $0.99, and then there was a $2.99 charge. I'm not sure what the $0.99 was for, I cannot remember. There are no monthly charges, which was the first thing I checked to make sure. I hate monthly payments.

If you have any interest in astronomy, even if to just follow the moon and some of the brightest stars, I think you'll enjoy the Star Tracker app. I turned on the grid lines in the app, which centers around the bright Northern Star, Polaris. I like the background planetarium music. It's an amazing tool. I just wanted to share something that I enjoy with everyone. I love this stuff! God is so good. Proverbs 18:1, “Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.”

The Hated Independent Fundamentalist Baptist

Hebrews 11:36-40, “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”

I love that truthful phrase in Hebrews 11:38b, “Of whom the world was not worthy.” This world is not worthy of the saints of God whom they persecute, prosecute and belittle. There is an alarming increase on social media of videos containing wicked slander, criticisms and hatred of Independent Fundamental Baptists (IFB). I for one am proud to be a lifelong Independent Fundamental Baptist. I thank God for my strong roots. When I was about 12 years old, I was born again in an IFB church on Chicago's northside. I was baptized in an IFB church. I was trained to serve God in an IFB church. God is good.

The ungodly hypocrites who make these slanderous videos act like they are above sin, but they are just as wicked in the sight of God as the fallen Christians whom they tear down. There but for the grace of God, go we! In the United States, our news media are infamous manure spreaders! Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) is correct that the only thing you can believe in the local newspaper is the date.

Pastor Jack Hyles is absolutely correct, “No one can withstand the attack of a critic.” In my humble opinion, most of the people who hate on IFB churches have deeper ill-seeded feelings at work, than any sincere criticism of an IFB church. There is a Satanic agenda at work to discredit, undermine and destroy today's IFB churches. The reason why is obvious, because they come closest to being New Testament churches that get the job done for God.

The ongoing hatred of IFB churches isn't a new phenomena. The heathen world has always hated the New Testament church. Revelation 12:10b calls Satan, “the accuser of the brethren.” Those haters today who slander and tear down the IFB are in league with the Devil. You're never more like the Devil than when you accuse others.

Now, I'm not defending anybody who commits a crime, God forbid. But what I see happening is thousands of malicious wicked haters are connecting dots that don't exist to discredit the IFB movement. They dig up all the dirt they can. They overturn every rock. They have their magnifying glass in hand, scrutinizing today's IFB churches and colleges for every fault, sin, crime and mistake they can find to slander, put down and attack Christians.

The inspired King James Bible says in Hebrews 11:38b concerning the saints, “Of whom the world was not worthy.” We are a royal priesthood. 1st Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” Oh, what a great privilege it is to be a child of God, a born again believer.

God Created The Moon, Not A Cataclysmic Event

Genesis 1:15-16, “And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”

Psalms 8:3-4, “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”

Psalms 104:19, “He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.”

The level of unbelief, ingratitude and wickedness in American society today toward our Creator is staggering. The inspired Holy Bible is very clear that God made the moon, not two asteroids crashing into each other billions of years ago.

According to NASA (the smartest people on earth) the moon just accidentally happened...

The Moon formed from debris created by a massive collision between the early Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia about 4.5 billion years ago. This impact ejected material into orbit around Earth, which eventually coalesced to form the Moon. SOURCE

What ingrates! Why is it so difficult to believe that God made the moon? But wait, there's much more to the story. The Scripture tells us that when wicked people embrace the sin of homosexuality, they don't want to retain God in their thinking...

Romans 1:26-28, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.”

Sadly, NASA has embraced the deplorable homosexual movement. So, it doesn't surprise me that NASA doesn't want to retain God in their thinking. There is nothing any more wicked than to attribute the creation of the universe to natural causes without God. NASA are just one of countless heathen organizations today who throw God under the bus.

I love astronomy and have been watching many intriguing documentaries on YouTube. I've seen several dozen videos, maybe even a hundred so far. Sadly, not once, has any of those videos glorified God as our Creator. I'm not kidding, not even one! What an insult to our omnipotent Creator who spoke the universe into existence by the mere Word of His mouth (2nd Peter 3:5). God is good!

