The Ten Commandments Revised - by E. L. Bynum

Y2K Goldmine - By E. L. Bynum

The number of moral issues that Bible believers have lost in the past 30 years is staggering, especially the loss of the battle against booze. For about fifty years, Dr. Sam Morris. Sr., fought the wicked alcoholic industry all over America. He almost single handedly kept this evil business at bay. He even helped establish an insurance company for total abstainers. Their rates were much lower because over 60% of car wrecks involve drinking. Dr. Morris also founded the first Christian Radio Station in San Antonio, and named it K-DRY, to oppose drinking while promoting the Gospel.

For years Texas Baptists followed Dr. Morris' example with a strong program against booze. The Convention hired a full time worker to speak in the churches and civic groups, challenging the people, especially the young, to pledge never to drink alcoholic beverages in any form or work in a booze company.

The Baptist program against booze was known as TANK. Texas Alcoholic & Narcotic Education. For years the director in Texas was Bro. Paul Siebenmann who spoke all over the state against this evil. He is well known in the San Antonio area because he helped start several Mexican Baptist Churches. His son is now a missionary in Central America.

Not only did this speaker urge the people to oppose the evils of alcoholic beverages, but a Sunday School lesson was taught every quarter in every church against booze. Also, the church covenant was read at every Lord's Supper observance in which the passage was stressed against alcoholic drinks. It was a common practice for Baptist church members to refuse to trade at a store or restaurant that sold booze. Bumper stickers were common that declared, "I Buy Dry," meaning that the individual traded only in businesses that did not deal in booze.

It was not unusual for a Baptist church to dismiss a member for working in a booze company. When I was pastor of the Lakeview Baptist Church in the 1950's a popular young lady got a job where alcoholic beverages were sold. Church leaders pleaded with her to seek other employment, but she defiantly refused and the church sadly dismissed her.

In another case a young husband and daddy, Wayne Buchannan, was won to the Lord by neighbors working through his children and wife. But he drove a beer truck. He knew it was wrong before he was saved, but afterwards he was deeply convicted about it. After attending our church a few Sundays, and seeing his wife and children baptized, he was in misery. We told him about our church's stand against the booze business and urged him to get another job. But the beer company paid far better than anything else he was qualified to do. So he attended another denominational church that approved of drinking. But he was miserable. Finally he resigned his beer company job and took another one which paid far less and joined our church. But he was happy and everyone received him with open arms and great respect for his sacrifice, and God took care of him and his family. It was my privilege to conduct his funeral a few years ago.

In those days it was common for a church to return donations which were received from booze companies or people who worked there, saying they would not accept such money. It was also common for politicians running for office to assure churches that they were against legalized drinking. And Baptists were not alone then. All Pentecostal churches and some Meth odists took strong stands too. One of the best sermons I ever heard against alcoholic drinks vas delivered by the pastor of the historic Travis Park Methodist Church in San Antonio. Back then people could go into many, many stores without having liquor and beer staring them in the face, because it was sold only in bars and liquor stores.

But by the late 1960's the situation changed greatly. After Bro. Paul Siebenmann retired, the Texas Baptist Convention gradually abandoned its TANK program. A leading San Antonio Baptist pastor wrote an article urging Baptists to "rethink" their strong opposition to social drinking. Not only were most of us shocked that a Baptist pastor would dare to write such, but we were scandalized that the Texas Baptist Standard would print it.

He whined that Baptist opposition to drinking had harmed good, faithful tithing church members. He complained that some faithful Baptist men were greatly offended because their jobs required them to take an occasional social drink and their pastors had condemned them (poor things!). He even defended the rights of Baptists to work in booze companies because of the good pay and benefits. He gloated that many had left their Baptist churches and joined denominations which had a more "moderate" position on drinking booze and working for that wicked industry. He didn't bother to say that God has put a curse on all who "give his neighbor drink," (Hab. 2:15) that "the drunkard shall not inherit the Kingdom of God," that one out of ten social drinkers becomes an incurable alcoholic, and that God commands His servants to warn people about all evils. That preacher is now in a "counseling" ministry. And the large church he pastored is almost empty.

