False peace by David Stewart

From http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Basics/false_peace.htm


False Peace

By David J. Stewart August 2006

"For the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD. We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!" -Jeremiah 8:14-15
The photo to the right shows the monstrous eye of hurricane Isabel. If you've ever been inside the eye of a hurricane (or typhoon), then you know that the center of the storm is very calm. It is so calm, that people not familiar with such tropical storms often assume that the storm has passed. Many people have died because of this FALSE PEACE, or false serenity.

Israel had sinned grievously throughout the Old Testament. We read in Jeremiah 8:5 and 6, "Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done?" Just like America and Europe today, Israel REFUSED to return to God. The term "backsliding" is very interesting. It literally means that you're sliding backwards while still facing God. In other words, you're waving to God, telling Him that everything is ok; BUT, you are going further and further into sin. The term "backsliding" describes the person, group, or nation that continues in sin, while claiming they are doing nothing wrong. Carefully notice Jeremiah 8:6 again, "...no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done?" This is so typical of the wicked. Homosexuals are nowadays redefining the Bible to justify their wicked sin of homosexuality. Abortionists have redefined life itself to justify the murdering of tens-of-millions of growing babies, claiming that the living human being in a mother's womb is not a child yet. Feminists have justified wives rebelling against their husbands by redefining the role of women in marriage and the home. This is all woefully evil, and will ultimately bring the judgment of God upon America and Europe unless we repent of this great wickedness!!!

Two things are distinctly noticeable about the backside of a hurricane:
1) The winds blow from the opposite direction as they did in the front of the storm.
2) The winds reach deadly gale force speeds in a matter of mere minutes; whereas, it takes hours for wind speeds to increase as the front of the storm approaches. This fact makes the eye of the storm extremely dangerous because you won't have much time to seek refuge once the backside of the storm suddenly hits you.

Divine Judgment is Imminent and Promised

Hence, the wicked are fools in the eye of the storm, not prepared for the wrath of God that will come upon them suddenly, and without remedy. They laugh in the preacher's face, mock the Word of God, and reject the Savior who paid the price for their sins at Calvary. Homosexuals WILL be judged by God for their Sodomy. Abortionists WILL be judged by God for their cold-blooded mass-murdering. Feminists WILL be judged by God for their rebellion against the God-given role of a ruling husband--which has caused tens-of-millions of divorces and destroyed families. God will judge those whorish women who dress immodestly, participate in making pornography, and desecrate the sacred body which God entrusted to them. God WILL judge the beer industry, who's liquid Devil has killed and injured tens-of-millions. Yes, God WILL judge the wicked! We read in Psalm 7:11, "God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day." If the righteous will be judged by God, then what will be the end of those who are not righteous (i.e., don't have Jesus Christ as their personal Savior)? 1st Peter 4:17 should scare you if you've never been born-again ... "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"

We read in Ecclesiastes 8:12 and 13, "Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him. But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God." As I read these Scriptures, hardened heathens like Hugh Hefner and Gene Simmons come to mind. Hugh Hefner brought his Playboy filth to America in 1954, and has probably done more to destroy America's families than any other man. He's now in his 80's. Gene Simmons, lead singer of the rock band KISS, has bragged of having sex with over 4,600 women! To no surprise, Simmons is a regular guest at Hefner's Playboy mansion. What will be the end of these evil men when they stand before God in judgment? They've lived their lives in splendor, sexual gratification, and the riches of this world; but they can take nothing with them beyond the grave. They are living in the eye of the storm; but the good times are soon to end! All I need is Jesus' precious blood! They can have this old sin-cursed world, just give me Jesus!

Religion: The Eye of the Storm!

Religion is the worst thing ever to happen to this world! Jesus never started a religion. The Word of God never mentions any certain religion or denominational affiliation. Religion is a sure road to Hell, paved with good intentions and neon lights. Oh listen friend, you don't need religion--You need Jesus Christ as your personal Savior! It's the BLOOD of Jesus that saves a lost sinner from sin and Hell; NOT a bunch of ritualism, ceremonialism, formalism, ecumenicalism, or churchianity! I'm not saying that you can't find a Baptist church, or a Presbyterian church, where the pastor doesn't preach the Gospel. Not at all. What I am saying is that being a Baptist WON'T get you to Heaven! You need to obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by believing upon Christ as payment for your sins. Jesus shed His blood for you and me, and applied that blood to the mercy seat in Heaven. It is Jesus' blood that takes our sins away forever! Amen.

Religion is the eye of the storm--it offers a FALSE PEACE to it's victims. The biggest lie in the world is Catholicism! Oh how foolish are Catholics to believe that they can earn Heaven by observing the 7-sacraments, getting baptized, doing good works, praying the Rosary, partaking of mass, being confirmed, confessing their sins to a sinful priest, etc. 1st Timothy 2:5 plainly states to us that Jesus Christ is the ONLY MEDIATOR between God and men. No priest can forgive your sins! Any minister or priest who claims to have the power to forgive your sins is an IMPOSTER! Romans 10:13 tells us to call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. 1st John 1:9 directs all Christians to confess their sins to God! Religion is a lie!

