Feeding the Beast

Written by Anthony Smith


Continued from page 1
a family, not just inrepparttar church building, but outside. rememberrepparttar 143209 Lords prayer, yea thou I walk throurepparttar 143210 valley ofrepparttar 143211 shaddow of death, I will fear no evil...? Do you actually know whatrepparttar 143212 valley ofrepparttar 143213 shaddow of death is, its when you walk out of you house, when you leaverepparttar 143214 church building, when you take your dog for a walk, itsrepparttar 143215 world outside your own frount door.Thats whererepparttar 143216 valley is and thatsrepparttar 143217 valley whererepparttar 143218 beast is waiting, and hungry.Rape, murder, prostitution, pornography, homosexuality, alcoholism, drug addication, lies, its all there inrepparttar 143219 valley andrepparttar 143220 beast is waiting for you and your children and frends. The world knowsrepparttar 143221 beast and its feeding him ,makeing him stronger,repparttar 143222 Jews are trying to fight him but to no avail.Im not a theologian, many might say, thatrepparttar 143223 beast in Revelations has to rise out ofrepparttar 143224 sea, their right,repparttar 143225 sea in these verses is a metiphore, look at it this way,repparttar 143226 beast is in hideing, untill he gains strength, right now hes growing up and feeding on any thing that he can get his hands on. Some are waiting onrepparttar 143227 antichrist to arrive, but church, hes allready here,repparttar 143228 Bible tells us so, itsrepparttar 143229 spirit ofrepparttar 143230 antichrist andrepparttar 143231 spirit ofrepparttar 143232 beast that we should have allready started to fight.You say, thats forrepparttar 143233 ones that arnt raptured, but church, think aboutrepparttar 143234 ones that arnt saved, maby your own children, your kneighbours and frends. we dont know when Christ is comming after us, think aboutrepparttar 143235 others.Take a quick look at verses 7 and 8 and think on these things.Hear whatrepparttar 143236 spirit sayeth untorepparttar 143237 Church, hear, hear and understand, time is short, we cant affordrepparttar 143238 luxuary of makeing mistakes with our or someones elses soul. The beast is hungry. remember atrepparttar 143239 begining I asked a few questions, are we, giveingrepparttar 143240 right answers torepparttar 143241 wrong questions, are we confuseing people with doctrine thats not scripture? Think, are we feedingrepparttar 143242 Beast?

A.R.Smith Sermons International. http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/


MAKE NOT MY FATHER'S HOUSE A HOUSE OF MERCHANDISE

Written by Doug Krieger


Continued from page 1

Please review our chapter in UNSEALING THE END OF DAYS entitled: Chapter 10, Part 2, “Take These Things Away! Do Not Make My Father’s House a House of Merchandise!” (John 2:16).

MAKING MERCHANDISE OF GOD’S PEOPLE – THE CROUCHES

On September 19, 2004 a series of articles appeared inrepparttar Los Angeles Times entitled THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL with a byline: Pastor’s Empire Built on Acts of Faith, and Cash . . . The top Christian broadcaster’s steady plea for money funds growth—and a life of luxury for Paul Crouch and his wife, by William Lobdell, Times Staff Writer—also, Times staff writer Scott Martelle assisted inrepparttar 143140 Times piece. The Times articles also exposed an illicit affair allegedly committed by Crouch andrepparttar 143141 hush money that went withrepparttar 143142 cover-up!

Nearly 18 months have passed since I wrote a series of articles decryingrepparttar 143143 extravagant methodologies by today’s “evangelical charlatans” and entrepreneurs who continue to both harass and fleecerepparttar 143144 people of God—it is relentless and unabated; frankly, without precedence sincerepparttar 143145 days of selling Papal Indulgences by Johann Tetzel, who soldrepparttar 143146 Grace of God to multitudes ofrepparttar 143147 faithful in order to build St. Peters Basilica andrepparttar 143148 splendors of Vatican City.

What is it about these “den of thieves” that demand such ostentatious settings for their views below ofrepparttar 143149 vulnerable they bilk? The extravagance ofrepparttar 143150 Evangelical Empire ofrepparttar 143151 Crouches literally, and this is hard to fathom, that ofrepparttar 143152 Vatican’s!