Psalms 19:1-3, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”

God made the moon, and the sun, and the Milky Way Galaxy, and the stars and beyond.

Jeremiah 31:35, “Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name.”

Don't Let People Confuse You About Your Salvation

Romans 3:4, “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

A man hears the gospel and believes it to be saved. But then he hears someone say that if he didn't pray a sinner's prayer, he isn't really saved. So he prays to ask God to save him. Then someone else says he didn't really get saved if he didn't publicly confessed the name of Jesus. So he tells others that he trusted Jesus as his personal Savior. Then someone tells him that he didn't really get saved if he only believed in his mind, but not with his heart. So he worries about his sincerity in the matter and is confused. Then someone tells him that if he still indulges in sinful bad habits, he has never repented and is not saved. Another person tells him that if he isn't following Christ in obedience, he isn't saved. And on and on it goes!

What saith the Scripture? 2nd Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Dear reader, God doesn't want you to become a basket case of religious scrupulosity. God wants all of His redeemed children to have total peace of mind, especially concerning His promise of eternal life.

Let me say without debate that the life you and I choose to live has absolutely nothing to do with God's free gift of eternal life. Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” The dear Lord doesn't want us to live in unrepentant sin, but if we do, His grace will abound so that we can never be in jeopardy of losing His gift of eternal life. As believers we always fall “in grace,” but never “from grace.” Only a lost person who tries to get to Heaven by keeping the works of the law has fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4).

I went through a nightmare for many years, being misled by preachers. I trusted Jesus as my personal Savior at age 13. But due to the unbiblical sinner's prayer, I was confused and couldn't find peace concerning the assurance of God's salvation. In the Christian high school that I attended in Chicago at our Baptist church, I finally mustered up the courage at age 17 to go ask my Baptist pastor for his help with my fear of not being saved. I had often cried, literally, worried sick for the previous 4 years that I might die in my sins and end up in Hell.

I kept wondering if I left something out when I prayed the sinner's prayer. Since I couldn't remember what I had prayed, I worried. So, I started asking for God to save me again and again and again, probably 50 times at least over those 4 miserable years. I would read religious tracts line by line, and carefully agree with each point, and then I would pray again and ask God to save me, as directed in the tract. I would then tell myself that I am saved, but it just didn't resolve my fears, worry and tears. What if I missed Heaven? What if I ended up burning in Hell forever? I was terrified.

So, I mustered up the courage one school day to go talk to my pastor, with the teacher's permission. I remember as I approached his office door that it felt like I was going to talk to God. I knocked on his door and he welcomed me into his office, and I told him of my concerns, fear and inability to settle my assurance. He assumed that since I didn't know I was saved, it surely must mean that I wasn't. Respectfully said, that was his first blunder.

Then my pastor made his second big blunder. He did the worst possible thing he could have done, he led me in another sinner's prayer. Oh boy, that was the whole problem! He prayed and I followed after him, and he assured me that I was saved. But I went home scared, still uncertain if I was really saved. He called my parents to tell them I had received Christ that day, and then he announced to the entire church congregation the following Sunday that I got saved. Now that everyone thought I was saved, I was afraid to tell anyone that I still feared that I wasn't. I felt trapped in my miseries of uncertainty that I was saved. I did trust Jesus with all my heart, mind and soul as my Savior, but I just couldn't find the peace that I was saved. In hindsight, I was afraid of something that I did not fully understand, and that stupid sinner's prayer was hindering me from learning what I needed to know.

My Dad was a preacher, who water baptized me weeks after my pastor assumed that I was saved, because he led me in another sinner's prayer. But I still remember how scared I was on the day I was baptized, thinking about 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝟭𝟲:𝟭𝟲, “𝗛𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱; 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗻𝗲𝗱.” Would I be damned for getting baptized, still not knowing if I am saved? I felt trapped and went ahead with the baptism, but I was still worried and uncertain about my salvation.

