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lasting life.

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that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

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Pres. Obama & Romney’s Spiritual.. 2

National Day of Repentance 3

Spike Lee’s “Red Hook Summer” 4

Frequently Asked Questions 5

The Importance of Bible Prophecy 6

Poetry 7

Advertisements 8

In This Issue

(Left) Governor Mitt Romney during a campaign stop in Philadelphia. (Right) Obama greets friends and neighbors as he arrives to vote at his

polling place in Kenwood. RNS photos by Roger Barone

By Daniel Burke

(RNS) President Obama says it’s not his

job to defend his Christian faith against

doubters who suspect he’s Muslim. His

GOP challenger, Mitt Romney, says

religion is “integral” to his life, even as

often he avoids mentioning his Mor-

mon faith by name.

In interviews published Tuesday (Aug.

21) by Cathedral Age, the magazine of

the Washington National Cathedral,

the candidates responded in writing to

nine questions about their faith.

Religion has been a tricky political is-

sue thus far for both men. A recent

Pew Research Center poll found that

only 49 percent of Americans can cor-

rectly identify Obama as a Christian.

More Americans know that Romney is

Mormon, but a significant minority (30

Continued on Page 4

Obama and Romney Offer Rare Glimpse of their Spiritual Lives

National Day of Repentance In these very difficult times politics

alone can't resolve our problems.

Many of our problems nationally are

spiritual, requiring a spiritual solution.

One such solution was often employed

by our nation's founders -- a national

day not just of prayer, but also of per-

sonal, and national, repentance. There

is a growing movement, an awakening

within the body of Christ, event after

event, in these next 90 days, pointing

out that we believers in Christ need to

pray and repent so that the Lord can

step in with His miracles, which our

nation now desperately needs. Many

prayer events are planned, but a focus

on repentance is vital for their success.

In local Christian churches and minis-

tries across denominations and across

the nation just such a National Day of

Repentance is set to take place from

sundown Tuesday, September 25

through sundown Wednesday, Sep-

tember 26. To emphasize the value

God places on repentance, this date

will coincide with the 3,450-year-old

Jewish holy day of atonement, Yom

Kippur. Continued on Page 2

Connie Woods

Good News Press - 2

COLORADO SPRINGS, Co.

– More than 10,000 con-

gregations have commit-

ted to active participa-

tion in National Back to

Church Sunday on Sept.

16. By registering their

names and locations

(www.backtochurch.com

/roster), these congrega-

tions have signaled their

intentions to invite fam-

ily, friends, neighbors

and co-workers, who, for

a variety of reasons, no

longer attend church.

The largest community

outreach in the nation is

expected to draw the

participation of more

than 14,000 churches.

Recent surveys show

that 48 percent of

church members have

not invited an

unchurched person to

attend a worship service

or other program at their

church in the past six

months. National Back to

Church Sunday offers a

unique opportunity for

thousands of people

across the nation to re-

ceive and respond to a

personal invitation to go

back to church.

“The personal touch is

the most effective means

for churches to reach out

to their communities,”

said Ed Stetzer, president

of LifeWay Research, a

supporting partner of

National Back to Church

Sunday. “Good news is

best delivered by good

messengers.”

Invitations to the

unchurched are ex-

pected to skyrocket with

the newest National

Back to Church Sunday

social media tools, such

as “e-vites” and a Face-

book page

More than 10,000 Churches to Date Sign On The Line to Bring People

Back to Church

By Adelle M. Banks

(RNS) At Charity Missionary

Baptist Church in North

Charleston, S.C., the Rev.

Nelson B. Rivers III supports

and follows his African-

American congregation’s

policy: They will only con-

duct marriages between

one man and one woman.

But the vice president of the

NAACP also backed his civil

rights organization’s recent

statement supporting

“marriage equality.”

“We see no conflict in that,”

Rivers said, “because I am

the leader of the r-i-t-e at

my church, the rites, but I’m

also a strong advocate of

the r-i-g-h-t-s of my mem-

bers.’’

President Obama's support

for gay marriage, followed

quickly by the NAACP's, has

put some black clergy in a

bind, torn between their

political loyalties and their

religious beliefs. For some,

like Rivers, it's been a

both/and proposition, while

others say they can support

the president without en-

dorsing his position on gay

marriage.

But the issue has high-

lighted that the black church

has never been monolithic.

The black church's response

is further complicated by

the fact that people in the

pew may not always go

along with what pastors in

the pulpit preach.“You’ve

got to balance religious con-

victions with all of your

other interests, your racial

interests, your economic

interests,” said Andra Gilles-

pie, an associate professor

of politics at Emory Univer-

sity who studies African-

American politics.

