P.O. Box 640109

El Paso, TX 79904

13-27 December, 1998

Dear Children,

And a belated Merry Christmas to you... in the Lord! As you will shortly see we won’t be doing the usual Christmas story this year because I don’t feel the Lord’s leading to do it. So once again here’s this week’s message from the Lord:

Well without a doubt it’s good to be back in front of this computer doing what I’ve been called to do. Because letting the truth be known, I can say with all honesty that a lifestyle of living in hotels and eating out at restaurants is definitely not my idea of the good life. So after being in Portland, Maine, for a week and a half on Toro business, I’m now ready to get down to the real business at hand (God’s business). In fact it was right about the time we were finishing up on that last sermonet that the Lord "told" me what the next message would be on. Now it was only two little words that the Lord gave me to go on, but believe you me they have sent me digging through the Scriptures and praying for His divine guidance. Because the message that He wants me to tie into this series on the President, the people, and the church is concerning "Judas Iscariot." And having said what I have just said I can guarantee you that this one is a gonna be a hot one!

But speaking of heat, I just got a little bit of it myself from one of the readers. Now just in case you’ve forgotten, the last message that we sent out was on the law of God. And in that sermonet I made a comment that produced the heat... and it went like this: "Well for my transplanted lawyer friend Mr. Bill, who’s wandering around somewhere up in the state of Maryland, I’m quite sure that all these words (law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, and judgments) must make his heart beat just a little bit faster. You see all of these words are what most folks would expect to see in the court of law... but not in the Word of God... and that’s exactly why this nation is in the shape that it’s in. Because you see now and days most folks think of God the Father as a great big old Santa Claus who gives out Christmas presents all year round. That’s what they think, but believe you me He ain’t! God is not Santa Claus but He is The Judge! And it will be only a very short time before He’s going to be The Judge of each and every last person who has ever walked on the face of this earth."

That was what I said, and I truly believed that what I was saying was being said it in a very upbeat and positive sort of way. But anyway, the following is what Mr. Bill wants me to put in print, so here it is: "I gots your letter dated 8 November-6 December, 1998. I wish for you to clarify in your next letter, that the Word of God is my purpose for being transplanted, and that my mission is completing my education in our nations capital, so that I can go to the White House and straighten a few neck ties. It sounds to me, in your letter, that I am a person who might not want to see God’s law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments and judgements, and might believe that God is Santa Claus. My main objective is to put these icons back into the court system and court room."

So there you have it! Now on that same note, speaking of readers, I received a package in the mail from Mr. Dick DeVos, president of Amway. And at this time I would like to go ahead and personally thank him for both his book Rediscovering American Values and his father’s book Compassionate Capitalism. And seeing how the Lord has given me such a vested interest in the Amway Corporation, you had better believe that I will read them both with an open mind and an open heart... and comment accordingly as the Lord leads. In fact it was during the long plane flight to and from my most recent trip to Maine that I was actually able to finish reading Rediscovering American Values. And based on what I read I can’t deny the fact that it was a book filled with strong references to Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

In fact in his introduction Mr. DeVos states, "As I look to the future, I see that the values that built America, that built the Amway business, and with which I was raised are now more important than ever, not just for our company but for our nation and it’s people. These are values that can transform our government, reform our institutions, and strengthen our families." And it was in part I of this book (UPHOLDING FREEDOM: Doing What Is Right) that Mr. DeVos went on to say, "The word ‘integrity’ comes from the Latin root integrare, which means to make whole. It is also defined as ‘a firm adherence to a code, especially of moral values.’ And in my view, true integrity requires the working combination of not just one or two values, but at least eight, all of which are important and interdependent: honesty, reliability, fairness, compassion, courage, humility, reason, and self discipline."

So after listing the eight values that he feels are important in establishing America’s integrity, Mr. DeVos went on to elaborate on each and every one of them separately. And it was in the chapter on "reason" that Mr. DeVos used a story that kinda like stuck in my mind. And it went like this:

"The late Herman Kahn, a renowned mathematician, physicist, economist, and futurist, was a man who believed that we should attempt to think through and gain understanding of everything that we can and that nothing should be ignored or overlooked when planning for the future... To those who knew him, Kahn seemed every bit the absentminded professor... With an IQ of 200, he had an intellect that impressed everyone he met... He had a photographic memory, and... He also had a form of mental ‘peripheral vision’ that made it possible for him to do two or three things at the same time. He could be writing a paper on nuclear physics and at the same time play a game of bridge and watch a basketball game on television."

Now please believe me when I say that for anything to stick in my mind is nothing short of a miracle. In fact just the thought of having an IQ of 200 and being able to do all those things that Mr. Kahn did (all at once) totally blows me away. I mean after all I have a problem walking and chewing gum at the same time. And that’s what’s so amazing about these letters that get written most every week. You see the facts are that they don’t get written because of any intelligence on my part but only through the grace and power of Almighty God. In other words there really ain’t no good reason why I’m able to write these messages except for the reason of the Holy Spirit. And having said that it’s time to get on with the message.

