Basic Christian: blog History Study

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth

Christian Church History

by David Anson Brown
DavidAnsonBrown.com

3C-Christianity.com - The-Jesus-Realm.com

BasicChristian.org

Introduction

Basic Christian: Church History blog Study - Revised Outline
0 A.D. - 312 A.D. - Birth of Jesus and the Early Church Age
313 A.D. - 1521 A.D. - Birth of Revised Rome and the Holy Roman Empire
1522 A.D. - 1880 A.D. - Indigenous Bible Translations and Doctrines Era - The Reformation - Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, etc.
1881 - Present (2011) - Corrupt modern bible translations and compromised Seminaries and Universities - The modern Emergent [return to occult/paganism] Era - Westcott and Hort (1881), NIV (1972) Zondervan, NKJV (1979) Thomas Nelson, Inc., etc. [article link]

Basic Christian Wiki: The Basic Christian Wiki 'Common Christian Faith' (CCF)
Preview: The Basic Christian Wiki 'Common Christian Faith' wiki website. [article link]

Basic Christian: Select Internet Mp3s - The Christmas 2011 Download and Share Project - FREE Downloads (Mp3s)
The Basic Christian list of select Mp3 downloads from various internet websites. -- Selected as a part of the original 2003 Tract-CD Project the Basic Christian Ministry was asked to share two PDF resources [Basic Christian: Theology, Biblical Proof Jesus is God] with the Tract-CD project and in return a CD of Mp3's was mailed to the Ministry. -- These are some of those original Mp3s plus many more new mp3s have been added for download. [article link]

Mp3 Links (Part 2) - The Christmas 2011 Download and Share Project - FREE Downloads (Mp3s)
Basic Christian: Links to Free Mp3s. [article link]

Update: 12-06-2011 - Back home for a few days but the blog postings won't resume until January - Have a Blessed Christmas Holiday Season in Jesus Christ! ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown
The current Christmas blog postings are intended to be the only postings until after the end of the year. It seems important to be really focused on Jesus Christ during this 2011 Christmas Season so there won't be any other postings, posts that could get us off topic and get in the way of our Christian Worship of Jesus Christ during the Christmas Holiday Season. -- Currently I'm working on a few projects, mostly regarding the coming Church History blog Study and getting ready to resume the blog postings in January. I'll be out of town again during the Holidays so the blog will be on a break until January. [article link]

Completed: 8 Kingdoms - For all practical purposes the Basic Christian Ministry blog has completed the 8 Kingdoms (primarily ancient history) portion of the blog History Study - A few more items will be added over time but nothing significant - The December blogging of the Christmas Holiday 2011 is scheduled next - After the New Year the blogging should begin on the Church History portion of the blog History Study - {Note: Thanks to everyone who is participating in the Basic Christian: blog Studies (blog Bible Study - blog History Study). The 8 Kingdoms Study, the first portion of the blog History Study has taken over a year and a half to complete [starting in Spring 2010] and has been a substantial project, just like the blog Bible Study was. My thanks and deep appreciation to everyone who is participating, sharing and involved with the Basic Christian blog studies especially for those who are praying for the studies and the Ministry - God bless everyone! ~ David Anson Brown}
Overview: 8 Kingdoms - The premise of the 8 Kingdoms Study is that each of the Kingdoms are unique in that they each have a unique (advanced) interaction with the spiritual realm. The 7 Gentile Kingdoms primarily interact with the fallen spiritual realm while the coming 8th Kingdom the Kingdom of Jesus Christ will be the visible presence of God on earth. The study is presenting Mystery Babylon [Revelation 17] as the Fallen Angelic realm out to deceive mankind, the 7 Mountains (hills) as the 7 Gentile Kingdoms (Governments) with False Religion [including pseudo (emergent) christianity] as being represented by the scarlet woman [placed in between the fallen angelic spiritual realm and the human political realm], influenced by Mystery Babylon and able to manifest while temporarily riding above the 7 Gentile Global Governments emplaced throughout world history. [article link]

Recap: The 8th Kingdom, Jesus Christ - The Eternal Kingdom - **The 3 Thrones of Jesus Christ --- Current Throne in Heaven [alongside the Father's Throne] (Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 1:3, 12:2, 1 Peter 3:22) , Eligibility: Relative - *Son of God (Father God) [eternal co-reigning with the Father and the Holy Spirit] --- Future Millennial Kingdom Throne in Jerusalem [restoring the Throne of King David] (Acts 15:16, Revelation 22:16), Eligibility: Relative - *Son of Man (descendant of King David) --- Eternal Throne [the Throne of the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit] (Revelation 20:4, Revelation 22:3) the Eternal Throne of the New Heaven (sky) and the New Earth, Eligibility: Jesus as [Eternal God] *Conqueror (John 16:33)
Currently Jesus Christ is seated on His own Throne (co-reigning - interceding) at the right hand of His Father's Throne in Heaven. "Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth [not Jesus]? It is [Jesus] Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, *Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us [not condemning Christians]." -- At a future date for the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth Jesus will be seated upon the Throne of King David (Acts 2:29-33). Then with the New Heaven (sky) and the New Earth, Jesus as the conqueror of this earth [realm] will sit eternally [continuing to co-reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit on His own Throne upon the New Eternal Earth (Revelation 21:3). -- "John 16:33 These things I (Jesus) have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I (Jesus) have overcome the world." [article link]

Basic Christian - Conquering Kings: The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth - The 7 anointed Gentile Global Kings of the Earth (anointed from God) and the anointed 8th Kingdom the Eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ -- The Kingdoms: beginning with Nimrod (Tower of Babel - Genesis 10:8-10) --- Pharaoh Akhenaten (Egypt - Joseph's Pharaoh, the Dream Pharaoh - Genesis 41:1) --- Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon - Jeremiah 27:4-7, Daniel 2:37) --- Cyrus (Persia - Isaiah 45:1-7, Ezra 1:1-4) --- Alexander the Great (Greece - Daniel 8:21) --- Julius Caesar (Rome - Luke 2:1) --- The Revised [10 Kingdom] Roman Empire (Daniel 7:19) - Antichrist (Satan - Daniel 7:20) emerges from within the Revised Roman Empire --- The Messiah, Jesus Christ's Kingdom (Heaven and Earth - Daniel 2:35, Daniel 2:44-45)
The 8 Conquering Kings -- Tower of Babel: Nimrod, conquered the world, gained his kingdom, probably through the arts of physical personality and persuasion (Genesis 10:9). -- Egypt: Pharaoh Akhenaten, gained his kingdom, through the means of finances [financial warfare] (Genesis 47:20). -- Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar, conquered his global kingdom primarily through military force (Jeremiah 34:1,). -- Persia: Cyrus the Great, conquered his global kingdom primarily through the use of superior technology (Ezra 1:2). -- Greece: Alexander the Great, conquered his global kingdom primarily through the use of philosophy, knowledge and superior tactics (Daniel 11:2-3, Daniel 10:20, Joel 3:6). -- Rome: Julius Caesar, conquered his global kingdom primarily through the use of laws, legalities (taxation), and treaties (Matthew 22:17, Luke 2:1, Acts 16:21). -- The Revised Roman Empire: Antichrist (Satan), is in the process of conquering his global kingdom primarily through the use of spiritual personality [witchcraft], persuasion and through a combination of all of the previously used techniques (Daniel 8:23-25). --- Millennial Reign: The Messiah, Jesus Christ has conquered the enemies of mankind for mankind. Jesus has personally conquered human sin and human death and in His Glorious victory He is making available His Kingdom of eternal Life to all of mankind (Romans 8:37, 1 Corinthians 15:26, Hebrews 2:9,14, Hebrews 9:28, Revelation 4:11). [article link]

GoodFight.org: The Submerging Church - How the Emerging [Revised Roman Empire] church is drawing multitudes away from Biblical Christianity - Coming to DVD January 2012 - Official DVD Trailer - {Note: The people who are participating in the Emergent church movement, either willingly or passively, are literally "holding a wolf by the ears" and when they let go or when they least expect it that wolf is going to turn and rip them to shreds. -- "Ezekiel 22:27 Her [Mystery Babylon] princes in the midst [of God's people] thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. ~ Prophet Ezekiel" -- "Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. ~ Jesus Christ" -- "Acts 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. ~ Apostle Paul"} (YouTube)
Journey with us as we take a closer look at the Emerging (also Missional - a new term that replaces Emergent) Church, its leaders, their teachings and where it is all headed when compared with bible prophecy. A Good Fight Ministries production available January 2012. [article link]

What Is Discipleship? (2 Min. Video)
While the majority of the church is busy planning programs and activities to entertain their members and increase their numbers, they neglect the way God has ordained for His church to be built and edified. "Christian entertainment" has replaced equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, and instead of discipling disciples to make disciples, churches are overstuffing themselves with earthly waste with no eternal impact. In just two minutes, this video sums up the church's problem and the solution to it. This is how we are to love others. This is how church should be done. This is discipleship: [article link]

Overview: 8 Kingdoms - The Basic Christian blog is going to try to wrap up the 8 Kingdoms (primarily ancient history) portion of the blog History Study in the next two weeks - Posting primarily on the Political Structure of each Kingdom - Then in December blogging the Christmas Holiday 2011 - After the New Year the blogging should begin on the Church History portion of the blog History Study
Overview: 8 Kingdoms - The premise of the 8 Kingdoms Study is that each of the Kingdoms are unique in that they each have a unique (advanced) interaction with the spiritual realm. The 7 Gentile Kingdoms primarily interact with the fallen spiritual realm while the coming 8th Kingdom the Kingdom of Jesus Christ will be the visible presence of God on earth. The study is presenting Mystery Babylon [Revelation 17] as the Fallen Angelic realm out to deceive mankind, the 7 Mountains (hills) as the 7 Gentile Kingdoms (Governments) with False Religion [including pseudo (emergent) christianity] as being represented by the scarlet woman [placed in between the fallen angelic spiritual realm and the human political realm], influenced by Mystery Babylon and able to manifest while temporarily riding above the 7 Gentile Global Governments emplaced throughout world history. [article link]

Update: The Basic Christian blog 8 Kingdoms study is well underway and on track to be completed as scheduled - The plan now is to do one more Decoding series, a necessary one to briefly examine how kingdoms conclude, change, influence and morph [embed themselves] into the next ruling kingdom - Then after the brief Decoding postings are finished to go back and revisit each of the 8 Kingdoms to finalize each portion of the study - Coming Soon: Decoding Hitler's Bunker!!
The 8 Kingdoms study should be completed before Christmas 2011 and then the Church History portion starting in January 2012 should be able to be completed by Holy Week 2012. The Church History portion though becoming more and more in depth [during preparation] is still going to be an overview study that will primarily focus on a few key transition points in history. In order to more easily facilitate the transition points of the coming Church History blog study I have revised the outline of the study and will post that as well. [article link]

Refresher: 1 of 4 - Noah - The 8 Global Kingdoms - Noah was a prophet and prophesied releasing the raven [unclean bird] that despite the flood mankind would still have to contend with sin, rebellion and disobedience - Noah prophesied again in releasing the dove [type of the Holy Spirit] that the Holy Spirit of God despite man's rebellion would still dwell with mankind -- "Genesis 8:7-11 And he [Noah] sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt (plucked) off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth."
"Genesis 8:4-18 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the Mountains of Ararat [in the area of modern day Turkey]. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: And he sent forth a raven [a type of the sin and disobedience], which went forth to and fro [but did not return to the ark], until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove [type of the Holy Spirit] out of the ark; And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf [for telling Holy Week, the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane] pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. **And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:" [article link]

Refresher: 2 of 4 - Nimrod the 1st Gentile Kingdom [of the 7 Global Gentile Kingdoms - the 8th Kingdom being the Eternal Kingdom of Messiah Jesus Christ] - The 8 Global Kingdoms - Nimrod was the most complete type of Antichrist in disobeying God, controlling all the population and promising an eternal life to his followers -- "Genesis 11:1-2 And the *whole earth was of one language [only the second generation since Noah's Ark - *Noah -> *Ham -> Cush -> Nimrod], and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east [from the Ark - Mountains of Ararat (in Turkey)], that they found a plain [open area] in the land of Shinar [closer to ancient Babylon [in Iraq] but still in the region of Turkey]; and they dwelt there."
"Genesis 11:3-9 And they [descendants of Noah's three sons - Shem, Ham, and Japheth] said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a City and a Tower [Temple], whose top may reach unto Heaven [eternal life]; and let us make us a name [666 Mark of the Beast], lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower [false temple], which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this [misguided evil] they begin to do: and now nothing [evil] will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let Us [Father God, Jesus, Holy Spirit] go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off [no longer] to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth." [article link]

Refresher: 3 of 4 - The Nation of Assyria - The 8 Global Kingdoms - Nimrod was the 1st Global Gentile Kingdom and then Ancient Egypt [2nd Global Gentile Kingdom] continued the work of Nimrod from the Tower of Babel (The rounded [tower of Babel shaped] and pointed [extended skull] crown of Ancient Egypt was modeled after Nimrod and Babel) - Ancient Egypt via the famine of Joseph's days amassed the wealth of the world - The wealth and secrets of Egypt were later transferred to Babylon [3rd Kingdom] and not to Assyria - Assyria though a strong Nation it was not one of the 7 Gentile Occult Kingdoms - Assyria was Occult controlled and Occult influenced but unlike Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome and Revised-Rome the kingdom of Assyria was never able to interact with and forward the Occult realm [fallen angels] among mankind in the way that the other Kingdoms had accomplished.
"1 Kings 14:25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of [Jewish] King Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem: And he took away the treasures of the House of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all [and returned the gold back to Egypt]: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made." -- "2 Kings 24:7 And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the **king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates **all [wealth and knowledge] that pertained to the king of Egypt. [back in Jerusalem] Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem." -- "Isaiah 45:1-7 Thus saith the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus [of Persia (Iran) - 4th Kingdom], whose right hand I have holden, to subdue Nations before him; and I will loose the loins of Kings, to open before him the two leaved gates [of Babylon (Iraq) - 3rd Kingdom]; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: *And I will give thee the **Treasures of Darkness [Mystery Babylon - secret knowledge - the 7 Gentile Kingdoms 'beginning' with Nimrod and ending with Antichrist once manifested are aggregate and ongoing], **and hidden riches [wealth] of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. **For Jacob [the Nation of Israel] My servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I Am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." [article link]

Refresher: 4 of 4 - Mystery Babylon, Fallen Angels, Demons, Mark of the Beast 666 - The 8 Global Kingdoms - Apparently Spiritual Realm [fallen Angelic] doors that were open in the days before the flood of Noah and that were closed by the global judgment flood of Noah were quickly reopened only two generations later by Nimrod. -- "2 Peter 3:5-7 For this [ancient times - Days of Noah] they [unbelievers] willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God [Genesis Creation] the heavens [sky] were of old, and the earth [1st earth pre-flood] standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby **the world [earth 1.0] that then was, being overflowed with water, **perished: But the heavens and the earth [2.0], which are now, by the same Word are kept in store, reserved unto *fire against the **Day of Judgment [global Judgment - the three global judgments; water [Noah], blood [Cross], fire (Spirit)] and perdition of ungodly men."
In the days before Noah (Genesis 6:2) the Fallen Angels were 'physically' mating with mankind [the daughters of man] and physically corrupting mankind. Angels both Holy and fallen can manifest as humans (Genesis 18:1-2) and the fallen angels apparently engineered [i.e. gene DNA modification, i.e. chimaera] a way to create offspring through their physical sexual interaction with humans. - Since the days after the flood of Noah and now the earth with a Demonic presence [the departed spirits of the Nephilm offspring of fallen angels and humans] along with the fallen angelic presence. The emphasis in corrupting mankind has turned from physical interaction [pre-flood - fallen angels and humans mating - though still happening in rare occasions] to now with demons present a spiritual possession and spiritual corruption [Mark of the Beast 666] mating between demons and humans. -- "Daniel 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron [demons] mixed with miry clay [sinful humans], they [demons] shall mingle [666 Mark of the Beast] themselves with the seed [soul-spirit] of men: but they shall not cleave [fit together] one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." -- "Revelation 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the Beast [Antichrist (7th Kingdom)]: for it is the number of a **man [i.e. completing what Nimrod (1st Kingdom) attempted to do but was only able to start [initiate] because the languages were confused (Genesis 11:7)]; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six [666]." [article link]

Summary: The Apostle Paul's Journey to Rome - The Four Dispensations of the Times since the 1st Coming of Jesus Christ seem to have been mapped out and enacted throughout Paul's Journey to Rome -- 1. The Apostles Dispensation (Acts 27:1-5) -- 2. The Common Christian Church Age (Acts 27:6-44) -- 3. The Martyred Saints of Revelation Tribulation (Acts 28:1-15) -- 4. The 1,000 year Millennial Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ on earth (Acts 28:16-31)
1. The Apostles Dispensation (Acts 27:1-5): Paul and the other Apostles [eyewitnesses] of Jesus Christ go into the world preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ. "Acts 27:3-5 And [representing the Apostolic Missionary Journey Age] the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave *him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself. And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the **winds were contrary. And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia." {Note: Luke and the Apostle Paul seem to be recording two primary things. 1. Looking back on all of Paul's Missionary Journeys that Paul felt that they had gone well and that on the whole the Gospel was being well received "him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself" that Paul had made a lot of friends on his Missionary Trips and was refreshed by the fellowship he had with the Gentile Christians. 2. Also noting that "the [spiritual] winds were contrary" seeming to imply that there was a great deal of spiritual (demonic) opposition to the Gospel Message going forward.} -- 2. The Common Christian Church Age (Acts 27:6-44): "Acts 27:6 And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein." {Note: The ship of the Apostolic Age has ended and the ship of the Common Christian Church Age has launched - carrying the nourishing wheat (Bible) and the four anchors (4 Gospels). The [Christian] ship spends a great deal of time in the port of "Fair Havens" and then departs into adversity to the extent that the storms of life strand and tear the ship apart. Noteworthy, the Church [ship] has the four anchors [4 Gospels] and correctly uses them to stabilize the ship in dangerous waters however also note how the cargo of wheat [Bible] is considered too big of a burden and is cast overboard (Acts 27:38) away from the Church. -- 3. The Martyred Saints of Revelation Tribulation (Acts 28:1-15): After the Christian Church Age has come to an end the Revelation Tribulation Age begins. {Note: The Saints of Revelation are washed ashore into a strange society and economy where they are refuges; destitute and in peril. Though working hard and trying to get along they are Bitten by the Beast and transported to fellowship with their fellow Martyrs. -- 4. The 1,000 year Millennial Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ on earth (Acts 27:16-31): Having finally arrived in Rome the Throne of the King the Millennial Rein of Jesus Christ is now being depicted. {Note: As a type of a citizen of the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ, Paul is sent not to jail but to his own house to live [for two years]. Once in his Millennial House the Apostle Paul immediately begins to fellowship with the Jews of the Millennial Age.} -- Paul's Journey to Rome and the book of Acts concludes "Acts 28:30-31 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, **Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." [article link]

In the Apostle Paul's trip to Rome [recorded in the Bible's Book of Acts by the early Church Historian Luke] are some of the most codded and cryptic passages of the Bible's New Testament - Was Luke aided by the Apostle Paul, putting forth the future of the Church Era and an End Time scenario that Christians could glean from to understand events both current and future? -- Coming Soon: Decoding The Apostle Paul's Trip to Rome (Acts Chapters 27 and 28)
We will take a brief look at Acts chapters 27 and 28. Here are some of the very cryptic verses that possibly tell a parallel story [of the Church Age and End Times] to the story of Paul's voyage to Rome. -- "Acts 27:4 And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary." -- "Acts 27:6 And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein." -- "Acts 27:9 Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast [Yom Kippur] was now already past, Paul admonished them," -- "Acts 27:14 But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon." -- "Acts 27:15-16 And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:" -- "Acts 27:31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." -- "Acts 27:29 Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day." -- "Acts 28:3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand." -- "Acts 28:5 And he shook off the beast [G2342 - Therion] into the fire, and felt no harm." -- "Acts 28:11 And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was [Gnosticism] Castor and Pollux." -- "Acts 28:15 And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum, and The Three Taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage." [article link]

JustBible.net: Bible Study of Acts Chapter 27 - How will you ride out your life's next storm? {Note: there have been thousands of Sermons Preached on the very popular passages of Paul's journey to Rome (Acts 27 and 28) and all of them allegorize to some extent the passages of the journey - most commonly the four anchors (of faith) are allegorized from Acts 27:31.}
Why were they to "sail to Italy" (Acts 27:1)? Paul had requested a trial before the Caesar, so he was being transported from Caesarea to Rome by ship. -- Who were being transported with Paul? Apparently, "we" (Acts 27:1) included **Luke, who wrote Acts and "Aristarchus" (Acts 27:2). Also sailing were "some other prisoners" (Acts 27:1) to be tried before Caesar and/or already tried, found guilty and sentenced to fight (to their death) in the coliseum of Rome. -- Who was "Aristarchus" (Acts 27:2)? Aristarchus was a "Macedonian of Thessalonica" (Acts 27:2) who was with Paul in Ephesus during the riot - "So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul's travel companions" (Acts 19:29) - and apparently accompanied him to Greece, and from there to Jerusalem: "After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia. Now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece and stayed three months. And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia - also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia." (Acts 20:1-4) Two years later, Aristarchus, who may have spent those two years tending to Paul in Caesarea, was now accompanying him from Caesarea to Rome. Aristarchus was a Jew and remained with Paul during his imprisonment in Rome: "Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me." (Colossians 4:10-11) ... [article link]

Grace Baptist Church: Sermon - "Four Anchors That Will Hold" Acts 27:29 - In this very popular portion of Scripture there are four anchors that will keep your Christian life right on course until you land safely on the other shore (Online Audio with PowerPoint - Text)
For the saved: are your anchors holding? Are they solid? Will they keep you from drifting out to sea? [article link]

Warning! This is going to be a mostly allegorical look at parts of Acts chapters 27 and 28 - In this type of allegorizing it is going to be important to only give a secondary meaning to items in the passages that had that same secondary meaning back in Luke's and Paul's time when it was originally written and for instance not to say the Island of Crete represents Roman Catholicism because Crete didn't represent that back in the day when the text was written
Note: Ancient Gnosticism is the even more ancient 'Double Star' false religion of Twins (Christ - Antichrist or Castor - Pollex) well known in Paul's day. It was probably the original Nimrod [Tower of Babel] deception religion [i.e. Tammuz] of Genesis 11 and is a well-established part of the 7 [Mystery Babylon] Gentile Kingdoms. -- Therefore allegorizing the sign of Castor and Pollex in Acts 28:11 as representing Gnosticism and other similar allegorizations are within the scope and intent of this study. [article link]

{Flashback} Where is all this going in our day - Presumably back to Gnosticism (the original Nimrod occult replacement doctrine deception) - Gnosticism was also the primary deception [occult answer to the resurrection truth of Jesus Christ] able to be maintained as a viable deception (against Christianity) and hold its own in the early years of the new bright and shining N.T. Christian Church light and then with the passing of the original Church Apostles a modern (post-resurrection) Gnosticism was then able to take root and remain until our time - Gnosticism is in regards to who is the actual Christ (Jesus) and who is the actual Antichrist (Satan) - Are the two roles of God and Devil reversed as Gnosticism would portray
The Revised Roman Empire [Rome and whomever Rome (the Vatican) empowers (Revelation 17:13)] rose out of the earlier doctrines of Gnosticism and sustained itself until a modern (post-resurrection) Gnosticism could again became rooted and well established in human society. Following the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the New Christian Church eternal, resurrection, life in Jesus paradigm there was no Revised Roman Empire but eventually in the reconfigured (Jesus - Satan) [post-resurrection] doctrines of Gnosticism about 300 A.D. Revised Rome emerged. Gnosticism is the 'Double Star' Twins (Christ - Antichrist or Castor - Pollex) Nimrod deception religion of the 7 Gentile Kingdoms. -- Albert Pike (1809-1891) [Confederate Civil War General] said "three future world wars would prepare the world for the [Satanic] New World Order. ... (NWO) will receive the true light [Gnosticism] through the universal manifestation of the pure doctrine of Lucifer [Satan], **brought finally out [of secrecy and into] in the public view, a manifestation (belief in Satanism) which will result from the general reactionary movement which will follow the [Gnostic Satan is the christ] destruction [discrediting] of Christianity and atheism [all cults i.e. Mormon LDS , etc. and all false religions i.e. Islam, etc.], *both [Christianity and all non-Luciferianism] conquered [*after the rapture] and exterminated at the same time" - Albert Pike was actually addressing the teachings of French occultist Eliphas Levi. [Eliphas Lévi, born Alphonse Louis Constant, (1810-1875) was a French occult author and purported magician. "Eliphas Lévi" the name under which he published his books, was his attempt to translate or transliterate his given names "Alphonse Louis" into Hebrew although he was not Jewish. - Wiki.com] -- "Acts 28:11 And after three months we [Apostle Paul and Luke] departed [the island of Melita (Malta)] in a ship of Alexandria [a Greek colony in Egypt], which had wintered in the isle, *whose sign was Castor and Pollux (Gnosticism). And landing at Syracuse [in Sicily - 364 mi. south of Rome], we tarried [stayed] there three days." Was Luke embedding into his book of Acts for future Christian understanding the concept that Gnosticism and Christianity would be traveling companions on the high seas of history leading towards a final destination of Rome and the eventual End Time Revised Rome Empire! - Note: There is a current events (End Time) scenario in process regardless of how accurate or inaccurate Albert Pike was in his letters. The Albert Pike material is only being posted as reference material - in reference to a general End Time Gnostic plan and scenario and not as though Albert Pike was able to predict the future or affect future events in any sustainable cohesive way. [article link]

A Timestamp? - Is Acts 27:16 a 'Timestamp' used by Luke the same way Luke 2:1 and John 6:1 are Scriptural Timestamps? -- wikipedia.com: Roman Emperor Augustus (Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus) [Luke 2:1] Reign: 16 January 27 B.C. to 19 August 14 A.D. (40 years, 215 days) -- Roman Emperor Tiberius (Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus) [John 6:1] Reign: 18 September 14 A.D. to 16 March 37 A.D. (22 years, 179 days) -- Roman Emperor Caligula (Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus) Reign: 16 March 37 A.D. to 24 January 41 A.D. (3 years, 314 days) -- Roman Emperor Claudius (Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus) [Acts 27:16?] Reign: 24 January 41 A.D. to 13 October 54 A.D. (13 years, 262 days) -- Roman Emperor Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus) Reign: 13 October 54 A.D. to 9 June 68 A.D. (13 years, 240 days) -- Empress of Rome Claudia Octavia [daughter of the Emperor Claudius, and stepsister and first wife of the Emperor Nero] [Acts 27:16?] - Tenure (as Empress of Rome): 13 October 54 A.D. - 62 A.D. (8 years) -- "Acts 27:16 And running under a certain island which is called Clauda [possibly named after Roman Emperor Claudius or Empress of Rome Claudia Octavia (first wife of Roman Emperor Nero)], we had much work to come by the boat:"
During the Roman Reign (6th Kingdom) the sea of Galilee was renamed to the sea of Tiberias in honor of the Roman Emperor Tiberius "John 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias." -- It is possible that the small island Clauda (modern Gavdos) was also named after a Roman figure namely Roman Emperor Claudius [41 A.D. - 54 A.D.] or Claudia Octavia (first wife of Roman Emperor Nero) [54 A.D. - 62 A.D.]. Luke recording that they were "running under a certain island which is called Clauda" could Luke have been recording a substantial timestamp for the voyage of the Apostle Paul to Rome with the voyage "running under" occurring while Roman Emperor Claudius or Empress Claudia Octavia were in power sometime between 41 A.D. and 62 A.D. most likely occurring between 54 A.D. to 62 A.D. [Traditional Church History places Paul's voyage to Rome at 60 A.D. (departing Caesarea) and 61 A.D. (arriving in Rome)]. [article link]

Acts and Mission 96 - We're skipping quickly through the journey narratives of Acts because our focus is on Paul's missional work and missional theology, and traveling [Fair Havens to the right] ... well it's part of it because missional people travel - Paul gets an opportunity [to share his faith] because he predicts disaster, and disaster comes; he gets more opportunity because of healing ... he takes his chances - But this shipwreck story is a gem of a story and so I'll post the whole thing today: Paul and Company Sail for Rome (Acts 27:1-28:10)
Comment: 1. I confess that unfortunately, I've not kept up with this series. Just dropping in on this story, **it surprises me not to find Paul using some object lesson to give the gospel (Acts 27:1-28:10). He interacts with middle management, ha ha, lives through the resulting crash, comes up on shore, gets bitten, "he's a murderer!", "nope, he's a god!", heals a bunch of people and everyone likes them and the ship's company sails away. **Ironic, humorous, tense, unusual - but no account of the presentation of the gospel, nobody saved. Where is the altar-to-the-unknown-god (Acts 17:23) object lesson? **I feel somewhat unfulfilled! Looking up some comments online, I see some hints of a Greek/Roman hero surviving a storm and shipwreck (but by God's protection). The healing is evidence of God's power. Interesting to think about how this story moves Luke's plot forward. **I see that while I knew this story, **I don't know this story. If I knew any Greek scholars, I'd ask 'em to tell me more about this account... Comment by Matthew S - February 18, 2010 {Note: There just seems from a Biblical perspective to be more to the events than a first reading would indicate. The events in Acts 27 would be a fine factual informative narrative for a newspaper accounting but being a Biblical [eternal, life changing] accounting the significant details of this event might just have been redirected and interspersed into the background events of Paul's voyage.} [article link]

Four Anchors Are Found From the Apostle Paul's Ship Near Malta - The four anchors, which are [in] the Malta Maritime Museum today (YouTube)
This is old news, but I wanted to upload this for Biblical and historical purposes. The 4 anchors were found off Malta (Acts 28:1), which are believed to be the same four anchors that were released into the sea (Acts 27:40), from the ship Paul was sailing on, that went through a destructive storm (Acts 27). The four anchors, which are the Malta Maritime Museum today, is evidence for the historical event that Paul the apostle, and the other 275 persons (Acts 27:37) went through, as mentioned in the Holy Bible. [article link]

Paul's Shipwreck DVD Trailer (YouTube)
This is a journey to the discovery of the 4 anchors from Apostle Paul's Shipwreck off the coast of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea in the year 60 AD. The full DVD will be available early in 2011. Visit baseinstitute.org for more info. [article link]

Four Anchors [Four Gospels] and Three Taverns [Triune God] - By Luke taking the time to narrate (Acts 27:29) specifically that exactly four anchors were used to steady the one boat of 'salvation' (Acts 27:31) apparently Luke as one of the four Gospel writers [Gospel of Luke] was clarifying for the Christian Church that there were to be exactly four Gospels [Matthew, Mark, Luke and John] in the Holy Bible for the one Christian Church. - Setting: At this late (Acts 27-28) stage of the Apostle Paul's ministry as an Apostle to the young Christian primarily Gentile Church the Apostle Paul, Luke and others had already traveled many of the roads of known civilization and had encountered many of the perils of delivering the Gospel Message to an unbelieving world. Paul and Luke knowing that they were not long for this world [Paul was in route to Rome and his eventual martyrdom] possibly wanted to leave a young Christian Church with some easily perceivable proof texts that would help stabilize and guide the newly formed Gentile portion of the Christian Church.
In this seemingly straightforward narration of events in Acts 27 and 28 Luke was quick to write of the necessity of four anchors [four Gospels] being needed to steady the one boat of salvation (Acts 27:31) and later "The Three Taverns" (Acts 28:15) of the Triune (Trinity) nature of God as Jesus had taught the Apostles in the Gospel of John "John 14:1-2 Let not your heart be troubled: ye **believe in God (Father, Holy Spirit), **believe also in Me (Jesus). In My Father's House [i.e. Tavern] are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." - Note: Luke is thought to have written the third of four Gospels though possibly the Gospel of John had already been written or Paul and Luke already knew of the intentions and calling of John to write his Gospel. - It is often taught that the Gospel of John was written after the Book of Revelation was written [also by John] but that is only because the styles of the two books [Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation] are so different that some people teach that Revelation preceded the Gospel of John though in actuality the Gospel of John probably preceded the Book of Revelation by a long time. -- {Briefly: The Greek (text) sentences in the Book of Revelation are very rudimentary while the Greek sentences in the Gospel of John are much more refined and common so some say that Revelation was written first [supposedly while John learned Greek] even though John used scribes [Greek scholars] and had a different scribe for each Book and also had two different purposes [and audiences] for each book. The Book of Revelation is the one book in the Bible that is a better version in the English language rather than in the original Hebrew [O.T.] or Greek [N.T.] languages. It is as though the Book of Revelation was originally intended to be written in English and happened to be written in Greek just until the introduction of the English language could be established at the coming End Times of the world. While the Gospel of John was clearly written to be read and understood within the days it was written. The Book of Revelation was clearly delayed in significance until its translation into the English language. [article link]

When were the [four] gospels written and by whom? - None of the gospels mention the destruction of the Jewish temple in 70 A.D. - This is significant because Jesus had prophesied [the destruction of the Temple (Matthew 24:2)] concerning the temple -This prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and burned the temple {Very possibly dating the writing of the Gospel of John to before 70 A.D. Possibly the Gospel of John was written in about 60 A.D. [in Jerusalem] to about 65 A.D. at about the same time of the writing of the Gospel of Luke [written probably about 59 A.D. in Jerusalem or as late as 60 A.D. in Caesarea] and the Book of Acts [probably written about 63 A.D. in Rome].}
Matthew: The early church unanimously held that the gospel of Matthew was **the first written gospel and was penned by the apostle of the same name (Matt. 10:2-4). Lately, the priority of Matthew as the first written gospel has come under suspicion with Mark being considered by many to be the first written gospel. The debate is far from over. The historian Papias [According to the 2nd-century theologian Irenaeus, Papias had known the Apostle John - Source: britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/442073/Papias] mentions that the gospel of Matthew was originally in Aramaic or **Hebrew and attributes the gospel to Matthew the apostle. "Irenaeus (ca. A.D. 180) continued Papias's views about Matthew and Mark and added his belief that Luke, the follower of Paul, put down in a book the gospel preached by that apostle, and that John, the Beloved Disciple, published his Gospel while residing in Asia [city of Ephesus]." ... John: The writer of the gospel of John was obviously an eyewitness of the events of Christ's life since he speaks from a perspective of having been there during many of the events of Jesus' ministry and displays a good knowledge of Israeli geography and customs. The John Rylands papyrus [Bible] fragment 52 of John's gospel dated in the year 135 contains portions of John 18, verses 31-33,37-38. This [Bible] fragment was found **in Egypt and a considerable amount of time is needed for the circulation of the gospel before it reached Egypt. It [John] is the last of the gospels and appears to have been written in the 80's to 90's. **Of important note is the lack of mention of the destruction of the Jewish temple in 70 A.D. But this is understandable since John was not focusing on historical events. Instead, he focused on the theological aspect of the person of Christ and listed His miracles and words that affirmed Christ's deity. Though there is still some debate on the dates of when the gospels were written, they were most assuredly completed before the close of the first century and written by eyewitnesses or under the direction of eyewitnesses. [article link]

Papias Wrote from 100-125 A.D. The books "Expositions of the Sayings of the Lord" - Papias was the Bishop of Hierapolis in Phyrgia [about 130 A.D.] - He was born probably between 70 and 75 A.D., and died, perhaps, 163 A.D. (earlychurch.org.uk/papias.php) - {Note: The first generation or two of Church leaders, bishops and writers after the Apostles are known as the "Church Fathers" [i.e. Irenaeus] and apparently if they were actually a disciple of one of the Apostles [i.e. Papias (70-163 A.D.) and Saint Polycarp (69-155 A.D.)] they instead were called an "Apostolic Father."}
Papias is commonly classed as an Apostolic Father, **meaning that he knew the Apostles themselves [claimed to have known John and Mark], or at least lived in the generation following their deaths. He wrote five books and in them recounted unknown teachings of Jesus, miraculous stories about the Apostles, discussed the authorship of some of the Gospels, and also quoted from other parts of the New Testament. Unfortunately his writings have been lost except for the fragments given below. -- In the print world, Michael Holmes has published a popular and good quality English translation of Papias in The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, however it has a few mistakes and omits some fragments, all of which I have attempted to correct on this page. While assembling these fragments, I have used the translations of Lightfoot and the Nicene and Post-Nicene Church Father Series. These are good English translations and are in the public domain. I have only changed punctuation or a word here and there, in order to make the translation better fit our modern vernacular. [article link]

EarlyChristianWritings.com: Gospel of John - Estimated Range of Dating: 90-120 A.D. - Helms states, "we need to note that part of the purpose of Irenaeus was to attack the teachings of Cerinthus, a *gnostic [Castor - Pollex] [false] Christian teacher who *lived in Ephesus at the end of the first century" - **Cerinthus was "educated in the wisdom of [Alexandria] the Egyptians -- [Irenaeus an early Church Father: born about 135 A.D. - died in 202 A.D. - During the persecution of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor from 161-180, Irenaeus was a priest of the Church of Lyon, France - Wikipedia.org]
Helms states, "we need to note that part of the purpose of Irenaeus was to attack the teachings of Cerinthus, a gnostic Christian teacher who lived in Ephesus at the end of the first century" (op. cit., p. 162). Cerinthus was "educated in the wisdom of the Egyptians, [Gnosticism] taught that the world was not made by a primary God [God the Father], **but [instead] by a certain Power [Satan] far separated from him...Moreover, after [Jesus'] baptism, Christ descended upon him in the form of a dove from [Satan] the Supreme Ruler, and that then he proclaimed the unknown Father [Satan], and performed miracles. **But at last Christ departed from Jesus, and that then Jesus suffered and rose again, while Christ remained impassible, inasmuch as he was a spiritual being" (1.26.1). ***Irenaeus stated that the purpose of John at Ephesus was as follows: **by the proclamation of the Gospel, **to remove that [Gnostic] error which by Cerinthus [and others] had been disseminated among men, and **a long time previously by those termed **Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:6), who are an offset of that 'knowledge' [gnosis] falsely so called, that he might confound them, and persuade them that there is but one God, who made all things by His Word; and not, as they allege, that the Creator was one [different god], but the Father and the Lord another; and that the Son of the Creator was, forsooth (really), one, but the Christ from above another (3.11.1) -- Helms argues: "So the gospel attributed, late in the second century, to John at Ephesus was viewed as an anti-gnostic, anti-Cerinthean work. But, very strangely, Epiphanius, in his book against the heretics, argues against those who actually believed that it was Cerinthus himself who wrote the Gospel of John! (Adv. Haer. 51.3.6). How could it be that the Fourth Gospel was at one time in its history regarded as the product of an Egyptian-trained gnostic, and at another time in its history regarded as composed for the very purpose of attacking this same gnostic? I think the answer is plausible that in an early, now-lost version, the Fourth Gospel could well have been read in a Cerinthean, gnostic fashion, but that at Ephesus a revision of it was produced (we now call it the Gospel of John) that put this gospel back into the Christian mainstream." {Note: Possibly in about 59 A.D. when the Apostle Paul visited Jerusalem and *reported from his Missionary journeys to the Gentiles [including to Ephesus] one of the main topics would have been the often encountered opposition of Gnosticism [in Ephesus]. Wanting to counter Gnosticism John might have made it known then that he would [visit Ephesus] and write an epistle [Gospel] to confront Gnosticism. Presumably, the Gospel of John was first discussed in Jerusalem among John, Paul and all the other Apostles and was also written by John (John 21:24) in Jerusalem in about 60 A.D., written primarily to give faith to Christians (John 20:31). Then with a copy of the Gospel of John in hand the Apostle John set out to Ephesus to minister there. The point is that the Apostles were actually very connected, concerned, informed and determined in their mission and early Church calling that God had placed on their lives. -- "Acts 21:17-19 And when we [Paul, Luke and Aristarchus] were come to Jerusalem [about 59 or 60 A.D.], the brethren received us gladly. And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present [including John (2 John 1:1)]. And when he had saluted them, he [Paul] declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry."} [article link]

A Mixed Race to Rome - The most often mentioned items in Luke's shipwreck account are of Turkish [Persian influenced] towns, Greek Islands and Egyptian [Alexandrian] ships the influences of which are all being directed into Rome - {Note: Luke and Paul in recording the Book of Acts seem to be informing the young European Gentile Church that yes, Christianity has come to Europe, primarily in the form of Paul [a bound prisoner of Rome] and his two scraggly traveling companions [Luke and Aristarchus]. But to know for certain that also coming to Rome [Western Europe] are the forces of Egypt [Eastern Mysticism, Ancient Babylon Mystery Religion], Persian [eventually Islam] influences, Greek mythology, Malta mysticism and Gnostic heresy. Christianity would come to Europe and Europe would have an appearance of Christianity a veneer of Christianity but below the veneer would be a blend of *Mystery Babylon counter religions that the Christian Church would have to continually contend with.}
"Acts 27:5-6 And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia [region of Turkey near the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe] and Pamphylia [Ancient Pamphylia was situated on the southern coast of modern Turkey - The region came under the control of the Persians in the 6th century B.C. - unrv.com/provinces/pamphylia.php], we came to Myra, a city of Lycia [Galatia]. And **there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria [Egypt] sailing into Italy [Rome]; and he put us therein." -- "Acts 27:14 But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called *Euroclydon (G2148 - Euraquilo)." Luke records that the sailors called this wind Euraquilo. An unusual name, it has been found in one ancient inscription and is a slang compound [blend - marriage] of Greek and (Roman) Latin. The Greek Erus (east) and the Latin Aquilo (north) translates as "northeaster," a strong winter wind [parsagard.com/2-storm.htm]. -- "Acts 28:11-12 And after three months we departed [Malta] in **a ship of Alexandria [Egypt], which *had wintered [was dormant for a season] in the isle, whose sign [Gnosticism] was Castor and Pollux. And landing at Syracuse [a historic city in Sicily, the capital of the province of Syracuse - The city was founded by Ancient Greek Corinthians - today is part of the Unification of Italy of 1865 - wikipedia.com], we tarried there three days." -- {Note: Remember that Mystery Babylon is that fallen Angelic realm that sits atop 7 Gentile Kingdoms that influences mankind - consisting of the time of the 2nd earth (earth 2.0) - from the flood of Noah until the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ. - "Revelation 17:5-11 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT [fallen angelic - Satanic realm], THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. ... And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains [Gentile Kingdoms - Nimrod (Tower of Babel), Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and Revised-Rome], on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings [thrones i.e. throne of David - except they are all Gentile thrones]: five are fallen [Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece], and one is [Rome], and the other [Revised-Rome] is not yet come; and when he [Antichrist] cometh, he must continue a short space [3½ years and possibly until 7 years]. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth [eight king illegally, not the eight Kingdom - the true 8th King and Kingdom is of the Messiah Jesus Christ], and is of the seven [the 7th King Antichrist tries to sit on the throne (Matthew 24:15) of Messiah the 8th Kingdom], and goeth into perdition."} [article link]

Evidence and Paul's Journeys - Caesarea to Fair Havens
The Egyptian Grain Ship (Acts 27.6) - Landing at Myra, the Centurion transfers Paul and the other prisoners to an Alexandrian grain ship bound for Rome. Myra was a major port in the eastern empire. It lay directly north of Alexandria, Egypt, on the far side of the Mediterranean. An Egyptian ship sailing for Rome would have to sail north to Myra at this time of year, because it was impossible to sail directly northwest to Rome. The prevailing wind from the west forced ships sailing from Egypt to Rome to follow this indirect route. This presents us with a series of interesting evidential coincidences. The same westerly wind that accounted for the shortness of Paul's trip to Sidon is the wind that required his ship to sail north of Cyprus, and is also the wind that brought the Egyptian ship to Myra. All three of these events confirm the direction of the prevailing wind. Luke, in Acts 27.1, states that the ship they boarded in Caesarea was sailing for ports along the coast of the province of Asia. In other words, the ship was not bound for Rome, but was making ports of call along the southern coast of what today is Turkey. The harbor at Myra was one of the great trans-shipping ports of the ancient Mediterranean. Thus it makes sense that Paul and the others would leave the coastal vessel there and board the larger grain ship for the final leg of the voyage to Rome. [article link]

[Part 1 of 3] Introduction: Paul's Journey to Rome - Church History Outline: Ceasrea to Malta - End Times (Antichrist) Outline: Malta to Rome
The Apostle Paul's "Journey to Rome" covered in Acts chapters 27 and 28 is a unique set of passages of scripture and seems to tell a parallel story to the main story of Paul's journey and shipwreck while in route to Rome. The first part of Paul's journey from Caesarea, Israel to the shipwreck off of the shores of the island of Malta seems to tell the parallel story of what has been much of Church history up until today. The second main segment of Paul's journey beginning with Malta then the departure and the sailing to Italy, seems to tell the parallel story of the End Times, the Antichrist and the Book of Revelation. - In looking at these events one primary set of verses in each segment is going to be crucial to the study. In the first portion the Church History outline the verses Acts 27:41 and Acts 27:44 [the actual shipwreck and making it to shore] are going to be the crucial verses for the first segment. - The second segment the End Times outline the island of Malta to Rome the main verses are going to be Acts 28:13-15, Paul's arrival in Italy but at first not in Rome. [article link]

[Part 2 of 3] Church History Outline: Ceasrea to Malta - In Paul's Journey to eventually stand at the feat of [the King] Caesar (Acts 26:32) the Christian Church with the Gospel departs from Israel [where Christianity originated] at the port of city of Caesarea (Acts 27:1-2) to go to the Rome and the Gentile world
Christian Church Age: After making some [missionary] stops along the way Paul and company (Acts 27:6) transfer to a ship [carrying nourishing wheat] that can take them to Rome. While sailing "many days" on their voyage to Rome the ship [Christian Church] encounters the alternating "contrary winds" of persecution and also the favorable port of "Fair Havens" entailing that "much time had been spent" on the Journey. - The first real hint of trouble for the Christian Church comes in the form of the Apostle Paul admonishing the Church that the Jewish Feast day [the fast] of Yom Kippur had passed and that the primarily Gentile Church was no longer marking or paying attention to the Jewish Feast Days putting the Christian Church in peril of not knowing the Times or the Seasons in which it sailed (Acts 27:9-12). The Church (ship) now unable to chart and follow its own course was caught in the winds of the days and the crew now instead of directing the ship the events of the day carried the ship (Church) along on its own course while the ship (Church) was mostly unable to affect, alter or counter any of the blowing winds (Acts 27:15). The ship (Church) tossed in the storms of life brought their sails down and just attempted to weather out the storm and at least they had four anchors to cast out into the water and help steady and protect (from hitting bottom) the Ship. The Apostle Paul then informs everyone that unless they remain aboard the one ship (of Christian faith) they cannot be saved (Acts 27:31). The one ship representing Christianity (the one true Church) then partakes in the act of Christian Communion (Acts 27:35). A distant land (Heaven) is sighted and the passengers (Christians) are not martyred but are able to reach the land (Heaven) alive as each person clings to some wood (cross of Jesus) from the one ship. The ship (Church) itself is finally caught in enough turmoil that it runs aground and breaks up [amazingly at a place were two sea's meet (Acts 27:41) - where the Eastern sea of Mysticism and the Western sea of Rationalism meet the Christian boat as one Catholic body gets stuck in the sand and breaks apart - into many denominations] though the individuals make it ashore (to Heaven) by clinging to wood (the cross of Jesus Christ), the one requirement to get a sinner into Heaven is to know that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on His cross. With the Church (ship) stuck and broken apart and ALL the passengers (Christians) from the one ship of Christianity safely ashore (in Heaven) the Christian Church Age comes to an end (Acts 27:44). -- "Acts 27:44 And the rest [of the Christians], some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship [all clinging to the cross of Jesus]. **And so it came to pass, **that they escaped [sin-death] **all safe to [Heaven] land." [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Saint Publius (Acts 28:7) - Saint Publius [a Church Apostolic Father] is venerated as the first Bishop of Malta - Publius' conversion led to Malta being the first Christian nation in the West, and one of the first in the world - He was martyred in 125 A.D., during the persecution of Emperor Hadrian
It was the same Publius who received the Apostle Paul during his shipwreck on the island as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. According to the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul cured Publius' dysentery-afflicted father. -- Book: by Rev. Alban Butler (1711-1773 A.D.). Volume I: January. "The Lives of the Saints" last published 1866. - St. Publius, Bishop and Martyr [died January 21, 125 A.D. in Athens, Greece] HE succeeded St. Dionysius the Areopagite in the see of Athens, as we are assured by St. Dionysius of Corinth, quoted by Eusebius. 1 He went to God by martyrdom, and Saint Quadratus was chosen third bishop of that city. See Le Quien, Or. Christ. t. 2. p. 169. Note 1. Euseb. l. 4. c. 23. [article link]

[Part 3 of 3] End Time Outline: Malta to Rome - End Times - Martyred Saints of Revelation: The refugees come ashore upon a foreign island (Malta) with "barbarous people" [barbarous only means not Romans (not citizens of the Kingdom) and not Jewish]
Paul and the other castaways find themselves on an unfamiliar island (Malta), a society of unfamiliar people with unfamiliar customs. In the entire narration of their time on Malta only one person is identified by name (and also by title) and it is the intriguing person of Publius (Public) [Publius a Latin (Roman) name - definition of Public: of or pertaining to the people; belonging to the people; relating to, or affecting, a nation, state, or community - ardictionary.com]. The intriguing person Publius is the "chief" or first [G4413 - Protos] person of the Island of Malta and though Publius is not a Roman citizen he has a Roman name and connections to Rome. - In this scenario, in what we are trying to read between the lines that Luke wrote for us in his book of Acts Chapters 27 and 28 we have the scenario that the Church Age has ended (Acts 27:44), the one ship of Christianity has broken apart and ALL the Christians are in Heaven. Here upon Malta (Acts 28:1) we seem to have the dispensation after Christianity [after the Church Age] - the dispensation of the End Times and the Martyred Saints of Revelation. In this intriguing scenario one person is in charge [of buying and selling] for an entire society and also that person is not a part of the 6th Kingdom in Rome. Publius is not a Roman citizen, instead this very public and in charge figure is first in his own system (the 7th Kingdom Revised Rome). Publius {before he becomes a Christian} is a type of the Antichrist and the Island society of Malta is a type of the 7th Kingdom (Revised Roman Empire). Further establishing that Luke intends for Malta to represent the Martyred Saints of End Times is that Luke tells of Paul being bitten by a viper (Acts28:3) but then Luke chooses to call the poisonous viper a "beast" (Acts 28:4,5) using the same word "beast" (G2342 - Therion) that John would later use in his Book of Revelation [Revelation 13:18 - the Mark of the Beast] to describe the Antichrist - Paul "he shook off the beast into the fire" (Acts 28:5) refusing to take the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 19:20). Luke is determined to present the spirit of Antichrist at the Island of Malta. - Note: The End Time events that Luke portrays on Malta is not quite like the End Times often portrayed today in common media, where saints are on the run for their lives. In this End Time depiction by Luke the Saints are busy, working, helpful and briefly an integrated part of the society of Malta. But the Saints have a determined destination and a departure date and depart the island society of Malta not out of anger or desperation but out of a necessity. It seems that Luke is portraying Malta [Revised Rome] as a society that is vastly different than today (there might not be any private property - everything might be 'public' in name only) a tightly controlled and managed society with each person knowing where they rank in society and one person Publius is first. Further after departing the island of Malta and continuing their Journey [a journey that is no longer given in great detail - because technically the Saints departed Malta as Martyrs]. The End Time martyrs of Malta continue on to their desired destination to the feet of the King [Caesar] but like the Book of Revelation the Martyrs of Malta do not go directly to Rome they depart the ship outside of Rome and fellowship with other believers for a while. In the Book of Revelation the 5th Seal "Revelation 6:9 And when He [Jesus] had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain (Martyrs) for [faith in] the Word of God, and for the Testimony [faith in Jesus] which they held:" The Martyred Saints of Revelation do not go directly (individually) to the Throne of Jesus but instead gather outside the Temple at the altar and fellowship until their numbers (dispensation) are complete. Then at the end of the End Times all the Martyred Saints of Revelation join (Revelation 7:9) in with the Christian Church also in Heaven worshiping at the feet of the King Jesus Christ. -- "Acts 28:14-15 Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome. And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum, and The Three Taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage." [article link]

Conclusion: The Apostle Paul's journey to Rome - Once in Rome the Apostle Paul continues to prophetically enact out End Time Biblical events - Amazingly the Apostle Paul does not go to jail with the other prisoners (unbelievers) instead Paul safely goes and lives in his own house - Enacting out the third part of the End Times - The Millennial Reign 1,000 year Kingdom of Jesus Christ [the 8th Kingdom] on earth - (Acts Chapters 27 and 28) - Note: The Four Dispensations of the Bible's New Testament are comprised of three groups of people. The 'Born Again' Church Age that included the dispensation of the original Apostles who were all 'Born Again' Christians and all of the current Common Christian Church Age that is also comprised of Born Again Christians. The future Martyred Saints of Revelation do not personally receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit until after they are in Heaven [very similar to what the Old Testament Saints endured]. The third group and Fourth Dispensation is of the Millennial Saints who also do not receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit until after the Global Nations are judged in the sheep and goats judgment of Matthew 25:32-34.
In the last two chapters of the Book of Acts in chapters 27 and 28 there are four distinct portions of the Apostle Paul's journey to Rome [to stand before Caesar]. The First Portion, departing Israel as an Apostle with the Christian Gospel Message until changing ships, the shipwreck and safely coming ashore at the island of Malta correlates with what has been the Apostalic age and the Common Christian Church Age. The third portion of Paul's journey is being stranded at Malta and then quickly getting to Italy but not Rome itself correlates with what is written in the Book of Revelation regarding the future End Times and the Martyred Saints of Revelation. Then the forth and final portion of Paul's journey to Rome correlates with what is written in the Bible regarding the Millennial Reign upon the earth of the Messiah [Jesus Christ] after the events of the Book of Revelation have occurred and been fulfilled. - Once arriving in Rome (Acts 28:16) Paul [a Christian] is allowed to go live by himself in his own house while the other prisoners (unbelievers) are sent to jail (John 12:31). Living in one's own house and dwelling safely is an unmistakable euphemism for the Millennial Kingdom of the Messiah (1 Kings 4:25, Jeremiah 23:6). The Apostle Paul's recorded journey to Rome is concluded along with the Bible's Book of Acts in the last two verses of Acts. -- "Acts 28:30-31 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house [i.e. the Millennial Reign of Christ], and [free to] received all that came in unto him, Preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." [article link]

Update: The Basic Christian blog 8 Kingdoms study is well underway and on track to be completed as scheduled - The plan now is to do one more Decoding series, a necessary one to briefly examine how kingdoms conclude, change, influence and morph [embed themselves] into the next ruling kingdom - Then after the brief Decoding postings are finished to go back and revisit each of the 8 Kingdoms to finalize each portion of the study - Coming Soon: Decoding Hitler's Bunker!!
The 8 Kingdoms study should be completed before Christmas 2011 and then the Church History portion starting in January 2012 should be able to be completed by Holy Week 2012. The Church History portion though becoming more and more in depth [during preparation] is still going to be an overview study that will primarily focus on a few key transition points in history. In order to more easily facilitate the transition points of the coming Church History blog study I have revised the outline of the study and will post that as well. [article link]

Decoding Hitler's Bunker - Review: (Matthew 4:1-11) "Again, the Devil taketh Him [Jesus] up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world [the 7 Gentile Kingdoms], and the glory of them; And saith unto Him [Jesus], *All these things will I give thee, *if thou wilt fall down and worship me (Isaiah 14:12-14) - Then saith Jesus unto him [Satan], Get thee hence [go away], Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve" {Note: There is a continuing and ongoing series of Gentile [mostly Satanically (Mystery Babylon) influenced] kingdoms that have been presiding over the earth since the flood of Noah's time. The kingdoms continue and transition from one Gentile Kingdom into the next and will also transition into the coming 8th Kingdom the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ on earth. - Psalms 110:2, Revelation 20:8} -- "Psalms 110:2 The LORD shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion [Millennial Palace]: rule thou [1,000 years] (also) in the midst of thine enemies."
The interesting part about Satan's offer is that as is usually the circumstances of Satan the offers of the Devil once examined are misleading, shallow, and really non-existent. It appears that what Satan was offering Jesus isn't Kingdoms [plural] but a Kingdom [singular] because at the time of this offering the 6th Kingdom in Julius Caesar [Reign: October 49 B.C. - 15 March 44 B.C. -Wikipedia.org] had already been initiated and in fact Julius Caesar was already deceased at the time of the offer. That left only 1 legitimate Kingdom [king] that Satan had in his ability to offer, the 7th Kingdom the Revised Rome Kingdom [granted Satan is trying to combine two Kingdoms the 7th and 8th for his version of plural Kingdoms]. But there is a huge stipulation attached to the Throne of the 7th Kingdom and that is whoever sits on it only gets to reign for [only about] 3½ years, the first 3½ years of Revelation and Tribulation. - Without hesitation Jesus declined Satan's offer. -- Soon after Satan had successfully initiated the first Kingdom in Nimrod he was busy attempting **to quickly cycle through the coming Gentile Kingdoms in order to get to his own eventual [7th Kingdom - the kingdom of Antichrist] and manifest in his enthroned Antichrist Kingdom on earth. [article link]

Decoding Hitler's Bunker - {Flashback} Satan's offering to Jesus - In Matthew 4:1-11 we encounter a very amazing interaction, it is an interaction between Jesus and Satan
"Matthew 4:1-11 Then was Jesus led up of the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil [revealing Satan's intentions]. ... Again, the Devil taketh Him [Jesus] up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world [7 Gentile Kingdoms], and the glory of them; And saith unto Him, *All these things will I give thee, *if thou wilt fall down and worship me (Isaiah 14:12-14). Then saith Jesus unto him [Satan], Get thee hence [go away], Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the Devil leaveth Him, and, behold, [Holy] angels came and ministered unto Him [Jesus]." - What seems to be in negotiation here is the fact that Satan is offering to Jesus a Kingdom on earth if Jesus would 'worship' the Devil [note: worship is to acknowledge were life comes from - life comes from God not Satan]. The interesting part about Satan's offer is that as is usually the circumstances of Satan the offers of the Devil once examined are misleading, shallow, and really non-existent. It appears that what Satan was offering Jesus isn't Kingdoms [plural] but a Kingdom [singular] because at the time of this offering the 6th Kingdom in Julius Caesar had already been initiated and in fact Julius Caesar was already deceased at the time of the offer. That left only 1 legitimate Kingdom that Satan had in his ability to offer, the 7th Kingdom the Revised Rome Kingdom [granted Satan is trying to combine two Kingdoms the 7th and 8th for his version of plural Kingdoms]. But there is a huge stipulation attached to the Throne of the 7th Kingdom and that is whoever sits on it only gets to reign for 3½ years, the first 3½ years of Revelation and Tribulation. Then the deal gets even worse for the person as the person who is reigning upon the Revised Rome Throne is killed at the end of the 3½ years in order that Satan can obtain and inhabit a body to then reign manifested among mankind for his 8th Kingdom [triggering the Great Tribulation and Wrath of Revelation] becasue rightfully it is the 1,000 year Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Satan was offering to Jesus a 3½ year Throne where the one seated upon it is to die so Satan can inhabit the body. Satan was attempting to kill Jesus and inhabit His body in an attempt to forever rule mankind. Without hesitation Jesus declined Satan's offer. -- Note: What separates Rome the 6th Kingdom [Throne] and Revised Rome the 7th Kingdom [Throne] is the Christian Church Age (Acts 15:14-18) and had Jesus worshiped Satan then there would have been no cross, no Savior and no Church Age for mankind and the 6th Kingdom [Throne] would have instantly merged into the 7th Kingdom [Throne] had Jesus accepted the offer. [article link]

Decoding Hitler's Bunker - {Flashback} The Eternal Kingdom of God - Soon after Satan had successfully initiated the first Kingdom in Nimrod and was busy attempting to quickly cycle through the coming Gentile Kingdoms in order to get to his own eventual [7th Kingdom] and manifest in his enthroned Kingdom on earth [but] a different appearance was made among mankind - God manifested into human form as the eternal King of Salem (Peace) revealing unto Abraham among the Communion elements of bread (body) and wine (blood) of Jesus Christ that indeed there is another Kingdom, separate and distinct from the Kingdoms of the earth, a Holy Kingdom, Eternal and Righteous, Everlasting in the body (bread) and spirit (wine) of Jesus Christ offered free and without cost to all mankind - Abraham choosing the Eternal Kingdom of God walked away from Sodom and the other kings of the earth without so much as a shoelace from them in his posession
"Genesis 14:17-23 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him [Abraham] after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings [Amraphel (Hammurabi) king of Shinar] that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And ***Melchizedek King of Salem (Peace) brought forth [Communion] bread and wine: and He was the Priest of the Most High God. And He [Melchizedek] blessed Him [Abraham], and said, Blessed be Abram [Abraham] of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he [Abraham] gave Him [Melchizedek - God] tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou [Gentiles] shouldest say, I have made Abram [Abraham] rich:" [article link]

Decoding Hitler's Bunker - WWII: Inside Hitler's Bunker - Photo Gallery - LIFE Magazine (Photos)
In April, 1945, as Russian and German troops fought -- savagely, street-by-street -- for control of the German capital, it became increasingly clear that the Allies would win the war in Europe. Not long after the two-week battle ended, 33-year-old LIFE photographer William Vandivert was on the scene, photographing Berlin's devasted landscape. Hundreds of thousands perished in the Battle of Berlin -- including untold numbers of civilian men, women, and children -- while countless more were left homeless in the ruins. But it was two particular deaths -- that of Hitler and his longtime companion and (briefly) wife, Eva Braun -- in a sordid underground bunker on April 30, 1945, that truly signaled the end of the Third Reich. Here, LIFE.com presents never-before-published images from both the bunker itself, and the decimated city beyond its concrete walls. Above: A never-before-published photograph of a main street in central Berlin, Oberwallstrasse, where some of the most bitter fighting between Nazi and Soviet troops took place. [article link]

Decoding Hitler's Bunker - Hosted by Leonard Nimoy - In Search Of... Eva Braun {Note: Conclusive irrefutable forensic evidence the Hitler's body was recovered but the same forensic technique reveals that Eva Braun's body was not recovered.} (YouTube)
Season 6 Episode 20 Part 1 Hosted by Leonard Nimoy and broadcast weekly from 1976 to 1982, In Search Of... [article link]

Decoding Hitler's Bunker - BasicChristian.org: End Times Preview - WWI, WWII, WW3 - Hitler's Final Days - A Summary of the Final Moments of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun
Note: The Berlin bunker was not a death trap and it was not a final stand, no Germans were killed at the bunker by any attacking Russian soldiers. As far as the ability of the German leaders to escape the Berlin bunker unharmed it was a 100% success rate. Every Nazi German who wanted to escape the Berlin bunker did, the results varied after they left the bunker but all who wanted to were able to leave the bunker. So the fact of the opportunity for Hitler, Eva Braun or anyone else to escape the bunker is clear, any Nazi who wanted to leave in the final hours could and did. Later captured Germans who left the bunker said that it was easy to leave by getting into a German tank or by mixing in with another German army unit (usually an artillery unit) to escape the Berlin area. ... Adolf Hitler's staff had a detailed escape plan for Hitler including the use of a lookalike (body double) and part of Hitler's escape plan was actually put into practice. ... Eva Braun had shown up six days earlier as the final piece to the escape plan. In a display of deceit the two Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun pretended to get married and then the next day pretended to commit suicide. However in the final moments Hitler at the end of his rope and in a deteriated physical condition neither mentally or physically able to go on the run and realizing that he had no one he could really trust, Hitler did commit suicide but Eva Braun made the assisted escape alone, without (Hitler) or perhaps with Hitler's dog Blondi. The Russians finding the bunker and finding a secret passage out of Hitler's private room immediately had the bunker demolished and instead of the bunker becoming a triumph of the war, a war museum, the bunker was removed and erased from history by the Russians. In the 1960's when confirmed sightings of Eva Braun surfaced the Russians were again spooked into thinking they might not have Hitler's body and in 1970 the KGB dug up both bodies and annihilated any trace of the buried bodies particularly Eva Braun but some skull fragments of Hitler remain on file in Moscow and are not destroyed. ... The military side of the Nazi command had a complicated escape, body double, plan intact and in operation. Many of the senior military men had located body doubles primarily from the concentration camps but also from the streets of occupied countries and even Germany itself. Some of the body doubles even had duplicate dental work done on them and were tattooed if necessary. **The political side and the propaganda side of the Nazi party were not party to the military command's escape plans and they did suffer their own fates as with the Joseph Goebbels family [Unwillingly] committing [Nazi assisted] suicide in its entirety [for propaganda purposes as a part of the grander-overall escape plan for Hitler and the Nazis], the mother with an SS Doctor poisoning all six children and [the next day] the two adults taking poison as well. Some of the Nazi high command did escape in the final days and after the war, and on a scale of the crimes committed against humanity, few Nazis were punished while many simply left Germany to live their lives outside of Germany. Of the few who were imprisoned with long sentences many of them suddenly had mysterious, unexplained deaths and it is though many of their prison deaths were faked. One thing remains certain that all the Nazis that did escape [into other governments] and remained unpunished did so with the complicity and even the cooperation of the English and American governments. [article link]

Decoding Hitler's Bunker - Conclusion: Transitions between Kingdoms and Governments are both frequent and well documented - In the Old Testament the Prophet Daniel successfully transitioned, being an advisor to Kings of Babylon and then also to the succeeding King of Persia (Daniel 1:19-21)
At the conclusion of the End Times the events transition [Revelation 11:15] into the 8th Kingdom and as a part of the transition the surviving people on the planet [excluding those who have taken the Mark of the Beast] will also by default transition into the Millennial Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ. What could be interesting about the transition is that historically the elite ruling class seldom puts themselves in strictly one category. For instance at Hitler's bunker only the Joseph Goebbels family committed suicide [took the Mark of the Beast] in mass, while the majority of the true elite and ruling families eluded punishment and in fact went on to be very successful in a post Nazi Germany. Likewise it is doubtful that the actual ruling elite of the world today would subject themselves and the entirety of their families to the coming Mark of the Beast, especially considering that it will be a new, unique and untested system. Lastly the visible feature of the coming Mark of the Beast really seems to establish the Mark of the Beast as a product for the lower class in that the 'Mark' of upper-class society is actually the mask of anonymity. [article link]

Note: Regarding the previous "Decoding the Apostles" blog series that was recently partially posted at BasicChristian.org - One of the more interesting aspects of looking at the lives of the Apostles is just how much each of their individual lives changed - The change among each individual Apostle seems to have been huge as it encompassed their personalities, individual behavior and individual outlook on life - Therefore the majority of the Biblical writings of the Apostles is directed at a certain amount of expected godly behavior modification ... in the lives of each new Christian convert - But by the time the Christian Church matured into the later Church Councils the majority of the entire Church Council was no longer about individual Christian behavior modification but instead became vested, almost exclusively, in individual Christian though, knowledge and doctrine - Though now Pastor Rick Warren and many others are dramatically shifting the current Christian Church away from thought, creeds and doctrines and are again shifting the Christian Church back into the realm of behavior modification but disastrously it is not a return to the original behavior modification and godly accountability the Church Apostles sought for each Christian convert - It is instead a behavior modification that is directing each individual away from Christianity and back into the abyss of the world -- In the following six posts are several examples all from the last week or two of current Christian events
One of the more interesting aspects of looking at the lives of the Apostles is just how much each of their individual lives changed and it changed primarily from their outlook from being socially [worldly, societally] aware to becoming Kingdom aware and eternally aware in Jesus Christ. The change among each individual Apostle seems to have been huge as it encompassed their personalities, individual behavior and individual outlook on life and in fact the very meaning of life itself for each of them. Therefore the majority of the Biblical writings of the Apostles is directed at a certain amount of expected godly behavior modification, in a good way i.e. removing doubt, uncertainty and fear, in the lives of each new Christian convert. The first Church Council in Jerusalem offered four behavior modification agendas to the new Christians. - But by the time the Christian Church matured into the later Church Councils (i.e. Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.) the majority of the entire Church Council was no longer about individual Christian behavior modification but instead became vested, almost exclusively, in individual Christian though, knowledge and doctrine. This later Christian Pastoral emphasis on individual Christian thought (i.e. think as I do) has continued on until the present modern Church day. Though now Pastor Rick Warren and many others are dramatically shifting the current Christian Church away from thought, creeds and doctrines and are again shifting the Christian Church back into the realm of behavior modification but disastrously it is not a return to the original behavior modification and godly accountability the Church Apostles sought for each Christian convert it is instead a behavior modification that is directing each individual away from Christianity and back into the abyss of the world specifically the very spiritually dangerous occult and pagan world. [article link]

CNN: Joel Osteen takes on his critics - Osteen, a college dropout who **never attended seminary, has built a huge international audience with inspirational messages that blend [pop psychology] positive thinking and [motivational training techniques] personal transformation - But is he preaching "gospel lite" messages devoid of any mention of sin and hard choices?
(CNN) - He peddles "gospel lite," a watered-down Christianity that mixes prosperity with piety. That's how critics have described Joel Osteen's message. The televangelist may be the pastor of the largest church in America, but he still doesn't get respect in many parts of the religious community. Osteen, a college dropout who never attended seminary, has built a huge international audience with inspirational messages that blend positive thinking and personal transformation. But is he preaching "gospel lite" messages devoid of any mention of sin and hard choices? Osteen rejects that charge with the same honey-toned voice and unflappability he displays in the pulpit at Lakewood Church in Houston. There's no hint of defensiveness. "I deal every day with life issues and sin in our church every week," he says. "I deal with people who have cancer, talk to people about how to forgive when they've been hurt. I don't think that's light. That's everyday issues." ... It's not the traditional "turn or burn" pulpit message, and Osteen is OK with that. ... Lee cites three factors for Osteen's success: Marketing: He says Osteen's previous work behind the camera taught him how to brand a ministry and create a visually appealing and quickly moving worship service. Timing: When Osteen hit the pulpit in 1999, people had already grown tired of the smooth-talking televangelists who were often caught up in scandal. Osteen was the boyish-looking pastor who exuded sincerity and never pretended he had all the answers, Lee says. Preaching: Osteen may not have the grasp of theology and church history that some pastors have, but he knows how to connect with ordinary Americans through a therapeutic message that draws heavily from pop culture, Lee says. "His lack of seminary training is part of his appeal," Lee says. "He's not saying big words he learned from seminary. He's speaking in a language that contemporary Americans understand." [article link]

Rick Warren Recommends Pagan Mantra "Technique" For Christians - Now, **for comparison purposes only, please compare the above Centering Prayer "technique" recommended by Rick Warren to this one from a Buddhist website - I can therefore [also] attest that what Rick Warren is promoting is exactly like what I practiced as a New Ager doing mystical meditation - The only thing that differs between so-called "Christian mysticism" and pagan mysticism is the "device" used for emptying the mind - And sadly, the big thing in churches now is to try to make this pagan practice "Christian" by adding Christian terminology - "Meaningless repetition?" If that's not a description for pagan, occultic, mind-altering, mantra meditation, I don't know what is - Friends, this is dangerous, dangerous stuff - Beware, beware, beware
Why am I showing what Buddhist meditation looks like? Well, as regular readers of this blog know, I came out of the New Age, and while in the New Age I practiced many different types of mystical meditation (Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, pagan, etc.). And because of this, I can therefore attest that what Rick Warren is promoting is exactly like what I practiced as a New Ager doing mystical meditation. The only thing that differs between so-called "Christian mysticism" and pagan mysticism is the "device" used for emptying the mind. And sadly, the big thing in churches now is to try to make this pagan practice "Christian" by adding Christian terminology. But the addition of Christian terminology does not somehow "sanctify" this practice and make it Christian. Any time a Christian hears the word "technique" they should run for the hills. We do not need a technique for approaching God! We approach him through the shed blood of Christ, and this is what we place our faith in. We are to be people of faith, which means we walk by faith and not by sight. In practical terms, this means that we do not require tangible experiences that we can point to to convince us that we are close to God. We are close to God because we know we have approached him on his terms: through faith alone in Christ alone. Remember that Jesus said, after offering up his hands and his side for Thomas to examine, that there was a blessing for Christians who would come later who would believe without requiring some tangible, experiential "proof" of God: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29) Yes, it is fine to go to a quiet place, calm the mind, maybe even take a few deep breaths. But focus on a word or phrase until one's mind is emptied? No! Doing this technique puts a person into an altered state of consciousness, where the mind is not engaged. Once a person has used the technique to "park" the brain, he or she is still awake and somewhat aware but his or her God-given boundaries are down. So what happens to a person in this state? Mantra meditation is so very seductive because it generates a very powerful experience, an experience that is very real and feels very spiritual, and which deceives one into feeling as if they are actually encountering "God." But let us not forget our warning from Scripture: "No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."(2 Corinthians 11:14) Also, the Bible NEVER tells us to circumvent the mind to go to God.....instead, it tells us: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30) And also this: "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words." (Matthew 6:7) "Meaningless repetition?" If that's not a description for pagan, occultic, mind-altering, mantra meditation, I don't know what is. Friends, this is dangerous, dangerous stuff. Beware, beware, beware. [article link]

What Is The New Apostolic Reformation? And Why Should We Be Concerned About It? - a new movement - with some pretty strange beliefs - inside of Christian evangelicalism called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) has gathered lethal momentum very unexpectedly - This movement had up until recently only been taught and believed inside the hyper-charismatic movement (think IHOP, Kansas City Prophets, Mike Bickle, etc.) - But now, having somehow "jumped" from its normal carrier, rather than being "contained" as a strange belief system that would only impact a limited number of people, it suddenly began to go viral when big names on the political right began to align themselves with the big names from the charismatic Christian side
Why exactly has the NAR, which makes alarming use of militant "warfare" language and talks of "taking dominion" over the world "one mountain at a time," gotten so big, so fast, and with so many big political names attached? In my view, it's because there are many on the political right, who, despite their moralistic stance, have a tendency to be more invested in political strategy, power and numbers than in sound doctrine and biblical truth. Thus, to the political right without discernment, Numbers = Power. And I suspect this is what happened: they looked out over the landscape of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement (which is an extremely large segment of professing Christians), decided this was representative of "Christianity," did the math, and then jumped on board. - This movement and its [secular] 7 Mountains Mandate has been very enticing to Christians who hold to a Dominionist view (the idea that the church's role is to "take back" dominion of the earth from Satan), and has also been extremely seductive to the Conservative Right, because hey, the idea of knuckling down and working hard is what America is all about, right? So there you have it: combine the errant "doctrine" of Kingdom Now/Dominionism from the Pentecostal/Charismatic camp with the moralism of the Conservative Right, and you've got one dangerous pandemic, because both groups, in their own ways, are tremendously influential and powerful. ... Friends, the NAR is a dangerous and rapidly growing movement that is, sadly, capturing the hearts and minds of many conservative Christians who have been enticed with the idea of "saving" America though Christian activism. In truth, Christians are not ever, anywhere in Scripture, promised easy lives, or even the "right" to live in freedom. But please note that the siren lure of political activism is nothing new. ... The life of a born again Christian is not complicated. Become reconciled to a high and holy God through the shed blood of Jesus, share the gospel, be persecuted, and die. But the seductive lure of an earthly life in which we (the Christians) control the earth and all that is in it, is a dream that dies hard. And now the NAR, with its utopian vision of heaven on earth, has once again showed us that very few people are willing to do as Jesus taught us, and that is to "Count the cost" (Luke 14:25-35) and "Take up your cross and follow me"(Matthew 16:24). Flee from this movement, my fellow Christians. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." (Prov 14:12) [article link]

UnderstandTheTimes.org: The New Evangelization and the Coming Reign of the Eucharist Christ - For those not familiar with the meaning of Corpus Christi, the following explanation from the Catholic Encyclopedia will be helpful: This feast is celebrated in the Latin Church on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday to solemnly commemorate the institution of the Holy Eucharist - While history may show Corpus Christi Day was initiated by a nun who was inspired by the moon, the Bible is silent when it comes to the practice of having a special day to venerate the Blessed Sacrament - {Note: The more the Roman Catholic Church diverges away from Biblical Christianity and into Eastern Mysticism (prayer-meditation techniques, goddess Mary, Eucharistic Jesus, etc.) and into Western Rationalism (evolution, eugenics, UFO's, etc.) the more it will denominationally fragment the Christian Church.}
While history may show Corpus Christi Day was initiated by a nun who was inspired by the moon, the Bible is silent when it comes to the practice of having a special day to venerate the Blessed Sacrament. In fact the idea that Jesus, the Creator of the universe, can be manifest in a wafer requiring the intervention of a priest, then placed in a container and worshipped and adored is not in the Bible. The Scriptures clearly warn that promoting idolatry precipitates God's hand of judgment. Before my trip to Rome, I was aware of Corpus Christ Day but never had the opportunity to witness the celebration first hand. If I had not lost my luggage, I wouldn't have known about this event going on in Rome. Larry and I had plenty of time after returning to my hotel to find our way to the Major Church of Mary and take a front row position to witness Corpus Christi live in Rome. ... The Eucharistic Jesus is Evangelistic: Think about this. What if the Eucharistic Jesus that Roman Catholics believe can be worshiped and adored, miraculously started healing those who adored his presence? Would this be a great attraction bringing converts into the Roman Catholic Church? As Peter Kreeft predicted in his book Ecumenical Jihad, it will be Eucharistic adoration that will unite the world's religions. Is it possible the world is being prepared? Raniero Cantalamessa (also called pastor to the pope) would be more than willing to introduce the Roman Catholic Eucharistic Jesus to the separated brethren (non Roman Catholics). On several occasions he has been keynote speaker for Nicky Gumbel's Alpha program. It is at these meetings that Cantalamessa has introduced Alpha leaders and participants to the Catholic view of the sacraments, the saints, and Mary, the Queen of Heaven. Is it possible that unsuspecting evangelical Protestants will soon be the target of the "New Evangelization" program? Rekindling Amazement: For now, we will concentrate on how the "New Evangelization" program plans to revitalize the Roman Catholic faith by "rekindling amazement" centered on the Eucharistic Jesus. It is not just the pope and the pastor to the pope who are enthusiastic about this refocusing of attention, cardinals, bishops and priests all over the world are jumping on the band wagon. There is something very significant underway. Eucharistic adoration is becoming more and more popular as the foundation for Eucharistic evangelization. ... Conclusion: We have looked at the call by the current and former popes for a "New Evangelization" centered on the Christ's supposed presence in the Eucharist through which the world may be drawn to the Roman Catholic Church. We have reviewed how current events, the renewed emphasis on the importance of adoring the Eucharist, mystical appearances of "Mary" and "Jesus" and associated miracles are being viewed as the means of ushering in the Eucharistic Reign of Jesus. [article link]

JAMES MACDONALD [Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel - Vertical Church blog] AND HIS PAGAN [Christians who disagree with James MacDonald] CRITICS - but [Christian] critics that act like pagans are probably just that and bring little benefit to the hearer - This is a classic tactic; one doesn't address the criticism (problem), rather, they use ad hominem (personal attacks) to attack the critic {In his wordly version of religion Pastor James MacDonald doesn't think that false doctrine is a problem instead it is the Christians who are concerned about false doctrine entering into the Church that are now the problem.}
Gospel belief without gospel behavior is what I refer to as 'religious.' Every minister of the gospel should welcome and learn from criticism, but critics that act like pagans are probably just that and bring little benefit to the hearer. ... However, as I said in my pervious piece, there are those who decide a priori that criticism is unloving and pagan. Not surisingly MacDonald's co-host for ER2, fellow Gospel Coalition Council Member Mark Driscoll, came to his defense as he would opine: Beware of Many Discernment Ministries - Before we continue there is a lesson to be learned first. Admittedly, sometimes when speaking, a teacher presents a belief in a way that is inaccurate and unclear. - So called "discernment" bloggers who are usually not connected to any noteworthy or respected evangelical Christian theologians, schools, denominations, ministries, churches, or pastors make their living taking what people said wrongly, transcribing it, and then falsely-or at least wrongly-accusing them of heresy when it is untrue. - This is a classic tactic; one doesn't address the criticism, rather, they use ad hominem to attack the critic. ... My question is, with all the controversy stirring, and with the likelihood of unhealthy accusations toward this potentially helpful event on the rise, why not just explain what led you to believe that T.D. Jakes is orthodox in his understanding of the Trinity? - James MacDonald deleted my comment [from his Vertical Church blog] ignoring that question. So I ask, who's really acting like a pagan? [article link]

GOSPEL COALITION COUNCIL MEMBER JAMES MACDONALD INSISTS PERRY NOBLE DIDN'T LIE - To quickly recap; first, here is Perry Noble with MacDonald and fellow Gospel Coalition Council member Mark Driscoll on March 31, 2011 - Now here's Noble earlier on March 20, 2011 - Perry Noble Flat Out Lied (Videos)
Apprising Ministries now brings you a follow-up to Did Perry Noble Lie? James MacDonald Says No. The video evidence within that prior piece shows Noble on March 20, 2011 state that sometimes he does try and anger people in a church service using shock value tactics. Then 21 days later you'll see Seeker Driven prophet-pastor Perry Noble, one of the blustery Popes Of The Carolinas along with his disciple prophet-pastor Steven Furtick, tell James MacDonald in his Elephant Room discussions that he does not do such things. In the real world, which by the way is the only one there is, this is Noble caught in a lie. So this would mean that a pastor-teacher has publicly done something God hates: ... But O no, says James MacDonald; Perry Noble never lied!!! As if three exclamation points would somehow change reality; but such is postmodernity. [article link]

Update Winter 2010: The Majesty and Glory of King Jesus Christ! "All Blessings, Honor, Glory, Majesty and Praise to the King and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ" - The Basic Christian Ministry is currently undergoing the series "The 8 Kingdoms of the World" regarding the Majesty and Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ - Update: The 8 Kingdoms Study will now continue until about the Easter (Resurrection) Holiday [and the start of the Basic Christian 2011 Jesus Walk Easter Timeline Devotion on Friday April 15th --> Easter Sunday April 24th] then the Church History segment should begin after the conclusion of both the 8 Kingdoms Study and the 2011 Jesus Walk Timeline Devotion
Basic Christian has recently completed the 'blog Bible Study' and is currently in the process of the 'blog History Study' including the '8 Kingdoms of the World' study. The current plan is to study at a slower pace than the fast paced blog Bible Study and also to insert a couple of Topical Studies before the 8 Kingdom Study really gets back on track. Ideally the plan is to really get into the 8 Kingdom Study this Fall and then conclude the 8 Kingdoms (Kings) study just before we celebrate Christmas 2010 and the birth of the King the Lord Jesus Christ (Isaiah 6:5, Matthew 2:2). Then to spend the time from Christmas to Resurrection Day Easter (2011) studying Christian Church History as we prepare for Resurrection Day 2011 and the birth of the Christian Church - the Christian Church having started on the Resurrection Day of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. -- Update: The website theme for 2010 has been "Revival - both personal and churchwide" the website theme for 2011 is "Church accountability and openness - Leadership, Financially and Churchwide" then the coming theme for 2012 is going to be "Sabbath Rest and Trust - entering into the finished and completed Eternal works of Jesus Christ" simultaneously in 2012 [or sooner - at the conclusion of the blog History Study] the Basic Christian blog is going to transition again this time into an exclusive Daily Devotional Bible Study - presenting daily devotionals based on segments of the Bible i.e. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. [article link]

Basic Christian: - The Basic Christian Bible Study: The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth - The 7 anointed Gentile Global Kings of the Earth (anointed from God) and the anointed 8th Kingdom the Eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ -- The Kingdoms: beginning with Nimrod (Tower of Babel - Genesis 10:8-10) --- Pharaoh Akhenaten (Egypt - Joseph's Pharaoh, the Dream Pharaoh - Genesis 41:1) --- Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon - Jeremiah 27:4-7, Daniel 2:37) --- Cyrus (Persia - Isaiah 45:1-7, Ezra 1:1-4) --- Alexander the Great (Greece - Daniel 8:21) --- Julius Caesar (Rome - Luke 2:1) --- The Revised [10 Kingdom] Roman Empire (Daniel 7:19) - Antichrist (Satan - Daniel 7:20) emerges from within the Revised Roman Empire --- The Messiah, Jesus Christ's Kingdom (Heaven and Earth - Daniel 2:35, Daniel 2:44-45)
Genesis 10:8-10 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty [occult] one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter {spiritual seeker, occult} before {anointed of} the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before {in the presence of} the LORD. *And the beginning of his [Nimrod's] Kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar [later Babylon - modern Iraq]. {Note: all 7 of the Gentile global Kings-Kingdoms are anointed, for a time, given by God even as the Gentile King might at times or throughout thier duration be at odd with God.} -- Genesis 41:1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed [a dream from God] {this is possibly or most probably the Pharaoh Akhenaten}: and, behold, he stood by the river. -- Jeremiah 27:4-7 ... Thus saith the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, **and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto Me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all Nations shall serve him, and his son [Nabonidus], and his son's son [Belshazzar], until the very time of his land come: and then many Nations and Great Kings shall serve themselves of him. -- Isaiah 45:1-7 Thus saith the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus [of Persia], whose right hand I have holden, to subdue Nations before him; and I will loose the loins of Kings, to open before him the two leaved gates [of Babylon]; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: *And I will give thee the Treasures of Darkness [Mystery Babylon - secret knowledge - the 7 Gentile Kingdoms 'beginning' with Nimrod and ending with Antichrist once manifested are aggregate and ongoing], *and hidden riches [wealth] of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. **For Jacob [the Nation of Israel] My servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I Am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. -- Ezra 1:1-4 Now in the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, that the Word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his Kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia, The LORD God of Heaven hath given me all the Kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him an House [Temple - 2nd Temple] at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all His people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the House [Temple] of the LORD God of Israel, He is the God, which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the House of God that is in Jerusalem. -- Daniel 8:16-27 And I heard a Man's [Jesus'] voice [standing on the water] between the banks of [the river] Ulai, which called, and said, [Angel] Gabriel, make this man [Daniel] to understand the vision. So he [Gabriel] came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man [Daniel]: for at the Time of the End shall be the vision [the four Gentile global governments after (Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon) - Persia, Greece, Rome and Antichrist]. Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for *at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou sawest having two horns are *the kings of Media and Persia [4th Kingdom]. And the rough goat is the King of Grecia [Greece - 5th Kingdom]: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first King [Alexander the Great]. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four Kingdoms [Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east, the kingdom of Pergamon in Asia Minor, and Macedon - wiki.com] shall stand up out of the Nation, but not in his power. And in the latter time of their [Roman] Kingdom {Rome annexed and acquired the Kingdom of Greece more by default (a weakened Greece) and through political contracts than through direct military conquest}, when the transgressors are come to the full, a King [Antichrist] of fierce countenance, and understanding dark [occult] sentences, shall stand up. And his [Antichrist] power shall be mighty, but not by his own power [by Satan's]: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft [occult - Satanism] to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and *by [false] peace shall destroy many: he [Antichrist] shall also stand up against the Prince of Princes [Jesus Christ]; but he [Antichrist] shall be broken [spiritually] without [physical] hand. And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's [Belshazzar - son of Nabonidus - grandson of Nebuchadnezzar] business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. -- Daniel 2:35 Then was the iron (Rome), the clay (Revised Rome - Antichrist), the brass (Greece), the silver (Persia), and the gold (Babylon), broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them [Kingdoms of the Earth]: and the Stone [Jesus Christ] that smote the image became a Great Mountain [single government], and filled the whole earth. Daniel 2:44-45 And in the days of these Kings [Kings of the Earth] shall *the God of Heaven set up a [eternal] Kingdom, **which shall never be destroyed: and the [eternal] Kingdom shall not be left to other [unbelieving] people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these [7 earthly] Kingdoms, and it [the Kingdom of Jesus Christ] shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the Stone was cut out of the Mountain [Divinely] without [physical] hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the Great God hath made known to the King [Nebuchadnezzar] what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. [article link]

8 Kingdoms Introduction: Some brief criteria for the 8 Global Kingdoms of the earth - Throughout human history there have been many glorious [in man's eyes] Empires, Kingdoms and Dominions but only 8 of the Kingdoms of mankind are the incredible (Revelation 17:10) Kingdoms of the earth {Note: The Basic Christian blog History Study is also going to include some of the additional great Kingdoms primarily Hammurabi (Saudi Arabia), Queen of Sheba (Ethiopia), Solomon (Israel), and Sennacherib (Assyria).}
8 Kingdoms Summary: The Seven incredible Gentile Kingdoms of Revelation 17:10 are Nimrod (Tower of Babel), Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and [revised Rome] the Antichrist Kingdom. While the 8th and final Kingdom is the eternal, righteous Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each of these 8 Kingdoms is going to share some remarkable similarities: Each Kingdom will have possessed all of or a majority of the world's wealth [gold, silver, precious gems] at one time. Each Kingdom has or will have knowledge [both public and secret knowledge] beyond that of their peers. The Kingdoms will also possess influence, military power and political prestige beyond the peers of their day. *Most importantly each of the 8 Kingdoms will also have exerted FAVORABLE influence over the Jews, over Jerusalem and over the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Nimrod [about two generations and 100 years after the flood of Noah] encompassed all of humanity including Abraham's forefather Arphaxad (Genesis 11:11), the Kingdom of Nimrod possessed all human wealth, knowledge and wisdom and the Kingdom of Nimrod built a Temple (the Tower of Babel). Egypt the 2nd Kingdom amassed much of the fortune of the world and much of the knowledge of the world and a great part of that fortune would be "favorably" given to the Jews at their Passover departure from Egypt (Exodus 3:21-22). The wealth of Egypt would then be used by the Jews in the building of the Tabernacle of God by Moses at Mt. Sinai (Saudi Arabia) and later the wealth of the Tabernacle would be transferred into the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The wealth of the Temple in Jerusalem would be given back to Egypt by the Jewish King Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:25-26). The 3rd Kingdom Babylon [initially very favorable to the Jews, Jerusalem and the Temple] captured the wealth of Egypt in Egypt and took it to their Palace in Babylon. The 4th Kingdom Persia [Iran] conquered Babylon [Iraq] and consolidated the wealth of the world into the Palace at Shushan (Esther 1:4) part of the wealth of Persia was given to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem (Isaiah 45:28, 2 Chronicles 36:23). The 5th Kingdom Greece and Alexander the Great [on either 10 or 11 June 323 B.C., Alexander the Great died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in Babylon at the age of 32 - wiki.com]. King Alexander the Great who immersed the world in Greek thought and philosophy and after sparing the Jews, Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple then "at the age of 32" died among the wealth of ancient Egypt, Babylon and Persia. The 6th Kingdom Rome oversaw an extensive expansion in the size of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The 7th Kingdom the Kingdom of Antichrist is going to sign a favorable [7 year] covenant with the Jews and the Nation of Israel (Daniel 9:27) and will also in some way rebuild [and eventually occupy (Matthew 24:15)] the now destroyed Temple in Jerusalem. The 8th and final Kingdom the Eternal, Righteous Kingdom of Jesus Christ [Jesus being Jewish] will of course be very favorable to the Jews as Jesus will rule the entire world from the unprecedented Millennial Temple (Ezekiel 43:7) in Jerusalem.

Part 1. Reconciling the general community (Corporate) [Kingdom on earth] Messiah Prophecy of Daniel [Daniel's 70 Weeks (Daniel 9:25-26)] with the [Eternal Spiritual] individual (Remnant) Kingdom Revelation of the thief on the cross (Luke 23:42-43)
Daniel a Prophet to the Nations: A summary of Daniels (Corporate) Messiah's Kingdom on earth "70 Weeks (490 years) Prophecy" - Daniel 9:22-27 And he [the holy angel Gabriel] informed me [Daniel], and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding [of the previous vision from God]. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the *vision. Seventy weeks [490 years (involving all of the Global Kingdoms from Babylon until the Kingdom of the Messiah totaling 6 of the 8 Global Kingdoms - Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, Antichrist and finally the Kingdom of the Messiah, Jesus Christ)] are determined upon thy [Jewish] people and upon thy holy city [Jerusalem], to finish [make an end of] the [world's] transgression {intentional sins}, and to make an end of [all] sins {intentional and unintentional}, and to make [global] reconciliation for iniquity, and **to bring in Everlasting Righteousness [the 8th Kingdom - the Kingdom of God], and to seal up [conclude] the vision and prophecy, ***and to anoint [Messiah - Jesus Christ] the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks [it would take 49 years to rebuild Jerusalem], and threescore (60) and two weeks [434 years of a rebuilt Jerusalem]: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after [the] threescore and two weeks [after 483 years of the 490 years] shall Messiah be cut off [lit. executed - crucifixion], *but not for Himself [but for the sins of the people]: and the people of the [Antichrist] prince that shall [future] come [7th Kingdom - Antichrist (Satan)] shall destroy the city [70 A.D.] and the [Temple] sanctuary [also destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.]; and the end thereof shall be with a flood [overflowing of destruction], and unto the end of the war [with Satan] desolations are determined. And he [Antichrist - 7th Kingdom] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [the 70th and final week - the final 7 year period - not yet started]: and in the midst of the week [3½ years] he [Antichrist] shall cause the [Temple - 3rd Temple in Jerusalem] sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading [completeness] of abominations he [Antichrist] shall make it [the entire earth unholy] desolate [empty], even until the consummation [end of human history - human separation from God], and that determined [vial-bowl judgments of Revelation] shall be poured upon the desolate [sky and earth].

Part 1a. The anointing of the Messiah, Jesus Christ being anointed individually by His followers - The corporate (group) anointing of the Messiah prophesied by Daniel the Prophet is alluded to but [temporarily] becomes individualized as individuals are anointing Jesus the Messiah for His Kingdom in the same way that the thief on the cross as an individual [not yet the Nations of the world] acknowledged and entered into the eternal Kingdom of the Messiah - In short the two individuals [women] who anointed Jesus with oil and the thief on the cross were all doing the very same thing, each individually anointing and acknowledging the Kingdom of Messiah - Individuals (a remnant) acknowledging and entering into the Kingdom of Messiah [Kingdom of God] long before the Prophesied Nations as a whole are to enter into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and **to anoint [Messiah] the most Holy. -- John 12:3 Then {Friday} took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. -- Matthew 26:6-7 Now {Tuesday} when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman [thought to be Mary Magdalene] having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head, as He sat at meat [dinner]. -- Luke 23:42 And he [thief on the cross] said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into Thy Kingdom. {Note: How the corporate (group) anointing (the head) of the Messiah and the general acceptance of the Messiah as spoken of by Daniel the Prophet becomes an individual anointing of the feet of the Messiah and later another anointing by another individual this time anointing the head of Jesus. Both anointings and the acknowledging of the Kingdom of God [also divine revelation from the thief on the cross] are in reference to the Prophecy of Daniel {the thief on the cross was probably directly recalling Daniel 9:26} but are not yet a direct fulfillment of the anointing and general acceptance of the Messiah as Prophesied by Daniel in his 70 Week prophecy.}

Part 1b. Daniel's 70 Weeks Prophecy is an explanation of an earlier Vision [Daniel chapter 7] regarding the Kingdoms of the Earth [Daniel 7:17 the 4 remaining Kingdoms - Persia, Greece, Rome, Antichrist] - Keep in mind that the 490 years of Daniel's 70 Weeks Prophecy are all years that occur only during one of the Kingdoms of Earth - Currently we are not directly under one of the Kings of the Earth nor are we directly in one of the Kingdoms of the Earth and therefore not yet using up one of the 490 years of the prophecy [but we are in the period (Daniel 2:42) of the Revising of the Roman (iron) Empire without yet the direct global King] - 483 years [Persia, Greece, Rome] of the 490 years have been completed and only the final [Antichrist] Week '7 years' of the prophecy remains to be fulfilled
According to Daniel (Daniel 9:25) at end of the 69th Week the Messiah would reveal Himself [the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem] and make available His Kingdom [*ending the reign of the Kings of the earth] then "after" the 69th Week "shall Messiah be cut off" the crucifixion of Jesus Christ occurred 4 days after the Triumphal Entry of Jesus Christ. The Triumphal Entry did end the reign of the Global Kings of the Earth {as King Herod (part of a Global Kingdom - Rome) feared it would in Matthew 2:2-3} the rejection of Jesus Christ by both Rome and Jerusalem and the crucifixion of Jesus 4 days later then re-opened the (now postponed) 70th Week and the Antichrist Kingdom. The 70th Week specifically belongs to the Antichrist and since the Triumphal Entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem at the completion of the 69th Week the timeline of the Prophecy of Daniel has stopped until the Kingdom of Antichrist claims its 1 Week (7 year period) that will be given to it by God. The amount of time [2,000 years so far] between the 69th week of Daniel and the 70th and final week of Daniel has been the Church Age. The Church Age where almost the entirety of the Book of Acts was spent grappling with the issue that the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ had momentarily become completely individualized {the early (remnant - firstfruit) rain (Hosea 6:2-3)} [with the individuals entering into the Kingdom of God primarily being the Gentiles] and that it will not be until the final events of the Book of Revelation [the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ on earth] that the Kingdom of God becomes evident primarily through the Nations of the earth {the later (community - harvest) rain (Hosea 6:2-3)} and not just primarily through the individuals of the earth as it is now.

