What's Inside

• Dear Friends
• Water for Pain Relief
• The Mark of the Beast
• Reader Response
• Nature of Licensing
• The Crazy Man in the Bookstore
• Heaven Road Report

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Dear Friends,

Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.

2 Peter 1:2

Finally summer has arrived and it is wonderful to feel the sun's warmth after a cold, wet winter. With temperatures soaring over 100 degrees, it is sometimes difficult to drink enough water to keep from being thirsty.

Solving the body's thirst is one thing. But what do you do when your heart and mind are hungering and thirsting? Where do you go to be filled? You might seek the pleasures of the world, or look to gurus with silver bullets to ease the pain. You may have tried getting involved in politics and thought that by electing "good" men and women, your life would be better.

All these ways are futile because you have not gone to the Source. There is only One who can give you rest from your weary seeking. He is the One that your heart and mind are longing for. He is the fountain of everlasting water. He who drinks from that fountain need never thirst again. All that ever came before were thieves and robbers. When the heart cries out for God, don't give it cheap imitations. Reach for the "real thing" - Jesus Christ.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Revelation 21:6,7

Paul Revere, Pastor

Water for Pain Relief

Many people have commented on the effectiveness of the Water Cure (See Issue 983). One man gave us a book written by a Medical Doctor who successfully treats his patients with God's universal remedy - water. Of course his peers have ignored him and refused to publish his findings. Now he has written a book for the common man.

His book is entitled, "Your Body's Many Cries for Water" and is written by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. He says that shortchanging the body's need for water is the root cause of many major diseases. "You are not sick, you are thirsty. Don't treat thirst with medications." While manufactured beverages contain water, they also contain dehydrating agents. Drinking mainly manufactured caffeine beverages such as coffee, tea and soda pop, will not truly quench your thirst. These drinks just increase your need for more pure water. That is why you often feel thirsty, even after drinking a couple soda pops.

You might not think you are thirsty because you do not have a dry mouth. Yet your body may be in desperate need of water. Dry mouth is the very last sign of dehydration. The body can suffer from dehydration even when the mouth is fairly moist.

Water is both a solvent and a regulator of body functions. When the body suffers from chronic pain and it is not caused by an infection or injury, this pain may be translated as a thirst signal. The body is saying it has a shortage of water. To ease the pain, increase the daily water intake.

Dr. Batmanghelidj says water is a natural medication for many health problems. For instance, Batmanghelidj has treated over 3,000 persons with dyspeptic pain (indigestion). The use of antacids for the relief of this pain is the normal treatment. But these substances are slow poisons to the body. Batmanghelidj rejects all other treatments and uses only water. All his patients have responded to an increase in their water intake and their clinical problems associated with the pain disappeared. Water is one of the most effective substances to provide pain relief. After all water, and only water, is what the body truly wants and needs. The best way to quench thirst is to drink plenty of pure water.

The Simplest Treatment in Medicine

1. Drink at least 6 to 8 cups of water a day.
2. Alcohol, coffee, tea, and caffeine-containing beverages don't count as water.
3. The best times to drink water are: one 8-ounce glass, 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a similar amount of water taken 2-1/2 hours after each meal. This is the minimum. Two more glasses of water should be taken around the heaviest meal or before going to bed.
4. Satisfy thirst at all times. With an increase in water intake, the thirst mechanism becomes more efficient.
5. Water is the cheapest form of medicine to a dehydrated body.
6. A conscientious attention to daily water intake will prevent the emergence of most of the major diseases feared in modern society.

From: Your Body's Many Cries for Water by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

The Mark of the Beast

And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Revelation 13:16-17

It is critical to know what taking the "mark of the beast" means. The cost of our souls is at risk if we receive it. We cannot just put it off as some future event. Taking the mark is no little thing. The penalty for receiving the mark is recorded at Revelation 14:9,10:

"If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God . . . and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone."

What is the "mark of the beast"? Is it already here? Is it coming in the future? Are we safe as long as we never submit to an implant?