I went off to Hyles-Anderson College at age 18, not knowing that I was saved. I was hoping to settle my fears at Bible college. Unfortunately, that fear stuck with me for the next 8 years during Bible college, because the First Baptist Church of Hammond and their Bible college all use the sinner's prayer. Now, I am not criticizing my home Bible college and the people whom I love, cherish and am indebted to who investing in my life as a young man training to be a preacher. But the fact of the matter is that FOR ME AT LEAST, the sinner's prayer was toxic.

Although Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) preached some great sermons, and he was correct on the gospel, he strongly promoted using the sinner's prayer, which obscured the truth FOR ME and prevented me from resolving my issue. Ironically, I have heard more helpful sermon by Brother Hyles since I have graduated (especially over the past 10 years), than all my time in Bible college. I was so busy laboring in the 'B' Bus Ministry, working various secular jobs, providing for my family, et cetera, that I missed most of Dr. Hyles' sermons while in college. I taught a Sunday School class every Sunday morning, and I worked on Wednesday evenings, so I was only able to hear Brother Hyles Sunday evenings.

One of the sermons that has helped me, which I've only heard in recent years (now at age 59) for the first time is titled, "FUNDAMENTALIST HERESY." In this sermon Brother Hyles explains that prayer does not save us, but faith. Inviting Jesus into one's heart doesn't save anyone, faith does. For whatever reason, I didn't get the answers I needed while attending Hyles-Anderson College. I did sit on the edge of my seat during all those years, learning new helpful truths about salvation, trying to complete the puzzle. As I said, I am not criticizing my beloved home college, but I have gratefully learned to present the gospel without the sinner's prayer, which has never been a problem. It is the sinner's prayer that causes problems!

I am forever grateful to the folks at Florida Bible College and Calvary Community Church in Tampa, whose godly pastors' A. Ray Stanford (1916-2012), Hank Lindstrom (1940-2008), Max D. Younce (1935-2023) and Ralph Yankee Arnold have opened my eyes to the clarity of the gospel. I cherish this quote...

“There is power in this Gospel message. Most people just don't know how to present it... The clarity of the Gospel is what makes it easy for them to believe.”—Pastor Yankee Arnold, “WHY GRACE CAN SAVE THE WORST MAN!”

God used the prolific writings of my long time ministry friend of 20 years, Pastor Max D. Younce, who is a graduate of Florida Bible College, to solidify my salvation beliefs. In particular, it was his wonderful book titled, "SALVATION AND THE PUBLIC INVITATION," that helped settle my assurance of salvation once and for all, and I have never doubted God's gift and promise of salvation for one second since. PRAISE GOD!

To clarify, there is nothing wrong if someone wants to accompany their faith with a sinner's prayer, but every soulwinner has a solemn duty to make sure a lost sinner understands that praying, asking, publicly confessing or calling is NOT required to get to Heaven. 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩. I learned that great quote from Dr. Younce. I miss my ministry friend.

Furthermore, a lost sinner should never have to walk down a church aisle to learn how to be saved. Dr. Younce addresses this primary problem in his book. Preachers who require people to walk an aisle are adding an unnecessary step to God's simple plan of salvation. Likewise, no one should ever be required to pray a sinner's prayer to be saved, when God is already freely offering eternal life as a gift to whosoever simply believes that Jesus did it all for them.

I exhort you dear friend to get grounded and settled in the inspired King James Bible, and avoid listening to the incompetent herd of misguided, confused and foolish neo-evangelical preachers today who will have you all turned around, confused and worried about your salvation if you let them. Romans 3:4a, “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar...” And please don't leave off the last portion of the verse, in Romans 3:4b, “...as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” I love that warning! It means if what you are preaching and teaching aligns with what God is saying in His inspired Word, then you WILL BE vindicated on Judgment Day. But if what you are telling people is unbiblical and false teaching, then you will be in serious trouble with God (Proverbs 30:5-6).