Part 2. The Anointing and Throne of a King: King David was anointed three times [first among his own family (by Samuel on behalf of God), later by the Tribe of Judah (lit. Praise) and lastly by the Elders of the Nation of Israel] -- Saul was anointed twice both times by the same person [Samuel] - Solomon was anointed King *twice [first by a select committee (1 Kings 1:32-40) - then by the people (1 Chronicles 29:22)] - Jesus Christ is anointed King three times, First by His family [God (Matthew 3:16-17, Acts 10:38)], Secondly [among His Praise] the Church Age of individuals, Thirdly by each of the Nations as a whole [in the Kingdom Age] beginning with the Nation of Israel at the 2nd Coming return of Jesus Christ
King Saul [a type of Satan] was chosen by God and anointed the first time privately by the Prophet Samuel [1 Samuel 10:1]. Saul was initiated [1 Samuel 10:17-24] as the 1st King of Israel [in Mizpeh of Gilead] without anointing and while Saul was personally in hiding (i.e. hidden as Satan is in hiding now). Saul was anointed by Samuel a second time though oil is not mentioned it might have been strictly a verbal anointing with the Prophet Samuel speaking prophecy over King Saul and not anointing him with oil. -- King David [a type of Jesus Christ] was anointed three times [1 Samuel 16:12-14 (Bethlehem), 2 Samuel 2:4 (Hebron), 2 Samuel 5:3 (Hebron) - the first (person) anointed in Jerusalem was the Temple (a direct representation of Jesus Christ), it was dedicated (anointed) in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:10-11) before Solomon or any of the later Kings, the descendants of Solomon, were anointed in Jerusalem] and the moment David was anointed the first time the anointing of God departed [1 Samuel 16:14] from the presence of then King Saul [a type of Satan] so only one of them was anointed by God as King at any one time and when King Solomon [a type of the Antichrist] was anointed there is no indication or recording of the anointing of God leaving King David the way it previously had left King Saul. -- King Solomon [a type of the Antichrist] was anointed twice, first [1 Kings 1:32-40] by a chosen and selected committee [the High Priest, the Prophet and the people gathered in Gihon who happened to be in knowledge of the event] and later by all the people [1 Chronicles 29:22]. -- Jesus Christ the Messiah has been anointed twice. First by His family of God [Matthew 3:16-17]. "Matthew 3:16-17, Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me [Messiah, Jesus Christ], because He [God] hath anointed Me [Jesus] to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." - "Acts 4:26-28 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For of a truth against thy Holy Child Jesus, whom Thou [God] hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined [to kill Jesus] before to be done." - Jesus is currently being anointed throughout His Christian Church Age. "1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God [Jesus] was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on [anointed] in the world, received up into glory." - "2 Corinthians 1:20-22 For all the promises of God in Him are yea [yes], and in Him Amen [Truth], unto the glory of God by us. Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit] in our hearts." {My perspective on the Church rapture is just when is the Antichrist 'anointed' by God to receive his Kingdom on earth is it pre-tribulation [this happens to be my position on End Time events]? or is it 3½ years later at pre-wrath [also a very possible position for End Time events]? The anointed Church (2 Corinthians 1:20-22) and the future Kingdom of Antichrist are not going to co-exist and when the anointed 'born again' Church is raptured only then will the Antichrist be anointed for his Kingdom on earth. Then with the Christian Church gone the Antichrist will preside over a Kingdom on earth that will go horribly wrong for everyone involved as the Antichrist attempts to receive the anointing of the Nations starting in the Holy of Holies (Matthew 24:15) with the Nation of Israel.} - There is yet a third and future anointing of the Messiah Jesus Christ the anointing among the Nations starting with Jesus being anointed King by the elders of Israel in Jerusalem. "Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks [490 years] are determined upon thy people [the Jews] and upon thy holy city [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness [the Kingdom of God among the Nations], and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint [Messiah] the most Holy." - "Zechariah 12:10-14 And I will pour [anoint] upon the House of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the [Holy] Spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me [Jesus Christ] whom they have pierced (crucified), and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in [agony] bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning *in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the House of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; The family of the House of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; All the families that remain [after the Tribulation], every family apart, and their wives apart." {Note: the coming Tribulation during the events of Revelation is primarily a Gentile (Martyred Saints) Holocaust the Jews having already suffered their [WWII] Holocaust will primarily be exempt from the Holocaust to come but still it will be dangerous and difficult times for everyone and not every family will make it through the events. Presumably the Nation of Israel will emerge (anoint the Messiah Jesus Christ) and enter into the Kingdom Age [1,000 year reign of the Messiah] far more intact than any of the Gentile Nations.} - "Ezekiel 43:5-7 So the [Holy] Spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court [Millennial Temple - 4th Temple in Jerusalem]; and, behold, the Glory of the LORD filled the House. And I heard Him speaking unto me out of the House; and *the Man [Jesus Christ] stood by me. And He said unto me, Son of man [Ezekiel], the place of My Throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell [as anointed King] in the midst of the children of Israel for ever ..." [article link]

Part 2a. The 7 anointed Gentile Global Kings of the Earth (anointed from God) and the anointed 8th Kingdom the Eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ -- The Kingdoms: beginning with Nimrod (Tower of Babel - Genesis 10:8-10) --- Pharaoh Akhenaten (Egypt - Joseph's Pharaoh, the Dream Pharaoh - Genesis 41:1) --- Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon - Jeremiah 27:4-7, Daniel 2:37) --- Cyrus (Persia - Isaiah 45:1-7, Ezra 1:1-4) --- Alexander the Great (Greece - Daniel 8:21) --- Julius Caesar (Rome - Luke 2:1) --- The Revised [10 Kingdom] Roman Empire (Daniel 7:19) - Antichrist (Satan - Daniel 7:20) emerges from within the Revised Roman Empire --- The Messiah, Jesus Christ's Kingdom (Heaven and Earth - Daniel 2:35, Daniel 2:44-45)
Genesis 10:8-10 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty [occult] one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter {spiritual seeker, occult} before {anointed of} the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before {in the presence of} the LORD. *And the beginning of his [Nimrod's] Kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar [later Babylon - modern Iraq]. {Note: all 7 of the Gentile global Kings-Kingdoms are anointed, for a time, given by God even as the Gentile King might at times or throughout thier duration be at odd with God.} -- Genesis 41:1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed [a dream from God] {this is possibly or most probably the Pharaoh Akhenaten}: and, behold, he stood by the river. -- Jeremiah 27:4-7 ... Thus saith the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, **and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto Me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all Nations shall serve him, and his son [Nabonidus], and his son's son [Belshazzar], until the very time of his land come: and then many Nations and Great Kings shall serve themselves of him. -- Isaiah 45:1-7 Thus saith the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus [of Persia], whose right hand I have holden, to subdue Nations before him; and I will loose the loins of Kings, to open before him the two leaved gates [of Babylon]; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: *And I will give thee the Treasures of Darkness [Mystery Babylon - secret knowledge - the 7 Gentile Kingdoms 'beginning' with Nimrod and ending with Antichrist once manifested are aggregate and ongoing], *and hidden riches [wealth] of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. **For Jacob [the Nation of Israel] My servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I Am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. -- Ezra 1:1-4 Now in the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, that the Word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his Kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia, The LORD God of Heaven hath given me all the Kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him an House [Temple - 2nd Temple] at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all His people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the House [Temple] of the LORD God of Israel, He is the God, which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the House of God that is in Jerusalem. -- Daniel 8:16-27 And I heard a Man's [Jesus'] voice [standing on the water] between the banks of [the river] Ulai, which called, and said, [Angel] Gabriel, make this man [Daniel] to understand the vision. So he [Gabriel] came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man [Daniel]: for at the Time of the End shall be the vision [the four Gentile global governments after (Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon) - Persia, Greece, Rome and Antichrist]. Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for *at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou sawest having two horns are *the kings of Media and Persia [4th Kingdom]. And the rough goat is the King of Grecia [Greece - 5th Kingdom]: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first King [Alexander the Great]. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four Kingdoms [Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east, the kingdom of Pergamon in Asia Minor, and Macedon - wiki.com] shall stand up out of the Nation, but not in his power. And in the latter time of their [Roman] Kingdom {Rome annexed and acquired the Kingdom of Greece more by default (a weakened Greece) and through political contracts than through direct military conquest}, when the transgressors are come to the full, a King [Antichrist] of fierce countenance, and understanding dark [occult] sentences, shall stand up. And his [Antichrist] power shall be mighty, but not by his own power [by Satan's]: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft [occult - Satanism] to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and *by [false] peace shall destroy many: he [Antichrist] shall also stand up against the Prince of Princes [Jesus Christ]; but he [Antichrist] shall be broken [spiritually] without [physical] hand. And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's [Belshazzar - son of Nabonidus - grandson of Nebuchadnezzar] business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. -- Daniel 2:35 Then was the iron (Rome), the clay (Revised Rome - Antichrist), the brass (Greece), the silver (Persia), and the gold (Babylon), broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them [Kingdoms of the Earth]: and the Stone [Jesus Christ] that smote the image became a Great Mountain [single government], and filled the whole earth. Daniel 2:44-45 And in the days of these Kings [Kings of the Earth] shall *the God of Heaven set up a [eternal] Kingdom, **which shall never be destroyed: and the [eternal] Kingdom shall not be left to other [unbelieving] people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these [7 earthly] Kingdoms, and it [the Kingdom of Jesus Christ] shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the Stone was cut out of the Mountain [Divinely] without [physical] hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the Great God hath made known to the King [Nebuchadnezzar] what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. [article link]

Part 3. The Three Fall [Harvest] Feats of Leviticus 23 - the Three [Second Coming] Fall Feasts of Leviticus 23 - The Three [First Coming] Spring Feasts [month of Nisan] initiated the individual Church Age and it is thought that in the same way the Three Fall Feasts of Leviticus 23 [month of Tishri] conclude the 8 Kingdom Feasts of God and initiate the 8th Kingdom the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (Messiah) and His 1,000 year Kingdom of Nations reign on earth
The 8 Holy Feasts of Leviticus 23: Three Feasts corresponding to the Second Coming and the Kingdom on Earth of Jesus Christ. --Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Rashanah) "Leviticus 23:23-25 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an Holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD." The offering of fire is likely the Baptism of Fire that the Christian is undergoing since the Flames of Fire upon the heads of the believers occurring at the Feast of Pentecost. The Trumpet is an announcement and in this case it is an announcement for God's people to gather together into one place. For the Church this is very likely fulfilled in the Rapture, the calling by God of His Church into Heaven to be with Him and to escape His coming judgment that is about to come upon the entire world of non-believers. "Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the voice which I heard was as it were of a Trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter." -- Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) "Leviticus 23:27-32 Also on the Tenth day of this Seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement." This feast in a large part was completed at the cross of Jesus as Jesus is the Atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. Atonement is the repair the mending of a broken relationship. For a relationship to be repaired there has to be a desire to repair the union and there needs to be an acknowledgment of the wrong that severed the relationship in the first place. It is corresponding to the second coming of Jesus because there is still much to be fulfilled with this particular feast. For starters at the Atonement Feast Leviticus 16:1-34 there are two goats the first goat is sacrificed for the atonement, the removal of sin, because the result of sin is death so only when death occurs is sin satisfied. This sacrifice is a representation of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us. Meanwhile, the second goat called the "scapegoat", the carrier of sins is released far away carrying with it the sins of the people and if that scapegoat never returns then the sins never return and are completely removed and stay away. If the scapegoat does return then all of the sins return with it. It is evident that at the cross of Jesus that a man called Barabbas was the scapegoat, as Barabbas was set free and he was never heard from again. That is until the Antichrist comes because the Antichrist will be carrying the name of "Son of the Father" which translated into Hebrew is "Barabbas" Bar = son and Abba = Father. Unfortunately the scapegoat the carrier of sin "Satan" will be returning one day as he will again be accepted by the people to be their friend and their king and when he does come he will bring with him the sins of the world. Also the Jewish people as a nation have not yet recognized Jesus as the true Messiah and this will happen at the second coming of Jesus so this feast is still partially yet to be fulfilled. -- Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) "Leviticus 23:34-43 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The Fifteenth day of this Seventh month shall be the feast of Tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. ... That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." The Tabernacle is a Tent a temporary shelter as opposed to a Temple which is a permanent building. The Jewish Temple originally was a Tabernacle a Tent that the Hebrews carried with them and set up during their wilderness journey prior to their entry into the Promise Land of Israel. Once in the Promise Land, the permanent living place the Tent was then replaced in Jerusalem by the permanent Temple made of stone. This is the comparison of our earthy body to our future Spiritual body. Currently we Tabernacle in a Tent body a temporary body made of flesh. Whenever anyone dies their spirit and soul departs this tent and if you are a child of God, God then accepts you into Heaven our Permanent home and we receive our new Temple body, a Spiritual body to match our spirit and our soul. {Note: The 8 Holy Fests of Leviticus Chapter 23 have been separated primarily into two parts, the three Spring Feasts of the 1st Coming [Firstfruits] of Jesus Christ and the three Fall Feasts and the2nd Coming of Jesus Christ. Together the 8 Holy Feasts combine to usher in on earth the one Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ.}

Part 4 the Conclusion: The three Fall Feasts of Leviticus Chapter 23 seem to be the Transition Phase out of the approximately 2,000 years of individuals serving and fellowshipping with God in the Christian Church Age - Into the 1,000 year Millennial Kingdom of Messiah the reign of Jesus Christ among the Nations on the Earth
The whole concept of the 8 Kingdom Study has been that there is a major transition in the Kingdom of God that is to take place and that is the Kingdom of God being shifted from the individual perspective (Church Age) to the National perspective (Kingdom Age). The shift from the individual (remnant) worship of God to the (corporate) National worship of God is continued and completed during the transition of the Antichrist Kingdom. In short throughout human history and particularly while going through the Book of Revelation there are two separate [parallel] Kingdoms at work in the Kingdom of Antichrist and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. In the Book of Revelation while the Antichrist Kingdom is attempting to unify (666 - fallen angels, fallen humans, demons) and is unable to do so the Kingdom of God [888 (in a sense) - Holy God, holy Angels, redeemed mankind] does unify. The Kingdom of God starts out in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:10-18) with Jesus walking among the 7 Churches of the earth and holding the stars of Heaven in His hand as Jesus is in the process of reconciling the earth back to Heaven to make the two separate Kingdoms of Heaven and earth back into one Kingdom. Jesus writes seven letters to His Church in each letter identifying Himself with each Church. Then in Revelation (Revelation 5:6) Jesus is seen as The Lamb Slain as Jesus identifies Himself with all of His Martyred Saints from all of the Children of God from throughout all human history. During the events of Revelation the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ becomes so identified with and intermingled with the Saints on earth and the holy Angels of Heaven in bonding and closeness that as an Angel appears (Revelation 10:1-7) it is difficult to tell if it is an Angel speaking and acting or if it is Jesus Himself speaking and acting. Note: In concluding this 8 Kingdom summary by reading the events of the Bible's Book of Revelation the Kingdom of God becomes identified with the Christian Saints, the Martyrs and even the holy Angels of Heaven at the very same time that the Kingdom of Antichrist is attempting to unify with fallen mankind, fallen angels and the demons but the Kingdom of Antichrist is falling apart and coming apart at such a rapid pace and in reality is never anywhere close to mixing into a unified Kingdom as the "iron does not mix with the clay" of Daniel. While in complete success the Kingdom of God is unified, united and completly identifiable with both mankind and with the holy Angels of Heaven all through the accomplishments and achievements of God the Son Jesus Christ. -- Ephesians 1:10-14 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times [ages] He [God] might gather together in one all things in Christ, *both which are in Heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: In whom also we [Christians] have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: That we [Apostles] should be to the {Anointing} Praise of His Glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye [individuals] also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: in whom also after that ye [individuals] believed, ye [individuals] were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our [individual] inheritance until the redemption {Kingdom Age} of the purchased possession, unto the {Anointing} Praise of His Glory.

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- 8 Kingdoms [Revelation 17:10] Introduction: Some brief criteria for the 8 Global Kingdoms of the earth - Throughout human history there have been many glorious [in man's eyes] Empires, Kingdoms and Dominions but only 8 of the Kingdoms of mankind are the incredible (Revelation 17:10) Kingdoms of the earth {Note: The Basic Christian blog History Study is also going to include some of the additional great Kingdoms primarily Hammurabi (Saudi Arabia), Queen of Sheba (Ethiopia), Solomon (Israel), and Sennacherib (Assyria).}
8 Kingdoms Summary: The Seven incredible Global Gentile Kingdoms of Revelation 17:10 are Nimrod (Tower of Babel), Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and [revised Rome] the Antichrist Kingdom. While the 8th and final Kingdom is the eternal, righteous Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each of these 8 Kingdoms is going to share some remarkable similarities: Each Kingdom will have possessed all of or a majority of the world's wealth [gold, silver, precious gems] at one time. Each Kingdom has or will have knowledge [both public and secret knowledge] beyond that of their peers. The Kingdoms will also possess influence, military power and political prestige beyond the peers of their day. *Most importantly each of the 8 Kingdoms will also have exerted FAVORABLE influence over the Jews, over Jerusalem and over the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Nimrod [about two generations and 100 years after the flood of Noah] encompassed all of humanity including Abraham's forefather Arphaxad (Genesis 11:11), the Kingdom of Nimrod possessed all human wealth, knowledge and wisdom and the Kingdom of Nimrod built a Temple (the Tower of Babel). Egypt the 2nd Kingdom amassed much of the fortune of the world and much of the knowledge of the world and a great part of that fortune would be "favorably" given to the Jews at their Passover departure from Egypt (Exodus 3:21-22). The wealth of Egypt would then be used by the Jews in the building of the Tabernacle of God by Moses at Mt. Sinai (Saudi Arabia) and later the wealth of the Tabernacle would be transferred into the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The wealth of the Temple in Jerusalem would be given back to Egypt by the Jewish King Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:25-26). The 3rd Kingdom Babylon [initially very favorable to the Jews, Jerusalem and the Temple] captured the wealth of Egypt in Egypt and took it to their Palace in Babylon. The 4th Kingdom Persia [Iran] conquered Babylon [Iraq] and consolidated the wealth of the world into the Palace at Shushan (Esther 1:4) part of the wealth of Persia was given to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem (Isaiah 45:28, 2 Chronicles 36:23). The 5th Kingdom Greece and Alexander the Great [on either 10 or 11 June 323 B.C., Alexander the Great died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in Babylon at the age of 32 - wiki.com]. King Alexander the Great who immersed the world in Greek thought and philosophy and after sparing the Jews, Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple then "at the age of 32" died among the wealth of ancient Egypt, Babylon and Persia. The 6th Kingdom Rome oversaw an extensive expansion in the size of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem beginning with Julius Caesar [July, 47 B.C.] Caesar determines "That the Jews shall possess Jerusalem, and may encompass that city with walls; and that Hyrcanus, the son of Alexander, the high priest and ethnarch of the Jews, retain it in the manner he himself pleases ..." [Source: JewishEncyclopedia.com]. The 7th Kingdom the Kingdom of Antichrist is going to sign a favorable [7 year] covenant with the Jews and the Nation of Israel (Daniel 9:27) and will also in some way rebuild [and eventually occupy (Matthew 24:15)] the now destroyed Temple in Jerusalem. The 8th and final Kingdom the Eternal, Righteous Kingdom of Jesus Christ [Jesus being Jewish] will of course be very favorable to the Jews as Jesus will rule the entire world from the unprecedented Millennial Temple (Ezekiel 43:7) in Jerusalem. [article link]

The Kingdom of Jesus Christ (John 1:12) accepted by some and rejected by others - The Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ in initially being rejected by the rulers of this world (Luke 23:24) has been placed in an individual (experiential) basis until the fullness of the Kingdom of God is brought into its knowable entirety during the events of the Book of Revelation - Basically what we are going to do in the next few days before Holy Week is to begin to consider and to reconcile the [Kingdom on earth] Messiah Prophecy of Daniel [Daniel's 70 Weeks (Daniel 9:25-26)] and the [Eternal Spiritual] Kingdom Revelation of the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43) with each other and attempt to more fully understand the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ that is currently being so generously offered by God to all mankind
Note: Regarding the rejection and death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The people of Jesus' day asked Him for a sign that He was indeed God (Matthew 12:40) and Jesus also said (John 2:19) the sign that He would give the world would be that He would resurrect the 3rd day from death. The resurrection of Jesus proved the Deity (Immortality) of Jesus to all mankind for all time. So the events of Holy Week that ended in the crucifixion and later in the resurrection of Jesus were not events that went astray but were events that were foretold and necessary in order for God to unmistakably reveal and reconcile Himself to all mankind. Having then revealed Himself to all mankind by His prophecies, miracles and resurrection He is now selecting for Himself a Kingdom of believing people for His own from within mankind. -- Romans 1:3-5 Concerning His [God's] Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made [physically] of the seed of [King] David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, **by the resurrection from the dead: By [Jesus] whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the [Christian] faith among all Nations, for His Name:

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- The Pre-flood 'dispensation' is one of several human groups or dispensations separated out and grouped together by God as part of a continuing and ongoing work of God in order for God to continually reunite a separated mankind back into His closeness and presence -- "Matthew 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven [Christian Church Age - New Testament Dispensation] is greater than he [John the Baptist - Old Testament Dispensation]."
Various dispensations are carefully alluded to throughout the Bible including in the New Testament. "1 Corinthians 9:16-18 For though I [a Christian] preach the Gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe [misery] is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will [unwillingly], [still] a dispensation [part] of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my [willing] reward then [not money - but fellowship with God]? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel." ... "Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He [God - the Father] might gather together in one all things in [Jesus] Christ, both which are in heaven [Angels], and which are on earth [humans]; even in Him [Jesus Christ]:" - Note: As John the Baptist was greatest among the O.T. Saints in having Divine Messianic Revelation, he was least when compared to the Divine Messianic [Jesus Christ] Revelation that each Christian possesses. Later each Christian has less Divine Messianic [Jesus Christ] Revelation then possibly each of the Martyred Saints of Revelation (Revelation 7:15) and certainly the Christian Church has less Divine Messianic [Jesus Christ] Revelation then any the 144,000 Jewish (Salvation) Firstfruits of Revelation (Revelation 14:3). [article link]

Revelation Chapter 17 - Mystery Babylon -- "Revelation 17:9-10 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. **The seven heads are seven [Kingdom] mountains, **on which [the seven Global Gentile Kingdoms] the woman [Mystery Babylon] sitteth. **And there are seven kings [Nimrod (Tower of Babel), Pharaoh Akhenaten (Egypt), Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon), Cyrus (Persia), Alexander the Great (Greece), Julius Caesar (Rome), Antichrist (Satan)]: five are fallen, and one (Rome) is [in the Disciple John's day], and the other (Revised Rome) is not yet come; and when he [Antichrist - Satan] cometh, he [7th Global King - Antichrist] must continue a short space."
Revelation 17:1-18 And there came one of the seven Angels which had the seven vials [Great Tribulation - measured bowl judgments of Revelation], and talked with me [Disciple John], saying unto me, Come hither [near]; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the Great Whore [Mystery Babylon] that sitteth upon many waters [people - Nations]: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication [intimacy], and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk [influenced] with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness [an empty place]: and I saw a woman [Mystery Babylon] sit upon a scarlet coloured beast [Revised Roman Empire], full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads [authority of all seven Gentile Global Kingdoms] and ten horns [Revised Rome]. And the woman [Mystery Babylon - spirit of Deception] was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the Saints [of God], and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, *I wondered with great admiration [astonishment]. And the Angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. *The beast [Antichrist] that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. **The seven heads are seven [Kingdom] mountains, **on which [the seven Global Gentile Kingdoms] the woman sitteth. **And there are seven kings [Nimrod (Tower of Babel), Pharaoh Akhenaten (Egypt), Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon), Cyrus (Persia), Alexander the Great (Greece), Julius Caesar (Rome), Antichrist (Satan)]: five are fallen, and one (Rome) is [in the Disciple John's day], and the other (Revised Rome) is not yet come; and when he [Antichrist - Satan] cometh, he [7th Global King - Antichrist] must continue a short space. And the [7th] beast that was, and is not [gets assassinated], even he [then has a fake resurrection] is the eighth, and [but] is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns [Revised Roman Empire (Daniel 7:7)] which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour [a short time] with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast [Antichrist]. These shall make war with the Lamb (Jesus Christ), and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the [manipulating] whore [of false religion], and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great {unseen spiritual deception} city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. [article link]

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- Apparently there was a breakdown very early after the original creation regarding the patriarchal family structure of one husband and one wife with God as the ultimate head and authority for each family group - Today we have many counterfeit and substitutional family groups; the workplace, friends, political parties, sports teams and even church denominations are all common substitutes for the Divinely sanctioned family group with Jesus Christ remaining the head and authority for each individual
In Cain and Lamech we see the early breakdown of the godly sanctified family as the intended family is being substituted and misused for power, sex, authority and greed. "Genesis 4:17-26 And Cain knew [sexualy] his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch {3rd from Adam}: and he [Cain] builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. *And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubal- cain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. *And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. And Adam knew his wife [Eve] again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed (Genesis 3:15) instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call [in the hope of the coming Messiah-Redeemer-Seed, Jesus Christ] upon the Name of the LORD." -- The breakdown in the traditional family is restored in the Spiritual family of Christianity with Jesus Christ remaining as the head and authority over the entirety of the Christian Church family. "John 19:26-27 When Jesus therefore saw His mother [Mary], and the disciple [John] standing by, whom He loved (greatest good and highest wellbeing love, Spiritual-emotional, unselfish, non-sexual, eternal love - G25 Agapao, Agape), He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith He (Jesus) to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." {Note: This event that took place at the crucifixion of Jesus is the structuring of the Christian Church into a Spiritual family. Also Note: This is not an adoption event as adoption has with it a house (i.e. John 14:2, a future adoption event) and Mary went to John's house, permanently precluding adoption (Mary did not adopt John - and the younger does not adopt the elder) Mary went with the Disciple John to his house as a part of a Spiritual, united Christian family.} [article link]

Rosetta Stone - British Museum [Home Video] (YouTube)
The Rosetta Stone - From Fort St Julien, el-Rashid (Rosetta), Egypt [Greek] Ptolemaic Period, 196 BC. Valuable key to the decipherment of [ancient Egyptian] hieroglyphs. The inscription on the Rosetta Stone is a decree passed by a council of priests, one of a series that affirm the royal cult of the 13-year-old Ptolemy V on the first anniversary of his coronation. -- In previous years the family of the Ptolemies had lost control of certain parts of the country. It had taken their armies some time to put down opposition in the Delta, and parts of southern Upper Egypt, particularly Thebes, were not yet back under the government's control. -- Before the [Greek] Ptolemaic era (that is before about 332 BC), decrees in hieroglyphs such as this were usually set up by the king. It shows how much things had changed from Pharaonic times that the priests, the only people who had kept the knowledge of writing hieroglyphs, were now issuing such decrees. The list of good deeds done by the king for the temples hints at the way in which the support of the priests was ensured.-- The decree is inscribed on the stone three times, in hieroglyphic (suitable for a priestly decree), demotic (the native script used for daily purposes), and Greek (the language of the administration). The importance of this to Egyptology is immense. Soon after the end of the fourth century AD, when hieroglyphs had gone out of use, the knowledge of how to read and write them disappeared. In the early years of the nineteenth century, some 1400 years later, scholars were able to use the Greek inscription on this stone as the key to decipher them. Thomas Young, an English physicist, was the first to show that some of the hieroglyphs on the Rosetta Stone wrote the sounds of a royal name, that of Ptolemy. The French scholar Jean-François Champollion then realized that hieroglyphs recorded the sound of the Egyptian language and laid the foundations of our knowledge of ancient Egyptian language and culture. -- [French] Soldiers in Napoleon's army discovered the Rosetta Stone in 1799 while digging the foundations of an addition to a fort near the town of el-Rashid (Rosetta). On Napoleon's defeat, the stone became the property of the English under the terms of the Treaty of Alexandria (1801) along with other antiquities that the French had found. -- The Rosetta Stone has been exhibited in the British Museum since 1802, with only one break. Towards the end of the First World War, in 1917, when the Museum was concerned about heavy bombing in London, they moved it to safety along with other, portable, 'important' objects. The Rosetta Stone spent the next two years in a station on the Postal Tube Railway fifty feet below the ground at Holborn. - C.A.R. Andrews, The Rosetta Stone-1 (London, The British Museum Press, 1982) - R. Parkinson, The Rosetta Stone (London, British Museum Press, 2005) - R. Parkinson, Cracking codes: the Rosetta St (London, The British Museum Press, 1999) - C.A.R. Andrews and S. Quirke, The Rosetta Stone: facsimile d (London, The British Museum Press, 1988) - R.S. Simpson, Demotic grammar in the Ptolema (Oxford, Griffith Institute, Ashmolean Museum, 1996). [article link]

History of the Rosetta Stone (Youtube)
History of the Rosetta Stone and Israel Archaeology. Randall Niles looks at the importance of Egyptian Hieroglyphics to Biblical Studies. Visit http://www.AllAboutTheJourney.org/isr to read how the history of the Rosetta Stone and other Egyptian artifacts impact the integrity of the Jewish scriptures. Also, go to http://www.RandallNiles.com/videos.htm to watch more videos about the history of the Rosetta Stone and other archaeological treasures related to Israel Archaeology! [article link]

History Channel - Ancient Mysteries - The Rosetta Stone part 1 of 5 (YouTube)
The Rosetta Stone is an Ancient Egyptian artifact which was instrumental in advancing modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. The stone is a [Greek] Ptolemaic era stele with carved text made up of three translations of a single passage: two in Egyptian language scripts (hieroglyphic and Demotic) and one in classical Greek. **It was created in 196 BC, **discovered by the French [men of Napoléon's army] in 1799 at Rosetta [near the town of el-Rashid (Rosetta) Egypt - Source: BritishMuseum.org] and contributed greatly to the deciphering of the principles of hieroglyph writing in 1822 by the British scientist Thomas Young and the French scholar Jean-François Champollion. Comparative translation of the stone assisted in understanding many previously undecipherable examples of hieroglyphic writing. The text on the stone is a decree from Ptolemy V, describing the repeal of various taxes and instructions to erect statues in temples. Two Egyptian-Greek multilingual steles predated Ptolemy V's Rosetta Stone: Ptolemy III's Decree of Canopus, 239 BC, and Ptolemy IV's Decree of Memphis, ca 218 BC. -- The renaissance translation of Egyptian hieroglyphs in the early 1800s promulgated the immediate three-language translation of the tri-lingual Behistun Inscription in cuneiform scripts, by scaffolding work on the cliff-wall face, before the mid-1800s. Both hieroglyphs and cuneiform were starting a translation revolution, as were the physical sciences of describing fossil evolution. -- The Rosetta Stone is 114.4 centimetres (45.0 in) high at its highest point, 72.3 centimetres (28.5 in) wide, and 27.9 centimetres (11.0 in) thick. It is unfinished on its sides and reverse. Weighing approximately 760 kilograms (1,700 lb), it was originally thought to be granite or basalt but is currently described as granodiorite of a dark grey-pinkish colour. The stone has been on public display at The British Museum since 1802. [article link]

History Channel - Ancient Mysteries - The Rosetta Stone 2 of 5 (YouTube)
Modern-era discovery: In preparation for Napoleon's 1798 campaign in Egypt, the French founded the Institut de l'Égypte in Cairo which brought 167 scientists and archaeologists to the region. French Army engineer Captain Pierre-François Bouchard discovered the stone sometime the sources are not specific in mid-July 1799 (July 15 or July 19), while guiding construction work at Fort Julien near the Egyptian port city of Rashid (Rosetta). The Napoleonic army was so awestruck by this unheralded spectacle that, according to a witness, "It halted of itself and, by one spontaneous impulse, grounded its arms." (As quoted by Robert Claiborne, The Birth of Writing [1974], p. 24.) After Napoleon returned in 1799, 167 scholars remained behind with French troops which held off British and Ottoman attacks. In March 1801, the British landed on Aboukir Bay and scholars carried the Stone from Cairo to Alexandria alongside the troops of Jacques-Francois Menou. French troops in Cairo capitulated on June 22, and in Alexandria on August 30. -- After the surrender, a dispute arose over the fate of French archaeological and scientific discoveries in Egypt. De Menou refused to hand them over, claiming they belonged to the Institute. British General John Hely-Hutchinson, 2nd Earl of Donoughmore, refused to relieve the city until de Menou gave in. Newly arrived scholars Edward Daniel Clarke and William Richard Hamilton agreed to check the collections in Alexandria and found many artifacts that the French had not revealed. -- When Hutchinson claimed all materials as a property of the British Crown, a French scholar, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, said to Clarke and Hamilton that they would rather burn all their discoveries - referring ominously to the destruction of the Library of Alexandria - than turn them over. Hutchinson finally agreed that items such as biology specimens would be the scholars' private property. De Menou regarded the stone as his private property and hid it. How exactly the Stone came to British hands is disputed. Colonel Tomkyns Hilgrove Turner, who escorted the stone to Britain, claimed later that he had personally seized it from de Menou and carried it away on a gun carriage. Clarke stated in his memoirs that a French scholar and an officer had quietly given up the stone to him and his companions in a Cairo back street. French scholars departed later with only imprints and plaster casts of the stone. Turner brought the stone to Britain aboard the captured French frigate HMS Egyptienne in February 1802. On March 11, it was presented to the Society of Antiquaries of London and Stephen Weston played a major role in the early translation. Later it was taken to the British Museum, where it remains to this day. Inscriptions painted in white on the artifact state "Captured in Egypt by the British Army in 1801" on the left side and "Presented by King George III" on the right. [article link]

History Channel - Ancient Mysteries - The Rosetta Stone 3 of 5 (YouTube)
Experts inspecting the Rosetta Stone during the International Congress of Orientalists of 1874In 1814, Briton Thomas Young finished translating the enchorial (demotic) text, and began work on the hieroglyphic script. From 1822 to 1824 the French scholar, philologist, and orientalist Jean-François Champollion greatly expanded on this work and is credited as the principal translator of the Rosetta Stone. Champollion could read both Greek and Coptic, and figured out what the seven Demotic signs in Coptic were. By looking at how these signs were used in Coptic, he worked out what they meant. Then he traced the Demotic signs back to hieroglyphic signs. By working out what some hieroglyphs stood for, he transliterated the text from the Demotic (or older Coptic) and Greek to the hieroglyphs by first translating Greek names which were originally in Greek, then working towards ancient names that had never been written in any other language. Champollion then created an alphabet to decipher the remaining text. -- In 1858, the Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania published the first complete English translation of the Rosetta Stone as accomplished by three of its undergraduate members: Charles R Hale, S Huntington Jones, and Henry Morton. [article link]

History Channel - Ancient Mysteries - The Rosetta Stone 4 of 5 (YouTube)
In essence, the Rosetta Stone is a tax amnesty given to the temple priests of the day, restoring the tax privileges they had traditionally enjoyed from more ancient times. Some scholars speculate that several copies of the Rosetta Stone must exist, as yet undiscovered, since this proclamation must have been made at many temples. The complete Greek portion, translated into English, is about 16001700 words in length, and is about 20 paragraphs long (average of 80 words per paragraph): -- In the reign of the new king who was Lord of the diadems, great in glory, the stabilizer of Egypt, but also pious in matters relating to the gods, superior to his adversaries, rectifier of the life of men, Lord of the thirty-year periods like Hephaestus the Great, King like the Sun, the Great King of the Upper and Lower Lands, offspring of the Parent-loving gods, whom Hephaestus has approved, to whom the Sun has given victory, living image of Zeus, Son of the Sun, Ptolemy the ever-living, beloved by Ptah; In the ninth year, when Aëtus, son of Aëtus, was priest of Alexander and of the Savior gods and the Brother gods and the Benefactor gods and the Parent-loving gods and the god Manifest and Gracious; Pyrrha, the daughter of Philinius, being athlophorus for Bernice Euergetis; Areia, the daughter of Diogenes, being canephorus for Arsinoë Philadelphus; Irene, the daughter of Ptolemy, being priestess of Arsinoë Philopator: on the fourth of the month Xanicus, or according to the Egyptians the eighteenth of Mecheir. -- THE DECREE: The high priests and prophets, and those who enter the inner shrine in order to robe the gods, and those who wear the hawk's wing, and the sacred scribes, and all the other priests who have assembled at Memphis before the king, from the various temples throughout the country, for the feast of his receiving the kingdom, even that of Ptolemy the ever-living, beloved by Ptah, the god Manifest and Gracious, which he received from his Father, being assembled in the temple in Memphis this day, declared: Since King Ptolemy, the ever-living, beloved by Ptah, the god Manifest and Gracious, the son of King Ptolemy and Queen Arsinoë, the Parent-loving gods, has done many benefactions to the temples and to those who dwell in them, and also to all those subject to his rule, being from the beginning a god born of a god and a goddess-like Horus, the son of Isis and Osirus, who came to the help of his Father Osirus; being benevolently disposed toward the gods, has concentrated to the temples revenues both of silver and of grain, and has generously undergone many expenses in order to lead Egypt to prosperity and to establish the temples... the gods have rewarded him with health, victory, power, and all other good things, his sovereignty to continue to him and his children forever. [article link]

History Channel - Ancient Mysteries - The Rosetta Stone 5 of 5 (YouTube)
The term Rosetta Stone came to be used by philologists to describe any bilingual text with whose help a hitherto unknown language and/or script could be deciphered. For example, the bilingual coins of the Indo-Greeks (Obverse in Greek, reverse in Pali, using the Kharosthi script), which enabled James Prinsep (1799-1840) to decipher the latter. -- Later on, the term gained a wider frequency, also outside the field of linguistics, and has become idiomatic as something that is a critical key to the process of decryption or translation of a difficult encoding of information: "The Rosetta Stone of immunology" and "Arabidopsis, the Rosetta Stone of flowering time (fossils)". An algorithm for predicting protein structure from sequence is named Rosetta@home. In molecular biology, a series of "Rosetta" bacterial cell lines have been developed that contain a number of TRNA genes that are rare in E. coli but common in other organisms, enabling the efficient translation of DNA from those organisms in E. coli. "Rosetta" is an online language translation tool to help localisation of software, developed and maintained by Canonical as part of the Launchpad project. "Rosetta" is the name of a "lightweight dynamic translator" distributed for Mac OS X by Apple. Rosetta enables applications compiled for PowerPC processor to run on Apple systems using x86 processor. Rosetta Stone is a brand of language learning software published by Rosetta Stone Ltd., headquartered in Arlington, VA, USA. The Rosetta Project is a global collaboration of language specialists and native speakers to develop a contemporary version of the historic Rosetta Stone to last from 2000 to 12,000 AD. Its goal is a meaningful survey and near permanent archive of 1,500 languages. [article link]

The London Walks [Brief - Ancient Kingdoms] British Museum Tour (YouTube)
Award winning London Walks tour of The British Museum. [article link]

The History of the World Mega-Pack Curriculum 10 DVDs, 5 Audio Albums [52 CDs], and 1 Study Guide - *Jerusalem and Athens: Antithesis Between Hebrew and Greek Cultures by Douglas W. Phillips {Highly Recommended} - The Message of the Mayas by Douglas W. Phillips {Also Highly Recommended} - ($171.00)
Vision Forum is pleased to introduce its most comprehensive collection of world history resources ever made available online. Featuring six separate titles on 10 DVDs and 52 CDs, and totaling more than sixty-three hours of combined audio and video resources, the History of the World MegaPack provides teachers, students, and those who love the study of history with a superior understanding of world history from a distinctly Christian perspective. History is meaningless unless it is interpreted through the lens of biblical Christianity, God's revealed Word, that speaks to every subject and academic discipline. Through this lens, a student of history can accurately evaluate art, warfare, music, literature, and theology as he strives to learn from the past and apply this knowledge now in the real world. Accordingly, Vision Forum's History of the World MegaPack contains far more than just abstract dates and data. Rather, it teaches of the relationships between biblical chronology, weather, warfare, technology, art, theology, law, the sociology of the family, and much more - all within the context of a providential understanding of earth history. Featuring engaging and accessible lectures from some of the most outstanding Christian historians and scholars of our day, the History of the World MegaPack is a powerful tool for anyone seeking to understand and/or teach a biblical perspective on world history. Perfect for teachers, students, and all who desire to learn from the lessons of His Story. [article link]

Part 1 of 2: Authorship of the Bible - The Old Testament (via an Earthly Initiation) -- Written by Moses given directly *earthly location from YHWH (Jesus) "Exodus 33:11 And the LORD [YHWH - Jesus] spake unto Moses [the first five books (Pentateuch) of the Bible including the O.T. Law] face to face [on earth - in the Tabernacle], as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he [Moses] turned [returned] again [after writing O.T Bible for the day] into the camp [of the 12 Tribes of Israel]: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, [stayed - guarded] departed not out of the Tabernacle."
The O.T. Law was completed via Moses: "Deuteronomy 31:24-26 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this [O.T.] Law in a Book [Pentateuch - first five books of the Bible - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy], until they [Laws] were finished [Joshua concluded the book of Deuteronomy after the death of Moses], That Moses commanded the Levites [Priests], which bare the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the Law, and put it in the side [inside] of the Ark of the Covenant [as a Temple Scroll - not as the public Bible Scriptures that would come later - The Bible Scriptures of today are the ancient Temple Scrolls complied [some genealogies reduced - some events changed from historical odrer in the Bible to a Biblical, bad to worse O.T. teaching oder] during the captivity in Babylon (Daniel 10:21, Matthew 21:42, Matthew 22:29, Matthew 26:54)] of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. [article link]

Part 2 of 2: Authorship of the Bible - The New Testament (via a Heavenly Initiation) -- Written by the N.T. Apostles given directly *Heavenly from YHWH (Holy Spirit) on behalf of Jesus Christ "John 1:17 For the [O.T.] Law was given [earthly] by Moses, but Grace and Truth came [Heavenly] by Jesus Christ. No man [not even Moses] hath seen God [YHWH - Father God] at any time; the only begotten Son [Jesus], which is in the bosom [presence] of the Father, He [Jesus from Heaven] hath declared Him [God the Father]." -- "John 10:18 No man taketh it [Life] from Me [Jesus], but I lay it down of Myself. *I [Jesus] have power to lay it down, and I [Jesus] have [resurrection] power to take it again. **This commandment have I *received of My Father." - "John 16:12-16 I [Jesus] have yet many things to say unto you [12 Apostles], but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the [Holy] Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all Truth: **for He [Holy Spirit] shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear [in Heaven from Jesus], that shall He [Holy Spirit] speak [to the Apostles]: and He will shew you things to come. *He shall glorify Me [Jesus]: for He [Holy Spirit] shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you [Apostles and all Christians]. All things that the Father [God] hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He [Holy Spirit] shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. A little while [cross], and ye shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me [resurrection], because I [Live and] go to the Father [in Heaven]."
The N.T. Bible was completed via the N.T. Apostles: Hebrews 12:25-29 See that ye [people] refuse not Him [Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God] that speaketh. For if they [Congregation of Moses] escaped not who refused him [Moses] that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him [Jesus] that speaketh from Heaven: (Jesus) Whose voice then [Mt. Sinai] shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also Heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made [by man], that those things [of God] which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a [eternal Heavenly] Kingdom [from God] which cannot be moved, let us have *grace [individuality in God's truth and righteousness], whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire [removing sin]." - "2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture [O.T. Prophets and N.T. Apostles] is given by inspiration (Lit. God's breath - G2315) of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man [disciple] of God may be perfect [complete], throughly furnished unto all good works." [article link]

Prophet, Seer, Apostle, 144,000 Witnesses [the coming Dispensation of Revelation Tribulation with the 144,000 Jewish witnesses (i.e. announcers, forerunners - Prophets, Seers, Apostles) for the 1,000 year Kingdom Reign on earth of Jesus Christ] -- 'Matthew 11:13 For all the [O.T.] prophets and the law prophesied [of the coming Messiah - Jesus Christ] until John [the Baptist - the last O.T. prophet]. And if ye [Spiritual Church] will receive it, this [John the Baptist] is [Spiritual] Elias (Elijah) [Elijah - "Elohim is my God"], which was [announcer, forerunner - of Christ] for to come. -- '1 Corinthians 15:8 And last of all He [resurrected Jesus Christ] was seen of me [last N.T. Apostle - Apostle Paul] also, as of one born out of due time.' -- 'Ephesians 2:19-22 Now therefore ye [Gentiles] are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the [Jewish] Saints, and of the Household of God; And are built upon *the foundation of the [N.T.] Apostles and [O.T.] Prophets, **Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief [foundation] Corner Stone; In [Jesus Christ] whom all the [Temple] building fitly framed together groweth unto an Holy Temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation [living place] of God through the [Holy] Spirit.' - {Note: The Prophets prophesied of the coming Messiah (Christ) and wrote the Old Testament of the Bible with the words of their prophecies. Then with the actual arrival of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) the O.T. prophecy was completed (in John the Baptist) and scripture authority was then given to the Apostles who were in the actual presence of Jesus Christ and it was the Apostles [not Prophets] who wrote the Kingdom of God instructions in Righteousness of Jesus Christ - the New Testament. Also Note: This is Not replacement theology - the 'Spiritual Church' (seperate from physical [redeemed] Israel) began at the giving of the Spirit of Jesus after His resurrection on Resurrection Sunday [Easter Sunday] and continues until the 'Rapture' taking of the Spiritual Church into heaven. Then with the Spiritual Church removed from the earth the events of Revelation revert almost exclusively to physical events and physical [redeemed] Israel -- the only or primarily 'spiritual' events of Revelation Tribulation are the counterfeit spiritual events of the Antichrist. Also Note: We are currently in the 'Church Age' [not the Prophet, Apostle or 144,000 Dispensation or Age] the Church Age started after the Apostles [Disciples of Jesus] with the Church Fathers [disciples of the Apostles] i.e. Polycarp of Smyrna, Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch.}
Seer: The Seer was part of a short distinct time period in the history of Israel and came from the office of the Prophets. The office of Seer took place during the unique time period of Israel when God was their King. With God in the midst of Israel He was no longer Prophesied about but was seen by the Seer. This time period began after the Passover and upon leaving Egypt. Exodus 13:17 "God led them" He could be Seen leading the new Nation of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promise Land. In those days everyone in Israel could See God as He appeared in a pillar of Cloud by day and in a pillar of Fire by night. The Seer time period lasted from the Egypt Exodus throughout the wilderness into the Promise Land including the time period of the Judges and until the regretful moment when Israel as a Nation rejected the leadership of God and chose for themselves an earthly king named Saul ('asked for') so they could be like all of the other nations around them and like all of the other nations they could no longer see God in their midst. With the anointing and placing of Saul into the office of King the brief Seer period of Israel reverted back to the prophet period and remains the prophet period for Israel until this day. "1 Samuel 10:17-19 And ye have this day rejected your God." As that day they were anointing Saul King. The Church however has God as King and is at times in a position of a Seer. "Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." As the "Born Again" "Pure in Heart" Church we at times do get to glimpse and to see God at work as He leads and directs our path into His righteousness. There are times that are just too Compassionate, to Divine and to Miraculous to be anything but the occurrence of God. It is only the Christian that is equipped and able to be a Seer into these very special moments in life [with God].... [article link]

Background - The 8 Kingdoms Study: The 7 worldly Kingdoms starting with Nimrod and the Tower of Babel cumulate in the coming Kingdom of Antichrist, Satan's reign on earth and is replaced by the Millennial (1,000 year) Kingdom of Jesus Christ - The Bibles' Book of Daniel [chapter 2] gives us the most information regarding both the structure and sequence of the 8 Kingdoms
Structure of the Kingdoms: The Jewish prophet Daniel interprets a dream from the Babylonian King [3rd Kingdom] Nebuchadnezzar. In the dream given from God to Nebuchadnezzar there is a statue that is presented in diminishing prominence [diminishing occult value]. The statue in the dream has a head of gold, a chest of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron and finally feet of part iron and part clay. - Meaning that as Satan is forming and building his eventual Antichrist Kingdom it [deception - the submission/slavery of mankind to Satan] is being accomplished primarily in seven predetermined and calculated events. According to the dream given by God the events [concepts] that Satan is introducing into the human realm are diminishing in importance to Satan. The earlier Kingdoms revealed the most necessary concepts and accomplishments that Satan desired to use to build his coming Kingdom. Meaning that the [major] building blocks [of deception] for the coming Antichrist Kingdom are already in place and have been in place for several Millenniums and what is being accomplished now is the final tuning and implementation of an occult structure that already exists and has existed for a very long time. According to the dream with the 'head of gold' etc. the big shifts in human behavior and deception have already occurred and the future and final Antichrist deception is not going to be a radically new element but simply an element that was already exposed [primarily in the 1st Kingdom - the Kingdom of Nimrod] and a combining of all the existing elements of deception into the one grand deception of Antichrist. - The dream given to King Nebuchadnezzar is in the 3rd Kingdom and begins with the head of gold but by the time of the Babylonian Kingdom of King Nebuchadnezzar there have already been two Kingdoms [Nimrod and Egypt] and each of the two previous [occult] Kingdoms would have been more important [valuable] than even the head of gold of the Babylonian Kingdom. -- An etching in one of the anchor stones of Noah's Ark represents Nimrod's Tower of Babel and an accompanying etching in the shape of a diamond is thought to represent Nimrod himself. Diamonds being more valuable than gold [and considered the most valuable commodity on earth] could very well have been the occult element of the Tower of Babel, Kingdom of Nimrod. - Briefly, diamonds [diamond ring] even today represent an engagement of a pending marriage [a necklace representing marriage, a bracelet representing friendship]. It's possible that the Tower (Temple) of Babel [the most significant occult event initiated from Satan to mankind - and still instituted today in a minor form in the LDS/Mormon cult rituals of Temple ordinances and marriages] was intended to be the demonic mating [marriage] between the human soul/spirit and the demonic spirit/realm [physically expressed in DNA (animal and human) gene-splicing] in what will eventually be accomplished in the coming 666 Antichrist Mark of the Beast. In short the Tower (Temple) of Babel was a Satanic ritual [passage] that 'engaged' (espoused) mankind to a future wedding [666 union] with Demonic spirits. [article link]

Note: The Basic Christian Info Feed is going to begin to transition out of the Summer 2010 Discernment [events] postings and into the Fall 2010 Bible Studies: "The Fall Feasts of Israel" (Second Coming events of Jesus Christ), "Human accountability and the ***Three Biblical Judgments" [Water, Blood and Fire (Spirit)], "The Vagabond Priesthood," and "The 8 Kingdoms of the World" studies
Also Note: Throughout the remainder of August there are going to be a few more pauses and breaks to the postings and then by early September a new posting routine with the Bible Studies should be getting established. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Basic Christian: blog History Study - The 8 Kingdoms of the World (PDF)
Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, [Revised Rome - NWO] Antichrist, Millennial (1,000 year) Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ. [article link]

Coming Soon: blog History Study - The 8 Kingdoms of the World (RSS)
Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, [Revised Rome] Antichrist, Millennial (1,000 year) Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ. [article link]

Update [Continuing]: The postings, Information and Resources regarding the 8 Kingdoms Study - The study will continue until about the Christmas Holiday Season
Also Note: The current introductory material of the 8 Kingdoms Study [Days of Noah - Flood of Noah (ancient earth 1.0 - and then the new present post flood 2.0 earth - 2 Peter 3:6) Kingdom of Nimrod (Tower of Babel), Days of Job, Hammurabi, Abraham, *King Melchizedek, Kingdom of Egypt] is being presented in a merged fashion because it is important to note and to grasp that the early Kingdoms, with the exception of [called out] Abraham and [Divine - Eternal] Melchizedek were all merged. Once we can get ahold of the concept that the ancient civilizations were a continuing and ongoing concentration of the same [occult] work and teachings then we can more easily understand the environment of the ancient civilizations and apply it to our day in that we are also living in a modern environment that has been handed down via the previous 6 occult Kingdoms of the world and [Mystery Babylon - the fallen angelic realm (Revelation 17:5)] is steadily working to bring in and enact the 7th and final occult Kingdom [NWO] of the human world. -- Soon, as the study progresses all the introduction material will be grouped and categorized [like the blog Bible Study] into an easy to access list of Topics. [article link]

Update: Between now and the Christmas Holiday we still have a lot of material to go through regarding the 8 Kingdoms study [and we might not get it all in before Christmas] - Just as important and as intended as it is for this study to make a real difference in the lives of individual people is it is actually just as important that people make a real significant difference in their own Church
[Winter Walkout 2010] This Holiday season it is going to be extremely important for each of us to grow individually in our own Christian faith in Jesus Christ but now do to the strange times we live in we also have to equally scrutinize the Pulpits of America and ensure that the sure Word of Jesus Christ is going forth from the pulpits and not in any way the whimsical desires and teachings of perverse men. Therefor in going to Church this Holiday Season don't blindly donate money - in fact don't give any money at all if church finances and expenditures are not publically available for all to see and assess - and just as important - hold the person in the pulpit accountable! - If teaching from the pulpit becomes greedy or New Age [Emergent] or in any way departs from the simple message of Jesus Christ then make a statement in Church - challenge the Pastor or simply walk out mid-sermon - if every time a pastor starts preaching about tithing or introducing false Emergent [New Age] doctrines into the message and people in the congregation start getting up and walking out mid-sermon then it will send an undeniable message not just to the leadership of the church but also to everyone, visitor and longstanding congregants alike. Then the next week if something is again amiss and coming from the pulpit in error then walk out of the service again it's really that simple, effective, nessiccary and easy to do. -- "Ezekiel 12:1-3 The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying, Son of man (Ezekiel), thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house. *Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, **and remove by day ***in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider [and change their ways], though they be a rebellious house." [article link]

Update: Being in the Jewish Hanukkah (Chanukah) Festival Season already - The historical Hanukkah events are an offshoot of Greece, Alexander the Great's 5th global Kingdom of mankind
In the weeks before Christmas 2010 it might be a good idea to study some of the 5th Empire - the Kingdom of Greece, Alexander the Great then take a brief look at Rome the 6th Kingdom the Kingdom during the life and events of Jesus Christ on earth. Then with Christmas belonging to Jesus Christ we will spend the week or two before Christmas celebrating the coming 8th Kingdom the Righteous, Eternal Kingdom Reign of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that begins on earth for 1,000 years then transitions into eternity with a New Heaven (sky) and a New Earth (Revelation 21:1-7). [article link]

~Update: The Basic Christian Info Feed will be on a short break until about the 1st of October - Returning with the scheduled "8 Kingdoms of the World" study
Note: Because of the current pause in the Info Feed the material recently posted [Rosetta Stone, Tower of Babble, Nimrod] regarding the 8 Kingdoms study has been posted as introduction and background material to the coming 8 Kingdoms study. When the Info Feed resumes about Oct. 1st the plan is to first finish up a pending study and then to do a short background study in "The Days of Noah" then to actually get started with the 8 Kingdoms study starting with the 1st global Kingdom, the Tower of Babel and Nimrod. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Note: Monday - back to blogging and very excited about it!
Topics for this week: First some Bible verses that have been important guidance [the equality of God, the righteousness of God, the Holiness of God and the independence of God] for the Basic Christian Ministry are going to be posted. Then a wrap-up for this year regarding the Jewish Fall Feast Days. Also a completion of the study of generational sin [all children are conceived and born in the original sin of Adam and Eve and also have received at conception some of the accumulated sins of the previous 3 or 4 generations]. Then content about the current state of Presidential politics [Basic Christian is not going to blog either the 2010 or the 2012 elections] and the current merging of politics and the New World Order (NWO) [7th Kingdom] system. Then the beginning/resuming of the 8 Kingdoms of the World Study picking up again with Nimrod [1st Kingdom] and the [Kingdom] Tower of Babel and including in the study a study and background regarding "The Days of Noah." --- Also the new Basic Christian resource BasicChristian.air is now available and is recommended for download and use, some help and information about the file will be provided this week as well. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Overview: The cross of Jesus and the Triune witness of Jesus' Spirit, blood and water each released from the physical body of Jesus while He was on the cross -- "Colossians 1:19-23 For it pleased the Father [God] that in Him [Jesus] should all fulness dwell [manifest to mankind]; And, **having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him [Jesus] **to reconcile all things unto Himself [God - Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit]; by Him [Jesus], I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in Heaven. **And you [Gentiles, sinners], that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, *yet now hath He [Jesus] reconciled in the body of His flesh [Spirit, blood, water] through death, to present you Holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature [by the Holy Spirit, since Pentecost] which is under heaven; whereof I [Apostle] Paul am made a Minister;"
"John 19:26-30 When Jesus therefore saw His mother [Mary], and the disciple [John] standing by [the cross], whom He loved [G25 (Agape) - highest love, Spiritual, non-sexual], He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son [in Christian fellowship]! Then saith He to the disciple [John], Behold thy mother [in Christian fellowship]! And from that hour that disciple took her [in Christian fellowship] unto his own home. After this, **Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the [bitter drink] vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and ***gave up the ghost [G4151(Pneuma) - Spirit, Holy Ghost, Spirit of God - source: Srong's Concordance]." -- "John 19:34-35 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His [Jesus'] side, and forthwith came there out {the global Judgment, global Testimony and global Salvation of} *blood and *water. And he (Disciple John) *that saw it bare record [testimony], and his [testimony] record is true: **and he knoweth that he saith true, ***that ye [individuals] might believe [salvation]." -- "1 John 5:7-9 For there are *three (triune) that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear *witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood [from the cross of Jesus]: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, *the witness [Spirit, water, blood - from the cross of Jesus] of God is greater: for this is the witness of God [from the cross] which He hath testified of His Son [Jesus Christ]." [article link]

Genesis 12-14 - Abraham comes back from Egypt and Returns to Bethel (House of God) in the Promise land (Israel) - Abraham and his Nephew Lot come to an amenable parting of the ways - Lot seeing with his eyes chooses to dwell near Sodom while Abraham choosing to dwell with God moves to Hebron [near modern Jerusalem] - Abraham was to arise and walk through the land 'Genesis 13:17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee' - to take possession and appropriate the promises of God into his life - Later Abraham meets **Melchizedek King of Righteousness and Peace the **Priest of the Most High God "Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek [Spirit of God] King of Salem (Peace) brought forth [Communion] bread (body of Jesus) and wine (mingled grape (blood) and water): and He was the Priest of the most high God." - Abraham [Father of the Jewish Nation] gives a tithe a tenth of all he owns to Melchizedek - Melchizedek blesses Abraham - 'Genesis 14:22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand [in praise and worship] unto the LORD, The Most High God, The Possessor Of Heaven And Earth'
Melchizedek the name means King of Righteousness and Peace, He is the Priest of the Most High God. This is the first mention of a Priest in the Bible. The idea of a priest comes from the conciseness of the Holiness of God and of the sinfulness of man, in order for a man to touch God to go into the presence of the Holy God man will need a mediator a go between, a priest. The ministry of the priest was twofold the priest was to go before God for the people and then the priest [or a prophet] would return and tell the people a message from God if there was one. - Melchizedek's birth is not recorded and his death is not yet recorded because Melchizedek is eternal, without genealogy and without death He lives on forever 'Hebrews 7:3 [Melchizedek] Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest Continually.' ... 'Psalms 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou (Jesus Christ) art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.' Jesus is our [Christian, heavenly] High Priest after the order of Melchizedek not after the earthly Levitical/Aaronic priesthood. The episode of Melchizedek was enacted into the Bible's history of the Old testament to reveal to mankind even before the establishing of the Levitical/Aaronic priesthood that mankind would know that there is indeed a better priesthood a holy, eternal, established priesthood of Melchizedek. As Jesus reigns He is Melchizedek "The LORD, The Most High God, The Possessor Of Heaven And Earth." [article link]

Genesis 40-41 - The King's butler (cup bearer) and the Kings baker were suspected in a plot to kill the King of Egypt and were imprisoned with Joseph until the details of the plot could be sorted out - The butler and the baker each had a dream - Joseph was able to correctly interpret each of their dreams -- 'Genesis 40:8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it - And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you' -- Later Joseph is brought from the prison to interpret a dream for Pharaoh after correctly interpreting the dream Joseph is installed by the Pharaoh to be the second ruler over all of Egypt in order to carry out the interpretation of the dream - An Egyptian wife is chosen for Joseph and she [Asenath] bares him two sons Manasseh and Ephraim both of which will receive inheritances in Israel as Jacob awards Joseph a double portion of land in Israel with his double portion of blessings
Note: Melchizedec the Priest of the Most High God introduced bread and wine (communion) into the Bible. In keeping with Biblical consistency we now again have the bread [cross] and the wine [resurrection] in the illustration of the king's baker [bread] - and the king's butler/cup bearer [wine]. The baker as was according to his dream from God was broken, he was executed. The butler as was according to his dream, also given to him by God, was restored the third day being freed from prison he is sent into the presence of the Kingdom's King handing a cup of wine (vine) to the King. - The communion bread and the communion wine of Jesus Christ: The bread represents the body of Jesus 'broken for us' and the wine represents the life blood of Jesus in the New Eternal covenant between God and mankind. 'Matthew 26:26-28 And as they (disciples) were eating [Passover], Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My Body. And He took the cup (grape of the vine), and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it [be connected to Jesus Christ the true Vine]; For this is My Blood [eternal Life, the eternal living covenant] of the New Testament (Covenant), which is shed for many for the remission of sins.' - Also Note: Once Benjamin [Christian Church] comes into the Kingdom presence of Joseph and meets Him face to face Joseph [Jesus] calls Benjamin 'My Son'. 'Genesis 43:29 And he [Joseph] lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin [Christian Church], his mother's (Rachael's) son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto Me? And He said, God be gracious unto thee, My Son. [article link]

Creation Earth 1.0 (Adam - Noah) -- Earth 2.0 (Noah - Revelation) -- Earth 3.0 (Millennial Kingdom reign of Jesus Christ) -- Earth 4.0 (unjudged, eternal earth)
Earth 1.0 the original creation earth was a water vapor based environment and had the dual [water below the earth, vapor - water canopy above the earth, firmament] witness of water witnessing of God's creation. Water [life giving water - womb (John 3:5)] was then the witnessing element that then judged the original earth. - Earth 2.0 our present earth is under the [prophesied and enacted] Life givng (Matthew 26:28) and Judgment blood (Revelation 6:12, Revelation 8:7-8, Revelation 11:6) of Jesus Christ. - Earth 3.0 the restored Millennial earth [final judged earth] having the [spirit (life) and fire (judgment)] presence of Jesus during the Kingdom, Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, the earth (3.0) will be judged by fire [spirit]. Resulting in the final, eternal [earth 4.0] the final earth not being judged is the eternal earth. -- "2 Peter 3:5-7 For this [unbelief of Word of God - Biblical prophecy] they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the [1.0] earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the [1.0] world that then was, being [judged] overflowed with water [Noah's flood], perished: But the [2.0] heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same Word [of God - prophecies] are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of [3.0] judgment and perdition of ungodly men." -- "2 Peter 3:11-14 Seeing then that all these things [earth 2.0] shall be dissolved [judgment 3.0], what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements [earth 3.0] shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His Promise, look for New Heavens [skies] and a New Earth [eternal - earth 4.0], **wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him (Jesus Christ) in peace, without spot, and blameless." [article link]

Preview: The Biblical triune (3 in 1) nature [testimony, salvation, judgment] of the water, blood and Spirit (also represented in breath, wind, fire) that are each freely offered and given from God to all of mankind globally as a witness of sin (and eventually as a judgment against sin), a testimony of the once physical presence of Jesus Christ and as an eternal remedy for our own individual Salvation
Where the Apostle Peter's significant life changing event during his time with Jesus seemed to be at the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:1-8, 2 Peter 1:16-18) the Apostle John's significant life changing event with Jesus seems to have been at the cross (John 19:34-35, 1 John 5:7-9) when Jesus was pierced by the Roman spear and the blood and water poured out from the wound in Jesus' side. The Apostle John then regards the presence of the Spirit and the separation of the blood and water coming out from Jesus as a witness, a judgment, and a testimony of salvation for all of mankind. When the Basic Christian blog History study returns in about a week we will Biblically look into the blood, water and fire (spirit), testimonies and judgments of the Bible from throughout the Old Testament starting in Genesis and continuing consistently throughout the entire Bible then concluding in book of Revelation [the sin of Adam and Eve and the shedding of blood, the flood of Noah, the Aaronic Priesthood, the Last Supper Communion, the atoning cross of Jesus Christ, the Resurrection of Jesus and birth (Alpha) of the Christian Church, the Pentecost global Spirit empowerment and witness, the calling home into heaven by Jesus the rapture (Omega) of the Christian Church, Revelation-Tribulation]. -- "John 19:34-35 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His [Jesus'] side, and forthwith came there out {the global Judgment, global Testimony and global Salvation of} *blood and *water. And he (Disciple John) *that saw it bare record [testimony], and his [testimony] record is true: **and he knoweth that he saith true, ***that ye [individuals] might believe [salvation]." -- "1 John 5:7-9 For there are *three (triune) that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear *witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, *the witness [Spirit, water, blood] of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son [Jesus Christ]." [article link]

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- "Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven [sky] and the earth." - Christian Creationism vs. Secular Evolution
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven (sky) and the earth. - It is only through creation and not by means of evolution that people can be "created in the image of God" therefore creation is the very heart of the plan of God. "Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image ..." Either people are created and are therefore in the image of God making us capable of fellowship and able to have a relationship with God or we are involved in some random evolution process in a random universe that is without meaning and ultimately is totally useless. "Revelation 14:6-7 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every Nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made (created) heaven, and earth' ..." [article link]

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- BasicChristian.org: Article Introduction - The 7 physical and spiritual realms as unfolded in the 7 Days of the Genesis creation model {the 8th realm being God's realm of unrestricted eternity}
Humans exist in and are limited to the first three physical dimensions (length, height, width) and also the fourth dimension (restriction) of time. The spiritual realm of demons, angels and in part the coming Antichrist exists in the less restricted 5th and 6th dimensions. In fact the coming Antichrist is going to bring down or "contact" the 5th and 6th dimensions and infuse 4th dimensional human beings with 5th dimensional demons [Nephilim spirits] and 6th dimensional fallen [Satanic] angelic spirit beings consequently orchestrating 5th and 6th dimensional miracles and signs and wonders in order to deceive mankind. Note: So who is Melchizedek? Melchizedek is the manifestation [into our human realms] of the infinite dimensional (infinite dimensions - no restrictions - unrestricted) God in Person. Melchizedek is God the Holy Spirit in Person. Melchizedek is the Order of the Holy Spirit Priesthood. -- Also Note: In the Basic Christian article "Who is Melchizedek?" the 8 dimensions (restrictions) are listed in conjunction with the original creation week (Genesis 1:1-2:4) and are categorized as follows: 1. Length [Day one creation - light separated [Judgment] (length) from darkness] 2. Height [Day two creation - divided the waters above from the waters below] 3. Width [Day three creation - dry land and plants] 4. Time [Day four creation - sun, moon, stars for times and seasons] 5. Demonic [Nephilim spirits] - demons [Day five creation - fish from the waters below, birds from the waters above] 6. Angelic - Holy Angels and also Satan with all of his fallen angels [Day six creation - land animals and humans (pre-fall) - humans the highest part of creation created separate and above the animals and equal to the angels but with sin mankind fell from the 6th dimension to the 4th dimension, in fact with the sin of mankind all of creation also fell from its original creation status] 7. Human Salvation redeemed by the blood, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ [Day seven creation - Rest] 8. Unrestricted [outside of creation] - The only Unrestricted, Eternal, Wise, ∞ Infinite, Almighty God consisting of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. -- "Genesis 2:4 These are the generations [dimensions] of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens ..." [article link]

The Days of Noah

As The Days of Noah Were - Luke 17:26: "And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man"
The Reason for the Flood: It was the infusion of these strange (demonic) beings into the human predicament that brought on the Flood of Noah. The Flood was preceded by four generations of prophets/preachers warning of the coming judgment: Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. It seems that this was part of Satan's stratagem to corrupt the line of Adam to prevent the fulfillment of the Messianic redemption. Noah was apparently unique in that his genealogy was still uncorrupted. The strange events which led to the flood are also alluded to in ancient mythologies. The legends of the Greek "titans"---partly terrestrial, partly celestial---embrace these same memories. (The Greek titan is linguistically linked to the Chaldean sheitan, and the Hebrew satan.) [article link]

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- Antediluvian [Pre-flood] Civilizations - {The pre-flood civilization up until the days of Noah encompassed about 2,000 years of human history and probably involved several billion people. - Note: In the pre-flood earth it doesn't appear that there were any Kings or Governments and that the long lives [experience and expertise] of each individual precluded them from being reigned and ruled over by others. Instead of a governmental structure of Kings and Politicians the earth seemed to have been Governed strictly by each family patriarch (head) according to God's governance and that after the flood in the new, young and now naive post-flood civilization the inexperienced human civilization now required [and allowed strangers - nonfamily members] rulers and Kings and that Nimrod was possibly the first King though human history had existed for some 2,000 years before Nimrod. - Also Note: Jesus is not a stranger but He is family with everyone and as family He has our own individual best interest at His heart. Jesus is the kinsman (relative - related) redeemer to everyone [we are created in God's image - relationship] and His (Fatherly, creation - Brotherly, redemption and salvation) relationship to all humans is maintained via His Virgin (Divine) birth.}
Introduction: "'Antediluvian civilizations'" are civilizations believed to have existed before the Great flood of Noah. If the fossil record is indeed the result of the Biblical flood as described in the Bible, then it is somewhat expected for evidence of antediluvian (pre-flood) civilizations to exist. It is assumed by many that humans reached advanced stages of technological development before the flood. Such presuppositions are usually based on the Biblical genealogy, which states that ancient people lived to approximately 10 times our current life span. Also it is frequently mentioned that Adam and Eve would likely possess higher than normal intelligence since they were created as adults, with knowledge that subsequent humans obtain from their parents. Another theory states that the antediluvian race called the Nephilim was superior to other humans in this respect. All accounts of the Great flood from civilizations around the world indicate that there were civilizations before the flood. However, as a result of the destruction during the flood and the passage of time, the remaining evidence is scanty. As a result of the flood, the earth was covered in hundreds of feet of sediment, and very little of the antediluvian horizon has been exposed. It is also problematic that the scientific community is quick to dismiss any artifacts that dispute their presupposed interpretation of the fossil record. Nevertheless, any truly advanced civilization would have left durable traces or constructions that would likely surface during excavations or by erosion. Relatively insightful accounts can be drawn from the Bible, apocrypha, and ancient Babylonian and Greek accounts of antediluvian civilization. ... Implications of the Tower of Babel: We can not dispute the existence of atypical knowledge possessed by Adam and Eve, however, we should also consider the tower of Babel curse as it relates to human accomplishments to that date. Monumental constructions are a great source of pride for humans. It was most likely this type of technological development that God attempted to retard by creating the language barriers at the tower of Babel. The Babel event suggests that the tower was the first major monument that mankind had ever built. It was the first construction that had no purpose but to be a monument [temple] to human achievement [based on Satanic interaction]. The tower was not a particularly important technological development [Babel was a major object of Satanic interaction between humans and Satan - harming humans to the extent of possibly permanently altering our human (DNA) making us more susceptible to disease, illness and further shortening our lifespan and also harming our psyche (soul) by lessening our confidence and our decision making capabilities making us even more susceptible to Satanic deceptions]. It was built out of bricks, and was therefore incomparable to even the limestone pyramids. In comparison to our modern building it was hardly more than a mud mound. Many better monuments would be built afterwards, but given God's reaction, it is logical to propose that nothing like it had been built prior to the flood. [article link]

WHAT WAS IT LIKE IN THE PRE-FLOOD EARTH? A Key To Understanding The Pre-Flood Earth Is The Existence Of A Canopy Of Water In The Stratosphere - The [post fall - but still amazing] Garden of Eden conditions described in the early chapters of Genesis were probably reflected all over the planet (Drawings)
**The [post fall - but still amazing] Garden of Eden conditions described in the early chapters of Genesis were probably reflected all over the planet. There was probably abundant vegetation, animals, birds and fish. Because of the warmer and more constant ambient temperature, and the high partial pressures of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide humans, animals, birds, insects, and fish were much larger, as revealed in the fossil record described below. There is a general teaching that early man was primitive. This is almost certainly incorrect. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, and were probably extremely intelligent and creative, as were all the patriarchs. Because of the protective effect of the water canopy, there was protection from damaging ultraviolet rays and gamma rays, with probably much lower incidence of consequent diseases such as cancer and foetal malformations. Because of the higher Oxygen levels, the high blood Oxygen levels would have contributed to extreme longevity, resistance to bacterial and viral diseases, and greater metabolic efficiency, with consequent greatly enhanced athletic ability. The Average Age Of Man Before Noah's Flood Was 912 Years. Today It Is 70- 80. The average recorded life span in the Bible of the early patriarchs is 912 years. This is in stark contrast to today's much shorter life spans, with 70 -80 years being typical. This may be accounted for by the higher oxygen content, the protective effect of the water canopy, lack of disease, better diet, and much less hostile weather patterns. [article link]

EARTH'S PRE-FLOOD WATER CANOPY [Crystalized (firmament) - pure crystal in nature and appearance in the furthest layer] "Genesis 1:7-8 And God made the firmament (hard land on earth), and divided the waters which were under the (ground) firmament [earth 1.0] from the waters (vapors) which were above the firmament [land]: and it was so. And God called the (crystal - outer atmosphere sphere) firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day." {Note: A pure crystal, glass nature of atmospheric water would magnify all the stars and planets [including their original color and appearance] as viewed from earth and would also provide an acoustic resonator to transfer the sounds of orbiting planets into the earth's atmosphere in audible tones and chimes to all the earth's inhabitants.}
This pre-flood canopy probably consisted of water vapor [a pure crystal, glass nature further out in the atmosphere]. There are other theories, but we must keep in mind that the birds were flying in the expanse under this water, and one must be able to see through the water. The sun, moon and stars were visible to Adam and to Noah, in view of the fact that Genesis 1:14 states that they would serve as signs. Water vapor is clear, unlike clouds or steam. A little experiment to prove this point can be accomplished in your kitchen by filling a tea-kettle with water and putting it on the stove to boil. When steam begins coming out of the spout, look closely at the very tip of the spout. You will see about one-half to one inch of clear 212°F. water vapor before it becomes cloudy steam. This may have been the form of the water that God put above the firmament in which the birds flew around. THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT: With a water-vapor canopy, heaven and earth system #1 [earth 1.0] would be considerably different than our present system (#2) [earth 2.0 - (2 Peter 3:6)]. A greenhouse effect would be expected due to the heat generated by the sun-warmed canopy. Is there any evidence that greenhouse warmth once surrounded our globe? Palm tree fossils have been found in Alaska and broad leaf ferns in the Arctic. How could a palm tree fossil be in Alaska? Some scientists have postulated they travelled there on the tectonic plate (earth crust) movement over millions of years. But these trees are not millions of years old! A creationist would say, "No problem, palm trees grew in Alaska in the tropical world before the Flood." These trees were buried during the Flood of Noah's day resulting in their fossilization. ... The water vapor canopy may have more than doubled atmospheric pressure on earth. In this environment of heavier atmospheric pressure, healing would be more efficient. Many hospitals have pressurized rooms called Hyperbaric Rooms. Into these rooms oxygen is pumped under pressure and healing is miraculously speeded up. Very sick people and the severely burned are treated in this high pressure environment. In the pre-flood, high efficiency atmosphere, reptiles could have grown to immense sizes, giant flying creatures could have flown more easily, and gigantism would have been much more likely. [article link]

...a Water Canopy? (Drawings)
These illustrations show just how a water canopy covering the Earth would not only create a globally warm climate but also would shield our planet from harmful radiation. Thus, allowing mankind to reach ages up to 900 plus years and also allowing reptiles to grow to the size of our dinosaur fossils. A global flood that occured roughly 1,500 years after Adam was created would create the coal layers (compressed global vegetation) and the fossilization of the huge behemoths known to us today as the dinosaurs. Remember, in Genesis 1:6-8, God divided the waters from the waters and placed this upper water canopy ABOVE the firmament called "Heaven." [article link]

The Garden of Eden [Pre-Flood of Noah] Part 1 - (Kent Hovind) Creation Seminar (YouTube)
These Seminars are NOT copyrighted. If you are interested in helping support Kent Hovind his video series is available on DVD at http://shopping.drdino.com/category-exec/category_id/39/nm/Seminar .... The Garden of Eden, part two of the seminar series, describes the earth as it was before the worldwide flood. Dr. Hovind explains in detail how it was possible for man to live over 900 years, for plants and animals to grow much larger than today, and for dinosaurs to thrive along with man. This Creation Seminar is only one of the seven listed below: Creation Seminar 1 - The Age of the Earth, Creation Seminar 2 - *The Garden of Eden, Creation Seminar 3 - Dinosaurs and the Bible, Creation Seminar 4 - Lies in the Textbooks, Creation Seminar 5 - The Dangers of Evolution, Creation Seminar 6 - The Hovind Theory, Creation Seminar 7 - Questions and Answers. [article link]

Creationist Kent Hovind Reveals The Truth About The Garden of Eden [Pre-Flood of Noah] and Creation! (Google Video)
Kent Hovind - 1 hr 56 min 19 sec - Mar 2, 2006 - www.drdino.com [article link]

Anchor Stones from Noah's Ark - [Carved] Symbols of Nimrod, the **diamond [on an Anchor Stone from Noah's Ark], are visible in bottom [right] half of photo - The [Byzantian era (285 A.D. - Fall of Constantinople May 29, 1453) - later Roman Empire, after the end of the early persecutions of Christian and up through the Crusades era] crosses were probably added later [the timing, style and carving talent of some of the crosses would indicate that professional stone carvers (Masons - i.e. early Freemasons, Knights Templars) carved some of the crosses] - Another anchor stone still partially buried - A [less talented] carving of the [round] tower of Babel, actually located in southern Turkey, may have been carved by someone who had seen it then returned to this area [northern Turkey] (Photos)
Tour leader, Bill Fry, knocks on this large stone-like object that has a bark texture and may be the covering Noah removed from the ark as the waters were receding. The sound is a hollow, and high pitch. -- [Ancient] Crosses are visible on this, meaning that early Christians associated this object with a biblical event. Seven crosses can be found and probably had another at one time. ... Ancient wall made of extremely large mud bricks originally had a tile mural on it depicting Noah and the ark. Ron Wyatt saw this in 1977, but when he returned the next year the tiles had been removed. One of the locals in the village, remembers the tiles. Small bits of tile have been found at the base of the wall. Sadly, this ancient singular wall has since been destroyed. [article link]

Noahs Ark - Carved Byzantian, early Christian crosses testify to the ark site as a destination for pilgrims - Some stones show one large cross and seven smaller, the family of Noah - About 17 of such large stones were found (Photos)
The Flood in the days of Noah began in the Jewish 10th month, November 2349 BC, on the 17th day and Noah and his family did not set foot on the post Flood earth until on the 27th day of the 2nd month, December 2348 BC, just over a year later. James Ussher, who studied these dates quite a bit, dates the events from the day Noah entered the ark on Sunday, December 7, 2349 BC to Thursday, December 18, 2348 BC when Noah and his family left the vessel of their rescue. If perhaps not exact, these dates are nevertheless a good approximation of the years involved according to biblical reckoning. Even though geologists today, are doubters of anything out of the ordinary, they don't seem to want to draw conclusions from the experience of a) the sudden appearance of the island of Surtsey, off the coast of Iceland on Friday November 8, 1963 and how life germinated there within a rather short time, b) the rapid changes brought on by the Mt. St. Helens eruption on Sunday May 18, 1980, c) and other, lesser known sudden flood models. When the fountains of the deep opened, these were features existing during pre-Flood times. The water of these `fountains' are now in the oceans of the world. When asked, `If there was such a flood, where is the evidence?' You can answer then, `The fossil record is the graveyard of the pre-Flood world.' The Bible teaches, the great Flood occurred because of most of mankind rejecting their Maker and engaging in perpetual sinning. Similarly today, the world is steeped in sin, but the next judgment will be by fire, not water. Agree or not, Bible prophecy points unerringly to a world and its history which will soon experience the judgments of God shortly before the Second Coming of Christ. [article link]

Durupinar site: The size and shape of the structure has led to its promotion by some believers as the original Noah's Ark - The Arzap Drogue Stones are a number of large standing stones found near the Durupinar site by amateur archaeologist Ron Wyatt with the aid of David Fasold and others - Fasold interpreted the artifacts as drogues, stone weights used to stabilize the Ark in rough seas, on the grounds that they all have a chamfered hole cut at one end as if to fasten a rope to them, and because the existence of such stones was suggested by his reading of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Babylonian mythical account of the flood (Photos)
The Durupinar site is a large aggregate structure in the Mount Tendürek of eastern Turkey. The site is (2 miles) north of the Iranian border, (10 miles) southeast of Dogubeyazit, in the Agri Province, and eighteen miles south of the Greater Mount Ararat summit, at an elevation of 6,449 ft ~ 6,575 ft above sea level. The size and shape of the structure has led to its promotion by some believers as the original Noah's Ark. To mainstream scientists and most creationists, this is merely an interesting natural formation. The site is near several officially unnamed peaks, though locals call one of the nearby peaks Mount Judi, the mountain named in the Qur'an as the final resting place of Noah's Ark. Most scholars believe that Qur'anic Mount Judi is a different mountain near the Turkish/Iraqi border. ... Arzap Drogue Stones: The Arzap Drogue Stones are a number of large standing stones found near the Durupinar site by amateur archaeologist Ron Wyatt with the aid of David Fasold and others. Fasold interpreted the artifacts as drogues, stone weights used to stabilize the Ark in rough seas, on the grounds that they all have a chamfered hole cut at one end as if to fasten a rope to them, and because the existence of such stones was suggested by his reading of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Babylonian mythical account of the flood. - Mediterranean drogue stones of a much smaller size than the Arzap stones. Drogue stones were a feature of ancient ships, and were the ancient equivalent of a storm anchor. They have been found in the Nile and elsewhere in the Mediterranean area, and like the stones found by Wyatt and Fasold, they are heavy and flat with a hole for connecting a line at one end. Their purpose was to create drag in the water or along shallow sandy bottoms: the stone was attached to one end of a boat, and the drag produced would cause the bow or stern to face into the wind and the oncoming wind-blown waves. A geological investigation of samples from the stones, published by geologist Lorence Collins in co-authorship with their original discoverer David Fasold, suggested that they are formed of local rock and thus unlikely to have been transported to the site from Mesopotamia, the Ark's supposed place of origin. Similar stones are found throughout ancient Armenia, and are recognised to be pagan "holy stones" converted to Christian use (many are found in Christian cemeteries) by the addition of crosses and other Christian symbols. [article link]

Chuck Missler - The Days Of The Flood Of Noah [parts 1 & 2] (Mp3s)
Chuck Missler : Great Messages Mp3s. [article link]

VFTB Live: Minister Dante Fortson - As the Days of Noah Were (Mp3)
MINISTER DANTE FORTSON, host of The Omega Hour and author of the new book As The Days of Noah Were: The Sons of God and The Coming Apocalypse discusses fallen angels, the Flood, and why Christians today should study what most consider nothing more than an ancient legend. [article link]

ArkDiscovery.com: Noah's Ark Overview - Top Points to Consider - #7 matching [94 A.D.] Flavius Josephus' statement "Its [Noah's Ark's] remains are shown there by the inhabitants to this day" (Photos)
Friends, please prayerfully consider the evidence you will see on Noah's Ark. It may not be important or necessary for you to learn of this discovery, but there are millions of people who need confirmation of biblical artifacts in order to strengthen their faith in God and the Bible. Satan is strongly attacking this and other discoveries in order to deceive men of God's truth. All the false stories about finding Noah's ark were created by Satan to "muddy the water," and cause disbelief in the genuine. [article link]

Discovery of the real Noah's Ark - Ron Wyatt - Part 1 (YouTube)
Archaeologist Ron Wyatt and his team discover Noah's Ark! Extremely interesting to watch. [article link]

Discovery of the real Noah's Ark - Ron Wyatt - Part 2 (YouTube)
The continuation and conclusion of Ron Wyatt's discovery of Noah's Ark! Conclusive evidence that shows the Great Flood is not a myth! [article link]

ArkDiscovery.com: Biblical Archeology - Ron Wyatt's "Discovered Series" (5 DVD Set $22)
The entire DVD series of the late Ron Wyatt's discoveries. This amazing series will show such discoveries as: The Red Sea Crossing site, Mt. Sinai, Noah's Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Ark of the Covenant and dozens of other faith building discoveries! 4 hour, 20 minute DVD covering the all the discoveries, plus Ron Wyatt presentations. Select a larger quantity of 10 or 50 and receive a price reduction, perfect for you to resell or give away while spreading the word about the discoveries. [article link]

As The Days of Noah Were - Luke 17:26: "And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man"
The Reason for the Flood: It was the infusion of these strange (demonic) beings into the human predicament that brought on the Flood of Noah. The Flood was preceded by four generations of prophets/preachers warning of the coming judgment: Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. It seems that this was part of Satan's stratagem to corrupt the line of Adam to prevent the fulfillment of the Messianic redemption. Noah was apparently unique in that his genealogy was still uncorrupted. The strange events which led to the flood are also alluded to in ancient mythologies. The legends of the Greek "titans"---partly terrestrial, partly celestial---embrace these same memories. (The Greek titan is linguistically linked to the Chaldean sheitan, and the Hebrew satan.) [article link]

As it was in the Days of Noah - The time leading up to the Great Flood was a lot like our time in that it was characterized by a deliberate and increasing disregard for the ways of God
As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man (Matt 24:37). The time leading up to the Great Flood was a lot like our time in that it was characterized by a deliberate and increasing disregard for the ways of God. Finally "the Lord saw how great man's wickedness on earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time" (Gen. 6:5). ... the sequence of events suddenly became so obvious to me. Enoch was taken alive from earth and the Holy Spirit was withdrawn. Then in Gen. 6:5 man's behavior is described as having become unbearably wicked and in Gen. 7 the judgement came, in that order. Enoch's name means teaching and according to Jude 14-15 he gave the first prophecy of the 2nd coming. ... If Enoch is indeed a model of the church and if the Lord's prophecy of Matt 24:37 includes the sequence of events, as seems likely, then one day soon we will be taken alive (raptured) from earth, the Holy Spirit withdrawn. Man's behavior will become unbearably wicked and the judgement will come, all in that order. As it was in the days of Noah. Selah. [article link]

The "Days of Noah" Are Here - The Bible tells us that we are to live "holy and righteous" in this age - We are to be actively sharing the gospel in order for others to be redeemed - precisely because "the days are evil"
That describes today quite accurately. Those who have normalized homosexual behavior have done so to the point of thinking anyone who opposes it are "crazy," "homophobic," "intolerant," and "bigots." -- For Bible believing, Christ following born-again Christians, such derogatory views and labels are only perpetuating deception about this dangerous behavior. Furthermore, homosexual activism both secular as well as in the church distracts people from what is truly most important in this life - that is - confessing and repenting of sin and knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Bible tells us that we are to live "holy and righteous" in this age. We are to be actively sharing the gospel in order for other to be redeemed - precisely because "the days are evil." ... This world is filled with lust, murder, theft, adultery, fornication, lying, idol worship and the list could go on and on. Yet, most sane people do not advocate for churches to accept such concepts as "sanctified." However, this is exactly what is being done in liberal "Christian" churches throughout America! Claiming that a particular sin should be allowed to be "sanctified" within Christ's church body meaning, all believers is an abomination to God! It is a form of idol worship. It is, in fact, as the Scriptures inform us, "exchanging the truth for a lie!" [article link]

Jesus said, "As in the Days of Noah" Violence Filled the Earth
Jesus spoke far ahead of his time relating to us what life would be like just prior to his coming. He says in Matt. 24:37-38: "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." [article link]

AS IT WAS IN NOAH'S DAY
The Lord Jesus Christ informs us that before He returns certain conditions will exist in society in general. These conditions are a sign to believers that His Second Coming is near. There has always been corruption in society, but the idea here is of such decadence and depravity reaching the point of no return. The Lord makes use of two Old Testament characters to illustrate the characteristics and conditions that will exist at all levels of humanity prior to His Second Coming. As it was in the days of Noah and as it was in the days of Lot. [article link]

AnswersInGenesis.org: Was There Really a Noah's Ark & Flood? - The account of Noah and the Ark is one of the most widely known events in the history of mankind. Unfortunately, like other Bible accounts, it is often taken as a mere fairy tale - The Bible, though, is the true history book of the universe, and in that light, the most-asked questions about the Ark and Flood of Noah can be answered with authority and confidence
History has shown that technology can be lost. In Egypt, China, and the Americas the earlier dynasties built more impressive buildings or had finer art or better science. Many so-called modern inventions turn out to be re-inventions, like concrete, which was used by the Romans. Even accounting for the possible loss of technology due to the Flood, early post-Flood civilizations display all the engineering know-how necessary for a project like Noah's Ark. People sawing and drilling wood in Noah's day, only a few centuries before the Egyptians were sawing and drilling granite, is very reasonable! The idea that more primitive civilizations are further back in time is an evolutionary concept. In reality, when God created Adam, he was perfect. Today, the individual human intellect has suffered from 6,000 years of sin and decay. The sudden rise in technology in the last few centuries has nothing to do with increasing intelligence; it is a combination of publishing and sharing ideas, and the spread of key inventions that became tools for investigation and manufacturing. One of the most recent tools is the computer, which compensates a great deal for our natural decline in mental performance and discipline, since it permits us to gather and store information as perhaps never before. [article link]

Holy Ghost Revival Sermons Online: "Conviction and the Altar" The Days of Noah (Mp3)
You are hearing a 12 minute preview of the sermon "Conviction and the Altar" The full 1 hour sermon link is listed below! [article link]

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- We Are One In The Spirit (YouTube)
Music by the band Jars of Clay. [article link]

Bible Verses - The Equality of God: "Luke 3:4-6 ... Prepare ye (you) the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled [equality], and every mountain and hill shall be brought low [equality]; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall *see {but not all flesh will receive} the salvation of God."
The Equality of God: "Exodus 16:15-18 And when the children of Israel saw it [manna], they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. **And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating." -- "Matthew 20:6-10 And about the eleventh hour He [Jesus] went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto Him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the Vineyard [Harvest Field]; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the Lord of the Vineyard saith unto His steward [Holy Spirit], Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny [full day's wages]. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny." [article link]

Bible verses - The Independence of God: "Revelation 19:11 And I [Disciple John] saw Heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He [Jesus] that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns [authority]; and **He had a Name written, that no man knew, but He [God] Himself."
The Independence of God: "Joshua 5:13-15 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by [the city of] Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a Man [Jesus] over against him with His sword drawn in His hand: and Joshua went unto Him, and said unto Him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And He [Jesus] said, Nay [neither]; but as Captain of the Host [Army] of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto Him, What saith my lord unto His servant? And [Jesus] the Captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is Holy. And Joshua did so." -- "2 Timothy 2:11-13 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us: If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: **He cannot deny Himself." [article link]

Bible verses - The Holiness of God: "Exodus 15:11-13 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in Holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out Thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in Thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy Holy habitation."
The Holiness of God: "1 Chronicles 16:23--29 Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to day His salvation. Declare His Glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all Nations. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: He also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Glory and honour are in His presence; strength and gladness are in His place. Give unto the LORD, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His Name: bring an offering, and come before Him: **worship the LORD in the beauty of [His] Holiness." -- "Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto Holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life [Holiness] through Jesus Christ our Lord." [article link]

Bible verses - The Righteousness of God: "Matthew 3:13-17 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John [the Baptist], to be baptized of him. But John forbad Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: **for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered Him. And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the Heavens were opened unto Him, and he [John the Baptist] saw the [Holy] Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This [Jesus] is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
The Righteousness of God: "1 Samuel 12:6-8 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which He did to you and to your fathers. When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this [Promise Land] place." -- "Isaiah 1:17-2 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. **Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." -- "Matthew 6:3 But [Christians] seek ye first the Kingdom of God [8th Kingdom], and **His righteousness; and all these [Heavenly Kingdom] things shall be added unto you." [article link]

Bible verses - The Goodnesss of God: "Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"
The Goodnesss of God: "Exodus 33:17-23 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken [asked]: for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name. And he [Moses] said, I beseech thee, shew me Thy Glory. And He [God] said, I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the Name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And He said, Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a Rock [Jesus]: And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand [ability] while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts [afterglow - glory]: but My face shall not be seen." -- "Psalms 34:8-15 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. O fear the LORD, ye His saints: for there is no want [eternally] to them that fear Him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto Me: I [Holy Spirit] will teach you the fear of the LORD. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace [in the Prince of Peace - Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6)], and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry." [article link]

Bible verses - The Submission of Mankind: "Isaiah 50:4-5 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth [me] morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back."
The Submission of Mankind: "Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the Glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His Glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side." -- "Romans 13:11-14 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. **And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof." [article link]

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- The Date of Noah's Flood - The placing of a catastrophic global flood in the year (about) 2304 BC [and Creation at about 4,000 B.C.] means that all civilizations discovered by archaeology [today] must fit into the last 4,285 years {The flood of Noah (about 4,284 years ago) destroyed all the previous civilizations so about 4,284 years of land based archeology exists - though pre-flood archeology may well exist [and some evidence (artifacts 'Ooparts') have been found and do exist] deep under the sea or deep underground.}
Since we exist in the present, we are really trying to find information that will enable us to add up the years between us and Noah's Flood. As our starting point we will take the Birth of Christ. It is unlikely anyone will dispute that Christ was born approximately 1,984 years ago. Since Christ is recorded as having referred to Noah's Flood as a past event it should be obvious that we need data that will take us back beyond 2,000 years. The next date we can put down with reliable certainty is 967 BC or 2,948 years ago. This is the date at which Solomon laid the foundation of the Temple (1 Kings 6:1). For those who are interested in the detailed evidence as to why this event can be placed in 967 BC I would refer you to Professor Edwin Thiele's work The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings. His work can be summarized by the statement that both the chronology of the Ancient Assyrian Culture and the Biblical record point to this date. The first verse of Kings chapter 6 is also useful in that it tells us there was a time span of 480 years (see Appendix 1) from the time Israel left Egypt (the Exodus) until Solomon began to build the Temple. The Exodus occurred therefore roughly 1,981 + 967 + 480 years ago (see Appendix 2) or 3,428 years ago or 1447 BC +/- 1 year. Why do I say +/- 1 year? As the chronologist compares the family trees or chronologies in the Bible, it is interesting to note that these lists use only whole years (e.g. Gen. 11). Now if a person is listed as being 44 years of age when their son was born, they may have been just 44 or nearly 45. Anywhere in this period of 12 months they are still 44. This introduces a margin of error of up to 12 months or 1 year for each person or event in such a list. -- As the Bible records the Flood a significant time before the Exodus, let us examine data which will take us back before this event. Paul, a university trained Jew, well skilled in the Hebrew language, the religion of the Jews and the writings of Moses, wrote in the early years of the Christian era, a letter to the church at Galatia (Galatians 3:17). He stated that the Israelites left Egypt to return to the promised land 430 years (see Appendix 3) after God gave the promise to Abraham, the founder of the Jewish race. According to Acts 7:4 and Genesis 12:1-4, Abraham was 75 years old when God gave him the promise and in the same year his father Terah was 205 years old and Abraham was born when Terah was 130 years of age (Gen.11:26-33). (See Appendix 4.) The statements of genealogy in Genesis 11:10-26, are father-son statements and link Abraham to Noah's son, Shem. The statements list the persons by name. Their year of birth against their father's age is listed and their father is named. These chronologies do not have missing generations; there are no gaps. If we add up the figures mentioned between Shem's 100th year (Gen. 11:10) and Abraham (Gen. 11:26) we get 350 years. Since 9 names are mentioned it is 350 years +/- 9 (9 margins of error of up to 1 year each). Genesis 11:10 tells us that Shem was 100 years old, 2 years after the Flood had finished. When was Noah's Flood? 1,981 years to AD 0 plus 967 years to the founding of Solomon's Temple plus 480 years to the end of the Exodus plus 430 years to the promise to Abraham plus 75 years to Abraham's birth plus 350 years to Shem's 100th birthday plus 2 years to the Flood. The Biblical data places the Flood at 2304 BC +/- 11 years. This date is, as expected, in conflict with secular archaeology which regards the Flood as either local or a myth and the Biblical chronologies as irrelevant or inaccurate. The placing of a catastrophic global flood in the year 2304 BC means that all civilizations discovered by archaeology must fit into the last 4,285 years. The significance of this fact will be pursued in later articles. [Ed.- for more information, see TJ 2 (1986), pp. 56-87 and TJ 3 (1988), pp. 96-136.] [article link]

Ancient Brass BELL (Oopart - Out of place artifact) Found Encased IN COAL supposed to be about 300 million years old! - the bell is an antediluvian [before the deluge, pre-flood] artifact made before the Genesis Flood (Noah's Ark) - For more detailed pictures of the bell and the [idol] demon-like figure on top, click here (Photos)
In 1944, as a ten year old boy, Newton Anderson dropped a lump of coal in his basement and found that it contained this bell inside. The bituminous coal that was mined near his house in Upshur County West Virginia is supposed to be about 300 million years old! What is a brass bell with an iron clapper doing in coal ascribed to the Carboniferous Period? According to Norm Sharbaugh's book Ammunition (which includes several "coal anecdotes") the bell is an antediluvian artifact (made before the Genesis Flood). The Institute for Creation Research had the bell submitted to the lab at the University of Oklahoma. There a nuclear activation analysis revealed that the bell contains an unusual mix of metals, different from any known modern alloy production (including copper, zinc, tin, arsenic, iodine, and selenium). -- Genesis 4:22 states that Tubal-Cain was "an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron..." Perhaps when his civilization came to an end in the flood, this bell was buried with a mass of vegetation that became coal and ended up thousands of years later in Newt Anderson's coal bin. ... Later on, Newton Anderson spent a great deal of time researching the demon atop the bell. He discovered similarities to the Babylonian Southwest Wind Demon and the Hindu deity Garuda. Garuda is sometimes depicted on top of bells, as is the Egyptian Isis. [article link]

OOPARTS (out of place artifacts) & ANCIENT HIGH TECHNOLOGY -- Evidence of Noah's Flood? - Do unexplained technologies of the ancients provide possible proofs of Pre-flood civilizations? - If you believe that the flood of Noah actually happened, what was the state of the technology of (antediluvian) pre-flooders? Could they have left physical evidence of their existence? - We expect you to use your own knowledge filter (Christian discernment) on this site
Point of View: We have a Biblical viewpoint on the world. Ooparts are evidence, we think, that the Flood actually happened. News items or magazine articles that report them may not have the same perspective that Christians do. When we read for instance, a scientific article that puzzles over our lack of genetic variability, we think of the Flood of Noah. We would include that article here, without editing, because we expect Christians to use their filters on such an article. That does not mean that we agree with the evolutionary timeframe given in said article. -- We think it's more interesting when general newspaper articles or science articles observe data that they might see one way, but that Christians might see another way given our own knowledge about God, creation and the flood. It's more interesting to quote Stephen Jay Gould saying that "the lack of transitional fossils is the trade secret of paleontology", than it might be to hear another Christian say it. So, no we don't believe the universe is millions or billions of years old. We don't know how old it is-we just know who created it and how long it took Him. We do not believe in pre-Adamic races, though we do believe that there were "civiilizations" prior to the Flood. We don't believe in space aliens or cooties. We expect you to use your own knowledge filter on this site. [article link]

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- "Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven [sky] and the earth." - Christian Creationism vs. Secular Evolution
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven (sky) and the earth. - It is only through creation and not by means of evolution that people can be "created in the image of God" therefore creation is the very heart of the plan of God. "Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image ..." Either people are created and are therefore in the image of God making us capable of fellowship and able to have a relationship with God or we are involved in some random evolution process in a random universe that is without meaning and ultimately is totally useless. "Revelation 14:6-7 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every Nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made (created) heaven, and earth' ..." [article link]

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- BasicChristian.org: Article Introduction - The 7 physical and spiritual realms as unfolded in the 7 Days of the Genesis creation model {the 8th realm being God's realm of unrestricted eternity}
Humans exist in and are limited to the first three physical dimensions (length, height, width) and also the fourth dimension (restriction) of time. The spiritual realm of demons, angels and in part the coming Antichrist exists in the less restricted 5th and 6th dimensions. In fact the coming Antichrist is going to bring down or "contact" the 5th and 6th dimensions and infuse 4th dimensional human beings with 5th dimensional demons [Nephilim spirits] and 6th dimensional fallen [Satanic] angelic spirit beings consequently orchestrating 5th and 6th dimensional miracles and signs and wonders in order to deceive mankind. Note: So who is Melchizedek? Melchizedek is the manifestation [into our human realms] of the infinite dimensional (infinite dimensions - no restrictions - unrestricted) God in Person. Melchizedek is God the Holy Spirit in Person. Melchizedek is the Order of the Holy Spirit Priesthood. -- Also Note: In the Basic Christian article "Who is Melchizedek?" the 8 dimensions (restrictions) are listed in conjunction with the original creation week (Genesis 1:1-2:4) and are categorized as follows: 1. Length [Day one creation - light separated [Judgment] (length) from darkness] 2. Height [Day two creation - divided the waters above from the waters below] 3. Width [Day three creation - dry land and plants] 4. Time [Day four creation - sun, moon, stars for times and seasons] 5. Demonic [Nephilim spirits] - demons [Day five creation - fish from the waters below, birds from the waters above] 6. Angelic - Holy Angels and also Satan with all of his fallen angels [Day six creation - land animals and humans (pre-fall) - humans the highest part of creation created separate and above the animals and equal to the angels but with sin mankind fell from the 6th dimension to the 4th dimension, in fact with the sin of mankind all of creation also fell from its original creation status] 7. Human Salvation redeemed by the blood, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ [Day seven creation - Rest] 8. Unrestricted [outside of creation] - The only Unrestricted, Eternal, Wise, ∞ Infinite, Almighty God consisting of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. -- "Genesis 2:4 These are the generations [dimensions] of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens ..." [article link]

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- Wikipedia: Dimension - A diagram showing the first four spatial dimensions [Length, Height, Width, Time via Movement]
From left to right, the square, the cube, and the tesseract. The square is bounded by 1-dimensional lines, the cube by 2-dimensional areas, and the tesseract by 3-dimensional volumes. ... Time: Time is often referred to as the "fourth dimension". It is one way to measure physical change. It is perceived differently from the three spatial dimensions in that there is only one of it, and that we cannot move freely in time but subjectively move in one direction. The equations used in physics to model reality do not treat time in the same way that humans perceive it. The equations of classical mechanics are symmetric with respect to time, and equations of quantum mechanics are typically symmetric if both time and other quantities (such as charge and parity) are reversed. In these models, the perception of time flowing in one direction is an artifact of the laws of thermodynamics (we perceive time as flowing in the direction of increasing entropy). The best-known treatment of time as a dimension is Poincaré and Einstein's special relativity and extended to general relativity, which treats perceived space and time as components of a four-dimensional manifold, known as spacetime, and in the special, flat case as Minkowski space. -- Additional dimensions: Theories such as string theory and M-theory predict that physical space in general has in fact 10 and 11 dimensions, respectively. The extra dimensions are spacelike. We perceive only three spatial dimensions, and no physical experiments have confirmed the reality of additional dimensions. A possible explanation that has been suggested is that space acts as if it were "curled up" in the extra dimensions on a subatomic scale, possibly at the quark/string level of scale or below. Another less-held fringe view asserts that dimensions beyond the fourth progressively condense timelines and universes into single spatial points in the above dimension, until the tenth, where a 0-dimensional point equates to all possible timelines in all possible universes. [article link]