Most blacks still prioritize

their rights as African-

Americans and economic

issues over social issues, she

said.

Drawing the same distinc-

tion as Rivers, the African

Methodist Episcopal Zion

Church issued a statement

at its recent quadrennial

meeting declaring that its

churches cannot perform

same-sex rituals. But it also

noted that while it differed

with Obama on gay mar-

riage, his positions on

health care and student

loans are “consistent with

the interests of our congre-

gant members.”

“We do not believe in same-

sex marriage but we do not

believe that’s the only is-

sue,” explained AME Zion

Bishop Darryl Starnes.

“There is more in the scrip-

tures about treating the

poor right and championing

the cause of the oppressed

than some of these other

issues.”

Likewise, the Pentecostal

Assemblies of the World has

said it is “in conflict” with

the president’s stance but

applauds Obama for “his

many achievements in im-

proving the quality of life for

all Americans.”Overall, Afri-

can-Americans remain

one of the groups most

opposed to gay mar-

riage: 51 percent are

opposed, while 40 per-

cent support it, accord-

ing to a recent poll by

the Pew Forum on Re-

ligion & Public Life. That

support, however, has

edged up from 26 per-

cent just four years ago.

Among black Protes-

tants, opposition is

slightly higher, at 54

percent.

Pew researchers said

Obama's support hasn't

noticeably shifted opinion in

either direction, but some

smaller groups are seeking

to galvanize lingering black

skepticism over gay mar-

riage to make it a wedge

issue for African-American

voters this November.

“I would hope that the

president would become

wise, come to his senses

and know that he has made

a mistake,” said the Rev.

William Owens, president of

the fledgling Coalition of

African-American Pastors, at

a recent National Press Club

news conference. His group

is circulating an online peti-

tion to ask Obama to

“repudiate his assertion that

gay marriage is a civil right.”

Still others, including the

Washington-based group

Many Voices, are working to

reshape the notion that all

black churches are against

gay rights. Rather, many

clergy are thinking carefully

about their stance, said the

Rev. Cedric Harmon, co-

director of the three-year-

old nonprofit.

“They’re weighing this out;

they’re considering who

they know, what they be-

lieve,” he said. “They don’t

want to be mean. They

don’t want to be hateful.”

Rivers said while his church

doesn’t sanction same-sex

ceremonies, another across

town might conduct them. If

gay members were to re-

quest such a service from

him, he said he would rec-

ommend they find such a

congregation for a cere-

mony because it is their

right to have one.

“On the issues of justice,

fairness and equality and

the prophetic role of clergy

and standing up for what is

right, there is much consen-

sus,” he said. “On the other

issues, how you interpret

doctrine, that’s up to your

church.”

Black Churches Split Over Gay

Marriage and Obama

National Day of

Repentance from Page 1 The purpose of the National

Day of Repentance is to

bless the body of Christ, by

focusing on repentance in

our own lives, on this one

key day; pull away from the

world, and join many others

across the nation, in local

churches, homes, or minis-

tries. We encourage the

body of Christ to pray, to

fast, and to do one's own

spiritual inventory with God

our Creator during a Na-

tional Day of Repentance.

We believe this will open

heaven for the Lord to for-

give our sin and heal our

land. A website,

www.dayofrepentance.org,

has been created to foster

participation at the grass-

roots level.

The event is calling pastors,

priests, intercessors, church

leaders, prayer "warriors,"

those with the ability to

discern the times like the

sons of Issachar [1 Chroni-

cles 12:32], those with spiri-

tual discernment [1 Corin-

thians 12:9], those who

understand the spiritual

power of repentance indi-

vidually, and for a nation.

Our Founding Fathers un-

derstood the power of re-

pentance and declared Days

of "Fasting, Prayer and Hu-

miliation" as a key spiritual

tool to establish and pre-

serve this nation. When the

Revolutionary War looked

most bleak, John Adams,

asked if he believed we

could nonetheless defeat

Great Britain, said: "Yes, if

we fear God and repent of

our sins."

This National Day of Repen-

tance is set to coincide with

Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day

of Atonement. Holding this

event on Yom Kippur, is in

no way meant to preempt

or replace what Yom Kippur

means for the Jewish peo-

ple, but is meant to honor

the Jewish people's divinely

mandated calendar (Lev

23:1-2), and to honor the

holiness and seriousness of

that day. It also honors the

Jewish roots of the Christian

faith in Romans 1:16. The

Lord Himself said [Leviticus

23:27-31] that the Day of

Atonement would be a

"holy convocation", a day to

"afflict" one's soul, to do no

work; a "statute forever

throughout your genera-

tions in all your dwellings."

