Christian Rock Music; Wolf Or Sheep?

CH R ISTIAN ROCK MUSIC WOLF OR SHEEP?

A THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS By William Frederick, M. Div. 1

WILLIAM FREDERICK, M. Div.

CH R ISTIAN

ROCK MUSIC WOLF OR SHEEP?

A THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

2

©Copyright 2007, William Frederick. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author. All comments herein are without malice or prejudice. Wolf Book cover photo: © mschalke. Image from BigStockPhoto.com. Sheep Book cover photo: © knips. Image from BigStockPhoto.com.

Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Take note that the name satan and related names are not capitalized. I believe that he does not deserve that honor, even to the point of violating grammatical rules. ISBN: 978-1-4303-0644-3

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Dedication

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dedicate this book to all of God’s sheep who are seeking to follow the Good Shepherd.

Preface What kind of music should a Christian listen to? Is there good and bad music, or is music amoral? Are the words the determining factor in evaluating music? How will different types of music affect me if at all? Can music affect my body? These questions and others may have crossed your mind in regards to music. In this book we will answer those questions and more. It is very important to know the answers to those questions. I have been a Christian education minister for the last 18 years. In those 18 years I have witnessed first hand the good, the bad, and the ugly effects of Christian music in the lives of many people. It is an issue that needs addressing. In this short expose we will make a scriptural determination as to what kind of music a Christian should listen to.

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Contents Introduction

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Chapter 1: The Origin of Rock Music

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Chapter 2: The Purpose of Rock Music

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Chapter 3: The Affect of Rock Music

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Chapter 4: Rock Music Evaluated

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Conclusion

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Addendum

63

Endnotes

78

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Introduction

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magine for a moment that you are a sheep in a large flock and suddenly you hear a cry of WOLF! You would probably run to safety as quickly

as possible. But what if after you ran away you turned around and saw what looked like a sheep coming toward you, and not a wolf. And then a controversy arose; some of the sheep in the flock said it was not a wolf but a sheep, yet others still maintained that it was a wolf. Some of the sheep even though they were still a little wary went over to the approaching animal and came back and said that it really was a sheep, and not a wolf. Yet others insisted it was a very cleverly disguised wolf, it was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. If you were one of those sheep what would you do? I do not know about you, but realizing the potential danger of a wolf to sheep, I would cautiously investigate the situation before risking possible destruction. An “animal” has approached the flock of God and some claim it is a “sheep” while others are saying that it is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” The “animal” that has approached the church is Christian rock music. Some maintain that this “animal” is a “sheep” or that it is alright for a Christian to listen to Christian rock, while others maintain that it is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” or that it is not alright for a Christian to listen to, and that it could destroy a Christian’s life. This book is designed to provide you with information whereby you can decide whether this “animal,” Christian rock music, is a “sheep” or a “wolf.”

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In order to determine whether Christian rock and or any other form of rock music is a “wolf” or “sheep” we will examine Rock music’s origin, purpose, and affect, and then evaluate these aspects in light of God’s word. Before I present the information I would ask you to seriously and reverently evaluate the following discussion with an open mind and prayer. For your agreement or disagreement with this book will have eternal ramifications. For purposes of our discussion we must first define what rock music is. In recent years rock music is the term given to a particular form of music with a heavy beat. It can be characterized by music where the rhythm or beat is a prominent and or dominating part of the music or where the music is discordant in its beat or chords. Therefore for purposes of discussion in this article we will refer to music in which the beat is the prominent or controlling part of the music, and or music which is discordant in its beat or chords, as rock music. Tim Fisher in his book entitled The Battle for Christian Music made this statement about the composition of rock music. Rock music elevates rhythm as the most stressed element, then harmony-melody is last. ... Rap is the logical extension of the direction in which rock music has been headed. Once you demote certain musical elements into relative unimportance, they will soon disappear altogether. Most of rock music did away with melodic interest a long time ago. Therefore, if melody is unimportant, why have it? This is exactly what rap 'music' has done. It has emphasized rhythm as the only important musical element, while de-emphasizing melody and harmony to the point 9

where they are virtually non-existent. By every good definition of music, rap is not music! It is merely rhythmic entertainment (pp. 77,78).

The term rock music would therefore include other genres of modern day music, which meet these criteria, such as Rap, R & B, Country, Reggae, Pop, etc. All these modern forms of music in this article will be referred to under the general term of rock music.

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Chapter 1 The Origin of Rock Music

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ock music was first used thousands of years ago in demonic cults and religions and continues to be used today. I am sure we have all

seen scenes of natives dancing around fires doing some kind of spirit dance. These rituals have in many cases been performed for thousands of years. The music that accompanies this type of ritual is music with a heavy beat or music where the beat is the dominant part of the music. As we have already discussed music where the beat is the prominent or controlling part of the music has been defined as rock music. Thus the origin of rock music or original use of rock music was to accompany pagan and or demonic rituals for the purpose of invoking spirits. Following is a quote that illustrates the connection between rock music and these demonic cults and religions. The so called pagan religions share the conviction that religious worship is a bodily celebration. A dance of the entire community. The metaphysical goal of the pagan way is to experience the intense meeting of the human world and the spirit world. Spurred by the holy drums, deep in the meditation of the dance, one is literally entered by a god or a goddess. The body literally becomes the crossroads, human and divine are united within itand it can happen to anyone.

In Abomey, Africa, these deities that speak through humans are called vodun. From their vodun comes our Voodoo, and it is Voodoo that we must look for the roots of our [rock] music. 14

The Voodoo rite of possession by the god became the standard of American performance in rock ‘n’ roll. Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Brown, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Jim Morrison, Johnny Rotten, Prince-they let themselves be possessed not by any god they could name but by the spirit they felt in the music. Their behavior in this possession was something Western society had never before tolerated. And the way a possessed devotee in a Voodoo ceremony often will transmit his state of possession to someone else is by merely by touching the hand; Western performers transmitted their possession through

their voice and their dance to their

audience, even through their records. Rock ‘n’ roll... does preserve qualities of that pagan metaphysic intact so strongly that it unconsciously generates the same dances, acts as a major antidote to the mind/body split, and uses a derivative of Voodoo’s technique of possession as a source for performers and audience alike, of tremendous personal energy. 1

The fact that rock ‘n’ roll originated with satanic cults and religions, and has been used for thousands of years by these satanic cults and religions, and is continued to be used today is a well documented fact. Even secular rock stars have acknowledged this fact. Here are some comments made by rock star and icon Jimi Hendrix. He [Hendrix] had gotten a chance to see Rocki and some other African musicians on the London scene. He found it a pleasure 15

to play rhythms against their polyrhythms. They would totally get outside, into another kind of space that he had seldom been in before. ... Rocki’s father was a voodoo priest and the chief drummer of a village in Ghana, West Africa. Rocki’s real name was Kwasi Dzidzornu. One of the first things rocki asked jimi was where he got that voodoo rhythm from. When Jimi demurred, Rocki went on to explain in his halting English that many of the signature rhythms Jimi played on guitar were very often the same rhythms that his father played in voodoo ceremonies. The way Jimi danced to the rhythms of his playing reminded Rocki of the ceremonial dances to the rhythms his father played to Oxun, the god of thunder and lightning. The ceremony is called voodooshi. As a child in the village, Rocki would carve wooden representatives of the gods. They also represented his ancestors. These were the gods they worshiped. They would jam a lot in Jimi’s house. One time they were jamming and Jimi stopped and asked Rocki point-blank, ‘You communicate with God, do you?’ Rocki said, ‘Yes, I communicate with God’"2