That all being said, I DO NOT use the sinner's prayer anymore, and have not used it for twenty years; but if I did use it, I would absolutely make sure to explain that prayer is not required to be saved. For the ungodly toxic New IFB (Independent Fundamental Baptist) movement to mandate a sinner's prayer to get to Heaven is utter theological incompetence. They are deliberately obscuring the gospel with manmade garbage. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

Balaam, The Son Of Bosor

2nd Peter 2:14-16, “Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.”

Jude 1:10-11, “But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.”

Balaam, The Son Of Bosor
(by Evangelist Justin Zhong)

This is excellent sermon truth by Evangelist Justin Zhong. FALSE PROPHETS can speak God's Word with cunning words like Balaam. God spoke through Balaam (Numbers 23:5). But just because God was speaking through Balaam doesn't mean that he was a righteous man. Sometimes God uses wicked people for His purpose.

The Spirit of God was upon wicked Saul (1st Samuel 19:23). In Matthew 10:1 the Bible names Judas Iscariot as one of the apostles to whom God gave power to cast out demons. Reprobate false prophets like Judas can cast out devils (Matthew 7:21-23). But just because Judas had power from God to cast out devils doesn't mean that God endorsed him. Pharaoh's Satanic magicians had the power to do miracles.

Caiaphas led the sinister plot to murder Jesus, yet Caiaphas prophesied the truth concerning Jesus' crucifixtion, burial and resurrection (John 11:49). False prophets can tell the truth sometimes, cast out devils, and even be used by God to bless people; yet they can love money and be of the Devil. You cannot judge a preacher by mere appearance alone.

Just because somebody in a church is doing the right things, working miracles, saying the right words and helping people in the community, doesn't mean that they are good people.
Effectiveness is not the same thing as faithfulness. Pastor Joel Osteen is a very effective speaker, but he is unfaithful, not preaching the truth of the inspired Word of God. Just because God is blessing you doesn't mean that everything you are doing is right.

Pastor Steven Anderson is a bold fiery preacher, but he is unfaithful, not preaching the truth of God's inspired Word that God unconditionally loves everyone (John 3:16). No preacher is faithful who teaches hatred for people. Just because somebody is doing some right things, saying some right words, and helping some people in the community—doesn't mean that they are good people. Popularity is not the same thing as faithfulness.

Infamous murderous gangster Al Capone (1899-1947) was well-liked in Chicago for his generosity to the poor during early days of The Great Depression. The infamous gangster distributed food and clothing to the needy, for which many people in the community loved him. But was he a good man? Reports indicate that there were at least 522 gang-related killings in Chicago during the 1920s, a portion of which can be attributed to Capone and his evil criminal organization. Even Judas Iscariot was given the power to cast out devils and heal the sick (Matthew 10:1). As you know, Judas was not a good person, he betrayed Jesus to death.

Dr. John R. Rice's Conflicting Theological Statements

John 3:14-16, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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.”

The inspired King James Bible presents God's simple plan of salvation very plainly, so that if you take the Bible at face value there is no controversy. The problem arises when well-meaning, but men of corrupt minds, start tampering with the Word of God to satisfy their own whims and agendas. The raging debate over repentance is nothing new.

I get frustrated when I read articles by India missionary David W. Cloud, who likes to quote Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) to support his perverted view that you cannot get to Heaven unless you are first willing to change your behavior. Mr. Cloud vehemently accuses professed Christians of not being saved unless their lifestyle clearly reflects it. This is a form of Lordship Salvation.

To Forsake Sinful Behavior Or Not To Be Saved

Here is one of the quotes that David Cloud likes to reference from Dr. Rice's religious tract: “What Must I Do To Be Saved?” (which was written in 1949) ...

To repent literally means to have a change of mind or spirit toward God and toward sin. It means to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in Jesus Christ to save you. You can see, then, how the man who believes in Christ repents and the man who repents believes in Christ. The jailer repented when he turned from sin to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  —Dr. John R. Rice, 'What Must I Do To Be Saved?'

