Dangerous in the wrong hands

While searching on Google tonight, I noticed this ad:

Curious (it’s not often that you read that God’s protection from America has been removed), I clicked on the link to see what this was all about.  The website is promoting a book – 2008 – God’s Final Witness. Here’s the blurb:

The year 2008 has witnessed many prophecies being fulfilled, especially the Seven Thunders of the Book of Revelation, which the apostle John saw but was restricted from recording. Those thunders, which will continue to increase in strength and frequency, are revealed in this book, as well as detailed accounts of the final three and one-half years of man’s self-rule on earth, which are recorded in the account of the Seventh Seal of Revelation.

Some of these prophecies concern the demise of the United States over the coming year, which will be followed by man’s final world war. This last war will be the result of clashing religions and the governments they sway. Billions will die! This time will far exceed even the very worst times in all human history.

As these events unfold, the world will increasingly become aware of the authenticity of the words in this book and realize that Ronald Weinland has been sent by God as His end-time prophet.

I’m concerned about what he’s saying, not least of all his assertion that “billions will die!”, but his concern isn’t their salvation,  but that “the world will increasingly become aware of the authenticity of the words in this book and realize that Ronald Weinland has been sent by God as His end-time prophet”.

Even more concerning is what the author, Ronald Weiland, says about himself on his personal website:

Ronald Weinland, who is the pastor of God’s Church on earth, has also been appointed by the God of Abraham to be His end-time prophet and one of the two end-time witnesses (and spokesman of both), preceding the return of Jesus Christ.

The book has been made available as a free e-book, and can be downloaded from the website.

Why am I writing about this website on Communicate Jesus? Three reasons:

1. There have always been people with crazy, even dangerous ideas. The internet now gives these ideas greater legs. Just as the internet can be used for ministry to promote Jesus, it can also be used for false purposes. We need to be aware that there are others who are using the  internet to do their own ‘ministry’. We don’t operate in a vacuum, and we shouldn’t be ignorant of others who are operating in our ‘space’. Especially when they are using technology to draw people away from Jesus.
2. The websites I visited (including Weiland’s personal website) are good. Sure, they won’t win any design awards, but the designs are clean, pleasant and the sites are easy to use. This stands in contrast to many of the Christian websites I was exploring this afternoon that may well have been updated 20 years ago, and not visited again since. I’m not suggesting that our websites are the be all and end all in bringing people into a relationship with Jesus, when they’re done poorly they can certainly provide some decent obstacles to keep people away. On the flip-side, a decent website that is easy on the eye and easy to read and access, provides interested visitors with an easy first step into our churches and ministries.
   
3. Weiland has released his book as a free e-book. There’s one way to make it easy for others to read what you’ve got to say, and that’s to make it free. I’ve written elsewhere on why I believe free is the way to go, and I’ll write here soon on the potential e-books provide. If falsehood is being distributed for free, shouldn’t the truth be made equally available and accessible? It would be great to see more Christian resources, especially books, made available online for free.

[email_link]