Yes, this makes for some interesting comparisons. According torepparttar 143153 LA Times’ article, TBN’s latest 2002 balance sheet lists their net assets at $583 million, including $238 million in Treasury bonds and other government securities and a mere $31 million in cash—along with 400 employees.

Now,repparttar 143154 Vatican stats are exceedingly skewed due to their priceless art treasures which are incalculable; however, a TIDINGS ON LINE article by John Thavis,repparttar 143155 Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Service on July 16, 2004 wrote an article entitled: Amid diocesan financial crises, Vatican has own problems—to wit:

“The Vatican’s net worth is difficult to gauge, but has been estimated at close to $1 billion.”

Trinity Christian Center International, located in Costa Mesa, Orange County, California, with its elaborate sets, and adjacent gated development in which Trinity Broadcasting Network owns 11 homes, along with residences in Texas, Tennessee and Ohio—along with extravagant homes owned byrepparttar 143156 Crouches in nearby Newport Beach (adjacent photo recently onrepparttar 143157 market for $8 million), demonstrates, according torepparttar 143158 “Gospel of Prosperity” God’s blessing upon TBN’s ministry.

St. Peter’s Basilica took nearly 100 years to complete (1626 AD); meanwhilerepparttar 143159 Vatican Papal Residence (i.e., The Apostolic Palace) and gardens, along with scores of similar residences, dwarfs anythingrepparttar 143160 Crouches could envision—but, given time, who knows what will suffice them

PLEADING OR PREYING UPON THE PEOPLE OF GOD

The LA Times article revealed an amazing amalgamation of unprecedented wealth heaped up byrepparttar 143161 Crouches—the likes of which staggersrepparttar 143162 imagination of, I am sure, even one Donald Trump. No, it’s not akin to a Bill Gates—but given time, look out!

Paul Crouch peers intorepparttar 143163 camera and proclaimsrepparttar 143164 need for $8 million in order to spreadrepparttar 143165 Good News throughoutrepparttar 143166 Indian subcontinent. Viewers were/are encouraged to give $1,000 each as a pledge—even if they don’t have it to give—but to take a “step of faith”* and makerepparttar 143167 pledge forrepparttar 143168 “Lord would repay them many times over!” (*Note: Quote marks are derived fromrepparttar 143169 LA Times series.)

The outrageous appeal for such funds forrepparttar 143170 “spread ofrepparttar 143171 Gospel in India” upon some 8,700 television stations was not a matter of “additional funding needs” because: “TBN was not short on cash. In fact, it could have paid forrepparttar 143172 India expansion out ofrepparttar 143173 interest on its investment portfolio. But at TBN,repparttar 143174 appeals for money never stop—nor doesrepparttar 143175 flow of contributions.

Did somebody say “success?” Well, if you think success can be compared torepparttar 143176 likes of Ted Turner, listen to howrepparttar 143177 world compares such “success” –

“Much as Ted Turner did for TV news,repparttar 143178 Crouches have created a global infrastructure for religious broadcasting. But that is just one element in their success. Another is a doctrine calledrepparttar 143179 ‘prosperity gospel,’ which promises worshipers that God will shower them with material blessings if they sacrifice to spread His Word.”

But “success” has its downside:

“The network, little known outside fundamentalist Christian circles, was buffeted by unwanted publicity last week, when The Times reported that Crouch had paid a former employee $425,000 to keep silent about an alleged homosexual tryst.

“WHEN YOU GIVE TO GOD . . . YOU’RE SIMPLY LOANING TO THE LORD AND HE GIVES IT RIGHT ON BACK!”

TBN has no advertising—yet it generates more than $170 million a year in revenues—its viewers contribute two-thirds of that money! Do you want to know what you’re paying for? Take a gander:

“Paul, 70, collects a $403,700 salary as TBN’s chairman and president; Jan, 67, is paid $361,000 as vice president and director of programming. Those arerepparttar 143180 highest salaries paid by any ofrepparttar 143181 12 major religious nonprofits whose finances are tracked byrepparttar 143182 Chronicle of Philanthropy.”

please view rest of article @: www.the-tribulation-network.com)

Doug is a team member of the lastdaysnetwork.com . . . an end times' prophetic ministry to the Church. His articles appear on numerous evangelical and even "secular" web sites on topics regarding Religion and Politics. His URL is www.the-tribulation-network.com


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