The church in America is a complete and total mess.  A shocking new poll of the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States has revealed that only 39 percent of the members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.

39 percent?

Yes, 39 percent.

This figure comes from the latest "Religious and Demographic Profile of Presbyterians" report which was recently released by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

What is even more stunning is that when you look at only the pastors, the numbers are even lower.

Only 35 percent of the pastors surveyed agreed with the statement that "only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved."

So almost two-thirds of the pastors in the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States believe that there are other ways to be saved other than through Jesus Christ.

At this point it would be really east to jump all over the Presbyterians, but the truth is that this type of apostasy is common in many Christian denominations.

For example, USA Today recently reported on an almost unbelievable new survey that found that 52 percent of American Christians believe that eternal life is not exclusively for those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.

So not only do a majority of Presbyterians not believe that Jesus is the only path for salvation, a majority of Christians throughout the United States believe this as well.

In fact, a different survey taken last year by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 57 percent of evangelical Christians in the U.S. believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life".

What in the world?

What is happening in our churches?

How far have we gotten from the basics of the Christian faith?

In John 14:6, Jesus told us the following....

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

There is no other way to salvation.

Just think about it for a minute.

If there was any other way for our sins to be forgiven, then why did Jesus need to die on the cross?

If there were many other ways to salvation, then the death of Jesus on the cross was totally unnecessary.

Jesus could have simply come down to earth, pointed out a bunch of other ways to get to heaven, and then could have gone back up to heaven without ever having to deal with the cross.

But the truth is that there was no other way for our sins to be paid for.

Jesus Christ, being the sinless Son of God, died on the cross to pay for the sins of all humanity.

All other religions reject this, and most of them involve jumping through "hoops" and doing good works of some kind or another in order to try to obtain the favor of a deity.

But the reality is that without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ there is no path to heaven.

Without Jesus to pay for our sins we are all still guilty.

Why can't Christians in the United States understand this?

The truth is that the church in America is a complete and total mess.  But we knew that these days would come.  2 Timothy 4:3 tells us this.....

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

There were also other results from the PC(USA) survey that were almost equally as shocking.  Just consider these numbers....

*Only one in six members and even fewer ministers believe that the Bible is to be taken literally, word for word.

*Only 44 percent say that they have had a "conversion experience" when they committed themselves to Christ.

So what are we to make of all this?

The reality is that the PC(USA) is not the only denomination out there that is a total mess.

Most churches do not teach Biblical Christianity anymore.

Most churches do not teach the basics of the Christian faith.

Perhaps you attend one of those churches.

If you are confused about what the Bible says about God and about salvation, then we encourage you to check out the new website that we are putting together that answers some of the most basic questions about the Christian faith.

In particular, we would encourage you to read an article that we put together entitled "What Does The Bible Say About Salvation?"

The truth is that the Bible is very clear about God's plan of salvation, and it is the most important message that any of us will ever hear.  If you do not know where you would go if you died tonight, please do not let another day pass without finding out what God has to say about your future destiny. 

Nothing could be more important.

For decades, China was viewed by U.S. strategists as a struggling communist nation with a massive population that really did not represent any kind of strategic threat to the United States at all.  But that has now dramatically changed.  Thanks to trade agreements that are extremely favorable to China, the "Great Dragon" has risen and has become a formidable economic machine.  Already accounting for a fifth of humanity, this new economic muscle has also allowed Beijing to dramatically reform and upgrade the Chinese military.  Now China is without a doubt a world superpower and it stands poised to be a major player on the world stage during the last days.

So just how powerful of an economic force is China now?

Well, in 2010 China is expected to replace Japan as the world's second-largest economy.

Not only that, but China has overtaken Germany and is now the biggest exporter in the entire world.

Let that sink in for a bit.

China sells more stuff to other countries than anyone else in the world.

That fact alone is enough to make China an economic superpower.