Look at what Little Richard said about the rock music/voodoo connection. My true belief about Rock ‘n’ Roll--and there have been a lot of phrases attributed to me over the years--is this: I believe this kind of music is demonic. ... A lot of the beats in music today are taken from voodoo, from the voodoo drums. If you study music

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in rhythms, like I have, you’ll see that is true ... I believe that kind of music is driving people from Christ. It is contagious"3

These quotes clearly point out the fact that rock music came from voodoo. This next story supports that fact that rock music originated in voodoo and links Christian rock to that same origin. In 1981, I was driving down a jungle road in the Ivory Coast with several African pastors in the car with me. I had recently received a couple of cassette tapes from our denominational headquarters that were intended for our teenage daughter. These were recordings of various ‘Christian rock’ artists. In listening to the tapes, I was very disturbed in my own spirit that such material was being sent to our missionary kids. But not trusting my own reaction alone and realizing that these pastors with whom I was traveling were very sensitive to the spirit world (both good and evil), I decided to play the tapes for them. The reaction I got was immediate and verbally violent! One of the pastors asked me this question, “Do you mean to tell us that this kind of music is played in your churches in America?” I answered in the affirmative. His response was filled with disgust and anger as he replied with another question. “What are you doing allowing your church people in America to call up the evil spirits with their music?” 4

Even the origin of the name ‘rock and roll’ has its roots in evil. 17

Rock 'n' roll was a kind of fusion between rhythm & blues and country & western music. Freed was one of the first white people to play this new rhythm & blues/country combination on his radio program, and was perplexed as to what to call it since it obviously needed a new name. Freed had been receiving bizarre reports concerning kids' reactions to this new music, so decided to name it after a ghetto term that black people used for premarital sex in the back seat of a car -- hence, the term "rock 'n' roll" was coined.”5

So undeniably we can see from many sources secular and Christian that the origin of rock music was in voodoo ceremonies. Even the history of its name speaks of its evil origins. Thus the origin of rock music can be traced back to voodoo and or other heathen religious ceremonies that have used the same type of music. This next quote sums it up nicely. Musicologists and historians are in no doubt that the drum rhythms of Africa were carried to America and were transmitted and translated into the style of music which became known as jazz. Since jazz and the blues were the parents of rock and roll, this also means that there exists a direct line of descent from the voodoo ceremonies of Africa, through jazz, to rock and roll and all the other forms of rock music today6

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Chapter 2 The Purpose of Rock Music

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n the last example the purpose of rock music was already alluded to, namely that rock music’s main purpose is to “call up

evil spirits” which in effect allows him to influence and or gain control of those who listen to it. The heavy beat of rock music not only “calls” on evil spirits but also causes emotional and physical responses, which are not righteous. Thus when people listen to rock music in reality, whether they realize it or not, they are inviting the forces of darkness to influence or control them and they are harming their mind and body. The next quote from a former satanist supports these facts. When I was about seven, I became involved in a satanic coven.... I was involved quite heavily in satanic worship for seven years in three different covens.... satanic worship services are designed to put the worshipers into a mood where spirits can be called to manifest themselves during the service. They always use live music, and the music always has a beat. They start with a drummer. The rest of the instruments are geared to the drumming. These people practiced many, many hours for every service we had. It was rock music with a rock beat. We were told that the reason they used the rock beat was because it’s the same beat as your heart. Subconsciously, while you listened to the music, it would open you up. People weren’t aware that they were opening up to spirits, because they were concentrating on the music.

The

music is a great part of the service because it opens you up to 22

spirits without you being aware of it. This music prepared everyone to open themselves up to the forces of darkness. As those forces respond to that invitation, people become inhabited by demons. There is no way to carry out the things done in those services without inviting spirits into your life to empower you to do them. During those services, I saw atrocities and vile acts. People turned against their friends with savagery, even becoming cannibalistic.7

The testimony of this former satanist clearly shows that the main purpose of rock music is to invoke evil spirits. A Christian from Zimbabwe, who had formerly been involved in demonic activities, after visiting the U.S. also brings this fact to light. I am very sensitive to the beat in music, because when I was a boy, I played the drums in our village worship rituals. The beat that I played on the drum was to get the demon spirits into people. When I became a Christian, I rejected this kind of beat because I realized how damaging it was. When I turned on a Christian radio station in the United States, I was shocked. The beat that I used to play to call up the evil spirits is in the music I heard on the Christian station.”8

These last two quotes not only tell us that rock music is used to call evil spirits but that Christian rock does the same thing. See it’s the music that has the greatest effect upon someone. And rock music regardless of 23

what words are with it is still rock music and will have the same effect on the listener. A former satanist high priest stated the following; My background is not a good one, but I give thanks and praise to God for saving me from it. I was a satanist high priest for nine years... When I first became involved in the occult, music had a big influence on my life. It was not just the words but the music itself. The beat and style of the music used in the occult rituals is the same that I now hear in ‘Christian power tracts,’ Christian rock and roll,’ ‘Christian rap,’ and in much of what is called ‘Christian contemporary’ music today... How long will Christians allow themselves to be deceived and lied to by satan (the father of lies)? 9

These quotes establish the fact that rock music in any form, Christian or not, is used by satan for the purpose of influencing or gaining control of someone inducing them to do evil. Thus when people listen to rock music, in reality, whether they realize it or not, they are inviting the forces of darkness to influence and or control them for evil. In fact rock music is also being used by satan to prepare the world for the antichrist. The Guiding Spirits of Crowley made it quite clear to him that, soon after his death, the world was going to enter the final stage of preparing the hearts and minds of the people to accept the Black Magick attitudes and values of Antichrist. Crowley was told that a very special kind of music was to prepare the hearts and minds of the people for antichrist. Rock-n-Roll was that music.10 24

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Chapter3 The Affect of Rock Music

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hus far we have examined the origin of rock music, and the purpose of rock music, we will now look at its affect on people’s lives. Rock

music negatively affects people in many ways. For one, there is much evidence to show that rock music and its derivatives are addictive and can cause great harm to an individual. The medical definition of an addiction is a “physical or psychological, or both, dependence”11 on that which is not necessary for life. An addict is one who “devotes or surrenders himself to something habitually or obsessively.’”12 Millions of people especially teenagers display all the classic signs of an addiction in regards to rock music. Dr. Alan Bloom, in regards to rock music, said in his book, The Closing of the American Mind, “Nothing is more singular about this generation than its addiction to music.” The characteristics of an addiction are the following; 1. Denial of the addiction. 2. Sacrifice of relationships for the addiction. 3. Compulsion to engage in the addiction at any time. 4. Secrecy about the addiction. 5. An appetite for the addiction that is never satisfied. 6. Unusual efforts to feed the addiction. 7. Readiness to defend the addiction. 8. Need to involve others in the addiction. 9. Condemning those who say the addiction is wrong.13 Many who listen to rock music display these characteristics. I have witnessed, first hand, all of these characteristics being displayed in the 28

lives of adults, teenagers, and children that I have ministered to over the years. For example; I have witnessed “the compulsion to engage in the addiction at any time” many times when I have seen the person respond to a rock music song in their head, by moving to the beat uncontrollably. My own personal experience has led me to conclude that rock music is addictive. A Psychiatrist wrote the following about the addictiveness of rock music; One of the most powerful releases of the fight-or-flight adrenaline high is music which is discordant in its beat or chords. Good music follows exact mathematical rules, which cause the mind to feel comforted, encouraged, and “safe.” Musicians have found that when they go against these rules, the listener experiences an addicting high. Like unscrupulous ‘diet’ doctors who addicted their clients to amphetamines to ensure their continued dependence, musicians know that discordant music sells and sells. As in all addictions, victims become tolerant. The same music that once created a pleasant tingle of excitement no longer satisfies. The music must become more jarring, louder, and more discordant. One starts with soft rock, then rock “n” roll, then on up to heavy metal music.14

