How can I know that we're *REALLY* in the last days?

Question: Pastor Keith, I've heard it my entire life that "We are in the last days, repent now, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!".  To be honest, I'm quite tired of hearing it and I just don't believe it.  Too many years of "Chicken Little" have soured me on the whole idea.  Can you offer me any proof or any persuasion at all, that the "last days" are really here?

Answer: Oh yes I can!

Starting a new church?

Anyone who has been following me, either here on this blog or in the flesh can tell you in no uncertain terms, that I am (justifiably) sick, tired and disgusted by almost every single church/denomination in existence.

Why could I possibly be sick, tired and disgusted?  Let's start with false teachings, fleecing, poor teachings, poor understandings, altar calls & false tongue speaking, just as an example.

For years I've been told over and over again to start my own church, but as with all things, if I don't feel lead to do something by God, I'm not doing it.  For proof of that, I still have not released my book yet.

So with that said, I'm putting together this blog post in an attempt to help you decide whether or not a church that I would set up, would be more in line with what YOU believe to be TRUE and not what some wayward soul, who only wants your money would set up.

Please take a moment and ponder these statements:

Is a Catholic Bible worth using?

In my soon to be released book "But is it Biblical?", I have an entire chapter on "choosing a Bible".

What I do, is point out actual language from a selection of Bibles and show you the how's and why's of which Bible(s) you should use and for what purposes. I also go out of my way to warn you against certain Bible translations.

Today's question comes from a young woman in Pakistan that recently converted to Christianity! God Bless her!

Question: I've been reading the Bible (Catholic Version), is it reliable and okay to read it? Is there any difference in teachings or the words from other versions of the Bible? I've been researching,and I found out that the Bible was adulterated and changed with the passage of years and the Jews have changed the Word of God in the Bible, is it true? Is there any reliable version of the Bible that has been 'unchanged' and same when it was first written. I'm using the NRSV Catholic Bible, just for your reference. Also, I heard that the NIV is bad to read, but I heard a lot of people use if because it's easy to read. Is it good too?

Answer: I'd be remiss if I didn't at least tell you something about that Bible you have in your possession...

It contains books that not only Protestants and Jews don't agree with, but they haven't agreed with them since the early 1st century.

For example, the books of Tobit and Judith don't exist in a "proper Bible". Neither does the "book of Wisdom" for that matter.

My advice to you, if you have the ability to, is find one of these Bibles: NKJV, KJV, NASB, ESV (and in that order as the ESV is a worst case scenario). Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light", reading this Catholic Bible may make you find yourself questioning certain basic things like Salvation, Grace & Freedom in Christ. Needless to say, it is not considered "reliable", as you had asked...

As for the NIV issue, I cover this quite thoroughly in my book. I've had some quite heated discussions with people regarding the NIV as well.

From my perspective, any Bible that goes out of it's way to LEAVE THINGS OUT or change Scripture in such a way as to weaken it or make it seeker friendly, is a Bible to avoid.

Missing Verses from the NIV:

Matthew 12:47
Matthew 17:21
Matthew 18:11
Matthew 21:44
Matthew 23:14
Mark 7:16
Mark 9:44
Mark 9:46
Mark 11:26
Mark 15:28
Mark 16:9-20
Luke 17:36
Luke 23:17
John 5:4
Acts 8:37
Acts 15:34
Acts 24:7
Acts 28:29
Romans 16:24
PLUS MORE!

So how many missing verses does a Bible have to have, in order to consider it rubbish?
I say *1*...

And then there's MAJOR issues like 1 John 5:7...

NIV - For there are three that testify:
NKJV - For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

Why did the NIV leave more than half of verse 7 out, and why oh why is there a CRITICAL teaching missing here?

Another big thing, is the NIV only mentions the "Blood of Christ" about 80 times, while the NKJV & KJV reference it more than 100. Most of the NIV readers I meet and speak to in my Ministry are completely clueless, as to the redeeming nature of His Blood.

There are more than 60,000 words missing from the NIV. Which words are missing, that would further your maturity in Christ? Do you know?

I've been using this example to try to make people understand WHY Bible choice is so important:

If you've got a glass of water and there's one small drop of POISON in it, will you still drink it?

I teach every week on my show, "Be like a Berean... Never believe anything I tell you, LOOK IT UP FOR YOURSELF and be CONFIDENT that what you have learned is TRUE. Not because I said so, but because God said so..."

Mormons and Catholics are NOT Christians...

I really wish that CNN, MSNBC & FoxNews would ask ME whether or not Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are Christians.

It would be my pleasure to tell them what both God and the Bible have to say, regarding their two sets of beliefs. And then, I'd be more than humbled to be able to proclaim for all the world to hear, that neither of them is actually a Christian.