It was about three weeks ago, somewhere around the time frame that the Lord gave me the clue on Judas Iscariot, that my lawyer friend Mr. Bill sent me a package of information which contained a November Newsweek article entitled Sex, Sin and Salvation. And after having read this article I was absolutely amazed at how well it tied together all the messages that the Lord has given us in this sermonet series on President Clinton. And for those of you who have just been added to our mailing list, you might even want to catch up with the rest of us by requesting them all: Should President Clinton Remain In Office?, Why Does God Want President Clinton To Remain In Office?, and the seemingly never ending sermonets on Why In The World Did We Get In This Mess In The First Place?

But now for the good part. Reading from the Newsweek article: "When the class of 1963 Graduated from Hot Springs High School, the student chosen to give the benediction was a born-again Baptist named William Jefferson Clinton. "Dear Lord,’ Clinton began, ‘...Now we must prepare to live only by the guide of our own faith and character... Direct us to know and care what is right and wrong so that we will be victorious in this life and rewarded in the next.’ Now, 35 years later, Clinton’s sense of right and wrong is very much the issue as he tries to atone both spiritually and politically for his sexual sins."

So how many of you already knew that President Clinton was in his younger years a born-again Baptist who gave the benediction at his high school graduation? Well that ain’t even all because there’s a whole lot more: "...Clinton’s commitment came early. He was ‘born again’ on Oct. 17, 1956, when he marched up the aisle-alone-at Park Place Baptist Church in Hot Springs to accept Jesus Christ as his personal lord and savior. He was 7 years old. In his youth, he walked alone to church and Sunday school, carrying his Bible. He joined the choir and to this day weeps when singing old Baptist favorites. His best speeches are like Baptist sermons-lyrical, seductive appeals for conversion to his message. In his youth, Baptist spokesmen fiercely fought the Roman Catholic Church over aid to parochial schools-and against Catholic efforts to keep abortion illegal. As president, Clinton’s most consistent policies have been to protect abortion rights, even the partial-birth variety-and to oppose vouchers for religious schools."

So do you kinda sorta see a relationship between his early beginnings and his present day commitments? Well it’s starting to get interesting so let’s see what’s next: "But Clinton’s troubled personal life-and his repeated verbal evasions-also beards a distinctive Baptist stamp. Like most Baptist, Clinton was taught that because he had been born again, his salvation is ensured. Sinning-even repeatedly-would not bar his soul from heaven. ‘There’s no way you can get right with God by doing good,’ explains the Rev. James Dunn, an FOB and head of the liberal Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs. ‘We do good, not in order to be saved, but because we have been saved.’"

OK, so what do you think about them apples? Well all I have to say is Wow!... and double Wow!!! In fact this article was so bold and to the point that I didn’t even have to use my ability to reason. I knew it was right on track because the Holy Spirit flowed all over me when I read it. You see this is exactly what the Lord has been giving us in this sermonet series on the President, and to think that it’s even been presented to the world in a nice neat little secular package called the Newsweek magazine. But just in case some of you might not be able to see the apples, please allow me to bring them into focus for you. In so many words, what this Newsweek article said was that Bill Clinton is a man... who desires to serve God... but because of what his most holy religious denomination has taught him... he thinks he is serving God while in actuality he is serving Satan.

And having said all that let’s go right on into the first Scripture for this week as found in Revelation 1:17-20 and 2:1-5. Reading the words of Jesus, "...Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and death. Write these things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."

So this message given by Jesus to John the apostle started out with the glorious announcement that He (Jesus) was not only alive but He (Jesus) will continue to be alive for ever and ever and ever. And it was because of His perfect sacrifical death on the cross that He now had control of the keys that could unlock the doors of Hell and death. That was the beginning of His message! And then Jesus went on to make it abundantly clear just who this message was designed for; His churches (candlesticks) and their ministers (stars/angels/messengers).

And continuing on with the reading, "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."

So who was Jesus talking to? He was talking to the preacher of the church of Ephesus. And from all indications this church of Ephesus probably thought they were some pretty holy Christians. I mean after all they were doing some mighty fine works for the Lord... in fact Jesus even let them know it. But that was only the good news... and then came the bad. Because in His very next breath Jesus said, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." Now the reason Jesus was giving the preacher this warning was because "the preach" had been hoodwinked and snookered into believing a few of Old Splitfoot’s lies instead of all of Jesus’ Truths. And seeing how he was the preacher, that meant that he had a pretty good chance of convincing the rest of his church to believe the same lies that he was believing. And of course that’s as good a reason as any why Jesus made His point about the bad news so perfectly clear. Because the plain facts were that if things didn’t straighten out pretty quickly the keys of Hell and death weren’t a gonna unlock any doors for this "man of the cloth" or his church.

So even though the church of Ephesus was one of Christ’s very own churches (full of born-again believers) they still didn’t have guaranteed reservations in Heaven. And based on the warning that Jesus made undeniably clear to them, if their problem never did get corrected there’s a pretty good chance that a whole lota folks from the church of Ephesus are burning in the pit of Hell right now. Now having said all that we can get back to the discussion on President Clinton and the Baptist Church. Because seeing how Satan’s tricks never really change, it only stands to reason that he’s still playing his same old tricks with the churches of today. And of course that’s why the bottom line root cause of President Clinton’s problems are directly linked to Satan’s deception in the church... and to be perfectly honest with you that’s why most of the churches of today are full of it!!! (Deceptions that is.)