1 The Kingdom of Nimrod - Tower of Babel

What is the Tower of Babel? The Tower of Babel is a fascinating story which helped the ancients understand God - The story of the Tower of Babel doesn't take place in a vacuum - It falls in between Noah's flood and the call of Abraham - The parable [from the events of Babel] tells us that the road without God is doomed to disaster - The citizens of Babel thought that they were able, technologically, to challenge God's leadership - Man's pride, vanity and lust for power need to come under God's authority - That is the theological lesson of this section of scripture - They are the only kinds of lessons the Bible gives
The call of Abraham comes about as God decides to form a people of his own to carry the knowledge and worship of Him into the world. The Flood did not stem man's evil ways and the activities around the Tower of Babel showed that man loves himself more than any God. The glory of man is what was sought with that tower, not the glory of God. So, in Abraham, God forms a people who will glorify Him. -- The story of Babel comes at a point after the flood where everyone is seen as a descendant of Noah. Genesis 10 and 11 is a genealogy from Noah to Abraham and an attempt to classify everyone in the known world as a descendant. I say "known" world because as far as these early Hebrews were concerned the world was flat and rested on pillars. The sky was a shell with stars fastened to it. Ethiopia was as far south as they could identify, Iran to the east, Armenia to the north and Greece to the west. They had heard of a place called Tarshish (Spain - also possibly Britain) but weren't sure. Jonah had tried to go there because it was as far as he could imagine going. -- The whole story of Babel lasts for only nine verses, Genesis 11: 1-9. Its fame has far exceeded the space that the compilers of Genesis have given it in the Holy Scriptures. Just before we are given the names of the descendants of Shem (Shemites or Semites) whose line brings us to Abraham, the story of the Tower of Babel is inserted. What could be the significance of this little parable at this point in Bible history? -- Of course, the ancients wanted to know why and how we all came to be speaking different languages. If Noah and his sons repopulated the world shouldn't we all speak their language? Verses ten to twenty six bring us from Shem to Abraham. The story of Babel is there to explain to a primitive society how we get from Noah to Abraham with so many different languages having developed in so short a time. What could be the cause of this impediment to human cooperation and understanding? -- The choice of the name "Babel" is not an accident. The reference to Babylon reflects the way that Babylon was abhorred by Hebrew society. Babylon represented everything that was wrong with humanity. As a city, Babylon was both envied and loathed. The city was beautiful and graced with streets and palaces. The hanging gardens of Babylon are one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Writing and science were developing there. In the meantime, the Hebrews were a nomadic society concerned with day to day survival. Babylon represented oppression, cruelty and violence by which it remained powerful. -- So Babel (Babylon) is portrayed as a society where everyone speaks with the same language and through human cooperation attempt to climb to heaven on a tower. This is not a God centered society but a fellowship of men dedicated to elevating man to his proper position as God of this world. This is a theme often repeated in the Bible. The ziggurats stand as evidence against them. So Babylon gets the blame for confusion because they try to get up to God's level. The disdain that ancient Israel felt for Babylon is reflected in the Tower story. -- So, is this science or theology? There is no science in the Bible. There is no point looking for it there. The Bible is a theological manuscript. It is the story of God's dealings with humans from the viewpoint of an ancient society. Is Babel the reason for all of the various languages in the world? Of course it isn't. Is Babel a parable? The story of the Tower of Babel is a parable about mankind, where his heart is and how God feels about it. -- The account of Babel's tower is lousy history and terrible science. It is terrific theology. The final judgement against any society is its willingness to press forward in the name of progress without reference to or respect for God. The parable tells us that the road without God is doomed to disaster. The citizens of Babel thought that they were able, technologically, to challenge God's leadership. Man's pride, vanity and lust for power need to come under God's authority. That is the theological lesson of this section of scripture. They are the only kinds of lessons the Bible gives. [article link]

EmbassyOfHeaven.com: Nimrod Becomes First King - With the setting up of Nimrod's kingdom, the entire ancient world entered a new historical phase - Such was the true origin of the State - The State was, and is, the result of the apostasy of men from God - It is true that these things are the consequences of the apostasy from God - When men have apostatized from God, monarchies such as that of Nimrod or of Nero, became necessary, just in proportion to the degree of apostasy - Nimrod's example was eagerly followed by all [future generations] the tribes around, until they were all absorbed [born] in it - [Patriarchal] Society had passed away, and only States [Governments] remained; and all of these States were [false worship] idolatrous
That is, Nimrod was the first one to establish the might, the power, the authority, of human government, in the form of an organized State. He was the first man to assert the power and prerogatives, and assume the title of king over men. "And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar."55 Genesis 10:10 -- Consequently: With the setting up of Nimrod's kingdom, the entire ancient world entered a new historical phase. The oriental tradition which makes that warrior the first man who wore a kingly crown, points to a fact more significant than the assumption of a new ornament of dress, or even the conquest of a province. His reign introduced to the world a new system of relations between the governor and the governed. The authority of former rulers rested upon the feeling of kindred; and the ascendancy of the chief was an image of parental control. Nimrod, on the contrary, was a sovereign of territory, and of men just so far as they were its inhabitants, and irrespective of personal ties. Hitherto there had been tribes - enlarged families - society: now there was a nation, a political community - THE STATE. The political and social history of the world henceforth are distinct, if not divergent. - Empires of the Bible, chap. 6, par. 7. -- Such was the true origin of the State. The State was, and is, the result of the apostasy of men from God. It is the state's only possible origin; for if all men had always observed the two great commandments, it would have been impossible for there ever to have been any State. There could have been no human authority exercised. All would have been equally subject to God; He would have been the only sovereign. Before Nimrod, there was society. Respect of the rights of persons and of their property was maintained. It was only when the apostasy grew, and men got farther and farther from God, that the monarchical idea was established and personified in Nimrod. Let no one misunderstand. This is not to say, nor even to imply, that there should now be no human government, that there should be no State, nor even that there should be no monarchy. It is simply to say the truth - that if there never had been any apostasy from God, there never could have been on earth a State, nor any human government. It is true that these things are the consequences of the apostasy from God. When men have apostatized from God, monarchies such as that of Nimrod or of Nero, became necessary, just in proportion to the degree of apostasy. It is better that there should be a government, bad as it may be, than that there should be no government at all. Even such a government as Nimrod's or Nero's is better than none at all. But without apostasy there could never have been any human government; and without the apostasy having gone to a fearful length, there never could have been any such government as Nimrod's or Nero's. -- Nimrod's example was eagerly followed by all the tribes around, until they were all absorbed in it. Society had passed away, and only States remained; and all of these States were idolatrous. In all that region, only Abraham believed God, even his own parents being idolaters. "They served other gods."56 Joshua 24:2 [article link]

King Nimrod and modern government - Introducing Nimrod and modern government - First man in the world who had the boldness to take for himself the title and prerogative of king, in the face of the yet lingering idea of God as king - Be careful to be quick to judge Nimrod too harshly, he established the might, the power, the authority, of human government, in the form of an organized State - Whether you are a Republican, Democrat or Libertarian, the roots of all three are Nimrod
(Part satirical) Introducing Nimrod and modern government - Abram [Abraham was 4 generations after Nimrod] lucked out, though God of course, could have saved him from any fate including death in a furnace, but Nimrod Rebel was a fierce warrior and powerful king. First man in the world who had the boldness to take for himself the title and prerogative of king, in the face of the yet lingering idea of God as king. The Bible record of Nimrod is that, "He began to be a mighty one in the earth." Abram once tweeted: AbrahamWanderer OMG King Nimrod just went down mainstreet, a thousand people in the procession, throwing SWAG, hope I get lucky http://tinyurl.com/cafuvl King Nimrod built roads, schools and hospitals, raised and army and invented a concept known as taxation. He was a bit of a philosopher was well, I listened to him go on for an hour once pondering the inverse relationship between piety and intelligence. Be careful to be quick to judge Nimrod too harshly, he established the might, the power, the authority, of human government, in the form of an organized State. Whether you are a republican, democrat or libertarian, the roots of all three are Nimrod. [article link]

Where did "Easter" get its name? - Where did the concept of an Easter egg and bunny originate? - The name "Easter" has its roots in ancient polytheistic [worshipping more than one god - answers.com] religions (paganism) - Most reference books say that the name "Easter" derived from the Eastre, the Teutonic goddess of Spring - Although this relationship exists, in reality, the origin of the name and the goddess are far more ancient - going all the way back to [Nimrod] the Tower of Babel [1st Kingdom - 1st Pagan Temple] -- The origin begins not long after the Biblical flood -- Summary and Conclusion: "Easter" is simply one of the names of (Queen Semiramis - wife of King Nimrod, the Mother Goddess: Wife of Baal [Satan], Ashtaroth or Ashtoreth, and Queen of Heaven - also called Eostre, Astarte, Ostera, and Eastre) a woman [a part of Mystery Babylon] who mightily deceived the world and whose religion has caused untold suffering and misery - She was clearly an enemy of [ancient] Christianity [a personal relationship with God], and her son Tammuz was an anti-Christ, a false messiah that ultimately deceived millions - If you are Christian, it is not difficult to discern the bizarre *deception and *confusion **that Satan has successfully orchestrated
The name "Easter" has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism). On this, all scholars agree. This name is never used in the original Scriptures, nor is it ever associated biblically with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For these reasons, we prefer to use the term "Resurrection Sunday" rather than "Easter" when referring to the annual Christian remembrance of Christ's resurrection. -- Ancient origin: Most reference books say that the name "Easter" derived from the Eastre, the Teutonic goddess of Spring. Although this relationship exists, in reality, the origin of the name and the goddess are far more ancient - going all the way back to the Tower of Babel. The origin begins not long after the biblical Flood. The Flood was a divine judgment sent on mankind after evil had become all pervasive and all people everywhere were totally unresponsive to God. The Bible says that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5, NKJV). It is not difficult to imagine that life must have been almost unbearable at this time in history. God gave humankind a second chance by preserving the righteous man Noah and his family (a total of 8 people). After the Flood, Noah had a talented, but evil, great-grandson named Nimrod (Genesis 10:6-10) who rebelled greatly against God. The Bible says that he was "a mighty one" Jewish tradition indicates that Nimrod was a tyrant "who made all of the people rebellious against God." It is evident from history that Nimrod was not only a political leader, but also the lead priest of a form of occultic worship. -- King Nimrod, Queen Semiramis (Easter), and Tammuz (the "reincarnated" Nimrod) Nimrod built and organized major cities. The Bible notes that these included Babel, Asshur, Nineveh and Calah (Genesis 10:10-12). If you know anything about ancient history, the mention of these places may send shivers up your spine. For these were cities of great, almost unimaginable practices and perversion. When Nimrod eventually died, the Babylonian mystery religion in which he figured prominently continued on. His wife Queen Semiramis saw to that. Once he was dead, she deified him as the Sun-god. In various cultures he later became known as Baal, the Great Life Giver, the god of fire, Baalim, Bel, Molech, etc. "Later, when this adulterous and idolatrous woman gave birth to an illegitimate son, she claimed that this son, Tammuz by name, was Nimrod reborn." Semiramis "claimed that her son was supernaturally conceived [no human father] and that he was the promised seed, the 'savior'" - promised by God in Genesis 3:15. "However, not only was the child worshipped, but the woman, the MOTHER, was also worshipped as much (or more) than the son!" Nimrod deified as the god of the sun and father of creation. Semiramis became the goddess of the moon, fertility, etc. -- "In the old fables of the Mystery cults, their 'savior' Tammuz, was worshipped with various rites at the Spring season. According to the legends, after he was slain [killed by a wild boar], he went into the underworld. But through the weeping of his mother… he mystically revived in the springing forth of the vegetation - in Spring! Each year a spring festival dramatically represented this supposed 'resurrection' from the underworld. Thus, a terrible false religion developed with its sun and moon worship, priests, astrology, demonic worship, worship of stars associated with their gods, idolatry, mysterious rites, human sacrifice, and more. Frankly, the practices which went on were so horrible that it is not fitting for me to speak of them here. It was at Nimrod's city of Babel that a towering structure was first built in defiance of God as part of their Satanic religion. Archaeological evidence indicates that this was a spectacular pyramid-shaped structure (ziggurat). The Bible tells us that at this time there was only one language in the world and that most of the world's population centered in this area and participated in this religion. It was evident to God that all mankind would soon degenerate into a level of evil that would parallel that of the pre-Flood world. For humanity's sake, something had to be done to slow and frustrate this organization of an evil one world, tyrannical government. -- God confused their language, so that they could not understand each other (Genesis 11:7). (This is the ultimate source of the world's many languages.) As a result, many people moved away from the area in groups according to their particular new language. Most, if not all, of these people carried their evil Sun-God-based religion with them. They continued to worship the stars and practice all the other ungodly rituals of their religion. Some also continued to build pyramids reminiscent of the Tower of Babel as part of this mystery religion. Today, we can still find remnants of these throughout the world (e.g., Iraq, South America, Central America, Egypt, Burma). -- Babel was the origin of an idolatrous system that swept the world. The Bible says of her, "Babylon... the nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged" (Jeremiah 51:7). The Bible often speaks of the Satanic religions which came from her. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus "witnessed the Mystery religion and its rites in numerous countries and mentions how Babylon was the primeval source from which ALL systems of idolatry flowed. Austen Layard said "that we have the united testimony of sacred and profane history that idolatry originated in the area of Babylonia - the most ancient of religious systems." -- Basically, almost every vile, profane and idolatrous practice you can think of originated at Babel with Queen Semiramis, the Mother Goddess and Nimrod. As the people scattered from Babel with their different languages, they, of course, used different names for Nimrod (Tammuz) and Semiramis. Some called the Mother Goddess "ISHTAR" (originally pronounced "Easter"). In other lands, she was called Eostre, Astarte, Ostera, and Eastre. Other names for Semiramis, the Mother Goddess include: Wife of Baal, Ashtaroth or Ashtoreth, and Queen of Heaven. The Mother goddess was frequently worshipped as the goddess of fertility - and as a sort of Mother Nature and goddess of Spring and sexual love and birth. She was also worshipped as a mediator between god and man. Sexual orgies and temple prostitutes were often used in her worship and in attempting to gain her favor. -- The Easter Rabbit or Hare: The rabbit is well known as a sexual symbol of fertility. In various parts of the world, religions which developed from Babel also associate the rabbit with periodicity, both human and lunar (Egypt, China, etc.). As you may remember, the Mother Goddess Semiramis (Easter) is associated with the Moon. In other words, the Easter bunny symbolizes the Mother Goddess. Annual Spring time fertility rituals are associated worship of the Mother Goddess and Tammuz, the reincarnation of her husband Nimrod. -- The Easter Egg: Most children and families who color or hide Easter eggs as part of their Resurrection Sunday tradition have no knowledge of the origin of these traditions. Easter egg activities have become a part of Western culture. Many would be surprised and even dismayed to learn where the traditions originated. "The egg was a sacred symbol among the Babylonians. They believed an old fable about an egg of wondrous size which was supposed to have fallen from heaven into the Euphrates River. From this marvelous egg - according to the ancient story - the Goddess Astarte (Easter) [Semiramis], was hatched. And so the egg came to symbolize the Goddess Easter." The idea of a mystic egg spread from Babylon to many parts of the world. In Rome [6th Kingdom], the mystic egg preceded processions in honor of the Mother Goddess Roman. The egg was part of the sacred ceremonies of the Mysteries of Bacchus. The Druids used the egg as their sacred emblem. In Northern Europe, China and Japan the eggs were colored for their sacred festivals. The egg was also a symbol of fertility; Semiramis (Easter) was the goddess of Fertility. The Easter egg is a symbol of the pagan Mother Goddess, and it even bears one of her names. -- Summary and Conclusion: "Easter" is simply one of the names of (Queen Semiramis - wife of King Nimrod, the Mother Goddess include: Wife of Baal [Satan], Ashtaroth or Ashtoreth, and Queen of Heaven - also called Eostre, Astarte, Ostera, and Eastre) a woman [a part of Mystery Babylon] who mightily deceived the world and whose religion has caused untold suffering and misery. She was clearly an enemy of Christianity, and her son Tammuz was an anti-Christ, a false messiah that ultimately deceived millions. If you are Christian, it is not difficult to discern the bizarre deception and confusion that Satan has successfully orchestrated. For example, notice the embarrassing irony in these traditions which are practiced innocently by most people. They are repeated year after year, because they have become traditional and their origin is unknown to many. *On the day commemorating Christ's resurrection, Americans roll decorated eggs on the White House lawn and pretend the Easter rabbit hid them. The same ritual is practiced at some Christian churches. "In Lancashire [England] on Easter eve boys and men have been in the habit of touring the towns and villages as 'Pace-eggers' begging for eggs before performing the 'Pace-Egging' or Pasch (i.e., Easter) play." In Greece each person in a group bangs his red EASTER EGG [not knowing that it is symbol of the Goddess] against the eggs of all the others present in turn, saying 'Christ is risen,' and receives the reply 'He is risen indeed.'" -- The seductive symbols of ancient ungodly religions inspired by Satan have been incorporated into people's everyday lives, even to this day - continuing to obscure the truth of God. ... Many church bodies recognize the problem and make every effort to keep the focus of Resurrection Sunday totally on Jesus Christ and the Good News that He brought. [article link]

THE TOWER OF BABEL AND THE CONFUSION OF LANGUAGES by Lambert Dolphin - Nimrod's name is from the verb "let us revolt" - He is said to be a mighty hunter (gibbor tsayidh) in the sight of the Lord, but the language has a dark meaning - He becomes a tyrant or despot leading an organized rebellion against the rule of Yahweh (God) - He hunts not animals, but rather the souls of men - Cain, a condemned murderer had started the first cities before the Flood - Nimrod builds the first post-Flood cities - The region he settles in is now mostly modern Iraq {Note: Actually Nimrod probably settled an area of modern Turkey - The ancient O.T. 'land of Shinar' [Noah's Ark, Tower of Babel, birthplace of Abraham in Ur (in northern Iraq)] "Genesis 11:2 And it came to pass, as they [Nimrod and the people] journeyed [going west from Noah's Ark - towards Iraq though still in Turkey] from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there." The ancient O.T. land of Shinar seems to have been the region of modern Turkey over to the Iraq area. The N.T. 'region of Galatia' [Seven Churches of Revelation] (modern Turkey) seems to have been the region of modern Turkey going the other direction towards Greece.}
Notes by James Montgomery Boice on *Nimrod and Babel THE FIRST WORLD EMPIRE There is an interesting feature of Moses' treatments of these descendants of Ham that is at once recognizable to one who reads this chapter. It is the parenthesis that fills verses 8-12. It comes in the middle of the table of nations and, in a sense, interrupts it. These verses deal, not with the general movements of peoples and nations, but with one particular descendant of Cush, Nimrod, who is said to have been the founder of the first world empire. **Here is the first place in the Bible where the word "kingdom" occurs. Significantly, it is used, not of God's kingdom (as it is later), but of this first rival kingdom of Nimrod. This matter was obviously of great importance to Moses, for a related parenthesis occurs in the first nine verses of chapter 11, in the story of the tower of Babel. What is so significant about Nimrod? The fact that he established cities and built a kingdom is important, of course. But there is much more that can be said. Nimrod was the first person to become a "mighty" man. Our text calls attention to this by using the adjective "mighty" three times in describing him: "Nimrod ... grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, 'Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD'" (vv. 8, 9). The adjective also occurs in a similar way in 1 Chronicles 1:10. Why is this emphasized? Is it good or bad? A little thought will show that it is bad. The empire of Babylon under Nimrod was an affront both to God and man, an affront to God in that it sought to do without God (Gen. 11:1-9) and an affront to man in that it sought to rule over other people tyrannically. Martin Luther was on the right track when he suggested that this is the way the word "hunter" should be interpreted. This is not talking about Nimrod's ability to hunt wild game. He was not a hunter of animals. He was a hunter of men--a warrior. It was through his ability to fight and kill and rule ruthlessly that his kingdom of Euphrates valley city states was consolidated. -- The Tower of Babel by Ray C. Stedman - The fact that this was a religious tower-and yet built to make a name for man-reveals the master motive behind religion. It is a means by which man attempts to share the glory of God. We must understand this, otherwise we will never understand the power of religion as it has pervaded the earth and permeated our culture ever since. It is a way by which man seeks to share what is rightfully God's alone. This tower was a grandiose structure, and undoubtedly it was intended to be a means by which man would glorify God. Unquestionably there was a plaque somewhere attached to it that carried the pious words, "Erected in the year ___, to the greater glory of God." But it was not really for the glory of God; it was a way of controlling God, a way of channeling God by using him for man's glory. That is what man's religion has always sought to do. It is a way of making God available to us. Man does not really want to eliminate God. It is only sporadically and then only for a relatively brief time, that men cry out for the elimination of God. Atheism is too barren, too pessimistic and too morally bankrupt to live with very long. The communists are finding this out. No, we need "dear old God," but let's keep him under control. Do not let him get out of his place. "Don't call us, God; we'll call you." This is the fundamental philosophy of society. It is the tower of Babel all over again. (from The Beginnings, by Ray C. Stedman, Waco Books, 1978.) [article link]

Tower of Babel May Have Been Located Near the Black Sea [West and North of the traditional location for Noah's Ark] in a remote region of eastern Turkey - He believes he has found a possible location near a place whose name means "Gate of God," the same literal meaning as Babel - In the Tower of Babel story in the book of Genesis, Noah's descendants [journeyed from east (the Ark) to Shinar] led by Nimrod arrived at Babel in the land of Shinar - Sanders' work is a challenge to conventional beliefs - Traditionally, biblical scholars and archaeologists have placed the dawn of [after Noah] civilization in Mesopotamia [directly South of what is considered to be the site of the Ark of Noah], the area bounded by the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, now mostly located in Iraq -- "Genesis 11:1-5 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, *as they journeyed from the east, **that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded."
Tower of Babel May Have Been Located Near the Black Sea - Sent in by Elias Dangoor - A British archaeologist claims he has discovered the site of one of the most famous buildings in history, the biblical Tower of Babel, in a remote region of eastern Turkey. Michael Sanders, a classical publisher, believes new satellite photographs from Nasa, the American space agency, and a reinterpretation of ancient biblical text suggest that mythical tower actually existed - in the Pontus region of the Black Sea coast of Turkey. Most archaeologists believe Babel was located in Mesopotamian Babylon, the ruins of which lie South-west of Baghdad in Iraq. Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader, has even attempted to rebuild ancient Babylon, erecting badly constructed brick walls at the site. The remains of several huge ziggurats, or stepped towers, near Babylon have given further credence to the theory that the tower was in Mesopotamia. But there has never been any physical proof. "A location in Pontus makes much more sense in terms of the Biblical story," said Sanders last week. He believes he has found a possible location near a place whose name means "Gate of God," the same literal meaning as Babel. In the Tower of Babel story in the book of Genesis, Noah's descendants led by Nimrod arrived at Babel in the land of Shinar. On his arrival Nimrod, known as the mighty hunter, decided to build a tower up to heaven. But God punished the people for their arrogance in trying to build such a folly. To cause confusion among the builders and make their job impossible, God made them all speak different languages rather than their common tongue. Sanders has reviewed a number of old texts, including the Targum Yonathan an Aramaic version of the Bible. It reports the tower was located in the "Land of Shinar" and that this was found in the ancient territory of Pontus. "I was amazed to find after I decided that Pontus was the most likely location that several modern academics make this place the origin of all the modern languages of the West. Not Africa, not Mesopotamia, but right there, where I believe the Tower of Babel was." Other researchers who believe the origins of the Bible lie in the Black Sea region include Robert Ballard, the discoverer of the Titanic, who is currently working on a three-year research programme on the Black Sea, which he believes could be the location of the biblical flood. David Rohl, a Manchester classicist, claims that many of the events of Genesis, such as the flood, took place in eastern turkey but places the Tower of Babel in Mesopotamia. Other academics have suggested the tower could have been an observatory. Another theory is that it was an altar to the all-powerful Mesopotamian god Marduk and his consort Zupinatu. One text went so far as to claim it was topped with a "cedar-made bed and gold-engraved throne." But Sanders is dubious. "We just don't know what the function was. In ancient times, there was a compulsion to build high to get closer to God." Sanders' work is a challenge to conventional beliefs. Traditionally, biblical scholars and archaeologists have placed the dawn of civilisation in Mesopotamia, the area bounded by the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, now mostly located in Iraq. The main historical event linking Babylon with the Tower of Babel story is the fall of the temple tower built by King Etemenanki, which was rebuilt by Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar II. The name Babel in Genesis is thought to be a play on the words for Babylon, gate of God, and "confuse." The English word babble is derived from the story. Sanders is planning an expedition to the "Turkish Babel" in the spring of next year. "This theory might appear unconventional to some people but to many early scholars it would have made sense. A lot of the belief that Babylon is Babel stems simply from the similarity of the two names," he said. From The Sunday Times. [article link]

THE TOWER OF BABEL AND THE CONFUSION OF LANGUAGES by Lambert Dolphin - Nimrod's name is from the verb "let us revolt" - He is said to be a mighty hunter (gibbor tsayidh) in the sight of the Lord, but the language has a dark meaning - He becomes a tyrant or despot leading an organized rebellion against the rule of Yahweh (God) - He hunts not animals, but rather the souls of men - Cain, a condemned murderer had started the first cities before the Flood - Nimrod builds the first post-Flood cities - The region he settles in is now mostly modern Iraq
Notes by James Montgomery Boice on Nimrod and Babel THE FIRST WORLD EMPIRE There is an interesting feature of Moses' treatments of these descendants of Ham that is at once recognizable to one who reads this chapter. It is the parenthesis that fills verses 8-12. It comes in the middle of the table of nations and, in a sense, interrupts it. These verses deal, not with the general movements of peoples and nations, but with one particular descendant of Cush, Nimrod, who is said to have been the founder of the first world empire. **Here is the first place in the Bible where the word "kingdom" occurs. Significantly, it is used, not of God's kingdom (as it is later), but of this first rival kingdom of Nimrod. This matter was obviously of great importance to Moses, for a related parenthesis occurs in the first nine verses of chapter 11, in the story of the tower of Babel. What is so significant about Nimrod? The fact that he established cities and built a kingdom is important, of course. But there is much more that can be said. Nimrod was the first person to become a "mighty" man. Our text calls attention to this by using the adjective "mighty" three times in describing him: "Nimrod ... grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, 'Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD'" (vv. 8, 9). The adjective also occurs in a similar way in 1 Chronicles 1:10. Why is this emphasized? Is it good or bad? A little thought will show that it is bad. The empire of Babylon under Nimrod was an affront both to God and man, an affront to God in that it sought to do without God (Gen. 11:1-9) and an affront to man in that it sought to rule over other people tyrannically. Martin Luther was on the right track when he suggested that this is the way the word "hunter" should be interpreted. This is not talking about Nimrod's ability to hunt wild game. He was not a hunter of animals. He was a hunter of men--a warrior. It was through his ability to fight and kill and rule ruthlessly that his kingdom of Euphrates valley city states was consolidated. -- The Tower of Babel by Ray C. Stedman - The fact that this was a religious tower-and yet built to make a name for man-reveals the master motive behind religion. It is a means by which man attempts to share the glory of God. We must understand this, otherwise we will never understand the power of religion as it has pervaded the earth and permeated our culture ever since. It is a way by which man seeks to share what is rightfully God's alone. This tower was a grandiose structure, and undoubtedly it was intended to be a means by which man would glorify God. Unquestionably there was a plaque somewhere attached to it that carried the pious words, "Erected in the year ___, to the greater glory of God." But it was not really for the glory of God; it was a way of controlling God, a way of channeling God by using him for man's glory. That is what man's religion has always sought to do. It is a way of making God available to us. Man does not really want to eliminate God. It is only sporadically and then only for a relatively brief time, that men cry out for the elimination of God. Atheism is too barren, too pessimistic and too morally bankrupt to live with very long. The communists are finding this out. No, we need "dear old God," but let's keep him under control. Do not let him get out of his place. "Don't call us, God; we'll call you." This is the fundamental philosophy of society. It is the tower of Babel all over again. (from The Beginnings, by Ray C. Stedman, Waco Books, 1978.) [article link]

Revelation 18 - The sins of Mystery Babylon will result in the plagues of God upon Mystery Babylon -- 'Revelation 18:1-5 And after these things I saw another Angel [messenger] come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with His Glory [Jesus Christ]. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all Nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication [unfaithfulness], and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. **And I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins (Genesis 11:4) [The Tower of Babel] have reached unto Heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities [intentional sins].'
Mystery Babylon is to be judged and destroyed all in a single day: Revelation 18:6-10 Reward her [Mystery Babylon] even as she rewarded [betrayed] you [humans], and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. *Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. ... Revelation 18:20-24 Rejoice over her [Mystery Babylon], thou Heaven, and ye Holy Apostles and Prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty Angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down (Jeremiah 51:63), and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. **And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. [article link]

An artist's depiction of...... the Tower of Babel? "Treasure of Nimrod" - This stone carving was found in Iraq [1988] near the ancient city of Babylon - There are clearly two suns [Christ, Antichrist] in the sky and everyone is looking up at them - The tallest figure (wearing the horns of the bull... Nimrod's old crown) appears to be a giant [carrying a bow and holding an arrow - Revelation 6:2 rider of the white horse, the arrow now hidden (false peace) in Revelation - End Times] {Note: The 'cone shaped' Tower and all the helmets (head coverings) look Egyptian - seemingly or clearly the Egyptian pharaohs were carrying on the tradition and spirit (Mystery fallen angelic Babylon) as revealed to Nimrod.} (Photo)
This stone carving (above) was found in Iraq [1988] near the ancient city of Babylon (Bagdad) [the ancient city of Babylon, located 85 kilometers (53 miles) south of Baghdad - wiki.com]. Historians falsely interpret this illustration so I invite you to look at it carefully. There are clearly two suns in the sky and everyone is looking up at them. The tallest figure (wearing the horns of the bull... Nimrod's old crown) appears to be a giant. Giants in the Bible were roughly 18 feet tall. The dome-shaped object is too perfect to be a mountain peak. Instead, imagine that it's the "top" of the Tower of Babel. [article link]

Treasure of Nimrud [Nimrod] Is Found (1988) In Iraq, and It's Spectacular (Article Updated: June 6, 2003)
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The treasure of Nimrud survived 2,800 years buried near a dusty town in northern Iraq. It then spent 12 years tucked away in a vault. Until Thursday, it was uncertain whether it had survived Saddam Hussein's son, a U.S. missile strike, looters, a flood and a grenade attack. But it has been found intact in the dark, damp basement of a bombed out central bank building. Thursday, directors of Iraq's National Museum and a team of U.S. Customs agents and officials from the Office of the Coalition Provisional Authority -- the Pentagon-run agency managing postwar Iraq -- cracked open five waterlogged wooden crates, peered inside and breathed a collective sigh of relief. There, in dozens of smaller boxes was the entire collection -- 613 pieces of gold jewelry, precious stones and ornaments from the height of the Assyrian civilization in 800 B.C. Together, the pieces weigh well over 100 pounds. The recovery of the artifacts, which hasn't been made public, is a great boost for the museum, which gained the world's attention in the days after the war when U.S. forces failed to prevent looters from hauling away thousands of artifacts from ancient civilizations that sprang up in the Tigris-Euphrates valley. Experts said it was the worst ransacking of Iraq since Genghis Khan tore into Baghdad in the 13th century. While initial reports talked of some 170,000 pieces stolen, it is now clear that perhaps only a few thousand artifacts were taken, experts say. Many priceless objects from the museum are still missing, such as the sacred Vase of Warka, a Sumerian piece from about 3000 B.C. But museum officials moved hundreds of the most valuable items into storage rooms and secret locations only weeks before the war, including some 40,000 ancient books, Islamic manuscripts and scrolls spirited away in a bomb shelter. More than a thousand other pieces have been recovered by U.S. officials. -- Unearthed in 1988 by Iraqi archaeologists and never seen outside Iraq, the Nimrud treasure had been on public display at Baghdad's National Museum for just a few months before Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. Days after the invasion, the treasure was yanked from public view. Its whereabouts remained secret. -- One man who long wondered about the treasure was Jason Williams, a British anthropologist and filmmaker, who had tried in vain to film the Nimrud treasure in recent years. The only existing film of the pieces was taken when Iraqi archeologists made the discovery, with grainy images of an archaeologist holding up rings and bracelets still attached to the bones of their former owners. "These are Iraq's crown jewels," Mr. Williams said recently as he stepped over several feet of smashed glass, twisted metal and heaps of charred Iraqi dinars in the hull of the bank building destroyed by a U.S. missile strike. Although the building was gutted, the missile didn't damage the basement or the vaults. But a burst water pipe soon flooded the area. [article link]

Wikipedia: Tower of Babel - The Tower of Babel, according to the Book of Genesis, was an enormous tower built in the plain of Shinar - The Tower of Babel has often been associated with known structures, notably the Etemenanki, a ziggurat [square tower] dedicated to Marduk (Satan - a late-generation god [name] from ancient Mesopotamia) by Nabopolassar (c.658 - 605 BC) [the first king of the [New] Neo-Babylonian Empire - he ruled over Babylon for 20 years (625 - 605 BC) - Nabopolassar was the father of Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:1) "Nebuchadnezzar (a later) king of Babylon"] - The Great Ziggurat [not the Tower of Babel] of Babylon base was square (not round), 91m in height, but was finally demolished by *Alexander the Great before his death in an attempt to rebuild it
The Tower of Babel, according to the Book of Genesis, was an enormous tower built in the plain of Shinar. According to the biblical account, a united humanity of the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, came to the land of Shinar, where they resolved to build a city with a tower "with its top in the heavens...lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the Earth." Yahweh came down to see what they did and said: "They are one people and have one language, and nothing will be withholden from them which they purpose to do." So Yahweh said, "Come, let us go down and confound their speech." And so Yahweh scattered them upon the face of the Earth, and confused their languages, and they left off building the city, which was called Babel "because Yahweh there confounded the language of all the Earth."(Genesis 11:5-8). The Tower of Babel has often been associated with known structures, notably the Etemenanki, a ziggurat dedicated to Marduk by Nabopolassar (c. 610 BC). The Great Ziggurat of Babylon base was square (not round), 91m in height, but was finally demolished by Alexander the Great before his death in an attempt to rebuild it. A Sumerian story with some similar elements is preserved in Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta. ... Narrative: The phrase "the Tower of Babel" does not actually appear in the Bible; it is always, "the city and its tower" or just "the city". Originally the city receives the name "Babel", from the word from ancient Hebrew, "balal", *meaning to jumble. Various English translations use different vocabulary sometimes with different meanings; usually this causes no important difference to the story: one speech/vocabulary/same words, plain/valley, asphalt/bitumen/slime, children/men, confound/confuse; and sometimes the difference is important to later interpretations of the meaning of the story: may reach unto heaven/in the sky/will be in the skies (examples from King James, Holman Christian, and R E Friedman versions). ... Destruction: The account in Genesis makes no mention of any destruction of the tower. The people whose languages are confounded simply stop building their city, and are scattered from there over the face of the Earth. However, in other sources such as the Book of Jubilees (chapter 10 v.18-27), Cornelius Alexander (frag. 10), Abydenus (frags. 5 and 6), Josephus (Antiquities 1.4.3), and the Sibylline Oracles (iii. 117-129), God overturns the tower with a great wind. In the Midrash, it said that the top of the tower was burnt, the bottom was swallowed, and the middle was left standing to erode over time. [article link]

Nimrod: He Was And Will Be Again [In Type] - How does [Sumerian] Gilgamesh [found in extra-Biblical literature] (2000 B.C.) compare with "Nimrod?" Josephus says of Nimrod, Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God - He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah -- a bold man, and of great strength of hand - He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it were through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness
In Genesis 10:8-11 we learn that "Nimrod" established a kingdom. Therefore, one would expect to find also, in the literature of the ancient Near East, a person who was a type, or example, for other people to follow. And there was. It is a well-known tale, common in Sumerian literature, of a man who fits the description. In addition to the Sumerians, the Babylonians wrote about this person; the Assyrians likewise; and the Hittites. Even in Palestine, tablets have been found with this man's name on them. He was obviously the most popular hero in the Ancient Near East. The person we are referring to, found in extra-Biblical literature, was Gilgamesh. The first clay tablets naming him were found among the ruins of the temple library of the god Nabu (Biblical Nebo) and the palace library of Ashurbanipal [Asnapper (Ezra 4:10)] Ashurbanipal "Ashur is creator of an heir"; 685 BCE - c. 627 BCE), also spelled Assurbanipal or Ashshurbanipal, [Asnapper, Osnapper] was the son of Esarhaddon and the last great king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (668 BCE - c. 627 BCE) - He established the first systematically organized library in the ancient Middle East, the Library of Ashurbanipal, which survives in part today at Nineveh - Wiki.com] in Nineveh (Jonah 1:2) [the ancient capital city of Assyria]. Many others have been found since in a number of excavations. The author of the best treatise on the Gilgamesh Epic says, The date of the composition of the Gilgamesh Epic can therefore be fixed at about 2000 BC. Though the stories in it relate an older previous period. The Epic of Gilgamesh has some very indecent sections. Alexander Heidel, first translator of the epic, had the decency to translate the vilest parts into Latin. Spieser, however, gave it to us "straight" (Pritchard 1955: 72). With this kind of literature in the palace, who needs pornography? Gilgamesh was a vile, filthy, man. Yet the myth says of him that he was "2/3 god and 1/3 man." -- How does Gilgamesh compare with "Nimrod?" Josephus says of Nimrod, Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah -- a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it were through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny -- seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence upon his own power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers (Ant. 1: iv: 2). What Josephus says here is precisely what is found in the Gilgamesh epics. Gilgamesh set up tyranny, he opposed YHVH and did his utmost to get people to forsake Him. Two of the premiere commentators on the Bible in Hebrew has this to say about Genesis 10:9, Nimrod was mighty in hunting, and that in opposition to YHVH; not "before YHVH" in the sense of according to the will and purpose of YHVH, still less, . . . in a simply superlative sense . . . The name itself, "Nimrod" from marad, "we will revolt," points to some violent resistance to God . . . Nimrod as a mighty hunter founded a powerful kingdom; and the founding of this kingdom is shown by the verb with vav consecutive, to have been the consequence or result of his strength in hunting, so that hunting was intimately connected with the establishing of the kingdom. Hence, if the expression "a mighty hunter" relates primarily to hunting in the literal sense, we must add to the literal meaning the figurative signification of a "hunter of men" (a trapper of men by stratagem and force); Nimrod the hunter became a tyrant, a powerful hunter of men (Keil and Delitzsch 1975: 165). After the Flood there was, at some point, a breakaway from YHVH [YHWH]. Only eight people descended from the [Noah's] Ark. Those people worshipped YHVH [YHWH - God]. But at some point an influential person became opposed to YHVH and gathered others to his side. Nimrod is the one who did it. Cain had done similarly before the Flood, founding a new city and religious system. [article link]

The Lengend of the Stagg [Hunter] - The Hungarian Legend of the Wondrous Stag is one of the oldest legends of the nation - In the legends of Iran the ruler Feridun, a Scythian king who was a descendant of Takhma Urupi (Nimrod), has three sons Tura, Sin, and Iredj - The first two stick together against the third son who inherits Iran - Tura becomes the ancestor of the Turanians, that is Scythians and Huns - Nimrod was known by several names in the Near East and was also symbolized by the constellations Sagitarius and Orion amongst the Turanian/scythian nations
The Hungarian Legend of the Wondrous Stag is one of the oldest legends of the nation. It is so old that it is found in various forms among those nations who were the distant relatives or neighbors of the Hungarians, long before their settlement in Hungary. The meaning and the wording of the legends may have changed slightly but they all have much in common. Today the remaining legend is relatively short, whereas in the past it was probably much more extensive. However the Hungarian legend despite it's brevity includes in it many important points some of which can be found in most of the related legends found in other cultures. It is these points which show that once, in the remote antiquity, these people were neighbors or some were even related. The symbol of the cosmos and the mother of the sun was symbolized as a large horned female doe. The great horned doe often was shown carrying the sun in her horns, in some cases the sun itself was symbolized as a stag the son of the doe of the legend. The following Christmas song told by the Hungarian regos (bards) illustrate the stag as the carrier of the sun. ... Mesopotamia: Amongst the many names of the god of wisdom and co-creator EA are Daramah, meaning great stag. Dr Bobula Ida's essay on "The Great Stag, a Messopotamian Divinity", Buenos Aires is an excellent analysis and comparison of similar words and customs with Hungarian Regös customs of the end of the year and the traditions of the stag. For those who would like this sent to them by EMAIL, drop me a note. In Hungarian knowledge, wisdom is based on the root word Tan, Tud, while god is also Is-Ten. Therefore Tana is associated with Hea in meaning as well as Pisces. In the Sumerian legends of the antediluvian kings the legend of Etana is prominent. Etana's legend includes the visiting of heaven. In Hungarian mythology Nimrod is the son of Etana, just as in Kushan-Scythian "Kush-Tana" is the ancestor of the nation. In Asia Ten, Tien means god or heaven also and Teno was the title of Hun emperors as in early Egypt S-Ten. Similarly in Japanese. In Persian legend of the very early (pre Arian) period when Iran was civilized by a western Mesopotamian ruler, Takma Urupi (Tana=Takma) whose wife was also Eneth. Eneth or Nana are names of the mother goddess of waters, rivers, and fertility among Mesopotamian and Scythian peoples. She was symbolized by Virgo. -- Persian Version: In the legends of Iran the ruler Feridun, a Scythian king who was a descendant of Takhma Urupi (Nimrod), has three sons Tura, Sin, and Iredj. The first two stick together against the third son who inherits Iran. Tura becomes the ancestor of the Turanians, that is Scythians and Huns. Nimrod was known by several names in the Near East and was also symbolized by the constellations Sagitarius and Orion amongst the Turanian/scythian nations. The Persian Legend of the stag is Scythian in origin: Prince Rustvan-shad (Rustam?), the son of the Chinese? emperor (an eastern emperor, more likely the HUNs not the HANs) was hunting while he came across a wondrous stag: his fur was blue (heavenly symbol), and his eyes looked like rubies, his hooves shone as though they were of gold. This stag always lead him on and eluded him, he never could catch him. Finally it lead him to a small lake where it jumped into it's center and disappeared. The prince therefore camped and went to sleep and when he awoke he heard gay laughing and music. Following the sounds he heard, he came to a wondrous marble palace, and there surrounded by a dozen beautiful young girls, sitting on a throne a beautiful goddess of a girl. He asked her who she was, and she replied "Only a tame DOE, and my name is Sehr-istani." (Old Iranian sraw=horn, Hungarian szarv, while Isten=god in old/pre-Iranian and Hungarian.) -- Egyptian Chase of the Ram: Whether we illustrate the story as the chase of the Stag or Ram is irrelevant because the name of the stag is based on the word horned, and can be any horned animal which is the symbol of the rebirth of light. The Egyptian Cushite version of the chase explains the chase of the "Horned" by the national ancestor-god-hero Osiris as follows. As to how the ram became the symbol of Ham, the following tradition survived. - When Osiris was returning home after his triumphant African tour, he and his army were unable to find water and were in a terrible state of dehydration. They were on the verge of death when a ram appeared in front of them. They viewed the appearance of the ram as a heavenly sign and they at once gave chase. To their great astonishment and relief the ram lead them to the shade and cool waters of an oasis. Osiris (Dionisus) explained the event by saying that the ram was Amon (who is symbolized as a ram) and to show his gratitude he raised a temple to his honor on the spot. Amon was elevated to the stars as the constellation of Aires (the ram) so that when the sun is in the house of Aires in spring, nature shall revive it's life. The Egyptian dictionary explains the word Cush to also mean tomb RAM, and this word is in accordance with the Hungarian word for ram KOSH. Nimrod and his people were Cushites and they also ruled Egypt at one time before founding Babylon. -- The Greek Version: The Greeks also inherited many legends from their Scythian neighbors, which included distorted versions of this story. Many Scythians were hired into Greek armies, and some were servants. Certain Scythians became prominent teachers in Greek cities. In the Greek story the twin sons of Zeus and Nemesis are known as Castor and Pollux. (GEMINI) Cas-tor and his brother Pollux steal the daughters of Leukepius. (LEUK=white) Cas-tor is the Cushite Tura, a son of Nimrod after whom northern Mesopotamia (Eturia) and the Aral and Caspian lowlands (Turan) were named. Pollux or Poly-deuces is Polly=Apolo is the sun god whose other Near Eastern name is Makar (MAGOR). Zeus was once a king in the Near East, a Kushite king (NIMROD) which the Greeks deified. Another Scythian legend recorded by the Greeks states that the sons of the Scythian king named SCYTHES were Palos (Polux) and Naes (Castor, Nesus are ancient ancestors of the Cushites). The meaning of SAKA, from which Scyth comes from means Chief, Lord. Another Greek recorded the legend of the MEGARI of Anatolia, and of course translated it into it's Greek equivalent, with slight changes. Here Zeus marries a Scythian Nymph of the area, and from their union is born Megaros, the ancestor of the people of Megari. Again the Scythian connection is emphasized with the results that the Megari, Magyari nation is created.) -- Finnic Version: In the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, the stag is the favorite animal of the queen of the underworld (Yumala), which leads the hero to his doom. Kaleva is the mythical kingdom where much of the epic takes place. It could be equated with Kalama of the Sumerians, the name of their country. -- Ugrian Version: In the legend of the Ostjak, the hunting pair, with their whole tribe are hunting for a raindeer. The animal baited them on towards the north, where finally it turned into fog. In the age, when the first ice-rain (snow) began to fall. (The coming of the ice age trapped the hunting nation?) In northern Siberia, the heavenly raindeer, symbolized by the big dipper, steals the sun, and that is why there is no sun for half a year in the arctic. When the mythical hunter, who is often symbolized by a bear, kills the female reindeer, it starts the new days. This is an important key to the stories, for the chase after the stag is a hunt for the return of the sun, which during winter is taken away by the stag. The hunters are searching for it's light and heat. Perhaps a southern migration from northern pastures with the coming of winter? The recapturing of it (the sighting of the southern constellation?) then brings back summer. The girls of the legend are the does, the daughters of light (Leukepius in Greek), who return the light and fertility of the sun. For that reason they have names which indicate "light, white, burning.." Dula=Gyula,Gyul..., Sar=gold,light, stag. Bular or Bugur=stag in Turkic. -- Japanese version: The twin brothers chase the stag. They get into an argument, probably about which way the stag disappeared, and one brother goes east and finds Japan, while the other goes west. -- Maya Indian version: The sons of Hun Hun-apu, the god of the hunt, are the heavenly twins [GEMINI],known as Hunapu (HUNOR) who is warlike like his father and Ixbalenque (MAGOR), who is more peaceful. Their adventures, with their 400 warriors includes the kidnapping the women. Their jealous half brothers chased them, but they turned them into monkeys (i.e. make monkeys of them?). [article link]

The Descendants of Shem [Noah's oldest son]; Gen. 10:22-32; 11:10 - That shows that we have descendants of Ham as well as of Shem that form the foundation for Arabic tribes (Syria, Jordan, Iraq, down to Saudi Arabia today)
We now want to merge together the genealogy given in Genesis 10:21-32, the descendants of Shem given there, and the descendants that are specifically delineated in 11:10-26 which ends with the father of Abram (Abraham), Terah. That ends this book. Verses 10-26 is one toledot. From verse 27 we have the toledot of Terah (Abraham's father - Lot's uncle) which goes all the way down to Isaac. ... [Noah's son] Shem dies just ten years before Abraham does, so everybody else was outlived by Shem. Notice with Peleg, and from that point on, life-spans began to drastically shrink. Each generation gets shorter and shorter. Almost all of the antediluvian patriarchs lived over 900 years. A couple of them lived just a little less, but afterward there is this immediate decline. Noah lives to be 900+ [Noah died only two years before Abraham was born], but Shem only lives 600 years, a drastic drop. Something changed in the environment after the flood and people just couldn't live as long. That brings us down to the sons of Joktan in Genesis 10:26-29, "And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, and Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan." They all move into the area of modern Saudi Arabia. These are the thirteen original Arabian tribes. Many of these names have cognates of places, wells, oases, etc., in Saudi Arabia. They can indicate the historicity of these names. That shows that we have descendants of Ham as well as of Shem that form the foundation for Arabic tribes. Later on other groups comne out of Abraham, but these are more distant cousins of Abraham who come through Joktan. When we come over to Shem's genealogy (a closed genealogy) it is a straight line of descent all the way down to Nahor in Genesis 11:22-24, "And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: and Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah." Genesis 11:26, "And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran." Notice the parallelism here. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. There is a parallel showing consistency of the author-one author of Genesis, not three or four. But we see now that when Abram is born Terah is still alive, Nahor is still alive, Serug is still alive, Peleg is still alive, but Eber, Salah, Arphaxad and Shem are also still alive. So there is a tremendous population explosion simply because the generations aren't dying off yet. The first four generations off the ark are still alive and live throughout most of Abraham's life. [article link]

Genesis 11 - Nimrod the mighty Hunter of Sin and the Tower of Babel 'Genesis 11:3 they had brick for stone, and slime [apparently the word slime in Hebrew denotes a tar (petroleum) product and led John D. Rockefeller to take his Standard Oil Co. over to Iraq to drill for oil] had they for morter [to build the tower of babel]' - The confounding of the languages of people and the diversifying and spreading out of all people groups among the earth - The book of Job likely comes into history at this point just prior to Abraham being called by God - Abraham was probably not the oldest son of Terah but one of the younger sons, possibly the youngest son - Noah's son Shem was still alive at this time and lived until Abraham was about 58 years old [possibly even living until after Abraham passed]
Note: It's doubtful that Abraham met Shem personally because Abraham is designated as the Father of the Faith 'Romans 4:11 that he (Abraham) might be the father of all them that believe' in other words Abraham is the first in the lineage to believe in the faith like we are all to believe today. We don't even have the faith of the Apostles, they saw the resurrected Jesus we still basically have the faith of Abraham the faith of hearing/reading the words of God and then obeying them. Before Abraham the world had Noah to tell of the flood and before that Adam to tell of creation. With the witness of Adam and creation and also the later witness of Noah with the Ark and the flood and then much later in the Upper Room after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ with the witness of the Apostles then faith is witnessed and is based in part on the witness and interpretation of the person who witnesses the event or events. -- 'John:20-24-29 But Thomas, one of the twelve (Apostles), called Didymus [twin], was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith He to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and My God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 'Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' -- Faith is to be based completely on the Words and promises of God and not in human works or accomplishments, not in the seeing of the eyes or even by the experiencing with emotions or intellect but only by hearing in our heart the Words of God and believing in our heart in the Words as God has promised them to us. [article link]

Romans 4 - The Apostle Paul continues and now uses examples in the lives of Abraham and King David to illustrate how consistent the word of God is - how reliable the word of God is - and also how long ago it was that the promises of God were given [the original promise of the redeemer was given to Adam and Eve] and are still in use by God today [in the book of Hebrews Moses will be contrasted to Jesus] - 'Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God [that God has the power and authority of life over death], and it was counted unto him for righteousness.' -- 'Romans 4:6-8 Even as [King] David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin [because of a faith like Abraham].'
'Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him (Jesus) that justifieth the *ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.' Romans 4:17- As it is written, I (God) have made thee (Abraham) a father of many nations, before Him whom he believed, even God, *who quickeneth [makes alive] the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope [against all odds] believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith [the life giving power of God], he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God [to be the father of many] through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform. And therefore it [faith - that God 'quickeneth the dead'] was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it [justification - righteousness] was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it [faith] shall be imputed, *if we believe on Him that raised up [eternal life] Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered [to the cross] for our offences, and was raised again [resurrection] for our justification. - The faith of Abraham, the faith of King David and the faith of the Christian is that God is the giver of life and as the giver of life God has the power and authority of life over death. In Abraham God demonstrated His ability to give life in the two bodies that were completely beyond the capability of childbirth and yet Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 75 years old. -- King David had grievously sinned with Bathsheba and then later had her husband Uriah killed in a battle. When the prophet Nathan came to King David [2 Samuel 12] and told of a sin in the land King David said that person who sinned shall be put to death. It turned out that King David was that person who was to be put to death however "2 Samuel 12:13 And [King] David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD and Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die" because King David had a righteousness imputed by God not of works but by faith, the same faith that his forefather Abraham had in the faith that God will make right our wrongs and that God will give life even when death is required. [article link]

Galatians 3 - The Apostle Paul explains that works have never been a part of a relationship with God - There has always only been one program with God and it is a program based on faith and trust in God and not in the works of man - Even Abraham's great relationship with God was based on faith and trust as Abraham had faith in God before he exhibited his works to God -- 'Galatians 3:2-3 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the [Holy] Spirit by the works of the law {no}, or by the hearing [free gift] of faith {yes}? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the [Holy] Spirit, are ye now made perfect [complete] by the [human] flesh? {no}'
'Galatians 3:6-7 Even as Abraham believed God, and it [his circumcision] was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of [Christian] faith, the *same are the children of Abraham.' - Note: Traditionally after Abraham the children (descendants of Abraham) are circumcised as an infant on the eight day after their birth. The infant circumcision is not a seal of the faith of the child but it is a seal of the faith of the parent [it is a generational faith]. Abraham was not circumcised as an infant Abraham was circumcised as an adult, he made his own decision and therefore Abraham's circumcision is the faith of an adult and his adult decision for faith is why our Christian faith is compared to Abraham but not necessarily to circumcision. Circumcision after Abraham is more like a child dedication for us as it is more of an exhibit of the faith of the parent than of the child. Abraham circumcised himself as an adult but then he also circumcised his infant son Isaac with his adult faith then later Isaac circumcised his infant son Jacob with his adult faith and on and on until the present time. -- 'Galatians 3:12-14 And the law [self ability] is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them [self ability]. Christ hath redeemed us from the [self ability] curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written [Deuteronomy 21:23], Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the [Spiritual] blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the [Holy] Spirit through faith.' - The Apostle Paul is again declaring the finality of the death of Jesus on the cross and then with the finality of death on the cross then the giving of the Holy Spirit and a new life. Yes, Jesus in the eyes of man was made a curse [for our benefit] but keep in mind that Jesus died on the cross and with Jesus all sin and every curse also died [though Jesus resurrected the sins and curses of mankind remained dead and nailed to the cross]. The cross of Jesus Christ removed both the curse of our own human restrictions and constraints and also any curse or restraints from the Satanic, Demonic realm that might be placed on us in attempting to hinder and restrict us. 'Colossians 2:14-15 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary [against] to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His (Jesus) cross; And having spoiled principalities [fallen satanic angels] and powers [demonic powers], He (Jesus) made a shew [show] of them openly, triumphing [Victory] over them in it.' [article link]

King Hammurabi (Saudi Arabia) - Introduction: Who is Melchizedek? #7: Coming Soon the Basic Christian Article: Who is Melchizedek? - Genesis 14:1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar (Babylon) ... Is "Amraphel king of Shinar" actually Hammurabi a *Babylonian (Saudi Arabia) king who set down some of the first written codes of law - Hammurabi "Ham the Great" a descendant of Ham the 2nd son of Noah - Hammurabi was a king of the Babylonian empire 1795-1750 B.C. [after Nimrod and the Tower of Babel in the Babylonian (Shinar) region of Turkey - the actual Tower of Babel was probably in the region of Turkey - Nimrod (Tower of Babel in Turkey) {Nimrod was a grandsom of Noah's (2nd) son Ham via Cush}, Hammurabi {Hammurabi "Ham the Great" also a descendant of Ham} (Saudi Arabia - the people of modern Saudi Arabia) and the Kingdom of Babylon (Iraq) are probably three separate and distinct Kingdoms - Abraham (Israel) is a descendant of Noah's oldest son Shem - Abraham (1812 BC - 1637 BC) was also born in the region of (Shinar) in the city of Ur of the Chaldees] -- [Hammurabi *born about 1795 BC then at three years old in 1792 he inhareted the throne from his father - Wiki.com] - With his death in 1750 BC Hammurabi died at the young age of 45 years old {Abraham was about 62 years old when Hammurabi died} - The cause of death does not seem to be known in modern times but did Hammurabi die in the battle along with Chedorlaomer when Abraham rescued Lot at Hobah? -- Genesis 14:17 And the [new] king of Sodom went out to meet him (Abraham) after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings [including Hammurabi?] that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale - One of the major differences, however, between Melchizedek's law {supposedly from Abraham to Moses however Melchizedek's law (the Holy Spirit) is evident from Adam, Eve, Able, Enoch, Noah, Job and everyone even Cain, Lamech and Nimrod knew about God's instructions, up until the days of Abraham most people were aware of God's laws regarding the sacrifices and of the clean and unclean ordinances then way after Adam, Hammurabi later wrote down a partial corruption of God's previously given verbal laws and instructions. God's laws and instructions were finally written in stone [10 commandments] by the finger of God and then in ink [first five books of the Bible] by Moses soon after the Jews became free from their captivity in Egypt} and the Code of Hammurabi is that Hammurabi based his on human wisdom and perhaps a demon's influence: note his reference to Marduk [i.e. Moloch, Beliel, Beelzebub, variant names of Satan] in the introduction of his code of law while Melchizedek [Abraham-Moses, but actually Adam-Moses] based his law on love and the worship and honor of God
Genesis 14:14-15 And when Abram heard that his brother [nephew, in the Bible a younger person of a believer is a brother and an older person of a believer is a father] was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. -- Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not [Abraham seems to have been very stressed after his victory], Abram: I am thy shield [God would not let the kings and armies of the North come and retaliate against Abraham], and thy exceeding great reward [Abraham did not take any reward for saving Lot and the people] -- Genesis 14:17 And the [new] king of Sodom went out to meet him (Abraham) after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings [including ] that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. ... Hammurabi - Babylonian king who set down first written code of laws: Although opinions vary on exactly when Hammurabi lived and the important dates of his reign, most scholars believe Hammurabi began his rule of Babylon in 1792 B.C. and died in 1750 B.C. Hammurabi was the sixth king over the city of Babylon, but once he defeated Sumer, Akkad, and other city-states to the south of Babylon around 1760 B.C., he claimed the title of the first king of the Babylonian empire. Eventually, his empire covered most parts of Mesopotamia. His main claim to fame, the Code of Hammurabi, was written in about 1786 B.C. Besides this, Hammurabi also did other things to improve his empire, namely, he improved the irrigation process. He also strongly encouraged astronomy, mathematics, and literature. Sadly, once Hammurabi died, the Babylonian empire that he worked so hard to build and improve collapsed due to military pressure from the Hittites under the rule of Mursilis I. Eventually, the Kassites, under the command of Agumkakrine, came to rule Babylon and some of the former, gargantuan empire for 400 years. Interestingly enough, they obeyed and respected the Code of Hammurabi. Much later, God used the Babylonians to correct and discipline the people of Judah when they were taken captive into Babylon in 586 B.C. ... One of the major differences, however, between Melchizedek's law {supposedly from Abraham to Moses however Melchizedek's law (the Holy Spirit) is evident from Adam, Eve, Able, Enoch, Noah, Job and everyone even Cain, Lamech and Nimrod knew about God's instructions, up until the days of Abraham most people were aware of God's laws regarding the sacrifices and of the clean and unclean ordinances then way after Adam, Hammurabi later wrote down a partial corruption of God's previously given verbal laws and instructions. God's laws and instructions were finally written in stone [10 commandments] by the finger of God and then in ink [first five books of the Bible] by Moses soon after the Jews became free from their captivity in Egypt} and the Code of Hammurabi is that Hammurabi based his on human wisdom and perhaps a demon's influence: note his reference to Marduk [i.e. Moloch, Beliel, Beelzebub, variant names of Satan] in the introduction of his code of law while Melchizedek [Abraham-Moses, but actually Adam-Moses] based his law on love and the worship and honor of God. Although each of these is only a speculation, they do help set the stage for Hammurabi's life and reign and draw some conclusions worth digging deeper for more positive answers to further prove the historical accuracy and truth in the Bible. [article link]

King Hammurabi (Saudi Arabia) - Introduction: Who is Melchizedek? #8: Coming Soon the Basic Christian Article: Who is Melchizedek? - Abraham: by tradition Abraham was born in 1812 BC and died about 1637 BC, we know from the Bible that Abraham lived 175 years - In 1750 at the death of Hammurabi [possibly king Amraphel] occurring when Abraham rescued Lot, Abraham would have been about 62 years old, Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born -- Note: Abraham lived in a tent in the area of Hebron about 19 miles south of the Jerusalem area and about 99 miles south of Sodom and the Salt Sea (Dead Sea) area that was under tribute to the Northern kings (Babylon is about 900 miles via camel trail north of Sodom). This means that Abraham did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Northern Kings neither Hammurabi, Chedorlaomer or any of the kings. Had Abraham fallen under their jurisdiction and paid taxes and tributes to them they would have been one of the 7 Kings of the Globe. Since Abraham (Jews) did not fall under their rule they were great kings but not Global Kings. -- Revelation 17:10-11 And there are seven kings [Global Kings, known world]: five are fallen, and one (Rome) is, and the other [7th - Antichrist] is not yet come; and when he (Antichrist) cometh, he must continue a short space [3 1/2 years] -- Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil taketh Him (Jesus) up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the [7] kingdoms of the world [5 are past, 6th one is (Rome), 7th is Antichrist], and the glory of them; And saith unto Him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan [liar, because it was a false promise, only the 7th kingdom of this world is left and that is Satan's Antichrist kingdom, Satan isn't giving that up to anybody not even God]: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. -- Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth (humans) and of the sea (demons)! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
2 Kings 23:33 And [Egyptian] Pharaoh-nechoh (Necho) [King of Egypt part of the 2nd world Kingdom] put him [Jewish King Jehoahaz] in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold. -- 2 Kings 24:1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon [King of Babylon, 3rd world kingdom] came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. -- Ezra 3:11-13 This is the copy of the [slander] letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king [king of Persia-Iran, 4th world kingdom]; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time. Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, [re]building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations. Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings. -- [Greece during the Jewish Maccabee revolt is the 5th world kingdom] -- Luke 2:1-5 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus [Roman 6th world kingdom, "and one (currently) is"], that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David: To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with (Jesus) child. -- [The 7th and final world kingdom is the Antichrist] -- Revelation 17:10-11 And there are seven [Global (middle-east, Jerusalem) rulers: King Nimrod - builder of the tower of Babel, Egypt, Babylon (Iraq), Persia (Iran), Greece, Rome (Italy), Antichrist] kings: five are fallen, and one (Rome) is, and the other [7th world King - Antichrist] is not yet come; and when he (Antichrist) cometh, he must continue a short space [3 1/2 years]. And the beast [Antichrist] that was [7th ruler], and is not [because Antichrist is assassinated], even he (Antichrist) is the eighth [false resurrection], and is of the seven [the 7th ruler is killed or seems to be in an assassination, and resurrects himself [false eternal life] (demonic possession) to also become the 8th ruler], and goeth into perdition [everlasting damnation-hell]. -- Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil taketh Him (Jesus) up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the [7] kingdoms of the world [5 are past, 6th one is (Rome), 7th is Antichrist], and the glory of them; And saith unto Him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan [liar, because it was a false promise, only the 7th kingdom of this world is left and that is Satan's Antichrist kingdom, Satan isn't giving that up to anybody not even God]: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. -- Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth (humans) and of the sea (demons)! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. [article link]

The Hope Diamond: The history of the stone which was eventually named the Hope diamond began when the French merchant traveller, Jean Baptiste Tavernier, purchased a 112 3/16-carat diamond. This diamond, which was most likely from the Kollur mine in Golconda, India - Tavernier sold the diamond to King Louis XIV of France in 1668 with 14 other large diamonds and several smaller ones. In 1673 the stone was recut by Sieur Pitau, the court jeweler, resulting in a 67 1/8-carat stone - In 1791, after an attempt by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to flee France, the jewels of the French Royal Treasury were turned over to the government - During a week-long looting of the crown jewels in September of 1792, the French Blue diamond [Hope Diamond] was stolen - In 1812 a deep blue diamond described by John Francillion as weighing 177 grains (4 grains = 1 carat) was documented as being in the possession of London diamond merchant, Daniel Eliason
The first reference to the diamond's next owner is found in the 1839 entry of the gem collection catalog of the well-known Henry Philip Hope, the man from whom the diamond takes its name. Unfortunately, the catalog does not reveal where or from whom Hope acquired the diamond or how much he paid for it. Following the death of Henry Philip Hope in 1839, and after much litigation, the diamond passed to his nephew Henry Thomas Hope and ultimately to the nephew's grandson Lord Francis Hope. In 1901 Lord Francis Hope obtained permission from the Court of Chancery and his sisters to sell the stone to help pay off his debts. It was sold to a London dealer who quickly sold it to Joseph Frankels and Sons of New York City, who retained the stone in New York until they, in turn, needed cash. The diamond was next sold to Selim Habib who put it up for auction in Paris in 1909. It did not sell at the auction but was sold soon after to C.H. Rosenau and then resold to Pierre Cartier that same year. In 1910 the Hope diamond was shown to Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean, of Washington D.C., at Cartier's in Paris, but she did not like the setting. Cartier had the diamond reset and took it to the U.S. where he left it with Mrs. McLean for a weekend. This strategy was successful. The sale was made in 1911 with the diamond mounted as a headpiece on a three-tiered circlet of large white diamonds. Sometime later it became the pendant on a diamond necklace as we know it today. Mrs. McLean's flamboyant ownership of the stone lasted until her death in 1947. Harry Winston Inc. of New York City purchased Mrs. McLean's entire jewelry collection, including the Hope diamond, from her estate in 1949. This collection also included the 94.8-carat Star of the East diamond, the 15-carat Star of the South diamond, a 9-carat green diamond, and a 31-carat diamond which is now called the McLean diamond. For the next 10 years the Hope diamond was shown at many exhibits and charitable events world wide by Harry Winston Inc., including as the central attraction of their Court of Jewels exhibition. On November 10, 1958, they donated the Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institution, and almost immediately the great blue stone became its premier attraction. [article link]

The Hope Diamond [Displayed] in Smithsonian Museum - Diamond is the strongest mineral found on earth - Diamond is also the most precious and the most priceless jewel - In Europe, during the middle age, diamonds were assumed to be the reflectors of Jesus Christ
In Myanmar, there were a fact about the blue diamond which caused an exotic case to the world. The case started from the diamond embedded on the forehead of a Buddha Image in Ananda Temple, Bagan. The diamond was stolen from the image and many people who had the diamond were cursed and ended their lives with unexpected deaths. The background history of the blue diamond still remains a mystery. [article link]

Hope Diamond's Red Glow Explained - The storied Hope Diamond glows red when exposed to ultraviolet light - This once mysterious phenomenon unlocks the unique identity of individual diamonds - The stone flitted between European royal houses and through the upper-crust of America's Gilded Age - In 1958, famed jeweler Harry Winston donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution by mailing it in a brown paper bag
Headline Links: 'Hope Diamond's Red Glow Explained' The Hope Diamond, arguably the world's most famous blue diamond, was found to emit a soft red glow for several seconds when placed under ultraviolet light. Scientists have discovered why and found that this phosphorescence is common among colored diamonds. The centerpiece of the Smithsonian Institution's United States Gem Collection, the 45.52-carat diamond was the subject of research by a team of geologists. Using spectrometers, the scientists discovered that the Hope Diamond shared similar wavelength patterns with other naturally blue diamonds. When exposed to UV light, all blue diamonds glow either red or blue-green. Source: Discovery Channel. [article link]

Wikipedia: Hope Diamond - Housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. - It is currently unset [the stone has been removed from the necklace] for the first time since it has been on display {The Hope Diamond is propbaly 'unset' for the purpose of being used in occult rituals.}
The Hope Diamond (previously "Le bleu de France") is a large, 45.52 carats (9.10 g), deep-blue diamond, housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. The Hope Diamond is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but it exhibits red phosphorescence after exposure to ultraviolet light. It is classified as a Type IIb diamond, and is famous for supposedly being cursed. It is currently unset for the first time since it has been on display. ... Legend: According to specious later accounts, the original form of the Hope Diamond was stolen from an eye of a sculpted statue of the goddess Sita, the wife of Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu. However, much like the "curse of Tutankhamun", this general type of "legend" was the invention of Western authors during the Victorian era, and the specific legends about the Hope Diamond's "cursed origin" were invented in the early 20th century to add mystique to the stone and increase its sales appeal; see The "Curse" section below. ... A new mounting: The stone is to be temporarily reset in a newly designed necklace, created by the Harry Winston firm. Three designs for the new setting, all white diamonds and white metal, were created and the public was allowed to vote on them via the internet. The winning necklace will debut sometime in 2010. The Hope has been displayed as a loose gem since late summer of 2009.The Hope Diamond (previously "Le bleu de France") is a large, 45.52 carats (9.10 g), deep-blue diamond, housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. The Hope Diamond is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but it exhibits red phosphorescence after exposure to ultraviolet light. It is classified as a Type IIb diamond, and is famous for supposedly being cursed. It is currently unset for the first time since it has been on display. ... Legend: According to specious later accounts, the original form of the Hope Diamond was stolen from an eye of a sculpted statue of the goddess Sita, the wife of Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu. However, much like the "curse of Tutankhamun", this general type of "legend" was the invention of Western authors during the Victorian era, and the specific legends about the Hope Diamond's "cursed origin" were invented in the early 20th century to add mystique to the stone and increase its sales appeal; see The "Curse" section below. ... A new mounting: The stone is to be temporarily reset in a newly designed necklace, created by the Harry Winston firm. Three designs for the new setting, all white diamonds and white metal, were created and the public was allowed to vote on them via the internet. The winning necklace will debut sometime in 2010. The Hope has been displayed as a loose gem since late summer of 2009. [article link]

Smithsonian Puts Mysterious Crystal Skull on Display - Nonetheless, the giant crystal skull that mysteriously arrived at the Smithsonian 16 years ago is out of its locked cabinet in Walsh's office and will be on public view until Sept. 1 - Studying this skull led Walsh to extend her investigation into crystal skulls in other museums and to conclude that all are fakes, made in the 19th and 20th centuries - seems to have been made between 1950 and 1960 - Indeed, no crystal skulls have ever been found at an archaeological site
WASHINGTON - Some mysteries are such fun you almost don't want to know the truth. That may help explain why people are fascinated with crystal skulls. Happy to share the spotlight with the latest Indiana Jones movie, the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History is putting its crystal skull on display starting Thursday. "People like to believe in something greater than themselves," Smithsonian anthropologist Jane MacLaren Walsh said, and crystal skulls are mysterious and beautiful. The skulls "are a fascinating example of artifacts that have made their way into museums with no scientific evidence to prove their rumored pre-Columbian origins," she added. ... Crystals carved into the shape of a human skull fed the 19th century's need for drama and mystery and its fascination with death. They were supposed to be the creation of ancient Mesoamericans - Aztecs, Mixtecs, Toltecs, perhaps Maya. ... The skulls were claimed to represent the art and religion of these peoples. Some even said the skulls had special, even supernatural, powers. Scientists say it ain't so. ... Of the many crystal skulls in museums and private collections around the world, the Smithsonian's is one of the largest, at 10 inches high and weighing 30 pounds. It was mailed to the museum anonymously, accompanied by a note claiming it was of Aztec origin. It's isn't, Walsh said. The skulls were carved from blocks of quartz - sometimes called rock crystal - and show the marks of modern carving tools. That means they were not made before the 19th century. The Smithsonian one, she said, seems to have been made between 1950 and 1960. Indeed, no crystal skulls have ever been found at an archaeological site. [article link]

[Hoax Alert] War message found inside Abraham Lincoln's watch - A long-hidden message has been discovered inside Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch, the Smithsonian's Museum of American History announced Tuesday - The actual (2009) message that the museum found [displayed] differs from the watchmaker's (1906 interview with The New York Times) recollection
A long-hidden message has been discovered inside Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch, the Smithsonian's Museum of American History announced Tuesday. Watchmaker Jonathan Dillon was repairing Lincoln's watch in April 1861 when he heard about the attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, and wrote a short message on the metal inside the watch, the Smithsonian said. ... In a 1906 interview with The New York Times, Dillon reported that as soon as he heard the news about the first shots of the Civil War, he unscrewed the dial of the watch and wrote on the metal, "The first gun is fired. Slavery is dead. Thank God we have a President who at least will try." The actual message that the museum found differs from the watchmaker's recollection. It says, "Jonathan Dillon, April 13-1861, Fort Sumpter [sic] was attacked by the rebels on the above date J Dillon, April 13-1861, Washington, thank God we have a government, Jonth Dillon." According to the Smithsonian, it was not unusual for professional watchmakers to record their work inside a watch. [article link]

Update: The Basic Christian Info Feed will be on a short break - Returning with Nimrod [human race - relations - was Nimrod black?] and the Tower of Babel in the "8 Kingdoms of the World" study - An 8 Kingdom summary is postponed for a short while -- Wiki.com: The generic usage [of the word Adam] in Genesis meaning "mankind" reflects the view that Adam [red-man, all the human races are a part of the original creation glory of God, built into Adam, to help reveal the glory and expanse of God - a language confusion would come later at the fall of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:9)] was the ancestor of all men. Etymologically it is the masculine form of the word adamah meaning ground or earth and related to the words adom *(red), admoni *(ruddy) and dam *(blood) Gen. ii. 7 explains that the man was called Adam because he was formed from the ground *(adamah).
On a short break from posting for now but plan on continuing to research and work on the 8 Kingdoms project in the meantime so should have a lot of ordered material to post in the weeks to come. [article link]

2 The Kingdom of Egypt

Wikipedia.org: Pharaoh Akhenaten (possibly Joseph's dream Pharaoh - Genesis 41:1) - a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt [2nd Global Kingdom - Egypt] who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC - Wife: Queen, Nefertiti, son from late in life King Tutankhamun - Interest in Akhenaten increased with the discovery in the Valley of the Kings, at Luxor, of the tomb of King Tutankhamun, who has been proved to be Akhenaten's son according to DNA testing in 2010 - He is especially noted for abandoning traditional Egyptian polytheism and introducing worship centered on the Aten, which is sometimes described as monotheistic - Akhenaten tried to bring about a departure from traditional religion, yet in the end it would not be accepted - **After his death, traditional (Egypt) religious practice was gradually restored [by his son Tutankhamun], and when some dozen years later rulers without clear rights of succession from the Eighteenth Dynasty founded **a new dynasty, they discredited Akhenaten and his immediate successors [including Joseph - Exodus 1:8], referring to Akhenaten himself as "the enemy" in archival records
Akhenaten meaning "living spirit of Aten" [Aten - the disk of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology] known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV (sometimes given its Greek form, Amenophis IV, and meaning Amun is Satisfied), was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC - He is especially noted for abandoning traditional Egyptian polytheism and introducing worship centered on the Aten, which is sometimes described as monotheistic or henotheistic. An early inscription likens him to the sun as compared to stars, and later official language avoids calling the Aten a god, giving the solar deity a status above mere gods. Akhenaten tried to bring about a departure from traditional religion, yet in the end it would not be accepted. After his death, traditional religious practice was gradually restored, and when some dozen years later rulers without clear rights of succession from the Eighteenth Dynasty founded a new dynasty, they discredited Akhenaten and his immediate successors, referring to Akhenaten himself as "the enemy" in archival records. -- He was all but lost from history until the discovery, in the 19th century, of Amarna, the site of Akhetaten, the city he built for the Aten. Early excavations at Amarna by Flinders Petrie sparked interest in the enigmatic pharaoh, whose tomb was unearthed in 1907 in a dig led by Edward R. Ayrton. Interest in Akhenaten increased with the discovery in the Valley of the Kings, at Luxor, of the tomb of King Tutankhamun, who has been proved to be Akhenaten's son according to DNA testing in 2010. A mummy found in KV55 in 1907 has now been identified as almost certainly that of Akhenaten. This elder man and Tutankhamun are related without question. -- Akhenaten remains an interesting figure, as does his queen, Nefertiti. Their modern interest comes partly from his connection with Tutankhamun, partly from the unique style and high quality of the pictorial arts he patronized, and partly from ongoing interest in the religion he attempted to establish. ... Amenhotep IV (Pharaoh Akhenaten) was crowned in Thebes and there he started a building program. ... Akhenaten's fifth year also marked the beginning of construction on his **new capital [Akhenaten moved the throne of Egypt from Thebes to Amarna], Akhetaten or 'Horizon of Aten', at the site known today as Amarna. ... Akhenaten was married to Nefertiti at the very beginning of his reign, and six daughters [having daughters Joseph was made 2nd in charge in Egypt (Genesis 41:40) - until Tutankhaten was born (Genesis 50:4 - Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh {possibly Tutankhaten})] were identified from inscriptions. Recent DNA analysis has revealed he (Pharaoh Akhenaten) also fathered [King Tut] Tutankhaten (later Tutankhamen) with his biological sister, whose mummy remains unidentified. [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Nefertiti - Nefertiti (1370 BC - 1330 BC) was the Great Royal Wife (chief consort) of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten - Nefertiti and her husband were known for a religious revolution, in which they started to worship one god only - This was Aten, or the sun disc - Nefertiti's place as an icon in popular culture is secure as she has become somewhat of a celebrity - After Cleopatra [5th Kingdom - Greece (located in Alexandria, Egypt)] she is the second most famous "Queen" of Ancient Egypt in the Western imagination and influenced through photographs that changed standards of feminine beauty of the 20th century, and is often referred to as "the most beautiful woman in the world"
She was made famous by her bust, now in Berlin's Neues Museum, shown to the right. The bust is one of the most copied works of ancient Egypt. It was attributed to the sculptor Thutmose, and it was found in his workshop. The bust is notable for exemplifying the understanding Ancient Egyptians had regarding realistic facial proportions. Some scholars believe that Nefertiti ruled briefly after her husband's death and before the accession of Tutankhamun as Neferneferuaten, although this identification is a matter of ongoing debate. ... During the early years in Thebes Akhenaten (still known as Amenhotep IV) had several temples erected at Karnak. One of the structures, the Mansion of the Benben (hwt-ben-ben), was dedicated to Nefertiti. She is depicted with her daughter Meritaten and in some scenes the princess Meketaten participates in the scenes as well. In scenes found on the talatat Nefertiti appears almost twice as often as her husband. She is shown appearing behind her husband the Pharaoh in offering scenes in the role of the queen supporting her husband, but she is also depicted in scenes that would have normally been the prerogative of the king. She is shown smiting the enemy, and captive enemies decorate her throne. In the fourth year of his reign Amenhotep IV decided to move the capital to Akhetaten (modern Amarna). In his fifth year, Amenhotep IV officially changed his name to Akhenaten, and Nefertiti was henceforth known as Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti. The name change was a sign of the ever-increasing importance of the cult of the Aten. It [temporarily] changed Egypt's religion from a polytheistic religion to a religion which may have been better described as a monolatry (the depiction of a single god as an object for worship) or henotheism (one god, who is not the only god). [article link]

King Tut - Tutankhamun: The Ancient Egyptians believed that as long as a pharaoh's name was remembered, the king would live on through eternity - King Tut was a minor King - He died when he was only nineteen years old {probably from an accident, i.e. a fall or accidently by hitting his head, there is thought to be a slight but fatal injury to the head (skull) of Tutankhamun.} - But the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun and its fabulous wealth has made King Tut one of the most famous Pharaohs
Tomb of King Tut: The location of the tomb of King Tut in the Valley of the Kings, the discovery of the tomb, excavation of the tomb of King Tut and its description. The artefacts, the hieroglyphics, the mummy of King Tut - Tutankhamun and the fabulous golden sarcophagus and treasure. -- Curse of King Tut: The myths and legends surrounding the tombs of the Pharaohs and King Tut are legendary and the idea of the Curse of the Pharaohs is fascinating. The section details the curses that surround the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, the tombs of the Pharaohs and the rumours of the use of poison in their building, the Egyptian Gods and the people who were reputed to be victims of the Curse of King Tut - Tutankhamun. -- King Tut Exhibits and Treasures: The King Tut Exhibit or Exhibition provides a roving display of the fabulous treasures which were found in his tomb. The shining gold sarcophagus and the golden death mask of Tutankhamun capture the imagination and indicates the enormous wealth of the Ancient Egyptians. The Tutankhamun London exhibition rooms includes an introductory film and information based on The Tomb, Ancient Egypt before Tutankhamun, Death, Burial and the Afterlife, Egyptian Religious Revolution, Egyptian Traditional Beliefs, Tutankhamun King of Egypt and Daily Life Facts in Tutankhamuns World. [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Tutankhamun [King Tut] - Tutankhamun approx. (1341 BC - 1323 BC) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty (ruled ca. 1333 BC - 1323 BC in the conventional chronology), during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom - His original name, Tutankhaten, means "Living Image of Aten", while Tutankhamun means "Living Image of Amun" - He is possibly also the Nibhurrereya of the Amarna letters, and likely the 18th dynasty king Rathotis who, according to Manetho, an ancient historian, had reigned for nine years - **a figure which conforms with Flavius Josephus's version of Manetho's Epitome -- The 1922 discovery by Howard Carter and George Herbert (5th Earl of Carnarvon) of Tutankhamun's nearly intact tomb received worldwide press coverage - It sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, for which Tutankhamun's burial mask remains the popular symbol - Exhibits of artifacts from his tomb have toured the world {Tutankhamun was at odds with his father's (Pharaoh Akhenaten) religious [one god] leanings and returned Egypt back to the traditional (Egyptian - many gods) religious practice.}
Cause of death: There are no surviving records of Tutankhamun's final days. What caused Tutankhamun's death has been the subject of considerable debate. Major studies have been conducted in an effort to establish the cause of death. Although there is some speculation that Tutankhamun was assassinated, the consensus is that his death was accidental. A CT scan taken in 2005 shows that he had badly broken his leg shortly before his death, and that the leg had become infected. DNA analysis conducted in 2010 showed the presence of malaria in his system. It is believed that these two conditions (malaria and leiomyomata) combined, led to his death. -- Discovery of tomb: Tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings - Tutankhamun seems to have faded from public consciousness in Ancient Egypt within a short time after his death, and remained virtually unknown until the 1920s. His tomb was robbed at least twice in antiquity, but based on the items taken (including perishable oils and perfumes) and the evidence of restoration of the tomb after the intrusions, it seems clear that these robberies took place within several months at most of the initial burial. Eventually the location of the tomb was lost because it had come to be buried by stone chips from subsequent tombs, either dumped there or washed there by floods. In the years that followed, some huts for workers were built over the tomb entrance, clearly not knowing what lay beneath. When at the end of the Twentieth Dynasty the Valley of the Kings burials were systematically dismantled, the burial of Tutankhamun was overlooked, presumably because knowledge of it had been lost and his name may have been forgotten. -- Curse of the Pharaohs: For many years, rumors of a "Curse of the Pharaohs" (probably fueled by newspapers seeking sales at the time of the discovery[citation needed]) persisted, emphasizing the early death of some of those who had first entered the tomb. However, a recent study of journals and death records indicates no statistical difference between the age of death of those who entered the tomb and those on the expedition who did not. -- Aftermath of death: Although it is unknown how he met his death, the Amarna letters indicate that Tutankhamun's wife, recently widowed, wrote to the Hittite king Suppiluliuma I, asking if she could marry one of his sons, saying that she was very afraid, but would not take one of her own people as husband. However, the son was killed before reaching his new wife. Shortly afterward Ay married Tutankhamun's widow and became Pharaoh as a war between the two countries was fought, and Egypt was left defeated. -- Significance: Tutankhamun was nine years old when he became pharaoh and reigned for approximately ten years. In historical terms, Tutankhamun's significance stems from his rejection of the radical religious innovations introduced by his predecessor and father, Akhenaten. Secondly, his tomb in the Valley of the Kings was discovered by Carter almost completely intact - the most complete ancient Egyptian royal tomb ever found. As Tutankhamun began his reign at such an early age, his vizier and eventual successor Ay was probably making most of the important political decisions during Tutankhamun's reign. Tutankhamun was one of the few kings worshiped as a god and honored with a cult-like following during his lifetime. A stela discovered at Karnak and dedicated to Amun-Re and Tutankhamun indicates that the king could be appealed to in his deified state for forgiveness and to free the petitioner from an ailment caused by wrongdoing. Temples of his cult were built as far away as in Kawa and Faras in Nubia. The title of the sister of the Viceroy of Kush included a reference to the deified king, indicative of the universality of his cult. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Exodus - Who Was The Pharaoh Of The Exodus? [Early Timeline] - Assuming the pharaohs mentioned in Exodus 1:8, 22 and 2:23 are all the same person, he would have had to reign for over forty years - Amenhotep's predecessor, Thutmose III, is the only pharaoh within the time specified in I Kings 6:1 who reigned long enough (54 years) to have been on the throne at the time of Moses' flight and to die shortly before his return to Egypt - This would make Thutmose III the pharaoh of the Oppression and Amenhotep II the pharaoh of the Exodus {**Updated Later Timeline: [Possibly Joseph's dream Pharaoh - Genesis 41:1] Pharaoh Akhenaten (Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt) Reign 1351-1334 B.C. - [Possibly the other Pharaoh in Joseph's time - Genesis 50:4] Tutankhamun [King Tut] son of Akhenaten (last Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty) Reign 1333-1323 B.C. -- [Possibly the Pharaoh of Moses' time - Exodus 1:8] Ramesses II (Nineteenth Dynasty) Reign 1279-1213 B.C.}
The Bible nowhere mentions the name of the pharaoh of the Exodus, but Bible students have always been curious as to who he was. No doubt, some Christians will be wary of trying to discover something the Bible has not clearly revealed; but in studying this question one can come away with his faith increased in the Bible as the unerring word of God. Although the Bible does not specifically name the pharaoh of the Exodus, enough data is supplied for us to be relatively sure who he was. Admittedly, there are two schools of thought concerning the date of the Exodus (i.e., the early date and late date theories). Proponents of the late date theory (1290 B.C.) are clearly in the majority, but they reject clear Biblical statements with reference to the date of the Exodus. Therefore their arguments in favor of a particular pharaoh will not be considered in this article. In I Kings 6:1 the Scriptures say: "And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Zif, which is the second month that he began to build the house of the Lord." One can readily see that the times for both the Exodus and the beginning of the Temple have been specifically stated in God's Word. Scholars have identified the fourth year of Solomon's reign as 966 B.C. (Gleason, A Survey of Old Testamsnt Introduction, 1974, p. 223). Using this 966 B.C. date, we find that the Exodus took place in 1445 B.C. Now, if this information is correct, the Exodus occurred in the third year of the reign of the pharaoh Amenhotep II. Before concluding that Amenhotep II was, indeed, the pharaoh of the Exodus, we will need to study further other evidence that can be presented. For instance, when comparing Exodus 7:7 with Acts 7:23, we learn that Moses was in Midian approximately forty years. Assuming the pharaohs mentioned in Exodus 1:8, 22 and 2:23 are all the same person, he would have had to reign for over forty years. Amenhotep's predecessor, Thutmose III, is the only pharaoh within the time specified in I Kings 6:1 who reigned long enough (54 years) to have been on the throne at the time of Moses' flight and to die shortly before his return to Egypt. This would make Thutmose III the pharaoh of the Oppression and Amenhotep II the pharaoh of the Exodus. History tells us that for several years after 1445 B.C. Amenhotep II was unable to carry out any invasions or extensive military operations. This would seem like very strange behavior for a pharaoh who hoped to equal his father's record of no less than seventeen military campaigns in nineteen years. But this is exactly what one would expect from a pharaoh who had lost almost all his cavalry, chariotry, and army at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:23, 27-30). Furthermore, we learn from the Dream Stela of Thutmose IV, son of Amenhotep II, that he was not the legitimate successor to the throne (J.B. Pritchard (ed.), Ancient Near-Eastern Texts, p. 449). This means that Thutmose IV was not the firstborn son, who would have been the legitimate heir. The firstborn son of Amenhotep II had evidently died prior to taking the throne of Egypt. This would agree with Exodus 12:29 which says the pharaoh's first-born son was killed during the Passover. If the Exodus did take place in 1445 B.C., forty years of wilderness wandering would bring us to 1405 B.C. for the destruction of Jericho. Interestingly enough, John Garstang, who excavated the site of ancient Jericho (city "D" in his survey), came to the conclusion that the destruction of the city took place around 1400 B.C. (Garstang, The Story of Jericho, 1948, p. 122). He also concluded that the walls of the city toppled outward, which would compare favorably with Joshua 6:20. Scholars have been fascinated by a revolutionary religious doctrine which developed shortly after 1445 B.C. that threatened to sweep away the theological dogmas of centuries. These scholars have credited Amenhotep IV, great grandson of Amenhotep II, with founding the religious concept of Monotheism (the idea that there is only one God). The cult of Aton set forth this idea to the Egyptian people and scholars have mistakenly credited this idea to the Egyptians. But it does not seem unusual to me that a people who had been so influenced by the one God of Moses would try to worship the God that had so convincingly defeated their gods. A continually increasing body of evidence indicates that this cult of Aton had its beginning in the reign of Thutmose IV, son of Amenhotep II, pharaoh of the Exodus. Although the final verdict is not yet in, we can be reasonably sure that Amenhotep II was the pharaoh of the Exodus. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Exodus - The Delta-Sinai Tour - Goshen: The cities Pithom and Pi-Rameses, two fortified cities the Hebrews built before the Exodus, (Ex. 1:11) however, have been found (Photos)
The German scholar Dr. O.F.A, Meinardus wrote about traditions informing us that the Holy Family {Joseph, Mary, Jesus} likely traveled through the Eastern Delta, the approximate location from where the Exodus took place. The name 'Land of Goshen' is only mentioned in the Bible, and not Egyptian documents. The cities Pithom and Pi-Rameses, two fortified cities the Hebrews built before the Exodus, (Ex. 1:11) however, have been found. The Austrian Institute excavated the ruins of Pithom and found the remains of some temple buildings and grain stores. Pi-Rameses in particular is important because the Egyptians moved their capital from Memphis to Pi-Rameses in the 14th century B.C. because of the threats coming from the east. Pi-Rameses was the capital of Egypt in the time of Moses. In the same region the ruins have been found of Tanis, the capital of Pharaoh Sheshonk I [Shishak in the Bible] (935-914 B.C.) who plundered the temple of Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 12:9). Some researchers speculate he may have taken the Ark of the Covenant to this city. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Genesis 15-16 - God's Covenant Relationship with Abraham - The land of Israel belongs to the Jews, there would be many future descendants, the Messiah (Christ) would appear through the line of Abraham [though King David] - The first mention of the appearance of the "Angel of the Lord" an appearance to humans of Jesus Christ in human form - A covenant is a final agreement as final as a Will or a Testimony - Abraham was not yet accounted as righteous either by circumcision [24 years later] or by the law [430 years later] as both were not yet given - Abraham was accounted righteous by belief in the Word of God the acceptability of the covenant and the acceptability of the blood sacrifice sealing the covenant - Note: a Biblical covenant is revealed to be irreversible [given life] by sealing the covenant in blood (Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood - the life of the covenant is in the blood) the life of the blood transfers into the life of the covenant [the final (life) covenant between God and man is sealed on the cross in the blood and death of Jesus Christ - In Jesus Christ we have recieved the ultimate eternal sacrifice and life covenant - His is both a New and an Eternal Living covenant in that Jesus has Resurrected from the dead and is eternally Alive!
Note: Along with the covenant with Abraham God revealed that Abraham and his descendants would be not be settled into their own land (Israel) for at least another 400 years. 'Genesis 15:13-14 And He (God) said unto Abram (Abraham), Know of a surety that thy seed (descendants) shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation [Egypt], whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.' - It's probable that the account of the 400 years of affliction was from the night of the covenant between God and Abraham "and they shall afflict them four hundred years" until the night of the Passover in Egypt 430 years to the day later [only 30 years during that time were not years of affliction]. It's likely that the affliction included their time in Canaan as well as the other places where they sojourned before eventually going into Egypt where Joseph was serving Pharo. The Hebrews (Jews) didn't need to go to Egypt to be afflicted, Egypt and the policies of Egypt afflicted the whole world and also their wanderings and travels in and around Canaan (ancient Israel) itself were generally a time of affliction, famine, peril and distress for them long before going down to Egypt. The events of Isaac with Abimelech [Genesis 26], Jacob with his brother Esau [Genesis 28], Jacob with his father in law Laban [Genesis 29-31], Shechem raping Dinah and the revenge of her two brothers Simeon and Levi [Genesis 34] are just a few examples of the many perils the Hebrew family faced. -- 'Exodus 12:40-41 Now the sojourning [since the night of the covenant with Abraham] of the children of Israel, who [later] dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day [the exact same day 430 years later as the covenant with Abraham] it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out [the night of the Passover] from the land of Egypt.' -- 'Genesis 35:28 28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore (180) years. And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.' 'Genesis 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites [Canaan] is not yet full.' - Abraham was 75 years old when he made the covenant with God [430 years to the day before the Passover Exodus night] then Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born [Genesis 21:5] and Isaac lives for 180 years and died about the time Joseph was sold into slavery into Egypt where later Jacob and the rest of the family follow Joseph into Egypt. Approximately twentyfive years from the night of the covenant with God until the birth of Isaac and then 180 years in the life of Isaac makes about 205 years before Jacob's family went into Egypt as a family to later emerge from Egypt as a Nation, the Nation comprised of the 12 family tribes Judah and Israel. That would be about 225 years in Egypt for the total of 430 years. Certainly there were only four generations in Egypt from Levi to Moses [Levi -> Kohath -> Amram {father} -> Moses] or [Jacob -> Levi -> Jochebed {mother} -> Moses] **it was about 225 years and four generations in Egypt before the Passover night. [article link]

Ancient Egypt Temples-Home to the Gods {Note: Where the occult (witchcraft) activities of Nimrod and the Tower (Temple) of Babel seems to have espoused mankind to an occult marriage with fallen spirits - The 2nd Kingdom Egypt seems to have moved on to the next step [after an occult marriage] as ancient Egypt primarily practiced an occult form of afterlife. - The afterlife or eternal life is not possible by humans alone. A human would have to mix, mingle, mate (wedding, 'born again') an eternal Spirit in order for mortal humans to then become [unhindered] immortal (eternal, appart from hell). What is being practiced in the occult realm is an attempt at immortality apart from God in Jesus Christ. It is the deception of the occult that fallen spirit beings [fallen angels] and demons can offer afterlife to mankind. - Also Note: The Holy Angels without exception seek to glorify God in Jesus Christ. The fallen unholy angels without exception are attempting to deny God and in the process defile mankind.}
In ancient Egypt temples were constructed to house the numerous deities, both male and female, that were at the center of Egyptian mythology and religion. The beliefs held by the ancient Egyptians were more than just the foundation of a religion, these beliefs were central to the everyday life of Egyptian citizens. ... Inside these ancient Egyptian temples, there existed a segregated system of sanctuaries. The sanctuaries were divided by the spiritual level of the persons allowed to enter them. Those who had not yet reached a spiritual worthiness were not allowed to enter the innermost chambers. In ancient Egypt temples there was also sometimes an exterior complex comprised of gardens and courtyards. Through the years in ancient Egypt temples served a variety of purposes. Without a doubt, it appears that the primary purpose of most temples in ancient Egypt was to house and care for the gods to which they were dedicated. It seemed the very existence and good fortune of the entire land of Egypt rested upon tending the gods. The worst fate that could befall a city was failing to care for the temple of the patron god. A god who lacked attention would become angry and flee the temple, leaving the citizens of that town open to all kinds of disasters. Beyond serving the needs of the god who resided in the temple, some temples also served other purposes. No king could rule the Egyptian nation without first becoming a god. In an elaborate ceremony the new pharaoh would enter the temple, along with the high priests. Once inside the most exclusive chambers of the temple, rites would be performed which would transform the mere mortal pharaoh into a deity to be revered and worshipped by the Egyptian people. Still yet, some temples in Egypt were reserved for the worship of the king, who was also considered a deity, after his death. The wealth and sophistication in design of the temples in ancient Egypt vary greatly. The Temple of Karnak at Luxor and the Temple of Deir El Bahari are two of the most well known ancient Egypt temples. [article link]

Ancient Crowns - Egyptian Crown [Very similar to Tower of Babel - Nimrod crowns (except Egyptian crowns are larger and longer)] {Note: It is a common theme throughout each of the 7 earthly Kingdoms that each Kingdom is following in the footsteps of the predecessor Kingdom yet each is deliberately presenting their new Kingdom in a bigger, more powerful and more grandiose way than the previous Kingdom or Kingdoms were able to accomplish.} (Photos)
The crown in the ancient world came in many shapes and forms. They were made of very costly material, symbolizing royalty [deity, eternal life] and sovereignty. [article link]

A stone carving of Pharaoh Akhenaten [crowned] and his wife, Nefertiti worshiping the sun (Photos)
Picture 2: Pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife, Nefertiti: Prayer to the sun-god. [article link]

Tower of Bable Crowns: An artist's depiction of...... the Tower of Babel? "Treasure of Nimrod" - This stone carving was found in Iraq [1988] near the ancient city of Babylon - There are clearly two suns [Christ, Antichrist] in the sky and everyone is looking up at them - The tallest figure (wearing the horns of the bull... Nimrod's old crown) appears to be a giant [carrying a bow and holding an arrow - Revelation 6:2 rider of the white horse, the arrow now hidden (false peace) in Revelation - End Times] {Note: The 'cone shaped' Tower and all the helmets (head coverings) look Egyptian - seemingly or clearly the Egyptian pharaohs were carrying on the tradition and spirit (Mystery fallen angelic Babylon) as revealed to Nimrod.} (Photo)
This stone carving (above) was found in Iraq [1988] near the ancient city of Babylon (Bagdad) [the ancient city of Babylon, located 85 kilometers (53 miles) south of Baghdad - wiki.com]. Historians falsely interpret this illustration so I invite you to look at it carefully. There are clearly two suns in the sky and everyone is looking up at them. The tallest figure (wearing the horns of the bull... Nimrod's old crown) appears to be a giant. Giants in the Bible were roughly 18 feet tall. The dome-shaped object is too perfect to be a mountain peak. Instead, imagine that it's the "top" of the Tower of Babel. [article link]

Ancient Egypt Temples-Home to the Gods
In ancient Egypt temples were constructed to house the numerous deities, both male and female, that were at the center of Egyptian mythology and religion. The beliefs held by the ancient Egyptians were more than just the foundation of a religion, these beliefs were central to the everyday life of Egyptian citizens. ... Inside these ancient Egyptian temples, there existed a segregated system of sanctuaries. The sanctuaries were divided by the spiritual level of the persons allowed to enter them. Those who had not yet reached a spiritual worthiness were not allowed to enter the innermost chambers. In ancient Egypt temples there was also sometimes an exterior complex comprised of gardens and courtyards. Through the years in ancient Egypt temples served a variety of purposes. Without a doubt, it appears that the primary purpose of most temples in ancient Egypt was to house and care for the gods to which they were dedicated. It seemed the very existence and good fortune of the entire land of Egypt rested upon tending the gods. The worst fate that could befall a city was failing to care for the temple of the patron god. A god who lacked attention would become angry and flee the temple, leaving the citizens of that town open to all kinds of disasters. Beyond serving the needs of the god who resided in the temple, some temples also served other purposes. No king could rule the Egyptian nation without first becoming a god. In an elaborate ceremony the new pharaoh would enter the temple, along with the high priests. Once inside the most exclusive chambers of the temple, rites would be performed which would transform the mere mortal pharaoh into a deity to be revered and worshipped by the Egyptian people. Still yet, some temples in Egypt were reserved for the worship of the king, who was also considered a deity, after his death. The wealth and sophistication in design of the temples in ancient Egypt vary greatly. The Temple of Karnak at Luxor and the Temple of Deir El Bahari are two of the most well known ancient Egypt temples. [article link]

The Pyramids of Giza - Each of the three [great] pyramids had a complete monumental complex of mortuary temples, Mastabas tombs, smaller subsidiary pyramids, in which members of the royal family and officials were buried - The whole complex was connected, by a causeway, to three valley temples and the sphinx - These in turn were linked, by a cannel, to the Nile [river]
There are three pyramids at Giza, each of which once had an adjoining mortuary temple. Attached to this temple would have been a covered causeway descending down to a valley temple, near the Nile. The 'great' pyramid itself is truly an astonishing work of engineering skill - for over four thousands years, until the modern era, it was the tallest building in the world. [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt - The Great Pyramid of Giza (also called the Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt - It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact - It is believed the pyramid was built as a tomb for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu
Entrance: The entrance of the Pyramid - Today tourists enter the Great Pyramid via the Robbers' Tunnel dug by workmen employed by Caliph al-Ma'mun around AD 820. The tunnel is cut straight through the masonry of the pyramid for approximately 27 metres (89 ft), then turns sharply left to encounter the blocking stones in the Ascending Passage. Unable to remove these stones, the workmen tunnelled up beside them through the softer limestone of the Pyramid until they reached the Ascending Passage. It is possible to enter the Descending Passage from this point, but access is usually forbidden. ... [afterlife] Boats: Khufu ship - There are three boat-shaped pits around the pyramid, of a size and shape to have held complete boats, though so shallow that any superstructure, if there ever was one, must have been removed or disassembled. In May, 1954, the Egyptian archaeologist Kamal el-Mallakh discovered a fourth pit, a long, narrow rectangle, still covered with slabs of stone weighing up to 15 tons. Inside were 1,224 pieces of wood, the longest 23 metres (75 ft) long, the shortest 10 centimetres (0.33 ft). These were entrusted to a native boat builder, Haj Ahmed Yusuf, who slowly and methodically worked out how the pieces fit together. The entire process, including conservation and straightening of the warped wood, took fourteen years. The result is a spectacular cedar-wood boat 43.6 metres (143 ft) long, its timbers held together by ropes, which is now currently housed in a special boat-shaped, air-conditioned museum beside the pyramid. During construction of this museum, which stands above the boat pit, a second sealed boat pit was discovered. It was deliberately left unopened in the hope that future excavation techniques will allow more information to be recovered. Looting: Although succeeding pyramids were smaller, pyramid building continued until the end of the Middle Kingdom. However, as authors Briar and Hobbs claim, "all the pyramids were robbed" by the New Kingdom, when the construction of royal tombs in a desert valley, now known as the Valley of the Kings, began. Joyce Tyldesley states that the Great Pyramid itself "is known to have been opened and emptied by the Middle Kingdom", before the Arab caliph Abdullah al-Mamun entered the pyramid around AD 820. [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Pyramid - A pyramid's design, with the majority of the weight closer to the ground, and with the pyramidion on top means that less material higher up on the pyramid will be pushing down from above: this distribution of weight allowed early civilizations to create stable monumental structures
Ancient monuments: Pyramid-shaped structures were built by many ancient civilizations. Mesopotamia [Iraq]: The Mesopotamians built the earliest pyramidal structures, called ziggurats. In ancient times, these were brightly painted. Since they were constructed of sun-dried mud-brick, little remains of them. Egypt: Egyptian pyramids The ancient pyramids of Egypt. The most famous pyramids are the Egyptian pyramids - huge structures built of brick or stone, some of which are among the world's largest constructions. The age of the pyramids reached its zenith at Giza in 2575-2150 B.C. As of 2008, some 138 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest in Egypt and one of the largest in the world. Until Lincoln Cathedral was finished in AD 1311, it was the tallest building in the world. The base is over 52,600 square meters in area. While pyramids are associated with Egypt, the nation of Sudan has 220 extant pyramids, the most numerous in the world. The Great Pyramid of Giza was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is the only one to survive into modern times. The Ancient Egyptians covered the faces of pyramids with polished white limestone, containing great quantities of fossilized seashells. Many of the facing stones have fallen or have been removed and used to build the mosques of Cairo. ... Mesoamerica [central America]: Pyramid in the Mayan city of Chichen Itza, Mexico. A number of Mesoamerican cultures also built pyramid-shaped structures. Mesoamerican pyramids were usually stepped, with temples on top, more similar to the Mesopotamian ziggurat than the Egyptian pyramid. The largest pyramid by volume is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in the Mexican state of Puebla. This pyramid is considered the largest monument ever constructed anywhere in the world, and is still being excavated. The third largest pyramid in the world, the Pyramid of the Sun, at Teotihuacan is also located in Mexico. There is an unusual pyramid with a circular plan at the site of Cuicuilco, now inside Mexico City and mostly covered with lava from an eruption of the Xitle Volcano in the first century BC. There are several circular stepped pyramids called Guachimontones in Teuchitlán, Jalisco as well. Pyramids in Mexico were often used as places of human sacrifice. North America: Many mound-building societies of ancient North America built large pyramidal earth structures known as platform mounds. Among the largest and best-known of these structures is Monk's Mound at the site of Cahokia, which has a base larger than that of the Great Pyramid at Giza. While the North American mounds' precise function is not known, they are believed to have played a central role in the mound-building people's religious life. Roman Empire: Pyramid of Cestius in Rome. The 27-metre-high Pyramid of Cestius was built by the end of the first century BC and still exists today, close to the Porta San Paolo. Another one, named Meta Romuli, standing in the Ager Vaticanus (today's Borgo), was destroyed at the end of the 15th century. There is also a Roman era pyramid built in Falicon, France. There were many more pyramids built in France in this period. [article link]

