Excerpts From I Never Knew You
The Horror Of The Great White Throne Judgment And How You Can Avoid it
Copyright © 2009 By Michael Patrick BowenComments by David J. Stewart
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I was reading through this book last night while doing my laundry and wanted to share with you some excellent passages that I read concerning salvation. The book is titled I NEVER KNEW YOU by Michael P. Bowen, from chapter 12, The Plan Of Salvation According To Franklin Graham...
For three whole years I had been going about trying to establish my own righteousness before God through my own efforts, when in actuality Christ had, by His own righteousness, paid for all of my sins by His death, burial and resurrection from the dead 2,000 years earlier. When I learned the bible said I could have the free gift of everlasting life by believing solely upon what Christ had done for me by His death and subsequent resurrection from the dead, I believed His message immediately, hungrily, and to the exclusion of all the other counterfeit plans of salvation that I had been led to believe by today’s biggest hitters in Christianity. I was finally “free.” I was finally born again, and I knew it beyond any doubts at all. God put an end to my pamphleteering of false gospels. Now, I preach His plan of salvation via my personal Internet page, by face-to-face discussions with people, by tract, by CD, by DVD, as well as through the use of email. Today, I am now proclaiming Christ’s free gift via this book you are holding in your hands now which shall eventually go all around the world.
SOURCE: I NEVER KNEW YOU, by Michael P. Bowen; by Barbour Books, © 2009; page 125
Bowen further states, exposing the heresy of Lordship Salvation...
...Nowhere does the bible state or imply that a person must turn from their sins and follow Christ in obedience “in order to” be saved. People can twist the bible to make it say virtually anything they want it to say, but when you see the words of Christ and understand what He says about salvation, no one can refute or debate what He says. For example, Jesus says “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). Who can argue with that statement made by Christ Himself? Who can interpret this verse as anything other than eternal life being a gift from God made available to anyone the instant they “believe” on Christ as their savior? To say otherwise is to call Him a liar. To add man’s efforts, such as turning from sins, making a public profession, forsaking sins, giving tithes and money, joining a church, etc., or any other “thing of self” is to call Christ a liar; after all, according to the bible, heaven is a free gift that is given to the individual who places his or her faith in the finished work of Christ and has nothing to do whatsoever with what we do for God. “For by grace are ye saved through I Never Knew You faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
SOURCE: I NEVER KNEW YOU, by Michael P. Bowen; by Barbour Books, © 2009; page 126-127
Michael Bowen does an excellent job explaining the simplicity of the gospel and defending the Biblical plan of salvation...
Friend, anyone who thumbs their nose at Christ’s way of salvation and instead puts their trust in a plan of salvation other than the one Christ said for us to trust, that person will stand before Christ at the Great White Throne Judgement where he or she will stand “in their own righteousness” which will not be enough to gain entrance into heaven. Isaiah 64:6 states that our best deeds, the absolute best that we can come up with in this lifetime, will be seen as “filthy rags” when compared to Christ’s supreme sacrifice of His body on the cross. The lost person’s partial faith in Christ and partial faith in his or her works and discipleship will not be “enough” to get them into His eternal dwelling place.
I urge you, reader, to understand that Christ has but one way into His heaven, and that way is through trusting in Him alone as your only hope of heaven. To trust Christ as your only means of entering heaven you must first realize the penalty for sin, which is eternal death and separation from Him in the lake of fire. Once you realize you are under this eternal “death penalty,” you then trust that Christ paid for your sins by His death on the cross and that He arose from the grave three days later. Because Christ knows every single thought I Never Knew You you are thinking at this very moment, He “knows” whether or not you have trusted in Him alone, or if you are only placing partial trust in Him and the rest of your trust in living the “Christian Lifestyle” as your hope of entering into His heaven. The latter won’t save you, but the former will save you. You either trust Christ alone or you trust partially in Christ plus your “filthy rags.” To do the latter, you will not make it to heaven; however, if you choose the former, you, at this very moment, have a home in heaven waiting for you! God immediately grants you the gift of everlasting life in heaven the very same instant that you trust Christ alone to save you.
For those who still believe today’s counterfeit plans of salvation, those who are counting on their faith in Christ “plus” their discipleship to Christ to get them into heaven, Jesus says that they will experience the following horrors:
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 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” (Matthew 7:21-23).