Although 2 Chronicles 7:14

applies to Israel primarily, it

also applies to all believers

as a way to heal the na-

tions, including our nation,

in 2012. "If My people, who

are called by My name, will

humble themselves, and

pray, and seek My face, and

turn from their wicked

ways, then I will hear from

heaven, and will forgive

their sin and heal their

land."

This is a nonprofit project,

for the body of Christ,

across all denominations,

initiated by a small group

of pastors nationwide. For

more information please

contact Pastor Jeff Daly,

Director, National Day of

Repentance, (707) 987-

9082, jdalylaw@aol.com,

www.dayofrepentance.org.

At Charity Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, S.C., the Rev. Nelson B. Rivers III supports and follows his African-American congregation’s policy: They will only conduct marriages between one man and one woman. RNS photo courtesy of Charity Miss Baptist Church.

Good News Press - 3

Being A Pastor and Speaking Out in Today’s Culture

- Commentary by Dr. Michael

A. Milton

A pastor I know recently told

me that he was criticized for

being "too political." He has

heard such an indictment

throughout his ministry, he

said. Today he leads a major

ministry in the U.S. battling

daily for the rights of pastors

to speak so that believers can

speak. His prophetic word

upsets the establishment. His

voice is prophetic. His heart is

pastoral. Can the two coexist?

I have heard similar charges in

my ministry through the years.

I accept the critique. However,

if the matter is important, I am

compelled to address it in

preaching or writing, and I

believe that is just being pas-

toral to God's people. I cannot

compartmentalize the Lord-

ship of Christ to only one area

of life. He is Lord of all.

Is it right that pastors should

remain silent about important

matters in society that are

being debated in the public

square because someone is

trying to establish in our cul-

ture that there is no place in

politics for religious beliefs or

moral convictions that have

been born out of a faith com-

mitment? Because people

squirm when sin is exposed in

politics or culture, does it

mean we should refrain from

preaching? No. It may mean

just the opposite.

Is a pastor solely limited to

sharing the gospel to his flock

on Sunday mornings? Or was

the late Dr. John Stott right

that one of our identities as

gospel preachers, in a faithful

biblical portrait of a pastor, is a

"herald"? The pastor is not a

prophet, yet he most certainly

does carry a prophetic voice

and speaks with biblical au-

thority to other Beast-like

powers when there are souls

at risk or the honor of Christ

and His Church is under siege.

I have an intuitive concern that

the liberal professor who

won't let the young believer

raise her hand in a state uni-

versity and speak from her

conviction is now trying to

govern public discourse. Well,

I am not governed by political

correctness that has been

born out of a liberal educa-

tional system or by the pres-

sure of a liberal press but by

the one and only true God.

The public square is not the

university professor's class-

room nor is it the TV news

studio. This is my Father's

world. Therefore, I speak, and

I speak publicly, as the Lord

gives an open door, through

media, because I am compelled

by compassion for souls that

may be victims of systems that

will ultimately enslave them.

I believe that pastors must

speak to our declining culture.

I am pastorally concerned that

that there are dangerous idols

masquerading under the ban-

ner of politics in this increas-

ingly secularized culture. These

heaven-rejected powers prefer

that we keep quiet. But when

the powers move beyond the

Machiavellian machinations of

politics to the advocacy of

principles at odds with God's

Word we must call them out.

The prophets and church fa-

thers of old spoke forth con-

cerning the actions of govern-

ments, individuals yielding

power, and the idols of cul-

ture. Our Lord Jesus did when

he said of Herod "Go tell that

Fox" (Luke 13:32), St. Paul did,

the church fathers did, and the

Reformers did. In the 20th

Century I thank God that J.

Gresham Machen (1881-1937)

was not afraid to speak to the

ungodliness in his culture (read

Stephen Nichols' fine biogra-

phy). And what of Bonhoeffer?

Solzenitchen? Martin Luther

King, Jr.? Today pastors like

Ugandan Archbishop Henry

Luke Orombi preach against

the powers of darkness, ex-

pose evil in government, and

even in churches in our own

nation as missionaries to

America, and warn people

while compassionately inviting

them to Christ. Why? Because

pastors are like watchmen on

the wall (Ezekiel 33) required

by God to sometimes warn of

coming danger, even if others

cry "Off limits!" To do other-

wise is to be disobedient to

our calling. God says if there is

harm to his people because

the watchmen were silent they

will have the blood of the peo-

ple on their hands. This is a

sobering warning to pastors

and trumps any criticism of

being "too political."