Not only is rock music addictive, it also does damage to one’s emotional, and spiritual well being. This was the conclusion of an American Medical Association study where they linked rock music to 29

destructive behaviors and influences. They said in their report entitled ’Adolescents and Their Music’ published by the Journal of the American Medical Association: Doctors should be alert to the listening habits of young patients as a clue to their emotional health, because fascination with rock ‘n roll, especially heavy metal music, may be associated with drug use, premarital sex and satanic rites... The committee cited ‘.... evidence linking involvement with rock culture with low school achievement, drugs, sexual activity and even satanic activities.’ At the very least, commitment to a rock subculture is symptomatic of adolescent alienation”

There is also a large body of scientific research that shows that rock music also has a negative effect upon ones’ physical body. To the question, 'Does music affect man's physical body?,' modern research applies in the clear affirmative. There is scarcely a single function of the body which cannot be affected by musical tones ... Investigation has shown that music affects digestion,

internal

secretions,

circulation,

nutrition

and

respiration. Even neural networks of the brain have been found to be sensitive to harmonic principles…Researchers have discovered that consonant and dissonant chords, different intervals, and other features of music all exert a profound effect upon man's pulse and respiration -- upon their rate and upon whether their rhythm is constant, or interrupted and jumpy. Blood pressure is lowered by sustained chords and raised by 30

crisp, repeated ones. [It has also been found that the tension of the larynx is affected by melodies, that sound stimuli can have a negative effect upon the skeletal muscles, that rock rhythms cause the heart beat to lose its perfect rhythm, and that certain rhythms can even cause a rare malady known as "musicogenic epilepsy" (76 documented cases as of 1984), with which some of its victims have been tormented to the point of committing suicide or murder.] ... We can see, then, that music affects the body in two distinct ways: directly, as the effect of sound upon the cells and organs, and indirectly, by affecting the emotions, which then in turn influence numerous bodily processes15

Here is how one researcher explained the negative effect of rock music upon one’s physical well being. …rock contains harmonic dissonance and melodic discord while it accents rhythm with a big beat. In fact, the anapestic beat [two short beats, a long beat, then a pause] used by many rock musicians actually is the exact opposite of our heart and arterial rhythms [thereby causing an immediate loss of body strength].16

There is also scientific research to show that rock music is destructive to any life form. …if music can be shown to affect plants, then such effects have to be due to the objective influence of the musical tones and rhythms directly upon the cells and processes of the life-form itself….not only did rock music stunt the growth of a wide 31

variety of plants, but if played long enough, the plants actually died. And even more startling were the findings of Dr. T.C. Singh, head of the Botany Department at Annamalai University, India. His experiments demonstrated that not only did certain forms of music and certain musical instruments (specifically, classical music and the violin) cause plants to grow at twice their normal speed, but that later generations of the seeds of musically stimulated plants carried on the improved traits of greater size, more leaves, etc.!17

Others researchers have made similar conclusions. The Sound and Music of Plants (De Vorss and Company, 1973) documents research on the effects of various types of sound and music on the growth and health of plants. A monotonous tone played for several hours was totally destructive of plant life, as was rock music. Western classical music had mixed effects. When Gandharva Veda was played, the plants responded most positively—they melodious

using

flourished.

(Traditional

instruments

such

as

Veda the

music

is

flute, violin

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harmonium, and veena.)

The Secret Life of Plants (Harper and Row, 1989) also documents research on the effects of various types of sound and music on the growth and health of plants. When Gandharva Veda music was played to plants, the plant which was closest to the source of sound virtually embraced the loudspeaker. When hard-rock music was played, the plants moved away from the source of sound.19 32

A research scientist doing work in the area of harmonic resonance had this to say about the negative effect of rock music; In all of God's creation, elements exist in molecules which have very specific lattices, which can be seen under a microscope. The precise relationship of the angles within these lattices form mathematical constants such as pi, phi, etc... These exact same constants also form the mathematical ratios which define musical note harmony and resonance. The purest of harmonies, those which "uplift" us, are also those which "resonate" in our hearts and souls. Traditional Christian music affects us in just this way. We elevate our souls to Jesus, and in so doing, feel, literally experience, His love within us….Rock music, as you correctly noted, used heavy monotone drum beats, which contain NO harmonious content, combined with disharmonious chords, and negative lyrics, a 1-2-3 combination designed to force the listener into a lower, animalistic state. It effectively "pushes us down", away from God, weakens our spirit and makes our hearts dead to higher emotion. Most of the so-called technological advances of recent history have been deceitfully designed to further alienate man from God. Digitized music, even recordings of harmonious chords, use data bit samples instead of the full, analog waveforms, and these data bits do not immerse the listener in the pure sounds which resonate within. These devices are being made even smaller and more powerful, marketed to adolescents, so they will be constantly exposed to 33

the inherent evils of rock music, made worse by the staccato bit streams which pulse it into their minds. The Adversary is employing every tool imaginable to destroy our youth today. Music is so basically fundamental to our existence and being, that it is the front rank of the diabolical attack….Some styles of modern music, the "rap" or "hip-hop" versions, use monotone rhythmic chants in place of lyrics and harmonies. The monotone chant, like the drums of rock music, drive down the spirit of the chanters, weakening them to the message, which is typically negative or nihilistic. Chant can be used to "enchant", as is done by shamans. This is far from "modern", and is just as effective today, perhaps more so because today's technology affects entire societies.20

It is clear from the testimony of the scientific community that rock music is indeed evil and a very destructive force. In review we have established that rock music was created by satan to influence and or gain control of individuals to induce them for evil. We have also established that rock music is addictive and does damage to one’s physical, emotional and spiritual well being. Thus we can conclude that rock music in any form, Christian or not, is a very destructive force. Not only have the medical, psychiatric, and academic professions attested to the destructiveness of rock music but also many individuals have given testimony in regards to its destructiveness upon their lives. Here a few of the many thousands of testimonies that brings this fact to light. 34

One spring I had a job fixing up a house. The work required weeks of painting, wallpapering, and general repair. A well meaning friend wanted to help me ‘pass the time’ while I worked, so he gave me his favorite tape of contemporary Christian music. I had never listened to this type of music before and was eager to be a part of whatever would strengthen my spiritual life. Most of the songs were familiar hymns that I had sung in church, but they had been ‘livened up’ to make them more exciting. There was only one song on the tape that had a strong rock beat. The more I heard this song, the more I wanted to listen to it. After several weeks, instead of listening to the entire tape, I would just listen to this song with the beat. As soon as the song was over, I would rewind the tape and listen to the same song again and again. Even when I wasn’t playing this song, it seemed to keep playing in my mind. Each day as I put this tape on, I wanted to turn it up a little louder. Soon, I was playing it at full volume. It was as though I was addicted to this song. The words to the song were ‘Shine down Your light on me....’ It would seem that with the encouragement of this message, I would have become a greater witness for Christ. In reality, the contrary became true. Looking back, my spiritual life was taking 35

a rapid downward turn that was characterized by compromise, apathy, and sensuality. The worst thing is that I didn’t even notice the growing darkness that was overtaking my life. The steady drone of the rock beat was a powerful anesthesia that deadened my spiritual senses and thus ushered in a host of tragic decisions. Like a patient that is being operated on, I had no sense of spiritual pain. After I completed the house-repair job, I went on a trip to visit several friends. I was invited to do some things that I knew were wrong and of which my parents would not approve. Although most without thought, I chose to disobey my parents and the Lord. This was the first time in my life that I can remember ever willfully disobeying my parents. I am ashamed in the things in which I participated, and I only wish I could somehow remove the reproach that I brought to the name of Christ. Years have passed since that time, and God has shown me the deadly poison of the rock beat in any type of music. It took months of daily time in God’s Word to regain the spiritual sensitivity that was lost during that season of my life. I grieve over the destruction that satan brought to me through the rock beat. Please don’t make the mistake I did by allowing this music into your life!21