First we need to know what a mark is. The dictionary gives many definitions, but the one that pertains to the book of Revelation is "a symbol used for identification or indication of ownership." (Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, 1972). When someone acquires something, he marks it and says, "That's mine."

The Greek word translated "mark" in the book of Revelation is "charagma" (Strongs No. 5480). It is "a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp, (as a badge of servitude)."

What then is a mark? It is a device used by an owner to mark his property. Ranchers, for example, brand their cattle with a distinctive mark to show whom they belong to. The "mark of the beast" is that symbol, sign, or number used to mark that which belongs to the beast. It can be the mark itself, or the name of the beast, or the number of the beast's name. (Revelation 13:17)

The next question is, "Who is the beast spoken of in Revelation who causes all to receive a mark"? Cruden's concordance says that in Revelation, Chapters 13 and 20, "beast" means "antichrist." (See Revelation 13:2, 20:4)

The Bible provides a definition of antichrist at 1 John 4:3:

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is in the world.

According to Apostle John's definition, if they do not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, they are antichrist. That is the case of the kingdoms of the world. They do not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Nor do they believe on Him or desire His rules or His commandments or His law. They do not acknowledge that He is sitting on the right hand side of the Father, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. (Ephesians 1:20,21)

Why don't the rulers of the nations acknowledge Jesus Christ is Lord? Because they themselves want to be lord. They want to be lord of all.

The Nation's gods

We are deeply concerned about the people who have made statism, or the nations of this world, their god and their way of life. Everything they do, they do unto the "kingdoms of this world."

You don't believe us? Go downtown and take a look at what everybody worships. Let's take a trip into the heart of the city. Notice the fancy bank buildings and insurance towers. There is always a McDonald's restaurant close by. A few blocks away is the department of motor vehicles and a stately courthouse, often with a lion or other beast as part of the architecture. What are the people doing inside those buildings? Are you financing their activities? Wherever your monies are going, that is what you worship. Look inside. Within one skyscraper are people borrowing funds and becoming servants to "mammon," the money god. Inside the tower, we see big lines of people paying tribute to the "god of safety." Peek inside the fast food restaurant. Scores of people are laughing and gabbing as they greedily worship the belly gods.

There is a much more solemn mood inside the next structure where the gods make sure everyone is marked by them. Row after row of people appease the gods by making payments and filling out forms. In another building nearby, men are brought into large rooms in chains. The gods have taken them hostage and are demanding that they comply with their demands.

Inside all these buildings are men and woman busy paying homage to these "modern gods."

Who Owns You?

You say Jesus is your Lord and King. You have no other gods before Him. I doubt it. Take a look at your wallet. Pull it out. Inside are the documents you carry with you all the time. That should tell you where your allegiance and loyalty lies.

I notice you grabbed the wallet with your right hand. And it is in your forehead because you already know what's inside before you open it.

Let's see, here's a social security card. Where did that come from? Did it come from Jesus Christ who is an ever present help in times of trouble? No, it is a protection plan put out by the kingdoms of the world. Oh, and it is also a number so that the world system can keep track of you.

The next item in your wallet is a State driver license. You have obviously volunteered to have the world system regulate your traveling.

Here are a couple credit cards. You are apparently part of a banking system and you've been given the privilege of buying things before you have the funds to pay for them. So these cards are what you depend upon to take care of you in emergencies. But wait a minute, what about Jesus? I didn't see anything of His. When does Jesus Christ show up in all this?

It looks like you've done a fine job of becoming enslaved to men. Who owns you anyway? The real issue boils down to this: You are either marked by the Beast or you are marked by Jesus Christ. "No. I don't have the mark of the beast," you say. "Those things in my wallet are just numbers required by modern society." But why have you allowed the world system to mark you? Look deep into those documents. Do you see the symbols, seals and other marks on them? Have you mingled your mark with their marks? Whose marks are they? Who issued those numbers?