Since that article was printed in the Texas Baptist Standard, the number of "prominent" Baptist pastors and leaders who regularly engage in social drinking is a growing scandal. The popular H-E-B stores were started by a strong Baptist couple who kept booze out of their stores as long as they lived. When faithful Baptist churches send missionary offerings to the Texas State Convention, part of it goes to Baylor University where dancing is permitted on campus and drinking is reported to be common. Our Baptist forefathers, such as B. H. Carroll and George W. Truitt, who thundered against booze would turn over in their graves!

The booze crowd has won the battle so completely that now this evil brew is everywhere. And they won, not because they were stronger, but because God's people became lukewarm, indifferent, and backslidden. Nearly all food stores, gas stations, and restaurants brazenly sell it, in addition to all liquor stores and bars. America has EIGHT bars for every church! Very seldom today does any pastor dare to preach against this evil.

Just look at the results: Booze is involved in over 60% of all car wrecks, over 70% of all divorces, over 70% of all crime, and over 80% of all wife and child abuse. And the number of alcoholics is growing horribly, especially among housewives who get their liquor at food stores. Recent reports state that drinking among college students is out of control. God help us!

—From The Missionary Challenge

Patrick Henry was not a Baptist, but he was a great friend to Baptists and to our country. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Virginia Militia and a member of the Continental Congress, the Virginia General Assembly and House of Burgesses and was involved in writing the Constitution of Virginia. He holds the distinction of being the only Governor in U.S. history to be elected five times as Governor of his State.

One of the events he is famous for was his courtroom defense of three Baptist preachers. Prior to the Revolution, in 1768, Patrick rode many miles on horseback to a trial in Spotsylvania Co., Virginia. He entered the courtroom where three Baptist ministers were being tried for preaching the gospel without approval of the Episcopalian church. In the midst of the proceedings he interrupted; "May it please your lordships, what did I hear read? Did I hear an expression that these men, whom you worships are about to try for misdemeanor, are charged with preaching the gospel of the Son of God?" The preachers were released.

Some claim our country was not founded on Christianity. However, you could not convince Patrick Henry of such a fallacy. He boldly declared, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here"

(Copyright 1996 Douglas Hammett) Reprinted by special permission.

God has not revised the Ten Commandments, but modern man for all practical purposes has done so. Politicians, religious leaders and pliable people have joined together to try to change the Word of God. Of course we know that the Ten Commandments has never saved the soul of anyone. The Old Testament saints were not saved by the commandments, much less the New Testament saints. These Ten Commandments are a part of God's moral law, representing His holy will for His people. Everyone of the Ten Commandments is repeated in the New Testament, with the exception of the tenth. Even this Commandment is set forth to some extent, in as much as God still wants us to rest and worship Him.

Let us look at the Commandments as they are being revised today by sinful man.

1. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (Except it be the god of pleasure, lust, or some other thing that may come between God and me.)

2. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image." (Except my car, my boat, and the money that I worship, or the crucifix I adore.)

3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain." (Except when I am hurt, angry, or had a bad day.)

4. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Except when I want to go golfing, fishing, or some other necessary activity.)

5. "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." (Except when they are wrong, and do not understand that we are living in a different time.)

6. "Thou shalt not kill." (Except when it is an unwanted pregnancy, or for some other good reason.)

7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery." (Except when it is for love, or my desire just overwhelms me."

8. "Thou shalt not steal." (Unless it is something that I really want, or it is owned by someone that is rich.)

9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness." (Unless it will help me, or will punish someone that I don't like.)

10. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife...nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." (Unless I need what he possesses, or I find his wife attractive, or available.)

While the above revisions may seem to be ridiculus, this is what many people, some of them Christian (?), seem to be practicing today. Remember the President saying, "I did not have sex with that woman." Of course everybody knows he lied about it. He simply redefined what it means to "have sex." If you accept that definition, homosexuals do not engage in sexual relations. What news that must be to many of them. We are living in an age of "situation ethics," although it may not be called that today. The world says, "do it if it feels good." You can justify anything if you take that position. One woman said it felt good when she took an ax and repeatedly struck another person until they died. Yes, she said she had a sexual experience while she was doing it.

God is an Holy God and he will never change, and He will never change His commandments for anyone. "As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." (I Peter 1:14-16). "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." (Malachi 3:6).