Another wrote of the destructiveness of rock and Christian rock music in his life. 36

....I saw that rock music, rebellion and immorality were hooked together, and that only when you get rid of the wrong music can you get rid of the immoral desires and wrong feelings to which I was in bondage.22

And yet another; .... Then I was introduced to ‘Christian rock’ music as a means of evangelizing my unsaved friends. I was so excited, because I could find contemporary Christian artists that sounded like my old secular favorites. At first, I started with a mild beat, for fear of getting involved with rock music again. However, I was told by many respected Christians that it was the lyrics that made secular music wrong, not the tune. My old desire for the ‘beat’ was satisfied again, but the things that it required of me waged a war within my soul. It seemed as though there was always a conflict between my family and me. Thoughts of suicide came to me during this period of time. I had a deep desire to follow the Lord, yet I could not understand why I had no victory in my life.23

Rock music whether Christian or not is a very destructive force. It originated with satan, and satan has used it for thousands of years in his satanic religions such as Voodooism, Buddhism, Shintuism, etc. He continues to use this music in these religions today, and this music is also used in actual satan worship services around the world. satan uses this 37

music to influence the listeners for evil, and in some cases it leads to possession. Rock music is very addictive and has caused the destruction of many lives and has negatively impacted the physical, emotional and spiritual well being of thousands of others. Thus we conclude that rock music in any form is evil and satanic. Even secular writers like David Tame have attested to this fact. More than any other form of the misuse of sound, it is rock with which we must deal today. ... It is a global phenomenon; a pounding, pounding destructive beat which is heard from America and Western Europe to Africa and Asia. Its effect upon the soul is to make nigh-impossible the true inner silence and peace necessary for the contemplation of eternal verities. ... How necessary is it in this age for some to have the courage to be the ones who are 'different', and to separate themselves out from the pack who long ago sold their lives and personalities to this sound. ... I adamantly believe that rock in all its forms is a critical problem which our civilization must get to grips. ... if it wishes long to survive.24

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Chapter4 Rock Music Evaluated

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ome Christians disagree with the reasoning that says that rock music in any form is evil, and they say that only secular rock

is bad, but Christian rock is good. They come to this conclusion by assuming that music is amoral and because Christian rock has good lyrics, the good lyrics make the song good also. They also attempt to judge music by how it makes them feel. This is an invalid argument based on a false assumption. That argument is based on the assumption that the music is neutral or amoral and it is the words that make a song good or bad. Music is not neutral or amoral, individual musical notes are amoral but not music. This is also the case with words and pictures. Words and pictures are not amoral, that is they can either be good or bad. Letters, lines, and colors are amoral. So just as one can put letters, lines, and colors together to make evil words, stories, and pictures so one can put notes and sounds together to make evil music. So the assumption that music is neutral is a false assumption. This fact was brought to light thousands of years ago in the writings of Plato. In his famous work, Laws, Plato lamented the musical revolution of his time and its "unmusical anarchy": "Through foolishness they deceived themselves into thinking that there was no right or wrong in music -- that it was to be judged good or bad by the pleasure it gave. By their work and their theories they infected the masses with the presumption to think themselves adequate judges. ... As it was, the criterion was not music, but a reputation for promiscuous cleverness and a spirit of lawbreaking.”25 42

Notice what the ancient secular writer Plato said “Through foolishness they deceived themselves into thinking that there was no right or wrong in music -- that it was to be judged good or bad by the pleasure it gave.” That is also typical of how most of the Christians in this day and age regard and evaluate music. It is sad when secular people have more wisdom and discernment than Christians. By the many facts presented in this paper it has been clearly shown that rock music its self is evil, regardless of what the words say, the words may or may not be evil. To say that good words will make evil music good is like saying that a Bible verse written on a cigarette will make the cigarette good. That is nonsense and so is the argument that music is amoral and it is the words that determine if a song is good or bad. Another fallacious argument many present in defense of Christian rock is to say that Christian rock is good because it has been used to lead people to the Lord and helps others worship God. My reply “the ends never justify the means” Whenever God’s people use the world’s methods to attempt to accomplish God’s purposes it results in destruction. A classic example of this is the story of the Israelites bringing back the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem after it was captured by the Philistines. They began to transport the ark on a cart, which is the method that the Philistines used. Uzziah reached out to steady it, which God had strictly forbidden in His word for anyone to touch the ark, and he died.26 In summary they tried to accomplish God’s purpose with the world’s method and it resulted in death. God had already told them how to move the ark, with two poles, not a cart. Even though they sincerely wanted to do right they used the 43

world’s method and it resulted in death. God has specifically told us in His word what type of music He wants us to listen to; melodious music, “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”27 The Lord’s Prayer also eludes to this when it says ”Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” I can guarantee that there will not be rock music in heaven. The only instrument ever listed as being in heaven is the harp. The harp is an instrument used primarily for melodious music. Attempting to use the world’s method of rock music to accomplish God’s purpose, will have the same end as those who wanted to move the ark by cart, it will result in destruction. Here is a quote which further elaborates on the foolishness of this logic. Christian rock [music] is the daughter of worldly rock. It tries to make the Christian message more appealing to the world by using a worldly medium. ... Charismatics and New Evangelicals have tried to Christianize demonic rock music, mixing holy with unholy, to reach today's young people. They said, 'To win them, we must speak their language.' But when they won them, what did they win them to? Whatever weak Gospel message [might be there] is lost in the process. May we similarly "Christianize" liquor by putting a Gospel message on the bottle label, and have Christians buy and promote it to reach drunks for Jesus? A good goal does not justify unscriptural methods.28

Christian rock music is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” The Christian lyrics make it appear to be all right, but no matter what the words say the music itself is still destructive. No matter how well meaning those who 44

promote, perform, or listen to Christian rock are; Christian rock is a very destructive force in the lives of many Christians, and has caused great harm to the church. It is a true “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Yet another fallacious argument used by many Christians to illogically defend Christian rock is that they say, “nowhere in the Bible does it say that it is wrong.” I admit that in the Bible nowhere does it mention the words “rock music”, but the Bible does not mention the word cigarette either. However by principle the Bible does condemn both rock music and cigarettes a thousand times over. The principles that Christian rock violates have already been expounded upon in this paper. Here is a list of some of those principles. 1. A Christian is to stay away from all aspects of satan and satanism. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) 2. A Christian is to not harm his body, a temple of the Holy Spirit. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (I Cor 6:19) 3. A Christian is not to be addicted to anything. “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (I Cor 6:12)

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4. A Christian is to live on “earth as it is in Heaven.” “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Mt 6:10) 5. A Christian is commanded to listen to and sing melodious music. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph 5:19) The devil has made a deadly attack on the Church of God through secular and Christian rock music. He has already destroyed many with it, and will unfortunately destroy many in the future. Christian rock music is truly a “wolf in sheep’s clothing!” The evil in Christian rock has even become apparent to the secular world. Here is a quote from a July 16, 2001 Newsweek article entitled “The Glorious Rise of Christian Pop” that brings this fact to light. “Are you ready to rip the face off this place?” screams the lead singer of Pillar (a Christian rock band). A hyped-up crowd of teens—6,000 strong—goes nuts. The aggressive rap-rock band launches into a pummeling kickoff number, the surly singer pounding the stage with his steel toed boot, sweating right through his baggy army fatigues and black bandana. He gestures like a member of some vicious street gang as he screams and roars into the mike, his arm swinging low as if on the way to the requisite crotch grab. This crude move is as integral to rap-rock as the blown kiss is to a lounge act, and is usually accompanied 46

by an explosion of expletives. The singer’s hand slaps down hard on his thigh-and stays there. Gripping his pant legs with conviction, he screams, “Jesus Christ!” Pause. “Is He in your heart?”

