December 2011 Letter
December 15, 2011
Dear Brethren,
As we approach the end of the year on the Roman Civil Calendar,
some religionists say prophecy is speeding up—or, as Harold Camping trumpeted, “The Lord is coming! The
Rapture is on May 21st!” Since “the rapture” didn’t occur on that date, he
admitted his mistake. Then he promptly announced, “It will happen on October
21st.” But it didn’t happen on that date either.
When interviewed concerning his second false alarm, Camping said
he did not know what went wrong. But the answer is simple: Camping is a false
prophet, and he does not know the
true teachings of Jesus Christ. The truth is, God obeys no man, nor does He
heed false prophets.
Many of Camping’s followers gave him great sums of
money—some selling their homes, saying they had no further need of money
or material possessions since the imminent rapture meant they would soon be in
heaven. Many are wondering if Camping will return the money sent by those who
believed him—probably not.
It is truly amazing: If people actually believe in Jesus Christ, as they profess, why
don’t they believe what He said? Why
do people follow a man without first proving whether his teachings are true or
not? Concerning the timing of Jesus’ return, a simple reading of the Gospels
gives the correct answer. Jesus Himself warned, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘He is there,’ do not believe it. For there shall arise false Christs and false
prophets, and they shall present great signs and wonders, in order to
deceive, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have foretold it to you. Therefore, if they say to you, ‘Come
and see! He is in the wilderness’; do not go forth. ‘Come and see! He is in
the secret chambers’; DO NOT BELIEVE IT.
For as the light of day, which comes forth from the east and shines as far as the west, so also shall the coming of the Son of man be…. The heaven and the
earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away. But concerning that day, and the hour, no one knows, not even the
angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 24:23-27, 35-36).
The truth is that the Bible does not teach a “rapture,” let alone a specific date for such an event.
Yet the whole Protestant world believes in a coming “rapture.” As a doctrine,
the “rapture” theory is a complete misinterpretation of the Scriptures, and is
rooted in the false belief that upon death a person’s “immortal soul” goes to
heaven. But think about it: If immortal souls go to heaven, then why does the Bible teach, in numerous
places, of a resurrection of the
dead?
Today, as it was in the days of Jeremiah, the world is filled with false ministers and teachers (and
some who claim to be prophets) who profess to follow Christ, but do not. Jeremiah prophesied of God’s
judgment against such men: “ ‘Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the
sheep of My pasture,’ says the Lord.
Therefore thus says the Lord, God
of Israel, against the shepherds who feed My people, ‘You have scattered My
flock, and have driven them away, and have not taken care of them. Behold, I will bring upon you the evil of your
doings,’ says the Lord…. ‘For
both prophet and priest are ungodly; yea, in My house I have found their evil,’
says the Lord. ‘So their way shall
be to them as slippery ways in the
darkness; they shall be driven on, and
fall in their way; for I will bring
evil on them, even the year of their judgment,’ says the Lord…. Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They
make you vain; they speak a vision from their own heart, not out of the mouth
of the Lord” (Jer. 23:1-2,
11-12, 16).
The Two Witnesses—False Alarm: Several years ago, there
was a supposed “minister” of a church of God who announced that he and his wife
were the Two Witnesses. As foolish as that was, some actually believed him and
followed him—sending a lot of money to him. Time went on and his claims
did not transpire. Moreover, they were not in Jerusalem, they were not clothed
in sackcloth, and they were not calling down plagues from heaven as often as
they willed as described in Revelation 11. Furthermore, the length of the Two
Witnesses’ ministry is to be “1260 days,” a fact they failed to remember as
they ran out of time. Finally, the monies that brethren sent to him were not
used for the preaching of the Gospel; rather, most of the funds were forwarded
to a bank account in Switzerland. The bank reported it to the IRS, and their
agents came knocking on his door with an arrest warrant. He now faces five
years in prison. So much for self-appointed prophets.
Still, ministers-for-profit continually claim, “Prophecy is
speeding up!” They quote passages of Scripture that appear to support such a claim. For example, they often use Matthew
24:22 from the KJV: “And except those
days should be shortened, there should no flesh
be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be
shortened.” Using this verse in
conjunction with Romans 9:28, they claim that God is going to “cut short”
prophecy, thus shortening the time frame of the end: “For he will finish the
work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work
will the Lord make upon the earth” (KJV).
