How To Identify a Cult

by Mark Finley

Discoveries In Prophecy lecture #13

As we launch into our presentation this evening, would you like to bow
your heads with me to pray. Father in heaven, there is a Saviour. Amid
the confusion of the cults, there is a Saviour. Help us to see him
clearly tonight and understand his path for our lives. In Christ's name,
amen.

Our topic tonight is how to avoid being deceived by a cult and how to
identify a cult. When I was a child I loved to play a game that maybe
some of you played. It was called "follow the leader". Did you ever play
follow the leader? It's a game that transcends culture. I can remember
it well. There would be a leader. And the rest of the children would be
running after the leader. The leader would touch a car parked on the
side of the road, everybody else would touch the car and run on. The
leader would pick up a stick. Everybody else had to pick up a stick. It
was follow the leader. I remember a time that I was probably, oh, 12
years old and my younger sister, Dale, was about seven. My legs are
considerably longer than hers. And they were then. I was a gangly kid
about ready to enter my teens growing. We went to the beach. I was
brought up on the Atlantic coast with the wind blowing through my hair,
sand coming up between my toes. My parents had brought us on a picnic
and spread out the blanket and placed the picnic basket on it. I said to
my sister let's play follow the leader, follow me. I began to run and
ran down to the ocean's shore. When we got there, there were rocks about
three feet apart, along the shore, with the waves coming in between
them. No problem for me. I said to my sister, younger, follow me. And
began to run, stepped on one rock and leaped the three feet to the next
into the next. Her legs were shorter than mine. And she could make it
but only about halfway. And as she leaped, she leapt between two rocks
and ended up in the water. Now it was nothing dangerous, it was just
about up to her thighs or knees but she got quiet wet and I got a little
thrashing on the... you know. I didn't play follow the leader very much
with my sister after that.

Follow the leader. You know if the shoes of the one you're following is
leading you in the right direction, no problem at all. But what, just
what if you're following a religious leader that's leading you in the
wrong direction? We live in an age where cults are exploding. They are
growing all around the world. We live in an age of a variety of churches
and denominations and varying religious groups. What if the leader
you're following is leading you in the wrong direction? What indeed, if
that leader that you're following is leading you away from the truths
that are recorded in scripture? What if you follow a false religious
teacher? How can you identify the truth from error? How can you identify
the counterfeit from the genuine? One thing is for certain, and that is
Lucifer is a master deceiver.

Suppose I have a column of numbers that I want to add up. 7, 3, 4, and

1. Do you have that? We're adding it up, 7, 3, 4, and 1. How many right
answers are there to 7, 3, 4 and 1? What's the answer? 15. Now, how many
wrong answers are there? There's one right answer but how many wrong
answers? There are many wrong answers. The devil doesn't mind if
varying cult groups arise, each one having a form of truth, because
although there is only one truth there are many lies. There is one
genuine, but many counterfeits.

And so Lucifer is a master deceiver. In the book of Revelation which is

our special study for this series, Revelation 12, verse 9, so the great
dragon was cast out. That serpent of old called the devil and Satan who
does what? Deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth and his
angles were cast with him. The devil is a deceiver. The devil changes
truth. He manipulates truth. And the Bible says that the devil desires
to deceive the whole world. If the devil deceived one-third of the
angles in heaven, and if these angels were cast out of heaven into
earth, would you not expect the devil to pull off his greatest deception
at end time?