What do you think qualifies as the mark of the beast? Will you not consider yourself "marked" unless you are forced to have a microchip inserted under your skin? Wait a minute. I think men have been marked for a long time. Can you not see that you have already allowed yourself to be marked by the antichrist world system? Have you not already received the "name" and the "number of the beast"? You have obviously allowed unregenerated men to mark you with numbers that they have issued. You are known in their system and they claim you as one of theirs.

We are to keep ourselves "unspotted (unmarked) from the world" (James 1:27) and to be holy as He is holy. We are not to see how much we can be involved with the world system and not offend God. Instead, we are commanded to, "Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Revelation 18:4

If you confess Jesus with your lips, but have let the world system mark you, your heart is not with Him. You have gone whoring after other gods. You have committed idolatry. You are worshiping men who want to be your god.

The world system, which does not confess Jesus Christ, has succeeded in marking almost every one of us through birth certificates, licenses, permits, and social security numbers. Whether these marks of the world are "the mark" spoken of in Revelation, each one of us must decide.

We do know that those who are the "called out ones" by Jesus Christ must come out of the world system and be separate. And that means persecution by the world. But we, like Apostle Paul, desire to be marked by the Lord, not by the world. Apostle Paul says, "I bear branded on my body the marks of my owner, the Lord Jesus" (Galatians 6:17).

It is a tough time we live in. "All the world wondered after the beast . . . and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:3,4) This is your hour of decision. It is important. If you yoke and bind yourself with the kingdoms of this world and with unbelievers and unregenerated men, the end is death. Eternal Damnation, Fire and Hellstorms await you. When someone receives the mark of the beast, the Bible says they are doomed to eternal damnation. That is mighty serious. There is another option and that is to have the name of Jesus' Father written on your forehead. "And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads" (Revelation 14:1). Isn't that the mark you want? Don't you want to be marked by the Lamb? Salvation is in Christ. Don't you want to be written in the Lamb's Book of Life? Take the mark of Christ now by giving your heart and mind and soul to Him and forsaking all other gods. Don't delay.

Reader Response

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Nature of Licensing

Licensing has no connection with Christian living in most people's opinion. People say there is nothing in the Scripture that tells us not to accept Caesar's license.

On one hand, they are absolutely correct. On the other hand, they are absolutely wrong. If you look up the word "license" in Strong's Concordance, you won't find the word "license" used as a grant of permission. Yet the principle of licensing can be found from Genesis through Revelation.

Webster's dictionary defines license as, "formal permission to do something, especially authorization by law to do some specified thing."

In the kingdoms of the world, they build law upon law upon law. They want you to obtain their permission on anything and everything you want to do. Why? Because they don't trust you. They want to regulate and oversee your activities. Therefore, you must obtain a license to practice medicine, to fish, or to drive a car.

It reminds me of Satan confronting Jesus in the desert. Jesus had been fasting 40 days and was hungry. Satan comes to Him and offers Jesus a license. The devil did not use the word "license," but that's the essence of what he was offering.

The devil said, "I can license you to have everything in the kingdoms of this world. All you have to do is bow down and worship me."

Jesus, remaining faithful to His Father in Heaven, says, "No. I shall not take license from you. But I shall worship Almighty God and Him alone."

Another example of licensing is in Genesis. God "licenses" Adam and Eve to take dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth (Genesis 1:28).

In Matthew, the chief priests and elders find Jesus teaching in the temple without a license. They ask Jesus, "Where is your license to do these things and who gave it to you?" (Matthew 21:23)

Jesus was licensed by His Father. He, in turn, licensed His disciples to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils and teach all nations (Matthew 10:8; 28:18-20). He said He has been given all authority in heaven and in earth. The disciples received their "license" or "authorization" from the highest authority.

Only a Sovereign Issues License

A license is only issued by a sovereign to his subjects. A sovereign is one who is supreme in power or authority or holding the position of ruler. Jesus is our Licensor. We, as His followers, are the licensees. He is our Sovereign and we are directed by His Authority, by license. Would you be breaking the law if you did not first obtain a license before driving? Yes, you would. But from whom do you obtain your license? If you are "of the world, and by the world, and for the world," then get their license. We are not going to encourage anybody to start driving without a grant of permission.

