'Judgment Day' tests conventional Christian teaching by showing that only the Bible is infallible. Empowering, enlightening, and life-changing, this is a must-have companion for all Christians who are looking to strengthen their faith and gain a true understanding of God's Word.

Échantillon de lecture
Chapter 1

CHILDHOOD THOUGHTS

"Look! What is it?" my younger sister, Carolyn, asked me, pointing toward the northern horizon.

I was about seven years old at the time. Looking up in the direction Carolyn pointed caused a fear to instantly come over me. It seemed as if the whole world on the north side of our farm was on fire! I had seen some pretty big fires-especially when my dad would burn off a field of sage grass at the end of winter-but nothing like this!

"I don't know," I said to my sister in a voice lacking courage. "Let's go tell Dad and Mom."

The location was our family farm in southern Missouri near the Arkansas line. My sister and I had been playing out in the backyard near the chicken house. We had become so preoccupied with our games that we hadn't looked up into the sky as the evening shades turned into night. The scene was an awesome display of weird scarlet and crimson light across the northern sky.

We ran as fast as we could back to the house and around to the front door. I scrambled through the door and saw Dad sitting in the room. "Dad," I said as I pointed north, "there's a big fire back there." He instantly became concerned, probably thinking a fire had gotten out on his place or our neighbors' place to the north. He quickly arose from his chair and followed me outside with Mom and the rest of the kids following.

I felt assured once Dad had investigated the situation that he would somehow put things into a more manageable perspective, which should lower my fear level. This was the way it usually happened. But this wasn't the way it happened this time.

"What on earth is that?" Dad exclaimed, unable to hide the anxiety in his voice.

My fear level instantly doubled! There we all were, the whole family, standing huddled in the backyard, waiting for what seemed certain calamity to overtake us.

It was always Mom who would bring the Bible into a discussion. Dad seldom invoked the scriptures (except in principle). But he rarely argued with Mom's interpretation of the details. The kids could sometimes see by the look he gave Mom he wasn't sure her scriptures were all rightly divided. But her kids never ever doubted her interpretation of the Bible. She was Moses the lawgiver as far as we were concerned.

That night as Mom stood there with the light from the north shining on her face, and with a very reverent and somber facial expression, tears began to well up in her eyes. Now when Mom cried, her kids always felt they were witnessing their condition being transitioned from normal to catastrophic. I had no idea what we were witnessing in the northern sky, but I knew it was something bigger and greater than a field on fire.

Dad hadn't said another word. He just stood there looking at the awesome sight in amazement. Mom was now gently wringing her hands and weeping softly. After what seemed like an eternity Mom finally spoke and announced her scriptural verdict of the mystery we were witnessing. Turning her head toward my dad, she said in a hushed voice, "I think this is the end of the world! The Bible says that before the end comes, the moon will be turned into blood."

I and my family went to bed with great fear and anxiety that night. But the sun came up as usual the next morning, which made the entire family much happier. We later heard on the radio that the "northern lights" sometimes naturally happened. What a relief to a fragile young mind! So as long as the moon kept coming out at night in its normal way, I felt satisfied the world would go on a little while longer!

THE POWER OF TRADITION

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. (Col. 2:8)

The fearful event of my ch