The actions described here are far from Christ-like, even the secular writer brought that out when she described their performance with words such as “surly,” and “gestures like some member of a vicious street gang.” As a result of watching this performance and others at a Christian rock festival she concludes, Fun and prayer aside, there’s no getting around the metaphoric elephant in the middle of this alt-rock fair: the values of Christianity and anti-values of rock seem morally incompatible.

If secular people can recognize the moral incompatibility of rock music with Christianity why can’t Christians? This next quote from the same article clearly shows this incompatibility. This is what a veteran CCM artist said about Christian rock music, “’I think rebellion and Christianity go together,” says Mark Stuart, 33, lead singer of Audio Adrenaline, a veteran CCM group that recently started their own label.” My Bible says, “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” (I Sam 15:23a.) The rest of the article reveals more. IT’S TIME TO WREAK HAVOC and give praise at Festival Con Dios, the first Christian alternative-rock tour. This is the sanctified

answer

to

hedonistic

summer

blowouts

like 47

Lollapalooza and Ozzfest. …Contemporary Christian music is now the hottest genre in the entire music industry. If Christian pop used to connote sappy lyrics, lacquered hairdos and softfocus videos, it now means the boy band Plus One, the Latin cross-over singer Jaci Velasquez and even the arty underground Danielson Family. “CCM” has become an umbrella term for anything with faith-based lyrics, from Twila Paris’s inspirational hymns

to

Audio

Adrenaline’s

squealing

feedback.

…Occasionally, the music crosses over: CCM stars such as crooner Michael W. Smith and the roots-rock outfit Jars of Clay get play on VH1, and the metal bands P.O.D. and Lifehouse are embraced by MTV.

This excerpt brings out the fact that Christian rock is crossing over to secular rock and vice versa and the two are becoming indiscernible. The mere fact that it is being “embraced” by MTV should send up warning signals. As already discussed one of the justifications used for Christian rock music by those who promote it is that they say it can be used for evangelism. Here is what the secular writer said about the “evangelism” she witnessed at the concert. As the sun goes down, special guest Anthony Walton hits the stage and preaches to the fresh-faced crowd about the inevitability of death, …The kids listen, but it’s hard to concentrate on pain and suffering when a motorcycle daredevil is getting ready to jump over a school bus right in front of you. 48

Sounds like an effective way to preach the gospel, I wonder if anyone got saved? Maybe if they just focused on how some of the attendees were acting it would bring them to salvation. Here is what the author witnessed, But in the mosh pit, spiky haired boys do a fine job of knocking the bejesus out of one another, stopping midslam only to let a bunny-hopping conga line slip through.

I do not know about you but this description sickens my stomach and is a sacrilege to the name of Christ. The worldliness in all of this is clearly evident. The Bible states that the Christian is to; “Abstain from all appearance of evil,” (1 Thes 5:22) not be conformed to the world, (Rom 12:2) and think on good, pure, and lovely things. (Phil 4:8) We have already shown how Christian rock violates several Biblical principles; the Newsweek article clearly shows how Christian rock violates several more Biblical principles. The truth has been presented; I have not lied or presented any false information. Sound logic has been used to deduce the conclusions; the question is; are you willing to accept the truth that rock music in any form is satanic and destructive? So far we have established the following; rock music was created by satan to influence and or gain control of individuals, rock music is addictive and does damage to one’s physical, emotional and spiritual well being, rock music in any form, Christian or not, is a very destructive force, good lyrics do not in themselves make a song good, and the intended 49

results of Christian rock do not justify its use. We have also shown several Biblical principles which Christian rock violates. It is my prayer that for your own good, the good of those in your family, the good of your brothers and sisters in Christ, and the glory of the Lord that you will abstain from listening to and or having in your possession rock music in any form. Furthermore I call on Bible believing Christians everywhere to take a stand against the assault that the devil has made through Christian rock music. Let us band together denounce it, and abhor it just as a group of pastors in Russia did. This is what they wrote to American Christians. For thirty years we have suffered intense persecution, and now freedom is bringing another great harm to our churches. This damage is coming from the Christians in America who are sending rock music and evangelists accompanied by rock bands. Our young people do not attend these meetings because we have all committed not to participate in secular entertainment. This is a great burden on our hearts. Many come with Bible in hand and rock music. We are embarrassed by this image of Christianity. We do not know what words to use in urging that this be stopped. We abhor all Christian rock music coming to our country. Rock music has nothing in common with ministry or service to God. We are very, very against Christian Americans bringing to our country this false image of ‘ministry’ to God. We need spiritual bread-please give us true bread, not false cakes. It is 50

true that rock music attracts people to church, but not to Godly living. We were in prison for fifteen years and eleven years for Christ’s sake. We were not allowed to have Christian music, but rock music was used as a weapon against us day and night to destroy our souls. We could only resist with much prayer and fasting. Now we have a time of more openness, and we are no longer taken to prison. However, now it is Christians from America who damage our souls. We do not allow this music in our church, but they rent big stadiums and infect teenagers and adults with their rock music. We the leadership and congregations of the Unregistered Union of Churches, the former Persecuted Church, have made an agreement to not allow rock music in our churches. We urge you to join with us, and we advise you to remove rock music from America, and certainly do not bring it to our country. Do not desecrate our teenagers with it. Even the unbelievers recognize it is unholy music and they cannot understand how American Christians can be so much like the world. We can give you the conclusion that after Russian unbelievers have attended these rock concerts where Christ’s Word was preached, the people

were

very

disappointed

and

disillusioned

with

Christianity.