However, such teachers fail to realize that both of these verses
are mistranslated in the KJV. The Faithful Version renders the true
meaning of these verses: “For then shall there be great tribulation, such as
has not been from the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever
shall be again. And if those days were not LIMITED, there would no flesh be saved; but
for the elect’s sake those days shall be LIMITED…. For He is accomplishing and LIMITING the matter in righteousness; because the Lord will LIMIT the matter He is doing upon the earth” (Matt.
24:21-22; Rom. 9:28). This translation accurately conveys the true meaning of
these passages, and is in full agreement with other scriptures pertaining to
the end times. The straightforward meaning is that God has predetermined and limited the time of the Great
Tribulation to three and one-half years. These passages in no way imply
that God will intervene and “cut short” His own prophecies concerning the
duration of the Great Tribulation.
The fact is, prophecies
are not speeding up—nor are they slowing down. Rather, they are right on time—according to God’s
timetable, not man’s
misinterpreted timetable. Indeed, we can only interpret prophetic events as we observe them unfolding. We must
not attempt to set specific dates for yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecies. As Jesus
told His apostles, “It is not for you to
know the times or the seasons, which the Father has placed
in His own authority” (Acts 1:7).
Yet, as the apostle Paul wrote, we do have a certain amount of
prophetic understanding based on the framework provided by God’s feasts and
holy days. “Now then, concerning the times and the seasons [as related
to the return of Christ and the resurrection], brethren, there is no need that
I write to you; for you yourselves understand perfectly that the day of the Lord will come exactly as a thief comes by night. For when they say,
‘Peace and security,’ [most likely at the beginning of the final 7 years] then
sudden destruction will come upon them [when the Great Tribulation begins, at
the midpoint of the 7 years], as travail comes upon a woman who is with child; and they shall by no means escape” (I Thess.
5:1-3).
Moreover, as we get closer to the time of the end, the righteous
will increase in understanding. Daniel writes: “[F]or the words are closed up and sealed until the time
of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and refined. But the wicked shall do wickedly; and none
of the wicked shall understand, but the WISE [those who believe and obey
God the Father and Jesus Christ] SHALL
UNDERSTAND” (Dan. 12:9-10). This is a promise from God. However, our
understanding will be based on searching the Scriptures and watching events
unfold, and is not intended to enable us to “set dates.”
For example, God gave Daniel the 70-week prophecy in Daniel
chapter 9. Based on the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Jews returned from
exile in Babylon, we know that the prophecy’s first 7 weeks (equaling 49 years)
has been completed. We also know that the next segment of 62 weeks (equating to
434 years) to the coming of the Messiah has been fulfilled. However, there
remains the 70th week, equating to 7 years, yet to be fulfilled: “And the
people of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
And the end of it shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall make firm a covenant with many
for one week [7 years]. And in the
midst of the week [after 3½ years] he shall cause the sacrifice and the
offering to cease, and for the
overspreading of abominations shall come one who makes desolate even until
the consummation. And that which is decreed shall be poured out upon the
desolator” (Dan. 9:26-27). We know this event has not been fulfilled because the final beast of Revelation 13 has not
yet appeared on the scene, neither has an end-time Jewish temple been built.
When the “prince who is to come” stands in the holy
place—causing the sacrifices to cease—in the coming temple in
Jerusalem, then and only then will the Great Tribulation begin. Jesus warns:
“Therefore, when you see the abomination
of desolation [this is an event, not a set date], which was spoken of by
Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (the one who reads, let him
understand)…. For then shall there be
great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever shall be again.
And if those days were not limited [other prophecies show they are limited to
3½ years], there would no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days
shall be limited” (Matt. 24:15, 21).
Such passages are
telling us that we are to watch for these specific events to occur; they
are not intended to give us specific dates. We are to watch
for three specific events:
- The coming of the final beast (Dan. 9:26; Rev. 13:1-10).
- The rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem (Dan. 9:27; 12:11; Matt. 24:15; II Thess.
2:1-12).
- The stopping of sacrifices at the temple and the setting up of the abomination (Dan. 9:27; 12:11; Matt.
24:15; II Thess. 2:1-12).