These are persons who were trusting in their works alone, or in partial faith in Christ plus their good works, to get them into heaven. Look at the various areas of service in which they brag. They acknowledge Him as “Lord” and then they brag about preaching in His name, about healing in His name, and about the myriad of inexhaustible works of goodness they have done in His name; yet, because they did not trust in Him alone, the way He so clearly tells us to in His bible, He tells them to depart from Him because He sees their good works in His name as “sin.”
As if that were not bad enough, this is the fate of everyone who appears at the Great White Throne Judgement, where they stand not in Christ’s righteousness, but in the filthy rags of their own inadequate righteousness. This is their fate: I Never Knew You
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15). Reader, this chapter presents to you two plans of salvation: 1) the plan of salvation according to Franklin Graham, and 2) the plan of salvation according to Jesus Christ. Of these two plans, which one will you choose?
SOURCE: I NEVER KNEW YOU, by Michael P. Bowen; by Barbour Books, © 2009; page 129-131
Hard Copies Are Available! ...
I Never Knew You
The Horror Of The Great
White Throne Judgment And How You Can Avoid it
Copyright © 2009
By Michael Patrick
Bowen
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free 'Adobe Reader' to the left if you need the program to open
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This book points out the tragic situation of so many today. They think
they are on their way to Heaven; but, they are not; as, they have not
heard the clear Gospel of Grace. They are victims of those who preach a
message of salvation mixed with human effort, and their ultimate end
will be the Lake of Fire! Unless someone reaches them with the truth,
they will hear the devastating words, "Depart from me, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"
(Matthew 25:41). That is the message of this book.
Bowen documents the so-called “salvation” messages of some of the
“great” pastors and evangelists of today, which do not give
eternal life. He compares them to the message of Christ, which does
give eternal life. He makes his comparisons respectfully, considering
that these pastors and evangelists are just as deceived by Satan, the
Father of Lies, as are their followers by the message they preach.
Here is the list of individuals he gives “The Plan of Salvation
According to”: Joel Osteen, Charles Stanley, Pat Robertson, Rick Warren,
John Hagee, Beth Moore, James Dobson, Jimmy Swaggart, Ray Comfort and
Kirk Cameron; and, Franklin and Billy Graham.
Read the PDF online; or, if you wish to purchase your own copy of the
book, it is available on Amazon.com. Read the book! You won't be
disappointed.
MICHAEL BOWEN holds a Master's degree in English (Technical and
Professional Communication) from East Carolina University. He is
currently teaching college-level English composition at a community
college and operates an IBM AS400 computer at a local hospital. He
enjoys astronomy, martial arts, and reading. END
Where The Burden Rests In Salvation
Book endorsement by David J. Stewart (May 2012)
I love this book. I just ordered three hardcopies from Amazon.com... one copy to share with some neighbors who are religious, but lost; another copy to have on reserve to give someone who needs it, and the last copy for my library. I'm glad Michael Patrick Bowen wrote this needful book as a resource tool for Christians on the spiritual battlefield.
I am glad that Michael Bowen has shared his personal pain, hardships and great losses with the world. I've known people who commit suicide because of similar circumstances; yet Michael Bowen has turned his grief and pain into a needful and doctrinally sound book in the Lord. Michael's love of 8-years, Debbie, just up and left him for another, devastating his heart. After more than a decade of depression, Michael met Cristy, who dumped him; and then Lora, who also left him without warning. All three women dumped Michael, after he gave his heart to them.
After much heart-searching, Michael Bowen realized that God had a purpose for all his afflictions and losses, that is, God was teaching Him that Christ will dump anyone at The Great White Throne Of Judgment who hasn't obeyed the gospel. Giving one's best isn't good enough. Devoting one's life to Christ isn't salvation. Seeking a relationship with Christ or becoming one of His disciples is not the way of salvation. Jesus died, was buried and rose again. That is the gospel according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. If you receive the gospel by faith as payment for your sins, believing on Jesus Christ, that is salvation.
