• We are not a "discernment ministry" whose role is to expose heresy. If these are the "last days", none of us should be surprised to see the Church fall away because the Bible clearly says that it will. If we understand our true enemy, Satan, we don't need to look for conspiracy under the carpet (the Masons, the Iluminati, the international bankers, the CNP, UN, New Agers, etc). In fact, we don't have to look far, because the Lord warns that the real problem for the "last days" Christian is not the heathen but the apostate Church!
• We do not believe the church is going to suddenly rapture, leaving the most crucial moment in all of mankind's history to those who are "left behind." The doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture is either true as presented, or one of the false teachings of the apostate church and part of the "last days" deception.
• We do not believe the prophetic Scriptures are so cryptic and difficult to understand that we will be left in the dark as we contemplate images of beasts, ten headed dragons, plagues, multi-colored horses and the like. We do not believe that we need the experts with initials after their names, to interpret the plain Word of God for us. We believe that God Himself will unfold the plain meaning of His Word to those who have an open heart and mind, who seek Him. He will make it clear as we have a "need to know." But if we are so steeped in traditional "wrong" teaching, we will not hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
• We do not take the position of most evangelicals that, since the United States of America does not appear to be mentioned in prophecy, that it will fade away into oblivion so God can get on with the real prophetic players. We look at Scripture and specifically Revelation 18, and we see a commercial, political empire that dominates the earth like no other nation in the history of mankind, commercial Babylon! There is no other nation on the face of the earth that fits that description.
• The U.S. is the only economic and military superpower left. It also happens to be one of the only friends of that new little nation of Israel that was miraculously restored after 2,000 years. We see that the world is focused on that little piece of real estate and Jerusalem is truly "a cup of trembling" to the nations. We know from Daniel 9:27 and other verses that a great leader, the king of Babylon, will make a covenant with Israel, setting off the "seventieth week of Daniel," known more commonly as the Tribulation. No other nation could or would even want to guarantee Israel's safety.
• One of the greatest dangers for the Church is that it will get caught up in the "right and wrong" of the political process, the managed media, and the lust for money. Our writings endeavor to expose current political, social and economic events for what they really are and how these things affect the Christian establishment - not what we are told by the mass media. The apostate church will join in an "unholy" alliance with the Beast - and that is not just our opinion.
• Finally, we are not just concerned with studying and writing about these issues, but we want to join with people who will act. We don't want to be just "hearers" but "doers" of the Word. Prophecy is given not so we can have enlightened and stimulating discussion, but we need to "DO" something about what we see!

1. INSPIRED BY GOD

   We believe that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God," by which we understand the whole Bible is inspired in the sense that holy men of God "were moved by the Holy Spirit" to write the very words of Scripture. We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of the writings - historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical - as appeared in the original manuscripts.

2. WITHOUT ERROR

   We believe that the whole Bible in the originals is therefore WITHOUT ERROR.

3. CHRIST, THE CENTER OF ALL SCRIPTURE

   We believe that all the Scriptures center about the Lord Jesus Christ in His person and work in His first and second coming, and hence that no portion, even of the Old Testament, is properly read, or understood, until it lead to Him.

4. THE BIBLE AS PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION

   We also believe that all the Scriptures were designed for our practical instructions.

5. THE BIBLE TO BE UNDERSTOOD LITERALY

   We believe that the Scriptures must be taken in their LITERAL, and COMMON SENSE meaning, unless such meaning is CLEARLY shown and/or stated to be allegorical or figurative. For example, "Israel" is to be understood as literal Israel and not something else - for instance the Church; with regard to any particular passage, the most simple sense - or that which most readily suggests itself to an attentive and intelligent reader, possessing competent knowledge - is in all probability the genuine sense or meaning. The Scriptures must be interpreted in the usual, natural, literal sense.

   (Mark 12:26,36; 13:11; Luke 24:27,44; John 5:39; Acts 1:16; 17:2-3; 18:28 26:22-23; 28:23; Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 2:13; 10:11; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21.)

1. THE ONENESS AND UNITY OF GOD

   We believe that the Lord our God is one God, in whose being continues unchanged, three persons.

2. THE THREE PERSONS OF GOD

   We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in these three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections, and worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience.

   (Matt. 28:18-19; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 13:14; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 1:4-6.)