It is only when these three prophecies occur in this order that we will know the Great Tribulation has begun. We
are not to let the predictions and declarations of men to the contrary mislead us. We are to follow the Scriptures
and watch for prophesied events. While there are other prophetic events to
occur, our focus should be on these three major events. The Great Tribulation cannot begin until these three events have
transpired.
Transhumanism: Becoming Gods—Satan’s Way: The recent messages I
have given on Transhumanism (TH) actually show that God’s timetable is going to
be much longer than we may have anticipated. TH is a widespread philosophical,
scientific, and religious movement that will bring about man’s greatest
achievements under the direct influence of Satan the Devil. TH combines
advancements in nanotechnology with the sophisticated genetic mixing of the
human and animal genome in order to create super
humans. Ultimately, this is Satan’s perverted plan to convince men that
they can become gods and obtain immortality without God.
The movement’s goals include the eradication of all disease; the
ability to repair even the most devastating of disabilities; the end of
suffering and starvation; improvements to the human brain; and the extension of
human life—even to the point of “immortality.” And they are well on their
way to accomplishing many of their goals over the next 5 to 10 years. Through
gene splicing and in vitro fertilization, they have already engineered the first human with two mothers. (Could this cause a split
personality? Only time will tell.) Now they are ready to begin producing the
first “super human” being.
Their purpose is to transform human existence, as God created it—to change humans into Satan’s new human plus (h+) or “post-human” beings—no longer only human, but enhanced humans, even super-humans. In
other words, humans remodeled in Satan’s image. Satan continually deceives men
into believing that man’s ways will
bring benefits, but the result of man’s way is always destruction and death (Prov. 14:12).
By combining animal genes with human genes, coupled with advanced
technology, they are planning to create cyborgs—combinations
of man, animals and machines. While movies, television programs, and
documentaries have hinted at the developments of this movement, we have
underestimated how vast and widespread it really is. TH is one of the chief
research projects at almost every major university in the world, facilitated by
government monies and grants. It is the major thrust behind developing military
personnel into futuristic super-soldiers. Through transgenics—gene
splicing to add the best of animal genes into the human genome—they plan
to develop a super-soldier that can see like an eagle, hear like a fox, smell
like a bear, and that has a killer instinct like a wolf—all topped off
with super strength and endurance.
Transhumanism and Immortality: TH rejects God and the
fact that He created us—yet the movement is quite “religious,” with an
end goal of immortality! They believe that man can improve himself, save
himself, and obtain immortality. What follows is the beliefs of The First Church of Transhumanism—The
Beliefs of the Society for Universal Immortalism:
“We
have a soul and it is informational in nature. The soul, by definition, is
the center of our being, the essence of who we are. In most religious systems
the soul is seen as a metaphysical entity not of this world. We do not accept
the supernatural definition of the soul, and instead provide a rational,
scientific definition of what constitutes our soul. To us the soul does exist,
but it is not supernatural. The memories we have, the thoughts we consider, the
emotions we feel—these form the essence of who we are. For without these
qualities we would cease to be ourselves. There need be no supernatural
explanation for these qualities. These memories and processes are represented
in the brain biologically as information. No metaphysical or ‘otherworldly’
essence is involved. It is simply akin to software running on a vastly complex
computer. And like software, it is the pattern of information that is
important, not the medium in which it resides or is expressed. Our soul may
arise from the structure of our brain, but need not strongly depend on it.
“The
aim of life is to grow and improve ourselves and our ‘Community.’ This is a
continual process with no end. We embrace the ideals of humanism. We must all strive to live
meaningful and ethical lives while supporting the rights of others to do so as
well. Self-improvement should be the center of our lives. We must strive to
maximize and enhance the good qualities in our human nature: compassion, love,
understanding, tolerance—while minimizing or eliminating the bad ones:
hatred, jealousy, envy, closed-mindedness. We understand that no person lives
in isolation and that we all belong to a greater ‘Community.’ This community
consists not only of other human beings, but life as a whole. We have a
responsibility to improve both our own lives, and the overall welfare of the
entire community of life. The process of growth and self-improvement, for both
the individual and our community, is one that has no limit. There will always
be new challenges to conquer, new ideas to explore, and new ways to improve our
nature. The thought that we will never reach a pinnacle or perfect state should
not sadden us, but instead fill us with happiness and joy. For it is the path
we follow, and not only the destination, that gives our life its meaning and purpose.
And this path will extend to the very limits of time itself.