I read in chapter 7 where Michael lost 20 pounds due to sorrow in the loss of his second love, Cristy, which I related to, for I have had painful experiences in my own life which caused me to lose considerable weight. I simply lost my appetite due to emotional trauma. There is no pain like rejection or betrayal by loved ones. I didn't expect to read such things in a book about salvation, but was pleasantly surprised and am thankful for Michael Bowen being so transparent in his testimony. It encouraged me in my own pain and suffering, that I'm not alone. Most people are reluctant to share their pain with others. I recommend this book to everyone.
I have suffered pains worse than death myself, emotionally and bodily. My online ministry was born out of adversity and has continued through much afflictions. My neck pain and stiffness will be with me until the grave. It makes me moody and irritable, which makes it next to impossible to be around people. I am a loner. The radiating neck pain causes my eyes to hurt badly, and my entire facial area. It is a heavy burden that never goes away. Yet, God's rainbow shines through the storm. God's promises are the silver lining in every storm cloud.
Here's a great quote from “I NEVER KNEW YOU,” pg. 77...
“You can live for Christ, you can love Christ, you can serve Him with all your might, time, talent, and wealth. You can pray to Him, read your Bible, get water-baptized, join a church, witness to people, and do every wonderful work contained within the realm of Christianity, but if you fail to trust Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, He will 'dump' you.”
The majority of religious people in the world's churches today have believed a lie, a false gospel of making Jesus “Lord” to be saved. Their basis for such belief is that a person cannot be saved and continue in sin. So they corrupt the gospel by adding self-righteousness to it, masquerading behind the word “Lord.” Ironically Jesus said that not every one who saith, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter into the kingdom of God, but he that doeth the Father's will. Just as unsaved Roman Catholics who errantly think they are going to Heaven via their sacraments, so also will all those false evangelicals who trust in making Jesus Lord go to Hell in their unbelief.
Repentance is often misunderstood these days. It is quite ironic that the ministers who accuse us fundamental preachers of teaching easy believism, are the very ones whom Jesus warned about in Matthew 7:21-23... “Depart from Me, ye cursed, for I never knew you.” Why? It's because they failed to do the will of the Father, which according to John 6:40 is to believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many say, “Lord, Lord,” but think they'll get to Heaven by “the life they live” as John MacArthur so teaches in his deadly book titled, HARD TO BELIEVE.
The book doesn't expose John MacArthur per se, but the chapter on Ray Comfort reflects MacArthur's beliefs well. Pastor John MacArthur's HERESY TO YOU radio show (“Grace To You”) is heard nationwide and is deceiving millions of people with a false gospel of making Jesus “Lord” to be saved. Pastor Robert B. Thieme Jr. mentored John MacArthur, and then MacArthur mentored Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. MacArthur's corrupt study Bible is promoted on Kirk Cameron's website, as well as on Living Waters and Way Of The Master by Ray Comfort.
Here's the garbage theology of John MacArthur which says...
"Salvation isn't the result of an intellectual exercise. It comes from a life lived in obedience and service to Christ as revealed in the Scripture; it's the fruit of actions, not intentions. There's no room for passive spectators: words without actions are empty and futile... The life we live, not the words we speak, determines our eternal destiny" (Hard to Believe, p. 93). [emphasis added]
Is John MacArthur a Seventh Day Adventist? Or maybe MacArthur's a Mormon? It's frightening when one of America's most dynamic, beloved, popular and in-demand pulpiteers teaches the same doctrines concerning salvation as do Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons and even Roman Catholics. Lordship Salvation doesn't offend Catholics, because it teaches that works are required for salvation. As typical with false prophets, they say “no” while meaning “yes.” For example: They all claim to believe in salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus; but then they totally contradict themselves when they say that “it's the life we live and not the words we speak that determines our eternal destiny” (Hard to Believe, pg. 93).
Romans 11:6 plainly argues that it cannot be both. Salvation's either by grace or works, but it cannot be BOTH. Lordship Salvation is by self-righteous works. Biblical salvation is by grace alone without works.
The life we live has absolutely NOTHING to do with the gift of eternal life. The word “gift” is the key word in salvation. God offers eternal life freely to all mankind, with no strings attached, no heavy burdens, no worries not uncertainties.
Ray Comfort, Paul Washer, Kirk Cameron, and John MacArthur are all Calvinist in their doctrine (whether they admit it or not). MacArthur boasts of being a 5-point Calvinist. Truly, Calvinism and John Calvin are of the Devil. These men are all making salvation hard for others. In sharp contrast, Jesus bore the weight of our sins upon the cross, so we wouldn't have to pay for our sins in Hell forever.