   1. The Father

      We believe that the Father is all-sovereign, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible, that as our heavenly Father, He is all-loving, all-forgiving, full of mercy and grace, holy without compromise, and righteous and just in all His ways.

      (Ps. 95:6; Isa. 51:13; Rom. 1:25; Rev. 11:17; Ex. 34:7; Ps. 47:8; 99.)

   2. The Son

      We believe that the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, is the only-begotten Son of God, the messiah of both Jews and Gentiles, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with Father, being the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature; the one whose name is called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the one through whom all things were made.

      (Isa. 9:6; John 1:1 1:18; 10:30; John 1:4-5,9; 20:28; Heb. 1:3,8; Col. 1:15-16.)

   3. The Holy Spirit

      We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Lord and life-giver, that proceedeth from the Father and the Son; the Comforter, Teacher, and Guide into all truth and worship, the one that ever testifies of the Son, Jesus, the Lord and promised Messiah.

      (John 4:23-24; 15:26; 16:13-14; 2 Cor. 3:17-18.)

1. THE PREADAMITE AND SATANIC FALL

   We believe that long before God created the present earth, He created an innumerable company of sinless, spiritual beings, known as angels, and second group of beings with physical bodies known as demons [Greek (daemon), meaning "intelligent ones" and "bearers of light"].

   1. Satan

      We believe that one of the angels, LUCIFER, "son of the morning" - the highest in rank - sinned through pride, thereby becoming SATAN; and that a great company of the angels and all of the demons followed him in his MORAL fall.

      (Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:11-19; 1 Tim. 3:6; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6.)

      1. The Originator of Sin

         We believe that Satan is the originator of sin, and that, under the permission of God, he, through subtlety, led our first parents into transgression, thereby accomplishing their moral fall and subjecting them and their posterity to his own power.

      2. The enemy of God and the People of God

         We believe that he is the enemy of God and the people of God, opposing and exalting himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped: and that he who in the beginning said, "I will be like the most High," in his warfare appears as an angel of light.

      3. The Essence of All False Religion

         We believe that Satan is the essence of all false religion, even counterfeiting the works God by fostering religious movements and systems of doctrine, WHICH FALSE SYSTEMS IN EVERY CASE ARE CHARACTERIZED BY A DENIAL OF THE EFFICACY OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST AND OF SALVATION BY GRACE ALONE.

         (Gen. 3:1-19; Rom 5:12-14; 2 Cor. 4:3-4; 11:13-15; Eph. 6:10-12; 2 Thess. 2:4; 1 Tim. 2:1-3.)

   2. The Fallen Angels

      We believe that the fallen angels are spiritual beings, possessing angelic bodies and who, with Satan, still inhabit the heavens, with access to the earth; they are those spiritual intelligences originally appointed by God to rule and reign with Him in the heavens, but who now assist Satan in his rule in the present world system - constituting today the evil "principalities," "powers," and "rulers of darkness" in "high" (heavenly) places as discussed by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians.

      (Eph. 6:12.)

   3. The Demons

      We believe that God created a second class of beings (God's ruling agents in the earth - the counterparts in the earth to God's ruling agents in the heavens, i.e., the angels) who populated the earth in physical bodies (as opposed to spiritual bodies) before the ruin described in the second verse of Genesis, and who, at the time of the great destruction, were disembodied by God, and left still under the power, and ultimately to share the fate of the leader in whose sin they acquiesced. They are the "devils" spoken of so often in the New Testament, who - because they now lack bodies and suffer a wandering unrest and wearisome lack of ease because of the disembodied state - seek now to seize upon the bodies of men and women endeavoring to use them as their own. So intese is their craving that, if they can satisfy their lusts in no other way, they will even enter into the filthy bodies of swine.

      (Matt. 8:31.)

2. JUDGMENT

   We believe that Satan (and all his followers) was judged at the Cross, though not then executed, and that he, a usurper, now rules as the "god of this world;" that, at the Second Coming of Christ, Satan - with all his followers - will be bound and cast into the abyss for a thousand years, and after the thousand years he will be loosed for a little season and then "cast into the lake of fire and brimstone," where he "shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

   (Col. 2:15; Rev. 20:1-3, 10.)

We believe that a great company of angels kept their holy estate and are before the throne of God, from whence they are sent forth as ministering spirits to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.

(Luke 15:10; Eph. 1:21; Heb. 1:14; Rev. 7:11.)

1. CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD

   We believe that man was originally created in the image and after the likeness of God

2. ORIGINAL SIN

   We believe that fell through sin, and, as a consequence of his sin, lost his spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses and sins, and that he became subject to the power of the devil.

3. THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF HUMAN NATURE

   We also believe that this spiritual death, or total depravity of human nature, has been transmitted to the entire human race of man, the Man Christ Jesus alone being excepted; and hence that every child of Adam is born into the world with a nature which not only possesses no spark of divine life, but is essentially and unchangeable bad apart from divine grace.

4. THE FUTILITY OF REFORMATION

   We believe that man's fall was so total, that all of his attempts either alone or as expressed corporately are utterly futile.

   (Gen. 1:26; 2:17; 6:5; Ps. 14:1-3; 51:5; Jer. 17:9; John 3:6; 5:40; 6:35; Rom. 3:10-19; 8:6-7; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Tim. 5:6; 1 John 3:8.)

1. GOD'S ULTIMATE PURPOSE: TO GLORIFY HIMSELF IN HIS CREATION

   We believe that the dispensations are time periods through which God moves to accomplish His ultimate purpose of glorifying Himself in both HEAVENS and the EARTH; that essentially the dispensations are the means divinely chosen by God to build up an expression first, in the earth through Israel, and second, in the heavens through the Church. We believe that three of these dispensations are the subject of extended revelation in the Scriptures:

   1. Israel

      The dispensation of Israel (from Abraham to Pentecost) wherein God chose out form among the nations through the operation of divine grace (and not according to merit) the nation of Israel to be a "peculiar treasure" to Him above all the other nations and through which He would glorify Himself in the EARTH.

   2. The Church

      The present dispensation of the church (from Pentecost to the present) wherein God is presently called out form among all the peoples and races of mankind (Jew and Gentile alike) a "peculiar people" to be lifted above the earth and to sit down with Him in heavenly places, there to rule and reign with Him in glory in the HEAVENS.

   3. The Millennial Kingdom

      The future dispensation of the Millennial Kingdom wherein Israel and the Church will unite together (still as two separate entities) their mutual testimonies (the earthly expression of God's glory through Israel and the heavenly expression of God's glory through the Church).

2. THE DISTINCT NATURE OF EACH DISPENSATION

   We believe that these dispensations are distinct (except for short transitional periods between each dispensation) and are not to be intermingled and confused, as they are chronologically successive.

3. THE DISPENSATIONS ARE NOT DIFFERENT WAYS OF SALVATION

   We believe that the dispensations are not different ways of salvation nor different methods of administrating the so-called Covenant of Grace, but that they are the means through which God is preparing for the ultimate manifestation of His glory and authority in the two distinct spheres of His divine creation: the heavens and the earth.

   1. Salvation Only Through Christ

      We believe that salvation comes only through Christ Jesus - the King over Israel and the Head over His Body, the Church. We believe that wherever man trusts in his own efforts to gain favor with God or to obtain eternal salvation under any dispensation, he must ultimately fail because of inherent sin and his inevitable failure to satisfy fully the just requirements of God.

   2. Salvation Is By Grace Through Faith

      We believe that according to the "eternal purpose" of God (Eph. 3:11), salvation in the divine reckoning is always "by grace through faith," and rests upon the basis of the shed blood of Christ. We believe that God has always been gracious, regardless of the ruling dispensation, but that man has not at all times been under such grace as is so fully evident in the present dispensation.

   3. The Full Revelation Of Grace Through Faith Apparent Only In the Present Dispensation

      We believe that it has always been true that "without faith it is impossible to please" God (Heb. 11:6), and that the principle of faith was prevalent in the lives of all the Old Testament saints. However, we believe that it was historically impossible that they should have had as the CONSCIOUS object of their faith the incarnate, crucified Son, the Lamb of God (John 1:29), and that it is evident that they did not comprehend as we do that the sacrifices depicted the person and work of Christ. We believe also that they did not understand the redemptive significance of the prophecies or types concerning the sufferings of Christ (1 Pet. 1:10-12); therefore, we believe that their faith toward God was manifested in other ways as is shown by the long record in Hebrews 11:1-40. We belive further that their faith thus manifested was counted unto them for righteousness.

      (cf. Rom. 4:3 with Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:5-8; Heb. 11:7; 1 Cor. 9:17; Eph. 3:2; 3:9, ASV; Col. 1:25; 1 Tim. 1:4, ASV.)