Egyptian Afterlife Ceremonies, Sarcophagi, Burial Masks - Ancient Egyptian civilization was based on religion; their belief in the rebirth after death became their driving force behind their funeral practices. Death was simply a temporary interruption, rather than complete cessation, of life, and that eternal life could be ensured by means like piety to the gods, preservation of the physical form through Mummification, and the provision of statuary and other funerary equipment
Ancient Egyptian civilization was based on religion; their belief in the rebirth after death became their driving force behind their funeral practices. Death was simply a temporary interruption, rather than complete cessation, of life, and that eternal life could be ensured by means like piety to the gods, preservation of the physical form through Mummification, and the provision of statuary and other funerary equipment. Each human consisted of the physical body, the 'ka', the 'ba', and the 'akh'. The Name and Shadow were also living entities. To enjoy the afterlife, all these elements had to be sustained and protected from harm. Before the Old Kingdom, bodies buried in desert pits were naturally preserved by desiccation. The arid, desert conditions continued to be a boon throughout the history of ancient Egypt for the burials of the poor, who could not afford the elaborate burial preparations available to the elite. Wealthier Egyptians began to bury their dead in stone tombs and, as a result, they made use of artificial mummification, which involved removing the internal organs, wrapping the body in linen, and burying it in a rectangular stone sarcophagus or wooden coffin. Beginning in the Fourth Dynasty, some parts were preserved separately in canopic jars. By the New Kingdom, the ancient Egyptians had perfected the art of mummification; the best technique took 70 days and involved removing the internal organs, removing the brain through the nose, and desiccating the body in a mixture of salts called natron. The body was then wrapped in linen with protective amulets inserted between layers and placed in a decorated anthropoid coffin. Mummies of the Late Period were also placed in painted cartonnage mummy cases. Actual preservation practices declined during the Ptolemaic and Roman eras, while greater emphasis was placed on the outer appearance of the mummy, which was decorated. Wealthy Egyptians were buried with larger quantities of luxury items, but all burials, regardless of social status, included goods for the deceased. Beginning in the New Kingdom, books of the dead were included in the grave, along with shabti statues that were believed to perform manual labor for them in the afterlife Rituals in which the deceased was magically re-animated accompanied burials. After burial, living relatives were expected to occasionally bring food to the tomb and recite prayers on behalf of the deceased. Egyptians also believed that being mummified was the only way to have an afterlife. Only if the corpse had been properly embalmed and entombed in a mastaba, could the dead live again in the Fields of Yalu and accompany the Sun on its daily ride. ... Arriving at one's reward in afterlife was a demanding ordeal, requiring a sin-free heart and the ability to recite the spells, passwords, and formulae of the Book of the Dead. ... Much of what we know about art and life in ancient Egypt has been preserved in the tombs that were prepared for the protection of the dead. The Egyptians believed that the next life had to be provided for in every detail and, as a result, tombs were decorated with depictions of the deceased at his funerary meal, activities of the estate and countryside, and the abundant offerings necessary to sustain the spirit. Many surviving Egyptian works of art were created to be placed in the tombs of officials and their families. Through the ritual of "opening the mouth," a statue of the deceased (known as a "ka statue") was thought to become a living repository of a person's spirit. Wall paintings, reliefs, and models depict pleasurable pastimes and occupations of daily life. Always these images have deeper meanings of magical protection, sustenance, and rebirth. The mummy was surrounded with magic spells, amulets, and representations of protective deities. [article link]

[Egypt - (Turquoise) Gems Kingdom] Egyptian Jewelry And Gems - Religious Use: Jewelry was valued not for beauty only, but for the magical protection it provided - Egyptians didn't make a distinction between amulets [protection - good luck charms] and ornamental [dress-up] jewelry - Amulets were worn from infancy through death - Due to this religious role, jewelry items were much needed by the deceased in his afterlife journey, and jewelry was buried with the dead - In fact ancient Egyptians prepared themselves from early life to their death day by collecting as much protective jewelry as possible to be buried with them
Design Rules: As with other forms of Egyptian art design of jewelry followed strict rules to fulfill it's religious role. Any change in the representation of religious symbols resulted in a loss of protective value. it was undesirable to change the designs of any objects such as the royal cartouches or crook and flail - Every material had a religious value - Minerals and metals were identified with specific deities as well as with specific spiritual and therapeutic values. - Color Code: Every Color had a certain mythological meaning, and the use of colored gems was confined to this code. -- Turquoise (Greenish blue) The oldest known mines of turquoise were quarried in the Sinai by about 3000 BC For the next two thousand years, great quantities of turquoise were mine in the peninsula. At Serabit el-Khadem Egyptians set up a large and systematic operation - This soft precious stone was the most popular gem in ancient Egypt, due to it's relatively easy workability and the abundance of local quarries - It was used for beads by the Egyptians. Combined with other ornamental stones, the turquoise was inlaid in gold to produce very sophisticated articles of jewelry - The bright mineral enamels of powdered turquoise were used to color everything from fine small statues to bricks. - The Eye of Horus amulet was commonly made from the green malachite - Sacred scarabs amulets were carved from this gem. Lapis Lazuli (Deep blue or violet in color and usually flecked with yellow iron pyrites) Imported from Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. Egyptian believed that this gem possessed life-giving powers. The Book of the dead describes Horus in a heavenly firmament in the form of a hawk and "his torso is made of blue stone" - Blue was the color of the heavens, water, and the primeval flood [creation myth - not the flood of Noah], and it represented creation and rebirth. Jasper (Red or reddish brown) - Red symbolized fire and blood of Isis - The gem was thought to be beneficial in the treatment of infertility. Malachite (Green, the colors in the individual bands range from a very light green to deep forest green with occasional irregular black banding) Malachite is a form of copper ore. Hydrous copper carbonate is responsible for the green color of tarnished copper and bronze. - Hathor was titled the "lady of Malachite", which was connected to health Reputed to have strong therapeutic properties, Egyptians believed that wearing malachite in bands around the head and arms protected the wearer from epidemics - Due to its opaque nature, malachite was usually cut and shaped into a cabochon or formed into beads. - The Egyptians used malachite primarily in collar beads - Malachite powder was used in eye makeup, which had a protective function in fighting eye infections. Carnelian (Varied from dark brown to light brown colors) Symbolized the warm blood of life - Carnelian's healing properties were thought to help purify the blood, and relieve the back pain. Amazonite (Pale pastel blue-green and may also exhibit fine white streaks) - Its light blue color symbolized good luck and fertility. It was associated with turquoise and lapis lazuli. Amethyst (Pale pinkish violet) This gem had no mythological importance in ancient Egypt, in contrast to the Greeks who believed that it helped to prevent drunkenness and intoxication. -- Roman Jewelry: - Secular Use - Function: Many of the jewelry accessories seen throughout ancient Rome had functional, as well as decorative value. A common jewelry item of Rome was the brooch, which was used to secure clothing items. Another utilitarian jewelry was the fibula, which was an ornately decorated clothing accessory resembling a large safety pin that was used as a clothing fastener. - Decoration: Roman decoration jewelry consisted mainly of bracelets, necklaces, pendants, earrings and rings - Unlike Egyptians, Roman practical jewelry items were inherited by family members, and never buried with the deceased. [article link]

Gold (Turquoise) Eye of Horus Amulet Pendant [modern jewlery - $159.99] (Photo)
Eyes were particularly common as amulets, as were gemstones; the best-known eye amulet being the ancient Egyptian Eye of Horus which is associated with regeneration, health, and prosperity. It was very common as an amuletic talisman in ancient Egypt since ancient Egyptians were imbued with the belief that the Eye of Horus has magical properties to ward off the evil eye or evil and was worn for good health, protection and general well being. The left eye symbolises the Moon and the right eye symbolises the Sun. [article link]

[Secular] Egyptian Deities in the Garden of Eden - Presented at the annual meeting of the American Research Center in Egypt, St. Louis 1996 by Gary Greenberg - This paper attempts to introduce the idea that the biblical Creation stories, from the dawn of Creation through Noah's Flood, derive from Egyptian cosmogony, more specifically, the Theban doctrine of Creation - The Theban doctrine holds that in the beginning there was the great primeval flood known as Nu or the Nun
This paper attempts to introduce the idea that the biblical Creation stories, from the dawn of Creation through Noah's Flood, derive from Egyptian cosmogony, more specifically, the Theban doctrine of Creation. Thebes came late to the political scene in Egypt and its view of Creation attempted to incorporate the ideas of Memphis, Heliopolis and Hermopolis into a new cosmology that subordinated the chief deities of those cults to Amen, chief deity of Thebes. The Theban doctrine holds that in the beginning there was the great primeval flood known as Nu or the Nun. The god Amen then appeared in a series of forms, first as an Ogdoad, then as Tatenen (a Memphite name for Ptah identified with the primeval hill), then as Atum, who created the first gods, then as Re. After this he created humanity, organized the Ennead, appointed the four male members of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad as his divine fathers and priests, and appointed Shu as their leader. Another Theban tradition holds that Osiris built the first city at Thebes. To equate all these ideas with the biblical Creation stories would be a massive undertaking, far beyond the scope of this short paper. Therefore I will deal only with a small piece of this very large subject. In this paper I will just compare some elements of the Heliopolitan cycle with the biblical account of Adam and Eve and the second day of Creation. ... Summary: In conclusion, I note that the bible places Israel's formative years as a cultural entity in Egypt, and its leading figures, Joseph and Moses, were educated in Egypt's traditions. What they new about the origins of the world they learned in Egypt, and what they wrote about those origins should surely have had an Egyptian influence. Yet, while scholars are willing to admit all sorts of Semitic pagan influences on early Hebrew historical beliefs, they treat the idea of Egyptian influence as far too profane for intense examination. I hope in this paper I have been able to at least raise some interest in more closely examining the [false] idea that Egyptian ideas greatly influenced the writing of early biblical history. {Note: The concepts, practices, laws, medicines, religion, etc. that Moses wrote about in the Pentateuch [first five books of the Bible] were completely foreign [i.e. the 8 Feasts of Leviticus chapter 23] and in many cases the opposite of the traditional teachings of ancient Egypt.} [article link]

3 The Kingdom of Babylon

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Daniel 5 - By the fall of Babylon 70 years later Nebuchadnezzar's son Nabonidus had made his son Belshazzar a co-ruler with himself [Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus, who after ruling only three years, went to the oasis of Tayma and devoted himself to the worship of the moon god, Sin. He made Belshazzar co-regent in 553 B.C., leaving him in charge of Babylon's defense. - wiki.com] -- 'Daniel 5:30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.' [Josephus lists Darius as the son of Astyages, and uncle of Cyrus - wiki.com]
Daniel 5:1-31 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. ... Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. ... And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written [in Aramaic], MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians [Iran]. Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler [3rd after Nabonidus and his son Belshazzar] in the kingdom. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old. [Although usually left untranslated in English translations of Daniel, these words are known Aramaic names of measures of currency: MENE, a mina, TEKEL, a spelling of shekel, PERES, half a mina. - wiki.com] - God is able to set up and takedown each kingdom of mankind at any moment according to His choosing. Note: The Three (Trinity) Handwritings of God: The finger of God writing His 10 Commandments into stone tablets. 'Exodus 31:18 And He [God] gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God' - The finger of God writing the judgment decree of unrepentant men in the hardened plaster of a wall. 'Daniel 5:4-5 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister [plaster] of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.' - The finger of God writing the sins of repentant men in the dust of the earth. 'John 8:6 This they said, tempting Him [Jesus], that they might have to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground, as though He heard them not.' [article link]

wikipedia.org: Nebuchadnezzar II ( 634 BC - 562 BC) was king of the Babylonian Empire [3rd Global Gentile Empire], who reigned 605 BC - 562 BC - According to the Bible, he conquered Judah and Jerusalem, and sent the Jews into exile - He is credited with the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and also known for the destruction of the First Temple - He is featured in the Book of Daniel and is also mentioned in several other books of the Bible
Life: Nebuchadnezzar II was the eldest son and successor of Nabopolassar, who delivered Babylon from its dependence on Assyria and laid Nineveh in ruins. According to Berossus, some years before he became king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar II married Amytis of Media, the daughter or granddaughter of Cyaxares, king of the Medes, and thus the Median and Babylonian dynasties were united. There are conflicting accounts of Nitocris of Babylon either being his wife or daughter. Nabopolassar was intent on annexing the western provinces of Syria from Necho II (who was still hoping to restore Assyrian power), and to this end dispatched his son westward with a large army. In the ensuing Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC, the Egyptian army was defeated and driven back, and Syria and Phoenicia were brought under the control of Babylon. Nabopolassar died in August that year, and Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon to ascend to the throne. -- Nebuchadnezzar faces off against Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, who holds a plan of Jerusalem, in a Baroque era depiction in Zwiefalten Abbey, Germany. After the defeat of the Cimmerians and Scythians, all of Nebuchadnezzar's expeditions were directed westwards, although the powerful Median empire lay to the north. Nebuchadnezzar's political marriage to Amytis of Media, the daughter of the Median king, had ensured peace between the two empires. -- Nebuchadnezzar engaged in several military campaigns designed to increase Babylonian influence in Syria and Judah. An attempted invasion of Egypt in 601 BC was met with setbacks, however, leading to numerous rebellions among the states of the Levant, including Judah. Nebuchadnezzar soon dealt with these rebellions, capturing Jerusalem in 597 BC and deposing King Jehoiakim, then in 587 BC due to rebellion, destroying both the city and the temple, and deporting many of the prominent citizens along with a sizable portion of the Jewish population of Judea to Babylon. These events are described in the Prophets (Nevi'im) and Writings (Ketuvim), sections of the Hebrew Bible (in the books 2 Kings and Jeremiah, and 2 Chronicles, respectively). After the destruction of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar engaged in a thirteen year siege of Tyre (585-572 BC), which ended in a compromise, with the Tyrians accepting Babylonian authority. -- Following the pacification of Tyre, Nebuchadnezzar turned again to Egypt. A clay tablet, now in the British Museum, states: "In the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the country of Babylon, he went to Mitzraim (Egypt) to wage war. Amasis, king of Egypt, collected [his army], and marched and spread abroad." Having completed the subjugation of Phoenicia, and a campaign against Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar set himself to rebuild and adorn the city of Babylon, and constructed canals, aqueducts, temples and reservoirs. [article link]

wikipedia.org: Nabonidus - Nabonidus son of Nebuchadnezzar was the last King of the Babylonian Empire, reigning from 556-539 BC - Being a co-ruler with his son Belshazzar - {Note: Where Joseph was made 2nd in charge in Egypt (Genesis 41:40) because Pharaoh Akhenaten did not yet have a son, the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar had a son Nabonidus so Daniel was made 3rd ruler in Babylon (Daniel 5:7).}
Reign: In most ancient accounts, Nabonidus is depicted as a royal anomaly. He is supposed to have worshiped the moon god Sin beyond all the other gods, to have paid special devotion to Sin's temple in Harran, where his mother was a priestess, and to have neglected the Babylonian primary god, Marduk. Because of the tensions that these religious reforms generated, he had to leave the capital for the desert oasis of Tayma in Arabia early in his reign, from which he only returned after many years. In the meantime, his son Belshazzar ruled from Babylon, supposedly in the manner of an oriental despot. [article link]

wikipedia.org: Belshazzar - Belshazzar, or Balthazar was a 6th century BC prince of Babylon, the son of Nabonidus and the last king of Babylon according to the Book of Daniel
In 540 BC, Nabonidus returned from Tayma, hoping to defend his kingdom from the Persians [4th Global Gentile Kingdom] who were planning to advance on Babylon. Belshazzar was positioned in the city of Babylon to hold the capital, while Nabonidus marched his troops north to meet Cyrus. On October 10, 539 BC, Nabonidus surrendered and fled from Cyrus. Two days later the Persian armies overthrew the city of Babylon. -- "Daniel 8:1-3 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai." -- "Daniel 5:1-7 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. ..." [article link]

Dictionary.com: Chimera (noun) - 1. a mythological, fire-breathing monster, commonly represented with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail - an artificially produced [DNA modified] individual [or animal] having tissues of several species {Note: The 7 human Kingdoms on earth all have had a Mascot creature depicted usually as a multi species 'Chimera' or as a mythical Phoenix [eagle] type of being. Beginning with [1] the Tower of Babel and the lion/serpent (Christ - Antichrist) [mixed] chimera, [2] the human headed lions of Egypt (with a cobra, serpent 3rd eye), [3] the Dragon (Mushhushshu - "splendor serpent" ) of Babylon, [4] the Griffin (head of an eagle, body of a lion) of Persia, [5] the Minotaur (head of a bull, body of a human) imprisoned in a labyrinth of ancient Greece. [6] The divine eagle of Rome and [7] the later double headed [Eastern and Western Roman Empire] (cloned, divine eagle - Phoenix, chimera) of Emperor Constantine's empire [Roman Emperor from 306 A.D. to 337 A.D.] the beginning of the 7th Kingdom the 'Revised Roman Empire' that is cumulating into the coming modern NWO one world government.}
Chimera: Chi·me·ra [ki-meer-uh]-noun, 1. (often initial capital letter) a mythological, fire-breathing monster, commonly represented with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail. 2. any similarly grotesque monster having disparate parts, esp. as depicted in decorative art. 3. a horrible or unreal creature of the imagination; a vain or idle fancy: He is far different from the chimera your fears have made of him. 4. Genetics. an organism composed of two or more genetically distinct tissues, as an organism that is partly male and partly female, or an artificially produced individual having tissues of several species. [article link]

Dragon of the [Babyon] Ishtar Gate by David G Stone - The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate may be one of Cryptozoology's strangest, yet best-documented, ancient crypids - This two and a half millennium old depiction is so unusual that many treat it as a chimera, an impossible combination of animals that could never have existed in nature - But the people of ancient Babylon knew and accepted the 'dragon' as real, as real as the bulls and lions that also share the walls - It was Koldeway who recognized the animal as the mushhushshu, a name derived from an Akkadian word that is loosely translated as "splendor serpent"
The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate may be one of Cryptozoology's strangest, yet best-documented, ancient crypids. This two and a half millennium old depiction is so unusual that many treat it as a chimera, an impossible combination of animals that could never have existed in nature. But the people of ancient Babylon knew and accepted the 'dragon' as real, as real as the bulls and lions that also share the walls. -- The Ishtar Gate itself was one of eight entrances to the ancient city of Babylon. Built during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC) and dedicated to the goddess Ishtar it was the main entrance to the city until the final fall of Babylon sometime in the 1st or 2nd century AD. (King Nebuchadnezzar also constructed one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, a marvel filled with exotic plants and animals.) -- The Dedicatory Inscription on the Ishtar Gate reads: Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, the faithful prince appointed by the will of Marduk, the highest of princely princes, beloved of Nabu, of prudent counsel, who has learned to embrace wisdom, who fathomed their divine being and reveres their majesty, the untiring governor, who always takes to heart the care of the cult of Esagila and Ezida and is constantly concerned with the well-being of Babylon and Borsippa, the wise, the humble, the caretaker of Esagila and Ezida, the firstborn son of Nabopolassar, the King of Babylon. -- Both gate entrances of Imgur-Ellil and Nemetti-Ellil following the filling of the street from Babylon had become increasingly lower. Therefore, I pulled down these gates and laid their foundations at the water table with asphalt and bricks and had them made of bricks with blue stone on which wonderful bulls and dragons were depicted. I covered their roofs by laying majestic cedars length-wise over them. I hung doors of cedar adorned with bronze at all the gate openings. I placed wild bulls and ferocious dragons in the gateways and thus adorned them with luxurious splendor so that people might gaze on them in wonder - I let the temple of Esiskursiskur (the highest festival house of Markduk, the Lord of the Gods a place of joy and celebration for the major and minor gods) be built firm like a mountain in the precinct of Babylon of asphalt and fired bricks. The ruins of the gate and walls were discovered and excavated between 1899 and 1914 by Robert Koldeway, a German archeologist and architect. After its excavation the entire Gate was shipped to Berlin where it was reconstructed and now resides at the Pergamon Museum. It was Koldeway who recognized the animal as the mushhushshu, a name derived from an Akkadian word that is loosely translated as "splendor serpent." Early researchers mistakenly read it as sirrussu but the word has now been properly translitereated as musrussu, with mushhushshu as the commonly-accepted modern form. [article link]

Over the years "The Two Babylons" [a book initially published in 1853 as a pamphlet by Reverend Alexander Hislop - infamous for his outspoken criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church] has impacted the thinking of many people, ranging all the way from those in radical cults to very dedicated Christians who hunger for a move by God but are concerned about anything [Babylonian] that might quench His [Holy] Spirit - Its basic premise is that the pagan religion of [very] ancient Babylon [Nimrod, Tower of Bable] has continued to our day [wrongly concluding that Paganism/New Age "Mystery Babylon" is] disguised as the Roman Catholic Church, prophesied in the Book of Revelation as "Mystery Babylon the Great" [Revelation chapter 17] thus, the idea of two Babylons - one ancient and one modern -- As time went on, however, I [Ralph Woodrow] began to hear rumblings that Hislop was not a reliable historian - it became clear: Hislop's "history" was often only an arbitrary piecing together of ancient myths - For these and many other reasons, I pulled my own book, Babylon Mystery Religion, out of print despite its popularity - I have since replaced this book with The Babylon Connection? {Conclusion: of Kingdom 1 - Nimrod and the Tower (Temple) of Babel -- Next: is Kingdom 2 (Egypt) with Pharaoh Akhenaten (Joseph's Pharaoh, the Dream Pharaoh - Genesis 41:1)}
The subtitle for Hislop's book is "The Papal Worship Proved to Be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife." Yet when I went to refer ence works such as the Encyclopedia Britannica, The Americana, The Jewish Encyclopedia, The Catholic Encyclopedia, The Worldbook Encyclopedia - carefully reading their articles on "Nimrod" and "Semiramis" - not one said anything about Nimrod and Semiramis being husband and wife. They did not even live in the same century. Nor is there any basis for Semiramis being the mother of Tammuz. I realized these ideas were all Hislop's inventions. ... While seeking to condemn the paganism of Roman Catholicism, Hislop produced his own myths. By so doing, he theorized that Nimrod, Adonis, Apollo, Attes, Baal-zebub, Bacchus, Cupid, Dagon, Hercules, Januis, Linus, Lucifer, Mars, Merodach, Mithra, Moloch, Narcissus, Oannes, Odin, Orion, Osiris, Pluto, Saturn, Teitan, Typhon, Vulcan, Wodan, and Zoroaster were all one and the same. By mixing myths, Hislop supposed that Semiramis was the wife of Nimrod and was the same as Aphrodite, Artemis, Astarte, Aurora, Bellona, Ceres, Diana, Easter, Irene, Iris, Juno, Mylitta, Proserpine, Rhea, Venus, and Vesta. ... Building on similarities while ignoring differences is an unsound practice. Atheists have long used this method in an attempt to discredit Christianity altogether, citing examples of pagans who had similar beliefs about universal floods, slain and risen saviors, virgin mothers, heavenly ascensions, holy books, and so on. As Christians, we don't reject prayer just because pagans pray to their gods. We don't reject water baptism just because ancient tribes plunged into water as a religious ritual. We don't reject the Bible just because pagans believe their writings are holy or sacred. The Bible mentions things like kneeling in prayer, raising hands, taking off shoes on holy ground, a holy mountain, a holy place in the temple, pillars in front of the temple, offering sacrifices without blemish, a sacred ark, cities of refuge, bringing forth water from a rock, laws written on stone, fire appearing on a person's head, horses of fire, and the offering of first fruits. Yet, at one time or another, similar things were known among pagans. Does this make the Bible pagan? Of course not! If finding a pagan parallel provides proof of paganism, the Lord Himself would be pagan. The woman called Mystery Babylon had a cup in her hand; the Lord has a cup in His hand (Ps. 75:8). Pagan kings sat on thrones and wore crowns; the Lord sits on a throne and wears a crown (Rev. 1:4; 14:14). Pagans worshiped the sun; the Lord is the "Sun of righteousness" (Mal. 4:2). Pagan gods were likened to stars; the Lord is called "the bright and Morning star" (Rev. 22:16). Pagan gods had temples dedicated to them; the Lord has a temple (Rev. 7:15). Pagans built a high tower in Babylon; the Lord is a high tower (2 Sam. 22:3). Pagans worshiped idolatrous pillars; the Lord appeared as a pillar of fire (Exod. 13: 21-22). Pagan gods were pictured with wings; the Lord is pictured with wings (Ps. 91:4). ... I have since replaced this book with The Babylon Connection? a 128-page book with 60 illustrations and 400 footnote references. It is an appeal to all my brothers and sisters in Christ who feel that finding Babylonian origins for present-day customs or beliefs [in Christian Churches] is of great importance. My advice, based on my own experience, is to move cautiously in this area, lest we major on minors. If there are things in our lives or churches that are indeed pagan or displeasing to the Lord, they should be dealt with, of course. But in attempting to defuse the confusion of Babylon, we must guard against creating a new "Babylon" (confusion) of our own making. -- reviewed by Ralph Woodrow [article link]

4 The Kingdom of Persia

wikipedia: Cyrus the Great - Cyrus II of Persia [4th Global Gentile Kingdom] (600 BC or 576 BC-530 BC), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder - Under his rule, the [Persian] empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia, parts of Europe and Caucasus - From the Mediterranean sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen
The reign of Cyrus the Great lasted between 29 and 31 years. Cyrus built his empire by conquering first the Median Empire, then the Lydian Empire and eventually the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Either before or after Babylon, he led an expedition into central Asia, which resulted in major campaigns that were described as having brought "into subjection every nation without exception".[8] Cyrus did not venture into Egypt, as he himself died in battle, fighting the Massagetae along the Syr Darya in December 530 BC. He was succeeded by his son, Cambyses II, who managed to add to the empire by conquering Egypt, Nubia, and Cyrenaica during his short rule. -- Cyrus the Great respected the customs and religions of the lands he conquered. It is said that in universal history, the role of the Achaemenid empire founded by Cyrus lies in its very successful model for centralized administration and establishing a government working to the advantage and profit of its subjects. In fact, the administration of the empire through satraps and the vital principle of forming a government at Pasargadae were the works of Cyrus. Aside from his own nation, Persia (modern Iran), Cyrus the Great also left a lasting legacy on the Jewish religion through his Edict of Restoration, where because of his policies in Babylonia, he is referred to by the people of the Jewish faith, as "the anointed of the Lord" or a "Messiah". -- Cyrus the Great is also well recognized for his achievements in human rights, politics, and military strategy, as well as his influence on both Eastern and Western civilizations. To date, Cyrus the Great and his historical signature define the national identity for many Iranians. Cyrus and, indeed, the Achaemenid influence in the ancient world also extended as far as Athens, where many Athenians adopted aspects of the Achaemenid Persian(ancient Iranian) culture as their own, in a reciprocal cultural exchange. [article link]

The Tomb of Cyrus the Great - At the Pasargadae ruins in south-central Iran - (Photos)
The tomb of Cyrus is generally identified with a small stone monument approximately 1 km southwest of the palaces of Pasargadae, in the center of the Morgab plain. According to Greek sources, the tomb of Cyrus the Great was located in the royal park at Pasargadae. The most extensive description, based on a lost account by Aristobulus, who had accompanied Alexander of Macedon (q.v.) on his eastern campaign in the late 4th century B.C.E., is to be found in the Anabasis of Arrian (6.29), written in the 2nd century C.E.: -- The tomb: in the lower parts was built of stones cut square and was rectangular in form. Above, there was a stone chamber with a roof and a door leading into it so narrow that it was hard and caused much distress for a single man of low stature to get through. In the chamber lay a golden sarcophagus, in which Cyrus' body had been buried; a couch stood by its side with feet of wrought gold; a Babylonian tapestry served as a coverlet and purple rugs as a carpet. There was placed on it a sleeved mantle and other garments of Babylonian workmanship . . . Median trousers and robes dyed blue lay there, some dark, some of other varying shades, with necklaces, scimitars, and earrings of stones set in gold, and a table stood there. It was between the table and the couch that the sarcophagus containing Cyrus' body was placed. Within the enclosure and by the ascent to the tomb itself there was a small building put up for the Magians who used to guard Cyrus' tomb." -- Strabo (15.3.7), who wrote at the end of the 1st century B.C.E., also seems to have drawn on the account of Aristobulus; he described the tomb as "a small tower . . . solid below, and having a roof and sepulchre above, which latter had an extremely narrow entrance," and noted that another companion of Alexander, Onesicretus, had described the tomb as "a tower with ten stories," in the uppermost of which Cyrus lay. -- According to Arrian. an inscription in Persian characters on the tomb read, "Mortal! I am Cyrus son of Cambyses, who founded the Persian empire, and was King of Asia. Grudge me not then my monument." This inscription, with minor variations, was also mentioned by Strabo (15.3.7) and Plutarch (Alexander 69.4). -- The epitaph mentioned in the texts is not attested on any of the extant structures in the vicinity of Pasargadae. The identification of the stone structure, consisting of a gabled cella on a stepped plinth, on the Morgab plain as the tomb of Cyrus is based on its resemblance to the descriptions of Arrian and Strabo (Plate Lill). The building, which was incorporated into a mosque by the Salghurid Sa'd b. Zangi (601-28/1203-31; MelikianChirvani, pp. 3-4), is known locally [incorrectly] as Ma`shad-e Madar-a Solayman (the tomb of the mother of Solomon). [article link]

The Tomb of Cyrus at Pasargadae (Photo)
This tomb of the great Persian ruler, Cyrus, was discovered in 1951 at the ruins of Pasargadae (south-central Iran). Over 2500 years old, the tomb is in decent condition, made of white limestone and stands a total of 36 feet high. The tomb itself is 18 feet high resting on a 6 level base, also 18 feet high. It was built like a Ziggurat with Ionian and Lydian features. There is a small entrance and double doors leading to a room with no windows which once contained the "golden sarcophagus" of Cyrus, it is now an empty shell. Five huge stones make up its roof, which was slanted (gabled) to shed heavy rains. These Nordic gables were the architectural style of lands far to the north. The inscription was seen and recorded by Plutarch in AD 90. -- Parsagard "camp of the Persians" was the capital of Persia when Cyrus was ruling. After Cyrus had died Darius abandoned Pasargadae and made his capital 45 miles northeast at a place which came to be called Persepolis, "the city of the Persians" and the sacred heart of the Persian Empire. The ancient capital called Pasargadae by Cyrus was in his day a magnificent place, and many discoveries have been found including the four-winged genius, but it was nothing in comparison to the renowned Persepolis. -- Cyrus II, the Great was the founder and ruler of the vast Persian Empire from 539 B.C. until his death in 530 B.C. Once Cyrus had defeated the Median king, Astyages and took Ecbatana he expanded his kingdom defeating Croesus, king of Lydia in 546 BC, and then conquered Babylon in 539 BC, and the Persian Empire was formed. He was a generous ruler allowing various captives to return to their homelands, as recorded on the Cyrus Cylinder. Xenophon, Nabonidus and many others gave Cyrus praise for his generous leadership. -- The Decree of Cyrus: (2 Chronicles 36:22-23) Judea had remained a Persian province for the next two hundred years until the time that the Bible records "the decree of Cyrus" giving permission to the Hebrew captives to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild their Temple. [article link]

Bronze Griffin from Susa [Shushan (Daniel 8:2) 2nd palace of Babylon - later Persia], the other capital of the Persian kings now in the Louvre [Museum at Paris, France] (6-4th century B.C.) (Photo)
Griffin Pedestal: The griffin (also spelt gryphon, griffon or gryphin) is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle with the addition of prominent ears. The female has the wings of an eagle. The male (known as a keythong) has projecting spikes instead of wings and is less frequently depicted. In the artwork of ancient Persia, as well as in the artwork of other parts of the ancient world from Scythia to Macedonia and Greece, the Griffin has special place (see below two sculptures of griffins from Persepolis and Susa). [article link]

5 The Kingdom of Greece

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wikipedia.org: Alexander the Great [5th Global Gentile Kingdom] - Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 - 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of Macedon, a state in northern ancient Greece - By the age of thirty, he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from the Ionian Sea to the Himalayas - He was undefeated in battle, and is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time - Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander was **tutored by Aristotle [Greek philosopher] until the age of 16 - Alexander succeeded his father, Philip II of Macedon, to the throne in 336 BC after Philip was assassinated - Philip had brought together most of the city-states of mainland Greece under a Macedonian hegemony, using both military and diplomatic means
Upon Philip's death, Alexander inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army. He was awarded the generalship of Greece, and used this authority to launch military plans of expansion drawn up by his father. In 334 BC he invaded Persian-ruled Asia Minor and began a series of campaigns that lasted ten years. Alexander broke the power of Persia in a series of decisive battles, most notably the battles of Issus and Gaugamela. He subsequently overthrew the Persian king Darius III and conquered the entirety of the Persian Empire. At that point the Macedonian Empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River. -- Seeking to reach the "ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea", he invaded India in 326 BC, but was eventually forced to turn back by the near-mutiny of his troops. Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BC, without realizing a series of planned campaigns that would have begun with an invasion of Arabia. In the years following Alexander's death a series of civil wars tore his empire apart which resulted in the formation of a number of states ruled by the Diadochi - Alexander's surviving generals. -- Alexander's legacy includes the cultural diffusion his conquests engendered. He founded some twenty cities that bore his name, Alexandria in Egypt being the most important. Alexander's settlement of Greek colonists and the resulting spread of Greek culture in the east resulted in a new Hellenistic civilization, aspects of which were still evident in the traditions of the Byzantine Empire in the mid-15th century. Alexander became legendary as a classical hero in the mold of Achilles, and features prominently in the history and myth of Greek and non-Greek cultures. He has become the measure against which generals, to this day, compare themselves, and military academies throughout the world still teach his tactics. [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Themistocles - an Athenian politician and a general [before Alexander the Great] - Elected archon in 493 BC, he took steps to increase the naval power of Athens, which would be a recurring theme in his political career - During the **first Persian invasion of Greece, he fought at the Battle of Marathon, and was possibly one of the 10 Athenian strategoi (generals) in that battle {Note: Themistocles oversaw the construction of one of the world's largest technologically advanced Navies of his day. Themistocles did not first seek technology to help defeat Persia instead Themistocles first sought Greek Philosophy and through his philosophy then determined that an advanced Navy and naval technology, along with other strategies (i.e. evacuating Athens before the battle) would be a key part in defending Greece from the very technologically advanced Persians of the day. -- The Egyptians would first seek their dead ancestors, the Babylonians would first seek a religious priest (astrologer), the Persians would do more to seek technology, the Greeks would seek philosophical knowledge, and the Romans would [sort of] seek the will of the people in each Kingdom as they attempted to solve problems, move forward and shape their society.}
In the years after Marathon, and in the run up to the second Persian invasion he became the most prominent politician in Athens. He continued to advocate a strong Athenian navy, and in 483 BC he persuaded the Athenians to build a fleet of 100 triremes; these would prove crucial in the forthcoming conflict with Persia. During the second invasion, he was in effective command of the Greek allied navy at the battles of Artemisium and Salamis. Due to subterfuge on the part of Themistocles, the Allies lured the Persian fleet into the Straits of Salamis, and the decisive Greek victory there was the turning point in the invasion, which was ended the following year by the defeat of the Persians at the Battle of Plataea. -- After the conflict ended, Themistocles continued to be pre-eminent amongst Athenian politicians. However, he aroused the hostility of Sparta by ordering Athens to be re-fortified, and his perceived arrogance began to alienate him from the Athenians. In 472 or 471 BC, he was ostracised, and went into exile in Argos. The Spartans now saw an opportunity to destroy Themistocles, and implicated him in the treasonous plot of their own general Pausanias. Themistocles thus fled from Greece, and travelled to Asia Minor, where he entered the service of the Persian king Artaxerxes I. He was made governor of Magnesia, and lived there for the rest of his life. -- Themistocles died in 459 BC, probably of natural causes. Themistocles's reputation was posthumously rehabilitated, and he was re-established as a hero of the Athenian (and indeed Greek) cause. Themistocles can still reasonably be thought of as "the man most instrumental in achieving the salvation of Greece" from the Persian threat, as Plutarch describes him. His naval policies would have a lasting impact on Athens as well, since maritime power became the cornerstone of the Athenian Empire and golden age. It was Thucydides's judgement that Themistocles was "a man who exhibited the most indubitable signs of genius; indeed, in this particular he has a claim on our admiration quite extraordinary and unparalleled." [article link]

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wikipedia.org: Archimedes - Archimedes of Syracuse (287 BC - 212 BC) was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer - Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity - Archimedes died during the Siege of Syracuse when he was killed by a Roman soldier despite orders that he should not be harmed - Cicero [Marcus Tullius Cicero - Roman Senator] describes visiting the tomb of Archimedes, which was surmounted by a sphere inscribed within a cylinder
Archimedes is generally considered to be the greatest mathematician of antiquity and one of the greatest of all time. He used the method of exhaustion to calculate the area under the arc of a parabola with the summation of an infinite series, and gave a remarkably accurate approximation of pi. He also defined the spiral bearing his name, formulae for the volumes of surfaces of revolution and an ingenious system for expressing very large numbers. -- Archimedes died during the Siege of Syracuse when he was killed by a Roman soldier despite orders that he should not be harmed. Cicero describes visiting the tomb of Archimedes, which was surmounted by a sphere inscribed within a cylinder. Archimedes had proven that the sphere has two thirds of the volume and surface area of the cylinder (including the bases of the latter), and regarded this as the greatest of his mathematical achievements. -- Unlike his inventions, the mathematical writings of Archimedes were little known in antiquity. Mathematicians from Alexandria [Egypt] read and quoted him, but the first comprehensive compilation was not made until c. 530 AD by Isidore of Miletus, while commentaries on the works of Archimedes written by Eutocius in the sixth century AD opened them to wider readership for the first time. The relatively few copies of Archimedes' written work that survived through the Middle Ages were an influential source of ideas for scientists during the Renaissance, while the discovery in 1906 of previously unknown works by Archimedes in the Archimedes Palimpsest has provided new insights into how he obtained mathematical results. [article link]

wikipedia.org: Antiochus IV Epiphanes - 215 BC - 164 BC ruled the Seleucid (dynasty) Empire [General Seleucus - one of four main Generals that served under Alexander the Great] from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC - he assumed the name Antiochus after he ascended the throne - Notable events during the reign of Antiochus IV include his near-conquest of Egypt, which led to a confrontation that became an origin of the metaphorical phrase, "line in the sand", and the rebellion of the Jewish Maccabees - He assumed divine epithets, which no other Hellenistic [Greek] king had done, such as 'manifest god' - But his often eccentric behavior, capricious actions and even insanity led some of his contemporaries to call him Epimanes "The Mad One", a word play on his title Epiphanes - Antiochus died suddenly of disease [possibly an assasination] in 164 BC - Antiochus IV ruled the Jews [Judea] from 175 to 164 BC - He is remembered as a major villain and persecutor in the Jewish traditions associated with Hanukkah, including the books of Maccabees and the "Scroll of Antiochus" - Rabbinical sources refer to him as harasha "the wicked"
While Antiochus was busy in Egypt, a rumor spread that he had been killed. The deposed High Priest Jason gathered a force of 1,000 soldiers and made a surprise attack on the city of Jerusalem. The High Priest appointed by Antiochus, Menelaus, was forced to flee Jerusalem during a riot. On the King's return from Egypt in 167 BC enraged by his defeat, he attacked Jerusalem and restored Menelaus, then executed many Jews. "When these happenings were reported to the king, he thought that Judea was in revolt. Raging like a wild animal, he set out from Egypt and took Jerusalem by storm. He ordered his soldiers to cut down without mercy those whom they met and to slay those who took refuge in their houses. There was a massacre of young and old, a killing of women and children, a slaughter of virgins and infants. In the space of three days, eighty thousand were lost, forty thousand meeting a violent death, and the same number being sold into slavery." 2 Maccabees 5:11-14 -- To consolidate his empire and strengthen his hold over the region, Antiochus decided to side with the Hellenized Jews by outlawing Jewish religious rites and traditions kept by observant Jews and by ordering the worship of Zeus as the supreme god (2 Maccabees 6:1-12). This was anathema to the Jews and when they refused, Antiochus sent an army to enforce his decree. Because of the resistance, the city was destroyed, many were slaughtered, and a military Greek citadel called the Acra was established. ... Final years: Taking advantage of Antiochus' western problems, King Mithridates I of Parthia attacked from the east and seized the city of Herat in 167 BC, disrupting the direct trade route to India and effectively splitting the Greek world in two. Recognizing the potential danger in the east, but unwilling to give up control of Judea, Antiochus sent a commander named Lysias to deal with the Maccabees, while the King himself led the main Seleucid army against the Parthians. After initial success in his eastern campaign, including the reoccupation of Armenia, Antiochus died suddenly of disease in 164 BC. [article link]

wikipedia.org: Cleopatra - Cleopatra VII Philopator - She was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty [General Ptolemy - one of four main Generals that served under Alexander the Great], a family of Greek origin that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's death during the [Greek] Hellenistic period - The Ptolemies [as Greeks], throughout their dynasty, spoke Greek and refused to speak Egyptian, which is the reason that Greek as well as Egyptian languages were used on official court documents such as the **Rosetta Stone
Cleopatra - She was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a family of Greek origin that ruled Egypt [from Alexandria, Egypt] after Alexander the Great's death during the Hellenistic period. The Ptolemies, throughout their dynasty, spoke Greek and refused to speak Egyptian, which is the reason that Greek as well as Egyptian languages were used on official court documents such as the Rosetta Stone. By contrast, Cleopatra did learn to speak Egyptian and represented herself as the reincarnation of an Egyptian goddess, Isis. -- Cleopatra originally ruled jointly with her father Ptolemy XII Auletes and later with her brothers, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, whom she married as per Egyptian custom, but eventually she became sole ruler. As pharaoh, she consummated a liaison with Julius Caesar that solidified her grip on the throne. She later elevated her son with Caesar, Caesarion, to co-ruler in name. -- After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, she aligned with Mark Antony in opposition to Caesar's legal heir, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (later known as Augustus). With Antony, she bore the twins Cleopatra Selene II and Alexander Helios, and another son, Ptolemy Philadelphus. Her unions with her brothers produced no children. After losing the Battle of Actium to Octavian's forces, Antony committed suicide. Cleopatra followed suit, according to tradition killing herself by means of an asp bite on August 12, 30 BC. She was briefly outlived by Caesarion, who was declared pharaoh by his supporters, but he was soon killed on Octavian's orders. Egypt became the Roman province of Aegyptus. -- To this day, Cleopatra remains a popular figure in Western culture. Her legacy survives in numerous works of art and the many dramatizations of her story in literature and other media, including William Shakespeare's tragedy Antony and Cleopatra, Jules Massenet's opera Cléopâtre and the 1963 film Cleopatra. In most depictions, Cleopatra is put forward as a great beauty, and her successive conquests of the world's most powerful men are taken as proof of her aesthetic and sexual appeal. In his Pensées, philosopher Blaise Pascal contends, evidently speaking ironically because a large nose has symbolized dominance in different periods of history, that Cleopatra's classically beautiful profile changed world history: "Cleopatra's nose, had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed." ... Death: The ancient sources, particularly the Roman ones, are in general agreement that Cleopatra killed herself by inducing an Egyptian cobra to bite her. The oldest source is Strabo, who was alive at the time of the event, and might even have been in Alexandria. He says that there are two stories: that she applied a toxic ointment, or that she was bitten by an asp on her breast. Several Roman poets, writing within ten years of the event, all mention bites by two asps, as does Florus, a historian, some 150 years later. Velleius, sixty years after the event, also refers to an asp. Other authors have questioned these historical accounts, stating that it is possible that Augustus [Caesar Augustus - Luke 2:1] had her killed. ... Cassius Dio [a Roman consulor] also spoke of Cleopatra's allure: "For she was a woman of surpassing beauty, and at that time, when she was in the prime of her youth, she was most striking; she also possessed a most charming voice and knowledge of how to make herself agreeable to every one. Being brilliant to look upon and to listen to, with the power to subjugate every one, even a love-sated man already past his prime, she thought that it would be in keeping with her role to meet Caesar, and she reposed in her beauty all her claims to the throne." These accounts influenced later cultural depictions of Cleopatra, which typically present her using her charms to influence the most powerful men in the Western world. [article link]

5th Kingdom - Greece, Alexander the Great - 6th Kingdom - Rome, Julius Caesar - Hellenistic Period: The Hellenistic period describes the era which followed the conquests of Alexander the Great - During this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its zenith in Europe and Asia - It is often considered a period of transition, sometimes even of decline or decadence, between the brilliance of the Greek Classical Era and the emergence of the Roman Empire - Usually taken to begin with the death of Alexander in 323 BC, the Hellenistic period may either be seen to end with the final conquest of the Greek heartlands by Rome in *146 BC - or the final defeat of the last remaining successor-state to Alexander's empire, the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt in 31/30 BC - The Hellenistic period was characterized by a new wave of [Greek] colonists which established Greek cities and kingdoms in Asia and Africa [including in Israel - The Decapolis ("Ten Cities"; Greek: deka, ten; polis, city) of Jesus' day]
Rise of Rome [via - trade, goodwill, treaties, politics, policy and lastly overt military action]: Widespread Roman interference in the Greek World was probably inevitable given the general manner of the ascendency of the Roman Republic. This Roman-Greek interaction began as a consequence of the Greek city-states located along the coast of southern Italy. Rome had come to dominate the Italian peninsula, and desired the submission of the Greek cities to its rule. Although they initially resisted, allying themselves with Pyrrhus of Epirus, and defeating the Romans at several battles, the Greek cities were unable to maintain this position and were absorbed by the Roman republic. Shortly afterwards, Rome became involved in Sicily, fighting against the Carthaginans in the First Punic War. The end result was the complete conquest of Sicily, including its previously powerful Greek cities, by the Romans. The independent cities of Magna Graecia did not form part of the Hellenistic domains and had, by this time, been eclipsed in power by the Hellenistic kingdoms of the east. They also remained independent at a time when the Mediterranean was increasingly dominated by 'great powers'. This, and their proximity to Rome, had made them easy and obvious targets. *Conversely, the major Hellenistic realms were not in the immediate Roman sphere of influence, and were powerful enough to deter Roman aggression. The events which, in retrospect, marked the beginning of the end for the Hellenistic kingdoms could have been avoided; even if it seems likely that a collision between them and Rome would have ultimately occurred. -- **Roman entanglement in the Balkans began, as so often, with trade. Illyrian piratical raids on Roman merchants twice led to a Roman task force invading Illyria (the First and, Second Illyrian Wars). Tension between Macedon and Rome increased when the young king of Macedon, Philip V harboured one of the chief pirates, Demetrius of Pharos (a former client of Rome). As a result, in an attempt to reduce Roman influence in the Balkans, Philip allied himself with Carthage after Hannibal had dealt the Romans a massive defeat at the Battle of Cannae (216 BC) during the Second Punic War. Forcing the Romans to fight on another front when they were at a nadir of manpower gained Philip the lasting enmity of the Romans; the only real result from the somewhat insubstantial First Macedonian War (215-202 BC). -- Once the Second Punic War had been resolved, and the Romans had begun to regather their strength, they looked to re-assert their influence in the Balkans, and to curb the expansion of Philip. A pretext for war was provided by Philip's refusal to end his war with Attalid Pergamum, and Rhodes, both Roman allies. The Romans, also allied with the Aetolian League of Greek city-states (which resented Philip's power), thus declared war on Macedon in 200 BC, starting the Second Macedonian War. This ended with a decisive Roman victory at the Battle of Cynoscephalae (197 BC). **Like most Roman peace treaties of the period, the resultant 'Peace of Flaminius' [Proconsul Titus Quinctius Flaminius] was designed to utterly crush the power of the defeated party; a massive indemnity was levied, Philip's fleet was surrendered to Rome, and Macedon was effectively returned to its ancient boundaries, losing influence over the city-states of southern Greece, and land in Thrace and Asia Minor. The result was the end of Macedon as a major power in the Mediterranean. -- As a result of the confusion in Greece at the end of the Second Macedonian War, the Seleucid Empire also became entangled with the Romans. The Seleucid Antiochus III had allied with Philip V of Macedon in 203 BC, agreeing that they should jointly conquer the lands of the boy-king of Egypt, Ptolemy V. After defeating Ptolemy in the Fifth Syrian War, Antiochus concentrated on occupying the Ptolemaic possessions in Asia Minor. However, this brought Antiochus into conflict with Rhodes and Pergamum, two important Roman allies, and began a 'cold-war' between Rome and Antiochus (not helped by the presence of Hannibal at the Seleucid court). Meanwhile, in mainland Greece, the Aetolian League, which had sided with Rome against Macedon, now grew to resent the Roman presence in Greece. This presented Antiochus III with a pretext to invade Greece and 'liberate' it from Roman influence, thus starting the Roman-Syrian War (192-188 BC). Another decisive Roman victory at the Battle of Magnesia (190 BC) saw the defeat of Antiochus. Another crippling treaty followed, with Seleucid possessions in Asia Minor removed and given to Rhodes and Pergamum, the size of the Seleucid navy reduced, and a massive war indemnity invoked. -- Thus, in less than twenty years, Rome had destroyed the power of one of the successor states, crippled another, and firmly entrenched its influence over Greece. This was primarily a result of the over-ambition of the Macedonian kings, and their unintended provocation of Rome; though Rome was quick to exploit the situation. In another twenty years, the Macedonian kingdom was no more. Seeking to re-assert Macedonian power and Greek independence, Philip V's son Perseus incurred the wrath of the Romans, resulting in the Third Macedonian War (171-168 BC). Victorious, the Romans abolished the Macedonian kingdom, replacing it with four puppet republics; these lasted a further twenty years before Macedon was formally annexed as a Roman province (146 BC). -- The Attalid dynasty of Pergamum lasted little longer; a Roman ally until the end, its final King Attalus III died in 133 BC without an heir, and taking the alliance to its natural conclusion, willed Pergamum to the Roman Republic. Contrarily, having so firmly intricated themselves into Greek affairs, the Romans now completely ignored the rapidly disintegrating Seleucid empire (perhaps because it posed no threat); and left the Ptolemaic kingdom to decline quietly, whilst acting as a protector of sorts, in as much as to stop other powers taking Egypt over (including the famous line-in-the-sand incident when the Seleucid Antiochus IV Epiphanes tried to invade Egypt). Eventually, instability in the near east resulting from the power vacuum left by the collapse of the Seleucid empire caused the Roman proconsul Pompey the Great to abolish the Seleucid rump state, absorbing much of Syria into the Roman republic. Famously, the end of Ptolemaic Egypt came as the final act in the republican civil war between the Roman triumvirs Mark Anthony and Augustus Caesar. After the defeat of Anthony and his lover, the last Ptolemaic monarch, Cleopatra VII at the Battle of Actium, Augustus invaded Egypt and took it as his own personal fiefdom. He thereby completed both the destruction of the Hellenistic kingdoms and the Roman republic, and ended (in hindsight) the Hellenistic era. [article link]

5th Kingdom - Greece, Alexander the Great - The Conquests of Alexander the Great - In 331 B.C. Alexander the Great of Macedon began one of the greatest conquests in human history - After conquering Egypt and defeating the Persian Empire Alexander had pushed his army to the very limits of the world as the Greeks knew it [Aristotle - Aristotle (384-322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a *student of Plato and **teacher of Alexander the Great - Wiki.com] - But he wanted more; he saw that the world extended further - By conquering the ancient lands of the Mesopotamians [Tigris-Euphrates river system - Wiki.com], he came into contact with cultures to the east, such as Pakistan and Indian {Note: Alexander the Great had been extensively schooled by notable teachers namely Aristotle. The original plan for Greece to conquer Persia was the plan and desires of Alexander's father but he was assassinated before he could attempt it. Alexander therefore had the plans of his father and a Greek map of the known world resulting in a substantial and complex plan to conquer the known world before Alexander even left Greek territory to go confront the armies of Persia.}
In 331 BC, Alexander the Great of Macedon began one of the greatest conquests in human history. After conquering Egypt and defeating the Persian Empire Alexander had pushed his army to the very limits of the world as the Greeks knew it. But he wanted more; he saw that the world extended further. By conquering the ancient lands of the Mesopotamians, he came into contact with cultures to the east, such as Pakistan and India. ... Alexander only made it as far as the region of Gandhara [northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan - Wiki.com], the plain which lies directly west of the Indus River [Pakistan]. Alexander himself seems to have had literally no effect on Indian history, for he left as soon as he reached the Indus. Two important results, however, arose because of Alexander's conquests: first, from this point onwards Greek and Indian culture would intermix. But most importantly, the conquest of Alexander may have set the stage for the first great conqueror of Indian history, Chandragupta Maurya (reigned 321-297 BC), who, shortly after Alexander left, united all the kingdoms of northern India into a single empire. [article link]

5th Kingdom - Greece, Alexander the Great - ufo.whipnet.org: The first recorded incident regarding Alexander the Great and UFO's was recorded in 329 B.C. - "gleaming silver shields" swooped down and made several passes over the battle - These "gleaming silver shields" had the effect of startling his cavalry horses, causing them to stampede - They also had a similar effect on the enemies' horses and elephants so it was difficult to ascertain whose side these "gleaming silver shields" were on {Note: UFOs, space aliens, extraterrestrial life, etc. exhibit the exact same tendencies, behavioral patterns, customs and doctrines and are indistinguishable from known demonic or fallen angelic beings [doctrines of demons]. Generally if the often reported sightings and encounters of advanced extraterrestrial life forms or alien beings were genuinely from advanced and separate societies then conduct and openness would dictate that they would reveal and conduct themselves in the openness of an advanced civilized society yet the very reasons that UFO phenomenon engages in deceit and secrecy leads to valid concerns that UFO phenomenon is an elaborately staged hoax of the [superior] demonic realm and is a hoax that has been in existence for several millennium, a hoax that is drawing to a designed, grand finally in some predetermined and intended master exposure the resulting conclusion staged primarily for exhibit to mankind.}
The first recorded incident regarding Alexander the Great and UFO's was recorded in 329BC. Alexander decided to invade India and was attempting to cross the river Indus to engage the Indian army when "gleaming silver shields" swooped down and made several passes over the battle. These "gleaming silver shields" had the effect of startling his cavalry horses, causing them to stampede. They also had a similar effect on the enemies' horses and elephants so it was difficult to ascertain whose side these "gleaming silver shields" were on. Nevertheless, after exiting the battle victoriously Alexander decided to not proceed any further into India. ... [Seven years later - the destruction of Tyre] The historical account, recorded by Alexander's chief historian, states that, during an attack of the island city, one of two 'gleaming silver shields' attacked a section of the wall with a 'beam of light' which subsequently caused that section of the wall to fall! Alexander's' men poured through the opening and captured the city. What is so noteworthy about this encounter is the fact that the historians for the defeated people of Tyre reported the exact same reason for the loss of their city! Usually, the reason given by a defeated people is different than that given by the victors, but in this instance their accounts read the same. Before he started his major offensive against Persia Alexander sought the advice of an oracle in a temple located in the desert. He set off, with a small party of men, but miscalculated the logistics and found himself hopelessly out of water and dying of thirst. Almost miraculously, a rare, but unusually strong rain cloud burst overhead and gave him and his men sufficient water to safely complete their journey. No one reported seeing any 'gleaming silver shields' but here again is a case of a wondrous "cloud" that we see so many occurrences of in the Bible. Written by: SC Russ. [article link]

5th Kingdom - Greece, Alexander the Great - Empedocles [Acragas (an ancient Greek city - Wiki.com), 490 - 430 BC] - The Pythagorean influence dominated Greek thought for a long time - Many of Pythagoras' ideas can be found in the work of Empedocles - He [Empedocles] was the first philosopher who stated that there are four primordial elements: earth, air, fire and water - Empedocles conceived of a fanciful version of the theory of evolution which included the idea of survival of the fittest - He stated that in prehistoric times strange creatures had populated the world of which only certain forms had survived - Though, it must be granted that Empedocles' vision is somewhat crude and bizarre, compared to the painstaking investigation that led Darwin [Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) was an English naturalist - Wiki.com] to the same conclusion two thousand three hundred years later
Empedocles was remarkably ahead of his time. He made several noteworthy statements, such as that the moon would shine by reflected light and that solar eclipses are caused by the interposition of the moon. He held that light takes time to travel, but so little time that we cannot observe it. He also discovered at least one example of the centrifugal force: if a cup of water is whirled round at the end of a string, the water does not flow out. In addition, Empedocles conceived of a fanciful version of the theory of evolution which included the idea of survival of the fittest. He stated that in prehistoric times strange creatures had populated the world of which only certain forms had survived. Though, it must be granted that Empedocles' vision is somewhat crude and bizarre, compared to the painstaking investigation that led Darwin to the same conclusion two thousand three hundred years later. The following are excerpts from the book "On Nature", in which Empedocles describes the fantastic creatures that preceded mankind: "Come now, hear how the shoots of men and pitiable women were raised at night by fire, as it separated, thus - for my story does not miss the mark, nor is it ill-informed. First, whole-natured forms sprang up from the earth, having a portion of both water and heat. Fire sent them up, wishing to come to its like, and they showed as yet no desirable form in their limbs, nor any voice, nor member native to man." (Simplicius, Commentary on Physics 381.29) "Here many neckless heads sprang up. Naked arms strayed about, devoid of shoulders, and eyes wandered alone, begging for foreheads. But when they mingled, these things came together as each happened and many others in addition were continuously born." (Simplicius, Commentary on the Heavens, 586.6) "Many grew double headed, double-chested - man-faced oxen arose, and again ox-headed men - creatures mixed partly from male partly from female form, fitted with dark limbs." (Aelian, The Nature of Animals XVI 29). [article link]

5th Kingdom - Greece, Alexander the Great - Evolution and Paleontology in the Ancient World - Even "primitive" peoples may have extremely detailed knowledge of the living organisms around them, knowledge on which their survival or well-being often depends - When such knowledge is arranged systematically and used to make general statements and predictions about the world, one may speak of a scientific tradition - Such traditions were developed among the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians; the Egyptians, in particular, developed a scientific tradition in medicine, one based on careful observations - It was the Greeks, however, who led the way in developing a general scientific worldview -- one in which natural, non-miraculous explanations for the causes of phenomena were sought. The earliest Greek philosophers lived and worked, not in Greece itself, but in the Greek colonies of Ionia (the Mediterranean coast of Asia Minor -- now Turkey -- and the nearby islands) - Because it was favorably located for trade among Greece, Egypt, and the Near East, Ionia was not only wealthy, but well placed for the dispersal of ideas; thus Greek thought drew on the knowledge of the Near East, Egypt, and even India at various times in history - Later, the thinkers of the Roman Republic and Empire carried on the Greek tradition, although relatively less original scientific thought was developed among the Romans
The Ionian Philosophers: Evolutionary theory begins with the Ionian philosopher Anaximander (ca. 611 - 546 B. C. E.). Very little is known about his life, but it is known that he wrote a long poem, On Nature, summarizing his researches. This poem is now lost, and has survived only in extracts quoted in other works. Enough survives, however, that Anaximander's thought can be reconstructed with some confidence. For Anaximander, the world had arisen from an undifferentiated, indeterminate substance, the apeiron. The Earth, which had coalesced out of the apeiron, had been covered in water at one stage, with plants and animals arising from mud. Humans were not present at the earliest stages; they arose from fish. This poem was quite influential on later thinkers, including Aristotle. Had Anaximander looked at fossils? Did he study comparative fish and human anatomy? Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing what evidence Anaximander used to support his ideas. His theory bears some resemblance to evolutionary theory, but also seems to have been derived from various Greek myths, such as the story of Deucalion and Pyrrha, in which peoples or tribes are born from the Earth or from stones. His concept of the apeiron seems similar to the Tao of Chinese philosophy and religion, and to the "formless and void" Earth of the Hebrew creation account and other creation myths. However, even though Anaximander's ideas drew on the religious and mythical ideas of his time, he was still one of the first to attempt an explanation of the origin and evolution of the cosmos based on natural laws. -- In the 6th century B.C. Xenophanes of Colophon (died ca. 490 B.C.E.), who was a disciple of Anaximander, developed Anaximander's theories further. He observed fossil fishes and shells, and concluded that the land where they were found had been underwater at some time. Xenophanes taught that the world formed from the condensation of water and "primordial mud;" he was the first person known to have used fossils as evidence for a theory of the history of the Earth. -- The Greek historian Herodotus (484-425 B.C.E.) also observed fossil shells in Egypt, and cited them as evidence that Egypt had once been underwater. He also described a valley in Arabia, in the Mokattam mountains, where he saw "the backbones and ribs of such serpents as it is impossible to describe: of the ribs there were a multitude of heaps. . . " He ascribed these bones to winged serpents that had been killed by ibises. We now know that these are the bones of fossil mammals that wash out of the rocks every rainy season. Several other ancient historians briefly mentioned fossils in their writings. Finally, the famous Greek physician Hippocrates of Cos (460-357 B.C.E.) is known to have collected fossils; in fact, modern excavations at Asklepion, the famous medical school of Hippocrates's day, unearthed a fragment of a fossil elephant molar. ... Empedocles of Acragas: Another Greek philosopher, the fifth-century materialist Empedocles of Acragas (in Sicily), postulated that the universe was composed of four basic elements -- earth, air, fire, and water. These elements were stirred by two fundamental forces, which Empedocles called Love and Strife. ("Attraction" and "repulsion" might be better modern terms for what Empedocles actually meant.) The constant interplay of these elements, alternately attracting and repelling each other, had formed the universe. Empedocles claimed that the Earth had given birth to living creatures, but that the first creatures had been disembodied organs. These organs finally joined into whole organisms, through the force of Love, but some of these organisms, being monstrous and unfit for life, had died out. The theory seems a bit bizarre today, but Empedocles had come up with a sort of evolutionary theory: past natural selection is responsible for the forms we see today. Empedocles also ascribed the origin of the life of today to the interplay of impersonal forces, in which chance, not the gods, played the major role. There are, however, major differences between Empedocles's ideas and natural selection in the modern sense: Empedocles conceived of his "natural selection" as a past event, not as an ongoing process. Once again, we do not know whether Empedocles had actually found supporting evidence for his theories. **He may have been influenced by existing accounts of mythological creatures that seemed to be "put together" out of the parts of different animals, such as centaurs, sphinxes, and chimeras. But perhaps he had also seen deformed animals, or examined "monstrous-looking" fossil bones. ... Lucretius: Much later, the Roman poet and philosopher Titus Lucretius Carus (99-55 B.C.E.) wrote his long philosophical poem De Rerum Natura ("On the Nature of Things"). In this poem Lucretius proposed, among other things, an "evolutionary" theory similar to that of Empedocles (which is ironic, because he attacks Empedocles rather vehemently in other parts of the poem). [article link]

5th Kingdom - Greece, Alexander the Great - 6th Kingdom - Rome, Julius Caesar - Greek and Roman Gods: Here are the twelve Olympian gods and a brief description of each - *The Greeks and Romans shared the same [god] stories, but used different names - Greek (Zeus), Roman (Jupiter) Description: Lord of the sky and supreme ruler of the gods - Known for throwing lightening bolts -- Greek (Aphrodite), Roman (Venus) Description: Daughter of Zeus - Goddess of Love and Beauty -- Other Gods: Mother earth, Greek (Gaea - Gaia), Roman (Terra - 'Terra firma' is a Latin phrase meaning "solid earth" Wiki.com)
Greek and Roman Gods: Here are the twelve Olympian gods and a brief description of each. The Greeks and Romans shared the same stories, but used different names. [article link]

5th Kingdom - Greece, Alexander the Great - Mythology of Greece and the Greek Islands: The Olympian [Mt. Olympus] Gods - One thing to notice is that the ancient Greek gods were gods because of their supernatural powers and eternity, not their character - They were far different from the modern notion of gods - The Olympian Gods were weak in nature and had faults, while they frequently merged with mortals and interfered with their lives - Actually, the ancient Greek gods were copies of human characters and society
Zeus was the god of the earth and the sky. His symbols were the thunderbolt, the eagle, the bull and the oak. Although he was married to Hera, his elder sister, he would frequently cheat on her with many mortal women. other goddesses and nymphs. He is depicted in statues and paintings as a middle-aged man seating on his throne or throwing a thunderbolt. ... Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty. She was forever beautiful and young. Shallow in nature, Aphrodite has a lot of affairs with mortals. Her son was Cupid, the familiar young boy with wings who played with his arrows and made people fall in love. Aphrodite was no directly connected to Zeus. She was probably a generation older than the other Olympian Gods. The myth says that she was born out of the foam of the sea either near Paphos Cyrpus or near Kythira island. ... Ares, the god of warfare and violence, was son of Zeus and Hera. He was not a likable god in ancient Greece, which is why there are no many temples of Ares. However, people were afraid of his anger and included him in their offerings. ... *Athena was also a goddess of war, but more of strategic war, not violence like Ares. She was also the goddess of wisdom and justice. The daughter of Zeus and a mortal woman, Athena was born out of the head of Zeus when her pregnant mother was killed out of Hera's jealousy. Noble in nature, Athena didn't match with men and would mostly deal with warfare. ... One thing to notice is that the ancient Greek gods were gods because of their supernatural powers and eternity, not their character. They were far different from the modern notion of gods. The Olympian Gods were weak in nature and had faults, while they frequently merged with mortals and interfered with their lives. Actually, the ancient Greek gods were copies of human characters and society. [article link]

5th Kingdom - Greece, Alexander the Great - Hanukkah The Historical Background - Hanukkah [established 165 B.C.] does not appear among the [8] Feasts of the Lord in Leviticus 23 {Note: Hanukkah is not one of the Levitical Holy Feasts of Israel it is a Festival of Israel (and was attended by Jesus - John 10:22-23) but Hanukkah is not at the level of any of the eight Levitical Holy Feasts of Leviticus chapter 23.}
To fully understand this holy [festival] day, go back to a tumultuous time in the history of Israel: the Hellenistic (Greek - 5th Kingdom of the globe) period around 167 B.C. As was so often the case, the Jewish people were living under the oppression of a foreign power. **A few generations earlier, the Greeks had come to world power under the remarkable leadership of Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C. (at the aged of 32)). With the ascension of this kingdom, Alexander seemed to have unified the ancient world into one common government and *culture called Hellenism. After Alexander's untimely death, there was a political scramble among four of his generals, **resulting in the division of the Hellenistic empire [into four parts]. The Ptolemies took control of the South, which included Egypt [centered in Alexandria Egypt and concluding with Queen Cleopatra (69 BC - August 12, 30 B.C. died in a suicide accompanied with Roman Triumvirate (three part) ruler Mark Antony) Cleopatra was a descendant (about eight generations later) of [General] Ptolemy I and Queen Bernice I]. The Seleucids [Seleucus I (given the surname by later generations of Nicator, Greek i.e. Seleucus the Victor) 358-281 B.C. was a Macedonian [northern Greece] officer of Alexander the Great - Wiki.com] took charge of the northern area around Syria. This left Judea [Israel] caught in the middle of a tug-of-war, wondering what the outcome would be. Eventually, the Seleucid/Syrians, under the leadership of Antiochus IV, gained power and sought control of the new provinces. -- Seeking to unify his holdings, Antiochus enforced a policy of assimilation into the prevailing Hellenistic culture. Irrespective of the culture and beliefs of the captured peoples, the Seleucids required submission to the Greek way of life. The Greeks thought that to be truly effective this assimilation must apply to all aspects of life, including language, the arts, and even religion. Everything was to conform to the "superior" Greek way of life and values. Not surprisingly, this Hellenization policy did not present a major problem for many people under the Seleucids. Indeed, the Greeks were highly respected for their culture. Even many Jews in Judea had converted to the Hellenistic way and openly advocated adherence to it. However, there were a significant number of traditional Jews who were appalled at the changes in their society. -- Antiochus and the Seleucids continued growing more hostile towards these stubborn Jews who did not convert to Hellenism. Steps were taken to enforce their policy. An ultimatum was given: either the Jewish community must give up its distinctive customs (Shabbat, kosher laws, circumcision, etc.) or die. To prove his point, Antiochus marched his troops into Jerusalem and desecrated the holy Temple. The altars, the utensils, even the golden menorah (lampstand) were all defiled or torn down. But that was just the start! Antiochus also ordered that a pig be sacrificed on the holy altar and erected an image of the Greek god Zeus as the new point of worship in the Temple! Antiochus insisted on being called "epiphanes" (God manifest), enough to repulse any religious Jew. The Jewish community soon came up with an appropriate reflection of their feelings. Instead of calling him Antiochus Epiphanes they made a play on words, and called him "epimanes" (crazyman)! This brutal attack on the Jewish people and their faith would not go unanswered for long. The murmurings of revolt were heard in Judea and were crystallized in a small village called Modi'in. [In 167 B.C.] Syrian troops entered this town to enforce their assimilation policy. The soldiers planned to erect a temporary altar to the false gods and force the populace to participate in their religious ceremony-the highlight of which was eating the flesh of the swine! -- Living in this village was an old, godly priest named Mattathias and his five sons. When the Seleucid soldiers chose him to lead the pagan ceremony, Mattathias and his sons reacted with holy indignation. Enough was enough! They killed the soldiers and started a revolt against the oppressors. One of the sons, Judah, rose to leadership and was nicknamed "Maccabee" (the hammer). Overwhelmingly outnumbered and under-supplied, the armies of the Maccabees turned to more creative devices. Relying on their knowledge of the hill country and employing guerrilla warfare, the Jewish forces met with surprising success. Spurred on by their firm conviction that the God of Israel was true and faithful, the Maccabees proved that the impossible could happen. -- In the Hebrew month Kislev [Kislev 25, 165 B.C.] (around December) they drove out the Syrians and recaptured the Temple in Jerusalem. They faced the sober task of restoring the Temple to the true worship of God. The Temple compound was in shambles, desecrated by the idolatry of the Syrians. The Maccabees and their followers quickly cleansed the altars and restored the holy furnishings. Of particular importance to them was the broken menorah, symbolizing the light of God. They restored it and attempted to light it, but there was a problem. Jewish tradition recounts that as they searched for some specially prepared oil, they found only enough to burn for one day. The priests knew it would take at least eight days for new oil to be produced. What to do? They decided it was better to light the menorah anyway; at least the light of God would shine forth immediately. To their amazement, the oil burned not only for one day, but for eight days until additional oil was available! The Temple was restored and rededicated to the glory of the God of Israel and an eight-day festival was established. It is called Hanukkah (Hebrew for Dedication). Every year, starting on the twenty-fifth of Kislev, the Jewish community recalls the two-fold miracle: the miracle of the oil as well as the miraculous military victory. [article link]

6 The Kingdom of Rome

wikipedia: Julius Caesar [6th Global Gentile Kingdom] - Gaius Julius Caesar (July 100 BC - 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose - He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire -- sparked a civil war from which he emerged as the unrivaled leader of the Roman world {Note: Julius Caesar gained his throne [Dictatorship] not just by conquering foreign enemies of Italy but also by conquering his detractors, fellow Romans, as well.}
In 60 BC, Caesar formed a political alliance with Crassus and Pompey that was to dominate Roman politics for several years. Their attempts to amass power through populist tactics were opposed within the Roman Senate by the conservative elite, among them Cato the Younger with the frequent support of Cicero. Caesar's conquest of Gaul, completed by 51 BC, extended Rome's territory to the English Channel and the Rhine. Caesar became the first Roman general to cross both when he built a bridge across the Rhine and conducted the first invasion of Britain. These achievements granted him unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse Pompey's standing. The balance of power was further upset by the death of Crassus in 53 BC. Political realignments in Rome finally led to a standoff between Caesar and Pompey, the latter having taken up the cause of the Senate. Ordered by the Senate to stand trial in Rome for various charges, Caesar marched from Gaul to Italy with his legions, crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC. This sparked a **civil war from which he emerged as the unrivaled leader of the Roman world. -- After assuming control of government, he began extensive reforms of Roman society and government. He centralised the bureaucracy of the Republic and was eventually proclaimed "dictator in perpetuity". A group of senators, led by Marcus Junius Brutus, assassinated the dictator on the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BC, hoping to restore the constitutional government of the Republic. However, the result was a series of civil wars, which ultimately led to the establishment of the permanent Roman Empire by Caesar's adopted heir Octavius (later known as Augustus). Much of Caesar's life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns, and other contemporary sources, mainly the letters and speeches of Cicero and the historical writings of Sallust. The later biographies of Caesar by Suetonius and Plutarch are also major sources. ... Dictatorship: Shortly before his assassination, the Senate [unable to directly name him Rex (King)] named him censor for life and Father of the Fatherland, and the month of Quintilis was renamed July in his honor. He was granted further honors, which were later used to justify his assassination as a would-be divine monarch; coins were issued bearing his image and his statue was placed next to those of the kings. He was granted a golden chair in the Senate, was allowed to wear triumphal dress whenever he chose, and was offered a form of semi-official or popular cult, with Mark Antony as his high priest. ... Assassination: On the Ides of March (15 March) of 44 BC, Caesar was due to appear at a session of the Senate. Mark Antony, having vaguely learned of the plot the night before from a terrified Liberator named Servilius Casca, and fearing the worst, went to head Caesar off. The plotters, however, had anticipated this and, fearing that Antony would come to Caesar's aid, had arranged for Trebonius to intercept him just as he approached the portico of Theatre of Pompey, where the session was to be held, and detain him outside. (Plutarch, however, assigns this action to delay Antony to Brutus Albinus.) When he heard the commotion from the senate chamber, [Mark] Antony fled. -- According to Plutarch, as Caesar arrived at the Senate, Tillius Cimber presented him with a petition to recall his exiled brother. The other conspirators crowded round to offer support. Both Plutarch and Suetonius say that Caesar waved him away, but Cimber grabbed his shoulders and pulled down Caesar's tunic. Caesar then cried to Cimber, "Why, this is violence!". At the same time, Casca produced his dagger and made a glancing thrust at the dictator's neck. Caesar turned around quickly and caught Casca by the arm. According to Plutarch, he said *in Latin, "Casca, you villain, what are you doing?" Casca, frightened, shouted, "Help, brother!" *in Greek. Within moments, the entire group, including Brutus, was striking out at the dictator. Caesar attempted to get away, but, blinded by blood, he tripped and fell; the men continued stabbing him as he lay defenceless on the lower steps of the portico. According to Eutropius, around 60 or more men participated in the assassination. He was stabbed 23 times. According to Suetonius, a physician later established that only one wound, the second one to his chest, had been lethal. The dictator's last words are not known with certainty, and are a contested subject among scholars and historians alike. Suetonius reports that others have said Caesar's last words were the Greek phrase "You too, child?". However, Suetonius says Caesar said nothing. Plutarch also reports that Caesar said nothing, pulling his toga over his head when he saw Brutus among the conspirators. The version best known in the English-speaking world is the Latin phrase "Et tu, Brute?" ("And you, Brutus?", commonly rendered as "You too, Brutus?"); this derives from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, where it actually forms the first half of a macaronic line: "Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar." [article link]

Amazon: Empires Collection - The Dynasties (Egypt's Golden Empire / The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance / Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire / The Roman Empire in the First Century / The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization) - Empires Collection: The Dynasties (5 Disc Gift Set) - Empires Collection: The Dynasties is a compilation of five outstanding stories of some of histories greatest dynasties (2000 - DVDs)
Egypt's Golden Empire: In 1570 B.C., when Rome was still a marsh and the Acropolis was an empty rock, Egypt was already 1000 years old. Although the period of the pyramid-builders was long over, Egypt lay on the threshold of its greatest age. The New Kingdom would be an empire forged by conquest, maintained by intimidation and diplomacy, and remembered long after its demise. Led by a dynasty of rich personalities, whose dramatic lives changed the course of civilization, Egypt's Golden Empire presents the most extraordinary period in Egyptian history: from 1570 B.C. to 1070 B.C., when the Egyptian Empire reached its zenith. -- The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance - From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. They would also ignite the most important cultural and artistic revolution in Western history- the European Renaissance. But the forces of change the Medici helped unleash would one day topple their ordered world. An epic drama played out in the courts, cathedrals and palaces of Europe, this series is both the tale of one family's powerful ambition and of Europe's tortured struggle to emerge from the ravages of the Dark Ages. -- Japan: Memoirs Of A Secret Empire - Commanding shoguns and samurai warriors, exotic geisha and exquisite artisans -- all were part of the Japanese "renaissance" -- a period between the 16th and 19th centuries when Japan went from chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace. But stability came at a price: for nearly 250 years, Japan was a land closed to the Western world, ruled by the Shogun under his absolute power and control. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire brings to life the unknown story of a mysterious empire, its relationship to the West, and the forging of a nation that would emerge as one of the most important countries in the world. -- The Roman Empire in the First Century: Two thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first century, the ancient world was ruled by Rome. Through the experiences, memories and writings of the people who lived it, this series tells the story of that time - the emperors and slaves, poets and plebeians, who wrested order from chaos, built the most cosmopolitan society the world had ever seen and shaped the Roman empire in the first century A.D. -- The Greeks: Crucible [melting pot] of Civilization - The Greeks - Classical Greece of the 4th and 5th centuries, B.C. was a magnificent civilization that laid the foundations for modern science, politics, warfare, and philosophy, and produced some of the most breathtaking art and architecture the world has ever known. Through the eyes and words of the great heroes of ancient Greece, this dazzling production charts the rise, triumph, and eventual decline of the world's first democracy. Now, through dramatic storytelling and state-of-the-art computer animation, you witness history, art, and government with giants like Pericles, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. [article link]

Amazon: When Rome Ruled - National Geographic's groundbreaking 6-part series reveals ancient Rome's hidden treasures and untold stories as never before - From iconic figures including [Emperors] Caligula, Caesar and Constantine, to epic events such as the eruption of Vesuvius, the invasion of Britain, and fall of Rome, When Rome Ruled reveals a startling up-to-date vision of the ancient empire and challenges our perception of what we know about the Romans and their lives (3 DVD Set)
FYI, this DVD contains 6 parts plus a bonus part. The original National Geographic special, and the DVDs sold on its website, contains 8 parts. This version is missing two episodes. I was not aware of this and will be returning it. I took one star off for the omission. I've viewed parts of this series on the National Geographic channel, however, and it is great and deserves the other stars. ~ By David Polsky. -- Heath_N says: After reading this review, I ordered the Blu-ray set from National Geographic directly. I got 6 episodes on two discs, one which includes 1 bonus feature. [article link]

wikipedia: Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1) - Augustus Imperator Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (23 September 63 BC - 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD - Born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, he was adopted posthumously by his great-uncle Gaius Julius Caesar in 44 BC via his last will and testament, and between then and 27 BC was officially named Gaius Julius Caesar - In 27 BC the Senate awarded him the honorific Augustus "the revered one", and thus consequently he was Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus - Because of the various names he bore, it is common to call him Octavius when referring to events between 63 and 44 BC, Octavian (or Octavianus) when referring to events between 44 and 27 BC, and Augustus when referring to events after 27 BC
The young Octavius came into his inheritance after Caesar's assassination in 44 BC. In 43 BC, Octavian joined forces with Mark Antony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in a military dictatorship known as the Second Triumvirate. As a triumvir, Octavian ruled Rome and many of its provinces. The triumvirate was eventually torn apart under the competing ambitions of its rulers: Lepidus was driven into exile, and Antony committed suicide following his defeat at the Battle of Actium by the fleet of Octavian commanded by Agrippa in 31 BC. ... The reign of Augustus initiated an era of relative peace known as the Pax Romana, or Roman peace. Despite continuous wars on the frontiers, and one year-long civil war over the imperial succession, the Mediterranean world remained at peace for more than two centuries. Augustus enlarged the empire dramatically, annexing Egypt, Dalmatia, Pannonia, and Raetia, expanded possessions in Africa, and completed the conquest of Hispania. Beyond the frontiers, he secured the empire with client states, and made peace with Parthia through diplomacy. He reformed the Roman system of taxation, developed networks of roads with an official courier system, established a standing army, established the Praetorian Guard, and created official police and fire-fighting services for Rome. Much of the city was rebuilt under Augustus; and he wrote a record of his own accomplishments, known as the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, which has survived. Upon his death in AD 14, Augustus was declared a god by the Senate-to be worshipped by the Romans. His names Augustus and Caesar were adopted by every subsequent emperor; and the sixth month of the Roman calendar, previously named Sextilis, was renamed Augustus (August in English) in his honour. He was succeeded by his adopted son (also stepson and former son-in-law), Tiberius. [article link]

wikipedia: Caesar Tiberius (Luke 3:1) - Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (16 November 42 BC - 16 March 37 AD), was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD - Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla - His mother divorced [Tiberius Claudius Nero] and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian (Caesar Augustus) - Tiberius would later marry Augustus' daughter Julia the Elder and even later be adopted by Augustus, by which act he officially became a Julian, bearing the name Tiberius Julius Caesar - The subsequent emperors after Tiberius would continue this blended dynasty of both families for the next forty years; historians have named it the Julio-Claudian dynasty - In relations to the other emperors of this dynasty, Tiberius was the stepson of Augustus, great-uncle of Caligula, paternal uncle of Claudius, and great-great uncle of Nero
Tiberius died in Misenum on March 16, AD 37, at the age of 77. Tacitus records that upon the news of his death the crowd rejoiced, only to become suddenly silent upon hearing that he had recovered, and rejoiced again at the news that Caligula and Macro had smothered him. This is not recorded by other ancient historians and is most likely apocryphal, but it can be taken as an indication of how the senatorial class felt towards the Emperor at the time of his death. In his will, Tiberius had left his powers jointly to Caligula and Tiberius Gemellus; Caligula's first act on becoming Princeps was to void Tiberius' will and have Gemellus executed. ... Tiberius' ashes would be scattered in AD 410 during the Sack of Rome; his heir Caligula not only spent Tiberius' fortune of 2,700,000,000 sesterces but would also begin the chain of events which would bring about the downfall of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in AD 68. -- Legacy: Were he to have died prior to AD 23, he might have been hailed as an exemplary ruler. Despite the overwhelmingly negative characterization left by Roman historians, Tiberius left the imperial treasury with nearly 3 billion sesterces upon his death. Rather than embark on costly campaigns of conquest, he chose to strengthen the existing empire by building additional bases, using diplomacy as well as military threats, and generally refraining from getting drawn into petty squabbles between competing frontier tyrants. The result was a stronger, more consolidated empire. Of the authors whose texts have survived until the present day, only four describe the reign of Tiberius in considerable detail: Tacitus, Suetonius, Cassius Dio and Velleius Paterculus. Fragmentary evidence also remains from Pliny the Elder, Strabo and Seneca the Elder. Tiberius himself wrote an autobiography which Suetonius describes as "brief and sketchy," but this book has been lost. [article link]

wikipedia: Caesar Nero (Acts 26:32, 2 Timothy 4:16) - Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (15 December 37 - 9 June 68), was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty - In 64, most of Rome was destroyed in the Great Fire of Rome, which many Romans believed Nero himself had started [and later blamed on the Christians] in order to clear land for his planned palatial complex, the Domus Aurea - He is also infamously known as the Emperor who "fiddled while Rome burned" [apparently listened to chamber orchestra music and poetry recitals while Rome burned], although this is now considered an inaccurate rumor, and as an early persecutor of Christians - Few surviving sources paint Nero in a favorable light
During his reign, Nero focused much of his attention on diplomacy, trade, and enhancing the cultural life of the Empire. He ordered theaters built and promoted athletic games. During his reign, the redoubtable general Corbulo conducted a successful war and negotiated peace with the Parthian Empire. His general Suetonius Paulinus crushed a revolt in Britain. Also, he annexed the Bosporan Kingdom to the Empire, and the First Roman-Jewish War began. ... The revolt of Vindex and Galba and the death of Nero: In March 68, Gaius Julius Vindex, the governor of Gallia Lugdunensis, rebelled against Nero's tax policies. Lucius Verginius Rufus, the governor of Germania Superior, was ordered to put down Vindex's rebellion. In an attempt to gain support from outside his own province, Vindex called upon Servius Sulpicius Galba, the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, to join the rebellion and further, to declare himself emperor in opposition to Nero. At the Battle of Vesontio in May 68, Verginius' forces easily defeated those of Vindex and the latter committed suicide. However, after putting down this one rebel, Verginius' legions attempted to proclaim their own commander as Emperor. Verginius refused to act against Nero, but the discontent of the legions of Germany and the continued opposition of Galba in Spain did not bode well for Nero. -- While Nero had retained some control of the situation, support for Galba increased despite his being officially declared a public enemy. The prefect of the Praetorian Guard, Gaius Nymphidius Sabinus, also abandoned his allegiance to the Emperor and came out in support for Galba. -- In response, Nero fled Rome with the intention of going to the port of Ostia and from there to take a fleet to one of the still-loyal eastern provinces. However, he abandoned the idea when some army officers openly refused to obey his commands, responding with a line from Vergil's Aeneid: "Is it so dreadful a thing then to die?" Nero then toyed with the idea of fleeing to Parthia, throwing himself upon the mercy of Galba, or to appeal to the people and beg them to pardon him for his past offences "and if he could not soften their hearts, to entreat them at least to allow him the prefecture of Egypt". Suetonius reports that the text of this speech was later found in Nero's writing desk, but that he dared not give it from fear of being torn to pieces before he could reach the Forum. -- Nero returned to Rome and spent the evening in the palace. After sleeping, he awoke at about midnight to find the palace guard had left. Dispatching messages to his friends' palace chambers for them to come, he received no answers. Upon going to their chambers personally, he found them all abandoned. When he called for a gladiator or anyone else adept with a sword to kill him, no one appeared. He cried, "Have I neither friend nor foe?" and ran out as if to throw himself into the Tiber. -- Returning, Nero sought for some place where he could hide and collect his thoughts. An imperial freedman offered his villa, located 4 miles outside the city. Travelling in disguise, Nero and four loyal servants reached the villa, where Nero ordered them to dig a grave for him. At this time, a courier arrived with a report that the Senate had declared Nero a public enemy and that it was their intention to execute him by beating him to death. -- At this news, Nero prepared himself for suicide. Losing his nerve, he first begged for one of his companions to set an example by first killing himself. At last, the sound of approaching horsemen drove Nero to face the end. However he still could not bring himself to take his own life but instead he forced his private secretary, Epaphroditos, to perform the task. Nero's famous last words from this moment are "Qualis artifex pereo" or in english "What an artist dies in me!" -- When one of the horsemen entered, upon his seeing Nero all but dead he attempted to stop the bleeding in vain. Nero died on 9 June 68. This was the anniversary of the death of Octavia. Nero was buried in the Mausoleum of the Domitii Ahenobarbi, in what is now the Villa Borghese (Pincian Hill) area of Rome. -- With his death, the Julio-Claudian dynasty ended. Chaos ensued in the Year of the Four Emperors. [article link]

6th Kingdom - Rome, Julius Caesar - March 15 (This Day in History) 44 B.C. the "Ides of March" Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Senate House of Rome
March 15, 44 B.C. On the "Ides of March," Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the senate house by a group of conspirators led by Cimber, Casca, Cassius, and Marcus Junius Brutus. [article link]

6th Kingdom - Rome, Julius Caesar - The Ides (15th) of March - Used in the first Roman calendar as well as in the Julian calendar (established by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C. - the year before his assassination) the confusing system of Kalends, Nones, and Ides continued to be used to varying degrees throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance
The soothsayer's warning to Julius Caesar, "Beware the Ides of March," has forever imbued that date with a sense of foreboding. But in Roman times the expression "Ides of March" did not necessarily evoke a dark mood-it was simply the standard way of saying "March 15." Surely such a fanciful expression must signify something more than merely another day of the year? Not so. Even in Shakespeare's time, sixteen centuries later, audiences attending his play Julius Caesar wouldn't have blinked twice upon hearing the date called the Ides. The term Ides comes from the earliest Roman calendar, which is said to have been devised by Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome. Whether it was Romulus or not, the inventor of this calendar had a penchant for complexity. The Roman calendar organized its months around three days, each of which served as a reference point for counting the other days: "Kalends" (1st day of the month) - "Nones" (the 7th day in March, May, July, and October; the 5th in the other months) - "Ides" (the 15th day in March, May, July, and October; the 13th in the other months). The remaining, unnamed days of the month were identified by counting backwards from the Kalends, Nones, or the Ides. For example, March 3 would be V Nones-5 days before the Nones (the Roman method of counting days was inclusive; in other words, the Nones would be counted as one of the 5 days). [article link]

The "Christian calendar" is the term traditionally used to designate the calendar commonly in use - The Christian calendar has years of 365 or 366 days. It is divided into 12 months that have no relationship to the motion of the moon - In parallel with this system, the concept of weeks groups the days in sets of 7 - Two main versions of the Christian calendar have existed in recent times: The Julian calendar and the Gregorian calendar - The difference between them lies in the way they approximate the length of the tropical year and their rules for calculating Easter
What is the Julian calendar? - The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C.E. Author David Duncan says the Julian calendar was born of Caesar's tryst with Cleopatra. Before the Julian calendar was introduced, priests in the Roman Empire exploited the calendar for political ends, inserting days and even months into the calendar to keep the politicians they favored in office. Tired of the chaos that this undependable system eventually gave rise to, Julius Caesar finally set out to put the long-abused calendar back on track. It was in common use until the late 1500s, when countries started changing to the Gregorian calendar. However, some countries (for example, Greece and Russia) used it into the early 1900s, and the Orthodox church in Russia still uses it, as do some other Orthodox churches. In the Julian calendar, the tropical year is approximated as 365¼ days = 365.25 days. This gives an error of 1 day in approximately 128 years. The approximation 365¼ is achieved by having 1 leap year every 4 years. [article link]

A History of the [Calendar] Months and the Meanings of their Names - July -- Julius Caesar's month - August -- Augustus Caesar's month -- "Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from *Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed."
A History of the Months: The original Roman year had 10 named months Martius "March", Aprilis "April", Maius "May", Junius "June", Quintilis "July", Sextilis "August", September "September", October "October", November "November", December "December", and probably two unnamed months in the dead of winter when not much happened in agriculture. The year began with Martius "March". Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome circa 700 BC, added the two months Januarius "January" and Februarius "February". He also moved the beginning of the year from Marius to Januarius and changed the number of days in several months to be odd, a lucky number. After Februarius there was occasionally an additional month of Intercalaris "intercalendar". This is the origin of the leap-year day being in February. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar (hence the Julian calendar) changing the number of days in many months and removing Intercalaris. [article link]

The Seven-Day Week and the Meanings of the Names of the Days - Sunday -- Sun's day - Monday -- Moon's day
The Naming of the Days: The Greeks named the days week after the sun, the moon and the five known planets, which were in turn named after the gods Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, and Cronus. The Greeks called the days of the week the Theon hemerai "days of the Gods". The Romans substituted their equivalent gods for the Greek gods, Mars, Mercury, Jove (Jupiter), Venus, and Saturn. (The two pantheons are very similar.) The Germanic peoples generally substituted roughly similar gods for the Roman gods, Tiu (Twia), Woden, Thor, Freya (Fria), but did not substitute Saturn. [article link]

6th Kingdom - Rome, Julius Caesar - mideastweb.org: After the death of King Solomon, Israel split into two kingdoms [Israel (10 Northern Tribes - Samaria), Judah (Two Southern Tribes - Jerusalem)] - Eventually, both the kingdom of Israel, and later that of Judea, with its temple in Jerusalem, were overrun by invaders [Babylon, King King Nebakanezer - 3rd Global Gentile Kingdom] - [70 years later] The Persians [Persia, Cyrus The Great - 4th Global Gentile Kingdom] restored the Judean kingdom and allowed the Jews to [return and] rebuild their temple - This kingdom fell to Greek and later Hellenic-Syrian domination when Alexander the Great [Greece - 5th Global Gentile Kingdom] conquered Persia - In 164 B.C. the Hasmonean Kingdom of Judea [Judah - Israel] revolted and became semi-independent of Syria [resulting in the Hanukkah (Chanukah) Festival] - It [Judea - Jerusalem, Israel] **was [originally] protected by a **treaty of friendship with Rome (1 Maccabees 8:17-32) - However in 61 A.D. [Roman - First Triumvirate (three part rulers) - Gaius Julius Caesar, Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Gnaeus Pompeius (Pompey) Magnus] Pompei [the Roman General Pompey] conquered Jerusalem, and from then on Israel or Palestine was subordinate to Rome - Parts of it were nominally independent under the rule of local kings of the line of Herod the Idumean
Herod build many towns and fortifications (including Massada and Heordion) and extensively remodelled [the 2nd Temple - rebuilt via permission and materials of Cyrus The Great from Persia] the Temple in Jerusalem [later called Herod's rebuilt Temple or simply Herod's Temple]. After the first Jewish rebellion [against Rome] and fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., large numbers of Jews were exiled. Jerusalem was eventually rebuilt as Aelia Capitolina. After the failure of the revolt of Bar-Kochba in 133, there were more exiles and ruined towns. On the ruins of Israelite and Canaanite towns, the Romans built new ones, populated partly by inhabitants of neighboring lands. The land was divided into several districts, of which Palestine was only one. The Negev (southern district), generally excluded from these divisions was inhabited by the Nabateans, an Arab trader nation that made a notable desert civilization in cities such as Avdat (in modern Israel) and Petra (in modern Jordan). The whole area between the desert and the sea was known, later in the Roman Empire, as the Christian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, though this was not a Roman administrative division. [article link]

6th Kingdom - Rome, Julius Caesar - Bacchanalia - The bacchanalia were wild and mystic festivals of the Greek god Dionysus and Roman god Bacchus - The word has since come to describe any form of drunken revelry - Livy informs us that the rapid spread of the cult, which he claims indulged in all kinds of crimes and political conspiracies at its nocturnal meetings, led in 186 B.C. to a decree of the [Roman] Senate - the so-called Senatus consultum de Bacchanalibus, inscribed on a bronze tablet discovered in Apulia in Southern Italy (1640), now at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna - by which the Bacchanalia were prohibited throughout all Italy except in certain special cases which must be approved specifically by the Senate
History: The bacchanalia were originally held in secret and only attended by women. The festivals occurred in the grove of Simila near the Aventine Hill [one of the seven hills on which ancient Rome was built - Wiki.com] on March 16 and March 17. Later, admission to the rites was extended to men, and celebrations took place five times a month. According to Livy, the extension happened in an era when the leader of the Bacchus cult was Paculla Annia - though it is now believed that some men had participated before that. Livy informs us that the rapid spread of the cult, which he claims indulged in all kinds of crimes and political conspiracies at its nocturnal meetings, led in 186 BC to a decree of the Senate - the so-called Senatus consultum de Bacchanalibus, inscribed on a bronze tablet discovered in Apulia in Southern Italy (1640), now at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna - by which the Bacchanalia were prohibited throughout all Italy except in certain special cases which must be approved specifically by the Senate. In spite of the severe punishment inflicted on those found in violation of this decree (Livy claims there were more executions than imprisonment), the Bacchanalia survived in Southern Italy long past the repression. Some modern scholars doubt Livy's account and argue that the Senate acted against the Bacchants for one of the following reasons -- In Empires of Trust: How Rome Built - And America Is Building - A New World [NWO] by Thomas Madden, the author cites the words of a [ancient] Roman investigative consul in his report to the Roman Senate: there was no crime, no deed of shame, wanting (lacking). More uncleanness was committed by men with men than with women. Whoever would not submit to defilement, or shrank from violating others, was sacrificed as a victim. To regard nothing as impious or criminal was the sum total of their religion. The men, as though seized with madness and with frenzied distortions of their bodies, shrieked out prophecies; the matrons, dressed as Bacchae, their hair disheveled, rushed down to the Tiber River with burning torches, plunged them into the water, and drew them out again, the flame undiminished because they were made of sulfur mixed with lime. Men were fastened to a machine and hurried off to hidden caves, and they were said to have been taken away by the gods. These were the men who refused to join their conspiracy or take part in their crimes or submit to their pollution. ... Modern usage: In the second season of the HBO show 'True Blood' the town falls under the spell of a Maenad, who holds regular Bacchanalia with the possessed townspeople. [article link]

6th Kingdom - Rome, Julius Caesar - What was Rome's version of Mount Olympus called? In respect of where did the Roman Gods live? - There is no change - it is known as "Mount Olympus" in both Roman and Greek mythology - The gods lived in the same place in both mythologies
Actually there is no Roman equivalent of the Greek Mt. Olympus as the legendary home of the twelve great gods just named the Olympians in Greek mythology and simply 'Dii' or 'Di' ('gods') by the Romans. ... The Romans are kind of a special case when it comes to mythology. They actually "stole" pieces of various world myths from the races they conquered. The Greek gods tended to be primary in the Roman myths. The Romans actually took and matched the Greek gods to pieces they already had and gave them more Roman names. There wasn't a specific place that the Roman gods inhabited (as the Greek gods did). They most likely referred to it as Olympus as well. ... The Greeks and the Romans (who borrowed from the Greeks) both called the home of the gods "Olympus." The main difference was how they imagined heaven. The old Greek poets (like Homer and Hesiod) pictured the gods living on an acropolis (fortified hill) filled with Greek palaces. The Roman poets on the other hand describe the gods living at the zenith of heaven, in a palace complex like that of the Palatine Hill of Rome. Each saw the gods as a reflection of their own society. ... Rome didn't have a Mount Olympus. The Roman gods were evolved from the various other societies that they took over from, i.e. the Etruscans and in the south the Greeks, *Persians [4th Kingdom] and Syrians. Many of the Gods were planetary, so lived in the heavens. Some resided in the Underworld, others in the sea and water. By the time Roman society formed, most worship took place in designated Temples. Which was where they communicated with the grander gods. In early Greek society many of the sacred places started as groves or natural temples, so Mount Olympus was amongst these earlier traditions. [article link]

6th Kingdom - Rome, Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) - Ancient Roman Culture - The Ancient Romans acquired many of their cultural habits from the Ancient Greeks - The Greeks inspired the Romans from everyday customs and laws to architectural designs and style - The Roman architects first learned from the Greeks but when they became a world power they built with more imagination {Note: Historically the entire established Greek Kingdom (5th Kingdom - 1st of the Western (Europe) centered Kingdoms) folded wholesale into the replacing Roman (6th Kingdom - 2nd of the Western (Europe) centered Kingdoms) - Rome did not militarily conquer Greece unmercifully the way previous Empires had conquered each other [in fact it was Rome itself that Rome unmercifully, militarily conquered] instead Rome the new military power of its day inherited the world through treaties with Greece brought on by a decline in Greek culture while the strength of Rome gave Rome the opportunity [and Rome took the opportunity] to pick up the global Greek culture, Romanize it to small extent and continue it on virtually in its entirety into the Roman Kingdom.}
Ancient Roman Culture - Location: Ancient Rome was located exactly where modern Rome is today, along the western coast of central Italy. History: The Ancient Romans acquired many of their cultural habits from the Ancient Greeks.The Greeks inspired the Romans from everyday customs and laws to architectural designs and style.The Ancient Romans were first governed by what is called the Twelve Tables. This provided the basic code and standard of living for all Romans.Later, all decisions were led to the discretion of the court's judges, most of whom were corrupt. The Twelve Tables were followed by The Gracchi, which was developed and implemented by the emperor Caesar Augustus. Historians have noticed that some of the Roman's emperors have had mysterious deaths, which have little or no record of how they happened. This was during the time when the Roman emperors ruled, this time followed the demise of the Roman Republic. ... Roman houses were built around a courtyard that was open to the elements. The open roof vented smoke and let the rainwater in. The open center usually contained a leisure area with a bath, chairs, and sometimes a garden. The interior of the house contained rooms for the nuclear family, a dining room, and indoor bathrooms. Best Known Features: The Ancient Romans were well known for their architectural ability. They constructed great buildings such as the Collesseum, auquaducts, and the Pantheon.The first architects were priests who wanted a location so they could say 'whatever happens is a sign from the gods.' The Roman architects first learned from the Greeks but when they became a world power they built with more imagination. [article link]

