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important that we come to UNDER–
STAND wbat this bizarre and shock–
ing event, along with many other
NEVER-BEFORE evils, portends- as a
warning to a heedless and spiritual–
ly dying world! For civilization itself
is dying!
Yet th is is only one more of
many world-shaking events literally
rocking the earth . FOR THE FIRST
TIME! The time of NEVER-BEFORE
evils is here.
We are experiencing the FIRST
RUMBLINGS of the unprecedented
"Great Tribulation."
NEVER BEFORE were the govern–
ments of nations being overthrown
at the .approximate rate of one a
month. God warned lhal in this
end-time
" 1
wi ll shake a ll na–
tions ... and
1
will overthrow the
throne of kingdoms" (Haggai 2:7,
22).
Biblical prophecy says this wi ll be
followed by a worldwide earthquake
SUCh as NEVER BEFORE: "And there
were voices, and thunders, and
lightnings; and there was a great
earthquake, such as was not since
men were upon the ear th, so mighty
an earthquake, and so great" (Rev.
16:18).
NEVER BEFORE was there a time
when tbe weapons of MASS DE–
STRUCTION existed, capable of eras–
ing
al/ lije
from the planel Earth.
NEVER BEFORE was the very
foundation of civilization- family
and home life-crumbling down
along with divorce, immorality, in–
justice, crime, corruption, violence,
and repeated wars, all in a rumbling
crescendo!
And yet, the worsl is yel to come!
These are but the first rumblings of
the world-shaking GREAT TRIBULA–
TION- the most catastrophic world–
wide trouble ever lo be experienced
by human beings!
Prophecy of Doom?
Emphatlcally Not!
The unp recede nted wor ld wide
earthquake will mark the time of
the RESURRECTION of the saints of
God in GLORY! They will meel the
returning glorified and mighty
CHRIST, coming as KING of kings,
and LORD of lords, ruling over- and
saving- ALL NATIONS!
Then will follow a thousand years
of world PEACE, abundance, happi-
26
ness and joy, and eterna! life of–
fered to ALL!
Two Vital Questions
Two supremely vital questions need
now to be answered.
1) WHY, and HOW it could have
been done, a nd 2) WHAT it por–
tends- the WARNING it shouts to a
deceived and dying world.
How could this cult leader Jim
Jones have i nduced so many
hundreds, against the strongest hu–
man instinct, to rehearse, then at
his word, calmly and obediently kili
their children and themselves?
What could have motivated such a
weird, revolting, bizarre tragedy–
an unbelievable thing with no prece–
dent known to man?
These people were not illiterate,
totally uneducated savages. Tbey
probably could not have been led to
such a horror.
Tbe cult leader, James Warren
Jones, was said to be a dynamic
preacher, endowed with personality
and charisma , somewhat flam–
boya n t. He bui lt the " Peop les
Temple" in San Fra ncisco, said
to be the largest church congrega–
tion in California, during the late
1960s.
Jones, at various times, is re–
ported to have ca l led himself
"God," "Father," and "The Rev.
J im Jones." He was neither "rever–
end," nor "God," nor , in a religious
sense, "Father." He was 46, and
professed to have raised more than
40 people from the dead.
He attended Indiana University,
graduated from Butler University in
lndianapolis, and attended Cleve–
land Bible College. He is said to
have been ordained as a minister of
the Disciples of Christ.
But he mixed in politics, too, as a
stout advocate of civil r ights. He
had been pastor of a few smaller
churches in the vicinity of lndianap–
olis.
He is reported to have been ex–
cessively sex minded, having mis–
tresses, and inducing both female
and maJe followers to submit to his
violent sexual advances.
He attracted a multiracial follow–
ing, with blacks dominating, and
whites next. People began deediRg
their property over to him.
Jones knew the "Father Divine,"
who claimed to be "God incarnate."
Jones is reported as saying he was
the reincarnation of Jesus Christ,
and of Lenin, and claimed "Father
Divine" had entered his soul.
Yet he built a big congregation in
San Francisco. A major doctrine of
his was his claim to be a faith heal–
er. The public press has described
details of many deliberately de–
signed fake healings.
Victims in Right Minds?
.
So far as this incredible mass sui–
cide horror is concerned, the BIG
QUESTION is
how
can such a thing
be explained?
No man can teach, influence, or
induce 900 people to destroy them–
selves and their chi ldren together at
t hat man 's command-NOT IN
THEIR NORMAL RIGHT MINOS!
1
do not believe one man can
hypnotize 900 people into such an
unnatural act. I do not believe Jim
Jones could have brainwashed so
many people, acting together in uní–
son, to commit such an unnatural
weird act.
But what the public press of this
wor ld could not understand is the
fact of the literal existence of Salan
the devil , and his myriad demons.
These are spirit beings with super–
natural powers.
God's Word says regarding them,
in Ephesians 6, concerning the
problems, troubles, disputes, and in–
cidents we humans have to wrestle
with: "For we wrestle not against
flesh a nd blood [h umans], but
against principalit ies, against pow–
ers, against the rulers of the dark–
ness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places" (Eph.
6: 12). The last phrase could be
translated "wicked spirits in high
places." Notice tbe word "RULERS"
of this world's darkness, or EVILS.
This world seems to know noth–
ing of demon possession. Jesus
Christ gave His apostles power to
cast out demons. In this world, law
officia ls, doctors, psychologists, the
public press, always pronounce such
a case as insanity or sorne physical
or mental problem. The problem is
not PHYSICAL.
Jt
ÍS
SPIRITUAL- and
there are evil and wicked spirits, as
well as holy angels, and the Holy
Spirit of God, the supreme power
over al!.
The
PLAIN TRUTH January 1979