Man may try to change the laws of God, but it will not work for God is unchangeable. "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Heb. 13:8). God will judge every man according to His Word, and not according to the changing whims of man.

"It fortifies my soul to know,
That, though I perish, truth is so:
That howsoever I stray and range,
What'er I do, Thou dost not change.
I steadier steps when I recall,
That if I slip, Thou dost not fall."

I recently read in a religious periodical about the proliferation of rebellious, disobedient children of preachers which, according to the article, seemed to abound on every hand. Being a PK (preacher's kid) myself, such a story naturally grabbed my attention.

I am not disputing the author's findings in which he declares that in many years of preaching across the U.S. he has found many instances where the PK's were disrespectful and defiant towards authority, where they were completely unruly and insubordinate to their parents and even to God Himself. Yes, in my 39 years of being a PK, I have met some of those myself. Thank the Lord, however, not all PK's turn out that way.

I've often wondered what has made the difference between some PK's who have turned out be faithful servants of the Lord and those who've grown up despising God, the church, and the ministry as a whole. I am sure there are various opinions, theories, and answers that can be offered as an explanation for such different results and outcome but I believe that anybody, PK or otherwise, that is saved and serving the Lord would have to say in agreement with the apostle Paul: "by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor.15:10).
I do not presume to speak for all PK's of fundamental, independent Baptists but I do know from my own personal experience that it wasn't always easy being a PK. I am not saying this to excuse the ungodly behavior of any PK nor to invoke sympathy or pity from anyone but the truth remains that in the minds of most people the standard for a PK has always been set higher when compared to other children.

I know that the Bible clearly sets forth some specific qualifications for a preacher in which we are told in 1 Timothy 3:4 that PK's are to be "children in subjection with all gravity." That means they are to be submissive and obedient to their elders with honor and respect. It is also stated that PK's must be "faithful children not accused of riot or unruly" (Titus 1:6). The word "riot" carries the idea of irresponsible, reckless, disorderly behavior; the word "unruly" means someone who is out of control, living a life of constant disobedience and insubordination. These are, without a doubt, strict and demanding standards that are to be applied and practiced by all PK's. However, let me hasten to say that such biblical principles should and could be applied universally to all children. Listen to Ephesians 6:1-2, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother..." Then there is Col.3:20 which says: "Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord." These admonitions sound pretty good to me, regardless of whether my kids are PK's or not.

I do not find anywhere in the Bible where it states that PK's are to be perfect and without sin and yet many people take such a position about children of preachers. I do believe that PK's have a tremendous opportunity to set a good example and testimony for the Lord before other kids and people who are in and outside the church. We must admit that PK's are made out of the same dirt as everybody else and they are prone to fail, falter, and make mistakes. If they know the Lord as their personal Saviour, they are just sinners saved by God's marvelous grace.

The very first kid ever born into this world had sinful parents (yet saved) whose names were Adam and Eve. Cain turned out to be a murderer that was consumed with jealousy and envy toward his brother Abel. There are other examples of children that could be named in the Bible where they turned out be a shame and disgrace to the holy name of God. Those are the ones we tend to focus upon. But I've always wondered about those children of godly parents who are seldom or never mentioned in the Bible. For example, I think about Abraham and his children where the Lord says: "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD..." (Genesis 18:19). I wonder about Joshua's kids when in Joshua 24:15 he says: "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

PK's who end up serving the Lord do not come about by accident. It is the result of godly parents who take their responsibility seriously in bringing up their children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph.6:4). This takes a lot of hard work, tender compassion, patient understanding, and fervent praying. To pursue such a course of action does not mean all PK's will be infallible but it does mean they can be afforded the opportunity to grow up to become dedicated and consecrated servants of God that will bring honor and glory to His precious name. I thank God for the godly parents that I was given. They were not perfect nor did they produce perfect children but they did try to faithfully and consistently follow the biblical blueprint for raising a Christian family in the midst of an ungodly world.

Instead of constantly criticizing and analyzing PK's under the microscope, trying to find fault and error, we need to desperately pray for our preachers and their families, that God would be pleased to put a hedge of protection around them in order to shield them from Satan's incessant attacks and perilous temptations.