Galatians 1:8 - But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

And to drive the point home:

Galatians 1:9 - As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Or how about something even more powerful:

2 Corinthians 11:4 - For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted --- you may well put up with it!

As the author of the soon to be released book titled "But is it Biblical?", I can clearly say that neither the Catholic church nor the Mormons teachings of Jesus MATCH what the Original Greek & Hebrew has to say on the matter. The only way that these "religions" can stick to their claims is for them to use their own mangled translations. And in the case of the Mormons, base it on a fictional tablet (that nobody except Joseph Smith has ever seen) that contains a language that nobody has ever heard of and nobody has ever seen anywhere else. EVER.

Angry? Why? Is your pride telling you that I must be wrong? Is your pride really more in control of your life than God is? If I told you that the Indianapolis Colts were the worst NFL team in 2011 (and you were a fan) would you get mad at me for saying it, even if it were true? (it is true by the way) In the same way, I can tell you without any hesitation that the Catholic church is based upon controlling it's members and the Mormon church is based upon a foundation of lies.

To say that the Mormons are Christians because they "believe in" Jesus, is like saying that "I'm a pilot, because I've been in the cockpit of a plane"! The Mormons come "preaching another Gospel" AND "another Jesus", just like it teaches in 2 Corinthians & Galatians. All you need to do, is know the Full Gospel for yourself and you too can see what I see.

To say that the Catholics are Christians, because (after all) they've got Crucifixes and statues all over their churches is like saying that "Because I have a Corvette, that I'm the CEO of General Motors"! The Catholic church comes "preaching another Gospel" too, and even though it's totally different than what the Mormon's teach, it too is totally different from what the Bible teaches! All you need to do, is pick up a "proper" Bible, learn the Full Gospel for yourself and you too can see what I see. NO OPINIONS REQUIRED.

I cover many of these things in my book and we actually touch on some of these issues in Episode 4 of the radio series.

Rick Santorum is a Catholic, not a Christian.

Mitt Romney is a Mormon, not a Christian.

As an American voter, if you feel in your Spirit that one of these candidates is potentially better for this country, then vote for them. But don't do it because you think that they're something that they're not.

So come on news stations and reporters, ask me along with my Ministry team...

Not to boast, but they'll be the most correct answers that anyone has seen in a long time...

Abortion is Murder!

If you don't understand by now, abortion is murder.

A fetus has a heartbeat by the ripe-old age of 17 DAYS!

It says in Leviticus 17:11 - For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

At 17 days old, that "baby" is circulating IT'S OWN BLOOD.

I was speaking to a Bishop of a church today and he told me something that wound up being good. It was good, because it reminded me that all of us are fallible! (including myself) He said to me something that should be a reminder as to WHY I tell you in my book, "Never put your Pastor on a pedestal! They're no different than a plumber, a lawyer or a computer repair person. Some of them know what they're doing and some will make your problem worse, because they just don't know what they're doing."

He said to me, "To be honest with you, if my daughter got raped, I'm not sure what I'd tell her to do. I would probably tell her to get an abortion". So I asked him if we could have a discussion about the topic and he refused to hear what God had to say on the matter. He then continued to tell me, "If I came home and found a thief in my house, I've got a gun right here. I would probably shoot him if I found him robbing my home".

To quote my daughter: O_O

Are you kidding me? These are the kinds of things I expect an atheist to say. And more than that, these are the kinds of things that I expect someone who doesn't know the Word of God to say!

In my show tomorrow night, we'll be discussing "Finding a Church". So if you've ever heard your Pastor say something as ridiculous as I heard today, it may be time for you to find a new church. If you're a new Christian or you've had trouble finding a church that you feel called to be at, tonight's show may be just what you need to get you set.

The Link: Thursday 11/17/2011 - Biblically Speaking - Finding a Church

We'll have the chat room open and we'll be taking calls from the audience too. We're also still giving away a signed, numbered pre-release copy of my soon to be released book, "But is it Biblical?" and of course we've also got the book for sale! Be one of the first to have it and place a pre-order today.

I'm back!

Brothers and sisters, I have been very busy over the past few months, but the Lord has been hard at work too.

I am in the process of finally releasing my book and I've also been approached by a wonderful, Spirit filled sister to do a Radio Show!

We had our first episode tonight and it was so much fun!

Click HERE to listen to last night's show...

And also keep abreast of the rest of the shows and maybe even buy a book HERE.

I'll try to keep better updates!

Blessings,

Keith

Preaching at the Pub?

Something really wonderful happened last night and I felt like sharing it...

As many of you know, I just finished writing a book and I'm in the process of working with marketing people and a publicist and one of the things I'm doing is giving out 50 signed copies of the book to close friends, family and other people who may be in a position to assist me in doing the Lord's work.

I have a friend, who just a few short years ago was a youth Pastor. Today, he has fallen away and as a result, spends most of his life dealing with tribulation. He can quote Scripture and you can tell that he really loves the Lord, he just can't seem to "walk the walk" so instead of seeming like a hypocrite, he has tried to remove himself from God's sight. (you and I know he can't do that, but that's not the story...)