The Bible in fact describes in the book of Revelation, the final

deception for humanity before Christ comes. The Bible describes in the
13th chapter of the book of Revelation, a beast rising up out of the
sea. So in the Bible a beast represents, I'm not going to tell you, you
tell me. Remember we read in Daniel 7, verse 17. The beast that you saw
are what? Kings or kingdoms. So in the Bible like the lion represented
Babylon, the bear Medo-Persia, the leopard Greece, the dragon Rome, In
the Bible the beast power in Revelation represents a kingdom political
or religious or a religio-political kingdom, a false church-state union.
So in the book of Revelation, in Revelation 13, the devil would try to
deceive the whole world at the time of the end with a master cult of a
church-state union. The Bible says in Revelation 13, verse 3, I saw one
of his heads as it had been mortally wounded, we'll study that later.
And his deadly wound was healed. That comes in another lecture. But
notice the next sentence: and all the world marveled and followed the
beast. This false counterfeit system of religion, this church-state
union, the Bible says - and we'll study this later. We'll identify in
another lecture who is the beast. But what I'd like to you see is the
principles involved. The principle is that Satan, the great deceiver,
cast out of heaven is conditioning the mind of thousands to follow the
beast's power, a false religious leader at the end. And although cults
are growing today and cults are popping up today, this is just a
preparation for the beast's cult that's to come at the end. Therefore it
becomes extremely urgent for you and me to know from the Bible exactly
how to identify a cult. Exactly the characteristics of cults today
because Satan will use these same principles later. Cults and false
religions are exploding in growth. Not only in the United States and
Canada, but in Europe. In eastern Europe, you have a whole flood of
eastern religions, coming in, Hare Krishna, growing very rapidly in
eastern Europe, varying forms of eastern mysticism, growing were there
once was communism that kept the door closed, now that it's open these
cults are growing. In fact in western Europe cults are growing
dramatically. The German government right now has their parliament as
well as the Hungarian parliament are trying to decide, is Scientology a
religion or is it a cult to be outlawed, disciplined, etc.? So the
parliament struggles with that. My only point is that varying groups
saying follow me are indeed growing prolifically. Cults began to grow in
the United States about 20 years ago. The first major news media
coverage of cults came out of the main line fundamental church in the
late 1970's. And you remember that well. If you are of age to have gone
through that period, I remember it dramatically well. A fundamentalist
minister, Jim Jones by name, had a large congregation in San Francisco.
He had favorable endorsements from the vice-president of the United
States and the vice-president's wife. Favorable endorsements from the
president of the United States. Jim Jones was on the housing authority
of San Francisco. Very prestigious elite group. He was building some
welfare old ages homes, also helping young people off drugs, his church
was exemplified as one of racial harmony because it had blacks and
whites and Hispanics and it had a very good cultural mix. In fact, there
were apparent miracles in his church where people were so-called healed
and they came out of their wheelchairs and so forth.

Jim Jones came to the conclusion that the United States government had
a conspiracy. And you'll recall the shocking report in Time and
Newsweek, the cult of death. Pastor Jim Jones led nine hundred of his
members to Guyana to build a compound that they would be able to be safe
from society when the end came. As they were there, Jim Jones one day
was preaching. And he actually had his Bible in his hand and people were
looking at the Bible and he said don't look at this, look at me. He
threw his Bible down. I have listened to taped transcripts of his
sermons in Guyana. I've listened to the taped transcripts that came out
of Guyana. And he demanded that his people would get up at 1:00 in the
morning, 3:00 in the morning, and sometimes they sat in lectures for
eight, nine, ten hours. Ultimately he demanded that each of them drink
cyanide laced kool-aid as an act of faith to him. They had rehearsed
this service twice before and he didn't put poison in the kool-aid. And
when they drank it he said I was just teasing you. It's not there at
all. I wanted to see if you were loyal to me. But over 900 died in that
mass suicide following that cult leader. Odell Rhodes was one of the
more intelligent ones. He was there in Guyana. But he escaped by saying
that he had to go for a syringe to assist the doctor. Odell Rhodes
described a firsthand report of what happened. They first started
poisoning the babies. And then after the babies became asphyxiated and
died and were poisoned with this drink laced with deadly poison, they
then as family units drank the poison and went off and died together.
You see, ladies and gentlemen, it becomes extremely important what you
accept. It becomes extremely important who you follow. Because Jim Jones
led 900 people to the cult of death. But that's nothing compared to what
is coming.