6th Kingdom - Rome, Julius Caesar - Biography: Julius Caesar's history begins in 100 B.C. when he was born in a family which was a part of the Julius dynasty - Caesar's father was working as a praetor and died when Caesar was at the age of 16 orphaning him and his two sisters - So the future conqueror was raised by his mother - Aurelia - At the age of 17 he married Cornelius Cinna's, who was the leader of the radical party, granddaughter Cornelia - But his happines didn't last long - In 82 BC, after Lucius Cornelius Sulla led the successful counter-revolution, Sulla ordered Caesar to divorce Cornelia - Caesar refused to carry out this order and was going to be banished and all his treasury to be taken away and losing the title of "Flamen Dialis" (priest of Jupiter) - Caesar's friends and family pleaded for him and thanks to that he was found not guilty - Discouraged, Caesar went east and joined the [Roman] army - Caesar became a consul in 59 B.C. - He introduced many reforms which delighted his partners - At the same time Caesar became Gaul's governor - In 58 BC Caesar started the conquest of Gaul [Europe - Britannia (England), France, Germany, etc.] - His political opponents wanted him to get back to Rome and be prosecuted for the things he had done when he was a consul - Caesar refused - Caesar had made a decision, which resulted in the fall of Roman republic - He lead his armies across the river of Rubicon and said the well-known "The die has been cast" and **started his [military] march towards Rome in January of 49 B.C. - Caesar's action resulted in a [Roman] civil war - (At the same time there was a [Greek] civil war in Egypt between Cleopatra and her brother) - In December of 49 B.C. Caesar returned to Rome, but only for 11 days - This was the required amount of time to become elected as the new consul - Caesar's aim was the conquer [and control of] the whole world - He went on with his wars and won victory over an usurper in the kingdom of Piemont - After this victory he said another famous phrase "I came, I saw, I conquered" - Since 59 B.C. Caesar had been elected a consul five times and a dictator three times - Finally, in 44BC he became an eternal dictator - It was ment to be a lifelong title and it was in fact - On 15 March 44 B.C. he was assassinated - He received 23 blows by dagger [from fellow Roman leaders - on the Senate floor - during a session of the Roman Senate] and only one was leathal - Most important conspirators were Gaius Cassius Longinus, [Gaius Trebonius - was the person who kept Mark Antony outside the Senate while Caesar was being stabbed - Wiki.com] and Marcus Junius Brutus "Et tu, Brute" ("You too, Brutus") was Caesar's expression of his particular anguish at being stabbed by a man whom he had forgiven, trusted, and loved - [Though they succeeded in assassinating Julius Caesar, the celebration was short-lived, as Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) [before Augustus Caesar could do so] seized power and turned the Roman public against them - Wiki.com] {Note: Julius Caesar didn't march on Athens Greece to secure his Kingdom. Julius Caesar marched on his own city of Rome to secure his Kingdom.}
The plot against Caesar: Since 59 BC Caesar had been elected a consul five times and a dictator three times. Finally, in 44BC he became an eternal dictator. It was ment to be a lifelong title and it was in fact. On 15 March 44BC he was assassinated. He received 23 blows by dagger and only one was leathal. Most important conspirators were Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus. "Et tu, Brute" ("You too, Brutus") was Caesar's expression of his particular anguish at being stabbed by a man whom he had forgiven, trusted, and loved. They were Caesar's closest associates, but he underestimated them. Thanks to Caesar they had gathered a fortune and high positions, [positions] what they couldn't stand (be in with authority) [because Caesar became a dictator taking their authority]. That's why they had murderd him. Formally, Caesarion [the son between Julius Caesar and Cleopatra in Egypt] wasn't [legally declared by Rome to be] Caesar's son, so *before he died Caesar had chosen **Gaius Octavius [later taking the name 'Augustus Caesar' ("Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.")], his sister's grandson, as his successor. On first January 42 B.C. Caesar has been formally declared a god named Divus Iulius (Divine Julius). -- Usurper or reformer? How to recap Caesar's life: He definitely was an usurper. He reached his position thanks to his army and it was his reign's main foundation. He had limitless power, which was his aim for his whole life. But thinking about Caesar we see not only an usurper but also a great mastermind and reformer. He did everything he could to ensure law and order in Rome, which was begining to fall apart after many years long anarchy. Caesar's best description are Cicero's, one of his political enemies, words: "Those are the attributes: calm and kind nature; delight in great minds; he listens to right and just requests and doesn't care about the careeriest's ones; he is clever and **forward-looking... I admire his dignity and justice and intelligence". As a commander and politician he got rid of hatred towards his enemies. Some received high positions and fortunes. Caesar was also a writer - he wrote diaries and he was interested in grammar and he collected piecies of art. His best works are Diaries from the Gaul War and Diaries from the [Roman] civil war. Both of them are written in excellent and beautiful latin. They were examplars of how to write your thoughts down for many centuries afterwards. [article link]

7 The Kingdom of Antichrist - The Revised Roman Empire

wikipedia: Holy Roman Empire, Revised Rome [7th Global Gentile Kingdom] Emperor Constantine - Constantine the Great - Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus (27 February 272 - 22 May 337), also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337 - Well known for being the first Roman emperor to [pretend to] convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., which proclaimed religious tolerance of all religions [primarily concerned with protecting a heretical/gnostic version of christianity that would compete with and hinder true Christianity] throughout the empire - As the emperor who used [a pseudo] Christianity to empower his government throughout the Roman Empire and moved the capital to the banks of the Bosporus [the Istanbul Strait], Constantine was a ruler of major historical importance, but he has always been a controversial figure
The foremost general of his time, Constantine defeated the emperors Maxentius and Licinius during civil wars. He also fought successfully against the Franks, Alamanni, Visigoths, and Sarmatians during his reign - even resettling parts of Dacia which had been abandoned during the previous century. Constantine built a new imperial residence in place of Byzantium, naming it Constantinople, which would later be the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire for over one thousand years. He is thought of as the founder of the Eastern Roman Empire. [article link]

wikipedia: Holy Roman Empire, Revised Rome [7th Global Gentile Kingdom] Emperor Antichrist - The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner - The antichrist will seemingly provide for the needs of the people but deny them ultimate [eternal] salvation
The term "antichrist" appears five times in 1 John and 2 John of the New Testament - once in plural form and four times in the singular. The Apostle Paul's Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, in particular the 2nd chapter, summarizes the nature, work, coming, and revelation of the "Man of Sin" - a passage often regarded as referring to same person as the antichrist of 1 and 2 John. ... [Apostle] Paul writes that this "Man of Sin" (Antichrist) will possess a number of characteristics. These include "sitting in the temple" [rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem], opposing himself against anything that is worshiped, claiming divine authority, working all kinds of counterfeit miracles and signs, and doing all kinds of evil. Paul notes that "the mystery of lawlessness" (though not the Man of Sin himself) was working in secret already during his day and will continue to function until being destroyed [Revelation 19:20] on [their] Last Day. His identity is to be revealed after that which is restraining him is removed. -- The term is also sometimes applied to prophecies regarding a "Little horn" power in Daniel chapter 7. Daniel 9:27 mentions an "abomination that causes desolations" setting itself up in a "wing" or a "pinnacle" of the temple. Some scholars interpret this as referring to the Antichrist. Some commentators also view the verses prior to this as referring to the Antichrist. Jesus references the abomination from Daniel 9:27 in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14 when He warns about the destruction of Jerusalem. Daniel 11:36-37 speaks of a [future] self exalting king, considered by some to be the Antichrist. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Film Critics [Detroit Film Critics Society]: How I [Debbie Schlussel] Voted & What We Chose for 2010 Best Films, Etc. - MY NOMINATIONS: BEST FILM 1. "The King's Speech" [The story of King George VI (Prince Charles' Grandfather) of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it - imdb.com] {Looks like an excellent movie from the preview and with Debbie's recommendation I'm for sure going to see it. It is also a very timely movie as the world is apparently moving back into an end time global Monarchy (10 Kingdoms - Daniel 7:7) period. Also Note: The Kingdom of England (Great Britain) might or might not be the 'little horn' Antichrist Kingdom but either way the throne of England is going [to continue] to be the major player in world events right up until or including the time of Antichrist.} (Movie Review)
I will be posting a separate list of my top ten best movies of the year in the next week or so, but our rules and constraints for this list are different. In this case, we could nominate and/or vote for 1-5 choices, with the number 1 choice being worth the most (5 points) and the number 5 choice being worth the least (1 point). So, here's what I picked as a DFCS critic . . MY NOMINATIONS: 1. "The King's Speech" [review will be posted on December 24th] ... And here are the winners, as voted on by the Detroit Film Critics Society: BEST FILM: "The Social Network" [A story about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook. - imdb.com]. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - The Kings Speech Trailer 2010 HD (YouTube)
The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it. - imdb.com [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - King Edward's Chair - The Coronation Chair, is the throne on which the British monarch sits for the coronation [ceremony marking the investiture of a monarch or their consort with regal power, specifically involving the placement of a crown upon his or her head - wiki.com] - It was commissioned in 1296 A.D. by King Edward I
King Edward's Chair, sometimes known as St Edward's Chair or The Coronation Chair, is the throne on which the British monarch sits for the coronation. It was commissioned in 1296 by King Edward I [also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307 - The first son of Henry III] to contain the coronation stone of Scotland - known as the Stone of Scone (Stone of Destiny) - which he had captured from the Scots who had kept it at Scone Abbey [In 1296 the Stone was captured by Edward I as spoils of war and taken from Scotland to Westminster Abbey]. The chair was named after England's only canonised (Sainted by the Pope) king, Edward the Confessor [Reign: 8 June 1042 - 5 January 1066], and was kept in his shrine of St Edward's Chapel at Westminster Abbey. - History: Since 1308, all anointed sovereigns of England (until 1707) and Great Britain (after 1707) have been seated in this chair at the moment of their coronation, with the exception of Queen Mary I (who was crowned in a chair given to her by the Pope) and Mary II (who was crowned on a copy of the chair). The last occasion was the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953 [mother of Prince Charles - grandmother of Prince William]. King Edward's Chair, as it stands now in Westminster Abbey, without the Stone of Scone. The high backed gothic style arm chair was carved in 1297 from oak by a carpenter known as Master Walter, who was paid the considerable sum of 100 shillings for his work. Four gilded lions act as legs to the chair; these are a comparatively modern restoration executed in 1727. They replace similar lions which were added in the 16th century. Under the seat of the chair is a platform and cavity which until 1996 contained the Stone of Scone; this has now been returned to Scotland [in 1996] with the proviso that it be returned to the chair on the occasion of the next coronation. The chair may once have been richly painted and gilded - it is thought it once had an image of Edward the Confessor painted on its back. Today, however, its appearance is of aged and bare wood, and during its history many early tourists, pilgrims, and choir boys in the Abbey appear to have carved their initials and other graffiti onto the chair in the 18th and 19th century. The carved finials at the back of the chair have also been partially sawn away. In addition the chair was damaged in 1914 when it was the object of a bomb attack, thought to have been instigated by the suffragettes. Over the eight centuries of its existence it has been only twice removed from Westminster Abbey. The first time was for the ceremony in Westminster Hall when Oliver Cromwell was inducted as Lord Protector of England, and the second during World War II when it was evacuated to Gloucester Cathedral for the duration of the war. Today it is highly protected, and leaves its secure resting place (in the ambulatory on a raised modern pedestal near the tomb of Henry V) only when it is carried into the theatre of coronation near the High Altar of the Abbey for the rare occurrence of a coronation. [article link]

Arezzo: The Medici Fortress and the [Roman] (lion, goat, serpent) Chimera (Video)
The excavations for the construction of the Medici fortress, in the 16th century, have brought to light the famous etruscan Chimera of Arezzo. Part of the Videoguida of Arezzo by Touristicchannel. Visit www.touristicchannel.com, the video portail of tourism in tuscany & umbria in Italy. [article link]

Rethinking Humanity: the Chimera Debate - For most of history, part-human part-animal beings have always resided in the realm of fiction and folklore. Recently, however, advances in genetic engineering and microsurgery have brought these creatures into existence - Chimeras differ from the general perception of the genetically modified organism. Technically, a chimera consists of two genomes in a single body, producing two types of cells that work in conjunction to create a viable organism. It develops from two fertilized eggs that come into contact and combine to form a single embryo
For most of history, part-human part-animal beings have always resided in the realm of fiction and folklore. Recently, however, advances in genetic engineering and microsurgery have brought these creatures into existence. Scientists now have created human-nonhuman chimeras-organisms that have both human cells and animals cells in their bodies. These chimeric animals hold enormous potential for the field of medicine as well as basic research into human physiology. Their utility in science lies in their unique biological integration of both human and animal cells, which can give rise to human tissues and even organs within the body of an animal. Useful applications of this technology range from the study of disease, to more accurate testing of drugs and medication, to the possibility of transplants using chimeric organs. Despite its potential, however, chimera research faces significant opposition from a wide spectrum of the population. While scientific and public health concerns exist, the majority of the opposition focus on the violation of current ethical and moral codes that arises from creating and using chimeras. At closer examination, however, all of these objections stem from an unwillingness to surrender society's rigid view of human identity and uniqueness. The debate over chimera research represents the changing perception of humanity and our place in the world. -- Chimeras differ from the general perception of the genetically modified organism. Technically, a chimera consists of two genomes in a single body, producing two types of cells that work in conjunction to create a viable organism. It develops from two fertilized eggs that come into contact and combine to form a single embryo, instead of staying separate and developing into fraternal twins. Chimerism within a species occurs naturally in nearly all animals, including humans. Interspecific chimeras, however, rarely exist in nature due to the unlikelihood of specific conditions required. In 1989, scientists at the University of California, Davis breached this barrier and created the first artificial chimera, a sheep-goat hybrid dubbed the "geep." ... Today, the United Kingdom stands as the only nation to have legalized human-animal chimeras for medical research, a decision that has drawn harsh criticisms and cries of alarm from Germany and the rest of the European Union.19 The unpopularity of chimera research is understandable, as is the general feeling of revulsion and fear towards such creatures. To many, chimeras present a threat to our biological uniqueness in the world. In an age when astronomers and cosmologists continue to discover how small and inconsequential we really are, biology stands as the last bastion in defense of our significance and superiority. And this bastion is on the verge of being overrun by surreal part-human animals. [article link]

Disecting the New Age - Phoenix or Double-Headed Eagle? - The double-headed eagle is probably the most easily recognizable Masonic symbol in the world, even more important than the Square and Compass/Rule - They look like two eagles, but they are not - They are the Phoenix Bird of Ancient Egypt [later of ancient Persia and later still in ancient Greece] - Remember that the Brotherhood was known in ancient Egypt as, "The Mystery Schools"
The double-headed eagle is probably the most easily recognizable Masonic symbol in the world, even more important than the Square and Compass/Rule. They look like two eagles, but they are not. They are the Phoenix Bird of Ancient Egypt. Remember that the Brotherhood was known in ancient Egypt as, "The Mystery Schools." he current Presidential Seal has an eagle in it. The eagle replaced the Phoenix(the original national bird) in 1841 as the national bird. The Phoenix has been a Brotherhood symbol since ancient Egypt. The Phoenix was adopted by the Founding Fathers for use on the reverse of the first official seal of the United States after a design proposed by Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress. Listen to the explanation from Masonic author, Manly P. Hall, 33rd Degree, K.T., in his book, The Phoenix: An Illustrated Review of Occultism and Philosophy . [Before we begin, I find it highly interesting that Hall would admit, by his use of this title, that Freemasonry is occultic]. "Among the ancients a fabulous bird called the Phoenix is described by early writers ... in size and shape it resembles the eagle, but with certain differences. The body of the Phoenix is one covered with glossy purple feathers, and the plumes in its tail are alternately blue and red. The head of the bird is light in color, and about its neck is a circlet of golden plumage. At the back of its back the Phoenix has a crest of feathers of brilliant color ... The Phoenix, it is said, lives for 500 years, and at its death its body opens and the new born Phoenix emerges. Because of this symbolism, the Phoenix is generally regarded as representing immortality and resurrection ... The Phoenix is one sign of the secret orders of the ancient world and of the initiate of those orders, for it was common to refer to one who had been accepted into the temples as a man twice-born, or reborn. Wisdom confers a new life, and those who become wise are born again." [p. p. 176-77] ... To prevent most people from associating the Masonic Eagle with the ancient Phoenix, Freemasons changed the Phoenix to an Eagle, and began to refer to it as an Eagle. However, two Masonic authors blow the lid off that change in symbolism. Manly P. Hall, in his book, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, states, "These were the immortals to whom the term 'phoenix' was applied, and their symbol was the mysterious two-headed bird, now called an eagle , a familiar and little understood Masonic emblem ." [p. 108; Emphasis added] Albert Pike, in Magnum Opus, writes, "... the Eagle was the living Symbol of Egyptian God Mendes ... and the representative of the Sun ..." [p. xviii] In one sentence, we see the admission that the Phoenix Bird of Ancient Satanic Egypt was changed into the Masonic Eagle and then Pike admits that the Eagle is the Symbol of the Sun God and of the God of Mendes, both symbols being common Satanic symbols of Satan/Lucifer! Remember also the Satanic meaning of the phrase depicted below the eagle the two Eagles -- "DEUS MEUMQUE JUS." As explained in Part 1 of 5 this is a typical Satanic Latin phrase, meaning, "... Masons are saying that they are 'using occult methods,' through Lucifer, to achieve their Rights and Justice." But why would a two-headed Eagle be adopted by Masonry, instead of a one-headed Eagle? Masonic author, R. Swinburne Clymer, writing in The Mysteries of Osiris , 1951, explains. "When they [pagans] desired to express the renewal, or beginning, of the year, they represented it in the form of a door-keeper. It could easily be distinguished by the attributes of a key ... At times, they gave it two heads, back to back ... In time, this [back-to-back key symbol] became the double-headed Eagle of symbolic Masonry." [p. 42] [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Ahithophel - Ahithophel has a reputation for marvelous practical [farsighted] sagacity (II Samuel 16:23) - He did not show this in joining the conspiracy [with Absalom] but it is in evidence in his management of the affair - Absalom's only chance of success [in initiating a kingdom of Absalom] was by the method of surprise and stampede - There must be a crisis in which everybody would join Absalom because everybody thought that everybody else had done so {Note: Jesus Christ is a physical descendant of King David and is eligible to sit on the throne of King David via his mother Mary who is a descendant of King David via David and Bathsheba's 3rd son Nathan (1 Chronicles 3:5 - Luke 3:31) while Joseph the husband of Mary and step-father of Jesus is a descendant of Solomon the 4th son of King David and Bathsheba - It's important to note that the throne of Solomon was discontinued by God (Jeremiah 22:30) - Restoring the throne of Solomon [via a descendant of Solomon i.e. Barabbas] would equate establishing an Antichrist illegitimate throne. The true Throne of King David yet to be restored on earth [Acts 1:6, Acts 2:29-30, Acts 14:16] will be Jesus Christ via his mother's linage through Nathan [not to be confused with Nathan the prophet]. Also Note: The 8 Kingdoms study will look at this a little more when we briefly look at thrones, kingdoms, eligibility, who can establish them and who can sit on them i.e. to establish a kingdom historically the person had to be a victorious conqueror getting an important victory over a threatening enemy and therefore establishing or expanding his territory in a way that directly benefits his people by providing increased safety and opportunity. - George Washington (Revolution War, First President of the United States) and Thomas Jefferson (Revolution War, third President of the United States, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, the Louisiana Land Purchase of 1803) would have been the only two Americans that would have really qualified to become Kings in America. There was a sizable movement to declare George Washington a King but Washington refused the offer.}
Ahithophel: Some hold that he was the grandfather of Bathsheba, and make much of this in forming their estimates of him. Does the evidence sustain this view? In the latter half of the list of David's mighty men, not among the older veterans with whom the list begins, appears "Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite" (II Samuel 23:34), the corresponding name in the other copy of the list being "Ahijah the Pelonite" (I Chronicles 11:36). It is assumed that this is the same Eliam who was father to Bath-sheba (II Samuel 11:3). Apparently the Chronicler testifies (I Chronicles 3:5) that the mother of Solomon was "Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel." Bathshua may easily be a variant of Bathsheba, and the names Eliam and Ammiel are made up of the same parts, only in reversed order. It is not strange that men have inferred that the son of Ahithophel was the father of Bathsheba. But the inference is really not a probable one. ... That Ahithophel had then a married grand-daughter is less probable than that there were in Israel two Eliams. Further, Ahithophel was not the sort of man to conspire against the interests of his grand-daughter and her son [Solomon], however he may, earlier, have resented the conduct of David toward her. Ahithophel's motive in the rebellion was doubtless ambition for personal power, though he very likely shared with many of his countrymen in the conviction that it was unjust to push aside an older son by elevating a younger son to the throne. ... Ahithophel has a reputation for marvelous practical sagacity (II Samuel 16:23). He did not show this in joining the conspiracy but it is in evidence in his management of the affair. According to the record the hearts of the people, in spite of the much fault they had to find, were all the time with David. Absalom's only chance of success was by the method of surprise and stampede. There must be a crisis in which everybody would join Absalom because everybody thought that everybody else had done so. Such a state of public sentiment could last only a very few days; but if, in those few days, David could be put out of the way, Absalom might hold the throne in virtue of his personal popularity and in default of a rival. The first part of the program was carried out with wonderful success; when it came to the second part, Ahithophel's practical wisdom was blocked by Hushai's adroit appeal to Absalom's personal vanity. Ahithophel saw with absolute clearness that Absalom had sacrificed his one opportunity, and he committed suicide to avoid participation in the shameful defeat which he saw could not be averted - by Willis J. Beecher. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Antichrist Delusions 1 of 6 {Note: The Antichrist is a major topic of the Old Testament -- "Zechariah 11:8 Three shepherds (Revelation 16:13) also I cut off in one month; and My soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred Me." - Also Note: The Antichrist (emerging little horn - Daniel 7:8) is considered not to be a directly religious figure but more of a political figure, a ruler, a king, a kingdom (i.e Barabbas - trying to reestablish the throne of Solomon in Jerusalem by sedition - Luke 23:19). While the false prophet (Revelation 16:13) is generally considered to be a religious person (i.e. the Apostle Judas [Luke 6:13-14] - often considered now to be a last Catholic Pope) though the two the Antichrist and the False Prophet work closely with each other and with the third [spiritual - fallen angelic] portion (Mystery Babylon - Revelation 17:5) of the emerging unholy trinity. - Remember: The Biblical events of Jesus Christ, Barabbas and Judas were all prophesied earlier in the Bible [i.e. 2 Samuel 15:10-12] by King David (a type of Jesus Christ), Absalom (King David's oldest son - also a type of Antichrist, King Solomon being primarily the type of Antichrist) and King David's counselor Ahithophel (a religious devout servant [Psalms 41:9] - a type of Judas the betrayer) [Absalom his name signifies 'the father of peace' apuritansmind.com - The name Solomon means "the peaceful one" chabad.org].} (YouTube)
Episode 3 on Steve Wohlberg's most comprehensive book on Bible prophecy, End Time Delusions, offers a compelling alternative to the New York Times bestselling "Left Behind" series. Separates facts from speculative fiction and reveals what the Bible really teaches about Earth's last days. -- "Zechariah 10:1-3 Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd. Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of Hosts hath visited His flock the House of Judah, and hath made them as His goodly horse in the battle." -- "Zechariah 11:1-17 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down. There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled. Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter; Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and **they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not. For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them. And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty [Old Covenent], and the other I called Bands [relationships - Israel-Judah]; and I fed the flock. *Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me. Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break My [O.T.] Covenant which I had made with all the people. And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon Me knew that it was the Word of the LORD. ***And I [Jesus] said unto them, If ye think good, give Me My price; and if not, forbear. So they [Temple Preists] weighed for My price thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD (Matthew 27:8-9). Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd [Antichrist] in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened." [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - The Prophecy Club: The Sons of God and the Antichrist 1 of 4 (YouTube)
The Prophecy Club: Bill Schnoebelen has seen over 100 UFO's and studied them for over 40 years. He was a member of the National Investigations Committee on Arial Phenomena (NICAP). He has interviewed over 100 people who have been abducted, including Christians. Bill will show pictures of physical evidence of the Sons of God. He will explain their connections to black magic; fallen angels DNA and it relates to the Mark of the Beast and a counterfeit Gospel. Bill says the Sons of God will reveal themselves and be a part of deceiving millions of people, including Christians, into denying Jesus. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Christopher Columbus UFO from A&E Television Networks History Channel (YouTube)
Christopher Columbus reports sees a UFO in 1492 hours before discovering the new world. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Christopher Columbus UFO sighting in 1492 A.D. - From "The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus" (1850 A.D.): Christopher Columbus and Pedro Gutierrez while on the deck of the Santa Maira, observed, "a light glimmering at a great distance" - It vanished and reappeared several times during the night, moving up and down, "in sudden and passing gleams" It was sighted 4 hours before land was sighted [discovered], and taken by Columbus as a sign they would soon come to land
UFO CASE REPORT From the WaterUFO.net site: Christopher Columbus UFO sighting in 1492 - Summary: In 1492, Christopher Columbus and Pedro Gutierrez while on the deck of the Santa Maira, observed, "a light glimmering at a great distance." It vanished and reappeared several times during the night, moving up and down, "in sudden and passing gleams." ... Even Christopher Columbus, it appears, saw a UFO. While patrolling the deck of the Santa Maria at about 10:00 PM on October 11, 1492, Columbus thought he saw "a light glimmering at a great distance." He hurriedly summoned Pedro Gutierrez, "a gentleman of the king's bedchamber," who also saw the light. After a short time it vanished, only to reappear several times during the night, each time dancing up and down "in sudden and passig gleams." The light, first seen four hours before land was sighted, was never explained." (from Beyond Earth: Man's Contact with UFOs, by Ralph Blum and Judy Blum, which is referring to 'The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus' (1850).) Case ID: 487. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Testimony: Regarding Contemplative [Emergent church] Spirituality Mysticism - I think I finally understand how they think, how they can put so much emphasis on the kingdom of God (which they define as service to others - i.e. good works, tithing) and virtually ignore the sinful conduct rampant here - These people, my co-workers and friends, believe in an inner light, a True Self - I remember that term from class - that is intimately connected to the Divine - Everyone has this (god) light, so we are all a part of God [not true - Adam and Eve were created in the image of God but lost it at their sin and fall (Genesis 3:9), now all mankind is seperated from God unless Spiritually 'born again' by Jesus Christ (John 3:3)] - As such, there is no need for a substitutionary penal atonement (i.e. the cross) because there is no separation (only good works) to atone for [Again this 'no human separation (from God)' would only be true if sin had not entered humanity (and all of creation) but is now seperating all humans from the Holy God.]
I think I finally understand how they think, how they can put so much emphasis on the kingdom of God (which they define as service to others) and virtually ignore the sinful conduct rampant here ('wedding' reception for a gay couple here next week). These people, my co-workers and friends, believe in an inner light, a True Self (I remember that term from class) that is intimately connected to the Divine. Everyone has this light, so we are all a part of God. As such, there is no need for a substitutionary penal atonement (i.e. the cross) because there is no separation to atone for. It follows, then, that the only "sins" we commit are those that do harm to others (ergo, to God), which is why they can, without so much as a flinch, condone homosexuality but at the same time condemn those (like me) who fail to practice "tolerance" because we insist that there are such thing as moral absolutes. It is also why they can place acts of service (e.g. to the poor - extremely important here) above acts of evangelism (which display intolerance of others' belief systems). -- Contrast this with my understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is that we [because of the fall of Adam and Eve] are born sinners, are separated from God, and are in need of a Savior (Jesus Christ) to reconcile us to Him. I do believe in a "Punitive Father" but one who only punishes when rejected after repeated attempts to redeem us - and even then it is less punishment than letting us have our own way. To those that call out to Him, He is merciful and loving and wants to show us the boundlessness of His grace - but only to those who accept His gift of salvation. As I said, I'd been searching for nearly two years for a way to wrap my mind around what seems to be a warped - but strangely appealing - theological view. Your article made it fall into place for me. Thank you so much for your faithful service to God through your website (Apprising.org). [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - The "Creeping" Effect - The New Age [i.e. International think tanks (promoting a global oneness) of religion] and Evangelical Christianity - If you have ever wondered why New Age authors and their teachings are creeping [in from the pulpits and] past many Christians, then maybe the definition of creeping might help - The term means: slowly advancing at a speed that is not really apparent until you look back over a long time period - Something is terribly wrong when a Reiki master and two of the most influential figures in the evangelical church today both point to the same man as an example of their spiritual path - If the connection between Reiki healing and other metaphysical practices can be seen, then we more fully understand why the following quote is one of the most powerful statements as to the true nature of contemplative prayer [Emergent Church or New Age contemplative prayer now equals Reiki healing and other metaphysical (fundamental nature of being and the world i.e. exercise, relaxation, philosophy, Yoga, Buddhism, New Age, Saint Helena, exalting human-good works, etc.) practices]
If you have ever wondered why New Age authors and their teachings are creeping past many Christians, then maybe the definition of creeping might help. The term means: slowly advancing at a speed that is not really apparent until you look back over a long time period. For instance, creeping inflation is not noticed in the short term, but when one looks back over twenty to thirty years, it is shocking. A meal that cost two dollars in 1970 now may cost eight dollars-however, the increase moved so slowly that the impact was diminished. This same kind of movement has happened within our society and has gradually become mainstream. What was once seen as flaky is normal today-even useful. This trend is impacting evangelical Christianity at only a slightly lesser degree than secular society. The reason for the slight variance is that many, perhaps most, Christians have not yet grasped, or come to terms with, the practical mystic approach that New Age proponents have already incorporated into the secular world, as well as Christendom. ... The reason for this level of acceptance is easy to understand. Most people, many Christians included, believe if something is spiritually positive then it is of God. A pastor friend of mine recounted a situation in which a Christian, who had some physical problems, turned to Reiki for comfort. When this pastor advised the man that Reiki fundamentally opposed the Christian faith he became furious and responded with the following defense, "How can you say this is bad when it helped me?" That is why I titled a chapter in my book "Discernment." To discern is to "try the spirits" (1 John 4:1). If something is of God it will conform to the very cornerstone of God's plan to show His grace through Christ Jesus and Him alone (Ephesians 2:7). Reiki, as I defined earlier, is based on the occult view of God. .. Reiki comes from Buddhism, and as one Merton scholar wrote, "The God he [Thomas Merton - A 20th century American Catholic writer - A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist and student of comparative religion - Wiki.com] knew in prayer was the same experience that Buddhists describe in their enlightenment." This is why it is so important to understand the connection between the writings of Richard Foster [Richard J. Foster is a Christian theologian and author in the Quaker tradition - Wiki.com] and Brennan Manning [(christened Richard Francis Xavier Manning) is an author, friar, priest, contemplative and speaker "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today are Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle (i.e. a lack of an appearance of good works)" "That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable" This quote appeared in the prelude to dc Talk's song "What if I Stumble?" - Singer-songwriter Rich Mullins called his band A Ragamuffin Band after one of Manning's books] with Merton. Promotion indicates attachment, and attachment indicates common ground. Something is terribly wrong when a Reiki master [The Everything Reiki Book - by Reiki Master Phylameana lila Désy] and two of the most influential figures in the evangelical church today [Thomas Merton, Brennan Manning] both point to the same man [Thomas Merton] as an example of their spiritual path (from chapter 5, A Time of Departing, Ray Yungen). [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - St Helena was born in Asia Minor in 248 AD - She gave birth to her son Constantine in Serbia - In his last few years Constantine was baptised [both Constantine and his father believed (Marcionism, good works - heresy) that water baptism washed away sin saving a person (i.e. baptismal regeneration, good works - if bad works are done another water baptism might be needed), making a person holy - so both were water baptized upon their death beds according to their belief that they could enter heaven more holy having just been water baptized - Helena (the mother of Constantine) was baptized earlier in life but was thought to be sinless due to her being considered a Saint (because of her alleged purity, devotion, discoveries, humility, good works and charity) and was not re-baptized near the time of her death] - St Helena gave much of her wealth away to the poor and for the building of churches
In his last few years Constantine was baptised. St Helena gave much of her wealth away [good works] to the poor and for the building of churches. She built the Churches of the birth of Christ and the Resurection in the Holy Land, and she found the Cross on which Christ died. This was proven to her when a dead child was brought back to life after been laid on it. She died in 327 aged 80. She built churches in Cyprus and many schools too. Among the churches she built was the Church (Monastery) at Stavrovouni [ancient Mt. Olympus, Greece - there is now a different modern Mt. Olympus - the highest peak in Greece]. We celebrate their day on 21st May every year. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Stavrovouni Monastery - Monastery Information: Order {Holy Roman Empire - symbol Double-headed eagle, sword and cross} Established 327-329 A.D. and still active - According to religious tradition, the monastery was founded by St. Helena, the mother of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine I the Great
Stavrovouni Monastery is a Greek Orthodox Monastery which stands on the top of a hill called Stavrovouni [ancient Mt. Olympus] in Cyprus. The Monastery is one of the places that there is piece of the Holy Cross and it is sometimes also known simply as Stavrovouni. Location: The Monastery is located on the peak of the mountain of the same name (i.e. Stavrovouni) in the District of Larnaca. That mountain in earlier times had been known under the name of Olympus, nowadays [today], the highest point of Troodos Mountains further to the west bears that name. Stavrovouni, as the name already says, is dedicated to the Holy Cross; it can be derived from two words 'stavros' for cross and 'vouno' for mountain and it basically means "the mountain of the Cross". ... Establishment: According to religious tradition, the monastery was founded by St. Helena, the mother of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine I, the Great. According to the 15th century Cypriot chronicler Leontios Makhairas, Helena had discovered the three crosses on which Jesus and the two thieves had been crucified on her pilgrimage to the Holy Land. She had them excavated and wanted to bring them to Constantinople. But she is said to have left one of these crosses in Cyprus during an involuntary visit caused by shipwreck. History says that the Holy Cross was transferred by a miracle to the peak of a high hill over night and a strong light was coming out of that peak. After several unsuccessful attempts to get the Holy Cross out of that mountain, Helena decided to leave a piece there and built a small Chapel. ... Recent history: The records suggest that the Monastery had no monks for a period roughly between the 16th and the 19th century, time when the Turks ruled the island. It was only until the end of the 19th century when Elder Dionysios A' moved to Stavrovouni from Mount Athos in 1889 and the Monastery was in operation again. Then, in 1890 three more Cypriot monks again from Mount Athos joined him at Stavrovouni; Fathers Varnavas - who would become the next Abbot - and his two brothers Kallinikos and Gregorios. Since then, new Monks entered the Monastery which grew larger and larger and soon became the spiritual center of the island of Cyprus. The Monastery grew so much during the mid-19th century that it came into a position to send Monks to other ruined Monasteries and help their growth. As an example, the Monastery of Panagia Trooditissa in Troodos should be mentioned where Monks from Stavrovouni moved and created a new group and also the attempt of some other Monks to move to and revive the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist in Mesa Potamos in Limassol. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Saint Helena - the mother of Emperor Constantine I - She is traditionally credited with finding the relics of the True Cross, with which she is invariably represented in Christian iconography - Constantine appointed his mother Helen as Augusta Imperatrix, and gave her unlimited access to the imperial treasury in order to locate the relics of Judeo-Christian tradition - In 326-28 A.D. Helena undertook a trip to the Holy Places in Palestine [Israel] - The chapel at St. Catherine's Monastery [in Sinai Egypt - including Helen's Chapel of the Burning Bush] often referred to as the Chapel of Saint Helen-is dated to the year AD 330 {Note: every 'discovery' of Helena the mother of Emperor Constantine I is considered to be discredited - especially her [confirming] Mt. Sinai in Egypt [the Chapel of the Burning Bush - Source: SacredSites.com] when the Bible proclaims that the real Mt. Sinai was 'outside' (Exodus 18:1,5) of Egypt (Galatians 4:25). Also Note: it is one of the most blasphemous concepts to locate God in Egypt - God is not in Egypt, He is outside of Egypt [human slavery and human bondage] - the whole concept of the Bible is to leave Egypt and for worshipers go outside of Egypt (the world) to have a true relationship with God - pastors who preach that one corner of Egypt (St. Catherine's Monastery) is acceptable to God have missed much of the entirety of the Bible - The Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus was even crucified outside the city of Jerusalem so we would know to look outside the city for a true relationship with Jesus (Hebrews 13:12-14).}
Family life: The bishop and historian Eusebius of Caesarea states that she was about 80 [years old] on her return from Palestine (Israel). Since that journey has been dated to 326-28, Helena was probably born in 248 or 250. Little is known of her early life. Fourth-century sources, following Eutropius' "Breviarium," record that she came from a low background. Saint Ambrose was the first to call her a stabularia, a term translated as "stable-maid" or "inn-keeper". He makes this fact a virtue, calling Helena a bona stabularia, a "good stable-maid". Other sources, especially those written after Constantine's proclamation as emperor, gloss over or ignore her background. ... Relic discoveries: Constantine appointed his mother Helen as Augusta Imperatrix, and gave her unlimited access to the imperial treasury in order to locate the relics of Judeo-Christian tradition. In 326-28 Helena undertook a trip to the Holy Places in Palestine. According to Eusebius of Caesarea she was responsible for the construction or beautification of two churches, the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, and the Church on the Mount of Olives, sites of Christ's birth and ascension. Local founding legend attributes to Helena's orders the construction of a church in Egypt to identify the Burning Bush of Sinai. The chapel at St. Catherine's Monastery--often referred to as the Chapel of Saint Helen-is dated to the year AD 330. -- Jerusalem was still rebuilding from the destruction of Emperor Hadrian, who had built a temple dedicated, according to conflicting accounts, to Venus or Jupiter over the site of Jesus's tomb near Calvary and renamed the city Aelia Capitolina. According to tradition, Helena ordered the temple torn down and, according to the legend that arose at the end of the fourth century, in Ambrose, On the Death of Theodosius (died 395) and at length in Rufinus' chapters appended to his translation into Latin of Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, which does not mention the event, chose a site to begin excavating, which led to the recovery of three different crosses. Then, Rufinus relates, refusing to be swayed by anything but solid proof, the empress (perhaps through Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem) had a woman who was already at the point of death brought from Jerusalem. When the woman touched the first and second crosses, her condition did not change, but when she touched the third and final cross she suddenly recovered, and Helena declared the cross with which the woman had been touched to be the True Cross. On the site of discovery, Constantine ordered built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as well as those on other sites detected by Helena. -- She also found the nails of the crucifixion. To use their miraculous power to aid her son, Helena allegedly had one placed in Constantine's helmet, and another in the bridle of his horse. Helena left Jerusalem and the eastern provinces in 327 to return to Rome, bringing with her large parts of the True Cross and other relics, which were then stored in her palace's private chapel, where they can be still seen today. Her palace was later converted into the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. This has been maintained by Cistercian monks in the monastery which has been attached to the church for centuries. Tradition says that the site of the Vatican Gardens was spread with earth brought from Golgotha by Helena to symbolically unite the blood of Christ with that shed by thousands of early Christians, who died in the persecutions of Nero. -- According to one tradition, Helena acquired the Holy Tunic on her trip to Jerusalem and sent it to Trier. Several of Saint Helena's treasures are now in Cyprus, where she spent some time. Some of them are a part of Jesus Christ's tunic, pieces of the holy cross and the world's only pieces of the rope to which Jesus was tied with on the Cross. The latter has been held at the Stavrovouni Monastery, which was also founded by Saint Helena. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Church #4 Revelation 2:18-29 Thyatira (white castle) - The Roman Catholic Church - The Church/people not recognizing the majesty, power and sole authority of Jesus {Note: It is considered Biblically (Revelation 2:18-29) that there is an acknowledged dual aspect and nature to the Historic Christian Church in Rome - The original Christian Church founded in part by the Apostles Peter and Paul [in about 59 A.D.] and the very deceptive false church, the co-mingled idol worshiping sect based on the current emerging Revised Roman Empire founded primarily be the Emperor Constantine in about 313 A.D.}
The 4th Church grew out of the 3rd Church. Where the 3rd Church was involved in worldly government this 4th Church then took the power and influences they had learned in government and used them to create a governing Church, sort of a government for Church. This Church in modern day is most represented by the Roman Catholic Church. It should not seem surprising that God knows about the Catholic Church, because He knows about everything. This is yet another place in the Bible where we can really see the relevance and accuracy of the Bible and recognize that God knows all things past present and future. Remember a correction from Jesus is to draw us closer to Him in the correct manner of worship. ... Jesus continues in His letter saying that if we follow the false teachings of Jezebel, there is no salvation in any false teaching. Those who follow false leaders will go into the great tribulation [miss the coming rapture] and be killed with death. This is a strong warning because of the strong danger in the false teaching and leading of Jezebel. Then Jesus concludes with the promise that those who remain faithful in the Church will then rule with Jesus. -- "Revelation 2:20-29 [Church of Thyatira] Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that [false prophet] woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols [false gods]. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them [the false Constantine instituted revised-NWO catholic Church] that commit adultery with her into Great Tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the Churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira [the true Roman Catholic Church], as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations [8th Kingdom reign of Jesus]: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father. And I will give him the morning star [brightness, prestige, honor]. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the [Holy] Spirit saith unto the [Christian] Churches." [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Athenian [Greek] Owls [coins] Through the Ages - Owls were the first widely used international coin - They popularized the practice of putting a head [king, ruler] on the obverse of a coin and a tail (animal) on the reverse [like an American quarter - George Washington on the front - an eagle on the back] - Athena's attribute, the owl, is still a symbol of wisdom today, though at different places and in different times owls have symbolized other things, including dread and death [and a connection to the spirit realm] - President Theodore Roosevelt used a Classical Owl (coin) as a pocket piece, which inspired him to order the redesign of U.S. coins [in 1905 A.D.] early last century [Wiki.com: Theodore Roosevelt - Born to a wealthy family - In 1901, President William McKinley was assassinated, and [VP] Roosevelt became president at the age of 42, taking office at the youngest age of any U.S. President in history - Roosevelt declined to run for re-election in 1908 - he attended church regularly ... he was also a member of the Freemasons and Sons of the American Revolution.]
Athenian Owls, thick, heavy, high-relief silver coins minted more than 2,000 years ago, were arguably the most influential of all coins, and the Classical Owl tetradrachm, pictured above, is the most widely recognized ancient coin among the general public today. Owls were the first widely used international coin. They popularized the practice of putting a head on the obverse of a coin and a tail (animal) on the reverse. Owls were handled by Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Democritus, Hippocrates, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Archimedes, and others whose thinking formed the very foundation of Western civilization. They remained thematically unchanged, Athena on the obverse, her owl on the reverse, for half a millennium, through great changes in the ancient world. Because of their centrality, they were known as "Owls" in ancient times as they are today despite many other ancient coins depicting owls in an equally prominent fashion. President Theodore Roosevelt used a Classical Owl as a pocket piece, which inspired him to order the redesign of U.S. coins early last century. Like other great powers, Athens treated its money not only as a way of facilitating commerce and trade and projecting its image abroad but also as a way of making money. Athens earned seigniorage profits on each Owl minted, whether the source was freshly mined silver or the silver coins of other cities. The traders and merchants of other cities, in turn, liked Owls because of their easy exchangeability. Owls thus became the world's first great trade currency, and they were followed in this role by among others Alexander the Great tetradrachms and staters, Roman denarii, Spanish American pieces of eight, Dutch lion dollars, Austrian Maria Theresa thalers, and American dollars. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Mermaid - A popular Greek legend turns Alexander the Great's sister, Thessalonike, into a mermaid [human - fish, Chimera] after she died
A popular Greek legend turns Alexander the Great's sister, Thessalonike, into a mermaid after she died. She lived, it was said, in the Aegean and when she encountered a ship, she asked its sailors only one question: "Is King Alexander alive?", to which the correct answer was: "He lives and reigns and conquers the world". This answer pleased her so she calmed the waters and wish the ship farewell. Any other answer would spur her into a rage. She would raise a terrible storm, with certain doom for the ship and every sailor on board. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - The Days of Noah (Genesis 6 - Matthew 24:37-38) The presence of 'Chimera' (mixed species beings) symbolism in ancient cultures is both astounding and alarming - It isn't as though one or a few ancient cultures identified with Chimera species almost all the ancient civilizations put Chimera depictions front and center in their culture and reverenced them as real manifestations of actual beings
The ancient Chimera incidents would not be considered to be simple genetic modifications via selective breeding but would be considered to be unique occult manifestations similar to the ancient magicians of Egypt also turning wooden sticks into snakes as God had temporarily done so with the staff of Moses (Exodus 7:11). Apparently God was revealing and recording for future generations the advanced nature of ancient Egyptian magic. Turning wood into a serpent would be considered a type of Chimera being as even in the transformation it was part wood and part reptile. - The prevalent Chimera modifications though certainly more myth than reality were however very much a reality in the Court of Pharaoh and the backrooms of Babylon and Persia. The Chimera modifications were and are not due to human ability but are strictly the result of fallen angelic - demonic activity. A human cannot create a Chimera at least not instantly but apparently the fallen angelic realm can perform some physical modifications among the fleshly world and it is considered that these modifications (and who knows what else) were occurring in the Days of Noah to the extent that all [land] flesh life that was not placed on the Ark after being individually selected by God was then intended to perish in the flood both humans and animals. -- "Genesis 6:7-8 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; *both man, *and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Sons of God - Daughters of Men (Genesis 6)
"Genesis 6:1-8 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God [disobedient, fallen angels] saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took [forcibly - overriding freewill] them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years [120 years until the flood of Noah]. There were giants [fallen ones] in the earth in those days; and also after that, **when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [genetically modified, Chimera, part human - part modified concocted DNA] children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." Note: I don't think anyone that is saying that the sons of God are fallen angels is saying that angels can naturally reproduce, like humans, any more than a Griffin (part lion - part eagle) or any other Chimera species can exist naturally. Within the reproduction of the [fallen angels] sons of God and the [human] daughters of men for starters the women according to the passage were generally forced or at least not consulted in their participation [though in these last days it seems participation with fallen angels has becoming somewhat more by human consent though it appears that human consent was non-existent in the times of Noah] and it is possible what was occurring in the Days of Noah was that fallen angels were replicating their Chimera successes within the animal kingdom into the human kingdom with varying degrees of success, apparently some of the offspring became 'mighty men . men of renown'. All of this to say that indeed the ancient human civilization of Noah's day was wiped out by God, the ancient animal realm of Noah's day was also wiped out by God at the same time in the same flood and the fallen angelic beings that participated in the events at that time that may have directly led to the downfall of the original civilization in Noah's day were restricted by God into darkness. -- "2 Peter 2:4-5 For if God spared not the [fallen] angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;" - Noting that different realms exist, in human, animal, angelic, demonic, etc. and noting that though mankind generally cannot and nature generally does not intermix the realms the fallen angelic realm seemingly can and will intermix the realms and apparently it will happen again in the last days (Matthew 24:37-38) just before the return of Jesus Christ. Jesus repeatedly instructed and warned all of His followers to be especially alert to deception (Luke 21:8) that can and will come from a variety of places and a variety of realms most particularly the [occult] fallen angelic - demonic realm. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - THE MEDICI FAMILY - While the Medici family was predominant, Florence [Italy] became the cultural center of Europe and also became the cradle of new Humanism - They founded the Platonic [Kabbalah - Occult] Academy and supported artists by feeding them, educating them, and providing them with the necessities - Some of those artists were Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: One of the many accomplishments that the Medici family offered in the Renaissance period was when their wealth had first begun. One member became gonfaler standard bearer. From then on the word success fitted the Medici family well. While they ruled the city of Florence they did many incredible acts, such as spending money on their city, and making it the most powerful state in Italy. They also made it the world's most beautiful city. It became the cultural center of Europe and was known as an art center and cradle of New Humanism. They also spent some of their wealth on having the largest library in Europe; they brought in many Greek sources. They founded the Platonic Academy and supported artists by feeding them, educating them, and providing them with the necessities. Some of those artists were Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. The family also did a lot of charitable acts such as cultivating literature and the arts. The Medici family was very helpful. IMPACT: The Medici family members were very interested in the rebirth of learning in Europe and under their patronage the Renaissance flourished. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - The Medici Family [generally considered the most Occult family of Medieval Europe] - Other Prominent Medici were Pope Leo X (1475-1521); Pope Clement VII (1478-1534); Catherine (1519-1589), wife of [King] Henry II of France; and Marie (1573-1642), wife of [King] Henry IV of France and regent for their son [King] Louis XIII [Note: this is also the important and historic timeframe of the general discovery of America by the Italian born explorer Christopher Columbus in his 1492 voyage from Spain to America (Bahamas).]
Medici, an Italian family of merchants and bankers who ruled the republic of Florence through economic power and personal influence. By their patronage of the arts they made Florence the center of the Italian Renaissance. The Medici were created dukes of Florence by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1531, and grand dukes of Tuscany by Emperor Maximilian II in 1575. The last Medici grand duke was deposed by the Austrians in 1737. Important members of the Medici family included the following. Giovanni De' Medici: (1360-1429) established the family fortune and made himself ruler of Florence's merchant oligarchy. Cosimo De' Medici: (1389-1464), his son, used his banking business to gain political power and led Florence in a long period of prosperity and artistic achievement. Lorenzo the Magnificent: (1449-1492), grandson of Cosimo, gained fame as a statesman and patron of arts and letters. He was recognized as a poet himself and was largely responsible for the Tuscan dialect becoming the national speech of Italy. Cosimo (I) the Great: (1519-1574) succeeded to the dukedom in 1537 and ruled as a despot. He restored the duchy of Tuscany by conquering the other republics that had been part of it. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - The [two] Medici Popes - Pope Leo X [1513 - 1521] known for being the Pope that challenged Martin Luther's [1517 A.D.] 95 Theses -- Pope Clement VII [1523 - 1534] (Medici cousin of Pope Leo X) known for being Pope during the sacking of Rome in 1527 A.D. [The (Occult) Medici (family), led by (Pope) Clement, had tried to play everyone off against each other and had made everyone their enemy -- at least temporarily - source: mmdtkw.org/VSackRome.html]
Pope Leo X - Giovanni de'Medici, 1475 - 1513 - 1521: Giovanni de'Medici, second son of Lorenzo and younger brother of the fatuous Piero, became the first of the Medici Popes (Leo X - Leone Decimo) at the age of 38 on 11 March 1513. Prior to this his life had been a complete roller coaster. Brought up in Medici luxury alongside Michelangelo (who was included in the Medici household by Lorenzo), older brother Piero and cousin Giulio (who was adopted by Lorenzo after his father (who was Lorenzo's brother) was killed in the Pazzi Conspiracy in 1478), he had access to the incomes of several wealthy monasteries, including Badia a Passignano, and was made a Cardinal at the age of 13. All this came to an abrupt end in 1494 when, in the wake of Lorenzo's death, the incompetent surrender of his brother Piero the Fatuous to the French, and the ensuing Savanorola stirred turbulence, he had to sneak out of Florence dressed as a Franciscan Friar, and then live in hiding with his cousin for the next decade, latterly being protected by the Habsburg Emperor Maximilian (who ironically was to be a major cause of the collapse of the Bruges branch of the Medici Bank) and then by the dreadful Cesare Borgia and his father Pope Alessandro VI (1431 - 1492 - 1503 (72)) in Rome. ... Pope Clement VII Giulio de'Medici, 1478 - 1523 - 1534 (56) Illegitimate son of Lorenzo's (Pazzi murdered) brother Giuliano, adopted son of Lorenzo, and companion in exile to Lorenzo's son Giovanni (Leo X), who was three years his senior, Giulio de'Medici became Pope Clement VII (Clemente Settimo). He was good looking, intellectually sophisticated, a talented musician and a political disaster. In reality he also faced the legacy of the corrupt practices of his cousin Leo X, and the impossible task of operating in the emergent nation state Europe dominated by Charles V, Francis I, and Henry VIII (whom he excommunicated), and threatened by Suleiman the Magnificent, plus Martin Luther dealing the protestants into the game as well - see Insight Page. He lost England, and was humiliated by having to flee in disguise from Rome when it was barbarically sacked by Charles V's rabble army after Clement mistakenly got too close to flashy Francis I of France. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - 'Occult' power: the politics of witchcraft and superstition in Renaissance Florence - In Florence, how did one family--the Medici--secure their power after over a century of struggle, and how did they come to construct a myth of their own legitimacy? (Book)
Lawrence's interpretation, however narrow and flawed, does highlight an indisputable element of Grazzini's tale of Dr. Manente: its cruelty and "monstrosity," traits that, I will argue, provide insight into the social structures of the mid-sixteenth century, particularly those that rely upon coersion and force. In Florence, how did one family--the Medici--secure their power after over a century of struggle, and how did they come to construct a myth of their own legitimacy? ... It is important to remember that, from 1494--when the friar himself gained widespread support and offered a major threat to the rule of the Medici family--until long after his execution in 1498, Savonarola bequeathed a powerful religious and political vision that was not dependent on his leadership for survival--a fact that fascinated the political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli. Savonarola's followers--called the Piagnoni first by their enemies and later, proudly, by themselves--remained politically active after his execution, through the Republic that lasted until 1513, when the first Medici pope, Leo X, used the considerable influence of this position to help his family and their allies to return to Florence, and again after the sack of Rome in 1527, which occurred during the pontificate of another Medici, Clement VII. The Piagnoni continued to be active even after the Medici, first Alessandro and then Cosimo I, openly turned Florence onto the path of absolutism [unlimited, centralized authority and absolute sovereignty] by accepting the [nobility] title of Duke. ... Lorenzo's manipulation of the Church comes into play in the next phase of the beffa. ... At this point, Grazzini emphasizes not only that many friars and priests were ignorant, but, more importantly, that the kind of people Lorenzo elevated to positions of power in the Florentine church hierarchy were either superstitious [occult] or corrupt, criticisms that Savonarola also often made of the Medici. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Christian and Rosicrucian Kabbalah [esoteric (hidden) teachings - the real NWO - New Age bible] - The origional Jewish [Witchcraft - King Solomon] Kabbalah --> Christian mystic, Raymon Lull (1232 - 1316 A.D.) originator of the Christian Kabbalah --> Renaissance Christian Kabbalah (Medici family) --> Rosicrucian (Illuminati - Freemason) Kabbalah --> Modern Occult Kabbalah - The beginning of Christian Kabbalah is to be found in the teachings of the Catalan philosopher and mystic, Raymon Lull - Lull had the idea of unifying all three religions [Judaism, Christianity, Islam] by developing a philosophy incoporating elements common to all - the way he intended to [unite] convert was through rational and mystical doctrine - Renaissance Christian Kabbalah was derived from a number of sources - Firstly, the christological [christ doctrine] speculations of a number of Jewish converts from the late 13th to the late fifteenth centuries - Secondly, the philosophical Christian and Renaissance speculation concerning the Kabbalah that developed around the Platonic Acadamy *founded by the **Medici family in Florence
Lull based his Art on the importance which Christian, Moslem [Islam], and Jew each attached to the Divine Names or Attributes, or, as he called them, Dignities. Lull mentioned nine Dignities (or Dignitaries): Bonitas (Goodness), Magnitudo (Greatness), Eternitas (Eternity), Potestas (Power), Sapientia (Wisdom), Voluntas (Will), Virtus (Virtue), Veritas (Truth), and Gloria (Glory). These are shown in the follwing diagram. ... In addition we also find the incorporation of the four elements [earth, water, air and fire] and the qualities, the seven planets and twelves [astrological] signs, medicine, alchemy, geometry, a letter notation, and so on. There is an elaborate system of correspondences, in that the nine Dignitaries have their correspondences in the celestial sphere, the human level, and the animal, plant, and material creation. In all this we see the influence, not only of Kabbalah, but also of Aristotlean categories, Augustinian Platonism (nearly all the Lullian Dignities can be found listed as Augustine's Divine Attributes), and the celestial hierarchies of angels of the Christian Neoplatonist Dionysius. [Frances A. Yates, The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age, pp.9-12]. -- Renaissance Kabbalah: Renaissance Christian Kabbalah was derived from a number of sources. Firstly, the christological speculations of a number of Jewish converts from the late 13th to the late fifteenth centuries. Secondly, the philosophical Christian and Renaissance speculation concerning the Kabbalah that developed around the Platonic Acadamy founded by the Medici family in Florence. Pico della Mirandola The Florentines, headed by the renowned Renaissance hermeticist Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-94) believed they had discovered in Kabbalah a lost divine revelation that could give the key to understanding both the teachings of Pythagoras, Plato, and the Orphics, and the inner secrets of Catholic Christianity. Pico himself had a considerable amount of Kabbalistic literature translated into Latin by the scholarly convert Samuel ben Nissim Abulfaraj. Among the 900 theses Pico presented for public debate in Rome was the claim that "no science can better convince us of the divinity of Jesus Christ than magic and the Kabbalah", and he believed he could prove the dogmas of the Trinity and the Incarnation through Kabbalistic axioms. All this caused a sensation in the intellectual Christian world, and the writings of Pico and his follower Johannes Reuchlin (1455-1522) led on the one hand to great interest in the doctrine of Divine Names and in practical (magical) Kabbalah (culminating in Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim's De Occult Philosophia (1531) and on the other to further attempts at a synthesis between Kabbalah and Christian theology. [Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah, pp.197-8] -- Rosicrucian Kabbalah: By the late 16th century Christian Kabbalah began to be permeated with alchemical symbolism; a trend that continued through the 17th and 18th century. Well known representatives are the Rosucrucian philosopher and alchemist Robert Fludd (1574-1637) and the alchemist Thomas Vaughan (1622-1666) among others. One of the works of Fludd presents an interpretation of the Sefirotic Tree which he illustrates as a Palm (left), whose ten spreading branches raying forth from the lowest world suggest that man on earth is a microcosm or reflection of the macrocosm or universe. In the second half of the 18th century this alchemical kabbalah was combined with Freemasonic numerology and occultism, from which was ultimately to develop the extraordinary occult/magickal revival of the late 19th century known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn illustration (left) from World Trees by Hazel Minot Kircher's Tree from Oedipus Aegyptiacus published in 1652 by Athanasius Kircher, a Jesuit priest and hermetic philosopher -- Occult Kabbalah: By the 19th century the occultists of the French magician revival, such as Eliphas Levi (Alphonse Louis Constant; 1810-1875) and Papus (Gerard Encausse; 1868-1916) had lost all understanding of the original Jewish meaning of Kabbalah, and brought in various extraneous elements such as Tarot. Levi was an influential figure both on the Theosophy of Blavatsky and even more so the Golden Dawn Order of Mathers and Westcott, with it's unique Kabbalistic (or Qabalistic, to use the prefered spelling) formulation of Sefirot and paths, through which Kabbalah established itself in the contemporary Western Occult Tradition. [article link]

The 7th and final human kingdom on earth the 'Revised Roman Empire' began to emerge and take shape about 306 A.D. with Roman Emperor Constantine and continues until the eventual Antichrist is enthroned as the undisputed global leader sometime in the future
Note: A Summary - The current Basic Christian '8 Kingdoms study' is only going to examine a few key elements of the Revised Roman Empire. - Namely, Emperor Constantine (a false Christian religion, the family of Constantine primarily his mother), the Medici family of Medieval Europe - Italy (The House of Medici, starting about 1389 A.D. - the foundation of almost all the modern global power structure and powerbase), England taxation (William the Conqueror, also known as William I of England, the Battle of Hastings, the first census of England [land and people - requiring each individual person to take a last name for government tracking purposes] published in the Domesday Book in 1086 A.D.), British Royalty (House of Windsor (Price Charles) - House of Stuart (the late Princess Diana)), Hitler's secret Berlin bunker (successfully transitioning from a loosing empire attempt into the winning empire), and lastly the League of Nations (WWI) and the United Nations (WWII) organization of today. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - The Coming of the Anti-Christ. . . Within the last few years, some very unusual and very unexpected events began occurring around the globe - On November 1989, against all odds, the Berlin wall came crashing down - And the once mighty Soviet Empire collapsed with a devastating sound - And the world, we once knew, began to take a new form - Never before in history, world leaders began trumpeting for a New World Order. As trade barriers are quickly being dissolved with the likes of NAFTA, GATT and other treaties, the mysterious New World Order is right on schedule - And the center stage is set for the soon rise of the Anti-Christ. In Belgium, the headquarters of the European community office, statesman P.H. Spock stood up and said, "The truth is, that the method of international committees has failed. WHAT WE NEED IS A PERSON, someone of the highest order, of great experience, of great authority, of wide influence, of great energy; either a civilian or a military man, no matter what his nationality . . . LET HIM COME QUICKLY" [Note: with the scripted shelling and retaliation events of today between N. Korea and S. Korea the two nations will probably soon be united again into one successfully UN negotiated nation along with continued UN oversight. Wiki.com - Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan [of Ghana] in 2007. Before becoming [UN] Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he graduated from university, accepting his first post in New Delhi, India. In the foreign ministry he established a reputation for modesty and competence.]
The Revised Roman Empire - The Kingdom of the Anti-Christ. . . The Bible teaches the Anti-Christ will head up a 10-nation, Revised Roman Empire. And on January 1, 1993, the Revised Roman Empire officially began, called the United States of Europe. The Wichita Eagle described its uncanny birth, ". . . Since the fall of the Roman Empire, there has been the dream of a unified Europe. We are . . . seeing a brand NEW ROMAN EMPIRE RECONSTRUCTED." The Bible, also refers to the Revised Roman Empire as Babylon. Babylon begins in Genesis chapter 11, when Nimrod tried to reach heaven and bring in a one-world government with the Tower of Babel, which God destroyed. The official poster for the United States of Europe is amazing! Believe it or not, but it actually portrays the United States of Europe as the Tower of Babel, with 12 stars representing the current 12 nations of the United States of Europe! And if that weren't enough, the 12 stars are not ordinary stars - BUT UPSIDE-DOWN PENTEGRAMS (which is the universal symbol for Satanism, found on the cover of THE SATANIC BIBLE)! But there's more . . . A very interesting news item appeared in the magazine ASTM Standardization News. Standardization News is the world-wide magazine that reports on standards throughout the world. The February 1989 issue was devoted to the United States of Europe. If you don't think the Bible's coming to life, check this: The United States of Europe has decided they will utilize an identifying mark. Page 30, of the article reads, ". . . one cannot market or sell a product UNLESS IT HAS THE EC MARK." Revelation 13:17, on the Mark of the Beast, reads almost identical! "And that no man might buy or sell, SAVE HE THAT HAD THE MARK . . ." Friend, Jesus is coming soon! Prophecy after prophecy, not one, not two, but many, fulfilled to the smallest detail, at the same time, seemingly overnight, exactly as the Bible prophesied over 2000 years ago - to say, is all just by chance or coincidence, is ridiculous! [article link]

THE REVISED ROMAN EMPIRE BY RYAN HICKS - Among Bible scholars today is a vast misconception about the Roman Empire and its future role in Bible prophecy - [Some] of them teach that the Roman Empire will be revived - The problem with this is that it will not be revived, it will be revised - This is not a simple difference of words, but is a total difference in the kingdoms as a whole - If the Roman Empire were revived it would have to consist of one kingdom, but the future Roman Empire will consist of ten [global] kingdoms
The seventh kingdom (Revised Rome) had not came into existence yet, but when it does come it will exist a short time. The Antichrist will fulfill Daniel 7:7-8, 24 by arising out of one of the ten kingdoms in the Revised Roman Empire and by subduing three of the ten kingdoms. After he subdues the three kingdoms, the other six kingdoms will "have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast" (Revelation 17:13). The Antichrist will then form the eighth kingdom, as mentioned in Revelation 17:11, which can be called the Revived Grecian Empire (See The Eight Empires). In summery, we can see clearly from Scripture that the Roman Empire will be revised, not revived, and will consist of ten kingdoms in the old Roman Empire territory. [article link]

Revised Roman Empire: Constantine the Great - Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February 272 A.D. - 22 May 337 A.D.), commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337 - Best known for being the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine reversed the persecutions of his predecessor, Diocletian, and issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed *religious tolerance of Christians throughout the empire [Note: It was the later Edict of Thessalonica (27 February 380 A.D.) that made Christianity the official state religion of Rome.]
Legacy: The Byzantine Empire considered Constantine its founder and the Holy Roman Empire reckoned him among the venerable figures of its tradition. In the later Byzantine state, it had become a great honor for an emperor to be hailed as a "new Constantine". Ten emperors, including the last emperor of Byzantium, carried the name. Monumental Constantinian forms were used at the court of Charlemagne to suggest that he was Constantine's successor and equal. Constantine acquired a mythic role as a warrior against "heathens". The motif of the Romanesque equestrian, the mounted figure in the posture of a triumphant Roman emperor, became a visual metaphor in statuary in praise of local benefactors. The name "Constantine" itself enjoyed renewed popularity in western France in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Most Eastern Christian churches consider Constantine a saint (Saint Constantine). In the Byzantine Church he was called isapostolos an equal of the Apostles. Niš airport is named Constantine the Great in honor of his birth in Naissus [the largest city in southern Serbia]. [article link]

Double-headed (cloned) eagle - The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology - It is most commonly associated with the Holy Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire and similar to the Vijayanagara Empire's gandaberunda - In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor (secular and religious) and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and West - In the Holy Roman Empire's heraldry, it represented the Church and the State - Several Eastern European nations adopted it from the Byzantines and continue to use it as their national symbol to this day, the most prominent being Russia [Wiki.com - In 1433 the double-headed eagle was adopted for the first time by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. Since then the double-headed eagle came to be used as the symbol of the German emperor, and hence as the coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.] - Use in Masonry: The Double-Headed Eagle of Lagash on the cover of Morals and Dogma - The Double-Headed Eagle of Lagash is used as an emblem by the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry - There are many meanings attached to this symbol, The date of its introduction into Freemasonry is not clear but it may have been first used in France to symbolize the Councils of the East and West - Another theory is that it was adapted from the arms of the Austrian state, to gain the favor of the ruling family
Origins: Double-headed eagles have been present in imagery for millennia. The two-headed eagle can be found in the archaeological remains of the Sumerian civilization and through the Hittite civilization, dating from a period that ranges from the 20th century BC to the 7th century BC. Cylindric seals discovered in Bogazkoy, an old Hittite capital in modern-day Turkey, represent clearly a two-headed eagle with spread wings. The aesthetics of this symmetrical position explains in part the birth of this religious figure: It originally dates from circa 3,800 BC, and was the Sumerian symbol for the god Ninurta, son of Enlil. It can also be seen in the same region in three monumental settings: Circa 1,900 BC during the Hittite surge from north-central Anatolia (modern Turkey) down into Babylonia; in Alacahöyük around 1400 BC and in Yazilikaya before 1250 BC. Here the context looks slightly different and totally religious: The eagle returns to its ancient origins as a symbol of divine power. The two-headed eagle is seen less and less during the last Hittite period (from the 9th century BC to the 7th century BC) and totally disappears after the end of the empire. The double-headed eagle was also in use by the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia and the Mamikonian family in the 3rd to 9th centuries. -- Byzantine Empire: Constantinople was the successor of Rome, and the Byzantines continued the use of the old imperial "single-headed" eagle motif. Although the roots of the transformation to double-headed are almost certainly connected with old depictions in Asia Minor, the details of its adoption are uncertain. It was, however, already in use during the first centuries AD and certainly before the 10th century AD by Armenians and Persians, appearing in their art. The Ancients used no flags in the modern sense. The Romans used various signa, such as the bronze aquilas (adopted as the legions' symbol by Marius) and vexilloids, and, if the emperor was present, pikes or banners with the emperor's portrait. With the adoption of Christianity as state religion during the later Empire, the Chi-Rho and the cross became more and more used in military standards, such as the labarum. The Roman single-headed eagle however continued to be used as a symbol of imperial authority. According to the most prevalent theory, the single-headed eagle was modified to double-headed by emperor Isaac I Komnenos (1057-1059) being influenced from local traditions about such a (mythical) beast (the haga) in his native Paphlagonia in Asia Minor. Local legends talked about this giant eagle with two heads that could easily hold a bull in its claws; the haga was seen as a representation of power, and people would often "call" it for protection. Isaac Komnenos, deeply influenced by these beliefs, had already used it as a family emblem.[3] As there has been reference to "stone representations" of the eagle that were the inspiration for its picture, it is reasonable to assume that Hittite carvings may have been the source of the symbol's usage, but other relevant works, such as much older Sumerian cylinder seals representing the god Ninurta, must be considered as the chief source. Whether the eagle became an "imperial" symbol or remained purely a personal symbol for Komnenos, is not clear. After the Latin conquest of Constantinople in 1204, the Byzantine double-headed eagle was used by the successor states of Epirus and Nicaea. Theodore II Laskaris chose it for his symbol as Emperor (Empire of Nicaea), taking it to symbolize his state's claims to all the Byzantine Empire's former domains, both European (West) and Asian (East). An alternative interpretation is that the eagle symbolized the Emperor's double temporal and spiritual sovereignty. After the recapture of Constantinople and the restoration of the Byzantine Empire, the symbol was used as an emblem of the imperial family, but it is uncertain whether it was the official emblem of the Empire. More recent research has suggested that it was not, its usage being limited to imperial seals and other personal or dynasty symbols such as imperial robes, although there has been no depiction of any Emperor wearing it. The role of "state" symbols was most probably played by flags with the cross.[citation needed] In Byzantine usage, the eagle was almost always connected with colors of imperial power (gold and purple). A black eagle on golden background was used outside the imperial family, denoting the subordinate position (the eagle was black as being the 'shadow' of the Emperor's golden eagle) of their bearers. [article link]

New Age - SYMBOLS and their Meaning - Double-headed EAGLE - A Masonic seal and initiation symbol
Double-headed EAGLE: A Masonic seal and initiation symbol. The number inside the pyramid over the eagle's head is 33. The eagle is a universal symbol representing the sun, power, authority, victory, the sky gods and the royal head of a nation. ... PHOENIX: A universal symbol of the sun, mystical rebirth, resurrection and immortality, this legendary red "fire bird" was believed to die in its self-made flames periodically (each hundred years, according to some sources) then rise again out of its own ashes. Linked to the worship of the fiery sun and sun gods such as Mexico's Quetzalcoatl, it was named "a god of Phoenecia" by the Phoenician. To alchemists, it symbolized the the destruction and creation of new forms of matter along the way to the ultimate transformation: physical (turn lead into gold) and spiritual (immortality - an occult alternative to the Christian salvation). The philosopher's stone was considered the key to this transformation. ... SERPENT OR SNAKE: Most earth-centered or pagan cultures worshipped the serpent. It represents rebirth (because of its molting), protection against evil, either male of female sexuality, rain and fertility, a mediator between the physical and spiritual world.... It also represents female energy or lifeforce in goddess worship, sometimes linked to the eastern Kundalini force or a supposed "goddess within." The list of meanings is endless, but in the Bible it usually represents sin, temptation, destruction, and Satan. (See dragon) The circular image of the serpent biting its tail links the mythical significance of the serpent to that of the sacred circle. See uroborus and spiral. [article link]

8 The Kingdom of Jesus Christ - The Eternal Kingdom

8th Kingdom - Jesus Christ - The Eternal Kingdom - "Revelation 19:11-13 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He [Jesus] that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war [against sin]. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and *on His head were **many crowns; and He had a Name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His Name [Jesus] is called The Word of God (John 1:1)."
All throughout the entirety of the scriptures of the Holy Bible what the people of God have kept in sight is the Kingdom of God. Adam, Eve, Abel, Noah, Job, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, King David, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Mary, John the Baptist, Peter, John, Paul, Stephen, Cornelius, Luke, Aquila and his wife Priscilla, etc. all looked to and hoped in the coming eternal Kingdom of God a Kingdom that they and all who hope in it are each a very important part of. -- "Isaiah 28:5-7 In that day [after the cross and resurrection] shall the LORD of Hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of His people, And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. But they also have erred through wine [seducing spirits], and through strong drink [doctrines of demons] are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment." -- "2 Timothy 4:1-8 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead *at His appearing and *His kingdom [the 8th Global Kingdom of the earth]; Preach the Word [Jesus]; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. **But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me *a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but **unto all them also that love His appearing." [article link]

8th Kingdom - Jesus Christ - The Eternal Kingdom - The 3 Thrones of Jesus Christ - Current Throne in Heaven, Eligibility: Relative - Son of God (Father God) [eternal co-reigning with the Father and the Holy Spirit] - Future Millennial Kingdom Throne in Jerusalem, Eligibility: Relative - Son of Man (descendant of King David) - Eternal Throne of New Heaven (sky) and New Earth, Eligibility: Conqueror (John 16:33)
Currently Jesus Christ is seated on His own Throne (co-reigning - interceding) at the right hand of His Father's Throne in Heaven. "Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth [not Jesus]? It is [Jesus] Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, *Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us [not condemning Christians]." -- At a future date for the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth Jesus will be seated upon the Throne of King David (Acts 2:29-33) in Jerusalem. Then with the New Heaven (sky) and the New Earth, Jesus as the conqueror of this earth [realm] will sit eternally [continuing to coreign] with the Father and the Holy Spirit on His own Throne upon the New Eternal Earth (Revelation 21:3). -- "John 16:33 These things I (Jesus) have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I (Jesus) have overcome the world." [article link]

wikipedia: Millennial Kingdom [8th Kingdom] Jesus Christ - Millennialism (from millennium, Latin for "thousand years"), is a belief held by some Christian denominations that there will be a Golden Age or Paradise on Earth in which Jesus "Christ will reign" for 1000 years prior to the final judgment and future eternal state
Among Christians who hold this belief, this is not the "end of the world", but rather the penultimate age, the age just prior to the end of the world when the present heavens and earth will flee away (Revelation 21:1). Some believe that between the millennium proper and the end of the world there will be a brief period in which a final battle with Satan will take place. After this follows the Last Judgment. ... Early church and premillennialism (chiliasm): If millenarian beliefs have fallen into disfavor in Mainstream Christian theology today, this was not the case during the Early Christian centuries. At least during the first four centuries, millennialism was normative in both East and West.[1] Tertullian, Commodian, Lactantius, Methodius, and Apollinaris of Laodicea all advocated premillennial doctrine. In addition, according to religious scholar the Rev. Dr. Francis Nigel Lee the following is true, "Justin's 'Occasional Chiliasm' sui generis which was strongly anti-pretribulationistic was followed possibly by Pothinus in A.D. 175 and more probably (around 185) by Irenaeus -- although Justin Martyr, discussing his own premillennial beliefs in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, Chapter 110, observed that they were not necessary to Christians: "I admitted to you formerly, that I and many others are of this opinion, and [believe] that such will take place, as you assuredly are aware; but, on the other hand, I signified to you that many who belong to the pure and pious faith, and are true Christians, think otherwise." - Melito of Sardis is frequently listed as a second century proponent of premillennialism. The support usually given for the supposition is that Jerome [Comm. on Ezek. 36] and Gennadius [De Dogm. Eccl., Ch. 52] both affirm that he was a decided millenarian." In the early third century, Hippolytus of Rome wrote: And 6, 000 years must needs be accomplished, in order that the Sabbath may come, the rest, the holy day "on which God rested from all His works." For the Sabbath is the type and emblem of the future kingdom of the saints, when they "shall reign with Christ," when He comes from heaven, as John says in his Apocalypse: for "a day with the Lord is as a thousand years." Since, then, in six days God made all things, it follows that 6, 000 years must be fulfilled (Hippolytus. On the HexaËmeron, Or Six Days' Work. From Fragments from Commentaries on Various Books of Scripture). Around 220, there were some similar influences on Tertullian though only with very important and extremely optimistic (if not perhaps even postmillennial modifications and implications). On the other hand, 'Christian Chiliastic' ideas were indeed advocated in 240 by Commodian; in 250 by the Egyptian Bishop Nepos in his Refutation of Allegorists; in 260 by the almost unknown Coracion; and in 310 by Lactantius. Into the late fourth century, the Bishop known as Ambrose of Milan had millennial leanings (Ambrose of Milan. Book II. On the Belief in the Resurrection, verse 108). The first known opponent of Christian chiliasm was Marcion, in the 2nd century, who most Christians feel was an early heretic (Brown HOJ. Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church. Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody (MA), 1988, p. 65). The Catholic Encyclopedia noted that in the 2nd century proponents of "Gnosticism rejected millenarianism". -- Chiliasm was, however, according to the interpretation of non-chiliasts, condemned as a heresy in the 4th century by the Church, which included the phrase whose Kingdom shall have no end in the Nicene Creed in order to rule out the idea of a Kingdom of God which would last for only 1000 literal years [and the Nicene Creed is correct - the vissible 1,000 year reign on earth is a small part of the eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ]. Despite some writers' belief in millennialism, it was a decided minority view, as expressed in the nearly universal condemnation of the doctrine over a gradual period of time, beginning with Augustine of Hippo. Millennialism is strongly rejected as a heresy by the Orthodox Church. In AD 230, the Synod of Iconium declared that baptisms performed by the Montanist sect were invalid. The Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in AD 381 supported the Synod of Iconium and further declared millennialism to be a heresy. In a letter to Queen Gerberga of France around 950, Adso of Montier-en-Der established the idea of a "last World Emperor" who would conquer non-Christians before the arrival of the Antichrist. ... Christian views on the future order of events diversified after the Protestant reformation (1517 AD). In particular, new emphasis was placed on the passages in the Book of Revelation which seemed to say that Satan would be locked away for 1000 years, but then released on the world in a final battle (Rev. 20:1-6). ... Various types of millennialism exist with regard to Christian Eschatology, especially within Protestantism, such as Premillennialism, Postmillennialism, and Amillennialism. The first two refer to different views of the relationship between the "millennial Kingdom" and Christ's second coming. Premillennialism sees Christ's second advent as preceding the millennium, thereby separating the second coming from the final judgment. In this view, "Christ's reign" will be physical [Majestic, Holy and Royal]. [article link]

The Future Work of Christ - Part IV: The Millennial Kingdom and the Eternal State - The evidence in support of the concept that Christ will reign on earth is so abundant that only by wholesale spiritualization can these passages be construed to mean anything other than their ordinary meaning - the New Testament confims the literal interpretation - The announcement to Mary [Luke 1:32], for instance, concerning the birth of Christ plainly interprets these prophecies in their literal sense - By: John F. Walvoord
Major Features of the Millennial Kingdom: An earthly kingdom. The premillennial interpretation of the reign of Christ holds that He will reign on earth for one thousand years after His second advent. This is in contrast to the amillennial view which identifies the millennium with the present church age or the intermediate state, and the postmillennial view which views the kingdom as also in the present age and climaxing with the second advent. If the premillennial interpretation is correct and we can understand the Scriptures relating to this kingdom in their normal literal sense, a panorama is unfolded in both the Old and New Testaments which gives us many details of this reign of Christ on earth. Its general characteristics are unfolded in such passages as Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 11; Psalm 72; Jeremiah 23:5-8; 31:31-40 ; Ezekiel 37; Daniel 2:44-45; 7:13-14 ; Micah 4:1-8; 5:2-5 ; Zechariah 14. The outstanding New Testament passage is Revelation 20. -- Christ as supreme Ruler of the millennial kingdom. According to Psalm 2:6, God will fulfill His purpose of setting His Son on the throne over the earth, "Yet I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." As king over all the earth, Christ will fulfill hundreds of prophecies that anticipate such a situation. -- The Scriptures present Christ in His first coming as a king (Luke 1:32-33; Matt 1:1; 21:1-11 ). It was in His offer to Israel as their king that He was rejected (Mark 15:12-13; Luke 19:14). Even His cross bore the inscription that He was the King of the Jews (Matt 27:37). When He returns to the earth in His second coming, He obviously will be coming as King (Rev 19:16) and will fulfill the promise given to David that of his seed would come one who would reign on the throne forever (2 Sam 7:16; Ps 89:20-37; Isa 11:1-9; Jer 23:5-6; 33:14-26 ). -- The evidence in support of the concept that Christ will reign on earth is so abundant that only by wholesale spiritualization can these passages be construed to mean anything other than their ordinary meaning. The characteristics of the reign of Christ are plainly set forth in many passages, such as Isaiah 11, and the New Testament confims the literal interpretation. The announcement to Mary, for instance, concerning the birth of Christ plainly interprets these prophecies in their literal sense. In Luke 1:32-33 the angel announced the birth to Mary in these words: "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." All of the references previously cited in support of the earthly rule of Christ likewise are proof texts for the fact that Christ will reign over the earth. Associated with Him in His reign will be resurrected saints of all ages, some of whom, like David, will have a particular rule (Isa 55:3-4; Jer 30:9; 33:15-17 ; Ezek 34:23-24; 37:24-25 ; Hos 3:5; Amos 9:11). The church likewise will reign with Christ as will also all the tribulation saints who have been martyrd (2 Tim 2:12; Rev 20:4-6). Numerous other passages confirm this concept of Christ's reigning assisted by other rulers, some of whom may be resurrected saints (Isa 32:1; Ezek 45:8-9; Matt 19:28; Luke 19:12-27. ... The fact that the glorified Christ is in the earthly scene and is visible to those in the millennium is unquestionably an important factor in the spiritual life of the period. As is anticipated in Jeremiah 31:34, everyone will have the evidence before him that Christ is indeed the Son of God and all that the Scriptures claim of Him. Missionary effort will be unnecessary for the knowledge of the Lord will be universal as Isaiah says, "For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea." (Isa 11:9). Christ as the world ruler of the millennial kingdom will be the object of worship, and the universal instruction in Biblical truth as well as the many demonstrations of divine power and the abundant ministry of the Holy Spirit will foster a spiritual life on a world-wide scale unprecedented in the history of the world. -- The millennium will be a period which will feature personal righteousness as well as national righteousness in keeping with Solomon's prediction: "In his days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace, till the moon be no more." (Ps 72:7). The righteous rule of Christ Himself is described in specific terms in Isaiah 11:3-5. The absence of war and universal peace (Ps 72:7; Isa 2:4) will provide the context in which spiritual life will flourish. The praise of the Lord and the joy which will attend the blessings of that period are described in Isaiah 12:3-4 and Isaiah 61:3-7. In addition to the presence of Christ the power of the Spirit will tend to foster and promote a deep spiritual life (Isa 32:15; 44:3 ; Ezek 39:29; Joel 2:28-29). ... It is in this eternal state that the promise of 1 Corinthians 15:24 is fulfilled, when a conquered world is presented to the Godhead by Christ. This must not be construed as ending the role of Christ as King, but rather ending its temporal phase and beginning its eternal characteristics. With the introduction of the eternal state the revelation of Scripture comes to its close and the unending day of the glorious eternal state begins. -- With the close of the prophetic narrative, the Biblical revelation of Jesus Christ also comes to its conclusion. In the beginning of eternity, all that was anticipated in the first and second comings of Christ is fulfilled, and Christ is honored as King of kings and Lord of lords. The eternity which stretches beyond the horizon of Scriptural revelation is one of unspeakable bliss for the saints and unending joy in the presence of God. In the center of the service and worship of the saints will be Jesus Christ, "the same yesterday, today, and for ever." To this eternal destiny every believing heart turns in anticipation and joyous expectation. [article link]

8th Kingdom - Jesus Christ - The Eternal Kingdom - Jesus Christ - The Only Possible Legitimate Messiah - The prophet Jeremiah was specific when he wrote in 23:5-6 of the coming of the royal son of David: "Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. "In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, 'The Lord our righteousness.'"
A Legal Heir: Moreover, because Jesus descended from Mary, who also was a descendent of King David through the lineage of Nathan, He had a legal claim to the throne. The two lines of David focused on the Messiah. No one else could ever bring a legitimate claim to the throne of David. Luke presented the physical line of Jesus through His mother who descended from David through the line of Nathan (Luke 3:31). in this way Jesus escaped the curse of Jehoiachin. Donald Barnhouse concludes, "If Jesus is not the Messiah who has descended from David according to the Old Testament prophecies, there will never be a Messiah. For Jesus had no human children, and each of his brothers (who are the only other possibilities through whom another messiah might descend) had the curse on him and would have passed it on to his children" and Jeremiah's prophecy would thus be fulfilled. -- Jesus Christ is the legitimate descendent from two lines of King David. He is the King announced in the Jewish prophecies. He is the King Messiah who was also the Son of God. He is the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords." No one else can make that claim. He is the only possible legitimate Messiah. There can absolutely be no other. How significant that the great prophecy that the Messiah King would come through the line of David was given just a few verses after the great words of judgment on the descendents of Jehoiachin. C. C. Ryrie notes, "If Jesus had been born only in the line of Joseph (and thus of Jechoniah, Heb. Coniah), He would not have been qualified to reign on the throne of David in the Millennium." He also writes, "Had our Lord been the natural son of Joseph, He could not have been successful on the throne of David because of this curse. But since He came through Mary's lineage, He was not affected by this curse." There was no curse on Nathan's line. Though Jechoniah's sons never occupied the throne, the line of rulership passed through them. If Jesus had been a physical descendent of Jechoniah, He would not have been able to occupy David's throne. Luke's genealogy makes it clear that Jesus was a legal descendant of David through his son Nathan (Lk. 3:31). Joseph, a descendent of Solomon, was Jesus' legal adoptive father, so Jesus traced His royal rights to the throne through Joseph. Jesus Christ is the only legitimate legal Jewish Messiah. Let us bow and worship Him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. [article link]

8th Kingdom - Jesus Christ - The Eternal Kingdom - The Bible's book of Job (Job 4:18) seems to indicate that God did not at one time (before the cross and resurrection of Jesus) trust the holy angels to remain holy and not take part in the fallen angelic, Mystery Babylon conspiracy against God and against mankind - In the book of Daniel (Daniel 10:21) it is revealed that only the Angels Gabriel and Michael the Archangel were aware of the plans and timing to restrain Mystery Babylon and to bring in the incarnation of God (Jesus Christ) into the realm of mankind - The Angel Gabriel that spoke to and instructed the prophet Daniel (Daniel 9:21) is the same Angel that spoke to and instructed both the priest (Luke 1:19) Zacharias [the father of John the Baptist] and the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-35) regarding the incarnation of Jesus Christ
"Job 4:17-21 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? Behold, **He put no trust in His servants; and His angels He charged with folly: How much less in them [humans] that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it. Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom." -- "1 Timothy 5:21-22 I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, *and the **elect angels [holy angels that have responded to the calling of God and remained holy], that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure." -- "Hebrews 1:4-9 [Jesus] Being made (G1096 - appear in history, come upon the stage, appearing in public) so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they. For unto which of the angels said He [Father God] at any time, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son? And again, when He bringeth in the firstbegotten [Jesus Christ] into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him [Jesus]. And of the angels He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son He saith, *Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy Kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy [Father] God, hath anointed Thee [Jesus] with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows." [article link]

8th Kingdom - Jesus Christ - The Eternal Kingdom - The Bible's book of Daniel Chapter 7 tells of a vision that Daniel had during the reign in the first year of Babylonian King Belshazzar [the grandson of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar - 3rd Global Gentile Kingdom of the earth] regarding four beasts (the 4 remaining global gentile governments- Persia, Greece, Rome, Revised Rome) - Later in Daniel chapter 10 in the third year of Cyrus King of Persia [4th Global Gentile Kingdom of the earth] it was given to Daniel to have further interpretation regarding the previous vision in chapter 7 - Possibly Jesus Himself and an angel [thought to be the angel Gabriel] came to Daniel with encouragement and more information - The information that the Angel brought to Daniel was that the Holy Angelic realm was actively opposing and fighting against [the fallen Mystery Babylon realm of fallen angels (Revelation 17:5,9)] - The angel had currently been resisting Mystery Babylon's (spiritual) Persian Empire and also very importantly the Angel was already preparing to resist the then coming Mystery Babylon's (spiritual) Geek Empire [5th Global Gentile Kingdom of the earth] -- "Daniel 10:20-21 Then said he [thought to be the angel Gabriel], [now] Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia [a fallen angel]: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince [another fallen angel] of Grecia (Greece) shall come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the Scripture of Truth [Bible]: and there is none that holdeth [has the knowledge - plans of God] with me in these things [in the O.T. times before the incarnation, cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ], but Michael [the Archangel] your prince [a holy angel of Israel]."
"Daniel 7:1-3 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds [spirits] of the heaven strove upon the great sea [humanity]. And four great beasts came up from the sea [humanity], diverse one from another." - The holy Angelic realm seems to have had a special interest in combating the Mystery Babylon Kingdom of Greece. Greece in many ways was and is the most sustained and dangerous of the Mystery Babylon Kingdoms. Ancient Greece accumulated and parlayed much of the deep ancient Mystery Babylon Kingdom knowledge assembling the secrets of (The Tower of Babel, Egypt, Babylon and Persia) and preserved them in a Westernized format for a continued and sustained onslaught against mankind that has lasted for well over 2,000 years. Along with the deep ancient secrets of Mystery Babylon, Greece has initiated mankind with secular philosophy, the myths and gods of Olympus, a prolonged cultural substitute for godliness and a seemingly sustainable nanny state society. Including the fact that in ancient Greece were sown and continued some of the seeds of our modern UFO phenomenon and of our current modern Evolution Darwinian hoax dilemma further designating that no culture, not even Rome has left such an impression [in a harmful way] on so much of the human race for such a long time. -- "Daniel 11:45-12:3 And he [Antichrist] shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain [Mt. Moriah, Jerusalem]; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. And at that time shall Michael [the Archangel] stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy [Jewish] people: and there shall be a time of trouble [Jacob's trouble - During the Great Tribulation of Revelation], such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake [participate in the ongoing first resurrection], some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt [judgment]. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 -- Jesus Christ has risen from the grave - Truly He has risen - He has risen indeed!
Jesus Christ has risen from the grave - Truly He has risen - He has risen indeed! -- Thank you for taking part in the 2011 Jesus Walk Holy Week Timeline Devotion! Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, I pray that God will richly bless you, keep you and that His everlasting Divine face will continue to shine upon you. The Lord Jesus Christ be with you in all things as we look to the soon return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ~ God bless you, David Anson Brown [article link]

Holy Week 2011 and the 10 Day Jesus Walk 2011 Easter Timeline Devotion **starting on Friday April 15th, 2011 until ---> Easter Sunday April 24th, 2011
We are going to look at some of the aspects of Holy Week regarding what actually happened during the final 10 days the Amazing events of Jesus Christ while He was physically here on earth. We will be considering what His events accomplished and how His completed events affect us today both personally and individually as Christians and as a whole as the Christian Church. - God bless you ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

The Jesus Walk Holy Week Timeline Devotion - The 11th Annual [Started in 2001] 10 Day Jesus Walk Easter Timeline Devotion it will change your life! - Friday April 15th ---> Easter Sunday April 24th, 2011 (PDF Available)
An Ancient Holy Week Timeline, Bible Study, Devotional & Personal Journal for Easter Week 2010. ... Follow along with Jesus in the current Resurrection (Easter) holiday dates of 2010 during the last Ten days leading up to and including His Cross and His Glorious Resurrection. It also marvelously explains and demonstrates that Jesus did indeed die and remain deceased for a total of 3 days and 3 nights and that He then Resurrected' returned from death' just as He prophesied that He would. This is a Personal Study-Journal encouraging the reader to include their own devotions during this 10 day journey with Jesus. ... It will change your life! [article link]

[Friday] Jesus Walk 2011 -- Anointing - Preparation Friday - Catching up with Jesus and His disciples in the town of Bethany
This day coincides with Friday April 15, 2011: On our journey to be with Jesus we find that Bethany is located on the Mount of Olives, (Luke 19:29, Mark 11:1) and that Bethany is less than 2 miles from Jerusalem (John 11:18). Once we walk up the Mount of Olives and ask directions to Lazarus', Mary's, and Martha's house, we would come into a small stone house to find Martha busy working in the kitchen while Mary is seated and at rest beside Jesus. Lazarus whom Jesus had recently raised from the dead (John 11:44) was also seated at the table no doubt he had much to talk to Jesus about. If we came in at just the right moment, we would smell the aroma that filled the house as Mary anointed Jesus with almost a pound of very costly Spikenard oil (John 12:3). We would hear Judas complain that the expensive ointment was wasted and hear the rebuke of Jesus as He defended Mary and proclaimed that she had committed an honorable act of worship in anointing Him for His coming burial. -- {Basic Christian Devotion: Becoming united in Jesus} Personal Reflection #1 Anointing Oil: Mary Anointed Jesus with very costly and very precious oil. Biblically oil is a symbol of acceptance. To anoint someone is to accept them, to accept them for who and for what they are. Judas on the other hand did not want to bother with anointing Jesus. He didn't even want to be bothered with other people anointing Him. Mary was accepting Jesus. She had accepted that He had come to die for her in her place and was anointing Jesus for His coming burial. The cross of Jesus was something that even the disciples had not yet been able to come to grips with yet Mary had and Mary acknowledged and accepted Jesus for it. Having accepted the gift from Jesus that He was to die in her place for her sins she had now entered into a place of rest and comfort. Rest in that she did not have to work to amend for her own sins and comfort in that all things would be taken care of for her through God who is also King, her King Jesus. - As we begin our walk with Jesus let's pause and reflect (Selah) about acceptance ... are there people in our own lives who we need to anoint and to accept even though we don't understand them? How much could our fellowships gain by this one simple act of anointing one another in the simple affection of acceptance. Anointing others with the precious oil of acceptance can only come from our own rest and security through the knowledge of what Jesus Himself has done and will do for us in our lives. - "Psalms 133 Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded His blessing, even life forevermore." Are we anointing and accepting of ourselves? Biblically people are allowed to anoint - refresh themselves with oil (Matthew 6:17). In fact it is crucial that we accept ourselves. God has already accepted us. He created us and He is for us. How is it that we can reject what God has already accepted? Are we anointing and accepting of Jesus? Even today we can anoint Jesus with His precious costly oil of acceptance by accepting His accomplishments in His sacrificial death and eternal resurrection life for us and by trusting in His authority and Kingly rule over and in our lives. We would like to be bold enough to take the steps to walk where Jesus walks, but it is now evident even on this day, day one, that Jesus does not walk as a human walks but that He walks as God walks. For us to walk with Jesus we are going to have to be bold and remove our focus from others and place it on God. [article link]

[Saturday] Jesus Walk 2011 -- Triumphal Entry Saturday - Jesus is King The Triumphal Entry - Jesus Enters Jerusalem the capital city of Israel and presents Himself as the Lord and King for all people
This day coincides with Saturday April 16, 2011 Palm Saturday - Feast of Sabbath Rest - 10th of Nisan, Selection of the Passover Lamb, (Exodus 12:3). "Psalms 84:3 .. O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God." - On this next day Saturday, (John 12:12), we would rise up early with Jesus and the disciples. The people gathering for the celebration of the week long Passover Feast in the city of Jerusalem would hear that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and would gather palm branches to wave in honor of their coming King, Jesus. Because Saturday is a Sabbath day it is unlawful for the people to gather branches for their own personal use but it is not unlawful to gather the branches and wave them in an act of worship of Jesus (God). It is work to sustain our lives but it is not work to worship God. Jesus would send two disciples ahead to get a donkey and the donkey's baby that Jesus would ride on His way into Jerusalem. This will be a direct fulfillment of what the Prophet Zechariah saw and wrote about 400 years earlier. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout O Daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; upon the colt the full of a donkey." We would see on this day Jesus would present Himself to Israel as the King. The prophet Daniel also saw and wrote about this day, (Daniel 9:25). The event of cheering Jesus as King would take the entire day. There would be one dispute with the Pharisees as they would demand that Jesus silence His disciples. Jesus would reply that if the disciples remained silent that the very rocks would cry out in testimony to the glory of God. "Mark 11:10-11 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide [close of this Saturday Sabbath day] was come, He went out unto Bethany with the twelve." We will enter into the Temple with Jesus and look around but we will soon depart as the evening is near and with the darkness of nightfall the Jewish Sabbath day will draw to a close. We depart the Temple and Jerusalem with Jesus keeping all of the Triumphal entry and the Temple events of that Glorious day enclosed within the one (Saturday) Sabbath day and not permitting the Triumphal Entry events to continue into the next day (Sunday) a non-Sabbath, non-Feast day. That evening we would return with Jesus back up to the Mount of Olives to Bethany (Mark 11:11). We would have to leave at the evening time to get to our destination before nightfall as this day is a Sabbath day and is a day of rest. (Acts 1:12) tells us that Mount Olivet is "from Jerusalem a Sabbaths days journey" so we know that we would be able to walk that distance and not break the Sabbath law. -- That night laying at the top of Mount Olives and looking at the stars and reflecting on the days events, it would begin to seem that the events that Jesus is carrying out have already been written about by the prophets hundreds even thousands of years earlier. As disciples wanting to be informed about the situation at hand, we would rethink the scriptures in a new light and begin to consider that Jesus has presented Himself as King to the people and this occurred on a feast day the feast day of "Sabbath." Examining Leviticus 23, we would notice that God prescribed eight Feasts that were to be followed in order, by His people the Jews. The first feast was the weekly Saturday feast of "Sabbath" or rest. This was the feast we celebrated today. Suddenly, life flows through our bodies as we remember a Bible passage from the Apostle Paul, Colossians 2:16;17 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of any holy day, or of the new moon or of the Sabbath days: which are shadows of the things to come; but the body is of Christ." Wow! We realize that Jesus is now at this very moment in the process of fulfilling scripture, the prophecies and the feasts appointed in Leviticus 23 which were written in advance for Jesus to later fulfill. We consider and savor the thought that our King has come and we can now find rest. With Jesus in rule and authority over our lives we can now rest or Sabbath. Jesus is our King! In Him is Justice, righteousness, Truth, Light and Life! In Him we can trust and in Jesus we find our [only] rest. No more striving with a world that is full of inhumane wrongs and cluttered with injustice. In King Jesus we now have comfort. We note that the "Sabbath" is first a commandment, the 4th of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai and it is also the 1st prescribed feast day of God. We then pay special attention to entering into the rest that Jesus provides as King in our lives, we do not want to disobey both a Commandment and a Feast day. Life becomes much more meaningful as we peacefully rest-Sabbath the night in Jesus. -- {Basic Christian Devotion: Becoming united in Jesus} Personal Reflection #2 Jesus our Savior, our King, our Friend, our Rest: "Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork." We too would like to join in with the rocks of Jerusalem and indeed all of creation and declare the glory of our God and King in Christ Jesus and as we do declare the Deity and Honor of Jesus we declare that we to can now rest in His rule and in His Authority. We rest in Jesus, resting physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is a wonderful accomplishment to be able to cease from worry, fear and anxiety. Few are they that enter into it but blessed are those who do as rest is something to be entered into, it is an achievement, an accomplishment. "Hebrews 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same [wilderness wondering] example of unbelief." [article link]

Update: We are going to have a briefly expanded look at the Saturday [Sabbath Feast day] and then after the 2011 Easter Timeline Devotion is completed on Easter [Feast of Firstfruits Day] we can have an expanded look at the coming Feast Day of Pentecost [Sunday, June 12, 2011] - The Feast of Pentecost is one of the most confused and misunderstood of all the 8 Levitical Feast Days of Israel so we will take a good look and close examination at what the very important and relevant Pentecost Feast Day is and what it has had in store for mankind for almost 2,000 years since the original Pentecost events of Acts 2:1
Transition of Days and Dispensations: Jewish Congregation Era - 1st Coming, Christian Church Era (Spring Feasts) - 2nd Coming, 1,000 year Kingdom Reign (Fall Feasts): The Feast of Sabbath [Saturday] is the first of the 8 prescribed Feasts of Israel (Leviticus 23:3). -- Notice how the 8 Feasts start out focused and anchored on the weekly Jewish Saturday Sabbath day the Dispensation and congregation of Moses [Mt. Sinai Exodus 20:8 - the 4th of 10 Commandments given to Moses] but at the conclusion of the Jerusalem Passover Festival [Feast of Firstfruits (Easter)] with Jesus [Dispensation of the First Coming of Jesus] the Church oriented Feast Days of both Firstfruits ["morrow (day) after the Sabbath" (Sunday) - Leviticus 23:10,11] and Pentecost ["morrow (day) after the seventh Sabbath" (Sunday) - 50 days after Firstfruits - Leviticus 23:16] are on Sunday having transitioned from an emphasis on the Jewish Saturday to now emphasizing the Dispensation of Christianity and the accompanying Christian Sundays. - Later: The transitions of Pentecost. [article link]