And while we are on a roll, let the truth be known that regardless of what ever denomination might say that they love Jesus the Christ (Baptist, Catholics, Methodist, Assemblies Of God, Lutheran, Church Of Christ, etc., etc., etc.), the facts still remain that if they don’t follow the Truth as found in the undistorted Word of God (from Genesis to Revelation) then they are really no different than the church of Ephesus... and likewise Jesus’ statement concerning the keys of hell and of death also applies to them.

OK, so just as I promised it’s about time to read a little bit on this fellow called Judas Iscariot. But before we get started with the Scriptures would any of you Biblical scholars like to venture a guess on how the life of Judas fits in with this story on President Clinton? Well let’s see if you made the right assumptions.

So starting off our investigation let’s turn to and reading from Matthew 10:1-4: "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him."

Now in this listing of the twelve disciples the one thing that distinguishes Judas Iscariot as being different than the rest (other than the fact that he was the one who in the end betrayed Jesus) is his last name... which was really the name of his home town. So Iscariot meant "of Kerioth" and if you put the two together you get Judas of Kerioth. His home town was Kerioth and it was located in Judaea.

And what might you ask is so earth shaking about that? Well he was the only one out of the twelve (and that even included Jesus) who was not from Galilee. And by reading a very short dissertation on Galilee from Unger’s Bible Dictionary I think you will be able to see the importance: "The Galileans were generous and impulsive, of simple manners, earnest piety, and intense nationalism. They were also excitable, passionate, and violent. The Talmud accuses them of being quarrelsome but admits that they cared more for honor than for money. Their religious observances were simple, differing in several points from those of Judea. The people of Galilee were specially blamed for neglecting the study of their language, charged with errors in grammar, and especially with absurd mispronunciation, sometimes leading to ridiculous mistakes. Thus there was a general contempt in rabbinic circles for all that was Galilean."

Are you starting to get the picture? Out of the twelve disciples that Jesus had chosen there was only one who would have even been considered worthy by the "church" of that day and time to be good enough... and his name was Judas... and he was from Judeae. So why did Jesus choose Judas Iscariot to be one of the twelve disciples if he was so different from the rest? Well as always the "reason" that He did what He did was because His Father told Him to do it. And reading from Luke 6:12-13, we find, "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles..."

You see in the beginning Judas Iscarot was as close in his walk with Jesus as the rest of the apostles. It was not predestined (decided) by God that he failed. He failed due to his own shortcomings and failures. In fact turning back to the Old Testament the following two Scriptures bear it out: (Psalm 41:9-13) "Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them. By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me. And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever. Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen." (Psalm 55:12-16) "For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them. As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me."

Now even though Judas Iscariot was without a doubt an apostle who loved Jesus very much, he had one very large character flaw (sin nature) that would very shortly be used by Satan to do his dirty work. And reading from John 12:1-8, we’ll see just what this character flaw was: "Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always."

So Satan was at work fine tuning the sin nature in one of God’s very own chosen. Everything was now in place for Satan to work his evil so let’s read the rest of the story as found in Luke 22:1-6, "Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which was called the Passover. And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people. Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude."

Now the question that I’d like to ask is... do you really think that Judas Iscariot would have sold out to Satan if there would have not been any money involved? I don’t think so! You see this was Judas Iscariot’s weak point, and of course that’s why it became Satan’s strong point. And it’s right about then that this once saved apostle of Jesus Christ made a royal mess of his life. Because reading on Matthew 27:1-7, we find: "When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in."

Now I fully realize that what I’m about to say is going to be sorta tough for some of you to chew on, but what we have just read is a perfect picture of what we are seeing today with President Clinton. Judas Iscariot was a man considered usable by the most holy religious order of his time. And what they used him for was to put a plan into place that would "guarantee" their doctrinal beliefs (Satan’s deceptions) to continue. And of course this plan that was put into place was to kill "The Church." So Judas Iscariot was used in the name of religion to kill Jesus Christ the Son of God... and then he was promptly discarded like the trash that he had become... just waiting to be burned.

Strong words to say the least... but words that the Lord wanted said. And now that we’ve said them, what better way to close this message than to read from Acts 1:15-20, "And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take."

And that brings us to the very sad conclusion of the life of Judas Iscariot, a man who without a doubt was a once true believer in Christ. He once loved the Lord but religion turned him away. And oh what a fitting epitaph that is!!!

Well the times are getting short and Satan’s deceptions are getting stronger. Please don’t wait until it’s too late. Accept Jesus Christ as you Lord and Savior, ask God the Father to baptize you in the Holy Spirit, and then continue on day by day to search out the Holy Scriptures for the truth.

So next week (the Lord willing) we’ll continue on with this series with God’s Got A Plan! But until then, don’t believe any false doctrines and KEEP THE FAITH IN JESUS!!!

Love,

Dad (Bruce Hallman)