This friend of mine also happens to be a big drinker. He goes to the pub every night and averages about 15 beers every single day. Yes, WE know he has a drinking problem and I think deep down inside he knows he has one too. The only problem, is that he's in denial and he's dug his heels in good.

Well, I've had his copy of the book sitting on my desk now for about 2 weeks, but our schedules don't seem to mesh lately. Even when I cancel plans to be where he is, somehow his plans get changed and we keep missing each other.

Last night, I asked God, "Lord, he really needs to read this book and I know that the only place I can meet with him, where I know for certain that he'll be, is the Pub. Should I go to him there?" Of course God didn't waste any time and told me I should, so I did.

I get there and he's sooooo happy to see me. It was like he hadn't seen me in years! He asked me what I was doing there and I told him that I had a small gift for him. I handed him the book and he started to weep. You see, he knew that I had been writing the book. In the world that he associates himself with these days, everyone is always talking about what BIG things they're up to and nothing ever materializes. I suppose that when he heard about me writing the book, he forgot that I wasn't part of THAT world and he thought that I was just making stuff up too.

Early on in the book writing process, I had told him that he was one of the inspirations of the book, so handing him a copy of the finished book with a personalized message in it for him made him bust out in tears of joy. He jumped out and gave me a real, loving hug. The kind that men will rarely give another man. He proceeded to tell me how much it meant to him and proceeded to show it to everyone in the Pub telling them, "See this book? My friend over there wrote it and I was his inspiration!"

Of course now I'm sitting down with my head hanging a little bit low. Here I am, a member of the clergy, sitting in a bar and having someone who's on his 7th or 8th beer bragging about me AND the book.

So people started to come over, one by one asking me if I was really the author of the book and if I was really a Minister. I told them that I was and then the really drunk guy comes over and at the top of his lungs says, "HEY... You're a Pastor?" And I said yes. He then says, "HEY... What's a Minister doing in a bar?"

So I now have better than 90% of the people at the Pub looking INTO MY EYES and awaiting my answer. I looked back at them, and right into THEIR EYES and said, "Hey... Jesus himself spent time in bars with drunkards, prostitutes and tax collectors!" And they were like, "what??" And I said, "Sure... Think about it.... Jesus was trying to find people who needed him the most. Where would he find those people, IN CHURCH or at a bar?" Everyone was like, "WOW... YEAH... THAT'S SO TRUE... etc..."

What started out as a trip to quickly drop off a book turned into a FOUR HOUR impromptu Bible study! IN A BAR! I've never heard of anyone doing anything like this before and I can assure you, I certainly had NO INTENTION of staying more than a couple of minutes.

Right before I was leaving, the owner of the Pub came over to me and said, "Come back when you get your first shipment of books. I want you to sell them HERE!" I almost fell down!

What an amazing God we have! Can I get an Amen?

The book is DONE!

Not going to spend a lot of time on this right now, but I just wanted to let everyone know that as of today, the book is COMPLETED.

I'm going to be finalizing my choice of book manufacturer this month and I hope to have some pre-release copies available before the end of October.

Is the Sabbath day a day of "Worship"?

As we all know, "The Sabbath day" goes back to Genesis 2:2 - And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. This said that "He rested" on the 7th day. If I understand God's Words and don't read into them, this becomes a model for us. But allow me to continue.

Here, I believe Jesus gives us some valuable insight into the Sabbath, Mark 2:27-28 - And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." If I read these verses and don't read into them, that says that "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath". If the Sabbath was truly made for us and we truly were not made for the Sabbath, then the Sabbath day is NOT a day of worship AT ALL.

In my forthcoming book, I cover this topic and suffice it to say, "If God is indeed our Heavenly Father, don't you think that your Father would want to hear from you MORE THAN one day per week? Don't you think that your Father would want to spend a lot more time with you than for just one hour while you're in some building with a bunch of people? If you truly love your Father, you'd want to spend a lot more time with Him. Therefore, don't be concerned with, "which is the Sabbath?", because that's the day God created for you, so that you could rest. Be more concerned about how much time you spend with your Father, who we should be worshiping every day!" I go into a bit more detail in the book...

This is the way that The Holy Spirit has revealed this to me...
I hope that someone finds this useful...

I'm writing a Book!

I just began work on my book.

Book you say?

About 9 months ago, I was talking to a friend and it hit me, that people have a really hard time explaining God. I'm not kidding. And when I say people, I don't just mean your average Joe, I mean Pastors and Preachers alike. Sure, they know all the basics, all the characters and the plot, but they don't do a very good job of EXPLAINING GOD to people who have NO FOUNDATION at all. Trust me, there are more people without a foundation than there are people with one.

Anyway, I'll update on it's progress as I go...

I've been thinking a lot about publishing... I know some people from my CPE days, but if that doesn't work out, I don't mind going the self-publishing route. If anyone is interested, please give me a shout...