Yet the challenge of dis-

cernment is acknowl-

edged. What must we

do?

(1) Pastors must repre-

sent no man but God

and no party but His

Kingdom. We therefore

refuse to be used as

pawns by any political

party. We are aware of

Psalms 2 that the rulers

of this world conspire

against God and His Son.

We study. We pray. We

speak, therefore, when

we must, on behalf of the

truths of God's Word to

help people.

(2) Pastors must diag-

nose the presenting ill to

discover the real issue

beneath it. Only then do

we speak. Diagnosis re-

quires prayer, wisdom,

courage, and the leading

of the Lord. Speaking

requires courage and

counting the cost. If it is

a real or potential spiri-

tual harm coming from

the presenting issues of

culture or politics, then

we must deliver the diag-

nosis and offer the cure

in the Person of Jesus

Christ and His Word. If I

happen to yell

"Warning!" and the de-

mon under the cloak of

culture is a straw-man

then I have expended my

pastoral capitol, perhaps

compromising my ability

to preach into real or

more critical situations.

But if it is not a straw-

man, and instead an in-

strument of the "devil,

the flesh or the world"

that would further mar

the image of God in man

or further distance us

from God, then woe to

me if I speak not.

So we must preach, even

when the culture labels

our message "off limits."

We will live with that

criticism because we are

pastors and we follow

Christ and His disciples

who also were criticized

(and crucified) for assum-

ing an authority that

challenged theirs.

(3) Pastors must pray for

each situation that star-

tles our shepherding

instincts, and weigh

whether a given issue is

an assault on our con-

science worth exposing.

It is understood that

some matters are just

politics or a reflection of

a sick culture, and a pa-

thology more ably ad-

dressed by other men

and women.

(4) Pastors must ground

their preaching in God's

Word, the Bible. We

have no authority apart

from His Word. We

must also always offer

the way out through the

gospel of Jesus Christ.

To do less is to be em-

broiled in the political

debate. But preaching

with a conclusion that

leads to freedom in

Christ is above the

storm, where it should

be.

My pulpit and my writ-

ings are not for sale to

any political party. I care

not a whit for using my

position to promote a

political agenda. I do care

for souls. That is my job.

And I will preach. That is

my calling.

Dangers exist on all sides

for the pastor. But, who

said the job would be

easy? Yet to silence the

pastor in any realm is to

cause the Church to

retreat into a secluded

ghetto where we can no

longer be salt and light in

the world. And that can-

not be. We comfort the

afflicted and on occasion

may afflict the comfort-

able, as it is sometimes

put. The ground of our

ministry is love from a

pure conscience. Let us

not abandon our post as

long as God gives us the

strength to stand. Let us

be silent no more.

Michael Anthony Milton (Ph.D., University of Wales) serves as the chancellor/CEO of Re-formed Theological Seminary (one of the largest accredited semi-naries in the country), a U.S. Army chaplain (instructing at the Armed Forces Chaplain School) and the James M. Baird Jr. chair of pastoral the-ology at RTS/Charlotte. He is an author, song-writer, singer, ordained minister, former pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., and he previously served as the president of RTS/Charlotte. Dr. Milton also hosts a na-tional Bible teaching tele-vision program, Faith For Living, broadcast on the NRB Television Net-work, and a radio pro-gram broadcast on sev-eral stations in the southeast. For 16 years he served in the business world and served as a

top-secret Navy linguist.

Good News Press - 4

Filmmaker Spike Lee focuses on faith in “Red Hook Summer”

Adelle M. Banks WASHINGTON (RNS) Spike Lee is not about to give up filmmaking but -- at least for a moment or two -- he sounded a bit like an expert on the challenges facing the church as he promoted his new movie

"Red Hook Summer."

"Any church whose members are senior citizens and there's no youth coming behind, they're going to die out," Lee said in a roundtable discussion

with reporters.

"Now that goes for syna-gogues, mosques, temples too -- any institution," Lee contin-ued. "You got to always try to have that infusion of youth. They might not be as smart but

youth has energy."

"Red Hook Summer" opens Friday (Aug. 24) in cities such as Washington, Chicago, At-lanta and Los Angeles. The movie's main character echoes Lee's call to get young people to church, but he also has a particular drive to evangelize his grandson, who traveled from suburban Atlanta to spend the summer in the strug-gling Red Hook neighborhood

of Brooklyn, N.Y.