Uh, no, that is NOT what Bible repentance means. Respectfully said, Dr. Rice is very wrong! He clearly gives the wrong impression that to get to Heaven you must make a strong effort to forsake your sinful behavior, which is 100% works.

Ans yet, read what Dr. Rice wrote elsewhere in 1963 regarding repentance, totally contradicting his 1949 tract...

"There are those hyper-dispensationalists who think that John the Baptist preached a different Gospel from Christ when he commanded repentance (Matt. 3:2). But it is the same repentance Jesus commanded in Matthew 4:17, in Luke 13:3 and 5, and the same repentance that Paul preached in Athens that God “now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30 31). Repentance is not a different plan of salvation from having faith: it is part of the same plan of salvation. Or rather repentance is simply another way of describing or looking at the plan of salvation. One who turns from sin to God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ. A change of mind toward sin is necessarily involved in saving faith. ...Everyone who genuinely repented under the preaching of John the Baptist put his trust in the Saviour John the Baptist preached, and was regenerated. There is no such thing as being “a disciple of John the Baptist” in any honest sense without being a disciple of Jesus, that is, without trusting Christ for salvation." —Evangelist John R. Rice, “Acts: Filled With The Spirit,” pp. 251-252; Sword Of The Lord, Murfreesboro, Tennessee; ©1963

Well, which is it Dr. Rice? Does a person have to turn away from sinning earnestly with all their heart to get to Heaven? Or can they simply trust the Lord Jesus Christ? It cannot be both ways! Dr. Rice's contradictory statements are confusing at best.

So, which is it, do we have to “turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart” to be saved; or do we simply trust Jesus Christ, and in so doing we have automatically turned from our sins? Dr. Rice's 1949 tract has stirred MUCH controversy in the religious world, providing ammunition for the Lordship Salvation cult who quote his bad theology.

Evangelist David C. Cloud (a missionary to Nepal in India for over 30 years) is a good man as far as good men go. But he is a bitter enemy against Pastor Jack Hyles, for which I do not respect him. David Cloud has horribly dubbed Dr. Hyles: "The King Of Shallow Soulwinning!" On the Day of Pentecost, the Bible says the Apostle Peter preached the Gospel and 3,000 people got saved. No one was interrogated. No one had to be watched to see if their life changed. No one was required to forsake their sinful lifestyle. They simply "gladly received his Word" (Acts 2:41). That is, they heard the Gospel and they BELIEVED it! (Galatians 3:2). Now, David Cloud can call that type of soulwinning "shallow," but it is the Bible way and the only way to be saved! I have read Mr. Cloud's plan of damnation, and it is not the free grace Gospel.

When David Cloud met with Pastor John Wilkerson (senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana) on April 12, 2022 (per Mr. Cloud's request), Mr. Cloud wasn't man enough to come by himself, he brought another pastor along to gang up on Pastor Wilkerson, who did come by himself. I don't know why Dr. Wilkerson bothered to meet with that scumbag, because as anticipated David Cloud used the meeting to criticize, further smear and tear down the First Baptist Church of Hammond and their pastors for preaching Easy Believism. SHAME on David Cloud and his Satanic plan of damnation (i.e., partial faith in Christ plus works).

It was David Cloud who started spreading the untrue garbage that Pastor Curtis Hutson and Dr. John R. Rice didn't agree on salvation. They both believed the same Gospel!!! They just presented it differently. The only difference is that Dr. Hutson refused to use the stupid phrase "turn from sin," but Dr. Rice unfortunately did and it confuses people still today.

From the quote I just shared with you from the book, “Acts: Filled With The Spirit,” Brother Rice made it very clear that he believed: "One who turns from sin to God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ." That is the opposite of what we are hearing preached in 90% of Bible colleges and churches today! Look at this Satanic tommyrot preached at Bob Jones University (BJU) nowadays by Dr. Steve Pettit. BJU are ungodly Calvinists. RUN from that accursed cult!