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We call this music from hell. We urge all Americans to stop giving money for the organization of such concerts in Russia. We want only traditional Christian music in our churches. This is the unanimous decision of all our leaders.29

O that American Christians would come to the same conclusion! One of the reasons that I have written this short book is because I am greatly concerned for the well being of Christians. I have seen too many Christians harmed by this music to let this practice continue without saying something about it. We need to base our decisions on scripture and not our feelings. The tragic truth is that most Christians judge the effectiveness of music based upon the yardstick of the flesh, rather than the yardstick of the Spirit. If a song thrills us, we like it. If it doesn't excite us, we don't like it. Too often our opinion of a song is not based on the musical, textual, or even biblical worth of it -- but rather on how it makes us feel. As in so many other areas of life, we take a sensual approach to music.30

I am assuming that most Christians who listen to Christian rock music do it out of ignorance to the damage that it can do to them and their children. A former satanist put it this way; With my background, it’s very difficult for me to understand why any Christian would want to put Christian words to that kind of music. I have to believe that they are sincere, but I do not believe that they really understand what they’re opening themselves up to and the invitation they are giving to the enemy 52

of their lives. When I hear rock music in church, to me it’s like taking a Oiuja board to church and saying, ‘We’re going to play this and not summon the powers of darkness. We’re going to play this and try to get a message from God.’ It just doesn’t fit.31

I agree, Christianity and rock music; “it just doesn’t fit.” So to answer the question is Christian rock music a wolf or a sheep? The evidence is overwhelming; it is a wolf. I would like to share with you a startling confirmation of this fact. Realizing that the Bible codes contain time locked information for our generation, what better way to confirm the answer to a question that is primarily specific to our generation than to search the Bible codes? I did just that and my search yielded a definite confirmation of this fact. The confirmation of the answer is set forth in two matrices concerning rock music. These matrices could not fit in this book and can be viewed at thecomingepiphany.com website in the articles section, or at the AD 2004

Prophecy

Truths

website

located

at

this

address;

http://ad2004.com/Biblecodes/Hebrewmatrix/rockmusic.html. As you will see the first matrix contains the statistically significant words, which are; Rock music, satanic, wicked, wickedly, corruption, hellish, and perversion. The odds that the words in that matrix occur by chance are 66.6 billion to one. Odds that high indicate that the occurrence of these words in the matrix is beyond chance, and we can conclude that the words were encoded by design, and thus God put them there. The question is; are we willing to accept the truth?

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54

Conclusion

F

or God’s glory and the furthering of His kingdom and for your sake and the sake of future generations let us stop listening to any form of

rock music, remove it from our homes, and take a stand against it. I call on pastors and churches to stand up for what is right and denounce this evil practice. Many churches are bowing their knee to the god of rock music to gain numbers. Here is what Rick Warren of the “purpose driven” church says about music. The style of music you choose to use in your services will be one of the most critical (and controversial!) decisions you make in the life of your church. It may be THE most influential factor in determining who your church reaches for Christ and whether or not your church grows. You must match your music to the kind of people God wants your church to reach….We’ve often been referred to in the press as “The flock that likes to rock.” We use the style of music the majority of people in our church.32

Woe to the church that brings in the worldly beat to its worship services and caters to the fleshly desires of people to get a bigger crowd. This does not glorify God and God will bring judgment upon those churches that have fallen into this “error of Balaam.” Scripture admonishes us to flee evil things. But thou, O man of God, flee these things: follow after 55

righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith. (I Tim 5:11-12a) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up. (James 4:7-10)

Let us not only get rid of rock music but let us replace it with good. That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Eph 4:22-24)

Let us put off the “old man” with its evil rock music, and put on the “new man” with its melodious good music. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” (Eph 5:19) 56

Rock music is evil, abhor it and flee from it before it destroys you and your loved ones. It is a true wolf in sheep’s clothing.

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About the Author William Frederick has been teaching and preaching God’s Word for 18 years as a Christian Education Minister. He is also the Sunday School Superintendent in the local Independent Fundamental Baptist church he attends. William has written another book entitled The Coming Epiphany; Because You Need To Know The Truth About The End Times. William’s book lays before the reader, in an easy to understand format, essential spiritual truths about the end times and brings light and clarity to many hotly debated prophecy topics. Most importantly he presents a formal logic proof that proves which rapture theory is correct. He also answers daunting questions such as; when in the 70th week will WWIII and the financial collapse occur? Why is America the end times Babylon of Revelation 18? These and many more pertinent questions are answered in this great teaching book. For more information about this book go to: www.thecomingepiphany.com. We had some extra space in this book so we included a free sample of The Coming Epiphany for you to read.

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THE COMING EPIPHANY BECAUSE YOU NEED TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THE END TIMES

William Frederick, M. Div.

61

Preface

T

homas angrily pounded his fist on the table saying, “You are crazy, the world is flat! If you sail too far, you will fall off!” Christopher responded, “No, you are wrong. The world is round, and

I will not fall off!” I can easily imagine this type of argument between Christopher Columbus and one of his peers. We all know who was eventually proved right; but at the time, because of the limited knowledge many possessed, the topic of whether the world was round or flat was a heated topic of debate. Today, there is another heated and complicated topic of debate: biblical prophecy and especially the timing of the rapture. The information presented in this book deals with this complicated topic. There are many books on the market that deal with biblical prophecy. Why is this book different? Why listen to me? Who am I to say what is right or wrong? Should you listen to me because I have been involved in preaching and teaching God’s Word on a daily basis for the last 20 years, or because I have memorized and meditated on scripture every day for the last 23 years, or because I have a Master of Divinity degree from a conservative fundamental Christian university, or because I have fasted and prayed over this book? No, even though credentials have their place, you should not listen to anyone because they have “credentials.” You should only listen to me or any Bible teacher or preacher because what they say agrees with the Word of God. We all have the responsibility before God to go to the scriptures ourselves and see if what we are being taught agrees with all of scripture just like the Bereans did. “These 62

[Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). Scripture and scripture alone is the standard by which everything must be judged. Unfortunately, many approach end-times scriptures with a predetermined theological mindset and then try to make scripture fit into their theology. What sets this book apart from all the rest is that it attempts to approach the topic with all of scripture, and scripture alone, as its basis. A theological belief is then formed on the basis of what all of the scriptures dictate. In this book scripture will be interpreted according to the following principle: “When the plain sense of scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.”33 In other words, scripture will be interpreted literally unless it is evident that a symbolic interpretation is warranted by the text. Theological systems will then be evaluated in light of what the Bible says and not the other way around, as many books on this topic do. Many end-times books also are based solely or partly on various extra-biblical ancient and modern-day prophecies. It is apparent that many of these prophecies are man-made or even demonic in origin, and even though they may contain some truth, they do not contain all truth and thus cannot be trusted. The only sure foundation that we have for faith and doctrine is the Word of God. When this book uses extra-biblical sources, it is only to support a point that has already been made from the scriptures. 63

In this book, I will endeavor to present what the whole of scripture says with regard to prophetic events and not necessarily what any theological system dictates. I ask that you would prayerfully compare what I present with scripture. If I have been accurate in presenting the truth of God’s Word—and these pages represent the truth of what is to come—then all of scripture will agree with what I am stating. And in all of your prophetic study, whether through this book or any other, let me remind you of one of God’s wonderful promises: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering” (James 1:5–6). I pray that this book will be a blessing to you A proper understanding of biblical prophecy is extremely important and is essential to the life of the believer (or unbeliever, for that matter). Without it, regardless of your spiritual background, you could be caught off guard and be unprepared for what is going to take place on the earth in the near future. Should this occur, you would most likely place yourself in spiritual and or physical jeopardy. If the rapture occurs and you are left behind, you will most likely suffer a terrible fate. Thus, I beseech you to take very seriously the information presented in this book, for it will be of such profound importance that I liken it to the importance of Christopher Columbus saying that the world is round.

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Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1: A Dream I Had Chapter 2: The Essence of the Day of the Lord Chapter 3: The Signs of the Day of the Lord Chapter 4: The Beginning of the Day of the Lord Chapter 5: Who’s Right? Chapter 6: Why Does it Matter? Chapter 7: The Great Day of His Wrath is Come Chapter 8: The Millennium and Beyond Chapter 9: A Chronology of the Seventy Weeks Chapter 10: Be Prepared Chapter 11: What About America? Chapter 12: The New World Order Chapter 13: The Son of Perdition Chapter 14: Jehovah Jireh Chapter 15: The Interpretation Conclusion

9 15 21 35 45 75 97 111 133 153 189 221 241 293 317 329 337

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Introduction

T

he student exclaimed, “Oh! I get it!” I have taught mathematics for many years, and sometimes,

after explaining a new concept, a few just don’t quite get it. When that happens I usually try explaining the concept another way, and many times I have heard them say, “Oh! I get it!” They experienced an epiphany. What is an epiphany? This question may have crossed your mind when you first encountered this book. Here are two of the definitions:34 A sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something. An intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event), usually simple and striking.