The Bible tells us that "children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." (Psalms 127:3) This includes PK's as well. May all of God's people, not just preachers, seriously study the Bible in order to know what and how to apply all that God has to say about childrearing and the establishing of godly homes. What our churches and even our nation needs as never before is parents and children who are saved by God and Christian families and homes that are sold-out to God.

Spiritual idolatry is as old as the fallen nature of man. Cain was guilty of offering fruit as an act of worship that was both displeasing and dishonoring to God. Robert Schuller may declare that humanity is essentially good, but both old and new testament scriptures declare otherwise. "They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one," (Psa. 14:3; Rom. 3:12). Rick Warren may assert that "men every where are seeking God," but the Apostle Paul announced, "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God," (Rom. 3:11).

Suggesting that spiritual adultery may occur regularly today in many church activities will at least raise eyebrows. At most it will bring vicious attacks, especially when the spiritual acts of adultery/fornication are identified.

God clearly identified Israel's turning from Him and worshiping "stones and stocks" as being adultery. (Jer. 3:8,9) God gave His beloved people a "bill of divorcement" for this act of spiritual unfaithfulness. Their extra-curricular activity (religious practices of the heathen) stirred up the jealousy of God. The law carried a death penalty for physical adultery for both parties involved. (Lev. 20:10) Such serious punishment for physical and spiritual adultery should sound an alert, but does it? Israel ignored the warning of the prophets, and their act "defiled the land," (Jer. 3:9).

The letter of First Corinthians proclaims a stinging message identifying sin and its outcome. Paul said, "Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God," (1 Cor. 6:9,10). He reminded them that such were some of them at one time. Paul then applied this information of physical misconduct as a warning of spiritual misbehavior. His strong persuasion of spiritual separation is made clear. " . . . shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid," (1 Cor. 6:15). It was evident he purposed to teach them faithfulness to Christ, the Bridegroom. Pray for godly pastors/preachers to have the heart of Paul. "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ," (2 Cor. 11:2).

Extra-curricular activity was not allowed in the early church. The separating of age groups to meet the whims of pleasure seeking church members is displeasing to God. It has became a practice of the modern church to sacrifice the doctrine of separation to please the "seekers." The advertisements of interdenominational churches that they have a "Baskin Robins" church comes as no surprise. However, when those who claim to have a "plain vanilla" doctrine began to consolidate entertainment with evangelization, entertainment will soon own the entire tent.

One of the things wrong at Thyatira was the teaching of spiritual fornication. Jezebel was the leader in serving the church with things sacrificed to idols. (Rev. 2:18ff) Teaching at least implies some learned to do this. Someone was leading the church into a new area of church activities. These seemingly profitable activities also brought the church into a new era. Soon hardly anyone noticed the difference from the original practices except One Who carries in His hand "the keys of hell and of death," (Rev. 1:18; Read Rev. 1-3). There certainly is no lack today of those who will surely think of some project that is more appealing to the flesh than preaching and teaching the word of God.

Jezebel was called to repentance but refuse to do so. She was cast into a bed filled with her inventions and all that committed "adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.," (Rev. 2:22). There are pastors and churches today that are involved in activities that have no resemblance to true worship. Many pastors know better but lack the backbone to take a stand. Filthy lucre often means more than faithful leading. Organizational and departmental heads push attendance enhancement campaigns at the expense of both physical and spiritual separation. In Texas the growing assembly ground is "Hydro-Mania" in Dallas. This activity along with many others are luring church youth to places of indecency. The sad thing is they blatantly claim and report spiritual accomplishment among the youth and their directors. This is nothing short of spiritual fornication and God is displeased and dishonored.