Sadly, Dr. John R. Rice has hindered many people from getting saved by his sinful use of the unbiblical phrase “turn from your sin,” which is nowhere found in the inspired King James Bible. It is a wicked thing to read into the inspired Word of God what it doesn't say.

Likewise, I believe that cartoon artist Jack Chick was saved, but he also sinfully embellished the simple Gospel, requiring people to “be willing to turn away from sin (repent)” in billions of his Chick Tracts (on the back page, step number 2, in his perverse plan of damnation). Romans 5:6b plainly says, “CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY”!!!

There is no requirement to be willing to reform your life of sin before God will accept your faith in His only begotten Son. Although preachers will continue to debate and argue over this matter, the FACT remains that not one verse in the inspired King James Bible teaches that God won't save you unless you are first willing to reform your life of sin. Those wicked pastors are trying to do the work of the Holy Spirit, trying to force sinners to forsake their sinful ways to receive God's free gift.

I do believe that Dr. John R. Rice was saved, because he plainly stated that “One who turns from sin to God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ.” Unfortunately, his foolish teaching in his 1949 tract requiring the reader “to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart” to get to Heaven, which impossible requirement would scare any sinner away. If someone had told me that in 1979, I never would have received Christ as my Savior, because I would have felt that such a requirement was too difficult for me to achieve.

Even when I was saved, I used to pass on the Lord's Supper in church, refusing to partake of it because of some ongoing sins (or I should say things that at the time I thought were sinful) I had in my life as a young teenager. I learned years later that the only qualification to partake of the Lord's Supper is to be saved. Had I know that truth, I would have partaken of the Lord's Supper and not pass on it, as I did for a few years. I took things serious as a teenager. So, if someone had foolishly told me that I have to be willing to turn from my sinning to be saved, I would have declined their offer, as does this woman on an airplane when Evangelist Ray Comfort pressures her to stop sinning to be saved. That is not the Gospel!

As much as I love and respect Dr. Rice, he really messed up by using unbiblical terminology, which has misled multitudes of people concerning what you must do to be saved. What irony! The very name of his booklet is: “What Must I Do To Be Saved?,” and yet he fails to accurately present God's simple plan of salvation to the reader.

Perhaps you ask, “What about John 3:20?” John 3:20, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” Yes, that is a powerful Scripture passage. Most people will not come to Jesus because of sin. John 3:19, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 5:40, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Jesus said, “ye will not come”; He didn't say, “ye cannot come.” Most people won't come to Christ to be saved because of their love for sin.

No doubt this is why so many preachers require that you first be willing to forsake your sinful ways as a prerequisite to saving faith. However, please don't leave off John 3:21, “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” 2nd Timothy 2:25, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.” Bible repentance is a change of mind. That is, it is acknowledging THE TRUTH.

Here is one of the best quotes that I've found on repentance by Pastor Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951):

“Which comes first, repentance or faith? In Scripture we read, 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel.' Yet we find true believers exhorted to 'repent, and do the first works.' So intimately are the two related that you cannot have one without the other. The man who believes God repents; the repentant soul puts his trust in the Lord when the Gospel is revealed to him. Theologians may wrangle over this, but the fact is, no man repents until the Holy Spirit produces repentance in his soul through the truth. No man believes the Gospel and rests in it for his own salvation until he has judged himself as a needy sinner before God. And this is repentance.” ('Except Ye Repent,' p. 16)

We learn from Matthew 7:21-23 and Luke 13:23-34 that many religious people (who do “MANY WONDERFUL WORKS”) are not saved and consequently, they are going straight to Hell when they die! There are far more religious people who do GOOD works than BAD works, who are unsaved and going to Hell. The point being, neither good works or bad works are conclusive evidence that a person is either saved or unsaved. The only true evidence of the new birth is the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit (and that is something that only God can see).

If it weren't for 2nd Peter 2:6-7, we'd never know that Lot was saved, whose own family laughed in his face when he tried to warn them of the coming destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:14). Proverbs 25:19, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.”