The Bible in Revelation talks about a massive deception that involves

the whole world at the time of the end. Think of the tragedy that
occurred in Waco, Texas not long ago. Think of the tragedy that occurred
with the followers of David Koresh. Again, Koresh claimed to be a
genuine follower of God. But cult leaders often become a substitute
savior. Again, that fiery furnace in Waco indicates that it's very
important who you follow. Now this is not a North American phenomena.
Think of the Order of the Solar Temple, that group that met in
Switzerland that was kind of a new age group, followed the cult leader,
and 53 people compacted to death. Their order of the solar temple bridge
from Switzerland to France and on up into Canada. Or think of the Japan
nerve gas attack with that cult recently and the cult of death. In fact,
talking about Waco, the news magazine said my God, my God, they are
killing themselves. Cults of death. The Bible says that people may be
very sincere but let's read together Proverbs 16:25, "There is a way
that seems right to a man. But in the end it leads to death." Those
people that followed Jim Jones, did they think they were right, friends,
did they? Were they sincere people? What about the people that went to
Waco, were they sincere? Did they think that was leading to death? What
about those people at the order of the solar temple when they started
following Luke Jaret, that Swiss physician, did they think that they
were being led to death? Not at all. So sincerity is not enough.
Sometimes people say to me, Mark, if you are sincere, that's enough,
isn't it? It's not enough if you're sincerely wrong and you're following
a cult leader or a wrong spiritual leader. Sincerity is not enough. But
how can I avoid cult traps, you say? How can I be sure to pick up a
counterfeit? Tonight I want to share with you from the Bible how to pick
up a counterfeit. How to identify a counterfeit. Not because I am so
afraid that you'll be trapped in a cult today. That may be true for
some, but the vast majority of my audience isn't going to be trapped by
a way out cult.

I'd like to suggest to you, Satan's deceptions are greater than you
think. And you may not be trapped by some bizarre way-out cult today but
Satan has a deception for you, and if you don't understand how to
identify a cult you're going to miss the great cult deception at the end
when the antichrist masquerades as Christ and you will miss the signs
and signals and you may be ever so sincere but will you march to death.
But the good news is that doesn't have to happen. The good news is and
the hope is that the Bible has outlined for you and for me a way out, a
way around. Jesus Christ himself said this, read it with me in John
8:36. "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
Free from deception. Free from falsehood, free from the counterfeit.
Jesus wants you to be liberated. Jesus wants you to be free. How can you
and I identify a cult? What is a cult? How do you define a cult? There
can be many different definitions of a cult. But from a Christian
perspective, here's how you define a cult: a cult is any group that does
not accept Christ as Lord and Savior and make him absolutely central in
faith. And a cult is any group that does not accept the Bible as the
foundation of faith. From a Christian perspective Jesus Christ is the
only savior and the Bible is your only guide. Any time you have some
savior besides Jesus you are getting ready to follow a cult. Anytime the
teachings of the human being take the place of the Bible, you are
getting ready to follow a cult. Would you agree with that definition
from a Christian perspective, friends? But the question is how can I
identify a cult? Tonight I'm going to give you five ways of identifying
a cult. Five ways so you can know for sure that a cult exists. Five ways
of identifying false religion. And five ways that you can identify the
great false power at the end to avoid the antichrist's power.

1 - A cult will substitute Jesus

First, any cult, whether it is a so-called "Christian" cult, and I put
"Christian" of course in quotes, whether it is a new age cult, any cult
will substitute a human teacher for Jesus. Any cult will substitute the
human for the divine. Now some new age cults, for example, will say, I
am God, they substitute themself for God. Or they substitute their own
new age guru who is teaching them how to meditate for God. There are
many new age cults that have the idea that as you meditate you develop
the god within you, but you need a teacher who becomes your mediator to
accomplish that goal. Now I'm well aware that in western Europe, nations
like Germany, France, Denmark, the new age movement is exploding. It is
taking place rapidly in sophisticated United States as well. If you turn
from the simplicity of the Bible, if you turn from Jesus Christ, your
mind is open to all kinds of manipulation and deceptions. Now Listen,
for example, in the Merv Griffin show, Merv Griffin is a United States
TV host. In October of 1985 Mr. Griffin interviewed one of these new age
cult spiritist channelers. Now I want to sweep the curtain aside tonight
and look squarely at what new age thinking teaches. Mr. Griffin asked,
what is your most important message that you want everyone on this
planet to hear? Now here is Ramtha, a new age spiritist channel guide.
Ramtha says this: what is termed God is within your being, and that
which is called Christ is within your being, and when you know you are
God, you will find joy.