Warning of the impending dangers that are ahead will likely bring more rebuke than remorse. Humanly conceived excuses for such activities are given along with harsh assaults on those who warn. "This is the '90s and things are not the same," they claim. But God remains ever the same throughout time and eternity. (Mal. 3:6; Heb 13:8) "People cannot be reached today as they were fifty years ago," they cry. It could be that the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation is not being preached from the pulpit in many places as it was fifty years ago. (Rom. 1:16) Surely God's "hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear," (Isa. 59:1). There is a flagrant ignoring of the warnings in God's word that spiritual adultery/fornication will bring quick destruction.
The seeds of ecumenism find fertile ground in the field of spiritual fornication. The first instance I can remember of a church raising mission funds other than through tithes and offerings was over 40 years ago. An Assembly of God church made rounds regularly to building sites where the workers were sold pastries. The proceeds were to finance their mission projects. Some may be reading this now and wondering, "What is the problem?" There is no problem with any earthly organization lawfully raising funds in any honorable fashion for honorable reasons. However, this practice has found its way into many Baptist churches. From car-washes to cake-bakes to chicken-roasts, youth organizations are encouraged to become involved to fund missions and mission trips. This kind of illicit fraternization with the world in order to fund spiritual activity places the spirituality of the activity under suspicion. The youth are not the only members of the church that have fallen into this trap. Women's auxiliaries fund most of their activities by feasting, feeding, and false notions that any thing in the name of church activity must please the Lord.

There is no scriptural argument for auxiliaries in the church. Men's fellowship, women's auxiliaries, youth organizations, will sooner or later drive a wedge in church doctrine and fellowship. Though individuals are members in particular, "ye are the body of Christ," one and all. (1 Cor. 12:27)

Jezebel was the leader of false practices in the church at Thyatira. Others had to be involved or the project would have folded. The end result of this illegitimate activity was her children would be killed with death. (Rev. 2:23) What a sad commentary to be written on any activity within the Lord's church. Luring anyone, young or older, to the church assembly by enticements of the world is making merchandise of the souls of men. This was the practice of the mother of all harlots. One of her primary merchandises was "slaves, and souls of men." (Rev. 18:12,13) Capturing bodies to be involved in unholy activities and souls that will very likely be more bankrupt after the flurry ceases than before, is hardly the church's mission. The seriousness of the penalty upon Jezebel's practice should alert every faithful pastor.

Few are as hungry for righteousness as are for refreshments. Many will come for the entertainment that will leave before the evangelization begins. As the world invents more inducements the church must employ greater intensity. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal so spiritual battles cannot be fought by carnal methods. (2 Cor. 10:4) If the strongholds of Satan are to be brought down it can only be accomplished by scriptural methods. It is much easier for the flesh to play than pray; to entertain than to evangelize; to believe profane fables than practice faithfulness. I pray that pastors would read the letters to the churches of Asia and be encouraged to re-evaluate their practices and presentations. Are the activities of the church where you attend spiritually acceptable to the Lord or are they little more than spiritual adultery?

The Y2K (Millennium Bug) problem has turned into a goldmine for some people. The computer programmers and fixers are going to have full time profitable employment, and are going to make a lot of money. The scare mongers, and doomsday soothsayers are doing quite well also. Many of these people are among the religious people who are mixed up on prophecy, and have a feeding frenzy every time they have an excuse to do so. Read on for more information. To state the problem simply, it came about because years ago the computer makers had very little memory available on their machines. To conserve memory, they only used the two last digits of the year number. It did not occur to them that the day would come when we would not be living in the 1900 hundreds. So their computers and programs would not be able to recognize any date after December 31, 1999. The computers and particularly some of their programs will not work from January 1, 2000 on.

For quite a number of years, all new computers have had the memory available to handle this problem. It is incredible to me, that the computer designers, builders, and programmers just kept on making computers that had the same incapacity to handle the years ahead. The computer is a wonderful complex and useful machine. The people that design them and write the programs for them, are incredibly intelligent. How they could have been so blind to this coming problem, is still a mystery to me. Computers that have been made recently will have no problem with this, but many of them are running the old programs, written for the older machines, and will have a problem. These problems are being fixed one by one, but they need to be finished by December 31, 1999.

This problem will guarantee full employment for those who are responsible for fixing this problem. They are getting plenty of calls and plenty of work, at great profit, I might add. They are working during the best of times for their trade. Of course the business world and their customers must pay for all this to be done. Do not expect to get by without helping to pay for this, for the cost will be passed on to all of us. If you buy or sell anything, and who doesn't, you will pay part of the cost. Of course you will not get a bill for it, but it will be hidden in the prices. I do not expect this to be very much for each person, but we all will pay it. So there is the first goldmine, and the computer industry will work it well.