Citizens of the U.S. like to think of themselves as the greatest economic superpower, but the reality is that the average American is drowning in debt.  In fact, the average American piled up even more debt this past Christmas season buying cheap plastic stuff made in China to exchange with family members around the ole Christmas tree.

The truth is that U.S. wealth is flowing into China at a staggering rate, and nobody seems to want to do a thing about it.

And thanks to ridiculously one-sided trade agreements, that arrangement is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

But China's growing economic power is only one side of the equation.

It is China's emerging military strength that has U.S. military strategists starting to sit up and take notice.

Very quietly, China has been engaged in one of the greatest military buildups of modern times.

On Wednesday, Wallace Gregson, the Assistant Defense Secretary for Asian and Pacific security affairs, made the following statement regarding China in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee....

"We remain troubled by China’s continued lack of openness and transparency in military affairs."

The truth is that China has always had one of the world's largest militaries.  The PLA maintains a force of over two million men, and it is complemented by the world's third largest air force and the world's largest small ship navy.

But now China has enough wealth to develop and purchase cutting edge military technology.  The reality is that China is quickly becoming a very serious strategic threat to the United States.

For example, China has just successfully tested a new technology designed to shoot down incoming missiles in mid-air.

In addition, China is also pursuing technology that could home in on and destroy satellites in orbit.

Nobody was concerned about China developing these types of capabilities a couple decades ago.  But now armed with billions of dollars from the West, China is rapidly gaining ground on the U.S. military.

China is rapidly expanding and modernizing their conventional forces as well.  China is planning a massive investment in helicopter production with a goal of increasing its helicopter fleet tenfold by the end of the year.

Tenfold?

Yes, you read that right.

There are also rumors that China is planning to build several aircraft carriers, although Beijing is denying those rumors at this point.

There are also reports that the Chinese military is considering setting up military bases and possibly deploying forces in the Middle East over the next decade as a means of protecting its access to strategic materials.

You see, China is heavily invested in the Middle East - particularly in Iran.  In fact, China is Iran's main customer for oil.  China has plans to invest approximately 43 billion dollars in Iran's oil industry, and it has expressed serious concerns about a potential attack on Iran by the United States and/or Israel.

And that right there might end up being the key which brings the United States into conflict with China.

The Chinese are not going to sit idly by and watch the United States and/or Israel decimate Iran and cut off one of their key sources of oil.

The growing Chinese economy desperately needs oil to keep on churning.  A reliable supply of oil is of the utmost strategic importance to the Chinese government.

If the United States and/or Israel goes to war with Iran it would likely infuriate China.

In fact, there are many who believe that it is only a matter of time until the United States and China go to war.

Let us hope that day does not come any time soon, but the reality is that China has become a world superpower and it is going to be a major player in the last days. 

Anyone in the U.S. government who does not take China seriously from now on is making a huge mistake.  The Dragon has risen and it is not going away.

Inspired by a former nun, The Charter For Compassion, composed by leading thinkers in many different faiths, was unveiled to the public on Thursday, November 12th.  At first glance, The Charter for Compassion sounds very noble as it encourages everyone to embrace the "principle of compassion" that "lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions".  However, it is when the document calls for "a positive appreciation" of "religious diversity" that its agenda becomes clear.  The truth is that The Charter For Compassion represents yet another huge step towards a one world religion, and a bunch of big names are openly supporting it.  The charter's growing list of "affirmers" includes the Dalai Lama, Queen Noor of Jordan, Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Ali Gomaa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, author Deepak Chopra, author Sir Ken Robinson, actress Goldie Hawn and musician Paul Simon.

The Charter For Compassion sprang from a wish former nun Karen Armstrong was granted in 2008 at a prestigious Technology, Entertainment and Design Conference.  Armstrong is a British author who has penned quite a few works on comparative religion, including the highly successful "A History Of God".  She has long promoted the idea that all major religious traditions have the same core truths.