[Sunday] Jesus Walk 2011 -- Cleansing - Holiness Sunday - Jesus cleanses the Temple by removing unholy activities including overthrowing the tables of the moneychangers and the merchandisers
This day coincides with Sunday April 17, 2011 - We awake early Sunday morning, the first day of the week, to see Jesus and the disciples on their way back to Jerusalem and the Temple (Mark 11:12). Catching up we would find Jesus examining a fig tree for fruit. Finding no fruit Jesus will curse the fig tree (Mark 11:14). We will stand by in amazement as we realize that this Jesus is the same God that Adam and Eve sinned against and then used a fig leaf in an attempt to cover their sins. Jesus is now saying that there are no more self-made, man-made coverings for sin. The system of fig tree religion is now a curse by God because fig tree religion never did produce fruit for God. We will then follow Jesus into the Temple as acting King. Jesus will now cleanse the Temple of ungodliness (Matthew 21:12-17, Mark 11:15-19) and we will know that the true Temple is our bodies and that we need to present our bodies holy and undefiled to God (Romans 12:1-5). Listening we hear Jesus proclaim that His Temple will be a House of Prayer for ALL nations (Mark 11:17) and we rejoice to be a part of the Kingdom of God and to know that above all, God desires for us to pray (talk/listen) to Him in getting to know Him. That evening we will return with Jesus and the disciples to the Mount of Olives. -- {Basic Christian Devotion: Becoming united in Jesus} Personal Reflection #3 Unfruitfulness in our own life: Jesus recognized unfruitfulness and He took action to remove it. Every one of us (unlike Jesus) has an unfruitful aspect in our own life. We too can be bold like Jesus, in that when we see unfruitfulness we can declare it as unacceptable to God and recognize it as a cursed item, not a blessing. In cursing it, curse it at its root so that it will immediately wither and dry up no longer sustaining an appearance of being potentially fruitful but being what it truly is, something that does not give pleasure to God. "Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." [article link]

[Traditional] Palm Sunday to mark beginning of Holy Week - The [Lenten season modern Church tradition days - not the original historical] days of Holy Week
UTICA - For practicing Christians locally and around the world, the upcoming week will be a roller coaster of emotions. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, a series of holy days commemorating the final moments of Jesus Christ's life and his death, but also his followers' belief in the resurrection on Easter Sunday. "Holy Week is very intense and emotionally gripping," said Bruce Smith, organist and choir master at Grace Church in Utica. "You go from the depths of despair on Good Friday, following the death, to extreme joy on (Easter) Sunday, when you come to the realization that Jesus is alive." In addition to being the holiest week of the Christian calendar, Holy Week also is the last week of the Lenten season. Many of the days have special significance. ... Here are the [Lenten season modern Church tradition days - not the original historical] days of Holy Week: Maundy Thursday: Also known as Holy Thursday, this day commemorates Christ's Last Supper with his apostles. Traditional Maundy Thursday rituals include a washing of the feet and a communion ceremony. Good Friday: On Good Friday, Christians remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Good Friday services include the Stations of the Cross, as well as the Good Friday liturgy, which centers around the reading of The Passion of Christ and the Adoration of the Cross. Holy Saturday: Holy Saturday marks the day Christ's body laid in rest in the tomb. The Easter Vigil, a major liturgy, takes place on Holy Saturday. Easter Sunday: Easter Sunday celebrates the Christian belief that Christ rose from the dead after his crucifixion. Services are joyous and often feature uplifting music. For example, one of Grace Church's two Easter services will include brass and timpani accompaniment for their choir. [article link]

[Monday] Jesus Walk 2011 -- Teaching Monday - Temple teaching and later the Mt. Olivet Discourse End Time Teaching is given
This day coincides with Monday April 18, 2011 - Arising early the next day Monday, we know from Mark 14:1 and Matthew 26:2 that we have two days left until the Passover (Wednesday). We would again follow Jesus to Jerusalem and to the temple as Jesus spends another day preaching in the temple and having discourse with the Scribes and Pharisees. On the way to the temple we would again pass the fig tree that Jesus had cursed the day before and be astonished with the other disciples that the fig tree has completely dried up and withered from the roots up (Matthew 21:19, Mark 11:20). We would again consider that the fig tree cannot be our covering for sin and that God finds man-made religious practices unacceptable, not one day will pass where the religious practices of man are acceptable to God. We would follow Jesus back into the temple where the Scribes, Pharisees and lawyers will make a final assault on the authority of Jesus (Matthew 21:23-23:39, Mark 11:27-12:44). Jesus will end His discussion with the Scribes and Pharisees with the comments of "Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Jesus uses strong words for strong circumstances. The leaders of Judah are misrepresenting Jesus. They are misrepresenting the word of God in the Bible and all that God stands for. Jesus refers to them as a "brood of vipers", referring to the words and actions of the leaders that their deeds are separating people from the true God and are therefore as poisonous as the poison of a snake. Earlier, through the prophet Isaiah, Jesus said to the leaders of ancient Judah that when the circumstances of their lives pressed against them and caused them to be uncomfortable that they would responded from their heart. Jesus saw that the leaders were upset with circumstances that they didn't understand and that their actions really revealed their true heart towards God. Jesus was therefore quoting the prophet Isaiah in order to encourage the leaders to search the scriptures in a new light and gain new insight into the person of God and new insight into the kingdom of God. After the death and resurrection of Jesus the book of Acts tells us that many of the Priests came to believe in Jesus (Acts 6:7). Jesus is showing us that although strong words were used, Jesus did it in a way of Reconciliation. There is only one Ministry, it is the ministry of reconciliation, man to God and man to man. After this discussion, Jesus left the Temple for the last time (Matthew 24:1, Mark 13:1). We can immediately remember the Prophet Ezekiel, (Ezekiel 10:1-22) and his depiction of the presence of God departing from the temple as the people had rejected God. Ezekiel wrote of a temple from which the presence of God had departed and later that temple would be destroyed by the invading Babylonians. Likewise, this temple with the presence of God, in the person of Jesus departing, would later be destroyed by the Roman armies. After the discussion between the leaders and Jesus, Jesus walked out of the temple and the disciples followed (Matthew 24:2, Mark 13:2). The disciples thought that this was the long awaited moment, the moment when the King Jesus, would take control and according to scripture would reign and rule from Jerusalem. The disciples were now interested in the buildings of the temple. In effect, the disciples were saying these are great buildings to rule from and probably wondering where their office would be. As we stand there and eavesdrop, we would hear Jesus reply and give a prophecy that the temple would be destroyed, one stone block at a time, until there were no more stone blocks left stacked upon another. The disciples were stunned. They realized that they were not familiar with the current plan of Jesus. - That evening when they returned to the Mount of Olives, some of the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked "what is the time or sign of Jesus coming into power?" In other words, when is Jesus the King going to reign and rule on earth as the King? Jesus told them that it was not for them to know the times and gave a long informative discourse into the end time events. Jesus specifically warned the disciples not to fall for deception, that many will be deceived by the vast amount of lies and deceit being told in the world. He taught that only the Bible is the true word of God. The teaching is now called "Jesus' Mt. Olivet Discourse" (Matthew 24:3-26:2, Mark 13:3-14:1). -- {Basic Christian Devotion: Becoming united in Jesus} Personal Reflection #4 Our Ministry of Reconciliation: What is our part in Reconciliation? Jesus came to Reconcile. The very Ministry of Jesus is Reconciliation, reconciling man back into a relationship with God and also reconciling us humans into a relationship with one another. "2 Corinthians 5:18,19 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us (Christians) to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the Ministry of Reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." *The word reconciliation is called the Gospel, the "Good News" of our Life in Jesus as opposed to the sour fact of our death in this earthly world. The ministry of Jesus is the embodiment of the Cross that Jesus would be crucified on as on the cross Jesus is lifted up - suspended, between Heaven (the dwelling of God) and Earth (the dwelling of man). The vertical post of the cross represents reconciliation between God and Man while at the same time the outstretched - reaching out arms of Jesus and the horizontal beam of the cross represent the reconciliation of one to another. Reconciliation is accomplished only in and by Jesus. There is no other hope for mankind but in Jesus, His Cross and His Resurrection. [article link]

Israel prepares for Passover festival 2011 - Members of the ancient Samaritan community gather around fire-pits before placing sheep on stakes into the fire during the traditional Passover sacrifice in Mount Gerizim, overlooking Palestinians West Bank town of Nablus, Sunday, April 17, 2011. Samaritans descended from the ancient Israelite tribes of Menashe and Efraim but broke away from mainstream Judaism 2,800 years ago - Today, the remaining 700 Samaritans, live in the Palestinian city of Nablus in the West Bank and the Israeli seaside town of Holon, south of Tel Aviv. Photo: Ariel Schalit / AP {"John 4:19-24 The [Samaritan] woman saith unto Him [Jesus], Sir, I perceive that thou art a Prophet. Our [Samarian] fathers worshipped in this mountain [Mount Gerizim]; and ye [Jews] say, that in Jerusalem [Mt. Zion - Temple Mount] is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we [Jews] know what we worship: **for salvation is of the Jews. But the [New Testament] hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in [Holy] Spirit and in Truth."} (Photo)
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israelis cleaned their houses, cars and offices Monday and cooked furiously in last-minute preparations for the weeklong holiday of Passover, which marks the biblical story of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. ... The [Bible] story recounts that God killed the first-born boys of Egypt [with a plague] after the pharaoh refused to release the children of Israel from bondage, but "passed over" the houses of the Israelites. After that divine blow [illustration that only the death of the firstborn son (Jesus Christ) can free mankind from sin and the bondage of Satan], the pharaoh [a type of Satan] gave in and let the Israelites go. They were then given the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai and wandered in the desert for 40 years before arriving in the Land of Israel. The holiday begins Monday night with a traditional seder meal. Extended families typically gather to retell the story of the exodus and eat unleavened bread called matzoh. [article link]

Jewish Passover 2011 begins at sundown tonight (Monday) - During Passover [bread and wine], Jewish people commemorate the liberation from slavery and the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, as told in the Haggadah (or Haggada) - These events took place around 3000 years ago - The center of the ceremonial meal is the Seder Plate and red wine or red grape juice - Each food (six traditional food items) has a special meaning in relation to the Passover story {Note: This year the Passover Seder is on Tuesday the Passover of Jesus in Jerusalem is thought to have been on a Wednesday. The actual day fluctuates from year to year based on the Lunar calendar. -- The Jewish Passover is to commemorate the Jewish deliverance events in Egypt over 3,000 years ago while the Christian 'Last Supper' Communion is a commemoration of the Passover [deliverance from eternal sin and death] originally celebrated in Jerusalem as the New Covenant of Jesus Christ with His Apostles.}
In Israel, Passover lasts for seven days, but in other countries people may observe it for seven or eight days. The first and last day (or two days in some countries outside Israel), are particularly important. People recite special blessings or prayers, make a particular effort to visit a synagogue or listen to readings from the Torah and eat a ceremonial meal. Readings of the Haggadah, the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery and their exodus from Egypt are particularly important. The center of the ceremonial meal is the Seder Plate and red wine or red grape juice. Each food has a special meaning in relation to the Passover story. [article link]

Passover Seder [Dinner]: Order out of chaos - Of the rich content of Seder [dinner] and the Hagaddah [instruction booklet] I cite the inclusion of *Elijah the prophet and a special glass of wine set for him - Elijah is the only biblical figure who doesn't die but is whisked to heaven in a fiery chariot - **In Jewish tradition he will return and be the forerunner of the Messiah - In ***Jewish thinking there are three Passovers: the historical one in Egypt; all the Seders of the present, and the ultimate Passover, harbinger of the redemption of all humanity from enslavement, from poverty, from cruelty of any form {During the Passover in Jerusalem with Jesus and His Apostles [2,000 years ago] only three of the four prescribed Passover Seder glasses of wine were consumed. The fourth Passover cup the cup of rejoicing is yet to be consumed and it is intended to be drunk from in Heaven [the Great Congregation] by Jesus along with all of His disciples Church wide encompassing all Church membership from throughout history (Matthew 26:29).}
The Passover ritual observance on the first and second nights of the holiday known as Seder "makes order out of chaos." It is more than just a play on words, the Hebrew term for the ritual, "Seder," referring to the order of the rituals of the night. It is more than restoring order to the household after a thorough cleaning and complete change of dishes, pots and silverware. There is a higher meaning that reaches from antiquity to us. Passover is timeless and speaks to every generation. ... The most popular symbol of Passover is the matzoh, called "poor man's bread" or "bread of poverty." It must be unleavened because leavening is a process of fermentation, which is really a corruption of the grain. Every time I eat a piece of matzoh I remember that slavery is a corruption of the human condition, that bondage destroys both the enslaver and the enslaved. Matzoh is dry. Slavery dries up the human spirit. Even tears don't necessarily help the matzoh go down. Just as normally we wish for bread that has risen, we realize the need to raise our fellow citizens from poverty, out of economic or any other enslavement to a redemptive life. -- The unique booklet used at the Seder is called the Hagaddah, meaning "the telling." Created in antiquity with continued layers added, it cites passages in Deuteronomy and Joshua for it speaks to generations like us, who weren't there, who didn't have the personal experience. In unique fashion, we the readers of the Hagaddah speak in first person present, citing other biblical verses "as if we were there." We read ourselves into history. Psychologically, spiritually, we transport ourselves in time to imagine the horror of Egyptian bondage and then give abundant gratitude to God for our redemption. In the Hebrew language there is no clear delineation of tenses - the past, present and future merge into an unbroken continuum. I am part of the Israelites in Egypt and they are part of me sitting at Seder in Richmond, Virginia. -- Of the rich content of Seder and the Hagaddah I cite the inclusion of Elijah the prophet and a special glass of wine set for him. Elijah is the only biblical figure who doesn't die but is whisked to heaven in a fiery chariot. In Jewish tradition he will return and be the forerunner of the Messiah. In Jewish thinking there are three Passovers: the historical one in Egypt; all the Seders of the present, and the ultimate Passover, harbinger of the redemption of all humanity from enslavement, from poverty, from cruelty of any form. At the Seder we open the door, and ceremonially invite Elijah into our homes, into our hearts and into our lives. We hope that our Seder will presage the imminent redemption of all. Then the true divine order will be restored and we will all live in peace and tranquility. [article link]

Looking ahead a few days to the Feast of Firstfruits [Easter Day - Resurrection Day] - After the close of the Church Age with the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ the "redemption-salvation" process moves away from individual events and during the 1,000 year Kingdom Age the people on earth will physically live [for the most part] the entire 1,000 years (Isaiah 65:20) at the conclusion of the 1,000 year Kingdom Reign the Harvest of Nations will take place, were like the fields the entire globe will be harvested at once. In other words during the 1,000 year Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ people will be living in obedience [or disobedience] to God but then all the people will be dealt with regarding eternal Salvation at the same time unlike the [Firstfruits] Church Age where individuals are coming into eternal Salvation at any given individual moment. -- "Matthew 25:31-34 When [Jesus] the Son of Man shall come in His glory [at the end of His 1,000 year Kingdom reign on earth], and all the holy angels with Him, **then shall He sit upon the [eternal] throne of His glory [after sitting on the Throne of King David for the 1,000 year reign]: And before Him shall be gathered [for Harvest] all Nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth His sheep from the goats: And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King [Jesus] say unto them [1,000 year Saints] on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the [eternal] Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:"
Some concepts of the Feast of Firstfruits: The Feast of Firstfruits is a part of the week long Passover celebration and is observed on the first Sunday after the Passover Lamb is killed. The Feast of Firstfruits [i.e. the Church Age] is a small select 'individual' harvest day. The later Fall Festivals are the whole field Harvest [i.e. the 1,000 year Kingdom Age] where the entire field is harvested at one time and then anything that is left in the field cannot be harvest but must be left to others to glean from. - Example: Usually the early crop in ancient Israel was the barley crop. If a person saw that their barley field had a few patches of barley that had started to ripen and they wanted to harvest a small patch and make a few loves of barley bread they couldn't do it. A person would first have to wait for the Feast of Firstfruits then on that day a handful (sheaf) of grain and a offering had to first be taken to the Priest and the Priest would 'wave' the grain towards the sky (before God) as a wave offering to God. Then after the offering the farmer could select one small or a few small individual patches of his field that have ripened enough to harvest and harvest a selected firstfruits of his crop for his own personal use while the entirety of the field continued to ripen for the actual harvest day. Weeks later on the harvest day the farmer, this time with a crew, can harvest the entire field at once [leaving the corners] and anything that is not harvested was to be left for the poor to come and glean from. - The current Church Age having begun on the Feast of Firstfruits is a select, individual harvest of individual people to God (2 Corinthians 6:2). After the close of the Church Age with the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ the "redemption-salvation" process moves away from individual events and during the 1,000 year Kingdom Age the people on earth will physically live [for the most part] the entire 1,000 years (Isaiah 65:20) at the conclusion of the 1,000 year Kingdom Reign the Harvest of Nations will take place, were like the fields the entire globe will be harvested at once. In other words during the 1,000 year Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ people will be living in obedience [or disobedience] to God but then all the people will be dealt with regarding eternal Salvation at the same time unlike the [Firstfruits] Church Age where individuals are coming into eternal Salvation at any given individual moment. -- "Matthew 25:31-34 When [Jesus] the Son of Man shall come in His glory [at the end of His 1,000 year Kingdom reign on earth], and all the holy angels with Him, **then shall He sit upon the [eternal] throne of His glory [after sitting on the Throne of King David for the 1,000 year reign]: And before Him shall be gathered [for Harvest] all Nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth His sheep from the goats: And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King [Jesus] say unto them [1,000 year Saints] on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the [eternal] Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:" [article link]

[Tuesday] Jesus Walk 2011 -- Betrayal Tuesday - Judas Agrees to betray Jesus for Thirty pieces of silver
This day coincides with Tuesday April 19, 2011 (Matthew 26:6-16, Mark 14:3-11) - As we awake Tuesday morning we will not go to Jerusalem and the Temple as Jesus had departed the Temple for the last time on Monday. Instead, today we will go with Jesus to Bethany and enter the house of Simon, a leper whom Jesus has previously cured. A woman will anoint Jesus with more oil. Judas will depart to meet with the Jewish leaders to betray Jesus. Judas will receive the promise of thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:2, Matthew 26:15) for promising to deliver Jesus into the hands of the Jewish leaders. -- {Basic Christian Devotion: Becoming united in Jesus} Personal Reflection #5 Fellowship with the one who has cleansed us: Jesus has returned to spend time with Simon a Leper whom Jesus had previously cleansed. How is it that Jesus would want to visit someone that was previously Unclean? How is it that Simon would trust Jesus? Usually when someone has knowledge of the unclean areas of our life we want to get away from them because we are vulnerable and do not want to be exposed by them for what we were or for what we truly are. Yet Simon welcomed Jesus into his own home and prepared for Him a meal. All throughout the Bible we read how hurting and longing and suffering people have turned to God and have found compassion and healing and like Simon, we too have the privilege of hosting Jesus, the one who has healed us. "Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me (Jesus), all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and Learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your Souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 -- Betrayal Tuesday: Robert Schuller's Glass House of God - But last October [2010], the reverend's church and TV show filed for federal bankruptcy protection after he spent nearly $50 million more than he had in dozens of bank accounts - Church officials have attempted to blame the crisis on Schuller's unswerving, daily commitment to aiding the poor - For example, during a four-month period when the ministry took in donations totaling more than $14 million, Schuller gave an average of just $22 a day to feed the poor, according to church records {Today Religious leaders continue to betray Jesus Christ just as in the days of Judas. Like Judas the betrayal is usually a threefold betrayal consisting of a betrayal of trust, finances and doctrine. Today it is imperative that we as Christians understand the doctrines [and the seriousness of them] that are being espoused from not just the pulpits but also the Sunday Schools and small groups as well. Financial openness and accountability is a must for every Church or fellowship and anything less than 100% financial accountability is a fraudulent act by any ordinary standard of business accounting practices. Thirdly, deceptive doctrines and fraudulent financial conduct can often most easily be discovered by realizing the betrayal of trust that is often already taking place when Church leadership is committed to and associated with unChristian associations and compromised individuals.}
By R. SCOTT MOXLEY Thursday, Apr 14 2011: Legendary Garden Grove televangelist Robert H. Schuller once noted, "High achievers spot rich opportunities swiftly." The creator of Crystal Cathedral, a best-selling author and star of Hour of Power broadcasts, Schuller has long served as Exhibit A of that credo. In the 1950s, he saw an opportunity to build a profitable church, grabbed it and-thanks largely to donations from poor and lower-middle-class folks trying to win the blessings of God-created an $89-million religious empire with hints of opulence. ... Records also show that the reverend wasn't a cheapskate in one charity case. Indeed, the recipients of his generosity weren't poor at all. They were a wealthy Newport Beach couple, Kenneth and Glenia Reafsnyder. Ken's first wife was a member of Buena Park's Knott family, founders of Knott's Berry Farm. He also palled around with actor John Wayne. In 1995, Schuller agreed to divert $4,000 a month in church donations to the Reafsnyders for the rest of their lives in exchange for a quarter ownership in the couple's home. Ken has since died, but the deal calls on Crystal Cathedral Ministries to continue to pay Glenia. In 2008, the ministry increased the payments to $4,500 a month while reducing its ownership percentage. This means that the church's current 8.5 percent portion of the house has cost more than $1,250,000-$55,000 more than the value of the entire house. Speaking of houses, over the years the Schuller family has purchased oceanfront property in Orange County, a Big Bear vacation house, a San Diego County time-share, a Colorado mansion and a Honolulu condo. Just before filing for bankruptcy, Schuller sold a San Juan Capistrano property that had been bequeathed to the church decades ago and pocketed $22.5 million. The reverend's son, Robert Anthony Schuller, has lived in a $2.2-million oceanfront Laguna Beach dream house worthy of an Architectural Digest feature. Fred Southard, a longtime Schuller aide, lives behind palatial, guarded gates in a 13-room, 13,600-square-foot Newport Coast estate that could fetch $3 million on the open market. ... In court filings, they've remained optimistic that, despite a 50-percent drop in church membership to 5,000 attendees, the ministry can eventually pay off all of the debt. To accomplish that feat, however, the Schuller clan is going to have to stir up the congregation and then, despite all the unsettling revelations, ask them to dig deeper into their wallets. [article link]

[Wednesday] Jesus Walk 2011 -- New Covenant Wednesday - Last Supper - Communion - Passover Dinner - Jesus covenants to die for us in our place therefore by the death of Jesus eternal Death now passes over and skips over us humans
This day coincides with Wednesday April 20, 2011 the start of the Passover week with the Feast of the Lord's Passover, 14th of Nisan - Wednesday we would wake up to the second of the feast days known as the "Lord's Passover." This feast was first observed by the Jewish people in Egypt the night the plague killed all of the Egyptian firstborn sons, while death "Passed over" the Jewish firstborn because they were saved by the "Covenant blood" placed above the doors of their houses (Exodus 12:1-36). This feast is also prescribed by God in Leviticus chapter 23. We will follow Jesus to Jerusalem to eat the Passover dinner and celebrate it with the disciples in an upper room made ready by some friends. As we come into the upper room in the early afternoon prior to the Lord's Passover feast which will be observed and eaten later "at evening". We will see that Jesus and the disciples have just finished eating a lunch/supper (John 13:2). Jesus is telling the disciples that God the Father has given all authority in heaven and on earth to Him. We marvel that this Jesus standing before us is not just the King of Judah but is the King of the Universe, the King of heaven and of the earth, of the physical realm that is seen and also of the unseen spiritual realm. Jesus presides over all as King. Before we can comprehend the enormity of the kingdom of Jesus, we see King Jesus lay aside His garments, pour water into a wash basin and begin to wash the disciples feet. We are in total agreement with Peter when Peter says to Jesus "Thou shall never wash my feet," after all, kings of the earth do not wash their followers feet, so much more the reason that the King of the universe should not wash our feet. Then Jesus explains to Peter that unless He washes our feet that Jesus will have nothing to do with us. We wonder, "why have Jesus wash our feet and only our feet"? Then we realize that Jesus is King and He is also our Abba, Daddy, Father, and likewise He is also the Holy God. Being Holy, Jesus requires that we be cleansed in able to approach Him. Our creator, Abba, Father, Jesus is happy to take all of His authority and use it to clean us and draw us near to Him. We now know that Jesus is really talking about cleansing our "Souls", our thought life and our emotions as the foot is a reference to the soul. We realize that one dirty item cannot make another dirty item clean. We gasp as we realize that ONLY Jesus can make us clean because only Jesus is clean and without Jesus washing us and cleansing us, we will remain dirty and Jesus will "have nothing to do with us." We make a mental note to spend more quality cleansing time with Jesus in prayer and in reading the Bible. - It is now evening and time for the Lord's Passover Supper. All of the disciples are seated around Jesus (Matthew 26:20). Jesus begins to explain how one of the disciples will betray Him. We join the other disciples wondering if we will betray Jesus? After the events of the past week, we now know that we are not that familiar with the plans of God and that Sin is deceitful. Knowing that we can easily be deceived and betray Jesus in our thoughts and actions, we make another mental note to walk in the Spirit with Jesus at all times, seeking the wisdom and will of God continually for each and every activity we do during the moments of our lives. Jesus speaking up tells the disciples that to identify the one who will betray Him, He will dip His bread in the sauce at the same time the betraying disciple dips his bread. As Judas dips his bread Jesus also dips His (Matthew 26:23). We now know why, after the foot washing that Jesus said "not everyone is clean" (John 13:10) because Judas is not clean, he is a betrayer. Judas asks Jesus if he is the betrayer. Jesus tells him "yes he is." We marvel that sin is so deceptive, that one can betray God and actually think that he is doing God's work. We shudder as we think of all of the killing and all of the wrong that has gone on by the deceived ones throughout the Church ages in the name of Christianity. We are very glad to make the journey back to Holy Week to walk with Jesus and to learn who He is so that we can be true disciples and true followers of Jesus. Judas, after receiving a bread dipped in sauce by Jesus, then departs the room to proceed to betray Jesus. The disciples wonder were Judas has gone. Some think he is going to make arrangements for the next feast, the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" which begins tomorrow, (John 12:29). At first we think it is unlawful for Judas to go out at night on a feast day but then a quick glance in our Bibles back to Leviticus 23 reveals that the Lord's Passover is not a "Sabbath Feast." We wonder at the thought that the Lord's Passover feast is not a "Sabbath - Rest" feast like all of the other feasts and therefore there is no evening curfew for the feast. Unfortunately, as Judas leaves the presence of Jesus, Satan then enters into Judas and demonically possesses Judas (John 13:27). Again we realize the importance of staying in the presence of Jesus to keep ourselves safe from the demonic/Satanic realm. - Jesus then takes the unleavened bread of the "Lord's Passover Feast" (Matthew 26:26, Mark 14:22) and giving Thanks, Jesus breaks the bread explaining that this is His body broken for us, speaking of the cross that is to come tomorrow. He then passes the bread for the disciples to eat. Much earlier while following Jesus the disciples had dealt with this very issue of Jesus' body. In John 6:47-58, Jesus told a large group of disciples that He, "is the true bread of life that came down from heaven and any man who would eat of it that man would not die but would live forever." Many disciples were disturbed at that saying of Jesus, (John 6:66) "and some walked with Jesus no more." But Jesus had also explained to the disciples (John 6:63) that it is the Spirit that aids a man not the physical. Jesus said that His words are Spirit. -- So here this night of the Passover the disciples readily enjoy the bread knowing that it is the Spirit of Jesus that gives Spiritual life. -- Next Jesus takes a cup of wine. It is the third cup of the four prescribed cups of the feast. The third cup is known as the cup of redemption. The first cup is the cup of Sanctification, meaning to be set apart to God for the feast. The second cup is the cup of instruction, instructing that there were many plagues on the land of Egypt, yet the children of God could not go free from slavery until there was a death of the firstborn. Now this night Jesus is proclaiming that He is the Firstborn of God and that His death will set us free from the slavery of sin and the cruelty of Satan just like the death of the firstborn did so many years ago back in Egypt. Then Jesus taking the cup (Mark 14:23) of redemption and like the bread, giving thanks, Jesus passed the cup to the disciples and said "take drink all of it," (Matthew 26:27) this cup is the New Testament in His blood: this do, that as often as we drink of it, to do it in remembrance of Jesus. The disciples are fully aware that Jesus is speaking of a better blood than man has, of His Spiritual life blood. They gladly take the cup of wine and gladly drink all of it. We marvel that Jesus wants us to "Drink all" that He has for us, all of His Life, Love, Compassion and Mercy. Jesus then mentions that He will not drink again of the wine until He drinks it anew with us in His Father's Kingdom. The fourth cup of wine that Jesus is postponing to drink is called the "cup of Rejoicing." After the feast, the cup of rejoicing is to be drunk as we rejoice in all that God has done in our lives in setting us free and reuniting us with Him in the promise land of Heaven. Jesus says that He will drink that next cup with all of us for real in the real heaven. Jesus and the disciples then sing a Psalm in the closing of the "Lord's Passover Feast." Jesus now reminds us again that He is about to be betrayed. He tells us in advance so that we will know that He does indeed know all things. Jesus then reveals to us that this dark moment is Satan's time. Judas has already left to betray Jesus. Jesus instructs us saying that "Satan has nothing in Him", but that Jesus will show His love for the Father by giving His life as a sacrifice to reunite us back to God, as this is the will of the Father and it is also the will of the Son Jesus. - Arising they depart the room (Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26, John 14:31). We marvel that this feast is not a Sabbath feast so they are able to walk in the night and not break the law of the feast. Now during a short walk, Jesus talks to the disciples about Himself being the vine, the source of life and that the disciples are the branches and that the disciples are to abide in Jesus for life. He also teaches about the persecution that will come to all of His followers. Then Jesus instructs them some more about the Holy Spirit who the Father will send. Jesus then prays His "Priestly High Prayer" to the Father (John 17:1-26), asking the Father to receive all of His followers including us, His future followers and to unite us all with Himself in Heaven with the Father. As Jesus prays to God the Father we conclude that we know that Jesus' prayers are heard by the Father and answered! After His priestly prayer of intercession for us to the Father, Jesus commits to His crucifixion and then crosses over the brook of Cedron (John 18:1) as He proceeds on to the garden of Gethsemane, the Garden of destiny. (Matthew 26:36, Mark 14:32). We now know why God has not made the Lord's Passover to be a "Rest - Sabbath Feast" because Jesus and the disciples would have to remain at home or inside after the feast and could not have legally walked to the Garden of Gethsemane, the Garden of destiny. Had this been a "Sabbath - Rest Feast", it is also very unlikely that the Temple guards would have broken the Sabbath themselves to journey to the Garden to arrest Jesus who, after all was only peaceably praying to the Father. This is another powerful demonstration that these events are events orchestrated and allowed by God Himself and not man just as these events are foreseen in the prophetic writings by the prophets of the Old Testament. -- The Garden is the ideal place to reveal that God is in control. It was so many years ago that Adam and Eve lost mankind's relationship with God through their own disobedience in the original garden, the Garden of Eden. Jesus is now stepping into another garden, the Garden of Gethsemane. Through His desire and obedience Jesus will continue to restore back the lost relationship between God and mankind, this time for forever. Had Jesus been arrested anywhere but in a Garden, say for instance in the streets or in the upper-room, it would be difficult to correlate the events of the Last Supper to the events of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Since God made certain to go to the Garden we have to correlate these two garden events and also the coming event of the resurrection of Jesus from yet another garden, the Garden Tomb. This again reveals the detailed plan of God as He has set it out for us in His Prophetic Word, the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. -- We follow and see that Jesus is separated from His disciples and engaged in prayer to the Father. Jesus asks for the third time for the Father to remove "this cup" (Matthew 26:42) but there is no other "cup" of redemption available to mankind. Either Jesus gives His life for us or mankind will never be reunited to God. Angels come and minister to Jesus. He arises. Judas can now be seen leading a group of Temple soldiers intent on arresting Jesus. Judas then betrays Jesus with a kiss (Matthew 26:49). Jesus in turn calls Judas "friend" (Matthew 26:50). Jesus is arrested, bound with ropes and led off as all of the disciples abandon Him and flee. -- {Basic Christian Devotion: Becoming united in Jesus} Personal Reflection #6 New Covenant Reflection: The New Covenant - God has agreed to take on the appearance of a Human, to come for us and to die in our place for our sins so that we can Live anew in a new Spiritual relationship with God. God in His Love for us has taken our penalty of death so that we can live in His life of love. With the New Covenant and our New Spiritual Life "All things have become New." "2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold All things are become New." Are we allowing ourselves to live in our newfound Relationship with God and are we allowing ourselves the New Freedom that this relationship has to offer? When Jesus took His Communion cup and offered it to His followers Jesus gave with it the instruction and the invitation to "Drink all of it." Amen - and drink all of it we will. [article link]

[Thursday] Jesus Walk 2011 -- Crucifixion Agony - Redemption Thursday - Jesus is betrayed and arrested He is then tried and by popular demand is sentenced to die - Jesus is crucified and suffers Death on the Cross - This is the end and Removal of Death and Sin (Leaven)
Thursday {Crucifixion - Agony (Bitter) Thursday} This day coincides with Thursday April 20, 2012 Crucifixion Thursday - Feast of Unleavened Bread, 15th of Nisan (Matthew 26:47-27:28, Mark 14:53-15:47). In the next few hours Jesus will undergo six trials all of them will be a mockery of justice. Jesus will come out of His third trial just in time to hear the disciple Peter deny a third time to being a follower of Jesus. A rooster will crow marking the dawn to the sunrise of a new day. This is the day in which Jesus of Nazareth, the true and living Son of God, will be despised, rejected of man and crucified on a wooden cross. This day will be the seventh day of our journey back and the third feast day, the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" - the feast of the removal of sin/leaven. Jesus will be despised, rejected and beaten all of this because of the love that God has for His own creation and of an ultimate desire to reunite the people that are rejecting Him back unto Himself. - The horrific beating (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) that King Jesus will endure for us will be a savage fit of rage, the rage of mankind and a fit of Satanic rage all wrapped into one. No person has ever been so savagely beaten as Jesus was that day. It is the kind of abuse that all evil has against all innocence. Peter will have gone out and wept bitterly for his part in denying Jesus. Peter will not look to himself but will again look to God and experience the total love and forgiveness that God Has for mankind. Judas, who also betrayed God, will not look to God, but instead Judas will look to himself and will find no hope but only despair and in despair Judas will go out and commit suicide. Jesus is now led to a hill and crucified. It is the same hill that the Jewish forefather Abraham brought his son Isaac to 4,000 years earlier (Genesis 22:1-19), to enact out a loving father offering his only beloved son, a parallel to the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus is offered wine mixed with bitter gall to drink but Jesus rejects the bitter wine because He has promised that the next wine He drinks will be with us in Heaven and it will be a sweet cup of Heavenly rejoicing not the bitter cup of this world. - Jesus' first words on the cross (Luke 23:34) will be "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." Forgiveness. Even as He is rejected, Jesus forgives. We stand amazed as the two thieves being crucified along with Jesus, mock Him. Then one of the thieves turns and says "we are getting our just rewards; but Jesus is innocent". Then one of the thieves says a most remarkable thing. He says "Jesus remember me when you enter into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). We look on in dismay. "Enter the Kingdom of Jesus?" True, Jesus declared Himself to be a King only a few days ago and a King has to have a kingdom, but Jesus is dying on a cross - No! Not death! The thief is right. Jesus is entering into His kingdom, one where there is no more curse of the flesh. Where sin does not reign. In fact sin is not even present in the Kingdom of Jesus. That's it - only the Spiritual Kingdom of God is good enough for Jesus. He died to the sin and human flesh of this world so that we can be united with Him in His glory, in His Holy Spiritual Kingdom. Jesus will remain alive on the cross for six hours, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. At noon, the sky will grow dark (Amos 8:9, Matthew 27:45). Jesus will cry out from the cross "My God, my God why hast thou forsaken Me?" (Psalm 22:1-31, Matthew 27:46). At 3:00 p.m., Jesus will give a victory cry and proclaim "It is finished" (John 19:30). We marvel that the prophecy given to Eve in Genesis 3:15 is now fulfilled as Jesus, the Son of God, has His own heal bruised for us while supporting His weight on the cross. It was also on the same cross of victory on a hill called Golgotha or Skull (John 19:17) that Jesus has crushed the head (skull) [Genesis 3:15] of the deceiving serpent Satan. - Jesus will then commend His Spirit to His Father, He will then permit His Spirit to leave His body (Luke 23:46). It is now near the evening of the third feast day, the "Feast of Unleavened Bread." This feast according to Leviticus chapter 23, is a Sabbath - Rest feast and in order to properly keep this feast the followers need to be at home before sundown and are unable to engage in any work. The legs of the two thieves on the other two crosses are broken to hasten their deaths and to proceed with their burials before sundown. Jesus' lifeless body is taken down from the cross and placed into a new nearby tomb, which is really a cavern carved out of solid rock and has been provided by Joseph of Armethia. Jesus will be laid in the new tomb. His body, including His face, will be wrapped with fresh linen cloth and soaked with 75 lbs. of anointing oils (John 19:39). Those taking part in the burial of Jesus will quickly depart to get home before the Sabbath curfew of sundown. That evening we will return with the disciples back to the upper room where the Lord's Passover feast was held the night before. The door will be shut and locked as everyone will cower in the dark and in silence for fear that Romans will knock down the door to seize more of the disciples and drag them off to be horribly crucified. It is the first night without the presence of Jesus. It is a dark and bitter night. We sit down to consider the events. The third feast - we wonder what are the odds that everything of major importance would happen on a Feast Day? We know the odds are the same as those that brought life into existence and the same as those that could write the pages of the Bible before the events actually happened. We know that no odds could do this because there are no odds. There is no chance involved. It is the predetermined plan of God. Not chance, but a plan! It is a plan being carried out carefully and deliberately before the eyes of mankind. We ponder the feasts, first was "Sabbath" the required rest and Jesus presenting Himself as our King. Next was the "Lord's Passover", the Covenant feast of escaping death and entering into life with Jesus in heaven in the presence of the Father. Now it is the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" the third feast of the eight feasts prescribed by God to Moses in Leviticus chapter 23. That's it! Jesus often referred to leaven as "sin." "Beware of the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees" Jesus would say and this Feast is to remove the leaven, that is to remove the sin that infects mankind. Jesus' shed blood and His death on the cross are a complete removal of our sin. It is complete because death is the end result of sin therefore in Jesus' death all of our sins died. The death of sin occurs on the cross. Later in the Resurrection of Jesus, we will receive of His eternal Resurrection Life. Sin has to be removed. We cannot have fellowship with the Holy God in the New Covenant until the Sin is removed. Jesus on this day became the penalty for the sins of the world reconciling those who choose to be reconciled with God in the New Covenant. -- {Basic Christian Devotion: Becoming united in Jesus} Personal Reflection #7 The Cross - a place of no compromise: Jesus reached out to us - all the way and without compromise. He didn't compromise as He took on the appearance of a human and entered into our physical realm so that He could interact with us on our level. He entered into our physical level because we are separated from the Holy God on His Spiritual level. We are separated from Him by our sins and it is impossible for God to bring us and the sin that accompanies us into His direct presence, so God in Jesus, came to us in our existence. In reaching out to us Jesus didn't compromise. He reached out with both arms open and fully extended all the way, even to the cross. Mankind in return didn't compromise as mankind rejected God. Mankind then reaching back with a hammer, nailed both of His open and extended arms onto a wooden cross. Today it is still our opportunity and our turn to reach out and touch Jesus even though we do not see Him as He is in the Spirit realm like we see one another in the physical realm. We can still come to that place of no compromise and touch Jesus in that no compromising place called faith. "Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." [article link]

{Flashback} Jesus Walk 2010 -- (Catholic) Pope's Holy Thursday [Last Supper] Mass Dedicated to Priests - The ceremony is described by the Vatican as a sign of strict union between the Pontiff (Pope) in his role of pastor of the world's 1 billion Catholics and his fellow priests
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI urged priests to oppose violence as he led a ceremony dedicated to the priesthood Thursday, marking a Holy Week with his church buffeted by clergy sex abuse scandals. "As priests, we are called in fellowship with Jesus Christ, to be men of peace, we are called to oppose violence and trust in the greater power of love," Benedict said in his Holy Thursday homily in St. Peter's Basilica. He made no mention of the scandals. Spread out before him, in white robes, was row after row of priests, who responded in chorus to his chants in Latin. A choir of men and boys intoned solemn hymns. The late morning Mass, the first of several appearances Benedict will make in the final days of Holy Week before Easter, was described by the Vatican as a sign of strict union between the pontiff in his role of pastor of the world's 1 billion Catholics and his fellow priests. In the evening, Benedict will wash the feet of 12 priests -- a traditional sign of humility -- at a Holy Thursday ceremony in St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome. ... In his homily Thursday, Benedict said Christians "as good citizens" must "keep the law and do what is just and good," while not accepting "a wrong that is enshrined in law," citing as example legalized abortion. [article link]

{Flashback} Jesus Walk 2010 -- The Power Of The Cross - Oh To See The Dawn (YouTube)
The Power of the Cross: Written by Keith Getty, sung by Stuart Townend. - Comments: The preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God unto salvation to those who believe. ... Amen... What a poweful song, I am grateful everyday for what God has done for me. [article link]

{Flashback} Jesus Walk 2010 -- Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (YouTube)
Song: Where you there when they crucified my Lord? [article link]

{Flashback} Jesus Walk 2010 -- You Were There - God You were always there for us {Most of the movie scenes are from - The Bible [Series] - Apocalypsis Revelation (2002) - Starring Richard Harris} (YouTube)
Comments: What a fantastic song which means the world to me, when I was going through the hardest thing that I will possibly go through, he was there.... Thank you Lord. Thank you for dying for me and even tho we were the ones that put you on the cross, you still show us mercy. [article link]

[Friday] Jesus Walk 2011 -- Sealed Tomb Friday - Roman Guards seal the Tomb - additional Spices and Ointments are purchased and prepared to further anoint the body of Jesus
This day coincides with Friday April 22, 2011 - We awake Friday morning our first day without the presence of Jesus. Today, the day after the Feast of Unleavened Bread and before the weekly Saturday Sabbath that begins at Sundown Friday, Jewish time, today is another regular day that happens to be sandwiched between the two Sabbath day Feast days in this year's original "Jesus Passover" celebration. Therefore with today not being a Sabbath day the usual work including buying and selling can take place. Several people go to purchase spices and ointments (Mark 16:1, Luke 23:56) and mix them together to prepare them in order to further anoint the body of Jesus. "Mark 16:1-2 And when the Sabbath (feast of unleavened bread) [Thursday] was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, [Friday] had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the morning the first day [Sunday] of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun." Early in the day we also find out that the Jewish leaders have just conferred with the Roman leaders (Matthew 27:62-66) to have guards placed at the tomb of Jesus. This is to prevent the disciples from stealing the body of Jesus and then claiming that He rose from the dead, something I'm sure that no disciple intended to do, after all what good is a dead leader? The tomb is now sealed with a Roman "seal" signifying that the body of Jesus is inside and that all is secure in the tomb. The guards stand in front of the sealed tomb and wait for Sunday. The intent is that on Sunday the tomb will be unlocked/unsealed and the body of Jesus will be shown to the Jewish leaders and all will be back to normal in Jerusalem because Jesus said that He would live the third day, not the second day or the fourth day. Jesus remaining dead in the tomb on Sunday would reveal that He was not a prophet able to prophesy that He would be alive the third day and also that He is not God able to overcome human death. There is no chance to enter the sealed tomb until the three days are up and the seal is removed by the Romans who placed it on the tomb. None of the soldiers on duty have the authority to remove the seal and open the tomb, only the Roman government has the authority to open the tomb and according to the contract with the Jews, it will be after the third day. The frightened disciples are in no condition to reveal themselves as followers of Jesus. So back to the familiar upper room everyone journeys. In the lonely darkness that comes on with despair the disciples lament that they are not prophets. One proclaims that he is just a herder of flocks from his youth (Zechariah 13:4-6). Likewise we sit in the dark and also wonder if we have the spiritual stamina that it takes to make it through this "dark night of the soul." We begin to think about Jesus and His ministry here on earth. We think about the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23) and how hard and compacted the soil of our heart is. Emotionally we are against obstacles and unable to push our spiritual roots down any further into fresh new soil. We wonder what has become of Jesus the master Gardener, we need Him. We need the Gardener to pull the weeds of doubt, to help us through life's thorns, to break up the shallow rocky soil and to direct His seed into the good soil of our heart so it can bring forth much fruit. Oh, it's no use a garden needs a gardener to keep it pleasant. The garden can't maintain itself from the hard soil, shallow rocks and choking weeds. Without a Gardener, the good plants will come to nothing as they are choked out and perish among the weeds and hard soil. We need God's direction and His plan in order for us to fulfill our life's purpose. -- {Basic Christian Devotion: Becoming united in Jesus} Personal Reflection #8 Man puts his seal of approval on God's death: "Matthew 27:66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure [inventory of the tomb contents], sealing the stone, and setting a watch." With the death of Jesus comes the Seal of approval from mankind. You can be certain that Jesus died on the cross and you can be just as certain that the dead body of Jesus was in the tomb on this the next day when the tomb was closed and the seal was placed on it. Certain because mankind would have it no other way than that God, would be declared dead, null, and void. Oh they sealed the right tomb of death alright but they sealed the wrong object. What they should have placed their seal on is on the death of sin, the sin that has separated mankind from the Holy God for all of these years as God knows and as the Christian knows it is sin that has been declared dead, null, and void and not God. As we reflect on the death of sin, that the penalty for sin has been removed from us by Jesus, do we really understand that the worst that can possibly happen to us is death from sin? But that Jesus died for us so the worst thing that can happen to us has happened to Jesus as He took our penalty for us. Now with the worst behind us thanks to Jesus, we now have the best and a new opportunity as a new relationship with God is now before us. "Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." [article link]

[Saturday] Jesus Walk 2011 -- 3 Day & 3 Night Prophecy Fulfillment Saturday - The Third Day of Death is Fulfilled
This day coincides with Saturday April 23, 2011 - Saturday is again the weekly Sabbath day of rest. We rest physically but emotionally we are anything but at rest as we ponder an uncertain future without a leader, without our King Jesus. -- Let's recap Thursday - Sunday by looking at some verses in Luke: "Luke 23:52-24:1 [Thursday][Crucifixion day] "This man, Joseph of Arimathaea, went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down [from the cross] and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulcher (tomb) that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation [preparation for the evening Sabbath of Unleavened Bread], and the Sabbath [Unleavened Bread, evening Sabbath curfew] drew on. And the women also, which came with Him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld (observed) the sepulcher, and how His body was laid. And they returned (home) and [Friday] [normal Day] prepared (worked & labored) spices and ointments; and rested the [Saturday][Sabbath Day] Sabbath day according to the commandment [the 4th of the 10 commandments, the weekly Saturday Sabbath]. Now upon the first day of the week [Sunday][Resurrection Day], very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them." -- {Basic Christian Devotion: Becoming united in Jesus} Personal Reflection #9 Getting through the darkness: It's dark in there; it's a dark and lonely place in those deep dark tombs. Death is dark, and it's dark when we look death in the face. Will the light shine? Will there be life? Will life live and conquer the darkness; the loneliness, the despair, the finality of death? We as humans have to know. We have to know if there is any hope, any permanent existence, any purpose, any reason to life and our existence or if our brief existence here on earth is only a byproduct of some random collision of molecules. Only God - Jesus can answer this question for us and it can only be answered in the Resurrection Life of Jesus as only life can hold the answers to the problems that face mankind. God has given to us, a long time ago, the answer and His promise in each new day. In the beginning of creation God created the Physical Light. He created light as a representation for us to see that indeed His true Spirit light of life shines and it does indeed remove the darkness of death. Every time life gets dark just remember the New Day the Sunrise the Resurrection Sunshine from on high as the Sun represents to us the True Son Light, Jesus. God made it that way! The Sun is our daily and momentary reminder of God, of His Son Jesus, of His light, His warmth, His promises, His Life, His Love and His Eternal Resurrection Life for us. "Lamentations 3:21-23 This I recall in my mind, therefore I have hope. It is the Lord's Mercies that we are not consumed, because His Compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is Thy Faithfulness." [article link]

[Sunday] Jesus Walk 2011 -- Jesus' Glorious Resurrection Life Sunday - Glorious Salvation Resurrection (Easter) Day! - Jesus conquers death by Love & Eternal Life - The Rebirth of Life and we now have Salvation and live an Eternal Life in the Resurrection life of Jesus Christ
Sunday {Jesus' Glorious Resurrection Life Sunday} This day coincides with Sunday April 24, 2011 Resurrection Sunday (Easter) also the "Feast of First Fruits," the first Sunday of the week after the feasts of the "Lord's Passover & Unleavened Bread" (Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-14, John 20:1-23). Sunday, the first day of the week, we arise early and ponder that today is also a feast day, the fourth feast, the "Feast of First fruits". We wonder why Leviticus 23 this Feast did not have an actual date to be celebrated like the Lord's Passover, the 14th of the month and the Unleavened Bread, the 15th of the month but the Feast of First Fruits is specifically to be celebrated on the first Sunday of the week after the Passover. Today is also the day the seal is scheduled to be removed from the tomb of Jesus. Some of the women go early in the morning at first light to await access to the tomb to continue to anoint the body of Jesus. While walking to the tomb the women encounter an Angel who asks them why they are seeking the "Living" among the dead? For Jesus whom you seek is Not Dead but He is Alive! The women continue walking. They arrive at the tomb and they see the Roman seal is broken, the stone is rolled back and looking into the tomb they notice that the body of Jesus is missing but His burial wrappings remain there in an undisturbed manner. Seeing what appears to be the Gardener, the women ask him where he has moved the body of Jesus too? "Mary" replies the Gardener, WAIT! Mary knows that voice. This Gardener is JESUS, HE'S ALIVE! Mary and the women grab the feet of Jesus. Jesus tells them that He has not yet gone to the Father (John 20:17) but to go and tell the Good News "of the resurrection" to the rest of the disciples. Peter and John, like the rest of the disciples doubt the good news of the resurrection of Jesus but they run to the tomb to see for themselves. John and Peter enter the empty tomb together. John had been one of the disciples at the crucifixion and he helped place Jesus into the tomb. As John saw the anointed strips of cloth used to wrap the body of Jesus, John realized that the cloth was not unwound but just empty, vacated and collapsed down in a way in which a human body could not have been physically removed from within the cloth covered with ointment. John seeing this, believed (John 20:8). Back in the upper room two, disciples are excitedly telling of meeting and journeying with the Risen Jesus on their way to the town of Emmaus, (Luke 24:33). Meanwhile, in the upper-room the door is shut and locked (John 20:19) and Jesus suddenly appears in their midst in a supernatural way. The newly Resurrected Jesus presents Himself to the disciples. The disciples marvel that Jesus is alive again and then King Jesus breathes His Holy breath on them to give them His resurrection Spirit life. Amazed we realize that this is the same way and the same giver of Life who had previously breathed life into Adam our first forefather (Genesis 2:7). Jesus said "receive you the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22). The disciples by faith receive the Holy Spirit offered by Jesus and by receiving the Holy Spirit they become "Born Again" new creations. - We realize that it is by Faith that we are saved, this Faith! The faith in the risen, living, resurrection Jesus. The faith that Jesus has personally sealed us with the Holy Spirit. We realize that this is the true feast the "Feast of First Fruits" as Jesus breathes into us the "First Fruits" of the Holy Spirit. We know that this is just the First Fruit, the first fruits of the Holy Spirit with much more to come. This fruit is special because it is, according to Leviticus 23, the first of the fruit from within the Promise Land (Joshua 5:10-12) that is from the Promise Land of Heaven and eternal life. We rejoice. Like the children of Israel who were delivered from Egypt, we have escaped the bondage of this world and the cruelty of Satan and the certain death that goes with it. We have escaped by the death of the Firstborn Son of God, His Son Jesus Christ, and we are now alive in His resurrection glory. We like, the Jews of Egypt, have wandered in the desert wilderness of unbelief until our unbelief has vanished. Through faith in Jesus Christ we have crossed the dangerous Jordan river and entered into the Promise Land of Heaven having accepted Jesus as our leader, our King, and our Lord by entering into His New Covenant, the covenant of life. Now alive we realize that the death of sin has "Passed Over" us by our receiving His shed blood as the cleansing of our sins through the death of Jesus on the cross. We now rejoice in the Gospel of Good News that Jesus being Righteous, Holy, Just, and True, the Son of God and God Himself, that He cannot die as humans die but He is alive in the Spiritual realm, the eternal realm that Jesus existed in with the Father before He took on a fleshly body in the womb of Mary (John 16:27-28). -- {Basic Christian Devotion: Becoming united in Jesus} Personal Reflection #10 Resurrection Day "The Re-birth of Life" [after the original life in Garden of Eden] Jesus demonstrates His Authority of Life over death: Life, our meaning and purpose in it have now been answered once and for all in this the very Resurrection Life of Jesus. We now know that there is a God, that He has power to remove sins and to then give life over death, that He Loves us and that we are made alive to be friends with Him forever in His Eternal Resurrection Kingdom of Heaven. How can we ever comprehend this joyous event, Life in Jesus, but comprehend it we must as it is the only way to eternal Life. "Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the Resurrection from the dead." Light shines! And with it Life! Jesus is the True Light! Jesus is the Life! God is not dead, God is Alive! Now we too are alive when Jesus breaths His Resurrection Spirit Life into us. Alive and united with the Holy God inside of us, that is Eternal Life! "John 1:3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehend it not." "2 Corinthians 4:6 For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus." [article link]

{Flashback} Jesus Walk 2010 -- Easter Song by 2nd Chapter of Acts (YouTube)
This track is from the live album, "To the Bride," a Jesus Music Classic, featuring Barry McGuire, 2nd Chapter of Acts, and A Band Called David. "Easter Song" is performed in this track by the 2nd Chapter of Acts. Enjoy, and Happy Easter. [article link]

{Flashback} Jesus Walk 2010 -- Easter Song by Keith Green (YouTube)
Keith Green performing "Easter Song" live from The Daisy Club -- LA (1982). [article link]

{Flashback} Jesus Walk 2010 -- Easter Song by Glad (YouTube)
Another Classic from Glad. [article link]

{Flashback} Jesus Walk 2010 -- Rich Mullins - [Apostles] Creed (YouTube)
This is the Rich Mullins music video featuring the song "Creed" as it appears on the "Rich Mullins: Pursuit of a Legacy" DVD. [article link]

{Flashback} Jesus Walk 2010 -- Creed by Third Day (YouTube)
This is the song by the Late, Great, Rich Mullins, it's about the Apostles Creed. I belive this song is true in all manner, and every time I sing it, it fills me with Gods will and glory. Enjoy it. [article link]

{Flashback} Jesus Walk 2010 -- Easter Sunrise Baptism {Video is usually preceded by a commercial - Try the Continue to Video (option)} (Metacafe)
Comments: Awsome God power - The water is still chilly in March, yet everyone has a huge expression of joy on their face, like the water doesn't even phase them because their so focused on and in love with Christ. beautiful. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 -- What if Moses had Facebook? - (Short Video)
Google Exodus - What if Moses had Facebook? [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 -- What if Moses had Facebook? - (Short Video)
Google Exodus - What if Moses had Facebook? [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 -- World Clock: Current local time in Jerusalem {Note: Setting a 2nd Widget or Gadget clock on your computer to Jerusalem time is also a good option.} (clock - pop-up window)
Jerusalem, Israel. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel The native name of Israel is Yisra'el. Most countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 -- [Holy Week 2011] Easter Week in Rome, Italy - Holy Week in Rome - There are very few examples of Pageantry grander than Holy Week in Rome - The Pope himself delivers several masses between Palm Sunday and Easter, and tens of thousands of pilgrims and fellow travelers are on hand to celebrate with him
The following will give you an idea of what's going on and when for Easter Week in 2011; most services take place in St Peter's Square or inside the Basilica (consider a walking tour in Rome to get your bearings, or one of Viator's Vatican tours if you arrive early enough to avoid the crowds). You can certainly expect crowds in Rome and the Vatican during Easter Week. But for Catholics and religious-minded travelers (frankly, for anybody and everyone who appreciates ritual and pomp), the experience of Easter Week is unforgettable. Palm Sunday (April 17) Palm Sunday, a sort of prequel, starts off Holy Week with the Pope's blessing of the palms in St Peter's Square (9:30am). At the end of the mass, the Pope usually sends a special message - the 'Angelus' - to the youth of the world. Holy Thursday (April 21) The Pope honors his predecessor, John Paul II, on Holy Monday with a mass at 6pm. Then, after a few days' break during which you will notice a steadily increasing population density in and around the Vatican, the Easter celebration begins in earnest on Holy Thursday (also called 'Maundy Thursday'). The Pope performs a rare morning mass at 9:30am, known as the 'Mass of the Chrism', in St Peter's Basilica ('chrism' is a mixture of olive oil and balsam, which, once blessed, is used in some of the sacraments). In the evening, the Mass of the Lord's Supper commemorates Christ's bathing of the feet of the Apostles. Good Friday (April 22) On Good Friday, instead of a mass, choirs sing St John's version of Christ's crucifixion. Later that night, the Pope traces the Via Crucis, or Stations of the Cross, from the Colosseum to Palatine Hill. This torch-lit procession is one of the grandest, most solemn things you can witness in Rome. (Saturday) Saturday night is traditionally the time of the Easter Vigil, when the Pope celebrates a late mass in St Peter's Basilica. This is also traditionally when converts are accepted into the Catholic Church. Easter Sunday (April 24) On Easter Sunday, the Pope says mass in St Peter's Square starting at 10:15am. Despite the crowds - typically this is the most attended event of Holy Week - you should be able to spot the Holy Father, high above the square on a balcony of the church. At noon, he delivers the 'Urbi et Orbi' message - 'to the city and the world - in which the Pope grants forgiveness to those present and to Catholics world wide. Visiting Rome During Holy Week Pope Benedict XVI Although these events are generally free, some require tickets (a must if you want a seat, or in some cases if you want to get in at all). Honestly, it is not easy to get tickets - we're saying this simply to set your expectations. For Catholics, this is usually arranged through your bishop. You might also try the American Seminary in Rome. For non-Catholics, it's a bit dicier, but you might try the American Seminary. The official Vatican liturgical calendar for Holy Week can be found here. The Vatican museums (and those throughout Rome) are generally open during Holy Week, with the exceptions of Easter Sunday and the following Monday. Ideas on spending the rest of your time in the Eternal City [Rome] can be found in our complete list of things to see and do in Rome. [article link]

Starting Friday the 2011 Basic Christian: Jesus Walk Holy Week (Easter) 10 Day Timeline Devotion
Note: This year the blog postings for each day's activity following Jesus and the Apostles during the original Holy Week will be posted the evening-afternoon before the day of the events [this was done last year and turned out to be more consistent]. - This year for the first time the blog portion is going to blog both of the main Jesus Walk components, blogging both the Timeline of events and for the first time also blogging the Devotion "Becoming united in Jesus" portion. Ultimately there are intended to be the one original Timeline of events and two devotions, the group oriented devotion "Becoming united in Jesus" and the yet to be completed individually focused devotion "All the Way, Walking the Long Road [The High Road]". The second devotion "All the Way, Walking the Long Road" though not yet completed has been in development for a while. The concept of the "All the Way, Walking the Long Road [The High Road]" devotion is for each individual Christian to get a sense of how much [personal relationship] **individual value [i.e. 1 Peter 1:7] we each are to God. The devotion has been mostly written a couple of times but each time the devotion spins off into what could be considered a slightly works based devotion so I don't want to release the devotion until I can be sure that it is a uniquely relationship, value, prized devotion between the loving God and people. Looking forward to joining you in this year's 2011 Holy Week and the Christian growth, prayer, fellowship, study and maturity that can come from it. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

HeartLight: Taken from My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers - Have You Ever Been Carried Away For Him? - Have I ever realized that I can bring to God things which are of value to Him, or am I mooning round the magnitude of His Redemption whilst there are any number of things I might be doing? - **It is never a question of being of use [works], but of being of [precious] value to God Himself - When we are abandoned to God, He works through us
If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it. Have I ever been carried away to do something for God not because it was my duty, nor because it was useful, nor because there was anything in it at all beyond the fact that I love Him? Have I ever realized that I can bring to God things which are of value to Him, or am I mooning round the magnitude of His Redemption whilst there are any number of things I might be doing? Not Divine, colossal things which could be recorded as marvellous, but ordinary, simple human things which will give evidence to God that I am abandoned to Him? Have I ever produced in the heart of the Lord Jesus what Mary of Bethany produced? There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him the abandoned tokens of how genuinely we do love Him. Abandon to God is of more value than personal holiness. Personal holiness focuses the eye on our own whiteness; we are greatly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, fearful lest we offend Him. Perfect love casts out all that when once we are abandoned to God. We have to get rid of this notion - "Am I of any use?" and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time. [article link]

KJV 1611 Holy Bible - Red Letter Edition {A Free PDF KJV Bible} (PDF)
The King James Version (KJV) 1611 with the Words of Jesus Formatted in Red is a complete Bible containing both the Old and the New Testaments. [article link]

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre To Read KJV Bible Over Holy Week 2011 - William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre will mark the 400th anniversary of the [1611] King James Bible with a cover-to-cover reading
LONDON (RNS/ENInews) William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre will mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible with a cover-to-cover reading between Palm Sunday and Easter Monday (the day after Easter - Sunday). Twenty actors will take part in the reading, which is scheduled to take 69 hours over eight days. They will recite all 1,189 chapters of the historic Bible in the theater built as a replica of the place that saw many of Shakespeare's greatest plays. "Four hundred years ago, a set of church scholars sat in Stationer's Hall by St. Paul's Cathedral and put the finishing touches to the King James Bible. Across the river, a set of playwrights, Shakespeare foremost amongst them, entertained a town," artistic director Dominic Dromgoole told ENInews. "The playwrights listened to the clerics in church, the clerics sneaked in to listen to the plays in the theater. Between the two of them they generated an energy, a fire and wit in the English language." The theater's 2011 season will also include the story of the creation of the King James Bible in the play "Anne Boleyn," by Howard Brenton. The story looks at the legacy of King Henry VIII's second wife, who conspires with the exiled William Tyndale to make England Protestant forever. Starting 70 years after her death, the play examines how King James united England's religious factions with a common [English language] Bible, and the debt he owed to Anne. ~ By Jo Siedlecka Religion News Service [article link]

{Excellent!!} Church History - A Biography of William Tyndale (Mp3)
William Tyndale part 2 by Andy Davis | Mar 7, 2009 | Topic: Christian Biography [article link]

Holy Feast Days: Continuing to consider the 8 Jewish Levitical Feast Days [Leviticus 23] and the possible significances that they have for the current Christian Church Age - Transitioning from the physical Feast days of the Old Testament to the more Spiritually designated Feast fulfillments of the New Testament is a necessity in that the transition from O.T. to N.T. brings with it the transition from one Priesthood to another from the [physical] Moses - Levitical - Aaronic Priesthood to the [Spiritual] Melchizeked - Messiah - Jesus Christ Priesthood [Hebrews 7:11-12]
The change in Priesthood from physical (Levitical-Aaronic) to Spiritual (Melchizedek-Messiah) also necessitates a change in both the ordinances (laws) [Hebrews 7:11-12] and also the Feast Day fulfillments [1 Corinthians 5:7-8]. -- Note: At the close of the present Church Age (possibly the rapture of the Church) the age on earth reverts back to physical from Spiritual. The Kingdom of God on earth after the Rapture will again be a physical Kingdom because the Spiritual Church has departed. With the Spiritual Church no longer present and the Kingdom of God [still the N.T. (Melchizedek-Messiah Priesthood)] available *mostly in physical form it is then the Kingdom of Antichrist that at that time will have the prominent spiritual Kingdom on earth [Matthew 24:24], a counterfeit spiritual kingdom but no less a spiritual [miracles, signs and wonders] kingdom while the Kingdom of God on earth [Jews, Martyred Saints of Revelation, Jewish 144,000] except for a short time with the Two Witnesses of Revelation [Revelation 11:3] the Kingdom of God will primarily be a physical kingdom in nature and will not have the 'born again' Salvation experience of the Church Age but will have the New Testament Redemption Age [but complete Salvation is postponed] until the completion of the Tribulation Period of time on earth. -- Also Note: some of the obvious changes from the physical O.T. Priesthood to the Spiritual N.T. Priesthood involve the obsolete ordinances of water washing purification, animal sacrifices, Temple genealogies, Temple rituals, tithing, etc. Now any Christian leader, teacher or pastor that is continuing to teach any O.T. ritual i.e. the tithe is someone who may not understand the changes from the physical O.T to the Spiritual N.T. Priesthood though in the case of falsely teaching a Christian tithe it might just be more a case of manipulation than a case of a lack of understanding. [article link]

The 8 Holy Jewish Feast Days are Prophetic: Each of the 8 Levitical Feast days are prophetic with the final 3 Feast Days the [Fall Feast Days] yet to be prophetically fulfilled as the previous 5 Feast days have been prophetically enacted
When the prophet John the Baptist said "John [the Disciple] 1:29 The next day John [the Baptist] seeth Jesus coming unto him, and [John the Baptist] saith, Behold **the (Passover) Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John was speaking about the Passover and speaking prophetically about Jesus being the fulfillment of the Passover Feast [The Lords' Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits] days. - The prophet King David had previously prophesied about Jesus the Messiah fulfilling the Sabbath Feast day. "Psalms 118:24-26 This is the day (Sabbath fulfillment - Triumphal entry into Jerusalem) which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. … Blessed be He [Messiah] that cometh in the Name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the House of the LORD" -- "Matthew 21:9-11 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He [Jesus] that cometh in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the Highest. And when He [Jesus] was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." [article link]

Feast of Pentecost: observance of the Jewish [Egypt - Exodus - Mt. Sinai] designated Feasts of Israel given by God through Moses vs. observance of the Messiah Church Age [Jerusalem fulfilled] Christian observance of the Jewish Feasts as implemented by Jesus Christ
Pentecost [the 5th of the 8 Holy Feats of Leviticus chapter 23] is currently the most recent [Acts 2:1] of the enacted and fulfilled of the 8 ongoing Jewish Feasts of the Bible. The 8 Holy Feasts of the Bible [Leviticus chapter 23] are ongoing and continuing. Currently only the first 5 Feasts [Sabbath through Pentecost] have been completely initiated in Jerusalem with the 3 Fall Feasts - Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles the [2nd Coming] Feasts of Jesus yet to be fully implemented [though each Fall Feast - Trumpets (congregation gathering), Atonement (crucifixion) and Tabernacles (individual receiving of a resurrection body for each departed believer) has already begun to a degree. -- Summary: The 8 Feasts of Israel are Jewish [Moses] in initial origin and continue in Jewish observance as each is fulfilled by God [Jesus] in each season and time for each Feast to be prophetically enacted by God. Then once enacted the Christian Church [first] primarily receives the Spiritual blessing and benefit from the Feast fulfillment events. Regarding the 3 Fall Feasts, each Fall Feast will be initiated as all 5 previous Feasts were via a Jewish observance of the Feast days in Jerusalem, Israel. [i.e. The Christian Apostle Paul remaining in the city of Ephesus during the Jewish [Jerusalem] observance of the Feast of Pentecost instead of traveling to Jerusalem as an ancient Jewish observer of the Feast of Pentecost would have sought to do. "1 Corinthians 16:8 But I [Apostle Paul] will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost {Springtime}."] [article link]

The Feast of Firstfruits [O.T. Levitical Priesthood]: The Feast of Firstfruits is uniquely only fulfilled twice 1st at the entrance of the Nation of Israel into the Promise Land of Israel - 2nd at each entrance of the Christian into the Promise Land Kingdom of God -- "Leviticus 23:9-10 And [at Mount Sinai] the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, *When ye be come into the [Promise] land [Israel] which I give unto you, and [1st Sunday after the Lord's Passover] shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the Priest:"
"Deuteronomy 26:1-3 And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the [Promise] land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place [Tabernacle] which the LORD thy God shall choose to place His Name there. And thou shalt go unto the Priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country [Promise Land] which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us." -- "Joshua 5:9-12 And [at Gilgal, Israel] the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of [bondage in] Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place [in Israel] is called Gilgal unto this day. **And the Children of Israel encamped in Gilgal [first location of entrance into the Promise Land of Israel after leaving Egypt], and **kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. And they did eat of the *old [storage] corn of the land [Israel] on the morrow after the Passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. And the **manna [nightly bread from heaven] ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn {not fresh from the fields} of the [Promise] land; neither had the Children of Israel manna any more [the manna for the 40 year desert wandering ceased on the day after the 1st Passover in Israel]; but [after Sunday Firstfruits] they did eat of the fruit of the land [crops] of Canaan that year." -- "Deuteronomy 26:8-11 And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: And He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a [Promise] land that floweth with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God: **And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you." [article link]

The Feast of Firstfruits [N.T. Melchizedek (Messiah) Priesthood]: "John 20:19-23 Then the same day [Resurrection Day (Easter) - Feast of Firstfruits] at evening, being the first day (Sunday) of the week, when the doors [to the upper room] were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came [the resurrected] Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. **And when He had said this, *He [Jesus] breathed on them, and saith unto them, ***Receive ye [firstfruits of] the Holy Ghost [enter the Promise Land of Heaven and receive the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit]: [through Holy spirit discernment] Whose soever sins ye remit [confirm forgiveness], they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain [confirm unforgiveness], they are retained. -- "Romans 8:22-25 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, **but ourselves also, [Christians] which have the ***firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption [to officially become Sons of God once in heaven], to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."
"1 Corinthians 15:22-24 For as in Adam all die [physical death from sin], even so in Christ shall all be made alive [eternal life]. But every man [existing - living and dying] in his own order: Christ the firstfruits [of the Resurrection]; afterward [after the Church Age] they that are Christ's at His [2nd] coming. Then [after the 1,000 year Millennium Reign] cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the [entire] Kingdom [i.e. the Righteous Gentiles (Job), O.T. Saints (Moses), Christians (Apostle Paul), Righteous Jews, Martyred Saints of Revelation, Jewish 144,000 and the 1,000 year Kingdom Reign Saints] to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power." -- "James 1:18-20 Of His own will begat [born again] He us with the Word of Truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures [creation]. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." -- "Revelation 14:4 ... These [144,000 Jews] are they which follow the Lamb [Jesus Christ] whithersoever He goeth. These were *redeemed [Salvation is postponed again during the Tribulation Period] from among men, being the *firstfruits [first Jews after the Church Age to follow Jesus as the Messiah - with the Church Age having ended Jewish followers of Jesus then remain Jewish no longer becoming Christians] unto God and to the Lamb." [article link]

[Excellent!!] LostSeed: Compilations [Christian Messages set to Praise Music] (Mp3s)
The goal of these audio mp3s are to give you a desire to draw closer to God. There are different styles of preaching, from a few different denominations, it does not matter. But what does matter is that in all of them the topic is The Lord Jesus Christ. [article link]

[Excellent!!] SolaSisters: New from Igniter Media "Follow" - Who Are You Following? (Video)
Follow: Throughout the course of his public ministry, Jesus knew both the adoration and desertion of the crowds. Today, just as 2,000 years ago, the gospel asks a question that demands an answer: Will we follow? This video illustrates this truth through the dynamic lens of a 21st-century social network. [article link]

{Excellent!!} Jesus - The Lamb of God by David Wilkerson (Mp3)
This message is for those who are on a search for peace and hope but you are experiencing emptiness and guilt because of the sin in your life. Maybe you are trying to figure out a way to "get to" God and pay Him back for all the sins you committed. The good news is that Jesus is the Lamb of God; the perfect sacrifice for all mankind. If you simply come to Jesus and believe His Word you will be forgiven. There is a cry in the heart of God to draw His people into His love and peace. All you need is found in Jesus the Lamb of God! [article link]

{Highly Recommended!!} - Hungry for More of Jesus - By: David Wilkerson (1992) - Paperback (Book)
Product Description: Hungry for More of Jesus issues a Passionate call to a deeper walk of daily discipleship. It reminds us that Jesus wants to give the abundant life we long for; He wants to satisfy the hunger. But first we must seek to know God's heart and cry out against the sins that break it. This is a book of hope and inspiration, while at the same time an honest look at the cost of hungering for Jesus. This stirring book is for those who know Christ and are hungry to know Him better, and it is for others who want to know Him as they never have. [article link]

{Flashback} Video & Audio Sermons by David Wilkerson and Gary Wilkerson (Mp3s)
World Challenge, Inc. was founded by Reverend David Wilkerson in 1971. The ministry's mission is to promote and perpetuate the message of Christ through public teachings. As such, World Challenge, Inc. serves as a corporate umbrella for Reverend Wilkerson's crusades, ministers' conferences, book and tract publishing, video production, Bible schools, street evangelism, literature distribution, feeding programs, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and other charitable outreaches. He remains president of World Challenge, Inc. which has a mailing list to hundreds of thousands of people who regularly receive copies of his sermons and ministry updates. [article link]

Breaking News: Remembering (Pastor) David Wilkerson - Pastor David's time on earth ended when he was killed Wednesday in a car accident on U.S. 175 in Texas - He [accidently] veered his car, also carrying his wife Gwen, into the pathway of a tractor trailer going westbound - She was taken to the hospital, as was the driver of the tractor trailer - Before he died, the 79-year-old [Pastor David Wilkerson] blogged: "To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this word: Weeping will last through some dark, awful nights - and in that darkness you will soon hear the Father whisper, 'I am with you. I cannot tell you why right now, but one day it will all make sense. You will see it was all part of my plan. It was no accident. It was no failure on your part. Hold fast. Let me embrace you in your hour of pain.' Beloved, God has never failed to act but in goodness and love. When all means fail - His love prevails. Hold fast to your faith. Stand fast in His Word. There is no other hope in this world"
Pastor David Wilkerson had founded the church [Times Square Church], but he was also famous for his 1963 bestseller The Cross and the Switchblade and for founding Teen Challenge. The first time we were there, he said, "Ladies, when we stand to sing, please don't leave your pocketbooks on the ground. Some thieves are here in the sanctuary, so keep an eye out on your belongings. And for those of you who came here expressly to steal," he said, "we welcome you. You came here thinking you'd leave with a few bucks, but you'll leave knowing the life-changing love of God. Stay as long as you'd like." -- A hundred people would respond to his messages by crowding the stage where Pastor David gently prayed, arms outstretched like he was receiving his grandchildren. Every week, his sermons caused mobs of weeping people to come forward, from the balconies, from the main floor, and even from the "overflow" room where people watched him on television screens. Times Square Church emphasized giving aid to the poor, the hungry, and the addicted, so the congregation was always full of strange-looking people. One Sunday you might sit between an investment banker who graduated from Princeton on the right and an unemployed garbage collector on the left. In the middle of one sermon, Pastor David asked anyone who had attempted suicide or been addicted to drugs to stand. Hundreds, from every economic level, got out of their seats - men in ties, men in short-sleeved polyester blends, and men with hair so greasy it stained their already soiled shirts. This church did not overlook sin in order to maintain the appearance of godliness. It was after the real thing, challenging you to look deep into your soul and extricate hidden vice. If Jesus was the Great Physician, then this church was the hospital, filled with hurting people staggering under the weight of their problems. [article link]

Pope John Paul beatified before huge crowd - St Peter's Square was jam-packed and the crowd stretched as far back as the Tiber River, more than half a kilometer away - The throng of devotees, many carrying national flags and singing songs, had moved toward the Vatican area from all directions from before dawn to get a good spot for the Mass - Some 90 official delegations from around the world, including members of five European royal families and 16 heads of state, attended the beatification {Comment: The Vatican should Saint both Pope John Paul and Mother Teresa in the near future [i.e. next year - May 2012] rather than later [and both at the same time or within a day or so] as really it was their life, devotion and service to Jesus Christ and His Church that is the blessed miracle that we all have and have all received from and continue to receive from. The thought that they are now interceding in the afterlife on behalf of individuals with a few select miracles really isn't what the focus should be regarding their life and accomplishments.}
VATICAN CITY - The late Pope John Paul moved a major step closer to sainthood on Sunday at a joyous ceremony that drew more than a million people, the largest crowd in Rome since his funeral six years ago. "From now on Pope John Paul shall be called 'blessed'", Pope Benedict, wearing resplendent white and gold robes, solemnly proclaimed in Latin, establishing that his predecessor's feast day would be October 22, the day of the inauguration of John Paul's history-making pontificate in 1978. To the cheers of the huge crowd, a tapestry showing a smiling John Paul was unveiled seconds after Benedict read the proclamation. ... Police estimated the crowd at more than a million people. Many camped out during the night in the square, which was bedecked with posters of the late pope and one of his most famous sayings, "Do not be afraid!" In his homily, Benedict noted that the late Pope, whom he praised as having had "the strength of a titan" and who gave millions of people "the strength to believe", had blessed crowds thousands of times from his window overlooking the same square. [article link]

Pope [Pope Benedict XVI] praises John Paul II ahead of beatification - "When Pope John Paul II is beatified on May 1 [2011], we shall think of him with hearts full of thankfulness as a great witness to God and Jesus Christ in our day" Benedict said {This is a great tribute to a great man and both Pope John Paul and Nun Mother Teresa deserve the honor of being Sainted within the Catholic Church. -- Pope Benedict is also a tremendous Pope and the Church Catholic/Protestant is blessed to have a man of his abilities and desires presiding within Christianity.}
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI warmly praised his predecessor Pope John Paul II in a Holy Thursday address days before John Paul's May 1 beatification, holding him up as a example of faith amid Western indifference to Christianity. Benedict said that "for all the shame we feel over our failings" the world must not forget what he called radiant examples of faith such as John Paul. ... Organizers say hundreds of thousands of pilgrims will come to Rome for John Paul's beatification, the last formal step before sainthood. A prayer vigil on the Circus Maximus, an all-night prayer session in downtown Rome churches and the beatification Mass celebrated by Benedict I top the agenda for the three-day event. [article link]

{Flashback} On this day in history: May 13, 1981 - Pope John Paul II was seriously wounded in St. Peter's Square by Turkish [Muslim] gunman Mehmet Ali Agca {The money trail for the payments issued to Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca leads directly to the doorstep of the USA-CIA. The most accurate description could be said that on May 13, 1981 while ex-CIA director George H. W. Bush Sr. was VP of the USA the CIA carried out an assignation attempt on Pope John Paul II's life.}
May 13, 1981 - Pope John Paul II was seriously wounded in St. Peter's Square by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca ... On May 13, 2002 President George W. Bush Jr. announced that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin would sign a treaty to shrink their countries' nuclear arsenals by two-thirds. ... On May 13, 2004 Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited the Abu Ghraib prison camp in Iraq, where he insisted the Pentagon did not try to cover up abuses there. [article link]

{Flashback} April 30, 2009: Mehmet Ali Agca says he is now a Catholic - Turkish prison, Mehmet Ali Agca, author [assassin - the CIA was the author] of the failed attempt against Pope John Paul II in 1981, claims to have renounced Islam and embraced the Catholic faith - his former lawyer Mustafa Demirbag, said he was "very skeptical" about the conversion
Turkish prison, Mehmet Ali Agca, author of the failed attempt against Pope John Paul II in 1981, claims to have renounced Islam and embraced the Catholic faith. Italian weekly Diva e people donna published the letter, French journal 7s7 reports. "I am looking for an Italian woman, who wants to correspond with me. Obviously (I hope) she is Catholic because from May 13 2007, I decided to renounce the Muslim faith and becoming a member of the Roman Catholic Church," Agca writes. "I have decided to return peacefully to the (St Peter's) square and to testify to the world of my conversion to Catholicism," he says in the letter written in Italian. "Just for a day, I would wish to return to Rome to pray at the tomb of John Paul II to express my filial appreciation for his forgiveness" ... Questioned by AFP in Turkey, his former lawyer Mustafa Demirbag, said he was "very skeptical" about the conversion, given the steps required to receive baptism. ... "For the Vatican, I may still be the man who tried to assassinate the Polish Pope, but now I have changed, I am a different man," he says. [article link]

{Flashback} Wikipedia.org: Mehmet Ali Agca - Born January 9, 1958 is a Turkish assassin, who shot and wounded Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981 - Opinions differ on whether the ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves were being used by the CIA or the Bulgarian Secret Service - According to Agca, the plan was for him and the back-up gunman Oral Çelik to open fire in St. Peter's Square - alleged that the assassination attempt was organized by Abdullah Çatli "in exchange for the sum of 3 million (German) marks"
Born January 9, 1958 Mehmet Ali Agca is a Turkish assassin, who shot and wounded Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981. After serving 19 years of incarceration in Italy, he was deported to Turkey, where he is serving another life sentence for the murder of Abdi Ipekçi, a left-wing journalist, in 1979. Agca has described himself as a mercenary with no political orientation, although he is known to have been a member of the Turkish ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves organization. ... Grey Wolves involvement: After this training he went to work for the far-right Turkish Grey Wolves, who were at the time destabilizing Turkey, which led to a military coup in 1980. Opinions differ on whether the ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves were being used by the CIA or the Bulgarian Secret Service. According to Kendal Nezan of the Kurdish Institute of Paris, they were infiltrated and manipulated by Gladio "stay-behind" networks, a NATO clandestine structure. On February 1, 1979 in Istanbul, under orders from the Grey Wolves, he murdered Abdi Ipekçi, editor of the moderate left-wing newspaper Milliyet. He was caught due to an informant and was sentenced to life in prison. After serving six months, he escaped with the help of Abdullah Çatli, second-in-command of the Grey Wolves and a prominent Gladio operative, and fled to Bulgaria, which was a base of operation for the Turkish mafia. According to investigative journalist Lucy Komisar, Mehmet Ali Agca had worked with Abdullah Çatli in this 1979 assassination, who "then reportedly helped organize Agca's escape from an Istanbul military prison, and some have suggested Çatli was even involved in the Pope's assassination attempt". According to Reuters, Agca had "escaped with suspected help from sympathizers in the security services". Lucy Komisar added that at the scene of the Mercedes-Benz crash where Çatli died, he was found with a passport under the name of "Mehmet Özbay" - an alias also used by Mehmet Ali Agca. ... Beginning in August 1980 Agca began criss-crossing the Mediterranean region, changing passports and identities, perhaps to hide his point of origin in Sofia, Bulgaria. He entered Rome on May 10, 1981, coming by train from Milan. According to Agca's later testimony, he met with three accomplices in Rome, one a fellow Turk and two Bulgarians, with operation being commanded by Zilo Vassilev, the Bulgarian military attaché in Italy. He said that he was assigned this mission by Turkish mafioso Bechir Celenk in Bulgaria. Le Monde diplomatique, however, has alleged that the assassination attempt was organized by Abdullah Çatli "in exchange for the sum of 3 million marks", paid by Bechir Celenk to the Grey Wolves. According to Agca, the plan was for him and the back-up gunman Oral Çelik to open fire in St. Peter's Square and escape to the Bulgarian embassy under the cover of the panic generated by a small explosion. On May 13 they sat in the square, writing postcards waiting for the Pope to arrive. When the Pope passed, Agca fired several shots and critically wounded him, but was grabbed by spectators and Vatican security chief Camillo Cibin and prevented from finishing the assassination or escaping. Four bullets hit John Paul II, two of them lodging in his lower intestine, the others hitting his left hand and right arm. Two bystanders were also hit. Çelik panicked and fled without setting off his bomb or opening fire. [article link]

{Excellent!!} EchoZoe.com: Christine Pack of Sola Sisters returns this month to talk about Universalism, Christian Universalism, and Rob Bell's latest book Love Wins (Mp3)
•We began by discussing the history of Universalism, which Christine argues goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, when the serpent said to Eve "You shall surely not die." •Origen as the first prominent Christian Universalist. •The rise of Universalism in the 19th Century, influenced heavily by the German philosophers of the day. •The Five Fundamentals, developed as a response to early 20th Century Liberalism: The Deity of Christ, The Virgin Birth, The Blood Atonement, The Bodily Resurrection, The Inerrancy of Scripture, •The rise of the "Seeker Sensitive" movement as a reaction to the perceived problems with "fundamentalism" and Conservative Christianity. •The influence of Rob Bell on today's Church, especially among youth. •The influence of the monastic "Desert Fathers" and "Contemplative Prayer" on Rob Bell. •Rob Bell's response to critics. We played the audio of Rob Bell giving an orthodox sounding pseudo-creed that uses Christian terms, but carry redefined meaning. •We concluded our discussion of Rob Bell by emphasizing the importance of good teaching, and listed several good ministries that we can recommend. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:34 - 33.6MB) [article link]

MormonCoffee: [The LDS - Mormons] Keeping "our radar focused" on the membership - According to an article in the Salt Lake Tribune "Loss of young adult members spurred changes to LDS wards"
Comments: (jackg) I think this specific age-range is a source of sadness for those of us of the Christian faith, as well. We hear countless stories of Christians going to college and losing their faith. I think the LDS Church has every right to be concerned about this age-range. Of course, the way they [LDS] go about it with their program of forced-compliance is craziness. We respect a person's free will and the freedom one has for church-hopping until they find a church they want to attend. We trust the Holy Spirit to work in an individual's life as He sees fit based on the person's needs. Mormons don't get this. -- (f_melo) I am a single adult, the target audience of that article. That's not new - that's something that's been a concern of the leadership for over a couple of years now. ... Besides, why would a single adult these days sit in a church that does nothing more than give life-improving tips i can get from any self-help book? Why would they waste time in a place that doesn't feed you spiritually, that promises and never delivers, that instead of being an aid and a source of comfort and solace it's a source of even more burden? If i want tips on how to better manage my time, i'll buy a book. If i want to get entertained, i'll watch a movie. I don't need religion for that. The reason that i, even though we are in the information age, with more entertainment and interesting stuff than was ever available in human history so far, still am interested in Jesus is because of the Gospel, not the politically correct Gospel, but the true Gospel that tells it as it is and offers me forgiveness from my sins through faith in Jesus and the promise of Eternal life in Him. -- So, men in their wisdom will keep trying to devise means to keep people paying their tithing, but all those techniques will fail - do you want to keep people? Preach the Gospel as the Apostles did in the New Testament. Talk about Jesus with respect and truthfully. That's all the Apostles ever talked about - and look at what happened then! {Amen!} [article link]

Now Available: The Basic Christian Ministry FREE eBooks (ePub - Mobi)
The Basic Christian Epub eBooks have been updated and now a Kindle (Mobi) version has been added for each of the five currently available Basic Christian eBooks. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Update: The Current Schedule for The Basic Christian Ministry Postings - Starting with some introduction and background material the Ministry is going to spend about the next month or two [until about October 2011] posting the series 'The Church Apostles Decoded' the series is going to be longer than originally planned but still it is an introductory and overview study and not an exhaustive in-depth study ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown
Then from about October 2011 until Christmas Season 2011 the plan is to return to the 8 Kingdoms Study [the first half of the "blog History Study"] and finish up that study prior to the coming 2011 Christmas Season. This Christmas Season the Ministry is going to blog the article "The CHRISTmas Message in the Bible" originally written in about 2005 but not yet blogged. Then after the New Year in 2012 the plan is to start the "Church History Study" portion [the second half] of the "blog History Study" and either complete it or work on it until Holy Week 2012. The Church History segment isn't going to be as long of a project because much of the project is going to involve locating already existing Church History resources that provide excellent Church History information and documentation, so our look is going to be more of a timeline and summary of events so that we can view the overall history and continuity of the Christian Church. [article link]

The Church Apostles Decoded: Introduction - The Church Apostles - In Decoding the Church Apostles we will have the opportunity to get a good first look at some of the same introductory material that will later be expanded upon for the upcoming Church History Study
It's very important that we see this material at least twice to really study it and begin to get an understanding of just what was happening [Jews - Gentiles] in the early Church during the start of the Christian Church via the transition out of the Old Testament era and into the New Testament and present "Pentecost" Christian Church Age. As we will see the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1 - the global giving of the Holy Spirit) changed everything, for both all humanity and also for the entire spirit realm as well, for all time! -- "Acts 2:1 And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come, they [Church Apostles] were all with one accord in one place." [article link]

The Church Apostles Decoded: Introduction - Temple - Beginning in the beginning [sort of] - The [538 B.C.] rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem [the 2nd Temple] began but **due to [about 16 years of] Gentile interference (Ezra 4:4-5) the building of the 2nd Temple was delayed and hindered for approximately 22 years total until 3 February 516 B.C. when the 2nd Jewish Temple was finally completed
With the Gentiles having hindered the Jewish building of the 2nd Jewish Temple in Jerusalem [for about 16-22 years] when it then came time for the building of the permanent Spiritual Temple in Jesus Christ (John 2:21) the Gentiles as a whole were penalized and delayed access and entrance into the Spiritual Temple of God [the Christian Church] for the first 16-22 years during the birth and establishment of the Christian Church. For the first 16 or so years the Christian Church was entirely Jewish in membership and it wasn't until Acts chapter 10 and the Gentile household of Cornelius a Roman Centurion [Sargent Major] that the first Gentiles became Christians. - The first lesson from God to the Gentile Christians is that God is still keeping a watchful eye and an account over the Jews and that to hinder the Jews, especially in Jerusalem, is to hinder Gentile access into the Kingdom of God. -- "John 2:18-22 Then answered the Jews and said unto Him (Jesus), What sign shewest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these [Messiah] things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this [body] Temple, and in three days I will raise [resurrection] it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this Temple in building [rebuilding by Herod], and wilt thou rear it up in three days? **But He [Jesus] spake of the Temple of His body. When therefore He was risen from the dead, His Disciples remembered that He had said this unto them; and they believed the Scripture, and the Word which Jesus had said." -- "1 Peter 2:3-5 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord [Jesus Christ] is gracious. To whom coming [to Him], as unto a living [Temple] stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ***Ye also, as lively [living] stones [for the Temple of God], are built up a Spiritual House [Temple], an holy [Melchizedek] priesthood, to offer up [eternal] spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." [article link]

Bible Time Line - Part 4 - 560 B.C. to 70 A.D - The Return to Israel from (Babylonian) Captivity 27 March 560 B.C. -- 538 B.C. building the Temple foundation then suspended their building - 516 B.C. The 2nd Jewish Temple is finally completed
October 538 B.C. In the 7th month, the Jews finished building the foundation of the [2nd] Temple [rebuilding the 1st Temple in Jerusalem - Solomon's Temple]. An altar and sacrificial offering to the Lord was made on the foundation of the temple (Ezra 3:10). **At this time the Samaritans and other neighboring nations brought such influence to bear on Cyrus's court at the imperial capital that the government suspended their building permit. [Ezra 3: 10-11; 4:24] **Because of this opposition, all further work on the building of the temple was suspended until the 2nd year of Darius the Great, about 520 BC. -- 3 February 516 B.C. The 2nd Jewish Temple is completed. The Babylonian captivity ends after 70 years [Ezra 6:15]. -- 14 April 515 B.C. The first Passover [in Jerusalem with the Temple] since the [1st] captivity is joyfully celebrated. [article link]

The Church Apostles Decoded: Introduction - Prophets - The Prophets were in the old Testament prophesying of the 1st Coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ -- "Matthew 11:13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John [the Baptist]."
Where the Prophets of the Old Testament prophesied of the 1st Coming of the Messiah [Jesus Christ] the prophets of the New Testament [Christian Church] prophesy of the 2nd Coming return of the Messiah Jesus Christ. -- "Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his [Angel] feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not [don't worship Angels]: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the Testimony of [Messiah] Jesus: ***worship God: for the ***Testimony of Jesus [1st and 2nd Coming] is the Spirit of Prophecy." -- {Note: The Christian Church has the Spiritual gifts of Word of Knowledge [knowledge and foreknowledge of events] and Word of Wisdom [wisdom with how to interact with people and events] but Prophesy is exclusively associated to Jesus Christ. -- Also Note: in the N.T. everyone has the Testimony "Blessed Hope" of the return of Jesus and to that extent all Christians are prophets (i.e. Acts 21:9).} -- "Titus 2:11-14 For the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation [1st Coming] hath appeared to all men [by *Pentecost], Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, **in this present world; Looking for that **Blessed Hope, and the glorious [2nd Coming] appearing of the great ***God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; [God] Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." [article link]

The Church Apostles Decoded: Introduction - Apostles - John 20:22 And when He (Jesus) had said this, He breathed on them [Jewish Apostles], and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost [become Born Again Christians]: {Note: Technically in the Gospels i.e. Luke 10:3 when Jesus sent forth His Apostles, at that point in time His Apostles were Jewish Apostles with a similar message to John the Baptist of the Kingdom of Jesus. It wasn't until each Jewish Apostle [with the exception of Judas] experienced the personal presence of the resurrected Jesus that each Apostle transitioned from a Jewish Apostle to a Christian Apostle starting on Resurrection (Easter) Sunday
The Christian Apostles were a complete, separate sect of Christianity. The timeframe to become a Church Apostle began with personally witnessing the resurrection of Jesus and therefore lasting only the 40 days until the permanent ascension of Jesus back into Heaven (Luke 24:51, Acts 1:9). As Apostles in a separate dispensation from the current generic Christianity that would follow Pentecost the Apostles had several gifts and callings that are no longer available [in part or in whole] to the generic Christian Church. The Apostles had the ability to hear from God in a more direct (2 Timothy 3:16) way and therefore wrote the verses of the Bible's New Testament. The Apostles already having witnessed the resurrection (spirit realm) of Jesus Christ were able to and did interact with the spirit realm [both holy and demonic discernment] on a more consistent basis than Christians can today (Acts 5:19, Acts 16:16). Having seen the spiritual realm the Apostles were also witnesses to the 'resurrection of the dead' (Matthew 27:52) the redeemed humans who transferred from Paradise to Heaven. -- "Matthew 27:52-53 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves **after His resurrection, and went into the Holy City [Jerusalem], and [human ghosts] appeared unto many [Apostles]." -- In Conclusion: The Apostolic Age began the day of the Resurrection (Easter) of Jesus and entrance into Apostleship lasted only 40 days [the Apostle Paul being the exception] until the ascension of Jesus back into Heaven. It was the few select Apostles that interacted with the risen Jesus and also at times within the Angelic spiritual and human resurrection realm (Revelation 1:10) a sequence and period of events that would cease to be available to ordinary Christians after the Day of Pentecost. [article link]

The Church Apostles Decoded: Introduction - Angels (unawares) - Where the Apostles had [infrequent] though direct and knowledgeable interaction with Angels - Today Christians since Pentecost do not interact knowingly [visibly manifested] with Angels only by "angels unawares" [possibly perceiving an Angelic presence or ability] but not interactively with Angels -- Though much more importantly than Angels today Christians interact knowingly with God the Holy Spirit - The Holy spirit being the primary agency of interaction between Christians and God while Holy Angels do not openly reveal themselves to Christians -- "Hebrews 13:1-2 Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some [Christians since Pentecost] have entertained Angels unawares [unknowingly - not with Apostolic knowledge]."
This is an important concept that today's Christians are generally not going to knowingly interact with Holy Angels. Certainly angelic interaction among the Church today is commonly mistaken, lies or is an attempt at demonic interaction. The same prohibition between humans and Holy Angels is also in effect regarding humans and departed human spirits or ghosts. It is not available for mankind at this time to interact with either the Angelic or the departed [human] spirit realm [also highly segregated from our physical realm (Luke 16:26)]. **Because it is given at this time for mankind to actively seek after and freely interact with God the Holy Spirit. There are not exceptions to this, either a person is interacting with God the Holy Spirit in the Spiritual realm, or there is the very real and distinct possibility that a demonic deception is taking place and attempting to manifest for example as a true Holy Angel, a departed human spirit (ghost), or commonly today as 'Cryptoids' (i.e. paranormal phenomena; aliens, UFO's, Nephilim [fallen angel and human hybrids], etc.) Let's be (Matthew 7:14) straight [and narrow] about it that humans today since Pentecost are to seek only after God and are to interact only with God [primarily the Holy Spirit] in the Spiritual realm. [article link]

The Church Apostles Decoded: Introduction - Christians (generic) -- "Acts 2:41-43 Then they [new Christian converts on the Day of Pentecost] that gladly received his word [the Preaching of the Apostle Peter] were baptized: and the same day [Pentecost] there were added unto them [Christian Church - the previous Apostles and now generic Christians] about three thousand souls. And they [generic Christians] continued stedfastly in the **Apostles' Doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the Apostles."
There is only one Christian Doctrine and it is the Apostles' Doctrine set forth by God through the Apostles. Any additional doctrine or modification of the original Apostles' Doctrine is a misrepresentation and even a contamination of the original Gospel Message intended for mankind. -- "Jude 1:2-5 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the **common [generic Christian - lit. G2839 (koinos) i.e. generality] salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for ***the faith which was once [at one time] delivered unto the saints [via the Apostles' Doctrine]. For [because] there are certain men crept in [infiltrating the Church] unawares [the Church is unaware], who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, **though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not." -- Note: Every Christian since the Day of Pentecost is a generic "common" Christian in the one common Christian faith. There is complete commonality and complete equality within the True Christian Church (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). The Spiritual gifting's and callings from God are freely available to all within the True Christian Church. If one Christian person were to preach from the pulpit it makes no difference if anther Christian person were later to preach from the same pulpit as all are common in the faith. Likewise if a person desired to evangelize, prophesy, administer, serve, worship, offer advice, give understanding or any kind of opportunity or service within the True Church of God it is completely acceptable and noteworthy to God. [article link]

The Church Apostles Decoded: Introduction - Pentecost - A previously unclean world [unclean since the sin of Adam and Eve] having been cleansed by the blood (cross) of Jesus is now able to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on a Global Scale -- "Acts 2:16-18 But this is that which was spoken by the [O.T.] Prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-29); And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all [global] flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young [unlearned] men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on My [common] servants and on My [common] handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy:" -- "Romans 10:16-18 But they [people] have not all obeyed the Gospel. For Esaias [Isaiah] saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? **So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. ***But I say, Have they not heard? ***Yes verily, their sound [the Gospel via the Holy Ghost] went into ***all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world."
"Acts 10:6-20 He [Apostle Peter] lodgeth [in hiding] with one Simon a tanner [a Levitically unclean occupation], whose house is by the sea side: he [Apostle Peter] shall tell thee [Cornelius] what thou oughtest to do. And when the angel which spake [through a vision - not directly] unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to [the seaside city of] Joppa. On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop [roof] to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into **a trance [generally a trance is considered a bad thing as it is God shutting a person down momentarily so God can talk directly to a person w/o an (argumentative) reply from the person, or worse a trance is a demon shutting a person down and hindering our freewill], And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel [tray] descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted [unclean] beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. [the trance transitions to a vision as Peter can now reply (argumentatively) to God] But Peter said [what God didn't want to hear], Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common [lit. G2839 (koinos) i.e. Levitically unclean, common] {note: Christianity by Levitical standards would be considered unclean (that is why so many still gravitate to and try to follow Levitical Laws i.e. Tithe and Sabbath because there is an appearance of cleanliness) however the cleansing blood of Jesus cleans all sins and it is our faith in the blood of Jesus that saves us and not any works of the Law (i.e. tithes, works)} or unclean [G169 (akathartos) i.e. immoral, profane]. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What ***God hath [with the blood of Jesus] cleansed [lit. G2511 (katharizo) i.e. purified], that call not thou common. This was done thrice [three times - Father, Son, Holy Spirit] {Peter argued with God three times}: and the vessel [container of unclean animals] was received up again into heaven. Now while Peter doubted in himself what this *vision which he had seen should mean {and it meant a lot because God started the vision by putting Peter in a trance}, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry [asked directions] for [the tanner] Simon's house, and stood before the gate, And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. While Peter thought on the vision, ***the [Holy] Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for ***I [Holy Spirit] have sent them [Gentiles who would become the first (non-Jewish) Christians]." -- Note: The agency of spreading the Gospel message [in a now clean world (note: how the world i.e. environmentalism always reiterates that the physical world is in a sense clean, BUT then wrongly asserts that humans make the world unclean adding yet more bondage to our already difficult human condition)] and of convicting [still spiritually unclean] mankind of sins (Romans 2:4) is the exclusive domain of the Holy Spirit on earth. It is mankind that enters into the Temple of God [the body of Jesus Christ] and then, once in the Temple of God, we participate in the Kingdom of God at the exclusive leading and directing of God the Holy Spirit "for ***I [Holy Spirit] have sent them." [article link]

The Church Apostles Decoded: Summary - The 'foundation' of the Christian Church era is the foundation set forth by God at the hands of the 12 Apostles - There is no alternate, replacement or emerging foundation [Gospel] for the True Christian Church only the one original faithful foundation that is already well established and is still in existence today -- "Acts 1:1-3 The former treatise [the Gospel of Luke] have I made, O Theophilus, of all that *Jesus began both to do and teach, *Until the day in which He was taken up [Ascension], after that He [Jesus] through the Holy Ghost had given commandments **unto the Apostles whom He had chosen: To whom also He shewed Himself alive after His passion [Passover Week] by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and ***speaking of the things pertaining [Scripture] to the Kingdom of God:" ... "Acts 4:33 And with great power [the Holy Spirit] gave the Apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them [believers] all."
"Ephesians 3:1-7 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner [in Rome] of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward: How that by revelation He made known unto me the Mystery; as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the Mystery [Triunity] of Christ Which **in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as **it is now revealed unto His holy Apostles and prophets by the [Holy] Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ **by the Gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power." -- "2 Peter 3:1-2 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the [O.T.] Holy Prophets, and of the Commandment **of us the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour:" -- "Revelation 21:10-14 And he [Angel] carried me [Apostle John] away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the Holy Jerusalem [New Jerusalem], descending out of Heaven from God, Having the Glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the Twelve Tribes of the Children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had **twelve foundations, and in them the names of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb." {Note: The teaching and leadership examples [from God] then through the 12 Apostles [1 Corinthians 15:1-10] of Jesus Christ are the 'foundation' for the entire Christian Church. So much so and so important is their foundation to the Church age that the eternal foundation of the New Jerusalem is named with their names.} [article link]