See, that's the message of the new age. You, yourself, are God. Now
Shirley McLane is one of the most famous TV new age proponents. And
she's led out in this with books across America, and she had a recent
mini TV series. She stood with her spiritual advisor on Malibu beach in
California. Their arms were flung open to the cosmos, and they shouted
together, I am God, I am God, I am God! What does my Bible say? Isaiah
45:22, Jesus says, look to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth,
for I am God, and there is, there is no other, friends. The new age
movement deceives people on that point. Now here are the three points of
new age cults. First, the new age movement says there is no death. There
is no death. Well if there is no death, the Bible is wrong when it says
the wages of sin are what, everybody? Death. If there is no death you do
not need a what? Saviour. Secondly, the new age movement says man is
God. If I am God, there is no moral responsibility. There is no
accountability. There is no judgment. If there is no accountability, if
there is no judgment, again, there is no sin, so I don't need a savior.
Thirdly, the new age movement says that knowledge of yourself is
salvation. See, for cults and the new age movement, there is no need for
a cross, for a savior, for falling at the feet of Christ in repentance
and asking him to come in and change your life and accepting his grace.
Indeed, men and women are preparing to accept counterfeit christs. David
Koresh said, I am the lamb. You are not Branch Davidians, you are
Koreshans. But my Bible says in John 1:29, John points out he says
Behold the what? Lamb of God. Point number one. Cults substitute
somebody between you and Jesus. My Bible says in Acts 4:12, There is…nor
is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name given among
men by which we must be saved.

Friends of mine, Jesus Christ is the only savior of the world. No priest
can stand between you and Jesus. No bishop can stand between you and
Jesus. No minister can stand between you and Jesus. No religious leader,
cult leader or traditional pastor can stand between you and Jesus.
Anytime you put any human being between you and Jesus, you are preparing
your mind to accept deception. Anytime you exalt any human being on a
pedestal between you and Jesus, there is only one that had nails through
his hands. There is only one that had the crown of thorns upon his head.
Christianity is a matter of coming to Jesus. Kneeling before Jesus.
Confessing your sin to Jesus. Accepting Jesus' grace and power and
mercy. Cults will have some form of substitute Christ. And the great
cult that's coming at the end, the Antichrist, will be a substitute for
Christ in that church state union.

2 - A cult will substitute the Bible

Secondly, cults substitute human teachings for the Bible. The word of
the cult leader becomes supreme. The word of the cult leader takes the
place of the Bible. It takes the place of the word of God. The cult
leader's own word becomes law for that group. Anytime you let the word
of another human being be a substitute for the words of the Bible, you
are on very, very dangerous ground. One of the reasons why many young
people are being caught in cults today, one of the reasons that cults
are growing on college campuses today, because in the secular society
that we live in, thousands have turned away from God's word. The Bible
says in John 17:17, read it with me please, "Sanctify them by your
truth, your word is truth." God's word is what, truth. If you cast off
God's word, if you turn your back on the Bible, you have no evaluation
of what truth is. You have no barometer to determine what truth is. I
become extremely worried when people come to presentations like this and
I speak from the Bible and I say to them is it clear from the Bible?
They say, oh, yes, but my pastor says this. I say is it clear from the
Bible? Oh, yes, but my priest says this. We may talk about the second
coming of Christ. And we read that Jesus is coming in the clouds. Every
eye will see him. Every ear will hear it. It's so plain. And then they
go to their pastor and he says, oh, but the secret rapture is true. Well
here is 50 clear text in the Bible: when Jesus comes, every eye will see
him, every ear will hear it. And the person says but my pastor says
this. Anytime you accept your pastor's words rather than what the Bible
teaches, you are setting yourself up to be deceived by Satan in the
final cult in the end.

Take the matter of the Sabbath. There are scores of people that come to
meetings like this and it's so plain Jesus says in John 14:15, if you
love me you'll do what, keep my commandments. God wrote with his own
finger on tables of stone. The ten commandment law, he said remember the
Sabbath. Jesus kept it. And the disciples kept it. But people say, Oh
we're under grace, we're not under the law. And they'll say my pastor
said this. I know what the Bible says but my pastor said this. Friends,
it is dangerous to accept the word of another rather than the word of
God. Because that leads you to a mind conditioning process where Satan
begins to manipulate your mind so you accept the human rather than the
divine. Notice what the Bible says in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse
10 and 11. And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish
because they did not receive the love of the truth. Now what did these
people fail to receive? They failed to receive what? The love of the
truth. That they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them
a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. So if I do not
receive the love of the truth, if because God invites me to make changes
in my life, and if because it's easier to do what I've been doing all my
life, I turn from the truth. I prepare myself for a strong, what is it,
everybody? Delusion, that I should believe what? The lie. In the end,
there's only truth and lies. In the end, there's only God's word and
Satan's counterfeit.