"The good Bishop Enoch Rouse is trying to rally his flock, his congregation, in this cruel and harsh world," said Lee of the character played by actor Clarke Peters. "He's finally getting a chance to meet

his grandson. They never set eyes on each other before and he's desperately trying to get

him to accept God."

But Flik Royale, the iPad-toting grandson, goes to the Little Piece of Heaven Baptist Church "kicking and scream-

ing," said Lee.

"You embarrass me," Royale, played by Jules Brown, told Rouse, a character who even-tually is revealed to have a secret

past.

"You need Jesus in your life, son," his grandfather re-

sponds.

For his part, Lee wasn't raised a churchgoer but he says he's not to-tally unfamiliar with the black church, having visited congrega-tions such as New York's Abyssinian

Baptist Church.

"We're very re-spectful of the church," said Lee, who shared screenwriting credits with author James McBride. McBride's mother co-founded the Brooklyn church where the

movie was filmed.

He and McBride capture the

vibrant worship -- rollicking organ, tambourine playing and clapping congregation -- at the services of the small Baptist church. And they also reflect the practice in some black churches of adorning the walls

with images of a white Jesus.

Is Lee for or against that depic-

tion?

"Can I go scriptural on you?"

asked Lee. "Jesus wept."

Lee and his siblings competed to recite the short Bible verse when asked for one during childhood visits to their South-

ern grandparents.

"Me and my brothers would

fight for that one," he said. "Jesus wept -- two words. Can't go wrong with that,

right?"

There are aspects of some real-life churches that clearly disturb Lee, especially prosper-ity gospel ministers in "25,000-seat arenas" passing around "garbage cans" instead of offer-

ing plates.

"The politics of give me your

money and I'll put it in my pocket," he said. "I'm going to be honest: I'm not a fan of this

prosperity. Not having it."

But he quickly adds: "I'm not

saying I don't love Jesus."

percent) does not believe

that the Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day Saints is

Christian.

Asked about people who

question the sincerity of his

faith, Obama responded:

“You know, there’s not much

I can do about it. I have a job

to do as president, and that

does not involve convincing

folks that my faith in Jesus is

legitimate and real.”

Answering the same ques-

tion, Romney said: “I am

often asked about my faith

and my beliefs about Jesus

Christ. I believe that Jesus

Christ is the Son of God and

the Savior of mankind. Every

religion has its own unique

doctrines and history. These

should not be bases for criti-

cism but rather a test of our

tolerance.”

Both men said that political

candidates should be judged

by their works, not faith.

“A political leader’s faith can

tell us a great deal or noth-

ing,” Romney said. “So much

depends on what lies behind

that faith. And so much de-

pends on deeds, not words.”

Both also men said that re-

ligion is central to their lives.

“My Christian faith gives me

a perspective and security

that I don’t think I would

have otherwise: That I am

loved. That, at the end of the

day, God is in control,”

Obama said.

Romney said that “faith is

integral to my life. I have

served as a lay pastor in my

church. I faithfully follow its

precepts.”

The men differed slightly on

the role of faith in public life.

Obama highlighted religion’s

contributions to the suf-

frage, abolition and civil

rights movements. He also

said that faith provides a

Spike Lee sits on the set of his film "Red Hook Summer" with actors Toni

Lysaith and Jules Brown. RNS photo courtesy Variance Films

“moral framework and

vocabulary” for the coun-

try in times of crisis.

Romney said the country

should “acknowledge the

Creator, as did the Foun-

ders -- in ceremony and

word.”

God should remain pre-

sent in American cur-

rency, the Pledge of Alle-

giance and history lessons,

as well as nativity scenes

and menorahs in public

places, he added.

“In recent years, the no-

tion of the separation of

church and state has been

taken by some well be-

yond its original mean-

ing," Romney said. “They

seek to remove from the

public domain any ac-

knowledgment of God.“

President Obama and Romney continued from Page 1

Good News Press - 5

How can I really know

God?

The idea of knowing the

God of the universe in a

personal way is unfathom-

able to the human mind. He

is God, this ethereal, elusive,

untouchable being that has

more important things to do

than be with you. Right?

The truth is that there is

nothing that will complete

your life more, or be more

satisfying to you, than hav-

ing a personal relationship

with God. Believe it or not,

there is nothing more satis-

fying to Him, as well. 2

Timothy 2:19a says, “The

Lord knows those who are

his.” And Exodus 33:13

says, “If you are pleased

with me, teach me your

ways so I may know you

and continue to find favor

with you.” And Philippians

3:10, “I want to know Christ

and the power of his resur-

rection and the fellowship of

sharing in his sufferings,

becoming like him in his

death. “ From those verses,

we begin to see that this

relationship with God is

reciprocal. He knows us; we

know Him.