1. THE FIRST ADVENT

   We believe that, as provided and purposed by God and as pre-announced in the prophecies of the Scriptures, the eternal Son of God came into this world that He might manifest God to men, fulfill prophecy, and become the Redeemer of a lost world.

2. BORN OF A VIRGIN

   We believe HE WAS BORN OF A VIRGIN, and received a human body and a sinless human nature.

   (Luke 1:30-35; John 1:18; 3:16; Heb. 4:15.)

3. PERFECT MAN AND PERFECT GOD

   We believe that on the human side, He became and remained a perfect man, but sinless thoughout His life; yet He retained His absolute deity, being at the same time very God and very man, and that His earth-life sometimes functioned within the sphere of that which was human and sometimes within the sphere of that which was divine.

   (Luke 2:40; John 1:1-2; Phil. 2:5-8.)

4. CAME FIRST TO ISRAEL; ISRAEL TEMPORARILY PUT ASIDE (BLINDED) SO THAT THE CHURCH COULD BE "BUILT UP"

   We believe that in fulfillment of prophecy He came first to Israel as her Messiah-King, and that, being rejected of that nation [as foreordained by God who, according to His divine purpose, had temporarily blinded Israel (Rom. 11:11-12, 25-26) so that salvation could now be made available to all the world (Rom. 11:30)] He, according to the eternal counsels of God, gave His life as a ransom for all.

   (John 1:11; Acts 2:22-24; 1 Tim. 2:6.)

5. THE DIVINE SACRIFICIAL LAMB

   We believe that, in infinite love for the lost, He voluntarily accepted His Father's will and became the divinely provided sacrificial Lamb and took away the sin of the world, bearing the holy judgments against sin which the righteousness of God must impose. His death was therefore substitutionary in the most ABSOLUTE sense - the just for the unjust - and by His death He became the Savior of the lost.

   (John 1:29; Rom. 3:25-26; 2 Cor. 5:14; Heb. 10:5-14; 1 Pet. 3:18.)

6. THE BODILY RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

   We believe that, according to the Scriptures, He arose from the dead in the SAME body, though glorified, in which He had lived and died, and that His resurrection body is the pattern of that body which ultimately will be given to all the believers.

   (John 20:20; Phil. 3:20-21.)

7. THE ACCEPTANCE OF CHRIST AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD IN HEAVEN

   We believe that, on departing from the earth, He was accepted of His Father and that His acceptance is a FINAL ASSURANCE to us that His redeeming work was PERFECTLY ACCOMPLISHED.

   (Heb. 1:3.)

8. CHRIST AS HEAD OVER ALL THINGS

   We believe that He became Head over all things to the Church which is His body, and in this ministry He ceases not to intercede and advocate for the saved.

   (Eph. 1:22-23; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1.)

9. SALVATION ONLY THROUGH CHRIST

   We believe that, owing to universal death through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again; and that no degree of reformation however great, no attainments in morality however high, no culture however attractive, no baptism or other ordinance however administered, can help the sinner to take even one step toward heaven; but a new nature imparted from above, a new life implanted by the Holy Spirit through the Word, is absolutely essential to salvation, and only those thus saved are sons of God. We believe also, that OUR REDEMPTION HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED SOLELY BY THE BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, who was made to be sin and was made a curse fo us, dying in our room and stead; and that no repentance, no feeling, no faith, no good resolutions, no sincere efforts, no submission to the rules and regulations of any church, nor all the churches that have existed since the days of the Apostles can add in the very least degree to the value of the blood, or to the merit of the FINISHED WORK wrought for us by Him who united in His person true and proper deity with perfect and sinless humanity.

   (Lev. 17:11; Isa. 64:6; Matt. 26:28; John 3:7-18; Rom. 5:6-9; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; 6:15; Eph. 1:7; Phil. 3:4-9; Titus 3:5; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:18-19, 23.)

10. THE NEW BIRTH

    We believe that the new birth of the believer comes only through faith in Christ and the repentance is a vital part of believing, and is in no way, in itself, a separate and independent condition of salvation; nor are any other acts, such as confession, baptism, prayer, or faithful service, to be added to believing as a condition of salvation.

