Fred and Shirley Phelps Can't Get Story Straight on VA Tech

Folks, as correct as Fred Phelps is about God's Scripturally-stated feelings toward homosexuals and witches, he has once again overstepped his bounds as a mere mortal and ascribed motives of his own imagining to God's actions. This time, he has decided that homosexuals aren't involved; God used the killer at Virginia Tech to avenge an alleged attack on Phelps!

Have a look at one of his websites at http://www.godhatesamerica.com/ Quoted from that site:

WBC to Preach at Funerals of Virginia Tech Dead

WBC will preach at the funerals of the Virginia Tech students killed on campus during a shooting rampage April 16, 2007. You describe this as monumental horror, but you know nothing of horror -- yet. Your bloody tyrant Bush says he is 'horrified' by it all. You know nothing of horror -- yet. Your true horror is coming. "They shall also gird themselves with sackloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads" (Eze. 7:18).

Why did this happen, you ask? It's simple. On April 16, 2007, this nation, through the offices of your military and conspirators therewith took a shot at the servants of God -- your marksman was limp and lame and he had terror all around, so he did a lousy job. But what you get for your trouble is that your God shot at you! The LORD your God sent a crazed madman to shoot at your children, and he didn't miss. Get this straight -- God sent this South Korean madman to kill 31 of your children at Virginia Tech. Was God asleep while this took place? Was He on vacation? Of course not. He willed this to happen to punish you for assailing His servants.

Phelps here appears to claim that someone of the U.S. government attacked him or a member of his cult, and that God responded by murdering students in Virginia. Apparently, Phelps feels himself to be in very close contact with our Lord!

Oddly, Fred seems to have neglected to mention this event to daughter Shirley.

Here's a blurb from their main site, at http://www.godhatesfags.com/featured/dearshirley/2007/20070416_DearShirley50.pdf

We’ll Tell You "Why" The Virginia Tech Massacre – A Lovely Divine Irony And
Righteous Judgment Against This Impudent Nation

Shirley Phelps writes:

The problem with your statement about what those children were doing at that University is that is left out the most important element of what they were doing there. The so called higher education system of this nation has a primary objective and that is to teach rebellion against God to every child they can get their hands on. That is also the primary objective of the lying false prophets that litter the landscape of Doomed america. That is also the primary objective of the parents of Doomed america. Since the teaching of rebellion against God leads to eternal death, also called hell, your God, in a piece of lovely Divine irony has used that very institution that is leading them to eternal death, to be the place where they receive death, or is the launch point from which each of those children entered hell! Make no mistake, crybaby Kisber - they are in hell! PERIOD! They will be in hell for eternity - that is - for ever and ever and ever - no end of days - no relief from the eternal torment, no days off for good behavior, etc.

This is a perfect execution of judgment by a righteous God to a disobedient and rebellious nation and generation!

It seems Fred and Shirley forgot to check their stories with one another, even after running them past God!

Much as Pastors Feelgood across the nation are obsessed with just one part or a few parts of the Bible (frequently John 3:16), Phelps and family are obsessed with homosexuals and witchcraft. Just like Pastors Feelgood, the Phelps family claims to know God's Will, beyond what the Bible says. Just like Pastors Feelgood, the Phelps family ignores the majority of God's Word, cherry-picking the verses they wish to obsess upon.

The Phelps family is just as misleading as any Pastor Feelgood. They commit lies of omission against God's Word on a daily basis, just like Pastors Feelgood, and teach them to others. They alter through addition and deletion God's Word, just like Pastors Feelgood.

They will be condemned to the eternal tortures of the Lake of Fire. Just like Pastors Feelgood.

How do I know this? Am I deciding what God's Will is? No. I'm reading it!

Revelation 22:18-19

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

So it is written. I hope the Phelps family wakes up to God's Word before it is too late for them.

She's in a better place, my son . . .

A few months ago, I attended the funeral of a friend's grandmother. The Methodist minister, comforting my friend's parents, told them that "She's in a better place now. She's with Jesus."

Not according to my Bible!

Being at a funeral, I determined it was not an appropriate time to witness God's Truth to the minister (I'll call him Pastor Feelgood, for reasons soon to become apparent). Rather, I resolved to speak with him privately on the matter.

When I, not a member of the church, called to say that I wanted to discuss part of the minister's service, he was more than accommodating. I wonder if he saw a possibility to share discussion of God, or perhaps add to the collection plate? Either way, I agreed to meet him at the church and chat.

"What can I do for you?" Pastor Feelgood leaned forward in his chair, eager to offer guidance.

"A comment you made in the service, and which you repeated to [my friend's parents], caught my attention. I'm just hoping to explore some of your ideas a little further."

His brow furrowed as he wondered what he could have said that was controversial. "What comment was that?"

"You said that [my friend's grandmother] was with Jesus now, and in a better place. That's not what the Bible says, so I'm curious where you got that idea."

He hesitated, then asked, "What do you think the Bible says, exactly?"

I informed him that the Bible clearly states that the dead are dead, and do not have consciousness, until the Resurrection at the Day of Judgment. At that point, the saints -- that is, the faithful, not man-made Catholic "saints" -- would be resurrected in the first Resurrection, into glory and eternal service of God. Everyone else, in the second Resurrection, would be resurrected into judgment and be cast into the lake of fire. I laid out this position as follows:

Revelation 20: 4-5

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.