The Church Apostles Decoded: The Nicene Creed (325 A.D.): ... And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And I believe in one holy catholic [universal] and ***[A]postolic Church (Acts 2:42) [based on the foundation of the Apostles] - I acknowledge one Baptism [personal - individual identity (cross and resurrection) with Jesus Christ] for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come - Amen
The Three Ecumenical or Universal Creeds -- The Apostles' Creed [The title, Symbolum Apostolicum (Symbol or Creed of the Apostles), appears for the first time in a letter from a Council in Milan (probably written by Ambrose himself) to Pope Siricius in about 390 A.D. - Wiki.com]: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic [universal] Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. -- The Nicene Creed [adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first (second) ecumenical council (Jerusalem Acts 15:6 was the first ecumenical Church council), which met there in 325 A.D. - Wiki.com]: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And I believe in one holy catholic [universal] and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. -- The Athanasian Creed [The use of the Creed in a sermon by Caesarius of Arles, as well as a theological resemblance to works by Vincent of Lérins, point to Southern Gaul as its origin. The most likely time frame is in the late fifth or early sixth century A.D. (475-525 A.D.) at least 100 years after Athanasius (293 A.D. - May 2, 373 A.D.) - Wiki.com]: Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic [universal] faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic [universal] faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy Ghost uncreate. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three Eternals, but one Eternal. As there are not three Uncreated nor three Incomprehensibles, but one Uncreated and one Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Ghost almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords, but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, So are we forbidden by the catholic [universal] religion to say, There be three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none: neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before or after other; none is greater or less than another; But the whole three Persons are coeternal together, and coequal: so that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped. He, therefore, that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity. Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is, that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world; Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood; Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but one Christ: One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God; One altogether; not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead; He ascended into heaven; He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give an account of their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic [universal] faith; which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved. [article link]

The Church Apostles Decoded: The Nicene Creed (325 A.D.) - The Nicene Creed "I believe in one holy catholic [universal] and ***[A]postolic Church" is the most widely accepted and used brief statements of the Christian Faith - In liturgical churches, it is said every Sunday as part of the Liturgy - It is Common Ground to East Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvinists, and many other Christian groups - Many groups that do not have a tradition of using it in their services nevertheless are committed to the doctrines it teaches
Someone may ask, "What about the Apostles' Creed?" Traditionally, in the West, the Apostles' Creed is used at Baptisms, and the Nicene Creed at the Eucharist [AKA the Mass, the Liturgy, the Lord's Supper, or the Holy Communion.] The East uses only the Nicene Creed. I here present the Nicene Creed in two English translations, The first is the traditional one, in use with minor variations since 1549, The second is a modern version, that of The Interdenominational Committee on Liturgical Texts. Notes and comment by [James E. Kiefer] follow. [article link]

Mormon Coffee: The Great Secret of The Book of Mormon by Aaron Shafovaloff - Posted (Moroni 8:18 day!) on August 18, 2011 (Video)
My corny and melodramatic way of getting the word out on Moroni 8:18. Don't forget about the first explanation video. Enjoy. I'm also releasing the new Moroni 8:18 four-step tract, which you can download here. Print it double-sided, fold it up, and use it to start focused conversations. I'll release a video late tonight on how I use it. [article link]

Update: Starting a brief study looking at Biblical Law and also at some of the aspects that surround Biblical Law i.e. God's Biblical Promises to mankind and God's Biblical Temple [House] of Ordinances used historically for interaction with mankind ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown
Coming Soon: A brief study of Biblical Law [boundaries, instruction, no Salvation], the Biblical Temple [ordinances, slight interaction with God, no Salvation] and the *Promises of God [security/comfort (boundaries removed between God and man), instruction, Salvation]. Note: one way to look at the Laws of God, the Temple of God and the Promises of God is that it is only the Promises of God that Redeems and provides eternal Salvation for Mankind. How is it that mankind is saved from sin and death it is in part because of the death, blood and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross but it is a sacrifice founded on the basis of the other part the Promises of God. The blood of Jesus cleanses and saves a dying mankind because God with His Word **Promises** that it does. -- "Hebrews 10:1-7 For the Law (of Moses) having a shadow [foretelling] of **good things to come [an intimate (Sonship/Daughtership) relationship with God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)], and *not the very image of the [bodily relationship/fellowship] things, can never with those [Levitical Temple] sacrifices which they offered year by year [i.e. Yom Kippur] continually make the comers thereunto perfect [complete - reunited with God - relationship/fellowship]. For then would they not have ceased to be offered [the destruction (586 B.C.) of the 1st Temple, Solomon's Temple - the then coming destruction (70 A.D.) of the 2nd rebuilt Temple, Herod's Temple]? because that the worshippers once purged [via Temple ordinances and Laws of Moses] should have had no more conscience of sins. **But in those [yearly] sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. ***For it is not possible [impossible] that the [Levitical Law, Levitical Temple] blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. ***Wherefore [as Promised, Prophesied] when He [Jesus Christ] cometh into the world, He [Jesus Christ] saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, **but a [human] body [for fellowship with mankind] hast thou [Holy Spirit] prepared Me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou [God] hast had no pleasure. ***Then [as Promised] ***said I [the Words of Jesus Christ], Lo, I [Jesus Christ] come [because as Promised] in the volume of the book [scroll, Bible] ***it is written of Me [Jesus Christ], to do Thy [God the Father] will, O God." [article link]

[Basic Christian: blog Bible Study] Mountain Of Fire - The Search For Mount Sinai [the place where God gave Moses the Levitical Law] pt 2 of 5 - The boundary markers around Mt. Sinai (Video) - Exodus 19:12 And thou shalt set bounds [boundaries] unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount [Mt. Sinai], or touch the border of it: whosoever [goes past the boundary] toucheth the mount [Mt. Sinai] shall be surely put to death:' (YouTube)
Bob Cornuke from BASE Institute has been called a modern day Indiana Jones. This video is a clip from Bob's video about the The Search For Mount Sinai. [article link]

The Levitical Temple of God - The first Tabernacle/Temple of the Levitical Priesthood ensured that even the Priests officiating within the structures was unable to see God at any time (Leviticus 16:12-13) - While the New Testament in Jesus Christ insists that all Christians will see God - [Jesus' Sermon on the Mount] "Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure [cleansed by the blood of Jesus] in heart: for they shall see God."
The Temple of the Old Testament was designed to keep a sinful (unclean) mankind away from the actual presence of God [Leviticus 16:12-13]. While the New Testament Temple (cleansed Christian) in the body of Jesus Christ is designed for each individual to be able intimately interact with God. -- "Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living [Temple] sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." -- "1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price [cross]: therefore glorify Godin your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." [article link]

[Basic Christian: blog Bible Study] Exodus 24-27 - Aaron two of his sons (Nadab, Abihu) and the 70 leaders of Israel are invited to come closer to God and worship on Mt. Sinai [Exodus 24:1] 'and worship ye afar off' - Only Moses [representing a proxy of Jesus Christ] can come into the actual presence of God 'Exodus 24:2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they [priests, leaders] shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him'
'Exodus 25:8-9 And let them [gifted workers] make Me a sanctuary [innermost (3rd) room in the Tabernacle]; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.' - The Holy of Holies, or inner sanctuary in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem was to be the physical dwelling place for God while He remained among the Israelites. The presence of God was dwelling at Mt. Sinai where Moses met God in the burning bush the first time and where God brought the Israelites from Egypt to Mt. Sinai to meet God at however the Israelites were not staying at Mt. Sinai as God was moving them forward from Egypt into their own land the Promise Land (Canaan) so in order for God to go with the People and to be in their presence a sanctuary needed to be built and sin offerings had to be included with the sanctuary so their sins could be covered and God could then be among them. - The Holy of Holies was a place for God to dwell and man did not have access into the direct, perceivable presence of God. On one day a year "day of atonement" the Levitical High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to bring blood from an oxen to cover (atone) for the sins for the people, the entire Nation, for one year then the next year on the same day the current High Priest would again bring in the blood as an atonement for the sins again of the entire Nation of Israel and God would remain in their midst. But even when the High Priest went into the sanctuary with the blood offering the High Priest was not allowed to see God himself lest the High Priest die. 'Leviticus 16:12 And he [High Priest] shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he [High Priest] die not:' The High Priest had to fill the sanctuary with smoke from incense burning on the coals of the alter then the High Priest could enter the sanctuary but he was not allowed to meet with God. With the law there is always a boundary between God and man keeping sinful man away from God and the smoke of the incense was a boundary keeping even the Levitical High Priest away from God away from the actual perceivable presence God the same way that Mt. Sinai had the boundary markers [piles of stones] alerting people and keeping all the people away from Mt. Sinai while God's presence was there. So actually the High Priest never technically entered the Sanctuary, the inner 3rd room Holy of Holies, the High Priest only temporarily extended the 2nd room the incense room by by increasing the incense smoke far enough into the 3rd room until he could reach the mercy seat with the blood offering then immediately the High Priest exited back out of the Sanctuary and away from the presence of God. [article link]

The Levitical Laws of God - The O.T. Levitical Laws of God only temporarily covered sin but did not take away sin (Hebrews 10:4) so at best following the Levitical Law brought a person to a boundary, an edge, a limit where a person could approach God but could go no further as was illustrated by Moses the Lawgiver who was unable to enter into the Promise Land himself being stopped by the boundary of his own few sins -- "Numbers 27:12-14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land [Promise Land] which I have given unto the Children of Israel. And **when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt (die) be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. **For ye rebelled against My commandment [law] in the desert of Zin (Numbers 20:7-12), in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin."
Moses the Lawgiver was unable to enter the Promise Land of God [Numbers 27:12-14] and Moses was also unable to direct the people into the Promise Land as Moses was only able to glimpse the Land from a ways away before he died (Deuteronomy 34:4-5). But where Moses the Lawgiver was unable to succeed another person was able to completely bring everyone into the Promise Land of God, that person was not Moses but Joshua [lit. Jesus] {Note: Joshua is the Hebrew name of Jesus (the Church uses the more Greek name of Jesus)}. -- "Joshua 1:1-2 Now after the death of Moses the (Lawgiver) servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan [river], **thou, **and all this people, unto the land [Promise Land] which I do give to them, even to the Children of Israel." [article link]

[Basic Christian: blog Bible Study] Deuteronomy 32-34 - Moses prepares himself for his death - The Song of Moses -- 'Deuteronomy 32:1-4 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: Because I will publish the Name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He'
Death Outside the Promise Land: Moses the Lawgiver was only allowed to go to the border of the Promise Land, he was only allowed to glimpse the Promise Land from a distance but he was not allowed to enter into the Promise Land. Moses the Lawgiver had broken the law when Moses had unlawfully struck the Rock a second time. In actuality striking the Rock a second time was not the only law that Moses broke it was just one of the more obvious laws that Moses broke. Moses like all the rest of us he was unable to keep the law because the law can't be kept it can only be observed just as Moses observed the Promise Land from a distance, observing but not entering. - The Law does not take us into the presence of God but only to a boundary that actually keeps us apart from God. The original law in the Garden of Eden was a boundary a boundary between mankind and the experience and knowledge of evil. Mankind crossed God's Law boundary and went into the knowledge of evil [God continued to give mankind the knowledge of good]. With mankind now knowledgeable of evil the Law is not just a boundary from evil but out of necessity the Law has now also become a boundary between mankind and the Holiness of God. - The Law is the Image and Holiness of God and therefore the Law now reveals God to a separated mankind and once seeing God in His Holy Law mankind can easily recognize the need for mankind to be separated from presence and Glory of the Holy God. Separated from God that is only until a remedy can be provided to fix man's sinful predicament and remove the boundary of sin and of the Law. The remedy for our predicament and separation from God has been provided but not in our life only in a new life in the Resurrection Life provided by God's Son Jesus Christ. The Son of God, Jesus Christ will safely take us into Heaven, His Promise Land, just as certainly as Joshua the son of Nun led the Children of Israel into their Promise Land a place that the law at best could only glimpse from a distance and could not enter into but a place where the Son could not be kept out of as the Son will enter in and place his foot upon the Promise Land. -- 'Deuteronomy 31:23 And He gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the Children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.' -- 'Deuteronomy 32:52 Yet thou [Moses, Lawgiver] shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the Children of Israel.' [article link]

[Basic Christian: blog Bible Study] Galatians 4 - The Apostle Paul continues to dispel any notion that there might be benefits to following the Law that faith alone and the receiving of the Holy Spirit cannot provide -- 'Galatians 4:4-7 But when the fullness of the time [human history] was come, God sent forth His Son (Jesus), made of a woman [virgin birth], made under the law [Temple in Jerusalem was in operation], To redeem [bring into the presence of God] them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. *Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir [inheritor] of God through Christ.' {Note: Being redeemed from the law is not the same thing as being redeemed from sin. It is similar to a Christian practicing alcohol, drugs, pornography etc. and then being redeemed from those things that are restricting a Christian from their closer more intimate relationship with the presence of God in their life. The Law was actually a boundary keeping sinful people apart from the Holy God but after being cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ and with the finality of His death on the cross the Holy Spirit then removed the boundary of the law from us and redeemed us into the actual perceivable presence of God.}
'Galatians 4:21-5:1 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid [Hagar], the other by a freewoman [Sarah]. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh [man's plan]; but he of the freewoman [Sarah] was by promise [God's plan]. Which things are an allegory [parable]: for these are the two covenants [Old Testament, New Testament]; the one from the mount Sinai [Mt. Sinai], which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar [Hagar]. For this Agar is mount Sinai in [Saudi] Arabia {the Biblical Mt. Sinai is located in Saudi Arabia with the now traditional Mt. Sinai located in Egypt}, and answereth to Jerusalem [Mt. Zion] which now is [in effect, New Testament], and [Hagar] is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem [Mt. Zion] which is above is free, which is [Sarah] the mother of us all [in faith]. ... *Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: *for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.' - This analogy of two Mountains or two locations Mt. Sinai [the Law] and Mt. Zion, Jerusalem [the cross and the resurrection] is one of the most important Biblical concepts because it goes straight to how and where we are to approach God. God was on Mt. Sinai when Moses met God in the burning bush and then as a sign God brought the Children of God out of Egypt and to Mt. Sinai to worship Him there. But they could only worship from a distance as they could not approach Mt. Sinai 'whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death' then as Moses and the Children of God journeyed to Israel their Promise Land God went with them. God in allegory left Mt. Sinai [Law] and relocated with the Children of God to Jerusalem [Mt. Zion]. If you want to keep the Law that mountain [Mt. Sinai] is vacant and if it's not vacant it's certain death if you even try to approach it. Mt. Zion in Jerusalem the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the other hand is both open and available to all mankind and along with the availability of Mt. Zion there is an invitation to all to come to God freely but only to Mt. Zion not to Mt. Sinai. It is only to Mt. Zion that the invitation for mankind to meet with God has been given. [article link]

The Promises of God - The concern today is that much of the church teaching of today [i.e. emergent church] is void of the Promises of God in the same way that the Crusaders of history sought meaningless relics [the actual cross of Jesus], land [Jerusalem] and trophies [the holy grail, lance of Longinus] of the Biblical days but they were relics, land and trophies that were without the blessings and Promises of God to the Gentile Christian Church and therefore are empty meaningless and powerless - When false teachers like Joel Osteen and Rick Warren preach their promises 'your best life now' or a U.N., NWO approved societal based 'purpose driven life' these are man centered doctrines that are also void of the Promises of God and ultimately are just as meaningless as the empty relics of past Church ages -- "Hebrews 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but **followers of them [Biblical persons] who through **faith and patience inherit the **promises [of God]."
The O.T. Law, Prophets and the Temple with its Ordinances were all working in union with each another in order to help present the eternal Promises of God to mankind. The Promises of God [a relationship with God - and eternal life] are freely offered from the Holy God to all sinful humans. The Promise offered is the promise of mankind's meaningful reconciliation back to a personal relationship with God and of the eternal life that goes with that meaningful relationship with God. -- "Galatians 3:21-22 Is the Law then against the Promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given [eternal] life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that ***the Promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." -- "1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even Eternal Life." [article link]

[Basic Christian: blog History Study] The Revised Roman Empire - Saint Helena - the mother of Emperor Constantine I - She is traditionally credited with finding the relics of the True Cross, with which she is invariably represented in Christian iconography - Constantine appointed his mother Helen as Augusta Imperatrix, and gave her unlimited access to the imperial treasury in order to locate the relics of Judeo-Christian tradition - In 326-28 A.D. Helena undertook a trip to the Holy Places in Palestine [Israel] - The chapel at St. Catherine's Monastery [in Sinai Egypt - including Helen's Chapel of the Burning Bush] often referred to as the Chapel of Saint Helen-is dated to the year AD 330 {Note: every 'discovery' of Helena the mother of Emperor Constantine I is considered to be discredited - especially her [confirming] Mt. Sinai in Egypt [the Chapel of the Burning Bush - Source: SacredSites.com] when the Bible proclaims that the real Mt. Sinai was 'outside' (Exodus 18:1,5) of Egypt (Galatians 4:25) [in Arabia - Saudi Arabia]. Also Note: **it is one of the most blasphemous concepts [Mt. Sinai in Egypt] to locate God in Egypt - God is not in Egypt, He is outside of Egypt [human slavery and human bondage] - the whole concept of the Bible is to leave Egypt [the world system] and for worshipers go outside of Egypt (the world) to have a true relationship [fellowship] with God - **pastors who preach that one corner of Egypt [Sinai Peninsula - St. Catherine's Monastery] is acceptable to God have missed much of the entirety of the Bible - The Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus was even crucified outside the city of Jerusalem so we would know to look outside the [world system] city for a true relationship with Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:12-14).} -- Note: A sustainable relationship with God is generally not to be found in this worldly system though minor glimpses and interactions with God can be experienced. The worldly system saturated with misconceptions and false premises from deceived and misinformed individuals like Richard Dawkins is a system designed and maintained simply to hinder a person's true relationship with God. Therefore leaving the misinformed worldly system and entering the Promises of the Biblical realm is an important part of a sustainable relationship with God.
Family life: The bishop and historian Eusebius of Caesarea states that she was about 80 [years old] on her return from Palestine (Israel). Since that journey has been dated to 326-28, Helena was probably born in 248 or 250. Little is known of her early life. Fourth-century sources, following Eutropius' "Breviarium," record that she came from a low background. Saint Ambrose was the first to call her a stabularia, a term translated as "stable-maid" or "inn-keeper". He makes this fact a virtue, calling Helena a bona stabularia, a "good stable-maid". Other sources, especially those written after Constantine's proclamation as emperor, gloss over or ignore her background. ... Relic discoveries: Constantine appointed his mother Helen as Augusta Imperatrix, and gave her unlimited access to the imperial treasury in order to locate the relics of Judeo-Christian tradition. In 326-28 Helena undertook a trip to the Holy Places in Palestine. According to Eusebius of Caesarea she was responsible for the construction or beautification of two churches, the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, and the Church on the Mount of Olives, sites of Christ's birth and ascension. Local founding legend attributes to Helena's orders the construction of a church in Egypt to identify the Burning Bush of Sinai. The chapel at St. Catherine's Monastery--often referred to as the Chapel of Saint Helen-is dated to the year AD 330. -- Jerusalem was still rebuilding from the destruction of Emperor Hadrian, who had built a temple dedicated, according to conflicting accounts, to Venus or Jupiter over the site of Jesus's tomb near Calvary and renamed the city Aelia Capitolina. According to tradition, Helena ordered the temple torn down and, according to the legend that arose at the end of the fourth century, in Ambrose, On the Death of Theodosius (died 395) and at length in Rufinus' chapters appended to his translation into Latin of Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, which does not mention the event, chose a site to begin excavating, which led to the recovery of three different crosses. Then, Rufinus relates, refusing to be swayed by anything but solid proof, the empress (perhaps through Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem) had a woman who was already at the point of death brought from Jerusalem. When the woman touched the first and second crosses, her condition did not change, but when she touched the third and final cross she suddenly recovered, and Helena declared the cross with which the woman had been touched to be the True Cross. On the site of discovery, Constantine ordered built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as well as those on other sites detected by Helena. -- She also found the nails of the crucifixion. To use their miraculous power to aid her son, Helena allegedly had one placed in Constantine's helmet, and another in the bridle of his horse. Helena left Jerusalem and the eastern provinces in 327 to return to Rome, bringing with her large parts of the True Cross and other relics, which were then stored in her palace's private chapel, where they can be still seen today. Her palace was later converted into the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. This has been maintained by Cistercian monks in the monastery which has been attached to the church for centuries. Tradition says that the site of the Vatican Gardens was spread with earth brought from Golgotha by Helena to symbolically unite the blood of Christ with that shed by thousands of early Christians, who died in the persecutions of Nero. -- According to one tradition, Helena acquired the Holy Tunic on her trip to Jerusalem and sent it to Trier. Several of Saint Helena's treasures are now in Cyprus, where she spent some time. Some of them are a part of Jesus Christ's tunic, pieces of the holy cross and the world's only pieces of the rope to which Jesus was tied with on the Cross. The latter has been held at the Stavrovouni Monastery, which was also founded by Saint Helena. [article link]

Proclaim His Word [RE: Calvinism vs. Arminianism debates] - Re-Introduction and New Rules - Jun 4, 2011 (YouTube)
Brethren, i count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing i do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, i press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Philippians 3:13-15. [article link]

Basic Christian: Christmas 2011 - The CHRISTmas Message in the Bible -- Christmas Day "Savior Day" The Day Jesus Christ the Savior of the world entered into the world! -- Celebrating the Arrival (Birth) of Jesus Christ the Savior of Mankind -- Christmas time is a wonderful time, it is a time of reassurance of God's love and of God's commitment for all mankind throughout all time -- Enjoy the Christmas Holiday Season knowing that there is indeed a Savior-Redeemer for mankind and that Jesus Christ is the Savior-Redeemer
CHRISTmas - 'Glory to God in the Highest' - Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Christ the Savior of Mankind "Luke 2:1-20 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them." [article link]

Basic Christian: Christmas 2011 - The CHRISTmas Message in the Bible -- God's Wonderful Creation of Our Life and Existence "Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." -- "Genesis 1:26-28 And God (Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit) said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." -- God Created Mankind for Fellowship "Genesis 5:1-2 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him; male and female created He them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created."
Adam & Eve Sin against God - Mankind is now Separated from God "Genesis 3:9-13 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said, who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree (of evil), whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent (Satan) beguiled (tricked) me, and I did eat." -- God Promises Mankind the Redeemer Jesus - the Seed of the Virgin Birth "Genesis 3:14-15 And the LORD God said unto the serpent (Satan), Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed (antichrist) and her seed (Redeemer-Jesus Christ); it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel." -- The Tree of Life is Sheltered until Sin is Removed "Genesis 3:22-24 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of Us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." -- Abraham is Promised to be in the Lineage of the Redeemer "Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram (Abraham), Get thee out of thy country (Babylon/Iraq), and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land (Israel) that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation (Jews), and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee (through Jesus-Redeemer) shall all families of the earth be blessed." -- Balaam's Christmas [Star] Prophecy "Numbers 24:17 ... there shall come a Star (Christmas Star) out of Jacob, and a Scepter (King) shall rise [resurrection] out of Israel ... [article link]

Basic Christian: Christmas 2011 - The CHRISTmas Message in the Bible -- The Prophet Samuel Anoints the Sheperd Boy David to be the King of Israel "1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the (Holy) Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward." -- Nathan's Prophecy to King David that his Throne Will be for the Redeemer (Jesus Christ) "2 Samuel l7:4-17 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell My servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build Me an house for Me to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt (slavery), even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all the places wherein I (God) have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying, Why build ye not Me an house of cedar? Now therefore so shalt thou say unto My servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel: And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that He (God) will make thee (David) an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed (descendants) after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for My name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be His Father, and he shall be My son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But My mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David."
King David's Reply to God's Gracious Gift of Providing the Redeemer "2 Samuel 7:18-28 Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house (family), that Thou hast brought me hitherto? And this was yet a small thing in Thy sight, O Lord GOD; but Thou hast spoken also of Thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? And what can David say more unto Thee? for Thou, Lord GOD, knowest Thy servant. For Thy word's sake, and according to Thine own heart, hast Thou done all these great things, to make Thy servant know them. Wherefore Thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like Thee, neither is there any God beside Thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And what one nation in the earth is like thy people (Jews), even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to Himself, and to make Him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for Thy land, before Thy people, which Thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? For Thou hast confirmed to Thyself Thy people Israel to be a people unto Thee for ever: and Thou, LORD, art become their God. And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said. And let Thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of Thy servant David be established before thee. For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to Thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath Thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto Thee. And now, O Lord GOD, Thou art that God, and Thy words be true, and Thou hast promised this goodness unto Thy servant: Therefore now let it please Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may continue for ever before Thee: for Thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with Thy blessing let the house of Thy servant be blessed for ever. -- The Prophet Isaiah Reminds the House of David about the Coming Redeemer "Isaiah 7:13-14 And he (Isaiah) said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us)." -- The Prophet Isaiah Instructs that God Himself will be the Redeemer of Mankind "Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a Child is born (virgin birth), unto us a Son is given (cross): and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." [article link]

Basic Christian: Christmas 2011 - The CHRISTmas Message in the Bible -- The Angel Gabriel Announces the Coming Entrance-Birth of the Redeemer of Mankind "Luke 1:26-38 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her."
Mary Visits and is Greeted by Elisabeth "Luke 1:39-45 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe (John the Baptist) leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. -- Mary's Reply "The Magnificent" - "Luke 1:46-56 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is His name. And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy; As He spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house." [article link]

Basic Christian: Christmas 2011 - The CHRISTmas Message in the Bible -- John the Baptist's Father's Prophecy Regarding Jesus the Redeemer "Luke 1:67-75 And his (John's) father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant; The oath which He sware to our father Abraham, That He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life."
The Virgin Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem "Luke 2:1-7 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus (Roman Ruler) that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David: To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." -- Sheperds are Invited to View the Redeemer Jesus "Luke 2:8-12 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." [article link]

Basic Christian: Christmas 2011 - The CHRISTmas Message in the Bible -- The Heavenly Angels Rejoice in God at the Birth of Jesus the Redeemer "Luke 2:13-14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." -- The Sheperds Visit the Baby Jesus the Redeemer of all Mankind "Luke 2:15-16 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger." -- The Sheperds Begin to Tell the World that Jesus the Redeemer has Arrived "Luke 2:17-20 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."
The Wise Men Come to Present Gifts and to Worship Jesus the Redeemer and King of Mankind. "Matthew 2:1-11 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star (Christmas Star) in the east, and are come to worship Him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young Child; and when ye have found Him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." -- Jesus is Circumcised and Officially Given His Name Jesus (Je-Jehovah, God-YHWH (self-sustaining, ultimate power-authority), sus-Salvation (healing) : Jesus = God (self-sustaining, ultimate power-authority) and Salvation (healing)) "Luke 2:21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the Child, His name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before He was conceived in the womb." [Note: After the Tribulation Period during the coming 1,000 year Kingdom reign of Jesus here on earth we will not be primarily calling God "Jesus" (Jehovah God is Salvation) we will be calling God "Jehovah Tsidkenu" (THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS). Jeremiah 23:6 ... and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.] -- The Holyman Simeon Prophesies about Jesus "Luke 2:22-35 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord; As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord; And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him after the custom of the law, Then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of Him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." -- The Holywoman Anna Prophesies about Jesus "Luke 2:36-39 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth." [article link]

Basic Christian: Christmas 2011 - The CHRISTmas Message in the Bible - Jesus Grew and Accomplished All that He was Sent to Do "Luke 2:40 And the Child grew, and waxed strong in Spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him. Matthew 18:31-33 Then He took unto Him the twelve (Apostles), and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge Him, and put Him to death (cross): and the third day He shall rise (resurrection) again. John 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst."
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ the Living Redeemer "Mark 16:14-16 Afterward He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen. And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel (good news) to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." -- Our Eternal Future with God our Redeemer and the Tree of Life "Revelation 22:1-2 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." -- The Angel Testifies that these things are soon to come "Revelation 22:6-7 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to shew unto His servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book (Bible)." -- Jesus Testifies that He is the Redeemer "Revelation 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." -- Invitation to All People to Become Redeemed "Revelation 22:17 And the (Holy) Spirit and the bride (Church) say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." --- Christmas time is a wonderful time it is a time of reassurance of God's love and of God's commitment for all mankind throughout all time. Enjoy the Christmas holiday season knowing that there is indeed a Savior-Redeemer for mankind and that Jesus Christ is the Savior-Redeemer. Have a very merry CHRISTmas! [article link]

The Modern Emerging - Revising Roman Empire

Basic Christian: Church History blog Study - Revised Outline
0 A.D. - 312 A.D. - Birth of Jesus and the Early Church Age
313 A.D. - 1521 A.D. - Birth of Revised Rome and the Holy Roman Empire
1522 A.D. - 1880 A.D. - Indigenous Bible Translations and Doctrines Era - The Reformation - Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, etc.
1881 - Present (2011) - Corrupt modern bible translations and compromised Seminaries and Universities - The modern Emergent [return to occult/paganism] Era - Westcott and Hort (1881), NIV (1972) Zondervan, NKJV (1979) Thomas Nelson, Inc., etc. [article link]

Updated! Basic Christian: The Complete News and Info Feed 2004-2011 (PDF)
The Complete Basic Christian: Info, Resources and News RSS Feed (2004-2011) in PDF Format. [article link]

Comming Soon!! Common Christian Community CCC CommonChristianCommunity.com and Common Christian Faith CCF CommonChristianFaith.com - Fellowship and Resources for a Common Christian Community - Church, Chapel, Campus -- Epistle of Jude v3 "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown
Coming Soon: A Resource, Information and Fellowship for Christians with a Common Salvation!! [article link]

GoodFight.org: The Submerging Church - How the Emerging [Revised Roman Empire] church is drawing multitudes away from Biblical Christianity - Coming to DVD January 2012 - Official DVD Trailer - {Note: The people who are participating in the Emergent church movement, either willingly or passively, are literally "holding a wolf by the ears" and when they let go or when they least expect it that wolf is going to turn and rip them to shreds. -- "Ezekiel 22:27 Her [Mystery Babylon] princes in the midst [of God's people] thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. ~ Prophet Ezekiel" -- "Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. ~ Jesus Christ" -- "Acts 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. ~ Apostle Paul"} (YouTube)
Journey with us as we take a closer look at the Emerging (also Missional - a new term that replaces Emergent) Church, its leaders, their teachings and where it is all headed when compared with bible prophecy. A Good Fight Ministries production available January 2012. [article link]

What Is Discipleship? (2 Min. Video)
While the majority of the church is busy planning programs and activities to entertain their members and increase their numbers, they neglect the way God has ordained for His church to be built and edified. "Christian entertainment" has replaced equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, and instead of discipling disciples to make disciples, churches are overstuffing themselves with earthly waste with no eternal impact. In just two minutes, this video sums up the church's problem and the solution to it. This is how we are to love others. This is how church should be done. This is discipleship: [article link]

Judge approves Crystal Cathedral sale to diocese - The diocese plans to use the site for a countywide cathedral
SANTA ANA, Calif. A federal judge has approved the sale of the Crystal Cathedral to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange to help the financially struggling church emerge from bankruptcy. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert N. Kwan approved the sale at a hearing in Santa Ana on Thursday. The decision came after a bidding war between the diocese and Orange County's Chapman University for the 40-acre property in Garden Grove. The diocese plans to use the site for a countywide cathedral, which means Crystal Cathedral congregants will need to move to a new location. Chapman had wanted to use the site to expand its health sciences offerings and possibly start a medical school. [article link]

O.C. Catholic diocese to buy bankrupt Crystal Cathedral - A bankruptcy judge sides with the Crystal Cathedral's board in ruling that Orange County's Roman Catholic Diocese can buy the campus for $57.5 million - "I mean, how out of touch can you [Schullers] possibly be?" asked Richard Flory, director of research in the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture - "If you're part of that congregation, at what point does this person or family start bringing more problems to us as a congregation than benefit?" - Nor apparently have the Schullers given up - A video went up on the Crystal Cathedral website Thursday in which Schuller Coleman urged congregants not to give up hope in a miracle - "There is still time for God to step in and rescue Crystal Cathedral Ministries" she said - {Note: The Schuller family with a few friends basically embezzled the church from within until it collapsed - the more in debt the congregation became the more money the Schullers demanded and took out of the congregation - Apparently they stopped paying back the bank [Farmers & Merchants] in 2005 and creditors in 2008 with bankruptcy in 2010 yet paid themselves increased salaries the entire time.}
An Orange County bankruptcy judge ruled Thursday that the Crystal Cathedral, a monument to modernism in faith and architecture, will be sold for $57.5 million to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, which plans to consecrate it as a Catholic cathedral. The ruling was a blow to Chapman University, which had fought bitterly down to the final moments of the bankruptcy case for the right to buy the property as a satellite campus. It also marked the end of a remarkable chapter in the history of American Christianity, one that was written in glass and steel by the Crystal Cathedral's founder and guiding light, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller. In a day filled with drama and deep emotion, Chapman had pressed its case with a newly escalated bid of $59 million, only to complain that it had been blindsided by the Crystal Cathedral board, which came down firmly on the side of the Catholic Church. In the end, Schuller himself gave his blessing to what once would have seemed unthinkable: the conversion of his sleekly modern masterpiece in Garden Grove, a place where fresh breezes blow through open walls and church services feature talk-show-style interviews, into a Catholic cathedral redolent of incense and ancient ritual. ... U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Kwan issued his ruling shortly after 7 p.m. to the tears of members of the cathedral's congregation, who had sat through the long day in court. ... Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in October 2010, when it cited more than $50 million in debt. The ensuing months saw a lot of on-again, off-again plans by which the church would sell to a real estate developer, the Catholic Church or Chapman, or dig itself out with a "miracle" fundraising campaign. The campaign raised only $173,000 by the end of September. It didn't help that the Schullers appeared tone deaf at times to their own lives of apparent privilege, as when the church recently asked for food donations for Schuller's ailing wife - and said the items would be delivered to her in a limousine. ... "I mean, how out of touch can you [Schullers] possibly be?" asked Richard Flory, director of research in the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture. "If you're part of that congregation, at what point does this person or family start bringing more problems to us as a congregation than benefit?" ... Nor apparently have the Schullers given up. A video went up on the Crystal Cathedral website Thursday in which Schuller Coleman urged congregants not to give up hope in a miracle. "There is still time for God to step in and rescue Crystal Cathedral Ministries," she said. [article link]

Crystal Cathedral: Founder the Rev. Robert H. Schuller also released a statement Thursday endorsing the diocesan offer, which would require the Crystal Cathedral ministry to move after three years {Note: "God Loves Them and So Do We" Well actually if you do the math the ONLY reason that the Crystal Cathedral went into bankruptcy proceedings was because of the Schullers [family and friends] exorbitant salaries and the fact that they wouldn't give up even one dime from their own pockets to keep the Crystal Cathedral operating as it had been - clearly their Love of Money has long ago displaced their love of people.}
Founder the Rev. Robert H. Schuller also released a statement Thursday endorsing the diocesan offer, which would require the Crystal Cathedral ministry to move after three years. Schuller said that every human has to make a decision that they don't want to make and this was no different. He said prior to last Monday's court hearing, he and his wife, Arvella, had already decided to diocese's offer to purchase the campus. "Though we deeply respect Chapman University, the uncertainty regarding the future use of the campus for religious purposes was divergent to the call of both God and our denomination that we embraced nearly sixty years ago," he said in the statement. He said the diocese has been "gracious" and "accommodating" and has given the church terms that "exhibit sensitivity to our history and displays a spirit of honor for the ministry's purpose and the significant contributions of the Crystal Cathedral Congregation, the Hour of Power Viewers, and our Global Supporters." Schuller said he extends this message to the diocese: "Steward this campus. Keep it a light in Orange County that will never go out. A light that will always remind humanity how very much ... God Loves Them and So Do We." [article link]

Breaking News!! - Crystal Cathedral board prefers Catholic offer - The board of directors of Crystal Cathedral Ministries has decided that its preferred buyer for the megachurch's campus is the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange - The announcement came Thursday just before a bankruptcy court hearing at which a judge will decide between competing offers from the diocese and Orange County's Chapman University
SANTA ANA, Calif. - The board of directors of Crystal Cathedral Ministries has decided that its preferred buyer for the megachurch's campus is the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. The announcement came Thursday just before a bankruptcy court hearing at which a judge will decide between competing offers from the diocese and Orange County's Chapman University. The Catholic diocese wants the property for a cathedral of its own. The Crystal Cathedral was founded by televangelist Robert Schuller and grew into a megachurch, but revenues plummeted in 2008 and it declared bankruptcy last year with debts surpassing $43 million. Chapman University is offering $59 million while the diocese is offering $57.5 million but the cathedral's board prefers terms of the latter bid. [article link]

Crystal Cathedral Congregants Anxious as Decision in Bankruptcy Sale Likely to Fall Tonight - Bidding War Between Chapman University and Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Continues - A series of financial scandals have also emerged as a result of the bankruptcy case, including an allegation that pastor Schuller and his family were receiving lucrative salaries as the church filed for bankruptcy
Members of the California-based Crystal Cathedral ministries seem to be more and more anxious about the church's bankruptcy case, with some expressing fear that losing their decades-old house of worship might damage the integrity of the church. The decision of whether the property will be sold to a Catholic organization or to a local university with Protestant roots is to fall tonight. ... After the 10,000-member strong Garden Grove, Calif., Protestant megachurch was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2010, following a long financial struggle, the founding pastor, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, who manages the church together with family members, was forced to put the landmark glass-pane-covered property on the market in September. Currently, two Orange County institutions are battling to purchase the 50-acre property in a Santa Ana bankruptcy court - Chapman University and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. On Wednesday, Chapman University increased its bid to $59 million, in a challenge to the Diocese's of Orange's $57.5 increase offer made Monday, as reported by CP. The Schullers prefer the university, which has a Protestant background. Yet the Catholic diocese has been increasing its bids aggressively throughout the case, and is currently the highest bidder. As the final decision is scheduled to take place Thursday, church members, who have reportedly been attending all hearings, have been showing signs of nervousness about the future of their 50-year-old church. [article link]

Second Mile [a nonprofit organization] knew of abuse allegations - Authorities investigating sex abuse allegations against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky are examining the role of other parties not yet charged in the case whose actions, or lack thereof, may have delayed intervention by law enforcement authorities
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Authorities investigating sex abuse allegations against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky are examining the role of other parties not yet charged in the case whose actions, or lack thereof, may have delayed intervention by law enforcement authorities. That includes top officials at The Second Mile, the nonprofit organization that Mr. Sandusky founded and, authorities allege, used to make contact with the children he victimized. ... In a statement Monday, The Second Mile said it immediately ended Mr. Sandusky's contact with children in the program after he told them in 2008 he was under investigation for alleged sexual contact with a child, an allegation he told the organization was false. That, however, was at least the third time in 10 years that the organization had been made aware of allegations involving Mr. Sandusky's contacts with children. The organization knew in 1998 that Mr. Sandusky was investigated for alleged sexual misconduct in a Penn State shower involving a different boy from the program, according to a presentment by a statewide investigating grand jury. [article link]

CalvaryChapelAbuse.com: Former CCV [Calvary Chapel Visalia] Board Member's shocking testimony about [Pastor] Bob Grenier of Calvary Chapel Visalia - Bob Grenier confessed Felony Child Abuse to the Board and they covered it up and didn't report - Comments: #70 Not Alone says: Moving on, I feel the same - It is so hard to go to church now - **Every church [too many Churches] has a career politician for a pastor - I don't think most see themselves that way - It's hard to remember the last time I actually learned something while at church
Comments: #49 Alex says: November 16, 2011 at 12:20 pm. Ron said, "Isn't the "Touch not God's anointed" [1 Samuel 24:6] come from when David (who was King of Israel, but not sitting on the throne) didn't kill King Saul when he had the chance? I do not see how that can be translated to a Pastor - I guess you could use the concept for today, but to whom do you use it on? The God ordained leaders in government, surely. But Pastors?" Good point Ron and yes. No application to the "Calvary Chapel Senior Pastor". But, according the idiot Leaders of Calvary Chapel including the main idiot Chuck Smith [Sr.] himself, they are akin to King Saul I guess. CC [Calvary Chapel] Leadership is full of unwise men and scoundrels. "I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?" Apparently in Calvary Chapel, the "We're all independent, except we can't be independent [to bring in and provide judgment and justice] it's too hard!"...there are no such wise men. [article link]

Paterno Passes on Home to His Wife for $1 - Some legal experts, in trying to gauge the legal exposure of the university and its top officials to lawsuits brought by suspected victims of the assistant, Jerry Sandusky, have theorized that Paterno could be a target of civil actions
Experts in estate planning and tax law, in interviews, cautioned that it would be hard to determine the Paternos' motivation simply from the available documents. It appears the family house had been the subject of years of complex and confusing transactions. Lawrence A. Frolik, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh who specializes in elder law, said that he had "never heard" of a husband selling his share of a house for $1 to his spouse for tax or government assistance purposes. "I can't see any tax advantages," Frolik said. "If someone told me that, my reaction would be, 'Are they hoping to shield assets in case if there's personal liability?'" He added, "It sounds like an attempt to avoid personal liability in having assets in his wife's name." Two lawyers examined the available documents in recent days. Neither wanted to be identified because they were not directly involved in the case or the property transaction. One of the experts said it appeared to be an explicit effort to financially shield Joe Paterno. The other regarded the July transaction, at least on its face, as benign. Last Wednesday, the university's board of trustees fired Paterno and Graham B. Spanier, the university's president. In 2002, Mike McQueary, then a graduate assistant in the football program, told Paterno that he had seen Sandusky with a boy in the football building's showers. How explicit McQueary was in describing what he saw is in dispute. But according to state prosecutors, Paterno testified under oath that McQueary had told him that he had seen Sandusky doing something of a sexual nature to a roughly 10-year-old boy. Paterno did not report the incident to the police or encourage McQueary to make such a report. Instead, he passed along the allegation the next day to the university's athletic department and one other senior administrator. [article link]

Fired Paterno could receive six-figure annual pension from Penn State - Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's long service at the university theoretically puts him in line for a pension of more than $500,000 a year, according to an Associated Press analysis of state public pension records - The retirement system also confirmed Tuesday that Sandusky collects a $59,000 annual pension and withdrew $148,000 upon retirement
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's long service at the university theoretically puts him in line for a pension of more than $500,000 a year, according to an Associated Press analysis of state public pension records. Paterno's pension records obtained Tuesday from the State Employees' Retirement System credit him with more than 60 years in the system. The formula used to determine benefits makes him eligible for a pension equal to 100 percent of the average of his three highest-salary years. His pay rose from $541,000 to $568,000 over the past three full calendar years. When Paterno retires, he will have to make a set of choices to determine his pension, including whether to designate a survivor to receive benefits after he dies and whether to obtain a one-time, lump-sum payment of his own contributions. State Employees' Retirement System spokeswoman Pamela Hile said Internal Revenue Code and Retirement Code benefit limits may also apply, so the agency does not issue estimated pension benefits ahead of time. There also is a long-service supplement that could boost Paterno to 110 percent of his final average salary. A 2006 report on Pennsylvania state pensions said the largest pension at that time within SERS was $254,000, being collected by a Penn State surgery professor who had withdrawn a $554,000 lump sum. [article link]

Column: Schuller makes bishop look humble - Even in bankruptcy, Schuller is asking for $300,000 a year for the rest of his life
The bankruptcy record includes appalling insight into how the Crystal Cathedral Ministry founder and his kin have lived for the last several years as the church was heading to ruination. In late 2005, according to a pleading filed by creditors, Schuller was being phased out as leader and moved into a "roving ambassador" role. For this, according to a transition agreement, he was to be paid $300,000 a year for "discretionary" spending plus a salary that wasn't specified at the time, but was later shown to be as much as $257,000 in 2009. It's one level of avarice to be paid a half-million a year by hard-working congregants for "roving." It's a whole 'nother to be paid that much while your church is collapsing around you. The church filed for bankruptcy in 2010, a year that Schuller's total compensation was at least $447,000, according to the creditors. Shocked yet? How about this: Even in bankruptcy, Schuller is asking for $300,000 a year for the rest of his life. Schuller shamelessly defends the salary. The "ministry has reaped great benefit from that agreement, far in excess of what it has paid, and it stands to receive even more in the coming years," he said in a prepared statement last month. It's further untrue, he said, that ministry officials acted in bad faith - by which I assume he means they had no idea they were in deep financial trouble when they were promising salaries and health care for life for Schuller and his wife. But as early as 2002, the church started borrowing from the special church Endowment Fund to which donors had contributed for a specific purpose. Instead, the money covered salaries and general expenses. The amount of such borrowing ultimately totaled about $10 million. And in 2005, the creditors allege, the church had to stop paying the principle to its major creditor, Farmer & Merchants Bank. If true, these developments would indicate the Schullers knew well before the bankruptcy, even well before the national recession, that their financial plan wasn't working. Yet they kept spending. [article link]

Schuller "Lawsuit allegations unfair and untrue" - Robert H. Schuller [Sr.] shot back in response to a lawsuit filed by creditors saying that he and board members always acted in good faith and in the best interests of the cathedral - Schuller the founder of the Crystal Cathedral, called allegations made in a creditors' lawsuit that the pastor and his family members greatly benefited from the church and provided little in return, unfair and untrue - The complaint was filed after Schuller family members refused to put their own financial claims in bankruptcy court behind the unsecured creditors, primarily **vendors, who are yet to be paid
Referring to his own agreement in 2005 in which the senior Schuller was given $300,000 and benefits, staff and use of an office suite for life, the founder said the "ministry has reaped great benefit from that agreement, far in excess of what it has paid, and it stands to receive even more in the coming years." Among other things, the creditors' lawsuit filed in bankruptcy court Friday alleges that the Cathedral's board drew about $10 million from endowment funds between 2002 and 2009. Money from those funds was used for church expenses and salaries when they were donated for specific purposes such as caring for the Walk of Faith memorial stones. The lawsuit also specifically names Schuller's daughters, son and their families as well as former Chief Financial Officer Fred Southard, saying that they received lavish salaries, housing allowances and other benefits such as travel benefits and vehicles. Schuller's daughters, Carol Schuller Milner and Jeanne Schuller Dunn, have said the lawsuit has inaccuracies and misinformation. Milner said she and her siblings have always been a part of the church and contributed to the best of their abilities, but that most never had a say in the decisions the board made. The complaint says Robert A. Schuller, son of the founder, and his wife, Donna, were promised a $235,000 reserve fund and $1 million in seed money for a new church. In addition, they also got a Mercedes Benz and occupied a condominium owned by the church in Laguna Beach, the suit says. Donna Schuller, who has also been named in the lawsuit, said Tuesday that the Mercedes mentioned in the complaint was a gift from a family friend in 2005. At the time, her husband requested that the car be put in the church's name so it would encourage their friend to give to the ministry in the future, she said in an email to the Register. "When we left the church in 2008, Robert asked the church to please give the car back to him since it was rightfully his car and he did not have another one to drive," she said. "He still drives the car and it has 125,000 miles on it." Donna Schuller also said she and her husband never saw the $235,000 that was promised to them in 2008, when he was "forced out by a couple of his siblings." The money was meant to go toward their new ministry, she said. "In turn, neither of us was to say anything disparaging about the ministry," she said. "I called it 'hush money' at the time." The contract also agreed to pay up to $1 million to start Robert A. Schuller's new ministry once the cathedral sold a piece of property worth $5 million or more, Donna Schuller said. The amount would then be pro-rated depending on the salaries that had been paid to them, she said. But, the [Crystal] cathedral has not fulfilled their contract to help Robert A. Schuller [Jr.] start a new ministry, his wife said. [article link]

Crystal Cathedral decision delayed - The decision on whether Chapman University or the [Catholic] Diocese of Orange should be allowed to purchase the iconic Garden Grove Crystal Cathedral has been put on hold until Thursday [Nov. 17, 2011] - The hearing that was due to decide the question yesterday was tabled until Thursday, after both sides modified their bids for the property - {Note: The Catholic Church would be a better fit for the Crystal Cathedral property, considering that the location is in a highly Catholic area, enabling and providing the Catholic Church with a unique ministry opportunity.}
As the case currently stands, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is the high bidder; going into court on Monday, the Diocese's bid stood at $55.4 million, with the option to lease back some of the buildings on the campus for three years, but the end requirement that the congregation move to an alternative worship space. The creditor's committee, however, endorsed Chapman University's offer, in spite of the fact that it amounted to a lower dollar figure. The University came into court on Monday with a $51.5 million purchase bid, the option to lease back core campus buildings and the option repurchase buildings over a period of time. [article link]

Chapman University sweetens offer for Crystal Cathedral campus - The Chapman offer includes a $2-million reserve fund to pay church founder the Rev. Robert H. Schuller - He [Schuller] and other family members have sought some or all of that money from the bankruptcy court in unspecified "insider" claims, including copyright infringement for using his name and sermons - Carl Grumer, the attorney for the family members, said that $2 million would not be enough to pay the claims
After a daylong hearing to hash out the latest offers, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Kwan said he would give the Crystal Cathedral board two days to discuss the Chapman proposal. A hearing is set for Thursday afternoon [Nov. 17, 2011], when Kwan is expected to rule on a plan. The Crystal Cathedral's board last week said either bidder would be acceptable, but that now could change. The Chapman offer includes a $2-million reserve fund to pay church founder the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, 85, his wife Arvella, their daughter Carol Schuller Milner and her husband, Timothy Milner, for various claims. Schuller had previously arranged to be paid $350,000 in living expenses per year for the rest of his life. He and other family members have sought some or all of that money from the bankruptcy court in unspecified "insider" claims, including copyright infringement for using his name and sermons. Carl Grumer, the attorney for the family members, said that $2 million would not be enough to pay the claims. The newest offer from the Catholic diocese was increased to take those claims into account, diocesan attorney Alan Martin said. "Everything else is the same," Martin said. [article link]

Catholic diocese raises offer for Crystal Cathedral found by televangelist Robert Schuller - Many church members have been pushing for the offer from Chapman University - which is also preferred by the ministry's board - because they want the glass-spired church and cemetery to remain in Protestant hands - But the Schullers' attorney, Carl Grumer, said he backed the [Catholic] Diocese's proposal because the extra money would help cover some of his clients' [Schullers'] claims against the church [Crystal Cathedral], which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year - Milner [Carol Schuller Milner], the Schullers' daughter, said her parents have dedicated their lives to building the ministry - {I wonder if the Schullers' think that they have dedicated their lives to building a church in the same way that Jesus dedicated and gave His life for His Church.}
Much of the at-times heated discussion Monday focused on how big a reserve fund the church needs to cover these claims by Schuller, his wife and daughter over rights to use of his books and sermons, and an agreement by the church to pay the elderly couple's housing allowance, travel expenses and insurance until they die. Grumer had suggested the court set the reserve fund at $6.5 million. But Kwan found that no money was needed to cover intellectual property claims, citing a lack of sufficient evidence, and that only $500,000 was needed to cover a gap in the annual payments owed to the Schullers under an earlier agreement, noting the church recently voted to pay them $290,000 a year for life. Upset by the decision, Carol Milner, the Schullers' daughter, said her parents have dedicated their lives to building the ministry and have refrained from filing an intellectual property lawsuit to help the church get back on its feet. Milner said her father has continued to help with fundraising and his image is still used everywhere, but she doubted that would continue much longer under the strained relationship with the church. 'We're really treading on thin ice here. This is going to be a slap in the face,' she told reporters after the hearing. ... The church declared bankruptcy last year. Today, the decline in revenue is slowing, Michael VanderLey, a corporate finance consultant in the case, told the court Monday. Church revenue fell to $4 million in December 2010 from $6.7 million in December 2009 and is expected to reach about $3.5 million this December, he said. About 70 percent of the church's revenue stems from the 'Hour of Power' program, VanderLey said. Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. [article link]

Update: 11-15-2011 - Update: back home and should resume blog postings soon ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown
[article link]

Should Penn State cancel or move Saturday's game against Nebraska? - It bears asking again - Tonight, in light of Joe Paterno's firing and reports of unruly mobs in State College, I want to reiterate that question but with an important distinction: Should Penn State cancel or move Saturday's game against Nebraska? {Note: It is important to note that it is the consequences from the actions of a very few people [i.e. Sandusky, Paterno, McQueary, Spanier, a few students, etc.] that have continued and escalated this very difficult situation. By far the vast majority of Penn State faculty, staff and students are not a part of the disastrous events that have unfolded.}
I think it's become clear that Penn State needs to cancel Saturday's home game against Nebraska. Or, if it is somehow possible, they should move the game either to a neutral field or even to Nebraska. I know how "unfair" this is from a football standpoint, but frankly I think any football issues should be the last issues dictating what is done in this case. Making important decisions with football as the #1 barometer is what got Penn State in the situation it's in; I think it should go without saying that it should now be moved to the bottom of the importance scale, even though I'd hate the negative effect on the innocent players who currently man the Nittany Lion roster. There were reports tonight of media vans being tipped over and rocks being thrown at reporters. When I shut down Twitter to start writing this, police dogs were on the verge of being unleashed according to multiple reports. Does this sound like a campus that is ready to host a football game on Saturday? I don't think so. And to those who will say that things will die down by Saturday, I respond thusly: yes, maybe they will…but what if they don't? And it leads me back to where the benefit of the doubt now needs to go in Penn State's decision making: away from football and as close to an 100% assurance of safety as possible. I don't think a football game just days after all of this, with emotions still likely to be raw and even unbridled, guarantees 100% safety. If Penn State is committed to making changes that will ensure innocent people aren't horribly violated on their watch in the future, this is a no-brainer first step. Cancel Saturday's game against Nebraska, or move it out of State College if you can (my preferred resolution, for the record). Any other decision is putting football over safety, and in case you need to know why that's wrong, just remember that it's the most likely reason for why we are here in the first place. [article link]

Mike McQueary the Witness to Alleged Rape WILL [possibly] Coach for PSU on Saturday {Note: Mike McQueary purposely waited until the next day to report the crime he witnessed in progress and he seemingly purposely reported it only to coach Joe Paterno, possibly knowing that Paterno would not follow the events through to a conclusion. Coach Joe Paterno then seemingly reported it only to Campus security, possibly knowing and influencing the decision that the event would not be reported to police as in the end it wasn't reported to the proper authorities.}
The man who witnessed Jerry Sandusky allegedly rape a pre-teen boy in the Penn State locker room in 2002 WILL be allowed to continue as a receivers coach when the team plays Nebraska on Saturday ... this according to the new Penn State head coach Tom Bradley. Bradley was just officially introduced as Joe Paterno's temporary replacement -- and stated, "Right now Mike McQueary will be coaching on Saturday." McQueary was a 28-year-old graduate assistant in 2002, when he claims he witnessed Sandusky raping a little boy in the Penn State showers. McQueary reported the incident to Joe Paterno -- but never called police. Paterno -- who also did NOT go to the cops -- was fired last night for not living up to his moral obligation to the child. Bradley says he was unsure if McQueary will be coaching from the sidelines or if he will be up in the booth on Saturday. [article link]

The Joe Paterno Syndrome: Idealization and the Corruption of Morality - Unfortunately, this is quite common - Loving or caring about someone frequently blinds one to their trespasses - One is inclined to see them as all good, and to deny their faults in order to preserve one's idealization of them
Joe Paterno was an idealized father-figure, a loving, strong protective model for his young football players and Penn State students to learn from and emulate. Unfortunately, he failed to follow his own advice, to maintain civility, which he said was sorely lacking in today's society, by protecting his own students and young boys in the community from someone he knew to be a sexual predator. With his lapse in moral judgment, he joins a prestigious group of Catholic priests, including Cardinal Roger Mahony and even the Pope, who in the name of protecting their fellow clergymen and the reputation of the church, exposed hundreds of young boys and girls to sexual abuse by allowing child-molesting priests to remain in contact with them. It obviously takes enormous strength, even from the most religious, god-fearing individuals, to prioritize one's own moral integrity over one's inclination to protect colleagues, friends, lovers and especially family members who have committed child abuse. No wonder it is so hard for the Penn State student protestors to see how their beloved father-figure, Joe Paterno, failed to protect them in a most fundamental way. [article link]

Joe Paterno FIRED! What can we learn from the TERRIBLE Penn State cover-ups? Why is a Secular University exercising justice and accountability better than Pastor Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel?
There is a lawsuit against Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa…this moment. The suit alleges that Anthony Iglesias, a Calvary Chapel volunteer/employ molested kids through his CC connections with them. The suit also alleges that Raul Ries, Dale Goddard, Bob Davis and others in Calvary Chapel Leadership "knew" about Iglesias's problems with sexual encounters with children, yet they allowed him to be with kids and he continued to molest more and more. Chuck Smith says, "Not my problem!" Calvary Chapel says, "Not our problem!" -- According to sources a "CC Pastor" walked in on [Pastor] John Flores Statutory Raping a teenage girl ON the Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa Campus. The "CC Pastor" didn't report the crime to authorities. This after Jeff Smith hired and fired Flores after knowing he had issues, only to have [Pastor] Brian Broderesen rehire Flores, who eventually raped the girl. Flores ended up convicted of the felony and served time after the Parents and Child wouldn't play ball with CC and cover it up. -- Paul Grenier, Calvary Chapel Pastor in good standing Bob Grenier's blood son, alleges Bob molested him. I have reported this to Chuck Smith, Roger Wing, David Rosales, CCOF, CCCM, Chuck's Attorney etc etc. No action. Bob Grenier is still fully "Affiliated" and endorsed and supported by Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and CC at this very moment…and over 1,500 other "Affiliated" Calvary Chapel Senior Pastors are "in Fellowship" with Bob Grenier this moment. -- Penn State did the right thing...FINALLY. Heads are rolling, reforms are coming. -- What's Calvary Chapel, supposedly "God's Church" doing? Lying, Stone Walling, deflecting, dodging, making excuses, etc etc. Nice example Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel. Keep waving that Brand and Team Flag in one hand and denying any Spiritual or legal responsibility or otherwise in the other hand. You guys are truly a "Brood of vipers!" May you reap what you continue to sow. [article link]

Joe Paterno and the myth of the university - The situation at Penn State revealed many truths about the society at major universities - It took an extreme example, the failure to report the raping of children, to reveal what I've known to be true for a few years now - The image and reputation of a major university is more important to the powers that be than anything else - It's more important than research and it's certainly more important than actually educating students
At all times, it's the reputation that must be safe-guarded. To use a specific, incredibly mild and harmless example, take the school I went to: the Medill School at Northwestern. It's been riding on its reputation since my mom attended back in the late sixties/early seventies. The classes are easy to pass without much effort and the instructors are generally fairly average. It has the reputation of being the hardest school at Northwestern. In reality, it's the easiest. The best part about Medill is the quarter you leave campus and intern at a news station/paper/magazine. It taught me I wanted nothing to do with the world of news. This program is called Journalism Residency. A friend of mine is on hers now and she texted me asking if she'd get in trouble for complaining publicly on Twitter that Medill offers absolutely nothing in the way of sports journalism education. Almost none of the JR sites are specific to sports and there are no classes to be found. I was confused. Why would she get in trouble for voicing a complaint? Well it turns out that before she left on JR, she and everyone else had been told in no uncertain terms to "watch what they tweet" because the school didn't want anything in the public sphere that would make the Journalism Residency program look bad. [article link]

This should be the end of Paterno State - It's a tragedy, but it's not a coincidence that abuses occur when football program is allowed free rein - As university presidents throughout the country view the steaming pile of rubble that was once college football's greatest coach and its most admired program, they should understand one thing - None of this is a coincidence
It is no coincidence that an alleged child molester was allowed to roam the Penn State University grounds unchecked for nearly a decade with the knowledge of everyone from the school president to the football coach. It is no coincidence that an alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old boy in the showers of the school's football locker room was never reported to police by anyone at Penn State University. It is no coincidence, because for 46 years it was not really Penn State University, it was Paterno State University. It was a school that sold its soul to football coach Joe Paterno for the sake of riches and recognition, a school that found its identity in his plain uniforms and lived its life by his corny pep talks. Paterno was allowed to play God, and so his longtime assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was allowed to do whatever he wanted, wherever he wanted, even if it included alleged sexual abuse of eight boys over a 15-year period. Penn State created Joe Paterno, worshiped Joe Paterno, and stunningly required four long days to finally throw the phony out into the street Wednesday when public furor forced the school's board of trustees to fire him for not reporting Sandusky to police. What took them so long? It was the same sick fear of Paterno's power that created this nightmare in the first place. Penn State and Paterno got everything they deserved for failing to live up to the words uttered by board vice chairman John Surma, a truth acknowledged 46 years too late. "'The university is much larger than its athletic teams,'' said Surma, as if that was something that actually needed to be said. [article link]

Paterno failed Penn State more than any coach has ever failed a school, and that's not the worst of it - Joe Paterno didn't do the right thing then, and he wasn't going to do the right thing now - He was going to do it his way - He was going to please himself, and to hell with anyone who thought he should do it otherwise - In the end, he seemingly couldn't understand how he failed the school he professed to love so much - He just didn't understand that he could not coach another game, that he could not stay at Penn State another hour
Indeed, that's one of the lessons of this story. Paterno became accountable to no one, and isn't that sad? He was the moral compass of State College and of Penn State. He earned that status by winning games, graduating players and not cheating. He seemed different from so many of the others because during his 46 seasons, Penn State proved it could win with honor. Somewhere along the way, Paterno's value system became distorted. He had more power than any school president or mayor or athletics director, and because we assumed he always used it for good, because we believed the things he said about winning with honor, we allowed his power to grow and grow and grow. Paterno built what appeared to be a model program, but he also built a program around secrecy and arrogance. No one crossed Joe Paterno. No one challenged Joe Paterno. Paterno professed to be part of the larger university community, but in truth, he believed the university was there to serve him. [article link]

Paterno Assistant's [Jerry Sandusky] Foundation Grew as Sex Allegations Persisted - "It was within The Second Mile program that Sandusky found his victims" the grand-jury report said {Note: A "second mile" is a Biblical concept (Matthew 5:41) - Jerry Sandusky in a sense used a biblical cover in order to deceive people and help him select his victims. - We, Christians need to know who we are dealing with; we need openness and we need accountability.}
"It was within The Second Mile program that Sandusky found his victims," the grand-jury report said. Sandusky, 67, was charged Nov. 5 with sexual assault of eight boys from 1994 to 2009. He has denied the charges. Paterno and university President Graham Spanier were fired last night after a meeting of the university's board of trustees. The Second Mile serves children with physical, emotional and academic needs and is "committed to helping young people achieve their potential as individuals and as community members," according to its website. The foundation's chief executive officer, John Raykovitz, wasn't available for comment, spokeswoman Jamie Modge said. Modge referred a reporter to a statement on the website. [article link]

Jerry Sandusky Rumored To Have 'Pimped' Boys To Donors: REPORT
Shockingly, there are reports that even more depraved details about the sexual crimes committed by Sandusky will be revealed in the coming days. As the quasi-riots shook the Penn State campus late Wednesday evening and early Thursday morning, SportsByBrooks began tweeting ominous messages about allegations that have yet to become public. [article link]

ASHTON KUTCHER CLOSES TWITTER ACCOUNT OVER PATERNO CONTROVERSY - KUTCHER has shut down his Twitter account after sparking outrage by defending ousted U.S. college football coach JOE PATERNO - His comment prompted a flurry of angry messages from offended followers, with several criticising Kutcher for his response in light of the charity he co-founded to end child sex slavery
Kutcher took to his Twitter.com page to question the board of trustees' decision to fire Paterno, writing, "How do you fire Jo Pa? insult. no class. as a hawkeye (University of Iowa) fan I find it in poor taste." His comment prompted a flurry of angry messages from offended followers, with several criticising Kutcher for his response in light of the charity he co-founded to end child sex slavery. The Two and a Half Men star quickly deleted the post and closed his page, admitting he felt "awful" about his comment. He tweeted, "As an advocate in the fight against child sexual exploitation, I could not be more remorseful for all involved in the Penn St. case. "As of immediately I will stop tweeting until I find a way to properly manage this feed. I feel awful about this error. Won't happen again." [article link]

Ashton Kutcher: I'm Taking a Break From Twitter - I'm going to turn the management [posts] of the feed over to my team at Katalyst Media to ensure the quality of it's content" - Katalyst is a company founded by Kutcher and Jason Goldberg that has a development deal with AOL
Ashton Kutcher, one of the most popular celebrities on Twitter, says he's taking a break from the social network for the time being. "As of immediately I will stop tweeting until I find a way to properly manage this feed," Kutcher wrote Wednesday night. "I feel awful about this error. Won't happen again." The impetus for Kutcher's sudden hiatus was an earlier tweet that defended Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who was fired Wednesday after being implicated in a scandal related to assistant coach Jerry Sandusky's alleged history of sexually molesting children. "How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #noclass as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste," the tweet said. Later on, Kutcher tweeted, "Heard Joe was fired, fully recant previous tweet!" and "Didn't have full story. #admitwhenYoumakemistakes." Those two tweets have been subsequently removed, but Kutcher has left another apology: "As an advocate in the fight against child sexual exploitation, I could not be more remorseful for all involved in the Penn St. case." [article link]

Don't sympathize for disgraced Paterno - After turning a blind eye to the alleged victims, the face [Joe Paterno] of Penn St. deserves the shame
Joe Paterno had it coming to him. He needed to be humiliated in the end, fired on the same day he announced his retirement, all but excommunicated by the very institution he had elevated into a sanctuary from all those vile major college ills. Don't cry for Joe, because Joe didn't cry for the alleged victims of Jerry Sandusky, the lost boys of Penn State, until it was at least nine years too late. The greatest of coaches, Paterno made possible the greatest scandal in the history of college sports. ... And all of this for what? Protecting the university's standing as a moral compass? Protecting the Nittany Lions' money machine? Protecting Paterno's legacy as an educator and molder of fine young men? How are all those things looking right about now? ... This one had to hurt. Paterno had released a statement earlier in the day announcing his retirement, effective at the end of the season, acknowledging that the sexual abuse case amounted to "one of the great sorrows of my life." But while expressing his concern for the alleged victims and his regret for not aiding them, Paterno offered a hint of why and how he could possibly take McQueary's 2002 account, pass it on to the athletic director, and then return without a second thought to his X's and O's. The head coach decreed that the trustees "should not spend a single minute discussing my status." One more time, Paterno was putting a big offensive line in front of his legacy and arrogantly plowing ahead with his career, on his terms, with no regard for Sandusky's alleged victims. So he deserved to take an embarrassing hit. After all the pain and suffering alleged to have been inflicted on his watch, Paterno couldn't be allowed to represent the university for one more game, [or] one more senior day. [article link]

Summary: The Biblical triune (3 in 1) nature [testimony (physical life), salvation (Spiritual life - eternal life) and judgment (1st judgment at physical death (1 Corinthians 4:4-5, 2 Corinthians 5:10 - 2nd judgment and eternal death, 1 Corinthians 5:13, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:6,14 Revelation 21:8)] of the *water, *blood and *Spirit (also represented in breath, wind, fire) that are each freely offered and given from God to all of mankind globally as a life giving (sustaining) witness and also as a witness of sin (and eventually as a judgment against sin), and importantly as a testimony of the once physical presence of Jesus Christ on earth (John 19:30, John 19:34-35) and of His eternal remedy for our own individual eternal Salvation
"John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was [and is] God {validated by His resurrection (Romans 1:4)}. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him [Jesus]; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him [Jesus] was [an is] life; and the life was [and is] the light of men." -- "John 3:5-13 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of *water [womb, physical human life] and of the *Spirit [Holy Spirit - born again], he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, **Ye must be born again. The wind [G4151] bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound [G5456] thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto Him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master [teacher] of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, ***We (1 John 5:7-9) speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He [Jesus] that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is [G5607] in heaven." -- "John 19:34-35 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His [Jesus'] side, and forthwith came there out {the global Judgment, global Testimony and global Salvation of} *blood and *water [and *Spirit] {the Spirit departing Jesus in Truth (John 19:30)}. And he (Disciple John) *that saw it bare record [testimony], and his [testimony] record is true: **and he knoweth that he saith true, ***that ye [individuals] might believe [salvation]." -- "1 John 5:7-9 For there are *three (triune) that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear *witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, *the witness [Spirit, water, blood] of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son [Jesus Christ]." [article link]

Summary: Earths 1.0 [Adam and Eve], 2.0 [present earth], 3.0 [Millennial Reign] and 4.0 [New Heavens and a New Earth - Eternal State] - Judgments 1.0 [water: flood of Noah], 2.0 [blood: moon, stars, earthquakes], 3.0 [spirit: earth and sky dissolved with fire (2 Peter 3:12-14)] and 4.0 [eternal earth/state no judgment (Revelation 21:1-4)]
Water: Original creation earth 1.0 and Judgment 1.0 - [Creation 1.0] "Genesis 1:1-3 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the *waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." -- "Genesis 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so." -- "Genesis 2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered [witnessed to] the whole face of the ground." -- "Genesis 2:10 And a river (witness) went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads." -- [Judgment 1.0] "Genesis 7:9-10 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth." --- Blood: Creation of Resurrection (out of the water) earth 2.0 - Earth 2.0 Creation: "Genesis 8:1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a *wind [as a witness to mankind] to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;" -- "Genesis 8:14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the [second] earth dried." -- Judgments of earth 2.0 "Exodus 7:17 Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I [Moses] will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river [Nile], and they shall be turned to blood." -- "Revelation 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;" -- "Revelation 8:8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;" -- Spirit: Creation of Millennial Reign (restored - modified, shaken) earth 3.0 "Revelation 16:18-20 And there were voices [witnesses], and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon [Mystery Babylon - fallen angelic realm] came in remembrance before God, to give unto her [scarlet woman - false church] the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found." -- [Millennial Reign earth 3.0] "Isaiah 11:4-6 But with righteousness shall He [Messiah, Jesus] judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins [determination]. [for 1,000 years] The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." -- "2 Peter 3:6-7 Whereby the world [earth 1.0] that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now [earth 2.0], by the same word are kept in store [modified into earth 3.0], reserved unto fire [judgment 3.0] against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." -- 2 Peter 3:12-14 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the Day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for New Heavens and a New Earth [earth 4.0], wherein dwelleth [only] righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him [Jesus Christ] in peace, without spot, and blameless." -- "Revelation 21:1-4 And I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth: for the first heaven and the first earth [all of earth 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0] were [completely] passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice [witness] out of heaven saying, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former [earth] things are passed away." [article link]

Summary: Advanced Judgment Accountability - The two generations of advanced judgment accountability - The 1st generation the people of the generation of the 1st coming of Jesus [with the Nation of Israel, the Laws of Moses (O.T.) and the Jerusalem Temple all in operation as a witness] - The 2nd generation the people of the generation of the 2nd coming of Jesus [with the re-established Nation of Israel, the first coming of Jesus (N.T.) and the future Jerusalem Temple all as a witness]
"Matthew 12:38-42 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But He [Jesus] answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas [Jonah]: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in **judgment with this generation [the generation of the 1st coming of Jesus], and shall condemn it: because they [Nineveh] repented at the preaching of Jonas [Jonah]; and, behold [the Christ], a greater than Jonas [Jonah] is here. The queen of the south [Queen Sheba] shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold [the Christ], a greater than Solomon is here." -- "Revelation 13:9-10 If any man have an ear, let him hear. He [of this 2nd generation, the 2nd coming of Jesus] that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the [Tribulation] patience and the [End Time] faith of the saints." [article link]

Summary: A case for the literal interpretation of the Book of Revelation - The transitions from O.T. physical emphasis to N.T. spiritual emphasis (i.e. blessings) and back to a physical (non-spiritual) emphasis during the Revelation (Tribulation) End Times period
Physical Old Testament: "Deuteronomy 7:11-14 Thou [Jewish Nation of Israel] shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I [God] command thee this day, to do them. Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the Covenant and the mercy which He sware unto thy fathers: And He will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: He will also [primarily physically bless Israel] bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which He sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle." -- Spiritual New Testament: "Matthew 11:11-15 Verily I [Jesus] say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater [prophet] than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven [Christian Church Age] is [Spiritually] greater than he [the prophet John the Baptist]. And from the days of John the Baptist until now [during and including the transition] the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. **And if ye will receive it, this [John the Baptist] is [in the spirit - name of] Elias [Elijah (meaing Elohim is Jehovah, God - wikipedia.org)], which was for to come (Malachi 4:5). He that hath [spiritual] ears to hear, let him hear." -- "John 2:19-21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple [the physical temple in Jerusalem], and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But He [Jesus] spake of the Temple of His [Spiritual] body." -- "Matthew 26:26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat [the Spiritual]; this is My body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink [the Spiritual] ye all of it; For this is My blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." -- Physical End Times of Revelation: "2 Thessalonians 2:1-10 Now we beseech you, brethren [Christians], by the [future] coming [the 2nd Coming] of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our [Church Age conclusion and] gathering together unto Him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by [false] spirit, nor by [false] word, nor by [false] letter as from us, as that the Day of Christ [fulfillment - conclusion and end of the Church Age] is at hand [already happened - *The Christians and people of Thessalonia had been wrongly told by a false message i.e. from a Harold Camping type of person, that the Church Age had already passed and that there could not be any more people saved as Christians]. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [end of the Church Age] shall not come, except there come a falling away [lit. apostasy] first, and that man of sin [Antichrist] be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he [Antichrist] as [pretending to be] God sitteth in the temple of God [in Jerusalem], shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know [Holy Spirit] what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the Mystery of Iniquity [deliberate sins] doth already work: only He [Holy Spirit] who now letteth [allows mankind the freewill to sin temporarily] will let, until He [Holy Spirit] be taken out of the way [allowing the 7th Kingdom - the Kingdom of Antichrist - to be established]. And then shall that Wicked [Antichrist] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit [Truth] of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even **him [Antichrist], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders [during the 7th Kingdom the Antichrist Kingdom is spiritual (demonically) while the Kingdom of God on earth is physical the Holy Spirit having given way and allowed the Antichrist to have his Kingdom for a few short years], And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." -- "Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast [Antichrist], neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; **and they [that were dead] lived and reigned with Christ [for a literal] a thousand years [on earth 3.0]." [article link]

Summary: Mystery Babylon and the Scarlet Woman - "Revelation 17:3-5 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness [desolate place]: and I saw a woman [false religion] sit upon a scarlet coloured beast [government], full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And **upon her forehead [i.e. 666] was a name written [i.e. belonging to - a part of], MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
Revelation Chapter 17: And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials [measured bowl judgments], and talked with me [Disciple John], saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore [false church - false religion] that sitteth [globally] upon many waters [peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages]: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication [unfaithfulness], and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine [spirit] of her fornication [unfaithfulness]. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness [desolate place]: and I saw a woman [false religion] sit upon a scarlet coloured beast [government], full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And **upon her forehead [i.e. 666] was a name written [i.e. belonging to - a part of], MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman [false religion], and of the beast [government] that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads [7 Kingdoms] and ten horns [ten regions of the 7th Kingdom]. The beast that thou sawest [Antichrist] was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast [Antichrist] that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains [Kingdoms - the 7 Gentile Global Kingdoms of earth 2.0], on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings [Gentile Kingdoms - Nimrod (Tower of Babel), Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and Revised-Rome]: five are fallen, and one [6th Kingdom Rome] is, and the other [7th Revised-Rome - Antichrist Kingdom] is not yet come; and when he [Antichrist] cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth [Antichrist's fake resurrection], and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns [10 regions of the 7th Kingdom] which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast [Antichrist]. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb [Jesus], and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they [Saints] that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these [10 global kings] shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil His will, and to agree, and give their kingdom [all ten parts of the globe] unto the beast [Antichrist], until the Words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great [unseen] city [Mystery Babylon - fallen angelic realm], which reigneth over the kings of the earth. [article link]

Should We Reform or Abandon American Protestantism? {Note: Of course reform our beliefs (Biblically) but not abandon them. -- WWJD is now equated with 'atonement by example' [Source: WWJD - 2009 movie, DVD] the false belief that doing what Jesus did is how we gain salvation and favor from God. The WWJD entrapment teaching has become a very dangerous occultic trap and is a very unbiblical teaching to practice. Instead of WWJD it is WDJD (What did Jesus do - freely for us). Relationship (friendship) Christianity is the true Christianity! Relationship and friendship with God (because of what Jesus did for us) and a relationship and friendship with others (also because of what Jesus did for us). Avoid the guilt and condemnation of not being able to be like Jesus. Instead of practicing WWJD and trying the impossible to emulate Jesus [God], just be a child and a friend to God, then be a friend to your friends, a parent to your children, a spouse to your spouse, an employee to your employer and neighbor to your neighbors, etc. Christianity is very much about being real, being yourself [in Jesus Christ] and it is not all that much about becoming your own [Biblically uninformed - slave to a pastor personality] variation of Jesus Christ.} (Short Video)
Have you grown impatient with your church's seemingly endless quest for being hip and relevant? Have you become weary of "meaningful worship services" that say more about radio dial preferences than biblical fidelity? Are you irritated by the constant flow of shallow, superficial, and even narcissistic books that stock the shelves of evangelical bookstores? On this program, Michael Horton talks about these issues and more ... [Via: http://mikeratliff.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/sneak-attacks-from-bottom-feeders-et-cetera/] [article link]

Is Jesus "the One" in Mormonism? - Jesus posed to the disciples at Caesarea Philippi: "Who do you say that I am?" (Mark 8:29) - Christian faith begins with a right understanding of Jesus, "not just what He taught or what He did, but who He is" - "You are the Christ" Peter declared -- Rev. De Young pointed out a foundational difference between the opinions of the masses and the belief of the disciples: For the general public, Jesus was "one of" for the disciples, Jesus was "the One" - "He is the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt 16:16)
Rev. De Young pointed out a foundational difference between the opinions of the masses and the belief of the disciples: For the general public, Jesus was "one of;" for the disciples, Jesus was "the One." Though the people elevated Jesus and put Him in very good company, they were wrong. Rev. De Young wrote, "It sounds very lofty to call Jesus a prophet, a popular teacher, a wonder worker, a good man, a brilliant example, or part of a long line of enlightened figures. But all of these descriptions miss the point. In all of them, you are saying Jesus is one of (see v. 28). And if you say Jesus is only one of and not the One, you haven't understood Him. You don't see who He really is. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt 16:16)." I can't help but think of how Mormon doctrines make Jesus "one of" rather than "the One." For according to Mormon leaders, Jesus is not the Christ, the Son of the living God; He is a Christ, a Son of a living God. [article link]

Abandon the Reformation, Abandon the Gospel - It is tempting to think of the Reformation as a mere political or social movement - In reality, however, the Reformation was a fight over the gospel itself - The reformers argued that God's free and gracious acceptance of guilty sinners on the basis of the work of Christ alone is at the heart of the gospel
Does Reformation Theology Matter Today? Does Reformation theology matter today? Absolutely. It is tempting to think of the Reformation as a mere political or social movement. In reality, however, the Reformation was a fight over the gospel itself. The reformers argued that God's free and gracious acceptance of guilty sinners on the basis of the work of Christ alone is at the heart of the gospel. While the political and social context has changed since the 16th century, nevertheless, this issue remains at the forefront. ... But God's justification of the ungodly is at the very center of Paul theology (Rom. 4:5). This is why the gospel is such good news! The news is so good because not only has Christ died and risen again (Acts 2:22-36), but now we have the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). No wonder Paul can say that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for "in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'" Therefore, Luther's awakening after reading Romans 1:17 was essentially a gospel awakening. To divorce justification from the gospel is to ignore our basic human predicament: how are we, as guilty sinners, to find favor before a holy God? Clearly this was the question in Paul's mind when he concluded, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). [article link]

Halloween Perspective 2011 - BasicChristian.org: Online Tracts - Two New Video Tracts Added (Tracts - Videos)
Online tracks - the Good News of the Christian message of Salvation, eternal life in Jesus Christ available now to a fragile and fallen mankind. [article link]

Halloween Perspective 2011 - BasicChristian.org: Halloween Information & Resources - Christians everywhere are rejecting Halloween's message of Death, Disobedience, and Despair
Christians everywhere are rejecting Halloween's message of Death, Disobedience, and Despair and instead are using this opportunity to proclaim the Truth about God's Love for mankind and about His Biblical plan of Life, Hope, and Salvation for us in Jesus Christ. [article link]

Bible verse: Psalms 122:6-9 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the House of the LORD our God I will seek thy good. {The complete Bible is available at ChristianFaithDownloads.com}
Psalms 122 A Song of degrees of David. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the House of the LORD [where judgment and righteousness are revealed]. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the Testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the Name of the LORD. **For there are set Thrones of Judgment, the Thrones of the House of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the House of the LORD our God I will seek thy good. -- Holy Bible [article link]

Update 10-21-2011: I know that these are difficult topics and difficult studies to get into and I appreciate how much everyone is staying in there and working with [considering and examining] the postings and the material - Also my computer is having a [power] glitch so if the postings stop [mid-post] and can't be updated it's because of my computer
I know that these are difficult topics and difficult studies to get into and I appreciate how much everyone is staying in there and working with the material in considering and examining the postings and topics. **Know for certain that the Basic Christian Ministry is dedicated to providing all of the information, resources and material that I have. The Ministry is not holding back anything at any time from anyone and is completely dedicated to completing all of the studies including presenting all of the material and that includes some controversial material i.e. spiritual, End Time, Tribulation material. All of the material is presented in the best possible and most documented way that I can present it. I purposely do not try to exaggerate the material or alarm people beyond the already alarming topics that we are covering. Most of the Website Ministry material has already been posted and the few postings that are left to do are mostly clarification into what has already been posted so there are no more corners for the Ministry to turn into and there are certainly no shocking detours that the Ministry is suddenly going to take. We just have a few more postings of the same general material that has always been posted from this Ministry and that will pretty much wrap up this internet phase of the Basic Christian Ministry. - I'm praying about getting back into a more traditional physical, people to people, servant ministry but who knows, and until then I'm hoping to remain faithful in posting the internet studies, information and resources. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Update 10-21-2011: I'm working on a couple of brief Topical Studies to be posted soon [then returning to the 8 Kingdoms study] - Also I just ordered two DVD sets off of Amazon [hat tip: solasisters.blogspot.com/2011/10/reformation.html]
Coming Soon: (1.) The Thee Judgments [Water, Blood, Spirit (fire)] {they are also the three life giving elements i.e. water (womb) birth, physical life blood and spirit (fire warmth)} and Judgment Accountability (Matthew 12:41-42; Revelation 13:10) --- (2.) The Transitions from Physical O.T. [i.e. physical Temple] to Spiritual N.T. [i.e. Spiritual Temple body of Jesus] and back to physical during the Tribulation Times [i.e. back to a physical Temple building] {Note: The Christian Church is highly Spiritual - the true godly spiritual is right now [blessings are to be more spiritual than physical]. Too many people are confusing the highly spiritual as a time to come later in the End Times with the Antichrist but those are all [counterfeit] deceiving signs, miracles and wonders of the Antichrist Kingdom while the true Believers will then be primarily back into a physical [non-spiritual] realm.} [article link]

Preview: The Biblical triune (3 in 1) nature [testimony, salvation, judgment] of the water, blood and Spirit (also represented in breath, wind, fire) that are each freely offered and given from God to all of mankind globally as a witness of sin (and eventually as a judgment against sin), a testimony of the once physical presence of Jesus Christ and as an eternal remedy for our own individual Salvation
Where the Apostle Peter's significant life changing event during his time with Jesus seemed to be at the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:1-8, 2 Peter 1:16-18) the Apostle John's significant life changing event with Jesus seems to have been at the cross (John 19:34-35, 1 John 5:7-9) when Jesus was pierced by the Roman spear and the blood and water poured out from the wound in Jesus' side. The Apostle John then regards the presence of the Spirit and the separation of the blood and water coming out from Jesus as a witness, a judgment, and a testimony of salvation for all of mankind. When the Basic Christian blog History study returns in about a week we will Biblically look into the blood, water and fire (spirit), testimonies and judgments of the Bible from throughout the Old Testament starting in Genesis and continuing consistently throughout the entire Bible then concluding in book of Revelation [the sin of Adam and Eve and the shedding of blood, the flood of Noah, the Aaronic Priesthood, the Last Supper Communion, the atoning cross of Jesus Christ, the Resurrection of Jesus and birth (Alpha) of the Christian Church, the Pentecost global Spirit empowerment and witness, the calling home into heaven by Jesus the rapture (Omega) of the Christian Church, Revelation-Tribulation]. -- "John 19:34-35 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His [Jesus'] side, and forthwith came there out {the global Judgment, global Testimony and global Salvation of} *blood and *water [and *Spirit] {the Spirit departing Jesus in Truth (John 19:30)}. And he (Disciple John) *that saw it bare record [testimony], and his [testimony] record is true: **and he knoweth that he saith true, ***that ye [individuals] might believe [salvation]." -- "1 John 5:7-9 For there are *three (triune) that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear *witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, *the witness [Spirit, water, blood] of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son [Jesus Christ]." [article link]

Preview: Creation Earth 1.0 (Adam - Noah) -- Earth 2.0 (Noah - Revelation) -- Earth 3.0 (Millennial Kingdom reign of Jesus Christ) -- Earth 4.0 (unjudged, eternal earth)
Earth 1.0 the original creation earth was a water vapor based environment and had the dual [water below the earth, vapor - water canopy above the earth, firmament] witness of water witnessing of God's creation. Water [life giving water - womb (John 3:5)] was then the witnessing element that then judged the original earth. - Earth 2.0 our present earth is under the [prophesied and enacted] Life givng (Matthew 26:28) and Judgment blood (Revelation 6:12, Revelation 8:7-8, Revelation 11:6) of Jesus Christ. - Earth 3.0 the restored Millennial earth [final judged earth] having the [spirit (life) and fire (judgment)] presence of Jesus during the Kingdom, Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, the earth (3.0) will be judged by fire [spirit]. Resulting in the final, eternal [earth 4.0] the final earth not being judged is the eternal earth. -- "2 Peter 3:5-7 For this [unbelief of Word of God - Biblical prophecy] they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the [1.0] earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the [1.0] world that then was, being [judged] overflowed with water [Noah's flood], perished: But the [2.0] heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same Word [of God - prophecies] are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of [3.0] judgment and perdition of ungodly men." -- "2 Peter 3:11-14 Seeing then that all these things [earth 2.0] shall be dissolved [judgment 3.0], what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements [earth 3.0] shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His Promise, look for New Heavens [skies] and a New Earth [eternal - earth 4.0], **wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him (Jesus Christ) in peace, without spot, and blameless." [article link]

Amazon: Empires Collection - The Dynasties (Egypt's Golden Empire / The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance / Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire / The Roman Empire in the First Century / The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization) - Empires Collection: The Dynasties (5 Disc Gift Set) - Empires Collection: The Dynasties is a compilation of five outstanding stories of some of histories greatest dynasties (2000 - DVDs)
Egypt's Golden Empire: In 1570 B.C., when Rome was still a marsh and the Acropolis was an empty rock, Egypt was already 1000 years old. Although the period of the pyramid-builders was long over, Egypt lay on the threshold of its greatest age. The New Kingdom would be an empire forged by conquest, maintained by intimidation and diplomacy, and remembered long after its demise. Led by a dynasty of rich personalities, whose dramatic lives changed the course of civilization, Egypt's Golden Empire presents the most extraordinary period in Egyptian history: from 1570 B.C. to 1070 B.C., when the Egyptian Empire reached its zenith. -- The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance - From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. They would also ignite the most important cultural and artistic revolution in Western history- the European Renaissance. But the forces of change the Medici helped unleash would one day topple their ordered world. An epic drama played out in the courts, cathedrals and palaces of Europe, this series is both the tale of one family's powerful ambition and of Europe's tortured struggle to emerge from the ravages of the Dark Ages. -- Japan: Memoirs Of A Secret Empire - Commanding shoguns and samurai warriors, exotic geisha and exquisite artisans -- all were part of the Japanese "renaissance" -- a period between the 16th and 19th centuries when Japan went from chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace. But stability came at a price: for nearly 250 years, Japan was a land closed to the Western world, ruled by the Shogun under his absolute power and control. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire brings to life the unknown story of a mysterious empire, its relationship to the West, and the forging of a nation that would emerge as one of the most important countries in the world. -- The Roman Empire in the First Century: Two thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first century, the ancient world was ruled by Rome. Through the experiences, memories and writings of the people who lived it, this series tells the story of that time - the emperors and slaves, poets and plebeians, who wrested order from chaos, built the most cosmopolitan society the world had ever seen and shaped the Roman empire in the first century A.D. -- The Greeks: Crucible [melting pot] of Civilization - The Greeks - Classical Greece of the 4th and 5th centuries, B.C. was a magnificent civilization that laid the foundations for modern science, politics, warfare, and philosophy, and produced some of the most breathtaking art and architecture the world has ever known. Through the eyes and words of the great heroes of ancient Greece, this dazzling production charts the rise, triumph, and eventual decline of the world's first democracy. Now, through dramatic storytelling and state-of-the-art computer animation, you witness history, art, and government with giants like Pericles, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. [article link]

Amazon: When Rome Ruled - National Geographic's groundbreaking 6-part series reveals ancient Rome's hidden treasures and untold stories as never before - From iconic figures including [Emperors] Caligula, Caesar and Constantine, to epic events such as the eruption of Vesuvius, the invasion of Britain, and fall of Rome, When Rome Ruled reveals a startling up-to-date vision of the ancient empire and challenges our perception of what we know about the Romans and their lives (3 DVD Set)
FYI, this DVD contains 6 parts plus a bonus part. The original National Geographic special, and the DVDs sold on its website, contains 8 parts. This version is missing two episodes. I was not aware of this and will be returning it. I took one star off for the omission. I've viewed parts of this series on the National Geographic channel, however, and it is great and deserves the other stars. ~ By David Polsky. -- Heath_N says: After reading this review, I ordered the Blu-ray set from National Geographic directly. I got 6 episodes on two discs, one which includes 1 bonus feature. [article link]

Update: 10-04-2011 - Update: Due to reoccurring technical problems the BasicChristian.info website and News Feed had to be closed, it was out of my hands - A temporary BasicChristian.info site is up on a different server just to wind it down before it is permanently removed ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown
Note: This is a big setback for the Ministry - the .info RSS News Feed was the feed I used but fortunately we still have the BasicChristian.org RSS Feed and those of us who used the .info Feed will have to switch over to the RSS Feed labeled [XML] on the BasicChristian.org website. Those who always got the feed from BasicChristian.org won't have to do anything to continue getting the RSS Info and News Feed. - The loss of the BasicChristian.info website creates a tremendous disadvantage for the Basic Christian Ministry in that we had multiple items [the blog Studies] in use for that feed. Going forward the Ministry will still post on the BasicChristian.org RSS feed and only on that feed, the .info feed and materials won't be replaced because it would bring back the same technical problems. The current RSS feed is going to have to suffice until 2012 when we can complete the current 8 Kingdoms Study and the Church History Study. In the next few months I'll look into some newer blogging technologies and hopefully sometime in 2012 we can have a newer blogging technology, one that is more interactive and can be in use on the new CommonChristianCommunity.com website and hopefully it will replace the current RSS feed. [article link]

Alpha & Omega Ministries Apologetics Blog - I have been downright encouraged to note the response that has appeared to the amazing statements of James McDonald of "Vertical Church" wherein he basically throws Nicene orthodoxy under the proverbial bus - Now I know that "emergent" folks have an odd relationship with history---they love to drag stuff out of history, without its attendant context, as if it is "new" but when it comes to accepting that [we] stand on the shoulders of giants and that there are things that have simply been settled in the past, they rebel and want to put everything "back on the table" -- {Note: The Jerusalem Creed [1st Church Council about 49 A.D. in Jerusalem] has 4 Cornerstones the fourth one being not to offend traditional Jews. The Church Creeds [Jerusalem, Nicene, etc.] are important and relevant to all of Christianity. Since one of the Cornerstones of the 1st Church Council is to support Jews and Traditional Judaism it is an original and longstanding tenant that true Christianity acknowledges its debt and emergence from (God ordained) Mosaic Judaism. "Acts 1:20-21 [The Jerusalem Creed - 1st Church Council about 49 A.D. in Jerusalem] But that we [Apostles] write unto them [Gentile Christians], (1.) that they abstain from [occult] pollutions of idols, (2.) and from [immorality] fornication, (3.) and from things [cruelty] strangled, (4.) and from [Levitical] blood. **For Moses of old time hath [traditional Jews] in every city them that preach him (Moses), being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day."}
But even more importantly than the tweaking of Modalism so that it gets a place at the table is the attitude McDonald has displayed toward the Nicene definition. He says he does not trace his beliefs to credal statements. Really? If by that he means creeds are always subject to the higher authority of Scripture, of course. But this is where you fall off the other side of the narrow path and rather than believing in sola scriptura, you end up with something much less, and in fact, much different. Nicea's authority comes from its fidelity to Scripture. It does not stand alone as a new revelation, and it survived simply because it is, despite all the arguments to the contrary, the consistent, harmonious testimony of divine writ. To throw its authority into the dustbin of history in the service of some kind of "emergent" attitude is not only to display an astoundingly arrogant hubris, it is to show deep disrespect to those who fought, and some who died, in defense of its truth. And for what? For some kind of post-modern feel-goodism that cannot even recognize modalism when it is standing right in front of you. A truly educational example of just how far the emergent movement is willing to go in pursuit of its ultimately destructive goals. -- Recently Jamin Hubner has raised issues relating to a simple question: is the modern secular state of Israel religiously and theologically significant? Is it "Israel" as in the Israel of Scripture, or Romans 11? And if it is not, is it open to criticism? He is concerned about the strength of the movement, mainly amongst American evangelicals, that has granted to Israel not only a theological position it does not actually hold, but which precludes even the slightest mention of criticism of a secular state. Now, I am not going to re-hash everything here, but he has even been accused of being a "shill for Hamas" due to sources he has cited and issues he has raised (which seems to me to provide strong evidence of the need to raise such issues and challenge the knee-jerk reactions of many in the Evangelical community as a whole). While he has sought fair and non-emotional responses to questions he has raised, his requests have, in the main, fallen upon deaf ears, for I see no evidence that his critics really want to have a give-and-take. [article link]

Calvary Chapel Abuse blog "Those (pastors) who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning" (1 Timothy 5) - Is Roger Oakland right about Calvary Chapel? - Roger Oakland [UnderstandTheTimes.org] has been an outspoken critic, as has Deborah Dombrowski of Lighthouse Trails Research [LighthouseTrailsResearch.com/blog] and many others regarding End Times Apostasy and Ecumenicism of Calvary Chapel
Comments: #11
* The pastor has real accountability that doesn't require his [approval] to submit to it while he's in sin.
* Elders would actually be able to hold the pastor accountable, without his being able to fire them first.
* Elders would not be chosen by the pastor, so he can "stack the deck" and/or choose "yes" men.
* Same goes for the financial board.
* The financial books are [to be] open for people to look at and ask questions without any retribution or removal ... oh, and they actually get real answers.
* The Moses Model [Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa] leadership [model] would be removed.
* Actual pastoring of the flock, i.e. visit the sick, help the orphans & widows, model servant leadership.
* Not overworking leadership (6 1/2 days per week @ 50 to 80 hours).
* Pastor doesn't underpay leaders with the excuse, "Where God guides, he provides."
* Pastor doesn't overpay himself, comparing to a CEO's pay. (Pay includes: ALL the perks, wife's pay, vacations, meals, gas, cars, housing, clothing allowance, gym memberships, etc….)
* Pastors & leaders understand that Matthew 18 applies to them, too.
* Pastor understands that he is not more anointed than the attenders, not more special, and doesn't have God's ear more than the rest of the Christians.
* Pastor is not a narcissist.
* The leaders surrounding the Pastor are not "yes" men.
* The church [voters] would have membership, ensuring accountability for the pastor and [oversight in the] use of money.
* Pastors/elders/leaders actually biblically qualify to be in the position.
* Pastors/elders/leaders are actually removed when they no longer qualify.
Show me a CC church [any Church/Fellowship] that has any of these and I'm interested to know more. [article link]

Breaking News!! Calvary Chapel Abuse blog - "You can't handle the Truth!" Another peak behind the Curtain - My "meeting" with [Pastor] Chuck Smith - {Note: as the Calvary Chapel denomination enters disintegration mode right before our very eyes [Pastor Chuck Smith has apparently just divested himself of all authority and oversight among ALL Affiliated Calvary Chapels associated with Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa] -- any current Calvary Chapel or any Church or Fellowship can use the Basic Christian Ministry Material (BasicChristian.org). Instead of calling your Church a Calvary Chapel avoid the turmoil that is happening there and be prepared to preach a peaceful Gospel of Jesus Christ. Disassociate with CCCM and drop the vaguely pseudo CC Dove and instead while you decide what you want to do put a B in front of your CC and become a "Basic Christian Church" BCC or a "Basic Christian Chapel" BCC instead of a Calvary Chapel CC and use the Three Cross Logo of Basic Christian as a new Church/Chapel Logo. Welcome! Now move on to being a BCC and preaching a trusted Gospel to the world.}
I'm obviously disappointed that I didn't hear from Chuck Smith or his attorney, Janet Carter, yesterday regarding the Bob Grenier situation (though I emailed and left a message asking what the verdict was). ... The meeting quickly turns to "what do you mean you can't yank Bob's dove [Calvary Chapel Affiliation]?" We then argue about Affiliation. Chuck takes the position that he "can't" yank doves or Dis-Affiliate anyone and that **he doesn't even know there is "Affiliation" or an "Affiliation Agreement." I tell him I have a copy of one. He says he'd like to see it, that he has no knowledge of one, etc. I ask Dave Rolph the same thing. Dave says he has no idea what I'm talking about, this [Calvary Chapel] "Affiliation" thing. I tell them they're both lying through their teeth, but I get it, we're going to play the Lawyer Game. ... During the course of the "Affiliation" argument, I brought up the fact that Calvary Chapel owns the licensing rights to the Dove Logo and name Calvary Chapel. This was denied flatly. I then argued from the Absurd to make a point. I asked Chuck and his attorney if I could open up a Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa II right across the street and use the same Dove Logo and if they'd have a problem with that. They said, "No." Basically, they said the only thing that could or would stop me was the State of California if it infringed on DBA/corporate name entity stuff, that basically, Calvary Chapel doesn't have any licensing or enforcement of licensing. ... It was now crystal clear that this was a Hill Chuck would die on. He doesn't want to hand over Agency and/or Implied Agency to Kosnoff and lose the lawsuit he's in. He'll lie or spin (and justify it, I believe he sincerely thinks he's righteous in doing so to protect "the Lord's Work" at CCCM) to not lay down in that suit and potentially others. Chuck is very intelligent and his lawyers are very intelligent. Chuck should've listened to Jeff Dorman many years ago when he was warned about going half-way with this pseudo-Denomination Light "Affiliation" and now "Fellowship" thingy, but again, it is what it is. Chuck did take the warning, though, to change it from "Affiliation" to "Fellowship" as "Affiliation" has a legal connotation that screams Agency…so at least he did that some years back (though many Calvary Chapel Pastors still claim they are "Affiliated", etc). ... My position was that Bob Grenier called Chuck "his Pastor"…from the pulpit, on his website, in his book. Chuck said clearly that he "wasn't" Bob's pastor. I said, "Well, that would be news to Bob." I told Chuck, whether he liked it or not, he was Bob Grenier's "pastor" and had a Scriptural obligation to deal with him per 1 Timothy 5:19-22. -- Comments: #2 I have a profound disagreement with Chuck and CC that he has zero responsibility or obligation in these matters (and many other matters) and my position is that the CC church-goer at large is being misinformed (some would call it lied to) or given the wrong impresseion etc about what the Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, CCOF, Calvary Chapel and "Affiliation" and/or "Fellowship" situation really is. [article link]