We, in the Kingdom of Heaven, have our license, too. But our license comes from Jesus Christ, by commandment. It is called the Great Commission. (Matthew 28:18-20)

In the Scriptures we are commanded, "Go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them" (Jeremiah 25:6). There are many gods who want us to serve them, but for us there is only One, the God Who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

To obtain a license means you seek out your sovereign and obtain a grant of permission to do something. If you seek out the kingdoms of this world for license, then they are your god because licenses are only issued by a sovereign.

Since the time of the Roman Empire, the license has been used by the Caesars of the world to establish their sovereign authority over a particular area. When we accept a license, we are accepting the sovereignty of the one who grants the license. An important principle of licensing is that the lesser authority never licenses the greater authority. In other words, we don't license God to do things, He licenses us.

Therefore, to ask permission from Caesar to preach, or to worship, or to travel, would be to openly acknowledge that Caesar, not Jesus Christ, is Lord over that sphere of our lives. In other words, Caesar is the greater authority, Caesar is above Jesus Christ. Would we have Caesar as our king, and not Jesus? Who are we going to obey?

This conflict over who is Lord, led Peter and the other apostles to say, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Earlier, the local authorities had been "filled with indignation" and laid hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. What had the apostles been doing to cause such a disturbance? They had been casting out unclean spirits and healing every one (Acts 5:16). And they were doing it all without license from men.

The Crazy Man in the Bookstore

Back in 1987, when I was just beginning to learn the ways of Christ, I remember being in a small Christian bookstore. I was eagerly examining a Strong's Concordance, quite amazed that it contained every occurrence of every word in the Bible.

"Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling." The bell above the door rings and in walks a plump, elderly man. This man struts over to me, pulling on his suspenders and boasts, "Boy am I happy!"

I just ignore him.

"I am so happy-happy-happy. Hey buddy, Do you know why I'm so happy?"

I smell a rat, but I placate him. "No. Tell me. Why are you so happy?"

He points to his heart and says, "Because I've got JESUS deep down here inside of me."

"I doubt it," I said, without emotion.

The man looked at me startled. He could not believe anyone would doubt him. He said, "No, I really do. I have Jesus deep down in here and you can have Him, too."

"I doubt it."

Angrily he asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I don't think for one moment you worship Jesus Christ or know him, or are marked by him."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"It's simple," I said. "Dig deep down into your pocket and grab your wallet. Then give me your driver license."

"What do you want my driver license for?"

"Give it to me so I can tear it up right here and throw it on the floor and stomp on it."

"What are you, crazy or something?"

"No," I said, "I believe that you love the one who marked you more than you love Jesus Christ. If Jesus commanded you to tear up that card and stomp on it, you wouldn't do it. You fear what men will do to you."

"Ah, you are crazy! I'm getting out of here."

Ding-a-ling. Ding-a-ling. And the man was out the door.

Now this man was an "ex-pastor." I do not know how anyone can ever be an ex-minister of the Lord, but somehow that man had retired from the Lord's service. He certainly demonstrated that fact to me.

The point is, I can do the same thing to you. "Show me your driver license. Let me tear it up. Let me get rid of it."

How are you going to respond? Whom do you fear? Do you fear the Lord or do you fear the kingdoms of the world and what they will do to you?

Heaven Road Report

News from those traveling under Christ

Ambassadors: Glen Stoll and David Klein
Mission Field: Stockton, California

We were traveling all over town looking for a particular street in Stockton, California. After many attempts to find the particular street we needed, a Stockton City Police car came up behind us. I could tell he was eyeballing our Heaven plates. David did not think he was paying attention to us.

"Oh, no," I said, "He is checking to see what our front plates look like." You can just tell when you've been traveling this way for awhile.

The next thing we knew another cop car came along. "Maybe the street we are looking for is off to the right," I said as I turned. Half way down the block, I noticed in my rearview mirror that the cop had made a U-turn and was coming up behind us. The next cop went around the block and came in front of us. A third squad car came off to the right. They had us surrounded.