One of the central themes of this book concerns the explanation of the epiphany that is coming to all mankind. It will happen on a day when men cry out with the sudden perception of the essential nature or meaning of Christ. It will happen on a day when they will gain a grasp of reality through a very special prophetic event. The reality that they will be awakened to will cause their hearts to melt in terror. This event is known in the Bible as the Day of the Lord, and it will follow several signs that will be given to let all the world know that the day is approaching.

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The epiphany that will come upon mankind at the Day of the Lord will be part of a larger series of events that will occur during the sevenyear end-times period known as the 70th week of Daniel or, as some call it, the “tribulation.” This period constitutes the last seven years on earth before Jesus Christ returns and establishes His millennial reign. The most incredible series of events yet experienced on the earth will take place during the 70th week. These events will span seven years of 360 days (based on the ancient Jewish “prophetic” year), for a total of 2,520 days. Some of these events will be so cataclysmic that men will try to hide themselves in crevices of the earth, their hearts will fail, and they will cry out for fear. The reason that the Day of the Lord is so cataclysmic is that it is a period of time in which God pours out His wrath upon the world. This event culminates with the Lord Jesus Christ’s return to earth to rule and reign over the whole world. This book will focus in on the event known as the Day of the Lord. We will examine what will occur before, during, and after that Day. We will also examine several related aspects associated with the Day of the Lord and give practical spiritual applications. The Day of the Lord, as outlined by scripture, has profound theological implications, and these will become evident as we go along in our discussion. The understanding of prophecy and formulating correct prophetic beliefs is much like putting together the pieces of a complicated jigsaw puzzle. In doing so, one first examines all the pieces, then selects the border pieces and starts to assemble the border. After the border of the puzzle is completed, one works on filling in the center. As we know, to 67

complete the puzzle, we must fit every piece perfectly with its surrounding pieces. When every piece is fitted in, the picture is complete. The pieces of the “prophecy puzzle” are the numerous prophetic verses found throughout the Bible. The border pieces are the prophetic principles set forth in scripture, such as the principle that God will not allow His children to be subject to His wrath (1 Thess. 5:9). In attempting to formulate a correct prophetic view of future events, one must put all the pieces within this framework so that all the pieces fit together perfectly. In other words, one must establish a prophetic belief system that is in agreement with all of the prophetic principles and all of the prophetic scriptures so there are no contradictions. We can check any theological position for its correctness by comparing it to all of the scriptural principles and truths found in the Bible. If it contradicts any of them, that theological position is in error. The theological position presented in this book has undergone the scrutiny of such an analysis. Do not take my word for it. Go to the Lord and the scriptures, and prove to yourself that what is being presented is agreement with all scripture. We will begin our discussion of prophetic truths by first establishing a framework of prophetic principles. The first piece in the framework is to define or examine the essential nature of the Day of the Lord. Before we do that, I would like to tell you about an experience that I had that helped drive me to examine prophetic scriptures more intently and helped me to have my epiphany. An epiphany will come to all! Have you had your epiphany yet?

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Chapter 1 A Dream I Had

S

eptember 11, 2001 is a day that will live in infamy. Those horrific images have been burned into our hearts and minds forever. What

happened on that day gave me an overwhelming sense in my spirit that we were close to the final days before the return of the Lord. This catastrophe was obviously an action of satan allowed by God. But a nagging question swirled in my mind. If God allowed this disaster to happen, what else might God allow to occur before He returns? That question drove me to my knees, at which time I cried out to God to show me what was going to happen in the time leading up to His return. In response to that earnest plea, God answered my prayer and opened my eyes to end-times scriptural truths in His Word as never before. Something else happened in my life that increased my desire to know what scripture says with regard to the end times. I had a dream which I believe foretells future events in my life leading up to the time in which Christians will be raptured. It was a complete surprise to me to receive a prophetic dream from God. Yes, I trusted Him and believed the Bible, which I eagerly taught to others. Yet, like most Christians, I had never had an experience like that before. In fact, I wasn’t sure that anything like that was possible. I believed that these things had passed away with the apostles, or maybe that “it only happened to other people.” Can God still communicate to people through dreams today? Some would argue no, saying that since we have the complete Word of God, we have no need for dreams. I disagree; for scripture will be present during 69

the end times and God has specifically told us that He will use dreams to communicate to His children during that time. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams…And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come. (Acts 2:16–20)

So the argument that God will not communicate to us via dreams because we have scripture is not valid. I assert that God in the past, today, and in the future can and will at times communicate to us in dreams. Pharaoh, the baker, the butler, Joseph, Nebuchadnezzar, Peter, and the list goes on. The Bible records that many people, both saved and unsaved in the Old Testament and New, have had dreams in which God was trying to communicate to them. By way of caution, let me also say that no dream from God will contradict scripture. Let me also state that this book in no way is based on the dream I had. The dream was used to drive me to scripture. At first I thought the dream was just that—a dream. But as the days and months passed, it did not fade from my mind but remained as vivid as the day I had it. I also had a growing sense that the dream was from God. As that thought permeated my mind, I wanted to know what it meant; for its meaning totally baffled me. I knew it was about the future and that a rough road lay ahead and that God would take care of my family and me, but the meaning eluded me. As Nebuchadnezzar said, “I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream” (Dan. 2:3). 70

Trying to find out what the dream meant helped motivate me to examine God’s Word more intently to see if the meaning would become apparent to me. This earnest search of scripture, by God’s grace, led to the putting together of all the pieces of the prophecy puzzle—“the plain truth about the end times and how to prepare for it.” The picture revealed by putting all the pieces together was different than what I had believed for most my Christian life. Naturally, I felt compelled to tell people what my scriptural study had revealed. That is why I have written this book. My study of scripture also has led me to believe that some of the events depicted in the dream will not only affect me but everyone alive on earth at the time. That is why I would like to share the dream and its meaning with you. My family and I were in our Ford Explorer, driving down a nicely paved road at a good speed. Up ahead, I saw a lot of billowing black smoke from an accident at an intersection. A large dump truck had entered the intersection from my right and smashed into the side of an odd-shaped yellow recreational vehicle of grotesquely large size. The motor home was very damaged down its left side and disabled. It had been traveling in the opposite direction from me, and as I passed by, I clearly saw the damage from the collision. I turned my head to look forward again and noticed a policeman directing traffic to turn right, but I was going too fast to make the turn. I just kept going straight through the intersection, and the policeman did not stop me. All the rest of the traffic on my road turned right. For some reason, I did not want to stop and was glad I could keep going in my original direction. The road kept going, though I was the only one on it. It was initially pavement; but shortly, it turned into rough gravel. Up ahead, I noticed a huge ditch across the road in front of me. I braked hard and hit the ditch with a jolt. My SUV made it across the ditch without crashing, and we made it to the other side safely. After stopping, I got out and looked around. The SUV was not 71

damaged. I was standing on extremely wet, soggy sand, which prevented me from driving any further. Looking back, I saw many people traveling down the detour route to the right—the detour the policeman had wanted me to take back at the intersection. It now had a guard rail alongside the road that prevented others and myself from gaining access. I felt a keen sense of embarrassment from having gotten into this predicament. Water seeped out of the sand I was standing on and flowed down into a stream. As I was walking, I looked to the left and saw a large pond with very clean water and sea creatures and fish in it. I had a feeling that this pond was down south somewhere, and I felt very safe and calm being there. I remember thinking that there was food there to eat that could sustain us. On the other side of the stream was a large cement wall about 30 feet tall. Beyond the wall were some very nice houses. Although I could see windows in the houses, no one had seen me, and I had a sense that this was a good thing because I was not supposed to be there. The sand road I was on made a 180-degree turn to the right at the stream. I walked around the bend in the road and looked down the road. It had lush vegetation growing along each side and it seemed to go on for a long ways, although I could not see that far down it.