“WE
ARE OUR OWN SAVIORS. We cannot rely on supernatural or external forces to
guide us on our journey. Responsibility is on our shoulders to create the world
in which we wish to live. Ethics, morality, and other philosophical issues must
have answers that we provide for ourselves through rational exploration. No ‘higher’ power or
supernatural entity need be turned to for these answers. All must take part
in this process to the best of their abilities. It is our future and we all
must lend a hand in its realization. To that end, we believe in the free flow
of information and ideas, and a direct participatory democracy in which all
have an equal voice. By coming together as one, in an informed and rational
manner, we can arrive at the solutions to the problems that face us.
“Reason, rational thought, and the scientific method are our tools in reaching our goals. We
reject divine inspiration and other metaphysical approaches to arriving at truth.
Instead, we rely on reason, rational thought, and the scientific method as our
tools to guide us along our path. The past century has shown us some of the
wonders we can achieve when we properly direct our efforts. But these tools can
also lead to destruction and chaos if put to the wrong use. We must be ever
vigilant and hold to the tenets of our faith.
“We
must transcend our current biological limits to ensure the continued growth and
existence of our soul. While our beliefs imply that there is no limit to
the progress the individual can achieve, we do find that there are practical
limits. The human body, while wondrous in its current form and function, is not
designed to carry our growing souls forever. Age, disease, death, and the
limited capacities of our body put an absolute limit on how much an individual
can achieve. But we believe that these limitations can, should, and will be
overcome. To continue our growth and self-improvement, we must transcend our
current biological limitations. Age, disease, and even death itself should be
eliminated. Our biological form should
be modified and enhanced to surpass these limits. Our mental capabilities
should be enhanced by integrating new and more powerful subsystems. Our growing
capacities will enable us to evolve into beings with many of the attributes of
the Gods of past religions. It may become desirable to supersede our
biological form entirely and express our nature through other forms of
existence. But no matter what form our transcendence takes, we will always
maintain our soul, the essence of who we are.
“None of this is to be achieved through
prayer or divine intervention. Instead, we will be the architects of our new
and greater nature. Science and reason will lead us on the path to creating a better
existence. Already we see the beginnings of this with organ transplants,
artificial limbs, cloning, and tissue engineering. With time on our side there
should be no limit to what we can achieve. Our physical form will continue to
evolve, through our own efforts, to keep pace with our ever-growing soul.
“Universal Immortalism is one of the
ultimate goals of existence. All
souls, past, present, and future, have a right to exist and grow and improve
eternally. We regard an ‘evil nature’ as not permanent, and think that with
proper enlightenment any soul will become a seeker of what is good and right.
And we regard it as a supreme tragedy that past souls have been lost and not
preserved. To that end, we dedicate
ourselves to finding a way one day to bring back all persons who have ever
lived, so they can join in our
eternal adventure. This is the idea known as Universal Immortalism (R.
Michael Perry—Forever for All).
Our concern for ‘persons’ also extends to other life forms besides human, which
may also have souls capable of unlimited growth and betterment. We hope to
achieve our goal of universal revival and betterment, once again, through
scientific, rational means. Based on the informational concept of the soul, it
may be possible to accurately recreate souls where all information about them
has been lost. At this point we do not know if it can be done. But that does
not mean we should not try, and it is
our ‘leap of faith’ that one day we will succeed.” (Bold
and italic emphasis added; Source: www.universalimmortalism.org/beliefs.html.)
What you have just read is man’s
agenda under the powerful influence of Satan the Devil. Indeed, the world
today is exactly as Paul writes, “[W]e are not wrestling against flesh and
blood, but against principalities and against powers, against the world rulers
of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual power of wickedness in
high places” (Eph. 6:12).
This mindset goes back to the beginning with Adam and Eve. The
Serpent told them that if they ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil, they would “become like God, deciding good and evil.” Not since
the time before the Flood has mankind reached the point of actually pursuing God-like
immortality through human means. But
this is exactly the motive behind Satan’s plan of Transhumanism. Interestingly,
Jesus warned: “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of
the Son of man” (Matt. 24:37). It is unfolding before our eyes. How far will
God let it go before He intervenes with the return of Jesus Christ? We don’t
know. But at the time of the Flood, all humanity was corrupt and
evil—undoubtedly embracing the very concepts you have just read
about—to the point that God had to destroy all human life, all animal
life, all reptilian life, and all bird life. As Jesus said, the whole world
will be in the same condition at the time of His return.