There are over 1,000,000,000 Catholics in this world who believe that the Catholic Church is going to save them, who idolize Mary over Jesus. In a standard Rosary, Jesus isn't mentioned even once; but "Hail Mary" is recited 53 times!!! They are headed for certain doom when the eye of the storm passes. They are fools awaiting destruction. There are over 1,000,000,000 Islamic Muslims in this world who deny that Jesus ever died on the cross, or that God had any son at all. Fools! Anyone can study the history of Islam, or Catholicism, and quickly discover that both religions are a scam. Islam originated as a moon-worshipping pagan religion (which is why they still pray 5-times daily in synch with the cycles of the moon). The giant obelisk in St. Peter's Square in Rome is representative of the penis, clearly linking the Vatican to ancient fertility cults. ALL false religion utilizes symbols; but Christianity does not. The cross is a pagan symbol, not promoted by the Scriptures. The cross was a Roman instrument of torture. Yes, Jesus died upon a cross; but God never directed us to fabricate a crucifix, etc. Crucifix's are of the Devil, because they promote idol worship. Religion always grasps the physical, to appease the unbelieving masses. In sharp contrast, Christianity is in the heart, where Jesus said it would be, "...for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21).

A Feeling of Peace is No Guarantee of Safety

The eye of the storm is extremely deceitful. It has claimed billions of victims throughout history. Most people in the world today have a false sense of peace and tranquility. In reality, they will die a SECOND DEATH and be TORMENTED IN HELL FOREVER. If you don't believe this, then Revelation 21:8 promises that you WILL be cast into the Lake of Fire. Are you calm in religion; but without truth or Christ? So many people today are caught up into Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, and other eastern occult religions which offer temporary peace of mind and relaxation; but they all reject the Word of God. Listen to what Jeremiah the prophet said in Jeremiah 8:9, "The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?" We are living in a world of wise fools nowadays. Never before have we seen so many people on TV claiming to have all the answers to bring peace into our lives. Unfortunately the Word of God is never mentioned. It's sickening! We don't see seasoned men of God, who have successfully pastored churches for 40 years, on TV. Rather, we see occultists like John Edwards, Char Margolis, and Sylvia Browne. Sylvia Browne charges $500 per hour for a consultation phone call (and she's getting filthy rich). We see New Agers like Dr. Phil and Oprah Winfrey, leading people away from Jesus Christ, and into Satanic spiritualism. Listen friend, anything of a spiritual nature that doesn't center around the Holy Spirit of God is demonic! And anything the genuinely centers around the Holy Spirit WILL center around the Word of God.

We see greedy ecumenical imposters like Joel Osteen, Pat Roberson, Oral Roberts, Jimmy Swaggart, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, T.D. Jakes, Benny Hinn, and other sinister ministers who shame the name of Christ. They EXPLOIT Christianity to gain filthy lucre! They rarely speak of sin, judgment, or God's wrath against sin. Instead, they preach a Satanic Gospel of health, wealth, and prosperity. Millions of people are attracted to these teachers, having itching ears ... "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears." The ONLY reason why these false prophets are popular is because they are telling a selfish, covetous, and adulterous generation exactly what they want to hear--and it all centers around SELF! Even if you do something for someone else, it is done in order to return a blessing to you. These false prophets are masters of mind-control. They offer a false peace to the crowds, based upon how much money they give to the ministry. NO AMOUNT of charity can prepare a soul for the storm ahead once the calm is gone.

How to Prepare Yourself for Eternity

You DON'T prepare yourself for eternity, you trust Jesus Christ, and He prepares you for eternity. You cannot save yourself, or even help for that matter. Please understand that if you die IN YOUR SINS, never having trusted upon Jesus Christ's blood sacrifice to take away your sins, then you will have to go to Hell for all eternity to PAY for your own sins (EVERY single one of them!). What a frightening thought! Are you willing to gamble with your eternal soul? Are you comfortable in the eye of the storm? Trust me friend, you ARE in the eye of the storm if you've never been saved through the precious blood of Christ Jesus. 1st Peter 1:18,19 proclaims, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ..."

God hates sin; but loves the sinner. God has given all mankind a wonderful opportunity to be saved and go to Heaven through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which He shed nearly 2,000 years ago. This is the ONLY escape from Hell. Don't be deceived whoever you may be ... God's Word cannot be broken! If you go to Hell, it will be YOUR OWN FAULT. God is FAIR to humanity. God doesn't force anyone to believe upon Jesus Christ; but He tells us in the Bible that it's our only hope (John 14:6).

It's Jesus or Hell, trust or burn! Won't you make your soul right with God now? I realize that religion disgusts most people, and it disgusts me too; but the Word of God didn't originate in any religion--It came from God! If you want true peace, then you need Jesus Christ as your Savior, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." It is the blood which Jesus shed that makes this possible. Christ paid for our sins. All we need to do is cease from our own efforts, and trust solely upon the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive our sins, taking them away with His precious blood.
"There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked." -Isaiah 48:22