    (John 1:12; 3:16, 18, 36; 5:24; 6:29; Acts 13:39; 16:31; Rom. 1:16-17; 3:22, 26; 4:5; 10:4; Gal. 3:22)

11. THE EXTENT OF SALVATION

    We believe that when an unregenerate person exercises that faith in Christ which is illustrated and described as such in the New Testament, he passes IMMEDIATELY out of spiritual death into spiritual life, and from the old creation into the new; being justified from ALL THINGS, accepted, loved as Christ is loved, having his place and portion as linked to Him and one with Him FOREVER. Though the saved one may have occasion to grow in the realization of his blessings and to know a fuller measure of divine power through the yielding of his life more fully to God, he is, AS SOON AS HE IS SAVED, in possession of every spiritual blessing and ABSOLUTELY COMPLETE IN CHRIST, and is therefore in no way required by God to seek a so-called "second blessing," or a "second work of grace."

    (John 5:24; 17:23; Acts 13:39; Rom. 5:1; 1 Cor. 3:21-23; Eph. 1:3; Col. 2:10; 1 John 4:17; 5:11-12.)

12. SANCTIFICATION

    We believe that sanctification, which is a setting apart unto God, is threefold:

    1. The Believer's STANDING Before God

       It is already complete for every saved person because his position toward God is the same as Christ's position. Since the believer is in Christ, he is set apart unto God in the measure in which Christ is set apart unto God.

    2. The Believer's STATE Before God

       We believe, however, that he retains his sin nature, which cannot be eradicated in this life. Therefore, while the standing of the Christian in Christ is perfect, his present state is no more perfect than his experience in daily life.

    3. Growth In Grace

       There is, therefore, a progressive sanctification wherein the Christian is to "grow in grace," and to "be changed" by the unhindered power of the Spirit. We believe, also, that the child of God will yet be fully sanctified in his state (#2 above) as he is now sanctified in his standing (#1 above) in Christ when he shall see his Lord and shall be "like him."

       (John 17:17; 2 Cor. 3:18; 7:1; Eph. 4:24; 5:25-27; 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 10:10, 14; 12:10.)

13. ETERNAL SECURITY

    1. Eternally Saved

       We believe that, because of the eternal purpose of God toward the objects of His love, because of His freedom to exercise grace toward the meritless on the ground of the propitiatory blood of Christ, because of the very nature of the divine gift of eternal life, because of the present and unending intercession and advocacy of Christ in heaven, because of the immutability of the unchangeable covenants of God, because of the regenerating, abiding precence of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all who are saved, we and all true believers anywhere, once saved shall be kept saved forever.

    2. "The Unforgivable Sin"

       We believe that it is impossible for Christians to commit the "unforgivable sin;" that this sin has special reference for unbelievers during the Tribulation - of their being "marked out" or "sealed" by the mark of the Beast, which seal has no effect on those already "sealed" by the Holy Spirit.

    3. The Chastening Of God

       We believe, however, that God is a holy and righteous Father and that, since He cannot overlook sin of His children, He will when they persistently sin chasten them and correct them in infinite love.

    4. Conformed To His Image

       We believe, however, that having undertaken to save them and keep them forever, apart from all human merit, He, who cannot fail, will in the end present every one of them faultless before the presence of His glory and conformed to the image of His Son.

       (John 5:24; 10:28; 13:1; 14:16-17; 17:11; Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 6:19; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2; 5:13; Jude 24.)

14. ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

    We believe it is the privilege, not only of some, but of all who are born again by the Spirit through faith in Christ as revealed in the Scriptures, to be assured of their salvation from the very day they take Him to be their Savior and that this assurance is not founded upon any fancied discovery of their own worthiness or fitness, but wholly upon the testimony of God in His written Word, exciting within His children filial love, gratitude, and obedience.

    (Luke 10:20; 22:32; 2 Cor. 5:1, 6-8; 2 Tim. 1:12; Heb. 10:22; 1 John 5:13.)

1. THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE WORLD

   We believe that the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the blessed Trinity, though omnipresent from all eternity, took up His abode in the world in a special sense on the day of Pentecost according to the divine promise.

2. THE HOLY SPIRITY IN THE BELIEVER

   We believe that the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer, and by His baptism unites all to Christ in one body, and that He, as the Indwelling One, is the source of all power and all acceptable worship and service.