Indeed, there is nothing new under the sun!
Transhumanism—God’s Way: The truth of the matter is this: God’s eternal plan,
as recorded in the Bible, is for men and women at the first resurrection to be transformed from human to divine, and
enter into the Kingdom of God as His children—to become spirit beings through Jesus Christ. This
is why God created us after His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27). Moreover,
this meant that when the prophesied time of Jesus the Messiah came, God could
be manifested in the flesh (I Tim. 3:16). He would lead a perfect life, reveal
the Father and God’s spiritual plan, and then become the perfect sacrifice by
giving His life as the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John
1:29, 36).
This is the very reason for Jesus Christ’s first
coming and for His teachings. His life, death and resurrection would open the
way for men and women to become the children of God. Following His resurrection, Jesus empowered the apostles to preach the
Gospel. He inspired their writing of the New Testament so that subsequent
generations would have the complete teachings of God—Old and New
Testament. The Bible contains God’s personal instructions on how we can become
the literal sons and daughters of God as spirit beings. Men and women can
only become godlike and receive immortality through God the Father and Jesus Christ
by the power of the Holy Spirit. Such immortality comes through the
resurrection of the dead.
First,
there must be repentance, baptism, and the receiving of the power of the Holy
Spirit. This brings each new disciple into a covenant relationship with God the
Father and Jesus Christ for eternal life. Second, each newly begotten person
must grow in love and obedience to God the Father and Jesus Christ to be
perfected—in love, truth, and obedience—and made ready for the
first resurrection of the dead when Jesus returns. Paul writes: “And as we have
borne the image of the one made of
dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption
inherit incorruption.
“Behold,
I show you a mystery: we shall not all fall asleep [die and be put in the
grave], but we shall all be changed,
in an instant, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must
put on incorruptibility, and this mortal must put on immortality. Now when this
corruptible shall have put on incorruptibility, and this mortal shall have put
on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is
swallowed up in victory’ ” (I Cor. 15:49-54).
Only
God can give us immortality—men with their science and technology can
never attain immortality under the influence of Satan the Devil. Only Jesus
Christ, Who was the “firstborn from the dead,” has the “keys of the grave and of death” (Rev. 1:5, 18).
Again,
Paul writes, “But for us, the commonwealth of
God exists in the heavens, from
where also we are waiting for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; Who will TRANSFORM OUR VILE BODIES, that
they may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the inner working of
His own power, whereby He is able to subdue all things to
Himself” (Phil. 3:20-21). In Psalm 17:15, David also anticipated this
glorious transformation: “As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness;
when I awake [in the resurrection], I shall be satisfied with [by possessing]
Your likeness.”
Notice
how the apostle John expresses it: “Behold! What glorious love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God! For this very
reason, the world does not know us because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are the children of God,
and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be; but we know that when He is
manifested, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him exactly as He is [in His full glory]” (I John 3:1-2). Speaking of the resurrection of the
righteous, Jesus said, “[T]he righteous [shall] shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43; see Dan. 12:3).
Becoming
the children of God the Father as glorious spirit beings is the mystery or secret of God, which He
revealed to the apostles to be recorded in what became the New Testament.
“According to His eternal purpose, which He has wrought in Christ Jesus our
Lord, in Whom we have boldness and direct access with confidence through His very own faith. So then, I beseech you not
to faint at my tribulations for you, which are working for your glory.
“For
this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is
named, that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell
in your hearts by faith; and that being rooted and grounded in love, you may
be fully able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height [of God’s plan],
and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses human knowledge; so that you
may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:11-19). This is God’s plan of immortality for his
begotten children.
Brethren, let us daily draw close to God in heartfelt prayer and in the
study of His Word—so that we will always be growing in grace and
knowledge. We thank God the Father and Jesus Christ for Their goodness and
mercy for God’s people. We thank you for your love and faithfulness to God and
each other. Thank you for your prayers for us and all the brethren. We thank
you for your faithfulness in tithes and offerings, especially in these
difficult times. We pray that God will continue to bless you and watch over you
in everything. We are praying for you daily, for your health and healing
through God’s love and grace.
With Love in Christ Jesus,
Fred R. Coulter
FRC
|