There are doomsayers, like Chicken Little, who are always finding some excuse to say that the sky is falling. These people are having a field day with the Y2K problem. I am sure that some of these people are good sincere people, but they have been deceived by the Chicken Little doomsayers. I am getting a steady stream of email and publications that are crying wolf, wolf, with all their might, trying to drum up panic among Christian people.

Let me give you an example of what I am talking about. Last month a man that I have known for many years came by the office. He is a religious, and a serious church going man. He had a handful of brochures that he was handing out, inviting people to three different conferences that would take place in the city of Lubbock. He started out by telling me something about the terrible disaster that will strike January 1, 2000. He said that people better stock up on freeze dried food, store up lots of water, flashlights, lanterns, and other emergency supplies. Everyone should have plenty of cash on hand, because you would not be able to get your money out of the bank, and you could not count on getting Social Security checks. I quickly told him that I would not be stocking up on dry food, water, etc. He seemed amazed that I was not concerned. He probably left with great pity in his heart for me.

When I read the brochure he left, I found out that on Monday there would be a Conference at the Highschool. On Tuesday there would be a Trade Show and Workshops at a big hotel here in Lubbock. Then on Tuesday night there would be another Conference back at the Highschool. There were different speakers at each of these meetings. Each of the three sessions would cost $10.00 each, and naturally you needed to attend all three. There was a special price of $20.00 if you wanted to attend all three.

On Monday night, the speaker was Michael Hyatt, author of The Millennium Bug How to Survive the Coming Chaos. His book was going to be sold for $19.95. A special convention special was being offered for $74.95. This included, "Audio Tape Series (6) plus Resource Manual Count-Down to Chaos The Year 2000 Computer Crisis and It's Impact on You. Think of getting all that good stuff for $74.95. He was also advertising a novel coming later this fall: "Y2K: The Day the World Shut Down." As for as I am concerned, most all of this Doomsday material should be classified as a novel, just fiction, pure or impure fiction.

The $10.00 special on Tuesday night featured Don McAlvany, who is the editor of the McAlvany Intelligence Advisor. He too predicted world wide disaster because of Y2K. He is also the author of Y2K Crisis: Preparing for the Coming Computer Crash! It sells for $22.50, but they had a special price of $15.95. I believe that it is the one I saw in the Bookstore, and it is a paperback, with around 150 pages. He was also offering his book, War in Paradise for $19.95. Sounds like it might be the tip (chunk) of a goldmine.

The Tuesday special lasted from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and it included a number of workshops. They had vendors (company salesman) present to sell you all the materials that you would need to survive. These probably included freeze-dried food, bottled water, water purifiers, electric generators, and who knows what else. People are buying all kinds of emergency supplies, and that is a producing goldmine for some people.

The return address on the brochure was, "Good News Book Store, Inc.," a book store with strong charismatic ties. Their bookstore carries a generous supply of these books, which are in some instances overpriced. The Hotel where the Tuesday workshop was held, also had an advertisement for rooms at $62.00 a night.

There are a lot of other people who are engaged in this hysteria. The fear mongers are scaring a lot of people out of their wits. Old people are being told that they will not be able to get their Social Security checks, and that they will not be able to get their savings out of the bank. Their retirement funds will not be available, and that in many cases their retirement funds will just disappear. There will be no electricity, no water, and no sewer service. (That ought to raise quite a stink). Airplanes will fall out of the air, and trains will not run to deliver food and supplies. Trucks will not operate, because the fuel stations will not operate. The whole infrastructure of the world will break down. Mobs will be roaming the streets looting your homes to get food and water. Some people will spend a fortune trying to prepare for the world wide shutdown. Many people will spend huge sums of money, and then they will find out that it was all in vain.

I remember fifteen or twenty years ago, that some people affiliated with the Mormon Church, were leading people to store up supplies of freeze-dried foods, and other supplies, for a coming collapse. Some of these people were predicting a soon coming Stock Market crash. They were urging people buy gold, for their dollars would soon be worthless. You can guess who was selling the gold? Since that time, the Stock Market value has been multiplied up to five or six times what it was at that time.

I listened to a local talk show here in Lubbock some weeks ago. The guest was a man singing the Y2K blues. He was hawking these books, and wanting to help people. He was a Charismatic the last time I talked to him. These people are buying this doomsday scenario, and they are influencing a lot of other people.