You see everybody is going to believe something in the end. Everybody

is going to believe something. No matter how sophisticated you are, no
matter how intelligent you are, you're going to believe something. And
if one rejects the truth of the Bible, that leaves the mind open for
eternal lies from Lucifer who sows them in the mind. Cults, substitute a
human teacher for Jesus. Cults substitute human teachings for the Bible.
Cults sometimes will work unusual miracles to sustain their claims. You
know there are some people that have this idea. If a miracle is worked,
it must be God that's working it. And their idea is that it's impossible
for the devil ever to work miracles. In fact, Jesus said this. He put it
so plainly. Matthew 24:24, "For false christs and prophets will arise
and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the
elect." So Satan is going to use signs, Satan is going to use wonders,
so that if possible, he'll deceive God's own people. In fact, look what
the book of Revelation says. Can the devil work miracles? Yes or no?
Revelation 16:14, let's read it together. "For they are the spirits of
devils working miracles." Let's suppose that a being of dazzling
brightness appeared on planet earth. Let's suppose that being appeared
in some of the great capitals. And that tens of thousands of people
were coming before that being and people were being healed of cancer,
they are being healed of heart disease, healed of sugar diabetes, their
gnarled arms were being straightened, their crippled legs were being
given new life. And what if that being of dazzling brightness, what if
those miracles that were being worked, those signs and wonders, what if
that being said it's not necessary to obey the law of God because I
bring you a message, what if this being said that the law is done away
with. Is God going to work miracles contrary to the Bible? Isaiah 8:20,
don't miss this one. This one text can save you from being deceived.
This one text can save you from being misled. This one text can save you
from the falsehoods of Satan. Isaiah 8 verse 20, To the law and to the
testimony, that's to the Bible, if they do not speak according to this
word it is because there is no light in them. How much light is in them?
Just a little bit? None. Now does the Bible say there's no power in
them? No. There may be power there, but it may not come from God. It may
come from the evil one. Do you think the devil would be willing to work
miracles of healing if he could deceive people and get them to be lost?
Certainly he'd be willing to do that. The Bible says there is no light
in them. It doesn't say there's no power. Neither does it say there's no
truth. The devil loves to mix truth and error. If you wanted to poison
somebody you may not give them all poison, you may put poison in their
soup, you see. So the devil mixes truth and error. The devil combines
lies with the genuine to deceive. So the Bible says to the law and the
testimony, if they do not speak according to this word, it's because
there is no light in them. It doesn't say no truth. It doesn't say no
power. And light is what you follow. There's no light, in other words
don't go there. If they are not speaking in harmony with the testimony
of the Bible, if they are not leading you back to God's word, if they
are not leading you to the law of God, and leading you to obedience to
God's law, there is how much light? Everybody? No light.

Cults substitute a human teacher for Jesus. Cults substitute human

teachings for the Bible. Cults work miracles to establish their claims
and claim that because they are working miracles that testifies to
truth. Now does God work miracles, friends? Can God work miracles? But
is everybody miracle that's worked a miracle of God. Not at all. How do
you test the miracles? Are the miracles in harmony with the word of God?
You never subject God's word to miracles, you subject miracles to what?
God's word.

3 - Cults urge group conformity

Cults often urge group conformity. In fact when you see the cults they
practice a form of mind manipulation. They have a group mentality.
Individuals cannot be themselves. They must conform to the cult. They
must follow the rigid rules and regulations of the cult. The cult tries
to put pressure on them from other members of the cult. And other
members of the cult exert enormous pressure. The Bible says in Romans
14:12, so then each of us, read it with me please, so then each of us
shall give account of himself to God. Where does your moral
responsibility lie before God? With who? With yourself. In fact, in
Joshua, chapter 24, and verse 15, the Bible says choose for yourselves
this day whom you will serve.

I am really concerned about a mind conditioning process that's going on

right now. There are people that accept God's word and in their heart
they know it's right. There are wives that accept God's word. In their
heart they know it's right. But they say I can't make any decision
because of my husband. There are young people that know what's right but
they say I can't make any decision until I get permission from my
parents. There are people who live in little villages and everybody in
that village is of a certain faith. It might be orthodox, catholic,
whatever it is, in that village. And the people say I can't step out
because I'd be different than everybody else in my village, or some
people say it's my family, everybody is of certain persuasion in my
family so I can't step out. Once you allow external forces, the forces
of the church you were brought up in, the forces of your family, once
you allow anybody else to shape your mind, to make your decisions, you
are preparing for the group pressure that will come at the time of the
end to get you to conform a certain way. Is that clear, friend? Does
that make sense? If I allow my family to shape how I believe today, as
wonderful as they are, if I allow the church I was brought up in to mold
my belief today, if I allow anybody else to shape my belief today, that
prepares me for when the world and society in general in the future
enforce the beast's mark. The only safety is Joshua 24, verse 15, choose
for what? Yourselves.