We are not talking about

knowledge of God. Satan

knows a lot about God and

the Bible, but there is no

intimacy. Many people think

that they know God, when

in reality, they know a lot

about Him, but have yet to

forge an intimate bond with

their loving Creator. Jesus

warns about this misunder-

standing in Matthew 7:22-

23, “Many will say to me on

that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did

we not prophecy in your

name, and in your name

drive out demons and per-

form many miracles?’ Then

I will tell them plainly, ‘I

never knew you. Away from

me you evildoers!” He was

talking about people who

worked so hard that they

thought they were earning

God’s favor. They never

took the time to sit at His

feet, to really know Him.

How do you do that? In the

Exodus verse above, it

shows that one way to know

God is to understand His

ways. We can do that by

studying His word and pay-

ing attention to the way He

works in our lives. The

verse found in Philippians

asserts that we know God by

sharing in His work and His

suffering. That basically

means sharing His heart for

the lost. Daily time spent

with God, however, is the

most crucial way to assure

your intimacy with the Lord.

This needs to be time spent

alone, in prayer, seeking

God’s presence in your life.

1 Chronicles 28:9 promises,

“If you seek him, he will be

found by you; but if you

forsake him, he will reject

you forever.”

What exactly is the tribu-

lation?

The word "tribulation," used

as a prophetic term, comes

from Jesus' Olivet discourse,

during which He laid out the

future course of human his-

tory all the way to its climax

at His Second Coming. The

Lord said, in response to His

disciples’ question, "What

shall be the sign of thy com-

ing, and of the end of the

world?"

"For then shall be great

tribulation, such as was not

since the beginning of the

world to this time, no, nor

ever shall be" (Matt. 24:21).

"Tribulation" is the term for

the general era of God's

judgment on a rebellious

world of earth-dwellers. It is

a time that will begin with

Antichrist signing a seven-

year covenant guaranteeing

Israel's peace and security

(Dan. 9:27). This era is

kicked off, symbolically,

beginning with the first

horseman of the Apocalypse

(Rev. 6:1).

"Great Tribulation" is con-

sidered to be the last three

and one-half years of that

seven-year period known as

"Daniel's seventieth week."

The last three and one-half

years is called "the time of

Jacob's trouble" in Jeremiah

30:7, when God's most hor-

rific, but totally righteous,

wrath is poured directly

upon the rebels of planet

Earth. These judgments are

portrayed and precisely out-

lined in Revelation, chapters

6 through 19. The Tribula-

tion will end when Christ

returns from Heaven to de-

feat God's enemies and set

up His Millennial Kingdom

on earth (Rev. 19:11-16).

What will happen to mem-

bers of non-Christian

faiths?

If the Word of God is true,

Christianity is the only way

to achieve eternal life. Ac-

cepting Jesus as your per-

sonal savior is the only way

to obtain salvation. It may

not be politically correct to

say this, but if Jesus is truly

the Son of God, then neither

Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism,

nor any other faith can re-

deem your eternal soul.

In John 14:6, Jesus made it very clear that He is the only mediator who can span the sin-rift that exists between God and man: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (Frequently asked questions this issue courtesy of Rap-tureready.com)

Frequently Asked Questions

Good News Press - 6

By David R. Reagan

Although prophecy consti-

tutes almost one-third of

the Bible, its importance is

constantly downplayed by

those who dismiss it as

having no practical signifi-

cance or by those who ob-

ject to it on the grounds

that it is a "fad" that takes

people's eyes off Jesus.

Revelation 19:10 says that

"the testimony of Jesus is

the spirit of prophecy."

Thus, if prophecy is prop-

erly taught, there is no rea-

son for it to divert any-

one's attention away from

Jesus. In fact, it should

serve to emphasize the

centrality of Jesus.

Is prophecy practical? Con-

sider that all the New Tes-

tament writers testify to

the fact that the study of

prophecy will motivate

holy living. What could be

more practical than that?

Prophecy does not have to

be either faddish, other-

worldly, or impractical if

taught properly. Nor does

it have to be a playground

for fanatics. It can and

should be green pastures

for disciples.

