QUESTION: Does the International Genocide Treaty prohibit preaching the gospel? Could someone be prosecuted under it for saying that homosexuality or Islam are condemned in the Bible?

RESPONSE:This Treaty was adopted by Resolution 260 (III) A of the UN General Assembly, 12/9/48, and went into force 1/12/51. It made a law of the declaration by the General Assembly in Res. 96, 12/11/46, making genocide a crime.

You ask, “Could someone be prosecuted under it for saying that homosexuality or Islam are condemned in the Bible?” In a word, yes, because the definition is broad enough to include almost anything. So far, however, this has not been done. The only prosecutions involved Rwanda and Yugoslavia.

Under the treaty, genocide includes any defined action “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group through causing serious...mental harm to members of the group [emphasis added].”

Although this provision has not been brought into play against preachers of the gospel who give the whole counsel of God, it could be any time the UN decides to do so. Whatever persecution and prosecution may come in the future, let us be faithful now—and also when the time comes.

QUESTION: Does today’s “Signs and Wonders” movement relate to the signs and lying wonders of 2 Thessalonians 2 [1]?

RESPONSE: Yes. Jesus warned specifically that in the last days false prophets and false Christs would appear, performing lying signs and wonders in His name: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Mt 7:22,23).

This is a solemn warning. These are not New Agers or other occultists or Satanists. They must be professing Christians accepted as leaders. Yet these “miracle workers” never were true Christians. Christ says, “I...know my sheep” (Jn 10:14 [2]), but to these He says, “I never knew you.”

Paul must be speaking of the same false prophets: “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith” (2 Tm 3:8). Jannes and Jambres were the magicians in Pharaoh’s court who withstood Moses by duplicating, either through trickery or by the power of Satan, the miracles God did through Moses: “The wise men and the sorcerers [and] magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments” (Ex 7:11,22 [3]; 8:7). They were not able, however, to duplicate the miracle of the lice and told Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God...” (8:19).

The major emphasis of TBN and many of its stars is on “signs and wonders.” Most are obvious frauds, yet enough apparent miracles occur at their meetings to deceive multitudes. One of the first responses to The Seduction of Christianity was Chairman Oral Roberts’s* 1986 organization of positive confession preachers called “International Charismatic Bible Ministries [CBM].” Paul [David] Yonggi Cho was International Honorary Chairman; Jack Hayford* was Vice Chairman; others included Kenneth Copeland* (Secretary), Marilyn Hickey,* Tommy Barnett,* Jamie Buckingham,* Charles Capps, Morris Cerullo, Paul Crouch, Mike Evans, Kenneth Hagin, Sr.,* Benny Hinn, Larry Lea, Francis McNutt, Mike Murdock,* John Osteen,* Earl Paulk,* Fred Price, Richard Roberts,* Jerry Savelle,* Stephen Strang,* Hilton Sutton,* Robert Tilton,* Casey Treat, Bob Weiner, and Ralph Wilkerson. (*Founding Trustee)

Their home page describes them as “a group of men and women in leadership positions for charismatic people of God...who believe in and preach the importance of SIGNS and WONDERS in the life of the church today...sharing methods, revelations, prophecies and teachings in the fullness of the Holy Spirit; and personal encouragement from one minister to another.”

In their charter, they promised not to correct one another. The banner behind the speaker at their conferences proclaims, “Love and Unity Through Signs and Wonders.” In these pages, we have documented some of Oral Roberts’ lies, outright fraud, and false prophecies. If those who are members of CBM are not of the same breed, why have they not risen up to reprove Roberts, and why do they continue to support and praise him? [See The Signs & Wonders’ Movement: Exposed DVD, Resource Pages.]

QUESTION: I’ve read most of What Love Is This? I believe in man’s free will and right of choice. However, when I read Luke 1:13-17 [4], especially verse 15, I cannot reconcile the pre-conception appointment of John with the free will of man. I’m aware that there are other divine appointments of a similar vein; these seem to remove human choice from one’s personal destiny. Your insight would be appreciated.

RESPONSE: Actually, there is nothing in these verses to negate John the Baptist’s free choice. All that is described is God’s call upon his life—the task for which God had chosen him—but he didn’t have to obey it. That was a great honor, for which he was empowered by the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb, but he had to be willing.

Nor was this choosing by God to salvation and heaven. John was chosen for a certain task. Of course, he had to become a believer in order to fulfill that task, but that was up to him. The Old Testament prophecies only identify this chosen one by the ministry he would fulfill: “the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD” (Is 40:3); “I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me...[in the spirit of] Elijah the prophet...he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” (Mal 3:1 [5]; 4:5,6).

The messenger, however, is not named. Had John not been willing, God would have raised up someone else. But since God knows the future, He knew that John the Baptist would undertake the mission He would give him. The fact that God knew what John would do does not mean that God caused him to do it, yet that was what Calvin and Luther both insisted upon.

Though chosen of God to be the forerunner for Christ, John had to choose to obey as the Spirit would lead. Remember, Judas was also chosen but rejected his appointed ministry and betrayed the Lord: “Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (Jn 6:70 [6]).

QUESTION: You keep saying that Jesus is coming soon. Yet Revelation says that every tribe, language, and ethnic group will be in heaven. There are many people groups that have had no opportunity to hear the gospel. How does that square with your teaching of an imminent return?

RESPONSE: Believers are told repeatedly throughout the New Testament to be ready for Christ to come at any moment: “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning...like unto men that wait for their lord...” (Lk 12:35-36 [7]); “...in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ...” (Phil 3:20); “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for his Son from heaven...even Jesus” (1 Thes 1:9,10 [8]); “looking for that blessed hope...the glorious appearing of...our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Ti 2:13); “...unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time...”(Heb 9:28 [9]), etc.

Surely, “loins girded about...lights burning” indicates imminency. If the early church was to wait and look for Christ to come from heaven, there could not have been any prior event that had to occur first. It would be senseless to be in an attitude of waiting and looking for Christ at any moment if He couldn’t come until Antichrist had appeared or until the end of the Great Tribulation.

The Bible ends with the cry from the bride, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rv 22:20). To express that desire if Christ couldn’t come until some other event or events had first occurred would be the mockery of demanding payment on a debt not yet due.

There is no question about it: imminency is the teaching of the New Testament. Then what about representatives being in heaven, as you say, from “every tribe, language, and ethnic group” if many groups haven’t even heard the gospel yet? How could the Lord rapture His own until at least one had gotten saved from every people group?

You are limiting God. Did a missionary get the gospel to Enoch, Job, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, David, et al.? Through the witness of creation and His law written in their consciences, God has always been able to bring those with open hearts to Himself out of every tribe at any time in history.

Furthermore, babies who die in innocence go to heaven. Of his baby that had just died, David said, “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Sm 12:23). Therefore, there are already in heaven many from every people group that ever existed, having died as infants in innocence.