Followed by the second resurrection:

Revelation 20: 12-13

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.

This in no way suggests that there were any dead in Heaven, does it? They couldn't be in Heaven, as they'd not yet been judged.

Lest John not be an adequate source for you -- some have decided that Revelation is not really the Word of God, but a political screed, but that's another discussion -- let's listen to Paul describing his own beliefs:

Acts 24: 14-15

But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

A resurrection of the dead, not a continuation of life in other than bodily form. In order to be resurrected, one must first be dead.

Daniel prophesies in Daniel 12:1-2

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

This indicates to me that the dead will remain dead (sleeping) until they are resurrected at Judgment. Daniel states that some will awake to everlasting life; this clearly demonstrates that most or all of the dead who will enter Heaven will be in the ground for many years beforehand.

Additionally, more of Paul:

1 Corinthians 15:50-54

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

This describes both the "Rapture" and the Resurrection. Paul is saying that those who are still alive and faithful will not die but will change; but also indicates that the dead are currently dead, unraised.

II Corinthians 5:10 states, quite clearly,

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

We must be judged. Judgment comes after Resurrection. Resurrection happens en masse.

Finally, Ecclesiastes 9:5,

For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

I asked Pastor Feelgood how, given what Scripture states, he could in good conscience tell [my friend's parents] that [my friend's grandmother] was presently in Heaven with Jesus. He fumbled about for a bit, but eventually came to the truth: "It eases their pain."

I'm personally appalled and disgusted that ministers lie daily at funerals, convincing people that their loved ones are up "with Jesus" (when, let's face it, only God knows what was in the deceased's heart, and where he or she will really end up) when they know better. Lies like this encourages belief in all manner of occult nonsense, like ghosts and Ouija boards . . . all wonderful opportunities for Satan to play tricks with our gullible minds!

This incident got me counting the many other things ministers routinely lie about . . . There is much about which to blog, let me tell you!

What are your thoughts on life after death? Do we go to our eternal reward immediately, as the Pastors Feelgood of the world would have us believe? Or do we remain dead in the ground until Judgment Day and the Resurrection, as the Bible so clearly indicates?

Please post a comment!

Welcome to The Feelgood Bible!

Feelgood Bible? What's that all about, you ask?

For years, since joining a Bible-believing Charismatic church, I've been increasingly shocked and dismayed by the arrogance of church leaders and nominal Christians everywhere. What do they do?

• Cherry-pick verses, like John 3:16a, and portray God and Jesus as some sort of free-love hippies.
• Interpret God's Word, twisting His Truth to mean what they want it to mean.
• Decide that parts are "out of date" or "for historical purposes only".

Who makes these choices? Pastors Feelgood, not God.

God gave us the Bible as His Complete and Perfect Word. It is not to be added to, nor removed from, nor altered. So doing is a direct disobedience of God's commandment!

When Pastors Feelgood are finished with the Bible, they've usually whittled it down to a pamphlet of happy verses of naive love, and treated the rest as so much toilet paper. That wee pamphlet is the foundation for their "Feelgood Bible".

Pastors Feelgood then elaborate upon the verses they've selected, building up the full "Feelgood Apocrypha"! The "prosperity evangelists" (think Joel Osteen) have developed an extensive Feelgood Apocrypha, writings which draw the reader away from God's core messages and into a Satanic world of greed-for-'God'. Heretical? I sure think so. Don't you?

If this isn't heretical, I don't know what is:

On Larry King Live, the following very disturbing conversation occurred with Larry King and Joel Osteen:

KING: What if you're Jewish or Muslim, you don't accept Christ at all?

OSTEEN: You know, I'm very careful about saying who would and wouldn't go to Heaven. I don't know ...

At this point, even Larry King appears surprised by Osteen’s answer. Then Larry tosses Osteen a "soft-ball" to explain his previous answer. And again Osteen openly denies that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way of salvation.

KING: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They're wrong, aren't they?

OSTEEN: Well, I don't know if I believe they're wrong. I believe here's what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God will judge a person's heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don't know all about their religion. But I know they love God. And I don't know. I've
seen their sincerity. So I don't know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with Jesus.

[segment removed for brevity - MV]

KING: What about atheists?

OSTEEN: You know what, I'm going to let someone -- I'm going to let God be the judge of who goes to Heaven and Hell. I just -- again, I present the truth, and I say it every week. You know, I believe it's a relationship with Jesus. But you know what? I'm not going to go around telling everybody else if they don't want to believe that that's going to be their choice. God's got to look at your own heart. God's got to look at your heart, and only God knows that. - Quoted from http://www.av1611.org/osteen.html

This is what passes for Christianity today! No wonder faith is as strong in this country as the manufacturing sector!

This blog will explore what the Bible actually says about good, evil, natural disasters, sin, sex, Heaven, Hell, and everything else. Current events will also come into play, helping us see how God's Truth applies to here and now, not just what happened two to six thousand years ago.

I look forward to sharing with you, and some invigorating discussions about the Bible, God's Plans for humanity, and who God and Jesus really are!