Reasons for Study

1) Validator of Scripture —

Fulfilled prophecy is one of

the best evidences I know

of that the Bible is the in-

spired Word of God. The

Bible contains hundreds of

fulfilled secular prophecies

pertaining to cities, na-

tions, empires, and indi-

viduals. Jeremiah predicted

the Babylonian captivity

would last 70 years

(Jeremiah 25:11-12). Isaiah

stated that the children of

Israel would be sent home

from Babylon by a man

named Cyrus (Isaiah 44:28;

Ezra 1:1). Daniel predi-

cated the precise order of

four great Gentile empires

(Daniel 2 and 7). The de-

struction of Babylon was

foretold by a number of

the Hebrew prophets

(Isaiah 13). In the New Tes-

tament, Jesus predicted

the complete destruction

of Jerusalem 40 years be-

fore it actually occurred

(Luke 21:6).

2) Validator of Jesus — The

Bible contains more than

300 prophecies about the

first coming of Jesus, all of

which were literally ful-

filled (see Appendix 1).

Every aspect of the life of

Jesus was prophesied —

the place of His birth, the

nature of His birth, the

quality of His ministry, the

purpose of His life, and the

agony of His death. Con-

sider, for example, the

prophecy in Psalm 22:16

that the Messiah's hands

and feet would be pierced.

That prophecy was written

by David about a thousand

years before the birth of

Jesus. It was written 700

years before the invention

of crucifixion as a form of

execution. The literal fulfill-

ment of so many prophe-

cies in the life of one indi-

vidual transcends any

mere coincidence and

serves to validate that Je-

sus was who He said He

was — the divine Son of

God.

3) Revealer of the Future

— Prophecy serves to tell

us some things that God

wants us to know about

the future (Deuteronomy

29:29; Amos 3:7). God

does not want us to know

everything about the fu-

ture, but there are some

things we must know if we

are to have a dynamic

hope. Thus, prophecy as-

sures us that Jesus is com-

ing back, that He will resur-

rect us, and that He will

take us to live forever with

Him and God the Father. In

this regard, Peter likens

prophecy to "a lamp shin-

ing in a dark place" (2 Pe-

ter 1:19). Paul makes the

same point in 1 Corinthians

chapter 2. He begins by

observing that no eye has

seen, no ear has heard, nor

The Importance of Bible Prophecy A Playground for fanatics or Green Pastures for Disciples?

has the mind of man

conceived, what God

has prepared for those

who love Him. But in

the next verse Paul

says those things have

been revealed to us by

God through His Spirit

(1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

4) Tool of Evangelism

— Prophecy can be

used as a very effec-

tive tool of evangel-

ism, as illustrated in

the story of Philip and

the Eunuch (Acts

8:26ff). Philip used

Isaiah's great suffering

lamb passage (Isaiah

53) to teach that Jesus

is the lamb who was

slain for the sins of the

world. Matthew and

Peter both used ful-

filled prophecy in the

life of Jesus as one of

their basic evangelistic

tools. In fact, Peter

referred to prophecy

constantly in his first

gospel sermon on the

Day of Pentecost (Acts

2:14-39). He preached

that Jesus had been

crucified and resur-

rected in fulfillment of

Hebrew prophecies.

Later, Peter referred

to fulfilled prophecy as

one of the greatest

evidences that Jesus

was truly the Son of

God (2 Peter 1:16-19).

5) Tool of Moral

Teaching — People

often overlook the fact

that the Hebrew

prophets were

forthtellers as well as

foretellers. In fact, the

prophets spent most

of their time using

God's Word to spot-

light societal prob-

lems. They called their

listeners to repen-

tance, true worship,

social justice, and per-

sonal holiness. One of

the great recurring

themes of the proph-

ets is that "obedience

is better than sacri-

fice" (1 Samuel 15:22

and Hosea 6:6). That

statement means that

in God's eyes, obedi-

ence to His commands

is more important

than outward religious

practices such as offer-

ing sacrifices. Proph-

ecy is thus a great re-

pository of moral

teaching, and those

moral principles are

still relevant today.

(See Amos 5:21-24;

Micah 6:8; Isaiah 58:3-

9.)

6) Generator of Spiri-

tual Growth — Pro-

phetic knowledge en-

courages patient wait-

ing (James 5:7- 8); pro-

vokes earnest watch-

ing (Matthew

24:36,42); inspires

dedicated work (2

Timothy 4:7-8); and

enhances our hope

(Titus 2:11-14). The

result is holy living.

Paul exhorts us to

"behave properly as in

the day," because the

time is at hand when

the Lord will return

(Romans 13:12-13).