Oh, my brother, my sister. Come to Jesus. Only his blood can save you.
Come to his word, the Bible, and let it guide your life. Do not be
misled by anybody that leads you from obedience to God's law. And have
the courage in your own heart to make decisions for Christ today
yourself! Did you read that cute little story? I said cute little story?
Not very cute at all. Truck drivers going up that mountain pass in the
west. First truck driver, foggy night, one truck following the tail
lights of another. First truck doesn't see the turn off the cliff.
Second truck follows the lights off the cliff. Third truck follows the
lights off a cliff. Seven trucks in a row off the cliff because they
followed one another. Oh, to be different, to have the courage to say,
God, I'm standing for you. I'm not going to let anybody else shape my
thinking. I'm going to give account myself to God. I'm going to stand
for God and live for God and follow God's truth because I know this is
the only way that I will not be deceived by a cult in the future. I will
not follow any earthly leader but I'm going to follow Jesus Christ. I'm
going to walk in the footsteps of the Bible. I'm not going to allow the
group, family, church, village, city, society, to shape and mold my
values. The only hope is to follow Christ. The Bible says that we should
no longer be children. What are children? Children are those that must
be told by another that we no longer be children tossed to and fro and
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in
cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. Ephesians 4:14.

How can I keep from being tricked? Here it is, Revelation 14:12. Aren't
you glad that God makes it simple, friend? Aren't you glad that God
makes truth plain? We need not be confused. The book of Revelation, what
book is the book of Revelation in the Bible? What book is that? The
what? The last. The book of Revelation is the last book in the Bible
written for the last generation of men and women who live on the earth.
Here it's so simple. Revelation 14:12. If you had this one text you
could keep from being deceived by a cult, if you followed it. Here is
the patience, that means endurance, of the saints. In the Bible, saints
are often believers. Like Paul says, to the saints at Ephesus. Ephesus
was a church. To the saints at Colossians. Believers. Here is the
endurance of the believers, these are the end time people of God. The
end time Believers. "Here are they that keep the commandments of God and
the faith of Jesus". Here it is. These people love Jesus. These people
have come to the cross. These people are washed or they are forgiven by
Christ. They are cleansed by Christ's blood. They have found
forgiveness. They have found mercy. They have found grace in Christ.
They have the faith of Jesus. His grace is entered into their hearts.
His grace has changed their lives. His grace has made them over again.
And that grace has led them to keep the commandments of God. Because
they love him. They obey him. Because they love him, they want to follow
him. Because they love him, they don't ask for a ten percent discount in
the ten commandments by leaving off the Sabbath. God does not give us
discounts. The Bible says here is the endurance of the believers. God
has a group of believers. They have not accepted the counterfeit. They
have not accepted falsehoods, they have not followed the beast leader
with the great masses at the end that put pressure to break the
commandments. The Bible says here are they that keep the commandments of
God, and they have the faith of Jesus Christ. They are God's end time
people. They are God's final people on earth today.

Cults, substitute a human teacher for Jesus. Cults substitute human

teachings for the Bible. Cults work miracles to sustain their claims.
Cults urge group conformity.

4 - Cults confuse the coming of Christ

Cults are all mixed up about the second coming of Christ. Some cults say
that God is going to establish heaven on earth. Other cults say that
we're going to have Armageddon and earth is going to be destroyed.
They're really confused. The new age cults all talk about heaven on
earth. They talk about an age of euphoria and an age of Aquarius here.
But many, many cults arising today that talk about the end coming, they
talk about Armageddon coming, many of these cults like David Koresh
stocked guns, weapons, like the order of the solar temple in Europe and
Switzerland stocked weapons. Like the cult in Japan, stocked weapons.
These cults are confused about end times. They are confused about the
second coming of Christ. They are either talking about an age of love
and Aquarius or they are talking about total destruction. The order of
the solar temple from our European friends. In the United States you
remember reading about it not so long ago, in France, Switzerland and
Canada. They said the end of the world was approaching, they said the
whole world would be destroyed in fire and they began that fire by
torching themselves. Only a few survivors, fiery death of 53 people.
Again, the whole idea of this Armageddon at the end. Japan's own cult.
See, these cults are exploding around the world. Why? There's only one
reason. Satan is getting people conditioned to have the great cult come
with the beast power at the end. You see, Japan's own cult, again, it
was very new age, very high tech. They attacked the subways of Japan
with nerve gas because they thought that would unleash Armageddon. So
many of these cults are talking about Armageddon, final destruction. The
Bible does not give us such a dismal picture of the end. The Bible does
not talk about this earth going up in flames and finally being destroyed
and nothing else happening after that.