The truth is that getting saved does not change a person's personal character one iota. Not one bit! The only difference is that the Holy Spirit has come to live inside the body of every believer (1st Corinthians 3:16-17; 1st John 3:34; Romans 8:9). You don't have to “decide to change” nor have a “change of direction” to be saved. Respectfully, I hear errant preachers attempting to use the Epistle of 1st John to teach that a person is not saved if they're still living a deathstyle of sin. 1st John 3:8, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” This means that a person committing wickedness is of the Devil, but the Bible doesn't say they are not saved. Even the apostle Peter was called “Satan” by the Lord for thinking contrary to the Scripture (Matthew 16:23).

And also, here is what Pastor Bob Gray Sr. rightly said about Bible repentance ...

“Repentance means to change your mind—change your mind—change your mind about how you want to get to Heaven to what God says you've got to do to get to Heaven. If you've got to repent of all your sins, you're still headed for Hell tonight.” —Pastor Bob Gray Sr., 'Why You Should Be A Part Of A Growing Church'

There is no controversy if you believe the Holy Bible dear friend. The only reason why so many preachers insist that you must be willing to turn from your sinful ways to be saved, is because they are attempting to force YOU to do the job of God's Holy Spirit. That is, they are requiring YOU to commit to live a changed life to be saved, or to prove that you are saved. Yet, repeatedly we are told in the inspired Holy Scripture that it is God's Holy Spirit who produces the “fruit” of righteousness in God's redeemed children, and not we ourselves.

To tell someone that they must be willing to give up their sinful bad habits to get to Heaven is effectively to require them to keep the law to be saved (Romans 3:19-20). It is very unfortunate that Dr. John R. Rice foolishly chose his words when he wrote his religious tract in 1949, because multitudes of people still today recognize and follow Dr. Rice as a leader in fundamentalism. But we must remember that Brother Rice was merely a man, fully capable of doctrinal error, and he is very wrong in his tract.

We must NEVER tell someone “to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart” to get to Heaven, because no such teaching can be supported with the inspired King James Bible. The very suggestion is intimidating to any sinner. The antithesis of John 3:20 is not turning from your sin, it is turning from your unbelief to trust the 'GOOD NEWS' of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen the third day. The only change of mind regarding sin that you need to have, to be saved, is to admit that you re one. The only thing that you and I contribute to our own salvation is the sin that made it necessary.

Pastor Brad Strand Gets Repentance 100% Correct

Wrong Repentance is Deadly!

Don't Play Russian Roulette With People's Lives

Proverbs 20:1, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

For me, I heard a doctor say something helpful many years ago that I adopted: "You cannot take two drinks of alcohol if you don't take the first." I think that is great wisdom.

I heard Brother Lester Roloff (1914-1982) in a sermon tell the true story about a man who had never taken any alcohol in his life. The man signed up for a cooking class which included drinking a glass of wine with various meals. So, the man drank wine for the first time, and over time it escalated until he became a full blown drunkard.

It's not my place to condemn anybody who drinks alcohol, but for me personally I have chosen all my life to steer clear of alcoholic beverages. Pastor Jerry Falwell (1933-2007) used to call Nyquil "Baptist wine." I really like that. He was so right. I admit that to help me sleep I drink a cup of Nyquil here and there. But like Pastor Falwell wisely said, since we Baptists don't drink alcohol, we use medications like Nyquil instead to get the same effect. So, we need to be careful and use discretion and wisdom.

Proverbs 20:1, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” The inspired Holy Bible warns that there is a deceptive nature to alcohol. It is no mere coincidence that the writer of Proverbs 20:1 warns about the deceptive nature of booze. Many people have lived to rue the day that they bought into the Devil's lie that they could handle booze. Many a great men have fallen because they were deceived to think they could handle alcohol, that they wouldn't ever become the next statistic.

Granted, most people handle their booze well, but it only takes just one time. To me, drinking booze is a form of playing the deadly game of Russian Roulette.

Please don't become the next victim of booze; or worse, make someone else your next victim.

A 26 Year Old Drunken Woman Murdered a Police Officer on Guam