3. THE HOLY SPIRIT NEVER LEAVES THE BELIEVER

   We believe that the Holy Spirit never takes His departure from the Church, nor from the feeblest of the saints, but is ever present to testify of Christ; seeking to occupy believers with Him and not with themselves nor will their experiences.

   (John 14:16-17; 16:7-15; 1 Cor. 6:19; Eph. 2:22.)

4. THE MINISTRIES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

   We believe that, in this age, certain well-defined ministries are committed to the Holy Spirit, and that it is the duty of every Christian to understand them and to be adjusted to them in his own life and experience. These ministries are:

   1. The restraining of evil in the world to the measure of the divine will.

   2. The convicting of the world respecting sin, righteousness, and judgment.

   3. The regenerating of all believers.

   4. The indwelling and anointing of all who are saved, thereby SEALING them unto the day of redemption.

   5. The baptizing into the one body of Christ of all who are saved.

   6. The continued filling for power, teaching, and service of those among the saved who are yielded to Him and who are subject to His will.

   (John 3:6; 16:7-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:30; 5:18; 1 John 2:20-27.)

1. A UNITY OF BELIEVERS

   We believe that all who are united to the risen and ascended Son of God are members of the church which is the body of Christ, which began at Pentecost AND IS COMPLETELY DISTINCT FROM ISRAEL. Its members are constituted as such regardless of membership or nonmembership in the organized churches on earth.

   1. The Holy Spirit, The Only Measure Of The Church's Unity

      We believe that by the same Spirit all believers in this age are baptized into, and thus become, one body that is Christ's, whether Jews or Gentiles, and having become members one of another, are under solemn duty to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, rising above all sectarian differences, and loving one another with a pure heart fervently.

      (Matt. 16:16-18; Acts 2:42-47; Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 1:20-23; 4:3-10; Col. 3:14-15.)

   2. No Distinction As To Members

      We believe that within Church there is no distinction of races, classes, or cultures, or between Jewish and non-Jewish believers, but that within Christ we are all one and as such, no partiality should be shown or practiced.

      (James 2:1-13; Col. 3:11.)

2. AUTHORITY IN THE CHURCH

   1. The Head Over The Church

      We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the head and sole authority of the Church.

      (Eph. 1:20-23.)

   2. Plurality Of Leadership

      We believe that within the Church God does not delegate His authority to one single man the way He did in the Old Testament (e.g., Moses and David), but that His authority is vested only in His Son and is delegated to a PLURALITY of men known in the New Testament as "elders."

      (Matt. 28:18; Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Pet. 5:1-4.)

   3. The Limits Of The Elders Authority

      We believe that the elders or leaders of the Church do not have unlimited authority, but that any action or decision must be acknowledge by the Church, the Holy Spirit, and must conform to the Bible.

      (Acts 15:22, 28.)

   4. The Elders To Lead By Example

      We believe that the elders or leaders of the Church rule only by example and encouragement, not by unquestioned authority and power. They should not lord it over God's flock, but prove to be examples to the flock through love.

      (1 Pet. 5:1-4; Matt. 20:25-26.)

   5. The Believer's Liberty In The Lord

      We believe that submission to authority in the Church should never be based upon fear, but upon love that is willing to follow the example set forth by the elders or leaders; authority in the Lord, but rather an attitude of humility. INDIVIDUAL CONSCIENCE BEFORE GOD CAN NEVER BE SUBORNED BY A BLIND SUBMISSION TO OTHERS, WHETHER THEY BE ANGELS OR MEN CLAIMING TO BE AGENTS OF GOD AND POSSESSING THE HIGHTEST SPIRITUAL CREDENTIALS.

      (Matt. 20:25; Gal. 1:8; 2:5-6; Phil. 2:3; Col. 2:8, 16-19.)

   6. The Authority Of Scripture Supercedes All Authority

      We believe that the authority of Scripture can never be compromised BY ANY PERSON OR LEADER of the church, no matter what his position may be.

      (Gal. 1:8.)

3. THE SACRAMENTS OR ORDINANCES

   We believe that water baptism and the Lord's Supper are the only sacraments and ordinances of the Church and that they are a scriptural means of testimony for the Church in this age.

   (Matt. 28:19; Luke 22: 19-20; Acts 10:47-48; 16:32-33; 18:7-8; 1 Cor. 11:26.)