Certainly God will create a new heaven and a new earth. Certainly as
we'll study tomorrow night, and that's why it's so important for you not
to miss a night, because we're going to look tomorrow night to what
happens at the end, the destruction of the earth and so forth. But the
great message of the Bible is right here. Titus 2:13, looking for the
blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and savior
Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that when Jesus Christ comes he streams
down the corridor of the sky. The sky is illuminated with his glory. The
Bible teaches that when Christ comes the righteous dead are resurrected.
The righteous living are changed and together they ascend into heaven.
This earth is destroyed with the brightness of Christ's coming. And then
later made over again. The Bible says know this earth will not end in an
Armageddon, know all life will not be destroyed on planet earth. Know
there is not some euphoric utopian new age coming. Yes, friend,
something is coming. Or someone is coming. And that someone is Jesus
Christ. Would you like to say to this Lord and Savior tonight, Lord, I
am yours. Lord, there's nobody else that can forgive my sins but you.
Nobody else that can cleanse but the blood of Jesus. Modern
sophisticated new age theories do not lead you to repentance, to open
your heart to God's love.

Christ can come into your life tonight. There is no other savior in the
world but Jesus. And this divine Christ can enter your life and he can
change you. Would you like to tell him, Lord, tonight I'm giving you my
life. Would you like to tell him tonight, lord, your word is my only
guide. I'm not going to listen to the teachings of men. Even my pastor
or even my priest, Lord, your word is my guide. Lord, I'm not going to
let anybody else manipulate and force my choices. Lord, I have the
courage to step out from my family, the courage to make a decision, sir,
even if your wife doesn't. The courage, ma'am, to make a decision even
if your husband doesn't. It's wonderful when the husband and wife make
decisions together. But there are times God asks to us make decisions
alone. Are you willing to be different even if you're the only one in
your village. The only one in your city. Willing to be different even
if you have to step out of your church group? That's what God is asking
to you to do. He's asking you to make Christ first in your life. Asking
to you make the Bible central in your life. Asking you to look up to the
day when he comes and to open your heart to him and to sing all the way,
"Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus. Just to take him at his word." Tonight
would you like to say, Lord, I am taking you at your word?

Tonight as we pray, as we bow our heads quietly, deep within your heart
do you sense that for you personally, for you individually, there is no
savior but Jesus? Do you sense that tonight, friend? Deep within your
heart do you sense personally that the only safety is following the
Bible? Deep within your heart would you like to tell Jesus tonight,
Lord, I don't know what other people are going to do, I don't know what
other people are going to do in my family, I don't know what other
people are going to do in my village, I don't know what other people in
my church are going to do, but for me, I'm going to follow Jesus and I'm
going to accept the Bible and live in harmony with its teachings, and,
Lord, tonight I'm committing myself to do that because I love you. If
that is your decision, would you raise your hand? Just quietly raise
your hand, wherever you are tonight, God is speaking to you. You need
not be deceived by some cult. You can say, Jesus, I'm accepting you. I'm
accepting your word, I'm making a decision to walk individually with
you. Whatever others may do, just lift your hand. Oh, my father, tonight
deep within our hearts we want to follow you. Deep within our hearts we
sense that there is no other savior but Jesus, our lord, so humbly we
put our lives in his hands because it is so sweet to trust in Jesus. In
Christ's name, amen.

Tomorrow night the coming golden age, a thousand years of peace, what
happens when Christ comes, or a thousand years of disaster or what, will
anybody live on earth during the millennium, don't miss from Revelation
tomorrow night. Tonight as you go turn in ticket number 13 for your
lecture of the evening. I will see you in our next meeting and God bless
you.