Eerily, “All My Loving” was the song playing on the hospital radio, while medics were trying desperately to save John Lennon's life in 1980, after being shot by a nutcase with a .22 caliber gun. Mark Chapman (the gunman) is still serving life in prison in New York state. Gloria Chapman, Mark's wife, is an amazing woman, a born-again Christian, who has remained married to Mark for the past 40 years! She flies a few times a year to New York for pizza and congenial visits. I have always been intrigued by the history of The Beatles, from start to finish. The band has at least 140 iconic hits, which are truly masterpieces of music. I am a musician myself, so you may not understand my infatuation with The Beatles if you don't love music like I do. It amazes me how those young men were able to come up with so many beautiful songs, and incredible poetic lyrics like "Strawberry Fields" and "Penny Lane."
Now, before someone roasts me over their self-righteous legalistic flames, I do not sanction The Beatles. Today we look back on The Beatles as a novelty, but during their youth and hey day The Beatles led millions of youth into lives of sexual immorality, drug abuse and false religion. Sadly, none of The Beatles have honored Jesus Christ with their lives. I heard Paul McCartney boasting on a Late Night TV show a few years ago, that their U.S. tour manager brought them two prostitutes each in Las Vegas. Sin is no longer awful as it once was. Romans 7:13 teaches that God gave us His Law so that sin would become "exceedingly sinful." I wrote this article addressing whether or not Sir Paul McCartney is a Christian.
When I realize that Paul is going to Hell very soon, at age 79, it makes me sad, because I don't want to see someone that I admire so much burn in Hell forever. But dear reader, Paul has made his own choice! I am saddened that George is almost assuredly burning in Hell this moment and forever. Why? It is simply because no one can go to Heaven who is a sinner. You read correctly! NO ONE who has ever commit even one sin can enter into the Kingdom of God (James 2:10). So then who can go to Heaven? On your own it is impossible. That is why God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, into the world to die on a cross to pay our sin debt. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay.
You see friend, to be permitted into Heaven when you die, YOU MUST BE 100% SINLESS AND PERFECT, JUST LIKE GOD. But you say, "That is utterly impossible!" Yes, you are absolutely right. That is why we all need GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS!!! Romans 10:3-4, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Have you, dear friend, submitted yourself unto the righteousness of God, which is through faith alone in Christ Jesus? I have. I got saved at age 13, by simply ceasing from my own efforts and RESTING completely in Jesus Christ, and what He did to pay for my sins on the cross. It's that easy, free and simple to be saved. Simple BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (Acts 16:30-31).
I have always loved George Harisson's music. George wrote this song...
Here Comes The Sun (by The Beatles)
I began this article saying that I was thinking about George Harrison this week. I thought about him mainly because he died so young, at only age 58. George ruined his health with cigarettes. In nearly every picture of him, he has a cancer stick in his mouth. Tobacco kills! Most people don't know that a crazy lunatic on prescription drugs broke into George's home in 1999, stabbing him 40 times! George's wife stopped him, hitting the criminal over the head with a vase. George came so close to dying. One of the stab wounds barely punctured his lung. Being famous has its pitfalls.
I loved George's sense of humor. He had just hired a new grounds-keeper to attend to the greenery of his mansion in England. It was the young guy's very first day on the job! While Harrison was being loaded by paramedics into the ambulance, George called him over and asked: “So, how do you like working here so far?” You gotta love George for his high spirits! I've studies his life. Harrison was a ladies man, a whoremonger (Hebrews 13:4).
It makes me sad to know that George's faith was in the false prophet Hara Krishna, instead of the Lord Jesus Christ. George thought Jesus was a good man, a prophet, a man full of wisdom, but by all indication Harrison never received Jesus Christ alone as His personal Savior. Jesus warned in John 3:7 that unless a man is born-again, he cannot enter into God's Kingdom. Being a generous, fun-loving and nice guy isn't enough to get anyone into Heaven! Jesus said in John 14:6 that He alone is the only way to God the Father.
If there's a chance that any of The Beatles will be in Heaven, it is John Lennon. You can verify online that for a brief time in his life, John professed faith in Jesus Christ. But because of public criticism against him, John fell away and did not mature in his faith (Luke 8:13). I would like to believe that this is the case with Lennon, but we simply do not know for sure. Was it just a publicity stunt? Did John just decide (as so many millions of people do) to merely live the Christian life, but he wasn't genuinely born-again? I cannot tell you. I don't know.