Of course it is by no means confined to the Charismatics. There are many who believe that the year 2000 will be the beginning of the seven year Tribulation, and the reign of the antichrist, therefore they are getting prepared to survive the Tribulation. (If it is, then I will be long gone, via the rapture and they can have my food and water.) Some think there is just some mysterious disaster thing that is supposed to happen, because it is just the year 2000. These people would be having a fit, even if there was no Y2K problem. Never mind that in the year 1000 multitudes predicted disaster and the end of the world.

There is another group in a certain movement, that believe this because of their theology. They believe that secular civil government will break down, and then it will be time for the Church to take over and rule.

There are thousands of web sites on the World Wide Web (computer), on the Y2K problem. My computer search engine gives me the number 5,636 links to Gary North in connection with the Y2K problem. I have looked at a few of these pages and printed them out for reference. It provokes me to know that Baptist churches are printing his materials, and downloading his Web Pages and putting them on their Web Page (he invites everyone to do that). If they only knew the religious views of this man, they would leave his material alone.

On one of his pages he says, "I am an anti-premillennialist (anti-apocalypticist), and I have spent about a million dollars to publish books against apocalypticism. For this reason I am distrusted by the fundamentalist leadership. I am what is known as a postmillennialist ...." (Emphasis ours). The postmillennialist believes that the Church will bring in the kingdom, then Jesus Christ will come back. I will not take the time to refute the postmillennial theory, but enough to say that it is not taught in the Word of God.

I have two books edited by Gary North, that were published in 1983. Together they contain more than 800 pages, and were published by the Geneva Divinity School Press, Tyler, Texas. One is titled, The Theology of Christian Resistance and the other one is "Tactics of Christian Resistance." Many of our readers would be shocked to read some of the views of Gary North in these two symposiums. This movement has published many books promoting a strategy of Christian Reconstruction. They believe that there should be no separation of Church and State. They believe that the Church should take over the running of the State. What a joke this is, to think that the apostate Church of this age should run the State. The present apostate Church is as bad or worse than the present corrupt state. North and his Reconstruction dupes think that the Church should function as a "shadow government," and be ready to step in to run the government at the right time. This is just a variation of the Roman Catholic view of the Church's role in ruling the nation.

They have an advertisement in the book, for Calvin and the Anabaptists Radicals, by Willem Balke ($17.95). In their short review of the book, they heavily denounce The Reformers and Their Stepchildren, by Leonard Verduin. Verduin's book is the best book I have seen that vindicates the Baptists, written by a non-Baptist. (We have Verduin's 292 page hardcover book in stock here at Tabernacle Baptist Church for $12.00. Order from TBC, P.O. Box 3100, Lubbock, TX).

In one of North's books there is a statement by a reviewer that says, " . . . that mysticism is endemic and pandemic to all Baptist movements...." The Christian Reconstruction movement is against the Baptists and the ancient Anabaptists. They quote favorably from "Treatises Against The Anabaptists," by John Calvin. I have that book and it is an open attack on our Baptist forefathers who stood for the faith, while Calvin and the other Reformers adopted many of the errors of the Roman Catholic Church, such as infant baptism. (How any Baptist could be a part of anything connected with John Calvin is a mystery to me.) The Anabaptists stood against infant baptism (the religious road to hell for millions). The Anabaptists stood against the State Church, whether it is Protestant or Roman Catholic. They were despised in Calvin's day and the are scorned by the Christian Reconstruction movement today.

It would be impossible in a dozen articles to cover what all North is spreading about the Y2K problem. I will give you some quotes from one of his pages.

"We've got a problem. It may be the biggest problem that the modern world has ever faced. I think it is. At 12:00 midnight on January 1, 2000 (a Saturday morning), most of the world's mainframe computers will either shut down or begin spewing out bad data. Most of the worlds' desktop computers will also start spewing out bad data. Tens of millions possibly hundreds of millions of preprogrammed computer chips will begin to shut down the systems they automatically control. This will create a nightmare for every area of life, in every region of the industrialized world."

North goes on to say, "Think of what happens if the following areas go down and stay down for months or even years: banks, railroads, public utilities, telephone lines, military communications, and financial markets. What about Social Security and Medicare? If Social Security and Medicare go down, it will affect millions of people. Yet both programs are at risk."