4. THE GREAT COMMISSION

   We believe that it is the EXPLICIT mission of the Church, NOT to reform the present and totally corrupt Gentile world-system of government, culture, society, etc. (which is altogether to be judged and utterly destroyed by God), but rather, to save souls from the wreck which is to come; as such, we have been sent forth into the world with Gospel of Salvation. We are to reckon ourselves as strangers and pilgrims to this world, and as ambassadors and witnesses unto God. Our primary purpose in this life - as the Church - is to make Christ known to the whole world.

   (Matt. 28:18-19; Mark 16:15; John 17:18; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:18-20.)

1. ISRAEL NOT FORSAKEN

   We believe that the Church does not repace the nation of Israel; that God has not forsaken His people, the Jews.

2. THE REDEMPTION OF ISRAEL

   We believe that soon the Redeemer, who we know to be Jesus, the Messiah, will come from Zion, at which time He will wholly redeem Israel back to Himself.

3. ISRAEL: THE EXPRESSION OF GOD'S EARTHLY GLORY

   We believe that Israel will ultimately be the expression of God's earthly glory, the counterpart to the church, God's heavenly expression.

4. THE BELIEVER'S PROPER ATTITUDE TOWARDS ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE

   We believe that a divine love should fill our hearts for God's people, the Jews, and that we should repent in behalf of Christianity for all the centuries of hate and prejudice heaped upon the Jews by Christians everywhere. (Dan. 9:1-20; Rom. 9:1-3.) We believe that our love for the Jews should not be in word only, but also in deed by support for the Jews the world over, both physical and spiritual - and that above all, a true unprejudiced, humble sharing of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Messiah.

   (Luke 7:2-5; Acts 10:1-2; 1 Cor. 10:32; Rom. 11:1; 25-26; Isa. 59:20-21; Ezek. 37:1-3; 39:25-29.)

1. THE CHRISTIAN WALK

   We believe that we are called with a holy calling, to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, and so to live in the power of the indwelling Spirit that we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. But the flesh with its fallen, Adamic nature, which in this life is never eradicated, being with us to the end of our earthly pilgrimage, needs to be kept by the Spirit constantly in subjection to Christ, or it will surely manifest its presence in our lives to the dishonor of our Lord.

   (Rom. 6:11-13; 8:2, 4, 12-13; Gal. 5:16-23; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 2:1-10; 1 Pet. 1:14-16; 1 John 1:4-7; 3:5-9.)

2. CHRISTIAN SERVICE

   1. All Believers Have Received Spiritual Gifts For Divine Service

      We believe that divine enabling gifts for service are bestowed by the Spirit upon all who are saved. While there is a diversity of gifts, each believer is energized by the same Spirit, and each is called to his own divinely appointed service as the Spirit may will; these gifts, which are give for the building up of the Church, are:

      1. Apostles

      2. Prophets

      3. Evangelists

      4. Pastors

      5. Teachers

   2. The Duty Of The Gifted Ones

      The duty of these gifted ones is not to do the work of the Church themselves, but rather to perfect the saints for that work, not to misappropriate it unto themselves.

   3. The Sustenance And Encouragement Of The Gifted Ones

      Moreover, it is God's will that these shall be sustained and encouraged in their service for God in the building up and perfecting of the saints.

      (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:4-11; Eph. 4:11.)

3. THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

   We believe that - wholly apart from salvation - rewards are promised according to the faithfulness of each believer in his service to the Lord, and that these rewards will be bestowed at the judgment seat of Christ after the Rapture and the Resurrection.

   (1 Cor. 3:9; 9:18-27; 2 Cor. 5:10.)

1. TRIBULATION

   We believe that, according to the Word of God, the next great even in the fulfillment of prophecy will be the Tribulation, the accomplishment of "Daniel's Seventieth Week."

   (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 6:1-19; 21.)

2. THE PURPOSE OF THE TRIBULATION: TRIAL AND JUDGMENT

   We believe that this is the time specifically chosen of God to judge the earth and the nations of the earth as promised in the Holy Scriptures.

3. THE TWO WITNESSES

   We believe that the Two Witnesses spoken of by the Apostle John in Revelation are Israel and the Church (Rev. 11); and that while the church is not appointed to wrath, but to obtaining full and complete salvation (1 Thess. 5:9). The presence of both the Church and Israel during the Tribulation is crucial to God's righteous judgment, for without the witnesses of two, there can be no judgment.

   (Num. 35:30; Deut. 17:6; 19:15; John 8:17.)