I sure hope John Lennon is in Heaven. I would like to believe that before he died, that George Harrison accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, but I find no evidence that he did. I do pray for The Beatles who are still alive (and I do literally pray for Paul and Ringo), that they would come to Christ before it is too late. There won't be any parties in the Lake of Fire, I promise you that on the authority of God's Word (Revelation 14:11).
I heard a sermon yesterday by Pastor Jack Hyles called: “She Sojourned Seven Years.” In this sermons Dr. Hyles says: “I'd better be the worst of the best, than the best of the worst!” Yes Sir! The church on its worst day, is better than the world on its worst day!!! The Beatles are of the world. That doesn't mean it is a sin to listen to their music. I don't see any harm in listening to songs like "Penny Lane" and "'Til There Was You" and "Silly Little Love Songs" (by Wings). I love those songs and grew up hearing them on the radio. They are not Christian songs, just like our national anthem and children's nursery songs are not Christian songs either.
As a Bible preacher, I take a stand against The Beatles because people need to know the truth. Although much of their music is pretty and enjoyable, the lifestyles of these unsaved men has been worldly and of the Devil. Today, as far as I can tell, The Beatles have matured and are living decent lives. But that doesn't make them Christians! Paul McCartney gave up substance abuse over 40 years ago. Paul is the epitome today of good health at age 79.
I have read that Ringo became a Christian, joining the Church of England. If that be true, George is still as lost as the Devil, because in the Church of Christ people are required to be water baptized (the heresy of Baptismal Regeneration) to go to Heaven. Friend, not one verse in the Holy Bible says to get dunked in a baptistery to get your sins forgiven. You need God's imputed righteousness, which only comes through faith alone in Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:9, “ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”
Someone who is older than me might criticize me for saying that I like The Beatles, but then they like Dean Martin (1917-1995), Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) or Sammy Davis Jr. (1925-1990). These three men were nicknamed "The Rat Pack" in Las Vegas, where they made their fortunes, mostly from entertainment. They drank booze, chased lewd women and lived lives of wickedness. Dean Martin was involved with the mob, which he later regretted his entire life. Sinatra was infamous for romancing underaged girls. Sammy Davis Jr. was made an honorary member of the 'Church of Satan' by its founder, Anton LaVey (1930-1997). The world is the world! So please understand that I separate my personal feelings (that I like The Beatles' music), from my Christian feelings (that they are serving their father, the Devil).
There are pastors whom I personally like (e.g., Marty Herron). But my Christian view of him is that he is a deadly snake, a wicked man who belongs in prison. Some people cannot separate their Christian opinion from their personal feelings, but I can and do. That is why when I met Pastor Herron at the GPO Mall on Guam in 2018, I walked right up and shook his hand. His mouth literally dropped open, because he was astonished that I wasn't upset with him, after I wrote and published hundreds of articles exposing the Harvest Baptist Church on Guam.
Kindly said, and God knows my heart, if Pastor Herron had simply invited me back to church, we would have become friends and I would have removed all my writings against him and Harvest from the web, but he refused. This ongoing battle between me and the Bob Jones University camp has always been a matter of principle, and not my own feelings. They made an issue of my telling THE TRUTH in 2014 at Harvest Baptist Church on Guam, which compelled me to REBUKE THEM SHARPLY (Titus 1:13-14) for their ungodly pastors telling me to shut up. God wants us to SPEAK UP; Satan wants us to SHUT UP! I'm speaking up!!!
George Harrison died in 2001, at only age 58. That was too young! I like to mention the year someone was born, and the year they died, as a reminder to all my web visitors that life is so short! We're here today and gone tomorrow! The days quickly turn into weeks, and then months, and before you know it years have passed, and decades. By God's grace, I will turn 55 years old on march 5, 2022. I will officially be a senior citizen. Say it ain't so! Where did my life go? It seems like just yesterday that I was playing football with my buddies in the street in Chicago where I grew up. It seems like just yesterday that I was playing the console video game "Space Invaders" at the local burger hangout for teenagers, while hearing the popular song "Tom Sawyer" by Rush (which mentions the game Space Invaders). It was great to be a teenager in the 1970 and 1980's! I loved it! But now I am old and in chronic neck pain all the time. My how time flies. My life will soon be over (and so will yours).