We pulled over. An officer came up to the car and said, "The reason I stopped you was because you have a crack in your windshield and I noticed you did not have a front plate on your car."

Of course we knew the real reason he stopped us was because he was wondering about the Kingdom of Heaven plates, but he apparently did not want to admit it. The cop asked to see my driver license. I said, "I have a Church issued driver license. Would you like to see that?"

(I have learned over the years that you don't just offer the license to them because they will usually take it and you will never see it again. Then they will charge you with "Presenting a Fictitious License" or some other similar charge. The driver license from the Kingdom of Heaven is really not for them to see anyway.)

The officer said, "No, I need to see a driver license from the State of California."

"I can't show you that because I am not a resident of the State of California. But I know what you need to see." Then I pulled out my passport and handed it to him. "I am a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven."

"What is this?" asked the officer. He wasn't sure what to think about it.

He continued, "Listen, if you're going to be driving on the government highways then you're going to have to have a government-issued driver license."

"I agree with you," I said. "If I were driving on the government highways, I would have a government-issued driver license. I wouldn't think of driving on government roads without their permission. But that's why I'm staying on the public right of way. The public right of ways are also highways of the Kingdom of Heaven and that is what I am staying on."

"Listen, I'm not going to get into a religious argument with you. We just need to see some government documents. Are you one of these antigovernment protestors?"

"Oh no, we believe in government. I don't protest government at all. We would be very happy to help you in any way we can. If you have a problem with something we're doing, we'd be happy to discuss it and see if we can accommodate you."

"Well, we might have to tow your car away. We don't know if it is stolen. One of the cops has run a check on the VIN and we can't seem to find this identification in our system anywhere."

"Oh, that's good. That means that the Embassy must have done their job properly. They have assured us that when we turn the State licensing over to them, that they notify the State and take it completely out of the State system. This car is now exclusively under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Heaven.

"We are on a Church mission and we are traveling under the authority of the Church and that is why we do not have anything under the authority of the State. We operate under the principle of separation of Church and State."

(I like to use the phrase, "separation of Church and State." It is marvelous. They seem to understand what it means.)

Do you have any other information that we could have to look at?"

We couldn't get our hands immediately on any of the Embassy materials, but we did give him some material on government versus the Church and things like that. The officer returned the passport and that was about all there was.

We told the officers we were looking for a particular address and one of the officers said, "Oh, I know where that is." Then he drew us out a little map and wished us good success on our journey.

We also asked if they knew Officer Beard. We told them he was a friend of ours and that we actually knew his father, "Art" better than we knew him. They said he was with their department and agreed to tell him "hello" for us.

We thanked the officers and wished them God's peace. We all parted in a friendly way. No citations or other actions were taken against us.

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Heaven Road Report

Ambassadors: Glen Stoll and David Klein
Mission Field: Near California/Arizona border

We had a flat tire in California heading toward the Arizona border. We looked high and low, but couldn't find our jack. The next thing we knew, a California State patrol pulled up. He let us use his jack and of course he noticed the Kingdom of Heaven plates.

"What is this?" asked the officer. "Is this one of those special issues that the States do, out of Oregon?"

He mentioned Oregon because he noticed the little sticker on the plate that says: "Embassy of Heaven; Sublimity, Oregon."

We did not want him to assume something incorrectly. I said, "Oh, absolutely not. This car is exclusively under the authority of the Church, under separation of Church and State. We believe the Church is separate from the State and that we should be traveling under the authority of the Church alone."

We talked a little bit more. The officer was very positive.

I asked him, "Do you happen to be a brother in Christ?"

"Oh, yes, I am."

"Well, praise the Lord."

Then we discussed a few more things. We told him we were on a mission telling people about how to come out of the system and come out from under the authority of the State.

The officer was very receptive. As we were leaving he said, "God bless you on your journey."

We thanked him again for his help, wished him God's Peace, and went on our way.