Now she has enlisted major religious leaders from across the globe to write and promote The Charter For Compassion, which is little more than a thinly veiled attempt to promote a one world religion.  The Charter For Compassion is posted online in seven different languages, and you can view it for yourself right here.....

http://charterforcompassion.org/

The document itself is quite short, and the key language is actually found mostly in the 3rd paragraph.

In the 3rd paragraph, The Charter For Compassion states that it is time for humanity "to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate".

First of all, where in the world did the authors of this document come up with this ancient principle?

The truth is that they have come up with it out of thin air.

It is certainly not a Christian principle.

I wonder how John 14:6 would be "interpreted" by the authors.

John 14:6 says this.....

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

That seems clear enough.

Jesus says that He is the only way to God.

But not according to The Charter For Compassion.

According to The Charter For Compassion, we are "to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures".

The reality is that this goes directly against how God directed us to live in the Ten Commandments.

In Exodus 20:3-6, God instructs us in the first two of the Ten Commandments that we are to have nothing to do with other gods.....

"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments."

But you see that just doesn't fly in today's new "politically correct" world.

Instead, The Charter For Compassion commands us "to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity".

Compare that language with what God told the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 8:19.....

If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.

The truth is that the Lord God does not tolerate the worship of idols or false gods.

He never has and He never will.

But for the drafters of The Charter For Compassion, any "god" that you want to believe in is fine, just as long as you "respect" all of the other "gods" that other people want to worship.

In addition, for the drafters of The Charter For Compassion, "a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity" means that you should never try to "evangelize" people from other religions because that just would not be very "tolerant" of you.

But the reality is that if you love others, you will help them find eternal life through Jesus Christ.

In John 3:36 it says this.....

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

That is what the truth is.  Those who belong to Jesus will have eternal life.  All others will not.

That may sounds "intolerant" to the drafters of The Charter For Compassion, but it is the loving truth.

What the drafters of The Charter For Compassion are doing is promoting the establishment of a one world religion which will one day worship the Antichrist as "the one" that all the major world religions have been waiting for.

To learn more about how the coming one world religion will pave the way for the Antichrist, we encourage you to read our previous article on the subject: Will The Messianic Expectations Of All Major World Religions Pave The Way For Antichrist?

 A video presentation of The Charter For Compassion is posted below.  As you watch this short video, watch for how truth is carefully mixed with deception to promote the idea that all religions need to come together.....

There is a new push to make the Temple Mount in Jerusalem a site that is shared by Jews, Muslims and Christians, and where a rebuilt Jewish Temple can stand side by side with the Islamic Dome of the Rock that stands there now.

Does that sound absolutely crazy and unrealistic?

Perhaps.

But there are scholars and organizations that are actually promoting this idea and working on plans to bring it to fruition.

A recent article that was published in the leading journal of religious law in Israel has sparked a great deal of debate in the Jewish community about the possibility of sharing the Temple Mount.  The article in "Tehumin" discussed the potential for making the Temple Mount into "God's Holy Mountain" - a "house of prayer" for all people (Isaiah 56:7).

Of course, to many Jews and Christians such a concept would be a blatant abomination, but there are religious authorities in Israel that are taking this idea very seriously.

The article in Tehumin envisioned a scenario where a "holy revelation" is given to an "authentic prophet" that would authorize that the Temple be rebuilt in peaceful proximity to the Dome of the Rock and nearby Christian shrines.

The article also seems to think that such a scenario would be in keeping with the words of the famous 12th Century Jewish sage Maimonides that Christianity and Islam are part of God's ultimate plan "to direct the entire world to worship God together."

As unlikely a scenario as this may seem right now, the truth is that this sets the stage for the Antichrist to come on the scene as "an authentic prophet" in the future with a peace plan that would propose just such a thing.

Yoav Frankel, the director of the project promoting a vision of "God's Holy Mountain" acknowledges the skepticism that many have regarding the project but at the same time expresses a great deal of long-term optimism:

"We offer this vision for a long and deep discussion, and of course want to continue with a parallel research from other religions."