The $64,000 question is: "Have you been born again?" I mentioned being "born again" to a co-worker about 30 years ago, to which he replied: "That born-again stuff doesn't make any sense to me!" Well of course it doesn't, which is why Jesus explained it to Nicodemus in John chapter three. I encourage you dear reader to read or listen to John chapter 3, again and again, until it makes sense to you.
God told Adam and Eve that the day they sinned, they would die. The deceitful serpent told Eve that she wouldn't die, saying that God had lied to her. So Eve did eat, and then gave the forbidden fruit to Adam and he also did eat. They didn't die physically, just as the serpent had said. But they DID die spiritually, just as God had said. So both God and the serpent, didn't tell Adam and Eve all the facts. God was speaking in spiritual terms, but the serpent (Satan) was speaking in physical terms. That has been the way it is since the beginning—Satan appeals to our carnal flesh, but God's Holy Spirit appeals to our spirit. Romans 8:4, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." The Devil always appeals to our fleshly desires, tempting us to eat the forbidden fruit of sin; but the Holy Spirit always encourages us to walk in the Spirit of the Lord, that we might please God.
Life is so short! I could mention thousands of examples of people who have died so young. I watched a documentary today about World War II. The last battle fought by U.S. Soldiers was on the Japanese island of Okinawa in 1945. In one day 3,500 men were killed. U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt cried when he heard this tragic news. Before it was over, at the end of 82 days of fighting, a total of 12,281 U.S. soldiers were killed just on Okinawa. The reason why the battle was so intense was that Okinawa was Japanese territory, not some rogue island in the Pacific. All toll, the war with Japan cost 25,000,000 lives. The saddest part is that 19,000,000 of those killed were civilians. Wars are started by old men, fought by young men, and everybody in the middle loses!
Just last week deadly tornadoes set down in the wee hours of the morning, killing 88 people! One just one block 7 children were killed. One victim was a precious 3-year-old little girl. Why do such tragedies happen? It is because of sin dear reader (Romans 5:12). It's not because of the particular sins of the people killed. Jesus made this truth clear in Luke 13:1-5). It is because of sin in general. The human race is depraved. All men are sinners (Romans 3:10-23). Every human being is a guilty sinner, both by nature and by choice.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 9:11 that "TIME AND CHANGE" happeneth to all. That is an easy verse to remember because of "911." Those people were in the right place at the wrong time on 911. Have you ever thought about that? You can be in the wrong place at the right time, or the right place at the wrong time, or the right place at the right time, but you CANNOT be in the wrong place at the wrong time!!! If you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, you wouldn't be there at all! So keep that in mind.
The GOOD NEW is that God doesn't want anyone to perish into Hell in their sins (2nd Peter 3:9). God in His wondrous love has made a free way of escape, through faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Simply BELIEVE dear friend. BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, Who died in your place on Calvary's cross, to pay your dent of sin. Jesus was buried and three days later He miraculously resurrected from the dead victoriously. This is "THE GOSPEL" by which we are saved, if we BELIEVE IT! (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Nothing more is required by God oh needy sinner, than simple childlike faith in the Gospel.
We all have an appointment with death. Only God knows that appointed time. It could be a fatal car crash this afternoon. It could be a sudden brain aneurysm, where a vein bursts. Or perhaps it will be a sudden heart-attack, which is what killed Pastor Jack Hyles in 2001. It could be a slower death, like prostate cancer, which killed Dr. Curtis Hutson in 1995. What will it be friend? We simply don't know until we know! Although I am ready to go to be with Jesus, I hope that God will give me as much time on earth as possible, so I can continue preaching THE TRUTH. I suffer in constant chronic neck pain.
My heart breaks to see so many stupid pastors today, like Jeff Redlin at Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College, sinfully bidding Godspeed to the Calvinists in the corrupt Bob Jones University camp. These wicked men only care about money, but they would never admit to such a shameful thing. Their deeds say otherwise than their words. I am faithfully exposing the error within the demonic BJU campo today, including their use, sale and support of the Devil's corruptible seed!
By changing the Word of God, Satan has lured tens of millions of churchgoers away from the inspired Word of God, leading them instead into the modern ecumenical church movement. The Devil's goal is to replace Bible theology with spirituality. But that is a different article for another day. Right now I am encouraging you to think about the fact that YOU dear reader have an appointment with death. I am ready for my appointment, are you?