4. THE CHURCH AND THE TRIBULATION

   We believe that the Church is never promised escape from the tribulation and with regard to THE TRIBULATION, there is a distinction to be remarked upon between the "Wrath of God" and "tribulation." The presence of the Church in the Tribulation is not predicated on the fact that it requires some sort of "refinement" just prior to its appearance before the Lord (because Christ's work upon the cross in behalf of the Church is full and complete), but simply and only because its presence during the Tribulation was foreordained from the foundations of the world to accomplish God's glory during this period of time as one of the Two Witnesses, the other Witness being Israel.

   (Matt. 24:29; 1 Thess. 2:14-16; 2 Thess. 1:4; 2 Tim. 3:12; Heb. 10:32-34; 1 Pet. 1:6-7; Rev. 2:8-11; 12:17; 13:7.)

5. THE ANTICHRIST

   We believe that the Antichrist is to be a PERSON, the embodiment of evil - a GENTILE, not a Jew, who shall persecute the people of God, both Jews and Christians, as the Two Witnesses.

   (Rev. 13:1; Dan. 9:26; Dan 7:21, 25; 8:24, 25; Rev. 13:7; Rev. 12:17.)

6. THE RAPTURE AND THE RESURRECTION

   We believe that at the end of the Tribulation and before the "Wrath of God," the Lord Jesus Christ will return in bodily form at which time the Resurrection and the Rapture will occur.

   (Isa. 65:19-25; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2:1; Rev. 19:11-12; 2:4.)

7. THE FULL SALVATION OF ISRAEL

   We believe that when the Lord returns, He will save all of Israel and again establish Israel and Jerusalem as a praise and joy in all the earth.

   (Isa. 60; 62.)

1. BELIEVERS: ETERNAL JOY AND GLORY

   We believe that at death, the spirits and soul of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the glorified body when Christ comes for His own, whereupon soul and body shall be reunited and shall be associated with Him forever in glory.

2. UNBELIEVERS: ETERNAL DAMNATION

   But the spirits and souls of the unbelieving remain after death in conscious condemnation and in misery until the final judgment of the great white throne at the close of the Millennium, when soul and body shall be reunited and shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and fromt he glory of His power.

   (Luke 16:19-26; 23:42; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15.)

If for whatever reason you feel you do not know the Jesus we preach - the Jesus of the Bible, not the hate-filled Jesus many in the Religious Right preach - then we invite you to get to know Him - to come to "a saving knowledge of Him!" It's easy to do, and you can do it right now, in the privacy of your own home.

The Bible says "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)

This means that God doesn't care who you are or what you've done - He loves you and wants to bring you into a living, loving relationship with Him - right now!

The first thing we must do in order to be accepted by Him is confess that we are not "perfect" - that should be easy to do because deep down we all know that we "fall short." But remember - God doesn't fall short - He is a God of absolute righteousness; He cannot tolerate sin - this is why He seems so far away from us sometimes. Our sins have separated us from Him - and that's true not only with regard to you, but all of us. The Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23); and it goes on to say, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)

But He has done something to breach that separation, to end it - not by overlooking what we have done - He never could do that and continue to maintain His righteousness. Instead He has paid the price for our sins by sending His own Son to die on the cross for us. The Bible says, "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" and justified us "... by His (own) blood ..." (Rom. 5:8-9)

We receive this gift by acknowledging the fact that we are sinners, and have need of His gift. The Bible says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9).

Once we have acknowledged the fact that we need Him as savior, we must invite Him into our heart - the Bible says, " Behold, I (i.e., Jesus) stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Rev. 3:20)

When we invite Him into our heart, the Lord promises that He will indeed come in - you don't have to worry about that; no matter what you feel, or what you experience, He will surely come. The Bible calls this, "being born again." Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ... Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:1-9)

All you need to do now is to pray, "Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner and have need of a savior. I accept what you did for me on the cross and invite you RIGHT NOW to come into my heart and make your home with me."

It's done! You're born again! - yes, it was that easy; only "false religion" makes it difficult. Now, just thank Him for what He has done and begin your walk with Him right now by turning to the Bible and reading it - begin first with the Gospel of John and read a few chapters each day. He will speak to you and show you what to do. Remember, He is a living, loving Person. Then write to us and let us know how you're doing.

If you would like to contact someone about receiving Christ as your personal savior or just to talk about it, please contact admin@antipasministries.com.