Likewise, Peter calls us

to gird up our minds

and be sober and holy

as we look forward to

the revelation of Jesus

(1 Peter 1:13-15).

Advice & Counsel

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Paul writes that all of

God's Word is

"profitable for teach-

ing, for reproof, for

correction, and for

training in righteous-

ness." That includes

God's Prophetic Word.

In 1 Thessalonians

5:20 the apostle Paul

pleads with us to treat

prophecy with respect.

Peter warns us in his

second epistle, that

one of the signs of the

end times will be the

appearance of

"scoffers" who will

cast scorn and ridicule

on the promise of our

Lord's return (2 Peter

3:3ff). The great trag-

edy of our day is that

many of the loudest

scoffers are religious

leaders who profess to

follow Christ. Such

Good News Press - 7

(Romans 8:38-39)

The one who makes the day will save, and who he saves

will praise and worship him (Psalm 118:24).

If you call his name you will always be heard and in re-

turn you will find safety in his word (Acts 2:21; Prov-

erbs 1:33).

His reward is not fame, silver, nor Gold, he not only

saves lives, He saves souls (Luke 9:56).

He will come and bring light in the darkest hour and

love, truth, and righteousness is his power.

No weapon formed against him shall prosper and all his

enemies shall be conquered (Isaiah 54:17). If you have faith, love, and hope in him and it never waivers, you will know he’s not only a hero, but Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior (Romans 3: 22 to 26).

A Hero by Kevin Tyner

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leaders crucified Jesus the

first time He came. They

now scoff at His promise to

return.

A good example of what

I'm talking about is the

"Jesus Seminar" that has

been operating for the past

few years. It is composed

of forty New Testament

"scholars" from a great va-

riety of Christian seminar-

ies in America.

The seminar has been

meeting every six months

to vote on the sayings of

Jesus as recorded in the

four gospels. They hope to

produce a new version of

the gospels in which the

sayings of Jesus will be

color coded: red, if He said

it; pink, if He may have said

it; grey, if He probably did

not say it; and black, if He

definitely did not say it.

When they voted on the

sayings of Jesus regarding

His Second Coming, they

voted that all the sayings

were spurious and had

probably been "made up"

by His disciples. What apos-

tasy!

Spiritual Food

God's Prophetic Word is

food for our spiritual

growth. We need to take it

off the shelf. We need to

open it up and feast upon

it, and we need to do so

with believing hearts.

The book of Revelation

promises blessings to those

who read it (or hear it read)

and who obey it

(Revelation 1:3). It is the

only book of the Bible to

promise such a specific

blessing, but all God's

Word is designed to bless

us spiritually (Psalm 119),

and that includes the Pro-

phetic Word.

Key Scriptures about

Prophecy

Let's conclude with a re-

minder of what the Word

of God itself says about the

value of prophecy. In this

way we can be assured that

the effort we expend in

looking at the prophetic

Scriptures will be time ex-

tremely well spent.

"The secret things belong

to the Lord our God; but

the things that are revealed

belong to us and to our

sons forever."

(Deuteronomy 29:29)

"Surely the Lord God does

nothing, unless He reveals

His secret counsel to His

servants the prophets."

(Amos 3:7)

"I am God, and there is no

other; I am God, and there

is no one like Me, declaring

the end from the beginning

and from ancient times

things which have not been

done. . . I have spoken;

truly I will bring it to pass. I

have planned it, surely I

will do it." (Isaiah 46:9-11)

"[Jesus said] 'Do not think

that I have come to abolish

the Law or the Prophets; I

did not come to abolish,

but to fulfill.'" (Matthew

5:17)

"[Jesus] said to them,

'These are My words which

I spoke to you while I was

still with you, that all things

which are written about

Me in the Law of Moses

and the Prophets and the

Psalms must be fulfilled.'"

(Luke 24:44)

"Of Him [Jesus] all the

prophets bear witness that

through His name everyone

who believes in Him re-

ceives forgiveness of sins."

(Acts 10:43)

"The prophets who prophe-

sied of the grace that

would come to you made

careful search and inquiry,

seeking to know what per-

son or time the Spirit of

Christ within them was in-

dicating as He predicted

the sufferings of Christ and

the glories to follow." (1

Peter 1:10-11)

"But know this first of all,

that no prophecy of Scrip-

ture is a matter of one's

own interpretation, for no

prophecy was ever made

by an act of human will,

but men moved by the

Holy Spirit spoke from

God." (2 Peter 1:20-21)

"The testimony of Jesus is

the spirit of prophecy."

(Revelation 19:10)

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