The unbiblical requirement of making Jesus “Lord” of one's life to be saved places a heavy burden upon the sinner's shoulder to amend their way, leave off sinful bad habits, turn over a new leaf, forsake the world, make a commitment to Christ, get water baptized, and so forth. These are all proper in their place, but do not constitute salvation. In fact, adding even one of them to the gospel message perverts it and it cannot save anybody.
As Michael Bowen explains in his book on page 23, altering the plan of salvation is akin to crossing out the selling price of a contract to buy a home, writing a lower price instead, which would negate the entire contract. When the televangelists and ministers alter God's simple plan of salvation, they negate the gift of God. The “greats” have it wrong!
I recently watched some religious films that have sold millions of copies: The Moment After and The Moment After II. Both films corrupt the gospel by adding making Jesus Lord, living for Christ; but they fail to include the death, burial and resurrection. 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 defines the gospel for us, so there is no guess work involved. Jesus DIED, was BURIED and then ROSE again three days later. If you acknowledge your guilt of sin before God (Romans 3:19) and receive the gospel as payment for your sins, then you are saved. It's that simple. The gospel plus faith equals salvation.
On page xi in the introduction to “I NEVER KNEW YOU,” Michael Bowen states that one of Satan's greatest weapons against mankind is...
“to con people into living the Christian lifestyle without ever being born again.”
What a great statement!
One of the things I like about Bowen's book is that he approaches the matter from a gentlemanly point of view. For example, on page 21 he states concerning Pastor Joel Osteen...
“Osteen is not the enemy, folks, but Osteen is being 'used' by the enemy to lead all who believe in a 'different' gospel into a Christless eternity.”
The enemy is Satan who hates all people, saved and unsaved alike, and wants to lure as many people into the Lake of Fire (Gehenna) with him as possible to be punished for ever and ever.
Just as Joel Osteen, likewise Ray Comfort, John Hagee, Charles Stanley and other “greats” of our generation are not bad people, they are sincere; but they are sincerely wrong about the gospel. In one of his sermons, Joel Osteen once asked his church audience where they would spend eternity if they died that moment. Clearly, Osteen does care if his congregation goes to Heaven or Hell. Albeit, Osteen's errant way of salvation is to repent of sins, ask Jesus into our hearts, ask Him to wash us clean, and make Him Lord of our life. Osteen hasn't even begun to mention the gospel.
Instead, Joel Osteen has added a bunch of requirements that God did not. Changing the gospel even in the slightest way negates it completely and there can be no salvation. The gospel is that Jesus Christ died, was buried and has been resurrected (these three things are the gospel). The gospel does not include making Jesus ones “Lord.” The gospel does not include amending one's ways, nor joining a church through water baptism, nor keeping sacraments. It is a simple matter of heart's faith in what Christ has done to pay for our sins.
If you come as a sinner and trust upon the Savior Who died, was buried and bodily arose again, then you are saved my friend. We go to Heaven because we trust what Christ did for us; and not because of what we can do for Him. Our best righteousness is filth to God (Isaiah 64:6). We need HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, that is, Christ's imputed righteousness (Matthew 6:33; 2nd Corinthians 5:21). Oh how foolish is the world today! Billions of unsaved religious people are headed for the Lake of Fire! A demon's favorite activity is to make an unsaved person feel religious.
I read a horrible sermon by one of Chicago's famous evangelical preachers, Dr. Aiden Tozer (1897-1963), where he perverts the gospel. Mr. Tozer errantly states...
"In the Bible the offer of pardon on the part of God is conditioned upon intention to reform on the part of man. There can be no spiritual regeneration till there has been a moral reformation" (The Best of A.W. Tozer, Book 2, pg. 115-117; Compiled by Warren W. Wiersbe).
Wrong! Salvation is receiving, NOT giving. Mr. Tozer requires sinners to “reform” themselves before they can be saved. This goes totally contrary to the plainest teaching in the Bible. Romans 4:5 states: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Pastor Tozer is teaching works salvation!!! Salvation is a free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23)—freely offered (Romans 10:13) and freely received (Revelation 22:17).
May I remind you of the precious Words our Lord spoke in John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Believe and the work is done!
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