He goes on to quote Yourdon who warns that computer programmers "that it may soon be time to quit their big city jobs and head for safer places...if they do, there will be no solution for Y2K. Will they quit? I'm betting my life on it. The exodus of programmers will begin no later than 1999." He goes on to say, "Months before January 1, 2000, the world's stock markets will have crashed. Who is going to leave his money in his bank if he thinks his bank's computer is not reliable? A worldwide run on the banks will create havoc in the investment markets. People who have placed their retirement hopes in stocks and mutual funds will see their dreams vanish."

If this all happens, what will the poor premillennial Baptists do, if this takes place? I guess we will have to take to the hills, forests and the caves, as our Baptist ancestors did when they were fleeing from the persecution of the religious forefathers of Gary North. Multitudes of them were executed in brutal fashion, because they did not want their infants baptized. Neither did they want to be under a State Church controlled by a false religion. They simply wanted to live their lives according to the teaching of the Bible. If the Christian Reconstruction movement could gain the power they desire, it would be persecution for the Baptist once again.

Not all the religious people that are stirred up about the Y2K problem, are a part of a false religious movement. They have just been duped by people like North and other religious doomsday experts.

Christians who have computers should try to bring them into Y2K compliance, so that they will not crash in the year 2000. This is especially true if you are using your computer for bookkeeping or any other date sensitive program. We will not try to give you advice on how that should be done.

Christians should calm down and serve the Lord. I do not believe that there is any reason to panic and spread terror among the people. We need to be giving them the gospel, not alarming them with Y2K terror. God has not given us the spirit of fear, so there is no reason to live in the bondage of fear. II Tim. 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Rom. 8:15, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." There are many other Scriptures on the subject of fear, and they teach us that we are not to live in fear, because of the Lord's protection.

These doomsday people remind me of the people that have been predicting the date of the Second Coming of Christ for fifteen or twenty years. I am on the mailing list of a pastor who has been predicting the date of the Second Coming for many years. This year I think it was in September or October. Anyway it has already past, and he will go back to the drawing board and predict it will happen on a certain date in 1999. After doing this for years, you would think he would learn, but like the Everready bunny he just keeps on going. These people have been crying wolf for so long, no one pays any attention to them.

Of course if I am wrong, I will have egg all over my face. Maybe one of the Y2K soothsayers will give me enough water to wash it off my face. If they don't, I will just scrape it off my face and eat it, since there will be no food available. Those people who want to take reasonable precautions will not be ridiculed by me, as long as they do not have a Y2K fit.

The readers of the PBC should know that we believe in the premillennial Second Coming of Jesus Christ. (The kind that Gary North and the Christian Reconstructionists despise.) As far as we know, He could come today, even while I am writing this article. We are not into date setting, because the Bible forbids it, but we do believe that His Coming may be soon. The Bible tells us that this age will get worse and worse. II Tim. 3:1, This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. II Tim. 3:13, But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. I Tim. 4:1, Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.

These truths are denied by the postmillennial Christian Reconstructionists. They believe that they will bring in the kingdom.

Jesus Christ will come back in the air, to raise the dead in Christ, and to change the living saints, and take them up out of this wicked world. (See I Thess. 4:13-17). Then the antichrist will be revealed and the seven-year tribulation will begin. When the seven-year tribulation is completed, then Christ will come back with His saints, to put down Satan and the antichrist, and to establish his kingdom here on this earth. He will personally reign with the saints for 1,000 years here upon the earth. I am not writing this to try to change the postmillennialists, you couldn't change most of them with a club and truth serum. I am writing this to tell our readers why I am not living in fear.

The saints of God have gone through suffering and tribulation down through the centuries. Most of this was brought upon God's people by false religion, such as Roman Catholics, and others who believed in a church state religion. The children of God will likely go through more tribulation, persecution, and suffering, if Christ does not come soon. In various parts of the world Christians are going through persecution and suffering right now. However, this is nothing compared to the seven year tribulation.

I am well aware that many people will disagree with this article, when it is published and placed on the Internet. We do not expect to have time to answer all the critics. We will just wait until the year 2000, and watch the fear mongers squirm when their predictions of doom do not come to pass.