There is even a website for the project promoting a vision of "God's Holy Mountain":

www.godsholymountain.org

The website depicts a harmonious future for the Temple Mount where Muslims, Christians and Jews mingle between the Dome of the Rock and a rebuilt Jewish Temple.

The project is headed by Jewish members of the Interfaith Encounter Association, and they are actively encouraging all three faiths to consider a new theological outlook which would allow for all three religions to worship there.

However, with tensions increasing seemingly with each new day in the Middle East right now, such a scenario for the Temple Mount is not likely to come to fruition any time soon.

But many Bible prophecy teachers have believed for a long time that just such a scenario some day will come to pass.  After the next great war involving Israel, many on both sides will be crying out for peace.

In such an environment, the Antichrist may just be able to convince both the Muslims and the Jews that a shared Temple Mount would be a great symbol of peace.

But as students of Bible prophecy we know how that would turn out.

For the first time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly endorsed an independent Palestinian state. Netanyahu's speech at Bar-Ilan University on June 14th in Ramat Gan, Israel was billed as a major foreign policy event, but most analysts did not anticipate how stunning this speech would turn out to be.

For many Jews, to hear Benjamin Netanyahu publicly call for a Palestinian state is absolutely shocking. This is how Netanyahu described how he sees the peace process playing out: "In my vision, there are two free peoples living side by side each with each other, each with its own flag and national anthem."

Netanyahu did place conditions on a future Palestinian state, however.  He said that any future Palestinian state would have to be unarmed and would have to officially recognize Israel.

Netanyahu's speech was widely seen around the world as his response to the intense pressure that the Obama administration has been putting on him.  His speech struck a defiant tone in that regard, as he refused to heed Obama's call for an immediate freeze of construction on lands Palestinians claim for their future state.

In addition, Netanyahu also clearly said that Jerusalem must remain under Israeli sovereignty.

This goes directly against what Barack Obama has been promising to the Palestinians.

U.S. President Barack Obama has been promising the Palestinians a capital inside the city of Jerusalem and has expressed his desire that the holy sites be taken away from Israel and be put directly under international jurisdiction.

WorldNetDaily recently reported that President Obama told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a recent meeting that he foresees the creation of a strong Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Abbas' top political adviser, Nimer Hamad, reportedly told this to WorldNetDaily: "Abu Mazen (Abbas) heard from Obama and his administration in a very categorical way that a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital is in the American national and security interest."

It is in America's national interest for the Palestinians to have a capital in the city of Jerusalem?

Are we all suddenly in an episode of the Twilight Zone?

Talk about a really, really, really, really bad idea.

How does anyone come up with an idea that bad?

But giving the Palestinians a capital in Jerusalem is not the end of Obama's plans for the holy land.

There are also reports that Obama desires for the holy sites in Jerusalem to come under international jurisdiction.

And what is Israel supposed to get for all of this?

Peace guarantees that the Islamic terrorists will break within 6 months?

Both Netanyahu and Obama are quite foolish to try to give away the land of Israel.

The truth is that God gets really, really, really angry when people start trying to give away parts of Israel, and He seems to get even angrier when people mess around with the city of Jerusalem.

On a sister blog, we recently put together a comprehensive article that documents many of the natural disasters that have hit the United States when the U.S. has tried to give away pieces of the land of Israel over the past couple of decades.

But has the government learned anything from these warnings?

Not at all.

The U.S. government seems more determined than ever to carve up the land of Israel and to take the holy sites away from the jurisdiction of Israel.

The truth is that God will not bless the U.S. if it continues these kinds of policies.

It has been said that if the U.S. ends up being successful in dividing the land of Israel that God will divide the United States.

After so many thousands of years of seeing what happens when you mess with Israel, you would think that we all would have learned something.

But the reality is that politicians will continue to mock and ignore God and will try to do what they think is best.  Unfortunately their foolishness will only bring disaster on all of us.