That is my dream. The accident, gravel road, policeman, and ditch depict events that will affect all of us. Before I share with you the meaning of the dream, I would like to first show you what my study of scripture, which led to the understanding of the dream, has yielded. We will start our journey through end-times events with a discussion of the most important event that will occur during the end times, namely, the Day of the Lord.

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Chapter 2 The Essence of The Day of the Lord

T

he sun is suddenly darkened, the moon glows the color of blood, the ground shakes violently, the sky splits and rolls away like a scroll,

and the stars fall. Grown men run frantically to and fro, screaming like babies, trying to find somewhere to hide, while others just faint from terror. It is at this time that all the people of the world will have an epiphany. The epiphany will occur at the yet future event known as the Day of the Lord, which is mentioned many times in scripture. It is even the subject matter of the entire book of Joel. Many parts of scripture have whole paragraphs devoted to the topic. Understanding the Day of the Lord is foundational to a proper understanding of all biblical end-times prophecy. In this chapter, we will examine the essence, reason for, and duration of this Day. First, we need to come to an understanding of the essential nature of what this future event entails. Renald Showers describes its essence beautifully. The Day of the Lord refers to God’s special interventions into the course of world events to judge His enemies, accomplish His purpose for history, and thereby demonstrate who He is—the sovereign God of the universe.35

This time of God’s special intervention known primarily as The Day of the Lord has been referred to by other terms in scripture, such as the 73

Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jer. 30:7); His Strange Work/Act (Isa. 28:21); the Day of Israel’s Calamity (Deut. 32:35); the Indignation (Isa. 26:20; Dan. 11:36); the Overflowing Scourge (Isa. 28:15, 18); the Day of Vengeance

(Isa.

34:8;

35:4;

Wrath/Distress/Wasteness/Desolation

61:2); (Zeph.

the

1:15);

Day the

Day

of of

Darkness/Thick Darkness/Gloominess (Zeph. 1:15, Joel 2:2); the Day of Trumpet and Alarm (Zeph. 1:16); the hour of trial (Rev. 3:10); the Wrath to Come (1 Thess. 1:10); the Wrath (1 Thess. 5:9), and the Hour of His Judgment (Rev. 14:7). In some instances, the Day of the Lord, due to its unique nature, has been referred to as simply “that day” (Isa. 2:11, 17; 2:20; 4:2; Joel 3:18; Mark 13:32; Luke 21:34; 2 Tim. 1:12, 18; 4:8). In relation to the events of the last seven years on earth, the yet future Day of the Lord can be characterized as a time of wrath and vengeance poured out upon mankind for their wickedness. As it says in Isaiah 2:10– 22: Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low…and the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols he shall utterly abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth…To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

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The pouring out of God’s wrath during the end times is only part of the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord will also include the pouring out of His blessings during the millennium. The future Day of the Lord will have at least a twofold nature. First, it will be characterized by darkness and a tremendous outpouring of divine wrath upon the world (Joel 2:1–2; Amos 5:18–20; Zeph. 1:14–15; 1 Th. 5:1–11). Amos 5:18–20 emphasizes that this will be the total nature of the Day of the Lord for God’s enemies. It will bring no divine light or blessing to them. This will be the nature of the Day of the Lord during the 70th week of Daniel. Second, the Day of the Lord will also be characterized by light, an outpouring of divine blessing, and the administration of God’s rule. The Prophet Joel, after talking about the darkening of the sun, moon, and stars and God’s Day of the Lord judgment of the armies of the nations gathered in Israel (Joel 3:9-16), foretold great divine blessing “in that day” (Joel 3:17–21).36

So even though the portion of the Day of the Lord that occurs before the millennium will consist of the wrath of God being poured out on a sinful world, after that aspect of the Day of the Lord is finished, then blessings will be poured out during the Millennium… To read the rest of the book go to www.thecomingepiphany.com

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Endnotes Michael Ventura, “Hear That Long Snake Moan,” Whole Earth Review, Spring 1987, pp. 28 - 43. 2 David Henderson, ‘Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky, pp. 250,251. 3 Little Richard, quoted by Charles White, The Life and Times of Little Richard, p. 197). 4 The testimony of Rev. Joe Meyers, Tacoma, Washington, printed in; “What the Bible has to say about... ‘Contemporary Christian’ Music,” Institute in Basic Life Principles, 1990, p. 8. 5 “Christian” Rock Music, Christian or satanic? http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/rockm/satanic.htm 6 David Tame, The Secret Power of Music, 1984. p.189,90. 7 The testimony of a twenty year old man, verified by Dr. Jim Logan, International Center for Biblical Counseling, printed in; “How to Conquer the Addiction of Rock Music,” Institute in Basic Life Principles, 1993, pp. 49-51. 8 The testimony of Stephen Maphosah, Zimbabwe, Africa, printed in; “What the Bible has to say about... ‘Contemporary Christian Music,’ p.8. 9 ibid. p.7. 10 Cutting Edge News Article #1758. http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1758.cfm 11 Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 16th Ed., F.A. Davis Co., 1989, p.36 12 Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1989, p.55 13 How to Conquer the Addiction of Rock Music, p.5. 14 Verle L. Bell, M.D., Psychiatrist, printed in; How to Conquer the Addiction o Rock Music, pp. 81-85. 15 David Tame, The Secret Power of Music, 1984. p.136-7. 16 “Christian” Rock Music, Christian or satanic? http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/rockm/satanic.htm 17 Tame. p141-5. 18 http://maharishi-programmes.globalgoodnews.com/vedic-music/research.html 19 ibid. 20 Personal correspondence from research scientist Joel McClain. 21 Testimony of Matthew Mears, age 24, printed in; ibid. pp. 8-9. 22 Testimony of David Hill, age 26, printed in; ibid. p. 21. 23 Testimony of Kathy Voyer, age 23, printed in ibid. pp. 15-17. 24 Tame. p 204. 1

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25

Ibid. p 189. II Sam 6:1-10. 27 Eph 5:19. 28 http://home.hiwaay.net/~contendr/ 8/15/99. 29 How to Conquer the Addiction of Rock Music, pp.23-24. 30 Tim Fisher, The Battle for Christian Music, 1992. p 109 31 Testimony of twenty year old man, verified by Dr. Jim Logan, International Center for Biblical Counseling, printed in; How to Conquer the Addiction of Rock Music, pp.50-51. 32 Warren, Rick. Selecting Worship Music. July 29,2002 http://www.pastorport.com/ministrytoday.asp?mode=viewarchive&index=18 33 The Golden Rule of Interpretation, by David L. Cooper. 34 Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (Springfield, Mass.: MerriamWebster, Inc., 1985). 35 Renald E. Showers, Maranatha, Our Lord Come (Bellmawr, NJ: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1995), 38. 36 Showers, Maranatha, Our Lord Come, 32–33,39. 26

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