Update: 09-18-2011 - I'll be out of town for the next few days ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown
After the blog Study resumes the postings finishing the blog History Study portion the 8 Kingdoms [6 of the Kingdoms are ancient global history, the 7th Kingdom is current global events and the 8th global Kingdom (Millennial Reign Kingdom of Jesus Christ) is still yet future] should be able to resume and then the study portion of the blog Church History is scheduled to begin after the completion of the 8 Kingdoms study. [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Introduction - "Hosea 1:11 Then shall the **Children of Judah [Southern Kingdom] and the **Children of Israel [Northern Kingdom] be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel [Hosea 1:4 - people who have been taken advantage of by others in authority]."
"Hosea 3:4-5 For the Children of Israel shall abide many days [Diaspora] without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the Children of Israel return [1948 A.D.], and seek the LORD their God, and David [Beloved - Jesus Christ also like King David of the House of Judah] their King; and shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days." -- "Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people [Jews - Judah and Israel] and upon thy Holy City [Jerusalem], *to finish the transgression [virgin birth - incarnation], and *to make an end of sins [cross], and to *make reconciliation for iniquity [forgiveness (Luke 23:34)], and to bring in *everlasting righteousness [resurrection life], and to seal up the vision and prophecy [2nd Coming (1 Corinthians 13:8-10)], and to *anoint the Most Holy [Messiah - Kingdom Reign - 8th Kingdom (i.e. 1 Chronicles 11:3)]." [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Introduction - Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem - We need some Biblical framework to look at in order to help view the End Time contents in their proper categories and occurrences - The primary End Time Biblical structure is based upon Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem - For Example since 1948 when the Jewish homeland was re-established it is under the banner [flag] of the Nation of Israel and not yet under the banner of the Nation of Judah - This means that the Northern Kingdom [Israel] was reestablished and *not yet the Southern Kingdom of Judah
Keep in mind that the ancient Nation of Israel was the rebellious, breakaway district [the 10 Northern Tribes] that broke away from Judah [the Two Southern Tribes - Judah and Benjamin] after the Kingdom reign of King Solomon [son of King David]. Though the rebellious Northern Kingdom Nation of Israel had their own Kings [rulers] and their own Prophets [foremost being the Prophet Hosea] the Nation of Israel never had a legitimate Temple and accompanying Temple Priesthood as the true Temple and Temple [Levitical] Priesthood remained in Jerusalem in Judah. - Significantly [for End Times Biblical Prophecy] the rebirth of the Jewish Nation in 1948 was the rebirth of the Nation of Israel, a Nation with rulers [Prime Ministers - Presidents] and Prophets [Rabbis] but not a Temple. The prophetic and Biblical reason that Israel was reestablished and not yet Judah is because Judah with a Temple is where the Messiah will reign and rule from and since the Messiah (Jesus) has already come the first time to Judah the rebuilt [future] Judah will not take place until the 2nd Coming of the Messiah. Therefore Biblically Judah is yet to be established and there should be a distinction in an End Time study that there are certain differences between the Nations of Israel and Judah and the Holy city of Jerusalem and that the Nation of Israel [1948] and the Holy City of Jerusalem [1967] are validly in existence at this time but that the reestablished Judah [Temple Israel] is not yet in existence and will not be until the Millennial Kingdom reign of Jesus Christ the coming 8th global Kingdom. [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - 1947-1948 Israel Reestablished - THE DECLARATION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL May 14, 1948 - On the 29th November, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution [Resolution 181] calling for the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz[Land]-Israel
ACCORDINGLY WE, MEMBERS OF THE PEOPLE'S COUNCIL, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ERETZ-ISRAEL AND OF THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT, ARE HERE ASSEMBLED ON THE DAY OF THE TERMINATION OF THE BRITISH MANDATE OVER ERETZ-ISRAEL AND, BY VIRTUE OF OUR NATURAL AND HISTORIC RIGHT AND ON THE STRENGTH OF THE RESOLUTION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HEREBY DECLARE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE IN ERETZ-ISRAEL, TO BE KNOWN AS THE STATE OF ISRAEL. ... WE APPEAL to the Jewish people throughout the Diaspora to rally round the Jews of Eretz-Israel in the tasks of immigration and upbuilding and to stand by them in the great struggle for the realization of the age-old dream - the redemption of Israel. -- PLACING OUR TRUST IN THE "ROCK OF ISRAEL" (Psalms 19:14 in Hebrew -- i.e. Psalms 18:1-2), WE AFFIX OUR SIGNATURES TO THIS PROCLAMATION AT THIS SESSION OF THE PROVISIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE, ON THE SOIL OF THE HOMELAND, IN THE CITY OF TEL-AVIV, ON THIS SABBATH EVE, THE 5TH DAY OF IYAR, 5708 (14TH MAY,1948). ~ David Ben-Gurion [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Rock of Israel - The Rock of Israel is a concept in Judaism that alludes to God, and in Zionism and politics, to the **cultural and historical heritage of the Jewish people and the foundation of the [modern] State of Israel - The term was used in the Israeli Declaration of Independence as a compromise [Rock instead of the word Redeemer] between religious and secular Jews
Wikipedia: In Psalm 19:14 [in the Hebrew Version] of the Old Testament of the Bible, God is referred to as the "Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." In religious terms, the "Rock" means God, who protects the Jewish people and is the center of their faith, which defines their identity and consciousness. The term indicates the trust and faith of people in God, who is immutable [cannot be modified - Wiki.com]. However, secular Zionists have interpreted this term in a non-religious way to mean the cultural and historical heritage that has preserved Jewish community and identity over centuries. Both meanings have influenced the movement for the return of Jews to the Holy Land and the creation of the Jewish state of Israel. A phrase beginning "Rock of Israel" is part of the morning prayers in some versions of the [Jewish] prayerbook, where it is recited immediately before the Shemonah Esrei prayer [Shemoneh Esrei prayer - "The Standing Prayer" - Amidah]. -- Controversy: The term "Rock of Israel" was subject of controversy just before the promulgation of the Israeli Declaration of Independence on 14 May 1948. The leaders present at the ceremony and who were to be signatories of the declaration believed that the declaration should express the fundamental values and principles that would define the new state, which would give the Jewish people a homeland in Palestine after 2,000 years. -- The Jewish religious leaders, led by Rabbi Fishman-Maimon wanted a clear reference to God by the usage of the words "The Rock of Israel and its Redeemer." However, a large segment of the Jewish leadership included those with secular and socialist convictions who sought a clear separation of church and state. Aharon Zisling, the left-wing leader of Mapam refused to sign the declaration of independence if it contained references to "a God in whom he did not believe." The disagreement threatened to derail the actual and ceremonial proclamation of the establishment of a Jewish state in the former British Mandate of Palestine. -- Israeli leader David Ben-Gurion, who would become the country's first Prime Minister, spent the morning of 14 May [1948] mediating the dispute between Rabbi Maimon and Zisling. After hours of talks, Rabbi Maimon agreed to leave out the term **"Redeemer" from the text of the declaration. The compromise was included without a final vote. Later in his life Ben-Gurion is said to have explained that to him, "Rock of Israel" meant "the Old Testament with its history and traditions", or "Tzahal" (the Israeli army). -- English translation: Significantly, the whole passage containing the words "Rock of Israel" was not included in the English language translation that was released for publication, owing to the military censorship imposed to keep the time and place of the ceremony secret in the wake of the war that was about to begin. -- Despite Ben-Gurion's conviction that "Rock of Israel" was not necessarily a religious term, the official English translation composed by Moshe Sharet, and cited in official documents, rendered it as "Almighty God." It was not until 1962 that the Israeli government changed it to the more literal "Rock of Israel". [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - A Two Millennium Christian Church Age - Hosea 6:2 After two days [the two thousand years (two Millennium) of the Christian Church Age?] will He [God] revive us: in the third day [3rd Millennium - Kingdom Reign - 8th Kingdom] He [God] will raise us up, and we shall live [in God's Kingdom] in His sight. {Note: It's possible that a Two Thousand year Christian Church Age has been Prophesied in the Bible and if that is in fact the case then in about the year 2033 A.D. [22 years from now 2011] the Christian Church Age will be 2,000 years old and could come to a close at about that time, or sooner, as Biblical events transition out of the Christian Church Age and into the Revelation End Time events and then on into the 1,000 year Millennial Kingdom Age of the Messiah.}
For the current events portion of this study we are going to look at the possibility that today's Protestant/Evangelical Christian Church segment is rebellious and disobedient towards God and towards the greater Catholic Church in the same way that ancient Israel [10 Northern Tribes] were rebellious and disobedient towards God and the Kingdom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. -- "Hosea 5:1-9 Hear ye this, O Priests [Pastors]; and hearken (listen), ye House of Israel [breakaway - i.e. Protestants]; and give ye ear, O House of the King [leaders]; **for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare [hindrance] on Mizpah, and a net [worldly, seeker friendly] spread upon Tabor. And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all. I know Ephraim [the territory of Ephraim contained the early centers of Israelite religion Shechem and Shiloh (where the Tabernacle was located) - these factors contributed to making Ephraim the most dominant of the tribes in the Kingdom of Israel, and led to Ephraim becoming a synonym for the entire (Northern) Kingdom - Wikipedia], and Israel is not hid from Me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled. **They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD. **And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them. They shall go with their flocks and with their herds [congregations] to seek the LORD; but they shall not find Him; He hath withdrawn Himself from them. They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange [emergent] children: now shall a month [short time] devour them with their portions. [Announce] Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Beth-aven, after thee, O Benjamin. Ephraim shall be desolate ***in the day of rebuke: among the Tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be." [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Amillennialism - What is Amillennialism? By Michael J. Vlach, Ph.D. - Amillennialism is a [heretical] theological view concerning the 1000-year reign of Jesus Christ that is mentioned in Revelation 20:1-6 - In particular, Amillennialism is the perspective that there will not be a future literal 1000-year reign of Christ upon the earth - The inseparable Latin prefix a means "no" and the term "millennium" is Latin for "1000 years" - Thus, Amillennialism literally means "no [literal Kingdom on earth for] 1000 years" - *Premillennialism, not Amillennialism, was the predominant view in the first 300 years of church history However, the early church did evidence hints [Origen (185-254 A.D.)] of what later would become Amillennialism
Amillennialism is a theological view concerning the 1000-year reign of Jesus Christ that is mentioned in Revelation 20:1-6. In particular, Amillennialism is the perspective that there will not be a future literal 1000-year reign of Christ upon the earth. The inseparable Latin prefix a means "no" and the term "millennium" is Latin for "1000 years." Thus, Amillennialism literally means "no 1000 years." It should be noted that the term Amillennialism is a reactionary title in that it denies the presence of a future literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth that premillennialists affirm. However, Amillennialists do in fact believe in a millennium; what they reject, though, is the idea of a future literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth after the second coming of Christ. According to Amillennialism, the millennium of Revelation 20:1-6 is being fulfilled spiritually in the present age before the return of Jesus Christ. Thus, the millennium or kingdom of Christ is in existence now. Amillennialists affirm that the millennium began with the resurrection and/or ascension of Christ and will be consummated when Jesus returns again to establish the Eternal Kingdom that is discussed in Revelation 21-22. -- For amillennialists, Satan is presently bound and Christians are now enjoying the benefits of the millennium. Some amillennialists claim that the millennium also involves the reigning of saints who are now in heaven. Amillennialists claim that the 1000-year period that is mentioned in Revelation 20:1-6 refers to a long indefinite period of time between the two comings of Christ and is not a literal 1000- year period that occurs after Jesus' return. Because amillennialists believe Christ is currently reigning in the millennium, some, like Jay Adams, believe the title "Realized Millennialism" is a more appropriate title than "Amillennialism." -- In regard to the end times, Amillennialism affirms the following chronological scenario: Christ is now ruling in His kingdom while Satan is bound from deceiving the nations. Tribulation is experienced in the present age even though Christ is ruling. Jesus will return again to earth. After Jesus returns there will be a general bodily resurrection of all the righteous people and a general judgment of all unbelievers. The Eternal Kingdom will begin. -- Amillennialism in History: Premillennialism, not Amillennialism, was the predominant view in the first 300 years of church history. However, the early church did evidence hints of what later would become Amillennialism. For example, Origen (185-254) popularized the allegorical approach to interpreting Scripture, and in doing so, laid a hermeneutical basis for the view that the promised kingdom of Christ was spiritual and not earthly in nature. Eusebius (270-340), an associate of the emperor Constantine, viewed Constantine's reign as the Messianic banquet, and he held to anti-premillennial views. Tyconius, an African Donatist of the fourth century, was one of the earliest theologians to challenge Premillennialism. He rejected the eschatological and futuristic view of Revelation 20. Instead, he said that the millennium was being fulfilled in the present age and that the 1000 years mentioned was not a literal 1000 years. Tyconius also viewed the first resurrection of Revelation 20:4 as a spiritual resurrection which was the new birth. -- Augustine (354-430 A.D.), who is often referred to as the 'Father of Amillennialism,' popularized the views of Tyconius. Augustine abandoned Premillennialism because of what he considered to be the excesses and carnalities of this view. He also interpreted Mark 3:27 to be a present binding of Satan. Augustine was the first to identify the Catholic Church in its visible form with the kingdom of God. For him, the millennial rule of Christ was taking place in and through the church, including its sacraments and offices. His book, City of God, was significant in the promotion and acceptance of Amillennialism. ... [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Postmillennial [Dominionism] (1 of 2) - The Postmillennial Error or the Golden Age of Righteousness and Peace {without the physical presence of Jesus} by Rev. D. H. Kuiper - Postmillennialism takes the word figuratively, denoting a long period of time belonging to the last part of this Christian era, and immediately prior to Christ's [2nd] appearing - It is well to let a Postmillennialist define his own position "Postmillennialism is that view of the last things [End Times] which holds the kingdom [dominion] of God is now being extended in the world through the preaching of the gospel and saving work of the Holy Spirit, that the world eventually will be Christianized [Dominionized], and that the return of Christ will occur at the close of a long period of righteousness and peace, commonly called the millennium" L. Boettner
The importance for the Church of the return of Jesus Christ can hardly be overemphasized. It is the one aspect of the promise that awaits fulfillment. It is the last and crowning work on the whole process of redemption. It is, therefore, the object of the longing of hope that is in every saint. The return of Christ: the resurrection of the body . . . and final judgment . . . the renewal of all things . . . eternal glory! -- Generally speaking there are three views which seek to set forth the Scriptural truth of the second coming of Jesus and the kingdom He shall perfect. These views differ according to the interpretation given to the word millennium (Latin - mille, one thousand; and annum, year). This word occurs but six times in Scripture and each time it is found in the twentieth chapter of Revelation, an admittedly difficult and symbolical portion of the Word. To the word millennium are added various prefixes (post-, pre-, and a-), thus designating a particular view in respect to the thousand years. Premillennialism takes the millennium literally and maintains that Christ shall come, and then reign upon this earth for exactly one thousand years. Postmillennialism takes the word figuratively, denoting a long period of time belonging to the last part of this Christian era, and immediately prior to Christ's appearing. The Amillennialist also interprets the millennium symbolically, only he maintains that it refers to the whole of the Christian era. We propose to call your attention to these positions in this series of three articles, subjecting them to the light of Scripture, in the hope they may be constructive to our faith and hope. We will begin with a consideration of Postmillennialism. -- It is well to let a Postmillennialist define his own position. "Postmillennialism is that view of the last things which holds the kingdom of God is now being extended in the world through the preaching of the gospel and saving work of the Holy Spirit, that the world eventually will be Christianized, and that the return of Christ will occur at the close of a long period of righteousness and peace, commonly called the millennium." (L. Boettner) This definition is representative of those who hold this view. We wish to develop several of its elements that their implications be clearly before us. ... Decisive for the Christian is what the Word of God says concerning the realities of salvation, sin, the millennium, the last things. **The Postmillennialist either ignores certain passages of Scripture, or he gives them a very forced, unnatural meaning. ... We ask you to study Matthew 24 and Revelation 20, plus other relevant portions of Scripture. Put aside all private opinions, and let yourselves be guided by the Spirit and Word. Do this only after you have prayed. We believe that you will see that we live near the end of the millennium, that the period of time that stretches from the first coming of Christ to His return. In that era may be observed a twofold development: the world increases in sin and godlessness until Antichrist is revealed, and it is ripe for destruction; the Church is gathered and saved, even unto the last elect! Then shall Christ come. And with Him the end! [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Postmillennial [Dominionism] (2 of 2) - Pre-Millennial and Post-Millennial Doctrines Do Not Mix by Sandy Simpson - Many Christians today have begun to accept a mixture of Pre Mil and Post Mil doctrines - Many claim they still hold to a Pre Trib Rapture and at the same time would claim that Christians are in a great end times revival, that "Transformation" is taking place all over the world, and that our mandate is to retake dominion over the whole world including its businesses, social agendas and political arenas (a Post Mil scenario) - But what many "Christians" today do not realize is: the mixture they have accepted is oxymoronic - If you are truly a Pre Millennialist you hold to the fact that we are NOT in the Millennium but in a time of preaching the Gospel while a falling away from the Faith is taking place - Pre Mils believe that Jesus Christ will come back and establish His Kingdom in the Millennium and **until then we are to carry out the Great Commission and be light and salt, therefore our mandate is NOT to take dominion over the earth
Many Christians today (having allowed themselves to be diapraxed by false teachers on TV, in books, in seminars and on tape) have begun to accept a mixture of Pre Mil and Post Mil doctrines. Many claim they still hold to a Pre Trib Rapture (or another Pre Mil scenario) and at the same time would claim that Christians are in a great end times revival, that "Transformation" is taking place all over the world, and that our mandate is to retake dominion over the whole world including its businesses, social agendas and political arenas (a Post Mil scenario). But what many "Christians" today do not realize is: the mixture they have accepted is oxymoronic. If you are truly a Pre Millennialist you hold to the fact that we are NOT in the Millennium but in a time of preaching the Gospel while a falling away from the Faith is taking place. Pre Mils believe that Jesus Christ will come back and establish His Kingdom in the Millennium and until then we are to carry out the Great Commission and be light and salt, therefore our mandate is NOT to take dominion over the earth. -- If you are a Post Millennialist you believe that we are in a time of great revival because, figuratively (certainly not literally according to the Bible) we are already in the Millennium. Many of them believe that Satan is bound, that we can bind territorial demons (why they are roaming around when Satan cannot I do not know!) and that we can command the weather and retake dominion over the earth promised to Adam. Jesus Christ will then, according to Post Mils, come back at the end of the Millennial age we are currently in and then the old earth will be destroyed and the new heaven and new earth will begin. If you don't believe that this is what Post Mils believe, then read what Post Millennialists/Dominionists C. Peter Wagner and company are saying and doing. Our theological bedrock is what has been known as Dominion Theology. This means that our divine mandate is to do whatever is necessary, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to retake the dominion of God's creation which Adam forfeited to Satan in the Garden of Eden. It is nothing less than seeing God's kingdom coming and His will being done here on earth as it is in heaven. (C. Peter Wagner, letter, May 31, 2007) -- So have you bought into the dominion delusion? If you get in your car and follow me home you will end up where I end up ... at my home. If you are following false apostles like C. Peter Wagner then you will end up where he is going. Are you falling away? Instead of falling away, run away from these people! [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Dominion [Heresy] Theology - Should Christians "take dominion" in the world [Postmillennial] before Jesus Christ returns? - Two movements within American Christian Church say yes - Both of these [Postmillennial] movements fall under the classification of "Dominion Theology" which states a Biblical mandate to occupy or control all **secular [7th Kingdom - the Kingdom of Antichrist] institutions until [Jesus] Christ returns
Christian Reconstructionism: First is the Christian Reconstruction movement, led by such men as Gary North and R.J. Rushdoony. Almost unknown 30 years ago, Reconstructionsim is now influencing the evangelical Church. Its leadership is aggressive, with a Postmillennialist call for Christians to take over the world before Christ can return. Postmillennialism teaches the kingdom of God is now being extended in the world by preaching the Gospel, so that the world will be Christianized during this nonliteral Millennium. Its goal is for a worldwide conquest by Christianity to take over the world for Christ. In their view, this is to be done by the Church, while Christ the King is absent from the earth, something which the Bible simply does not teach. -- Kingdom Now: The second group of Dominionists is known as Kingdom Now, led by men such as Earl Paulk and Thomas Reid. "Kingdom Now theology" urges the Church to become united and mature under the rule of charismatic apostles and prophets (such as Paulk), and take control of secular institutions enough to establish that the Church represents the authority of Christ. The emphasis on the Church's taking "dominion" in both of these movements has led to their being associated together under the label "Dominion Theology." -- Today in the Church there is a changing attitude toward Israel, which is attributed to to the teachings of Dominionists. One of the key doctrines of this movement is the claim that the Church is now Israel, heir to all of her promises, and that national Israel has been cut off from God, and has further no place in the prophetic scheme. The Bible, however, teaches just the opposite. God will never cast off Israel as the Prophet Jeremiah states: If the heavens can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out below then I will also cast off all the offspring for Israel for all that they have done, declares the Lord (Jeremiah 31:37). -- During the first three centuries of the apostolic Church, which was clearly Premillennial not Postmillennial, "reconstructing society" was never entertained. Christ clearly taught "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). The Bible teaches us that the world will become more corrupt in the last days, then after the Tribulation period Christ will return and establish His millennial kingdom. Reigning over the whole earth from Jerusalem, His Capital, Israel will be made the leader of the nations, and the Church will reign with Him for a "literal" thousand years. The Church is never commanded to subdue the earth on its own, this simply will not happen until Christ returns. The Church's main responsibility is evangelism and discipleship, not political activism. Our call as believers is to change people through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not to change society through social reformation. [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Introduction - End Times for Dummies (4 online videos)
These videos are about 3-5 minutes long. They were created by a professor from the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary "Simple and to the point" (and cartoonish). All of the following are in Vimeo format. [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Premillennialism (1 of 2) - What is premillennialism? - Premillennialism is the view that Christ's second coming will occur prior to His millennial kingdom, and that the millennial kingdom is a literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth
Now, with all this in mind, examine what is recorded in Revelation 20:1-7. The thousand years which is repeatedly mentioned in this passage corresponds to Christ's literal 1000-year reign on the earth. Recall that the promise made to David regarding a ruler had to be fulfilled literally and has not yet taken place. Premillennialism sees this passage as describing the future fulfillment of that promise with Christ on the throne. God made unconditional covenants with both Abraham and David. Neither of these covenants has been fully or permanently fulfilled. A literal, physical rule of Christ is the only way the covenants can be fulfilled as God promised they would. -- Applying a literal method of interpretation to Scripture results in the pieces of the puzzle coming together. All of the Old Testament prophecies of Jesus' first coming were fulfilled literally. Therefore, we should expect the prophecies regarding His second coming to be fulfilled literally as well. Premillennialism is the only system that agrees with a literal interpretation of God's covenants and end-times prophecy. [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Premillennialism (2 of 2) - Premillennialism, as a system, is based on a literal or normative method of biblical interpretation as opposed to Amillennialism which spiritualizes its interpretation and does not take the Bible literally
In premillennialism, words mean what they normally mean in everyday usage, while at the same time it allows for legitimate figures of speech. The simple thesis of premillennialism is that Jesus will literally return to the earth before (pre) the Millennium begins and that He himself will inaugurate and rule over it. In contrast, Amillennialism sees the kingdom of God, not as a literal kingdom, but present now "in the hearts of man." -- Premillennialists can be divided into two subgroups on the basis of their basic approach to prophetic texts. Historicist premillennialists believe that scriptural prophecy - especially the passages in Daniel and Revelation give the entire history of the church in symbolic form. Thus they look into the church's past and present to find prophetic fulfillment's and to see where they are in God's prophetic timetable. In contrast to historicist premillennialism, the dispensational theory of premillennialism, advanced in 1830 by John Nelson Darby has gained popularity among modern evangelicals, ascribing biblical significance to almost every new development in current world events. The second coming of Christ, and subsequent establishment of the millenial kingdom, is to be preceded by a seven year-long period known as the "Tribulation" - the Earthly activity of the Antichrist as well as the outpouring of God's wrath on mankind. [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Premillennial Dispensationalism - Basically, the fundamental difference between historic premillennialism and dispensational premillennialism consists in the latter's insistence on maintaining a distinction between the Nation of Israel and the [Christian] Church - According to dispensationalists, the millennium will be a period of history in which God reverts back to fulfilling His Old Testament promises made to ethnic Israel, after this modern "Church Age" in which we live today is concluded [i.e. the Rapture of the Church] - As such, the millennium will be a state of Jewish {Kingdom - in that Jesus is Jewish [Jesus' dominion] and will reign [8th Global Kingdom] from Jerusalem [in Judah] while the previous 7 Global Kingdoms of the earth will have all been under *Gentile dominion, rule and authority - The 8th Kingdom is the one Jewish Kingdom while the other 7 Global Kingdoms [Nimrod through Antichrist] will all have been Gentile Kingdoms.} over all the world, along with a newly restored Jewish temple and priesthood [in Jerusalem] -- {Note: The Basic Christian Ministry is going to blog a type of Premillennial Dispensationalism though several of the events, meanings, interpretations and even the timeline of activity will be slightly different. For Example: The Basic Christian Ministry is going to blog that the Jews and ALL the Gentile Nations [those who survive and do not take the Mark of the Beast 666] will physically enter into the Millennial Age (with the sheep and Goats 'Judgment of the Nations' (Matthew 25:32) occurring at the end of the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ). While it is the Saved Christians, Saved Martyred Saints of Revelation and Saved Old Testament Saints that are unable to physically enter the Millennium and will enter the Millennium in a Redeemed Spiritual body. (i.e. Romans 8:23)}
In contrast to historic premillennialism, dispensational premillennialism has gained popularity among modern evangelicals. Dispensational premillennialists hold that the second coming of Christ, and subsequent establishment of the millennial kingdom, is to be preceded by a seven-year-long period known as the "Tribulation," the earthly activity of the Antichrist as well as the outpouring of God's wrath on mankind. Dispensational premillennialists hold that the nation of Israel will be saved and restored to a place of preeminence in the millennium. Thus, Israel will have a special function of service in the millennium that is different from that of the Church or saved Gentiles. [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Resurrection Sunday (Easter Day) - The Christian Church begins - The individual receiving of the 'Born Again' (Christian) Spirit baptism begins - A Spiritual Baptismal work of Jesus Christ that will cease at the end of the present Christian Church Age -- "John 20:21-22 Then said Jesus to them again, *Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent [G649 - Apostello - Apostle] Me, even so send [G3992 - Pempo - i.e. messenger] I you. And when He [resurrected Jesus] had said this, He breathed [baptized - Matthew 3:11] on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost [by faith become a 'Born Again' Spirit filled Christian]:"
The birth of the Christian Church: The individual baptizing work of Jesus Christ that began on Resurrection Sunday will continue until the end of the Christian Church Age presumably with an event called the Rapture when all the Spirit Filled Christians are removed from the earth and called into Heaven. -- "Revelation 4:1 After this I [Disciple John] looked, and, behold, a door was opened in Heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither [a type of Church Rapture], and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter [after the end of the Christian Church Age]." [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Pentecost Sunday [50 days after Resurrection Sunday] - The Global outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh as a Witness of the Savior Jesus Christ - A Witnessing work of the Holy Spirit that will continue throughout the time period of Revelation
The global outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh starting at Pentecost is a work of the Holy Spirit that will not cease as the Baptisms of Jesus Christ will one day cease on earth. Instead the works of Pentecost the Global Holy Spirit witness of the Savior Jesus Christ will continue on upon the earth after the Christian Church Age has come to a close and the Church has been raptured up into Heaven. The Pentecost outpouring of the Holy Spirit witness will remain with mankind upon the earth throughout all the days of Revelation, Tribulation and the Great Tribulation. -- "Joel 2:28-32 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit **upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit. And [during the Revelation time period] I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day [Great Tribulation] of the LORD come. ***And it shall come to pass, that ***whosoever [at any time] shall call on the Name [Jesus Christ] of the LORD shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call." (Acts 2:16-21) [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Apostles and Christians - Before Pentecost Jesus revealed Himself [i.e. Luke 24:15] to each of the Apostles [and after Pentecost also lastly to the Apostle Paul - Acts 9:5] - After Pentecost it is the global Witness of the Holy Spirit that leads individuals to Faith in Jesus Christ [John 16:8]
Each of the Apostles after encountering the resurrected Savior Jesus Christ were each individually baptized by the breath of Jesus Christ (John 20:22) and then led primarily throughout their Christian walk [after Pentecost] by the Holy Spirit (i.e. John 14:25-26, Acts 16:7, Acts 18:5). All Christians since the global outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost [the Apostle Paul being the exception] are led to Jesus Christ by the witness of the Holy Spirit [Acts 5:32, 1 John 5:6] and then once each individual person [by faith in the forgiveness of sins from Jesus Christ] is baptized in the Holy Spirit by Jesus [the same way each Apostle became a Christian] once a Christian 'born again' [Matthew 3:11, Romans 8:16] each Christian continues to be led throughout this life by the Holy Spirit [1 Corinthians 2:12]. [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Prophet Amos - He was a native of the southern Kingdom of Judah, from the town of Tekoa - He was not even a citizen of Israel (the northern kingdom), but rather of Judah (the southern kingdom) - Nevertheless, God sent him to Israel to proclaim the Word to the people of the northern kingdom [source: zianet.com/maxey/Proph5.htm] -- "Amos 4:12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this [interact] unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel."
With the end of the reign of King Solomon the Kingdom of Judah divided into two parts Judah and Israel [1 Kings 12:16]. Shortly after the Jewish Nation divided the next Prophet from God was the prophet Amos who's Ministry to the people led him away from his native Judah to Israel [Northern Kingdom] in order to give the important message to both portions [Judah and Israel] of the Jews that though divided God would continue with the Promises of God for all the Jews regardless of where they lived (Amos 4:12). The promises of God to the Jews are valid today to all of the Jews regardless of where they live globally. The Jews do not have to live in Judah or even Israel in order to receive the promises and blessings of God. - Amazingly from the astonishing Ministry of the Prophet Amos it would be a Prophesy from Amos that the Apostles would use for guidance at the First Church Council in Jerusalem [about 49 A.D.] -- "Amos 9:11-12 In that day [after the 2,000 year Church Age] will I [God] raise up the tabernacle [building, castle - throne] of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches [holes] thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it **as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and **of all the heathen, which are called by My Name, saith the LORD that doeth this." (Acts 15:16) -- "Acts 15:17-18 That [the Chuch Age is so] the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom My Name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world." [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Prophet Hosea - Long after the Prophet Amos the Prophet Hosea would prophesy in Israel [Northern Kingdom] - Hosea was to Israel [Northern Kingdom] what later the Prophet Jeremiah would be to Judah [Southern Kingdom] as Hosea would Minister throughout the destruction of the Northern Kingdom at the hands of the Assyrians - While Hosea was prophesying in Israel the Prophet Isaiah was prophesying in Judah
Like the Prophet Jeremiah the Prophet Hosea had the difficult task of ministering during the judgment of God upon his fellow countrymen. Initially [like the Protestant/Evangelical Church of today] ancient Israel broke away from a corrupt Judah in order to become a more holy people separated unto God. Yet, with good intentions [but lacking the true Jerusalem] the ancient Nation of Israel soon became far more corrupt than Judah and it was the corrupt Israel that was judged by God before Judah was judged [during the time of Jeremiah]. The primary downfall of ancient Israel was that they wanted to be like the world and accepted and liked by the world. Therefore ancient Israel was constantly in league not with Judah but with the heathen Nations, very much like the Protestant/Evangelical Church of today. -- "Hosea 7:8-11 Ephraim [Northern Kingdom], he hath mixed himself among the people [i.e. Assyria, Syria and Egypt]; Ephraim is a cake [flat bread] not turned [only half completed]. **Strangers have devoured his strength, and **he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs [dignity] are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not [his own dignity]. And the pride [glory] of Israel testifieth to his face [but he doesn't know it]: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek Him for all this. Ephraim also is like a silly [love bird] dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria [for worldly help but did not seek the ways of God among their fellow worshipers]." -- {Note: Today it is epidemic among the modern Protestant/Evangelical Church that the Church seeking worldly influence and approval has neglected the true Ministries of God and having forsaken the Glory of God within its own midst is instead seeking for the approval of a fallen mankind.} [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Current Events Aug. 23, 2011 - [LDS-Mormon] Glenn Beck Affiliation Leads to Calls for Boycott of Christian TV's TBN - The former Fox News personality gains recognition among Christians by forming partnerships with prominent men of the faith such as *John Hagee [Cornerstone Church - San Antonio, Texas] and *David Barton [WallBuilders - history teaching ministry] - Glenn Beck, a professed Mormon, frequently identifies himself with other religious people such as Christians, feeling they all have similar values and can work together on "common interests"
Bill Keller, the leader of the site, issued the call after prominent Christian leaders such as Pastor John Hagee and David Barton expressed their support for Glenn Beck's "restoring courage" campaign on the network. ... Glenn Beck, a professed Mormon, frequently identifies himself with other religious people such as Christians, feeling they all have similar values and can work together on "common interests." However, to believers like Keller, this is deceitful behavior since he believes Mormonism is a satanic cult or a counterfeit form of Christianity, and that true believers should not align themselves with these types of faiths. "It is sad to see the largest Christian TV network and several supposed Christian leaders become modern day Judas' by giving credibility to the proud member of a satanic cult who is exploiting the love Christians have for the Jewish people and the land of Israel," said Keller in the press release. "The Bible says that we are not to be bound together with unbelievers. It asks what fellowship the light has with darkness. (2 Corinthians 6:14)" [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - LDS-Mormon End Times - What is the LDS End Time view? - Early LDS [Last-day Saints - Latter-day Saints (LDS)] leaders believed that Christ would return (during the lifetime of their founder-leader Joseph Smith Jr.) in 1891 [to the small town of Independence, Missouri with Joesph Smith Co-ruling at a LDS Temple to be built on LDS property in the New Jerusalem (Independance, MO.)]
Originally Posted by Breetai: Ok. Joseph Smith came and re-instated the true Church of Jesus Christ during the beginning of the time of the end (the latter-days). Before Jesus returns, the temple in Eden/New Jerusalem (Independance, MO.) must be rebuilt. Jesus returns to Earth and rules the Eastern world from Jerusalem. At this time, Joseph Smith also returns to rule from Independance, MO. Somewhere in there is the resurrection of the dead and the final judgement of all men, who will be judged on their good works to decide where they will spend eternity (celestial heaven, terestial heaven, telestical heaven or outside of heaven's gates). Only members in good standing with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Elohim's (Heavenly Father's) church) have a chance at attaining celestial glory. - Joesph Smith Co-ruling in New Jerusalem (Independance, MO.), Jesus Co-Ruling from Jerusalem -- [LDS prophecy] "It is the will of the Lord that those who went to Zion (Independance, MO.), with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, should be ordained to the ministry, and go forth to prune the vineyard **for the last time, or **the [2nd] coming of the Lord, which was night [soon] even fifty-six years [within 56 years of 1835], should wind up the [LDS] scene." quote by Joseph Smith in 1835. -- False, as usual. The [LDS] Prophecy was conditional. The Lord said that if Joseph were to live till that time then the Lord would wind up His Purposes. (The History of the [LDS] Church, vol II, page 182). -- Wikipedia: Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805 - June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and the founder of the Latter Day Saint [LDS-Mormon] movement. [article link]

Basic Christian: End Times - Introduction: Conclusion - The modern Christian Church Protestant/Evangelical just like ancient Israel and Judah has to be wise, discerning and understanding in its decisions, affiliations and actions - Our own individual actions have consequences and if we choose to follow along with worldly church leaders then like ancient Israel we will fall to those worldly leaders if however we chose like the Apostles did to follow Jesus Christ then fellowship with God will be our calling and our opportunity! -- "Hosea 14:9 Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein."
The Book of Hosea concludes: "Hosea 14:1-9 O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under His shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard Him, and observed Him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is Thy fruit found. Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein." [article link]

Update: 09-15-2011 - Coming Soon Basic Christian: End Times Introduction - My short trip out of town has been delayed [mostly due to weather]
Note: should be able to blog most [or all] of the End Time intro by the end of this weekend. -- The End Time Study is going to start a framework with the O.T. Book of *Hosea and prophecies from the O.T. Prophets Amos and Joel and conclude with a look at some current and future events. [article link]

Update: 09-15-2011 - I'll be out of town for a few days and then sometime after I get back I have some End Times study info to post - The End Time Study is going to start with the O.T. Book of *Hosea and prophecies from the O.T. Prophets Amos and Joel ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown
Note: After the blog Studies resume some End Time info is going to be posted but just enough to get some background and direction into the Biblical End Time events. The main posting is still going to be the blog History Study finishing the 8 Kingdoms [6 of the Kingdoms are ancient global history, the 7th Kingdom is current global events and the 8th global Kingdom is yet future] study portion and then the Church History [less-ancient history] Portion. [article link]

Herescope: Who Invented Dominionism? - Partial quote of C. Peter Wagner "Dominion means [co-ruling with Jesus in the 8th Kingdom the Millennial Reign - not now!] ruling as kings. It says in Revelation Chapter 1:6 that He has made us kings and priests and check the rest of that verse; it says for dominion. So we are kings for dominion." -- (C. Peter Wagner founder of the heretical groups 'New Apostolic Reformation' and 'Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders' - Wiki.com) -- {Note: Christians have a part in dominion during the future 8th Kingdom on earth during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ. The coming kingdom on earth that will be the 7th biblical global kingdom is to be the Kingdom of Antichrist. Clearly C. Peter Wagner and his false apostles are advocating ruling within the Antichrist Kingdom and not in the later Kingdom on earth with Jesus.} -- "Revelation 1:6 And hath made us [Christians] kings and priests unto God [Jesus Christ] and His Father; **to Him [Jesus Christ] be **glory and **dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
There is a fascinating ongoing Internet discussion going on right now from all sides of the Dominionism issue. Some are denying it exists. Others are having semantic debates about the term itself. Others are scrambling to whitewash and soften the term, or are distancing themselves from its more extreme teachings. Some are claiming that conspiracy kooks invented it. Others are claiming that Liberal Leftists invented it. Some blame Reconstructionists Rushdoony and North, and steadfastly (or sarcastically) refuse to look at the other Dominionist streams. The Reconstructionists are scrambling to distance themselves from the 7 Mountains. And Francis Schaeffer is rapidly being reinvented on all sides. Revisionist history abounds. Here is just a smattering of the type of comments about it from all sides of the issue: ... Who First Used the Term Dominion/Dominionism? -- All of this leads to the bottom-line question. Who first used the term DOMINIONISM? Some of the semantic tap-dancing about this word ignores the fact that the root word of this is DOMINION, which is a biblical term found in Genesis chapter 1:26: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." This is similarly repeated in verse 28 with the additional words, "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it." Obviously, the Scripture uses the term "dominion." In its plainest literal sense this verse has traditionally meant that man is placed over God's creatures. But the Dominion (or "Cultural") Mandate teaches something very different from this. In all of its various forms, brand names, and theological streams it teaches that these verses have to do with the church exercising authority (sometimes called "influence") over the world system: society, culture and government. ... It might surprise some folks to know that Jeremy Rifkin used the term "dominionism" back in 1979 in his book The Emerging Order, and he used it in the context of Genesis 1 and creating a mandate for stewardship over the earth itself. He wanted to enlist the support of the Charismatics to energize his idea of a "new covenant" for global Dominion. ... Oddly, Gary DeMar's group seems to have forgotten that he once worked alongside the NAR Dominionists in their formative years as they together built the Coalition on Revival organization for Dominionist action on earth, starting with the American political scene. DeMar was on the Editorial Committee, and this group issued seventeen "sphere" documents that parallel the NAR's 7 mountains. [article link]

Regarding our further blog studies - The First Three Church Councils - Jerusalem in about 49 A.D. (Acts 15:6) attended by the Apostles and Supervised by James [a brother of Jude and half-brother to Jesus] - The Councils of Antioch [Christological (is Jesus really God) controversies] in 264-268 A.D. -- and later the Nicaea Council in Nicaea, Bithynia (Turkey) in 325 A.D. attended by the Church Bishops [Constantine had invited all 1800 bishops of the Christian church, about 1000 from the Roman Eastern Empire and 800 from the Roman Western Empire - Wiki.com] *supervised (incognito) by Roman Emperor Constantine I aka Constantine the Great
The first Church Council in Jerusalem [about 49 A.D.] was to determine the important issue of allowing Gentiles access into the Jewish Christian Church (i.e. Genesis 12:3). The second Church Council the Councils of Antioch [in Turkey] where in regard to the important issue of letting Jesus have access back into His own Church [i.e. as the heritics, desert fathers (desert monasticism), etc. had attempted to remove Jesus from His Church -- Losing in the verdicts of the Councils at Antioch the heretics went out into the desert of Egypt and became the desert (monks) monastics]. The third Church Council Nicaea 325 A.D. was in regard to allowing the Roman Government access into and over the Christian Church (i.e. Romans 13:1). Constantine in a sense attempted to prevail for the Roman Government [in false doctrine] where the earlier heretic monks had failed to gain influence over the Christian Church at Antioch. Don't be misled the Arian heresy [Jesus as Son was not God] and the few other topics [The date of celebration of the Paschal (Passover)/Easter observation. The Meletian schism. The validity of baptism by heretics. The status of the lapse in the (Christian) persecution under co-Emperor Licinius. - Wiki.com] were not about a healthy Church and doctrine but were about setting a secular Roman Government up as arbitrator and mediator over the affairs of the Christian Church. When we study Church History much of the study is going to be in regards to the give and take between Church Authority (i.e. Bishop Ambrose 339-397 A.D.) and Government (State) Authority (i.e. King James I of England 1566-1625 A.D.) -- Note: the Nicaea Council is often considered the first Church Council because it was the first Church/State Council and because it was the biggest and most impacting of the time. [article link]

Desert Fathers - The Desert Fathers were hermits, ascetics, monks, and nuns (Desert Mothers) who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt {in the area of Sinai Peninsula, Egypt - not the Mt. Sinai area of Saudi Arabia} beginning around the third century [200's] AD - The most well known was Anthony the Great, who moved to the desert in 270-271 A.D. and became known as both the father and founder of desert monasticism - By the time Anthony died in 356 A.D., thousands of monks and nuns had been drawn to living in the desert following Anthony's example his biographer, Athanasius of Alexandria, wrote that "the desert had become a city" [the mostly heretical community of pseudo-christians were moving away from the cities where they were being exposed as heretics to the desert much as a result of the Church Councils of Antioch in 264-268 A.D.]
Development of monastic communities: The small communities forming around the Desert Fathers were the beginning of Christian monasticism. Initially Anthony and others lived as hermits, sometimes forming groups of two or three. Small informal communities began developing, until the monk Pachomius, seeing the need for a more formal structure, established a monastery with rules and organization. His regulations included discipline, obedience, manual labor, silence, fasting, and long periods of prayer - some historians view the rules as being inspired by Pachomius' experiences as a soldier. -- The first fully organized monastery under Pachomius included men and women living in separate quarters, up to three in a room. They supported themselves by weaving cloth and baskets, along with other tasks. Each new monk or nun had a three year probationary period, concluding with admittance in full standing to the monastery. All property was held communally, meals were eaten together and in silence, twice a week they fasted, and they wore simple peasant clothing with a hood. Several times a day they came together for prayer and readings, and each person was expected to spend time alone meditating on the scriptures. Programs were created for educating those who came to the monastery unable to read. -- Pachomius also formalized the establishment of an abba (father) or amma (mother) in charge of the spiritual welfare of their monks and nuns, with the implication that those joining the monastery were also joining a new family. Members also formed smaller groups, with different tasks in the community and the responsibility of looking after each other's welfare. The new approach grew to the point that there were tens of thousands of monks and nuns in these organized communities within decades of Pachomius' death. One of the early pilgrims to the desert was Basil of Caesarea, who took the Rule of Pachomius into the eastern church. Basil expanded the idea of community by integrating the monks and nuns into the wider public community, with the monks and nuns under the authority of a bishop and serving the poor and needy. -- As more pilgrims began visiting the monks in the desert, the early literature coming from the monastic communities began spreading. Latin versions of the original Greek stories and sayings of the Desert Fathers, along with the earliest monastic rules coming out of the desert, guided the early monastic development in the Byzantine world and eventually in the western Christian world. The Rule of Saint Benedict was strongly influenced by the Desert Fathers, with Saint Benedict urging his monks to read the writings of John Cassian on the Desert Fathers. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers was also widely read in the early Benedictine monasteries. -- Withdrawal from society: The legalization of Christianity by the Roman Empire in 313 A.D. actually gave Anthony a greater resolve to go out into the desert. Anthony, who was nostalgic for the tradition of martyrdom, saw withdrawal and asceticism as an alternative. **When members of the {desert monastic} Church began finding ways to work with the Roman state, {a few of} the Desert Fathers saw that as a compromise between "the things of God and the things of Caesar." **The monastic communities were essentially **an alternate [heretical] Christian society. The {few early} hermits doubted that religion and politics could ever produce a truly Christian society. For them, the only Christian society was spiritual and not mundane. -- {Note: Where the early (heretics) Desert Monks failed to influence the early Christian Church via their false doctrine the Roman Government via Constantine would succeed in exerting a secular influence over the Christian Church. Then with a Roman secular influence over the Christian Church [starting from about 313 A.D - 325 A.D. the Desert Heretics were then able to leave behind the desert and [under the guise of the 313 A.D. edict of religious tolerance] once again entered the cities to work as scholars, faculty, administrators, and priests for avenues to continue to influence the true Christian Church with their destructive and very unchristian heresies.} [article link]

Update: 09-12-2011 - The current schedule is to post a couple of items and update some eBook material then I'll be out of town for about the next week - The Apostles series has been concluded at least for the time being
Note: If we were to continue with the study of the Apostles at some point it would require more and more speculation as we would have to speculate about where some of the 12 Apostles went and what they accomplished. Instead of speculating about some of the Apostles I think it's better if we speculated instead on some of the End Time events. Coming Soon …. End Times a study of some of the Biblical End Time events. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Update: 08-30-2011 - The Basic Christian Ministry Website is on Break for the next Two Weeks ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown
Coming Soon: A new Series of Studies!! [article link]

The Apostle Peter uses 'knowledge' and 'understanding' as cornerstones in his Epistles to the Church - What the Apostle Peter is explaining is that there are no shortcuts to godliness and that godliness does not come except through the time honored virtues of faith in Jesus Christ, patience, knowledge, love, kindness, service, experience, etc. - Today we have the common problem that Christians are being encouraged to substitute commonality for virtue -- For Example: Tithing is being used as a virtue however it has little to do with virtue and tithing without knowledge has nothing to do with godliness and virtue (in the New Testament when Saints donated money it was to a known and substantiated cause i.e. to help in Jerusalem) - An example in society today might be a person who gets a tattoo in that it offers an amount of social acceptability in worldliness however the person getting the tattoo may have few qualities associated with tattoos and as the saying goes "tattoos are for people who don't have enough courage to live dangerously and get real scars" - Similarly Tithing like tattoos is for people who don't live with enough real knowledge to really learn how to individually interact with and have a real relationship with God - Tithing then becomes a poor, easy and cheap substitute to real godliness and virtue but don't let that happen and as the Apostle Peter explains it can't happen
2 Peter 1:1-12 Simon Peter, a Servant [of Righteousness] and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you ***through the ***knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the ***knowledge of Him that hath called us to *glory and *virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be **partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, ***add to your faith virtue; ***and to virtue knowledge; ***And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the ***Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ [the 8th Kingdom]. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, **though ye **know them, and be established in the present Truth. [article link]

Here are some Bible verses from the Apostles Paul and John and also a Psalm from the Old Testament in order to see how close and similar the same Gospel Message is being preached by all of the Apostles and as it was alluded to and even preached on in the Old Testament -- Romans 6:3-18 ***Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His [cross] death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised [resurrection] up from the dead by the Glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: ****Knowing this, that our old man [sins] is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead **dieth no more; **death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but ***alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [hands, feet, mouth, .etc] as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. ***Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? ***But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the Servants of Righteousness.
1 John 4:13-17 Hereby ***know we that we dwell in Him [God], and He [Holy Spirit] in us, because He [Jesus] hath given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and do Testify that the Father sent the Son [Jesus] to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love [commitment to the highest good]; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have **boldness ***in the day of judgment: because as He [Jesus] is [rightious], so are we in this world. -- Psalms 47:1-9 To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the LORD most High is terrible [lit. Amazing]; He is a Great King over all the earth. He shall subdue the people under us, and the Nations under our feet. **He shall choose **our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom He loved. Selah. God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. **Sing praises to God [Father], **sing praises [Jews]: sing praises [Gentiles] unto our King [Jesus], sing praises [to the Holy Spirit]. **For God is the King of all the earth: ***sing ye praises with understanding.*** God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the Throne of His Holiness. The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: He is greatly exalted. [article link]

Here are some more of the writings of the Apostle Peter [1 Peter 3:8 to 1 Peter 5:11] that we can read over and take to heart before we begin our series 'Decoding the Apostles' - In the coming Series it is going to be tempting to call the Apostle Peter the 'Mojo Apostle' because Peter did have the Mojo - All of the Apostles and even the disciples had and have Holy Spirit [Mojo] but the Apostle Peter was clearly the man with the most Holy Spirit (Mojo) even more so than the Apostles Paul and John -- 1 Peter 3:8-9 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called [to bless one another], that ye should inherit a bessing.
1 Peter 3:10-22 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer [Jesus Christ enthroned (Colossians 3:1) - the Kingdom of God (John 3:3)] to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in [Jesus] Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, **that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also He went [to the Paradise side of Hades (i.e. Luke 16:22-26)] and preached {over} unto the spirits in prison [the condemned side of Hades]; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls [the family of Noah] were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him. [article link]

1 Peter 4:1-2 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh [submitted to the cross of Jesus Christ] hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
1 Peter 4:3-19 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the [unsaved] Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to Him [Jesus] that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the Gospel preached also to them that are dead [spiritually unregenerate], that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but {we} live according to God in the spirit [or possibly, "but {that they} (convert and) live according to God"]. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles [Biblical sayings] of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. -- Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the Name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that **judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved [only through the cross of Jesus Christ], where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear [without the cross - condemned]? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. [article link]

1 Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, **and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
1 Peter 5:2-11 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy [money] lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being [bosses] lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd [Jesus Christ] shall appear, ye shall receive a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the [accountable] elder [submission without accountability is meaningless]. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth [eternally] for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil [Satan], as a roaring lion [of the chaotic night vs. Jesus the Majestic Lion of the Day], walketh about, seeking whom he may devour [lead astray from the faith of Jesus Christ]: Whom resist stedfast in the faith [Resurrection of Jesus Christ], *knowing (Luke 22:31-32) that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all Grace, who hath called us unto His eternal Glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect [complete], stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever [eternal]. Amen. [article link]

Coming Soon: The Basic Christian Ministry - A brief look at Matthew Chapter 24 and 1 Peter 3:8 to 1 Peter 5:11 and also a few related verses from the Book of Romans and possibly a few verses from the Book of Hebrews - Especially regarding the topic of Salvation i.e. "Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." {Hint: Christians are 'Saved' now at the present moment and not in the future. Generally the teachings of the True Christian Church acknowledge Salvation and Sanctification in the believer at the present time while the Cults universally attempt to distance the believer from present Salvation in Jesus Christ while creating several steps to Sanctification most notably in Tithing and Obedience to others.}
I'm Looking forward to this brief introductory study where we should be able to begin to look at several interesting Christian topics starting with Salvation then visiting some Original Sin and Rapture Doctrine and concluding with Church Conduct and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

The Basic Christian Ministry - Introduction: "Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." - The Doctrine of the Apostles [Paul, Peter, John, etc.] that Christians are Saved and become a Child of God the moment of our belief in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ accomplished for the forgiveness of our sins
2 Corinthians 13:3-9 Since ye [Church members who are doubting the Calling and Ministry of the Apostle Paul] seek a proof of Christ speaking in me (Apostle Paul), [signs of Jesus Christ] which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty [tithes, boasting, story telling, consorting, signs and wonders, obedience] in you. For though He (Jesus) was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God. For we [True Christians, followers of Jesus Christ] also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you. ***Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the [True] faith; ***prove your own selves [confirm 'Jesus Christ in you' (Matthew 3:11, John 20:22) - the Holy Spirit within you]. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates [unsaved]? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; **not that we should appear approved [through religion Church/society acceptable ways], **but that ye should do that which is honest [at all times], though we [to the unlearned appear to] be as reprobates. For we can do nothing against the Truth, but for the Truth [of Jesus Christ]. For we are glad, when we are weak [misunderstood, misrepresented and persecuted], and ye are strong [in a worldly way]: and this also we wish [True 'strong' humble servant Christianity], even your perfection. -- 1 Peter 3:18-22 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the [Holy] Spirit: ... whereunto even baptism doth also ***now save us*** not the [baptism water] putting away of the filth of the flesh, but **the answer of a good conscience toward God, **by [faith in] the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him (Jesus Christ). -- 1 John 3:1-3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the Sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, ***now are we [Christians] the Sons [lit. child] of God, and it [the resurrected body] doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He [Resurrected Jesus Christ] shall appear, we shall be [resurrected bodily] like Him; for we shall see Him as He is [Resurrection Spirit body]. And every man that hath this [Resurrection - eternal life] hope in him purifieth himself, even as He (Jesus Christ) is pure. [article link]

The Basic Christian Ministry: Matthew Chapter 24 - Matthew 24:1-2 And Jesus went out [three days before His crucifixion], and departed [for the last time] from the Temple [the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem]: and His disciples came to Him for to shew Him the [Temple] buildings of the Temple [the Disciples thought that Jesus was going to take over the Temple and rule from within the Temple buildings and they were wondering what each building would be used for when Jesus would enact His Kingdom Reign]. And Jesus [correcting the Disciples] said unto them, See ye not all these things [buildings]? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down [the earthly (physical i.e. ordinances, tithing, animal sacrifices) Levitical Priesthood Temple of Jerusalem was to be destroyed - while the Spiritual Temple (i.e. Holy spirit leading, more individuality, personal fellowship with God) in the Melchizedek Priesthood is to be instituted].
Matthew 24:3-14 And as He (Jesus) sat upon the Mount of Olives, the Disciples came unto Him privately, saying [we are now so confused], Tell us, when shall these [Kingdom Reign - Millennial] things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming [as King of Israel], **and of the end of the [present] world [the end of man's separation from God]? And Jesus answered and said unto them [Jesus' Mt. Olivet Discourse], Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My Name [Christ], saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many [Notice: how many false pastors willingly preach 'christ' (Antichrist) but unwillingly preach Jesus Christ]. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass [because sin is still in the world], **but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these [warfare and spiritual warfare] are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My Name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity [deliberate sins] shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. **But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come [the end of man's separation from God i.e. Revelation 21:1-3]. -- {Note: What could be in view here according to the 'end of the world' context of this Sermon given by Jesus Christ "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" is that those who have to 'endure unto the end' to be saved are the Tribulation Saints of Revelation and the survivors who later become the Millennial Saints [the Millennial Saints undergo the Sheep and Goats Judgment at the end of the Millennial Age - Matthew 25:31-34] and therefore this is not a direct reference to the Christian Church [that does not undergo the 'Sheep and Goats Judgment'] though a Christian who is Saved upon belief certainly continues to be Saved throughout their 'endurance' but is not more saved than when one first believes.} -- 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 We [Christians] then, as workers together with Him [God the Father], beseech (implore) you [non-Christians] also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured (helped) thee: **behold, now [today] is the accepted time [to become a Christian]; behold, now is the Day of Salvation [for a Christian but not for a coming Revelation Saint or Millennial Saint who will have to wait to be Martyred (a Martyred Saint of Revelation - Revelation 6:9) or for the End Time judgment of the Sheep and Goats for the Millennial Saints]. [article link]

The Basic Christian Ministry: Matthew Chapter 24 - Matthew 24:15-22 When ye therefore shall see the Abomination of Desolation [the Antichrist], spoken of by Daniel the prophet [Daniel9:27], stand in the holy place [the rebuilt (3rd) Temple in Jerusalem - Revelation 11:1-2], whoso readeth, let him understand: Then let them which be in Judaea [Israel] flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the [Jewish] Sabbath day [Saturday]: For then shall be Great Tribulation [the second 3½ year period of the seven (possible) years of Revelation Tribulation], such [tribulation] as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be [again]. And except those [Great Tribulation] days should be shortened [from 3½ years to only 45 days - Daniel 12:11-12], there should no flesh [human or animal] be saved [alive - to enter the Millennial Kingdom]: but for the elect's [not the Church Elect but the Millennial Reign Elect (1,000 year - 8th Kingdom - Kingdom on earth Reign of Jesus Christ)] sake those days shall be shortened.
Matthew 24:23-27 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs [Antichrists], and false prophets, **and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret [rooms] chambers; believe it not. For as the [visible] lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also [visible] the coming of the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] be. [article link]

The Basic Christian Ministry: Matthew Chapter 24 - Matthew 24:28-29 For wheresoever the carcase [dead body] is, there will the eagles [G105, Eagle - i.e. Eagle of the Roman Standard (Revised-Rome, 7th Kingdom - Kingdom of Antichrist)] be gathered together. Immediately after the [1st half] Tribulation of those days [Revelation 6:9] shall the sun be darkened [The Great Tribulation (2nd half) - i.e. Revelation 8:12, Revelation 16:10], and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the [Satanic] powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Matthew 24:30-31 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other [to start the Millennial Kingdom]. [article link]

The Basic Christian Ministry: Matthew Chapter 24 - Matthew 24:32-36 Now learn a parable of the Fig Tree [Man-made Religion - Genesis 3:7]; When his branch (3rd Temple in Jerusalem) is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things [3rd Temple in Jerusalem], know that it [Tribulation - Great Tribulation] is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation [possibly the 1967 'Reunification of Jerusalem' generation] shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but My Father only.
Matthew 24:37-42 But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood [Genesis 7:10] they [unsaved] were [unaware] eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that [saved] Noe (Noah) entered into the ark [taken away to safety], And knew not until the flood came, and [Tribulation] took them all away; so shall also the [Rapture - safety] coming of the Son of man be. **Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken [to safety, Heaven (1 Peter 1:4-5) - Rewards (1 Corinthians 3:8) - Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7)], and the other left [Tribulation]. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken [to safety, Heaven (1 Peter 1:4-5) - Rewards (1 Corinthians 3:8) - Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7)], and the other left [Tribulation]. Watch [be ready] therefore [to be taken to Heaven - Rewards - Marriage Supper of the Lamb]: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. [article link]

The Basic Christian Ministry - Conclusion: Matthew Chapter 24 - Matthew 24:43-44 But know this, that if the goodman [responsible overseer] of the house had known in what watch the [common] thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready [Jesus - much greater and more important than a common thief]: for in such an hour [when you least expect it - and are the most focused on worldly events] as ye think not the [important] Son of Man cometh.
Matthew 24:45-51 Who then is a faithful and wise servant [Pastor], whom his Lord (Jesus) hath made ruler over His Household [Church], to give them [Worshipers] meat [sound Biblical Doctrine and teachings] in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom His Lord when He cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That He shall make him ruler over all His goods. **But and if that evil servant [worldly pastor] shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth His coming; And shall begin to smite [abuse] his fellowservants [fellow Christians], and to eat and drink with the [worldly] drunken [as one with them]; The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he [unaware] looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder [remove that person from the Kingdom of God], and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there [in hell - outer darkness] shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. -- Galatians 5:16-25 This I [Apostle Paul] say then, Walk in the [Holy] Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the [Holy] Spirit, ye are not under the law [i.e. Tithing]. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, *heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall [be weeping and gnashing of teeth and] not inherit the kingdom of God. ***But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk in the [Holy] Spirit. [article link]

Update: The Basic Christian Ministry - Still on Break (out of town) for about the next week - I plan on doing a new schedule for the website - The current plan is to do two or three short Bible studies - Technically the short Bible studies and Devotionals are scheduled to start in 2012 just after Holy Week but it's a good way to view some topics we need to look at now - Then we don't have any more movies to decode at this time but I think we should do a whole series 'Decoding the Apostles' - We can look into the lives, backgrounds, personalities and accomplishments of the Church Apostles and gain some information from their writings that they have encoded about themselves into their Biblical writings
Note: now would be a good time to download the Basic Christian material to look it over and to tell your friends about the Basic Christian website and material. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Update: The Basic Christian Ministry - Still on Break (out of town) for about the next week - I plan on doing a new schedule for the website - The current plan is to do two or three short Bible studies - Technically the short Bible studies and Devotionals are scheduled to start in 2012 just after Holy Week but it's a good way to view some topics we need to look at now - Then we don't have any more movies to decode at this time but I think we should do a whole series 'Decoding the Apostles' - We can look into the lives, backgrounds, personalities and accomplishments of the Church Apostles and gain some information from their writings that they have encoded about themselves into their Biblical writings
Note: now would be a good time to download the Basic Christian material to look it over and to tell your friends about the Basic Christian website and material. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Update: The Basic Christian Ministry still has more material to post and I would like to detour from the 8 Kingdoms/History Study and re-examine Doctrines and Theology particularly; Redemption, Salvation, Baptism, Born-Again, Once Saved Always Saved, Etc. -- But before we get back into more Doctrine it's possible that I might do another short series this time decoding the 1967 movie 'Cool Hand Luke' - Also it looks like I will have a few breaks in posting between now (July) and September so around September 2011 we should be back full-speed into the 8 Kingdoms & Church History Study ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown
The 1967 movie Cool Hand Luke is kind of the movie where all the previous Occult introduction themes [rebellion, disobedience, drugs, nudity, sexuality, homosexuality, etc.] finally gained mainstream acceptance with the general public and movie audience. After Cool Hand Luke [highly based off the 1965 movie King Rat] and many other similar Occult themed [losing your religion] movies the rebellion of the 1960's entered virtually unabated into almost all segments of society [some of the theme music from Cool Hand Luke became the theme sound for most of the Nation's nightly 'Eyewitness News' broadcasts]. -- Though obvious the primary reason for decoding the movie 'Cool Hand Luke' is not going to be to point out all the rebellion and societal angst that is purposely scripted and directed into the movie [as we did with the 1966 movie The Good, The Bad and The Ugly]. Instead the movie 'Cool Hand Luke' [in attempting to ruin religion] accidently portrays a very realistic portrayal of a sinful man 'Luke' seeking and groping after a real relationship with the Holy God. The question the movie fails to ask but we will not fail to ask is 'in the end was Luke saved?' The question of Luke's salvation is going to be paramount to our brief study and it is going to be the premise and conclusion of this study that yes indeed the slightly fictional character of Cool Hand Luke if real would indeed be saved and in heaven. -- Coming Soon: 'Cool Hand Luke' decoded. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke (1967) Part 1 (YouTube)
Paul Newman was nominated for an Oscar and George Kennedy received one for his work in this allegorical prison drama. Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) is sentenced to a 2 year stretch on a Florida chain gang (Road Prison) after he's arrested for drunkenly decapitating parking meters. While the avowed ambition of the captain (Strother Martin) is for each prisoner to "get their mind right," it soon becomes obvious that Luke is not about to give in/submit to anybody. When challenged to a fistfight by fellow inmate Dragline (George Kennedy), Luke simply refuses to give up, even though he's brutally beaten. Luke knows how to win at poker, even with bad cards, by using his smarts and playing it cool. Luke also figures out a way for the men to get their work done in half the usual time, giving them one afternoon off. Finally, when Luke finds out his mother has died, he plots his escape; when he's caught, he simply escapes again. Soon, Luke becomes a symbol of hope and resilience to the other men in the prison camp -- and a symbol of rebelliousness that must be stamped out by the guards and the captain. Along with stellar performances by Newman, Kennedy, and Martin, Cool Hand Luke features a superb supporting cast, including Ralph Waite, Harry Dean Stanton, Dennis Hopper, Wayne Rogers, and Joe Don Baker as members of the chain gang [and Jo Van Fleet as Luke's dysfunctional mother Arletta]. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - Wikipedia: Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News is a name used by local television newscasts, widely used in different markets across the United States - The earliest known use of the Eyewitness News name in American television was in April 1959 when KYW-TV (now WKYC-TV) in Cleveland, owned at the time by Westinghouse Broadcasting, launched the nation's first 90-minute local newscast (under the title Eyewitness), combined with the then 15-minute national newscast - Primo used the cue 007 from the 1963 film From Russia with Love as the musical theme - In 1968, Primo moved to WABC-TV in New York City and took the Eyewitness News concept there with him, choosing music from the 1967 Paul Newman film Cool Hand Luke - the "Tar Sequence" cue (composed by Lalo Schifrin) as the theme - However, he added a new twist at WABC-TV-chatter among the anchors, which came to be known as "happy talk"
Origins: The earliest known use of the Eyewitness News name in American television was in April 1959 when KYW-TV (now WKYC-TV) in Cleveland, owned at the time by Westinghouse Broadcasting, launched the nation's first 90-minute local newscast (under the title Eyewitness), combined with the then 15-minute national newscast.[1] The name was then adopted for use by Westinghouse's other television stations-KPIX in San Francisco, WJZ-TV in Baltimore, WBZ-TV in Boston and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh-for its local newscasts. ... between stories to let viewers know their personalities. Primo used the cue 007 from the 1963 film From Russia with Love as the musical theme. The format quickly became a hit in Philadelphia and allowed KYW-TV to surge past longtime leader WCAU-TV for first place, a position it kept on and off until the late 1970s. KYW-TV's success spawned rival station WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV) to develop the Action News format to compete with it. (After NBC was ordered back to Cleveland in 1965, the Eyewitness News name left that city until WEWS adopted it for its newscasts in the 1970s). -- Expansion: In 1968, Primo moved to WABC-TV in New York City and took the Eyewitness News concept there with him, choosing music from the 1967 Paul Newman film Cool Hand Luke - the "Tar Sequence" cue (composed by Lalo Schifrin) - as the theme. However, he added a new twist at WABC-TV-chatter among the anchors, which came to be known as "happy talk". Among the newscasters in the first wave of happy talk on WABC was a very young Geraldo Rivera, a comical and entertaining weatherman in Tex Antoine, and with Roger Grimsby as traditional humorless anchorman. WABC-TV has kept the name and format since then, and has been the highest-rated station in New York for much of that time. -- The format, as tweaked by WABC-TV, was copied by many other stations in the United States, with four other stations owned and operated by ABC - KABC-TV in Los Angeles, WLS-TV in Chicago, WXYZ-TV in Detroit and KGO-TV in San Francisco -- using both the format and the Cool Hand Luke theme. (In the case of KGO, since KPIX was already using the Eyewitness News name, KGO named its newscast Channel 7 NewsScene in 1969 and by 1983 simply Channel 7 News, while WXYZ used the Action News name since rival WJBK-TV called its newscasts Eyewitness News; KABC and WLS were free to use the Eyewitness News name as did WABC-TV). Ironically, WPVI, which developed the Action News format, is also now an ABC owned-and-operated station. In addition, U.S. Spanish-language stations also use their own version of Eyewitness News, called Noticias de Primera Plana (Headline News, a concept translation in Spanish of Eyewitness News) on its owned-and-operated stations. [article link]

The false premise of the movie 'Cool Hand Luke' is that Society is accurately structured off of Religion and that society therefore accurately reflects religion i.e. Christianity and that to then properly conform to Society is to properly conform to Religion and therefore be 'Saved' by God - This very false [straw man] proposition [with society being wrong then God must be wrong] regarding Society in equating Society to Religion is much of what we are going to examine in this series of decoding the movie 'Cool Hand Luke' -- {Note: Biblically [Revelation chapters 1-4] it is clear that the Christian Church in whole often does not accurately reflect the image of God (Jesus), and much less does society as a whole, but that individuals [i.e. Cool Hand Luke] do at times more accurately reflect the true image of Jesus Christ as God has intended for all mankind.}
The reason the movie as a whole is a "straw-man proposal" [society being wrong so God must be wrong] movie presentation and an obvious one at that is that the straw 'not real' and easily swept away argument being that society accurately represents Christianity and therefore a dysfunctional Society [on whole or in part] is an offspring of a dysfunctional religion i.e. Christianity and being dysfunctional then reasonable people would have every reasonable need to depart from a dysfunctional [religion] system and incorporate a much less 'dysfunctional' [seemingly freely open] i.e. prison (socialism) society system and style for their own life and culture. Of course reality is that human society has little to do with actual Biblical Christianity [even within the Church, Mega-Church system] especially regarding sinful mankind. The movie is falsely portraying a Society equals Religion premise and insinuating that Luke while rebelling against society's unfairness is actually rebelling against the unfairness of God. But in reality Luke in rebelling against the unfair nature of society [Church (Mega-Church) and State] is actually in more of a true relationship with the just, righteous and fair God of the Bible than many people [Christians included] would rightly realize. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke (background) - King Rat (1965) Both Steve McQueen and Paul Newman [Cool Hand Luke] turned down the lead in this intriguing film
This film (King Rat) also has a secondary storyline about the role of class in our society. Most of the British POWs are officers of fine breeding while King is an enlisted man of a questionable background. Some of the "upper-crust" British feel it is beneath them to work with someone like Cpl. King, let alone be bested or dependent upon him. This class-warfare intrigue is still in question today. Are some people better than others because of who they are? Rich vs. poor, male vs. female, white vs. black, educated vs. street smarts are all still issues plaguing humanity. -- This film is based upon a best-selling novel by James Clavell. Clavell spent much of his literary life writing a series of best-selling novels about Asia and its interaction with the West. From 'Shogun' to 'Noble House' to 'Gai-Jin' all of Clavell's novels about Asia are intriguing. The mini-series based upon 'Shogun', starring Richard Chamberlin and Toshiro Mifune, is still one of my favorite television events. And this novel is one of his best. Whether you like intense drama or prefer intellectual action, King Rat will provide some enjoyable entertainment. Upon viewing please keep one question in the back of your mind. If you were in a similar situation, would make a deal for food or would you starve for principle and honor? Filmed in 1965, directed by Bryan Forbes, written by Forbes from the novel by James Clavell, starring George Segal, John Mills, Tom Courtenay, James Fox and Denholm Elliott. --- Wiki.com James Clavell - Early life and World War II: Born in Australia, Clavell was the son of Commander Richard Clavell, a British Royal Navy officer who was stationed in Australia on secondment from the Royal Navy to the Royal Australian Navy. In 1940, when Clavell finished his secondary schooling at Portsmouth Grammar School, he joined the Royal Artillery to follow his family tradition. Following the outbreak of World War II, at the age of 16 he joined the Royal Artillery in 1940, and was sent to Malaya to fight the Japanese. Wounded by machine-gun fire, he was eventually captured and sent to a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp on Java. Later he was transferred to Changi Prison in Singapore. Clavell suffered greatly at the hands of his Japanese captors. According to the introduction to King Rat, written by Clavell, over 90% of the prisoners who entered Changi never walked out, although the actual mortality rate was under 1% [850 out of a total of 87,000 prisoners are known to have died at Changi, although many more died after being transferred out to other sites like the Death Railway]. Clavell was reportedly saved, along with an entire battalion, by an American prisoner of war who later became the model for "The King" in Clavell's King Rat. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke (background) - Wikipedia: Donn Pearce an American author best known for the novel and screen play 'Cool Hand Luke' - He served two years in the Florida Department of Corrections chain gangs [Road Camp No. 48] - In 1965 Scribners published his first novel, Cool Hand Luke, and he went on to write the Academy Award-nominated screenplay for the 1967 film version - The film starred Paul Newman, and Pearce made a cameo appearance as a convict named Sailor
Donn Pearce (born 1928) is an American author best known for the novel and screen play Cool Hand Luke. -- Born Donald Mills Pearce in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pearce left home at 15. He attempted to join the United States Merchant Marine at 16, but was turned away due to his age. He lied about his age, registered for the draft, and was inducted into the United States Army in 1944. Frustrated by rules he considered unnecessary, he went AWOL, then three days later thought better of it and turned himself in to a Navy MP. His sentence was 30 days in the stockade. He served three days of his sentence, then was transferred to a combat infantry unit. Anticipating being sent to the front (this was during WWII), he wrote his mother a letter. She contacted the Army, informed them of his true age, and he was thrown out of the Army. By this time, he was old enough to join the Merchant Marine. -- The Merchant Marine took him to Venice when he was 18, to Spain, Denmark, France, Portugal and Bombay. Post-war Europe had a thriving black market, and Pearce became involved in counterfeiting American money. He attempted to pass some counterfeit bills to a police officer in Marseilles, and was arrested, tried, and sent to prison. Assigned to a work detail outside the prison grounds, Pearce escaped, making his way to the Italian border. The French officials had taken his seaman's papers, so he forged new ones and signed on a ship to Canada. He crossed from Canada into the United States, where he began a new career - burglary. -- He became a safecracker, and in 1949, at the age of twenty, he was arrested for burglary. He served two years in the Florida Department of Corrections chain gangs. In 1965 Scribners published his first novel, Cool Hand Luke, and he went on to write the Academy Award-nominated screenplay for the 1967 film version. The film starred Paul Newman, and Pearce made a cameo appearance as a convict named Sailor. His other books included Pier Head Jump (1972) and Dying in the Sun (1974). During the seventies and early eighties he was a freelance journalist, often contributing to magazines such as Playboy and Esquire. In 2005 he published a fourth book, Nobody Comes Back, a novel about the Battle of the Bulge, which received an excellent review from Malcom Jones in the 21 February 2005 edition of Newsweek. Pearce continues to live and write in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke (Updated - Background) - imdb: Biography for Donn Pearce - "I seem to be the only guy in the United States who doesn't like the movie" Pearce told the Miami Herald in 1989 - "Everyone had a whack at it - They screwed (manipulated) it up 99 different ways"
It's been said that if Donn Pearce is remembered at all, it won't be for having written "Cool Hand Luke," his acclaimed but little-read novel about his life as a convict on a southern chain gang, but for the classic movie based on it. Starring Paul Newman in the Oscar-nominated title role, Cool Hand Luke (1967) was both a critical and commercial success. An outstanding film across the board, it brought us one of the screen's most compelling anti-heroes and one of the all-time great movie lines: "What we've got here is failure to communicate." Nominated for Best Picture, "Cool Hand Luke" was one of the key films of the Sixties. Many consider it a masterpiece. - Donn Pearce is not one of them. - "I seem to be the only guy in the United States who doesn't like the movie," Pearce told the Miami Herald in 1989. "Everyone had a whack at it. They screwed it up 99 different ways." [article link]

Cool Hand Luke (Background) - [Movie] 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' is a 1969 American Western [losing your religion] film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman - The title roles were originally cast with Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, but the latter (McQueen) left after a dispute over billing - The role of Sundance was then offered to Jack Lemmon, whose production company, JML, had produced the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke starring Newman -- Note: According to the DVD director commentary director George Roy Hill during pre-production for his 1969 movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid went to Europe (Italy) in 1966 knowing that the movie by Sergio Leone "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" would not be released to American audiences until 1968. In viewing the movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" he later incorporated some of the film style [slow-motion and noise emphasis] from Sergio Leone into the shootout sequence in scene #21 titled 'Going straight' the scene also included fellow Cool Hand Luke actor Strother Martin.
Production: The film was originally rated M (for mature audiences) by the Motion Picture Association of America. It was re-rated PG when 20th Century Fox re-released the film in 1974. According to the supplemental material on the Blu-ray disc release, William Goldman's script, originally called The Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy, was purchased by Richard Zanuck at 20th Century Fox for $400,000, double the price the studio's board of directors had authorized. The title roles were originally cast with Newman and Steve McQueen, but the latter left after a dispute over billing. The role of Sundance was then offered to Jack Lemmon, whose production company, JML, had produced the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke starring Newman, who had been grateful for Lemmon's...Lemmon, however, turned down the role; he did not like riding horses, and he also felt he had already played too many aspects of the Sundance Kid's character before. Warren Beatty was then considered, as was Marlon Brando, but the role of Sundance eventually went to the lesser-known Redford. (Initially Newman was to play Sundance (whom he did not resemble) and Redford Cassidy.) Fox [studio] did not want Redford, but director George Roy Hill insisted. Redford later said this film catapulted him to stardom and irreversibly changed his career. Butch Cassidy's outlaw gang was actually called "The Wild Bunch"; this was changed, in the film, to "The Hole-In-The-Wall Gang" to avoid confusion with Sam Peckinpah's recently released film The Wild Bunch. -- Box office: With a box office of over US$100 million (equivalent to over $500 million in 2009 dollars), it was the top grossing film of the year. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - The movie Cool Hand Luke's opening scene is of a normal looking guy [Luke] who happens to be in the process of damaging Govt. property by cutting off the tops of the parking meters in his small town's shopping district
The word 'violation' looms from each parking meter as Luke topples it from its stand. Luke following his own BYOB policy, a bottle opener hanging from a chain around his neck, has brought his own beer to his own little getting even party. The intoxicated Luke has a grand time while he spends a few minutes in the dark of night "evening the score" for a parking ticket that Luke certainly didn't deserve. Soon, as expected a local police officer pulls his patrol car to the curb and asks Luke "what are you doing there fella?" The movie viewer is instantly presented with a series of internal conflicts regarding the situation. Knowing that what Luke is doing is wrong but hoping that the officer will see the good natured humor in Luke's antics and simply drive Luke home for a needed night's rest and a chance for Luke to sober up from his mostly harmless antics of the night. -- The second scene of the movie quickly reveals that not only was Luke not given a break in being taken home and let off by the police but Luke was not given any kind of a break in the form of either a fine or a suspended sentence, instead Luke is on his way to prison. Note: The opening scene is complete and almost overstuffed with occult themes [rebellion, alcohol, intoxication, disobedience] and imagery, a neon sign blazing the single word "Drugs" is the main backdrop for much of the scene and stylistically comes into view just as the officer is asking Luke "what are you doing there fella?" i.e. drugs. The main prop in the opening scene is the looming red light of a distant streetlight warning everyone [Luke and the audiance] to stop any and all dissent that is in any way directed towards government at any level. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - In the movie's 2nd scene titled "Yes, Cap'n" Luke and three new fellow inmates arrive at the prison "Road Prison Camp No. 36" under the leering eyes of an inmate trustee and to the sounds of baying dogs the four new prisoners encounter a prison guard and meet the Camp Commandant [Captain - played by Strother Martin] in being inducted into their new prison surroundings
This second scene is one of the important pivotal scenes of the movie. The first new prisoner [Alibi - played by 'The Waltons' family TV show star Ralph Waite] reveals his sentence of two years for the horrendous crime of manslaughter, the accidental death of another person. Soon we are startled to learn that Luke also has received in his case a very steep two year penalty as well and not for the crime of manslaughter but for the victimless crime of damaging government property. -- Further the scene goes on to reveal the dreadful news that not only has Luke committed the grievous act of interfering with government property particularly property [parking meters] that help finance and enrich the government but Luke is also on record for having committed the other grievous act against the government, the act of disobedience in disobeying Army authority [he was reduced in rank from Sargent back down to Private]. The viewer begins to get a brief sense of a foreboding future for Luke in that Luke having committed not one but two sins, the two most unforgiving sins, against the government [state and church] system in committing acts of disobedience to authority and by interfering even ever so slightly by momentarily hindering the governments' ability to continually collect tax from the citizens [via a parking tax]. The audience begins to sense that Luke's mostly innocent behavior is going to have a disastrous result for Luke in that the government [state - church - mega-church] system will not tolerate in any way financial meddling or disobedience to authority of any kind. Note: in the scene a white picket fence is clearly prominent when the new prisoners arrive outside the Warden's house. The prisoner trustee 'Dog Boy' is also seen petting the bloodhound 'Blue' next to the fence. The white picket fence [attempts to reveal in the movie's false premise] that society makes and enforces a just and orderly rule of law [as opposed to the true Word of God revealing just law for all]. After the prisoners introduction they are led away from the white picket fence to their new housing area an area where a large locked metal gate and chain linked fence topped with barbed wire surrounds where the prisoners of society live. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - In one of the truly amazing scenes of the movie, or of any movie, is the interaction between Luke and his visiting Mother Arletta (played by Jo Van Fleet) - Luke calling his mother only by her name "Arletta" and Arletta constantly referring to Luke only as "kid" unleashes a barrage of un-motherly love on Luke the likes of which the world has seldom witnessed
The [carefully written and scripted] scene begins with an ill Arletta having been toted to the prison camp compound in a makeshift bed in the back of an old pickup truck driven by her son John [a half-brother to Luke], John is accompanied by a young son of his own. Arletta wastes no time in harassing Luke by beckoning him to come around to the other side of the pickup truck bed knowing full well that Luke can't go out of sight of the prison guard. The guard quickly denies Luke permission to go where Arletta as beckoned him to be. A smiling Arletta briefly relishes in her ability to make life impossible for her favored son Luke. Immediately Arletta begins to challenge Luke in his lack of having any children of his own. Luke comments that yeah it cannot be done just now. Moving on to more devastation Arletta begins to side with everyone but Luke in her taking sides with the law, any past girlfriend or anything else that can put Luke down. In the crescendo of the scene Arletta begins to cough and choke while an obedient Luke lifts a glass of water to her, yet amazingly Arletta won't even give Luke the satisfaction of assisting her and Arletta twice refuses to accept the much needed glass of water from Luke's outstretched hand. Previously Arletta had just dug into Luke by pointing out that Luke had never met his biological father - something Luke would have liked to have done. Permanently finishing Luke off Arletta tells him that she will soon be dead and "it won't matter what he does when he gets out of prison" and that she was going to leave everything to his half-brother John so regardless his life didn't matter to her anyhow but that he should try to just "laugh if up" anyhow. -- After Luke has been unfairly kicked while he is down by the system and now by his own family the movie at its lowest point then introduces religion as a main new theme in the movie. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - filmsite: Luke's sickly, dying mother Arletta (Jo Van Fleet) visits one Sunday afternoon to say goodbye - Review by Tim Dirks
Luke's sickly, dying mother Arletta (Jo Van Fleet) visits one Sunday afternoon to say goodbye, stiffly and painfully propped up in the bed of the pickup truck - it is presumably their last time together. Driven by her respectable son John, Sr. (John Pearce), she is chain-smoking a cigarette while coughing [with lung cancer or consumptive TB?]. Arletta still cares and expresses warm affection for her wayward yet favored son - but with guarded words. Although she is disappointed about how he turned out (and feeling guilty about her role as caregiver), Luke tells her that she'd done her best raising him as a single mother. In the tragic scene which implies much about her son's broken childhood and upbringing, the terminally-ill Arletta expresses regrets and resigns herself to "let go" of her independent-minded son who tried to live like she did - "free and above board." In the poignant conclusion to their conversation, she plans - after her death - to give her inheritance to her less-loved son John. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - Where Are They Now? Joy Harmon (The Girl) - Aunt Joy's Cakes - Aunt Joy's Cakes began with Joy Harmon's love for sweets and lifelong passion for baking - most remembered for her role in the movie "Cool Hand Luke" starring Paul Newman and George Kennedy - Joy Harmon plays a sexy, young woman who the men in the chain gang call Lucille - She drives the prisoners crazy as she seductively washes her car on a hot summer day
Aunt Joy's Cakes began with Joy Harmon's love for sweets and lifelong passion for baking. Before she was Aunt Joy, Joy Harmon was an actress in the sixties known for her ingénue style. She enjoyed bringing freshly baked goods for all of her co-workers, including Groucho Marx, who Joy Harmon appeared with on the television shows "You Bet Your Life" and "Tell It to Groucho." She also acted in many films, such as "Village of the Giants" and "Angel in my Pocket," but is most remembered for her role in the movie "Cool Hand Luke" starring Paul Newman and George Kennedy, who won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for the film. Joy Harmon plays a sexy, young woman who the men in the chain gang call Lucille. She drives the prisoners crazy as she seductively washes her car on a hot summer day. Although Joy Harmon's legendary car wash scene lasted less than five minutes, it made history as one of the sexiest scenes in a motion picture. -- Aunt Joy's Cakes started in the kitchen of her home in California. The name originated when Joy Harmon began supplying cakes to her niece's coffee shop. Whenever she made a delivery her niece would cheer, "Aunt Joy's cakes are here!" Then Joy Harmon started supplying her desserts to Disney Studios, where her son worked and spread the word about his mom's mouthwatering cakes and cookies. Her homemade desserts were becoming very popular, and Joy Harmon started supplying her baked goods to many more studios in the Los Angeles area. The demand for her delicious treats became too great for her to do alone in her kitchen, so now Joy Harmon is sharing her recipes and baking her secrets with her children. They are now running a wholesale bakery in Burbank, California specializing in cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and chocolate dipped strawberries. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - Where Are They Now? James Fox as Peter Marlowe [a type of a Christian missionary who loses his religion and joins in with the Devil "King Rat"] from Hut 16 in the movie "King Rat" - Fox subsequently joined [1970 to 1979] a religious organisation known as "The Navigators" which is similar to the Gideons and is closely associated with the ministry of Billy Graham
Mini Biography: James Fox is the second of three sons, born to the theatrical agent Robin Fox and his actress wife Angela Worthington - aka Angela Fox. His brothers are the actor Edward Fox and the producer Robert Fox. He started acting as a child actor and used his real name, until he reached his early 20s. He trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He left for nine years from 1970 to 1979 to pursue Christian vocational work. His niece is the actress Emilia Fox and he has a half-brother to the actor Daniel Chatto. From his marriage to Mary Piper, he has four sons: Thomas Fox, born 1975; Robin Fox, born 1976; the actors Laurence Fox, born 1978; Jack Fox, born 1985, and one daughter, Lydia Fox, born 1979. He published a book, "Comeback: An Actor's Direction", in 1983. ... Fox left the acting profession for nine years (1970-79) after he filmed Performance (1970) with Mick Jagger. A combination of his father's recent death, the strain of filming and smoking the hallucinogen DMT with Mick Jagger led to a nervous breakdown. Fox subsequently joined a religious organisation known as "The Navigators" which is similar to the Gideons and is closely associated with the ministry of Billy Graham. ... Personal Quotes: [On his 9-year break from acting]: People think Performance (1970) blew my mind... my mind was blown long before that. Performance (1970) gave me doubts about my way of life. Before that I had been completely involved in the more bawdy side of the film business. But after that everything changed. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - Where Are They Now? - Paul Newman (1925-2008) - In a 1980 interview with TIME magazine, Newman said he identified himself as Jewish, stating, "it's more of a challenge" In Israel and among Jews worldwide, he will always be remembered as Ari Ben Canaan, the Zionist rebel of [the 1960 movie] Exodus who seizes a cargo ship and smuggles 600 Holocaust survivors to Palestine despite British opposition (2008 Haaretz.com) - founded Newman's Own, a successful food company he built from the ground up in which all the proceeds go to charity - He would also start The Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, an organization for terminally ill children
Mini Biography: Paul Leonard Newman was born in January of 1925, the second son of Arthur and Theresa (nee' Fetsko) Newman in Cleveland, Ohio. The Newmans were a well-to-do family and Paul grew up in a nice home in Shaker Heights. Newman's father, the son of Jewish immigrants from Poland and Hungary, was the owner of a highly successful sporting goods store. Paul's mother, a practicing Christian Scientist of Slovakian decent, and his uncle Joe had an interest in creative arts and it rubbed off on him. ... He is as well known today for his philanthropic ways and highly successful business ventures as he his for his legendary actor status. Now in his 80s, Newman enjoys a near 50-year marriage to Joanne in Connecticut, their main residence since moving away from the bright lights of Hollywood in 1960, still attends races, is very much involved in his charitable organizations and in 2006 opened a restaurant called Dressing Room, which helps out the Westport Country Playhouse, a place the Newman's take great pride in. In 2007 he made some headlines when he said he was losing his invention and confidence in his acting abilities and that acting is "pretty much a closed book for me." Whether he's on the screen or not, Paul Newman remains synonymous with the anti-heroism of the 1960s and 1970s cinema and rebellious nature his characters so often embodied. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - In pivotal scene #15 'Snake in the grass' Luke begins to challenge the authority of the prison guards - Fellow prisoner Dragline (played by George Kennedy) tells Luke "Luke, you've gone too far when you mess with [the guard] the man with no eyes" - Then in the next scene #16 'Standing in the rain' Luke begins to question not just the existence of God but also the fairness, goodness and abilities of God - "Let me know you're up there Old Timer (God) love me, hate me, kill me just let me know you're up there"
Standing in the rain 'talking to myself' is what Luke replies to himself after his brief dialogue with God. Luke in seeking and questioning the goodness, nature and existence of God is doing it in an open, just and meaningful way. Not like the blasphemous sinner hurling insults to cause injury but more in a serious way like a man who has lived life, questioned life, fought [WWII] and survived most of what life has thrown his way and yet is still seeking an honest and sincere answer. This brings to mind, is it more appropriate to have a polished, even pretend mega-church cultured relationship with God where it is more rehearsed among men than freely given to God. Or is it more acceptable to God for a person like Luke in prison with most of the odds stacked against him and yet in openness and honesty from time to time he addresses God and looks into the things of God. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - Luke continues to challenge the authority of the prison system and after news of his Mother's death and some resulting unfair treatment from the prison staff Luke attempts a first escape but is caught just a few days later and returned to camp - Luke now has two more years of time to do and a clinking set of leg chains "to slow him down"
Chains on but not slowed down, Luke immediately escapes the work camp and is on the run for a second time. In scene #22 'Chili powder, etc.' Luke has escaped for a second time and has stopped at a familiar small farm owned by a black family. Two black kids who are friends with each other help Luke, one goes and gets an axe to cut the chains and the other gets chili powder for Luke to spread on the ground to hinder the scent and smell of the chasing prison dogs. As Luke sits down he puts his feet on a chopping block and begins to break his leg chains with the axe and for the viewer a building in the background comes into view. As Luke is chopping at his leg chains he pauses and briefly looks over his shoulder at the nondescript building. Returning to his chopping the building looms in the background the entire time until the chains are broken and Luke is free to continue on with his escape. The building in the background is a small Church building and it is where Luke will have his climatic showdown with both God and man. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - Luke is captured and returned again to the prison camp where he receives two sets of leg chains and an unbearable amount of work and harassment from the prison staff - It appears that after all of the hardship that Luke has been broken - Luke has appeared to have 'gotten religion' the kind of conforming obedient religion that one man seeks to place over another
Now the obedient Luke is reduced to every humiliation at the hands of both the prison guards and his fellow prisoners. But not for long as Luke is immediately on the run again and this time his friend Dragline joins Luke in the escape. In the dark of the night Luke and Dragline near the small farming community where Luke cut his chains in the previous escape attempt. Dragline scouts the road and tells Luke that they have it made and can escape on to every imaginable pleasure. Luke declines to go with Dragline saying "I've done enough world shaking for a while" and going his own way Luke passes then enters into the small Church to have another conversation with the Old Man (God). [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - Luke talks with God - Luke assumes that all of his previous attempts at reaching God have failed - But just in reaching back to the previous 'talking to myself' scene where Luke was shouting to God in a rainstorm Luke had told God "Let me know you're up there Old Timer (God) love me, hate me, *kill me just let me know you're up there" And now God in His goodness and kindness is about to let Luke know that He has had Luke in His loving hands all the time
Within minutes of Luke's seemingly failed attempt at reaching God the small Church parking lot is filled with police cars and his friend Dragline enters into the building to talk Luke into surrendering proclaiming "maybe they will even give us our old bunks back." Luke realizing the seriousness of the situation walks over to the window and using the Warden's own iconic words says "what we have here is a failure to communicate." The guard called no eyes again does his talking with his rife and quickly responds by shooting and wounding Luke in the neck. The prison staff rejects an offer to take the badly wounded Luke to a nearby hospital ensuring Luke's death and as the car pulls away the ever foreboding red light appears assuring the viewer that Luke has passed from this life. Had God not taken Luke's life at that moment as Luke had given God an open invitation to do, what would be his condition mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually after yet another session with the skilled prison staff? It would have been a Luke much different from the Luke God made and loved "You, made me like I am" and God did make Luke, in part like he was though sin also has a part in every person. The scene concludes with the smiling face of Luke and indeed it is a smile of a man who has overcome all the odds and perhaps it is the smile of a man that knowingly overcame this world and entered into the joy and presence of God in Heaven. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - Occult symbolism - The movie is stuffed with imagery, innuendo and outright occult symbolism
At the end of the famous egg eating contest a self-sacrificed Luke lays sprawled on top of the table in the obvious form of the crucified Christ [a pose that Newman would nearly duplicate in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as Butch falls backward into a puddle of water during the film's long chase scene]. Though mimicking Christ, in a unique way the pose and context is not extrodinaly Antichrist but instead is more of a man who identifies with Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross and not of a man who is taking the place of Christ. Throughout the movie the character of Luke does not take the nature of Antichrist [no miracles, extended blasphemy or self-anointing] but consistently continues in the theme of a sinner trying to reach out to God as opposed to the movie King Rat where Corporal King (a type of Satan) made the system and used the system for his gain - Cool Hand Luke instead was a part of the system and often a victim of the system. The film concludes with the prison chain-gang [now, once again without Luke] cutting the grass of the ditches along a crossroad intersection then the torn [in the shape of a cross] picture of Luke with the two women is placed directly over the crossroad intersection creating the occult double cross (treachery) symbolism. Lastly the movie camera zooms into the picture of Luke until only an eye of Luke is left visible in the viewing frame showing the occult one-eye of enlightenment copying the technique that was so often used in the previous movie The Good the Bad and the Ugly. [article link]

Cool Hand Luke - Conclusion: The effects on the modern Church from the 1960's losing your religion movies of King Rat, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Cool Hand Luke, etc.
It is only fair and accurate to lay the demise of the modern Church, and the accompanying critically ill condition of the present Church, at the feet of the Pastors who have willingly, either knowingly or unknowingly, led the Church into this direction for now three generations of preaching, teaching and Church service since the 1960's. The first generation of preachers and Church leaders during the 1960's-1970's consisting of men like Robert H. Schuller of Crystal Cathedral, Calvary Chapel's Chuck Smith Sr., Hal Lindsey, Chuck Missler, Jerry Falwell Sr., Dr. James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Tim LaHaye, Bill Gaither, Billy Graham etc. though not being directly open with the Church harbored within themselves the thoughts and concepts of the occult themed movies enabling the second generation of preachers and leaders to become more boldly occult within the true Church. The second generation of preachers during the 1980's-1990's consisting of men like Rick warren, John MacArthur, John Piper, Chuck Smith Jr., Jerry Falwell Jr., Greg Laurie, Mike MacIntosh, Skip Heitzig, etc. teachers who more openly added and abetted the Occult influence into the true Christian Church. The third and also current generation [including the Basic Christian Ministry - though from this generation is not of this worldly generation] of preaching 2000's-2010's is now openly advocating the very Occult concepts of the 1960's. In the Fall of 2010 Liberty University professor Ergun Caner began to publically address Christians as 'haters' the very line from the ending of the movie King Rat where Peter Marlowe [twice for effect] calls the Christian Lieutenant Robin Grey a hater. Now in 2011 Pastor Perry Noble mimicking the deleted scene '6 the perfect number' from the occult movie The Good the Bad and the Ugly informs his members that "I think you officially suck as a human being" and just like Blondie from the movie if we don't agree and acquiesce to Perry Noble and his every whim no matter how deranged then even our very life and existence is unworthy to be in his presence. Christianity in America and in the world has fallen a long way from the historical Christianity of the Bible, mostly in just the few short decades since the 1960's. But what has been so quickly lost to the true Church can be even more quickly returned as Biblical fellowship, respect, honor, grace and the Lordship of Jesus Christ all return to the Church body exposing the unholy deeds of the occult darkness and lighting the world with the true Gospel of Jesus Christ! [article link]

{Summer 2011 - Platform Project!} Basic Christian AIR (Version 2.54) - Available - as a FREE Download - Note: The 'Adobe Air' document [BasicChristian.air] can be downloaded to any desktop computer (PC or Mac) and also on some of the newer phones (To download and install - Right click this link) {Note: This is the 'Platform' Basic Christian resource format that I'm now using the most (though it doesn't have the universal search feature of a PDF file). It has all the Basic Christian documents [Contents] easily accessible and it also has the ability for each user to change font sizes [lower right slide bar], add comments [Comments Pod] and **also a section to add your own 'Platform' quick links [Favorites] to other websites a feature that I use daily to quickly visit several websites and blogs.}
The project is now in the Summer 2011 Version. It will provide excellent anytime devotions and is perfect as a gift for others. Most importantly [with the free Adobe Air (2.7) program] the end user can create their own comments list, add links to other websites, blogs, RSS feeds, references and documents that once combined create an inclusive individual 'Platform' for Christian research, devotional and study projects. -- Now Available for Free Download! [article link]

Adobe: Adobe AIR [an advanced Adobe Document (newer than PDF) Environment] Version 2.7 (Free Download)
Note: The Air program from Adobe is much like the (PDF) Acrobat program from Adobe, both programs have to be installed on the computer before you can view Air Documents or PDF files. The Air program is a next generation file system and is more interactive than PDF files. [article link]

SolaSisters: How [Self-Rightious] Pietism Deceives Christians, and The Errors of Elitist Teachings in the Church - Spener [Phillip Jakob Spener (1635-1705) - sourced at www.matthew548.com], who is credited as the creator of the movement that gained the name "pietism" - However, Spener himself apparently was not a pietist in the sense of claiming a higher order Christianity - The list of Spener's proposals for the church includes more intensive Bible study, the practice of the ***priesthood of believers, practicing deeds of unselfish love, and dealing with unbelievers and heretics with dialogue and loving persuasion rather than [Church and State] compulsion - **Spener's concern was corruption: "He was reacting against the polemical orthodoxy that was sterile amid the immorality and terrible social conditions following the Thirty Years' War" ... The problems Spener wanted to cure were caused by the existence of the State Church which was not a Biblical idea - They did not need more [of a self-rightious] piety; they needed to define the Church in Biblical terms
Spener, who is credited as the creator of the movement that gained the name "pietism." However, Spener himself apparently was not a pietist in the sense of claiming a higher order Christianity. The list of Spener's proposals for the church includes more intensive Bible study, the practice of the priesthood of believers, practicing deeds of unselfish love, and dealing with unbelievers and heretics with dialogue and loving persuasion rather than compulsion. Spener's concern was corruption: "He was reacting against the polemical orthodoxy that was sterile amid the immorality and terrible social conditions following the Thirty Years' War." Though it could be argued that the term pietism should be reserved only for movements that seek to reform a corrupt situation in the church, the fact is that it became attached to the mysticism of Jacob Boehme and his many spiritual descendants. Not only that, many movements to fix a perceived problems in the church have taken a mystical, elitist, trajectory which is what characterizes pietists. So with due respect to people who consider themselves "pietist" along the lines of Spener, I believe that my definition describes the key ideas that have been promoted in church history. The problems Spener wanted to cure were caused by the existence of the state church which was not a Biblical idea. They did not need more piety; they needed to define the church in Biblical terms. Unregenerate people forced into a state church because of a war are by nature impious. The state church will always be corrupt because Christ's church is not attached to a particular civil government. ... My conclusion is that "dead orthodoxy" is orthodoxy that people might fight for because of parochial reasons ("this is our tradition and no one is going to change it") but in which they put only mental assent faith. I gave mental assent to creeds when I was 12 years old because it was my duty to join the church at that age; but I was a dead sinner. But it most assuredly was not the truth contained in the creeds that killed me; it was my unbelief. Those "believers" in John 8 proved themselves to be unbelievers by refusing to become Jesus' disciples, learn the truth, and be set free. -- Pietism misdiagnoses the problem and creates a false solution. It sees a compromised church that is apparently caught in dead orthodoxy. The real problem is not dead orthodoxy but spiritually dead sinners who give mental assent to orthodox truth but show no signs of regeneration. If indeed such a church existed (if truth really is there God has His remnant there as well), that church would be characterized by worldliness and sin. This is the case because dead sinners do not bear spiritual fruit. There was a church in Revelation that Jesus called "dead." Pietism that holds to the true gospel but goes beyond it imagining that the dead sinners who are church members are Christians. When some of them become regenerate through the efforts of the pietists, they assume they have now entered a higher class of Christianity. They posit two types of Christian: "carnal" Christians and "spiritual" Christians. But in reality there are only Christians and dead sinners. -- Furthermore, pietism sees the lack of good fruit in the "dead orthodox" churches to be a sign that teaching doctrine is of no value and that what really matters is practice and not doctrine. So they gravitate to works righteousness. This is precisely the mode of the Emergen[t] Church. It has been the approach of pietists throughout history. But works that do not result from a prior work of grace (which is the result of God's work through the gospel to convert dead sinners) are in fact "dead works" no matter how pious they look. Mother Theresa did good works but denied the exclusive claims of the gospel. That "piety" is of no eternal value if those who were the recipients of the good works never hear or believe the gospel and thus end up in hell. -- God's revealed truth is never dead, but sometimes it falls on dead ears. In John 6 multitudes who were interested in following Jesus for bread left Him when He spoke the truth to them. The few who did not have dead ears were asked if they would leave too. Peter answered for the group: "Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God'" (John 6:68, 69). ***Genuine faith like that is not the domain of higher order pietists who learned the secrets of the deeper life, ***it is characteristic of every one of Christ's true flock who ever exists. [Self-Rightious i.e. Rick Warren] Pietists think that adding some man made process to what Christ has provided for all Christians throughout the centuries can cure a problem that never existed: being "dead" because of believing the truth. Instead of a cure, they create an illness as they lead people away from the finished work of Christ. [article link]

{4th of July, 2011} Bible verse: Psalms 145:9-14 The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. ... Thy Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom, and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. {The complete Bible is available at ChristianFaithDownloads.com}
Psalms 145:9-14 The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. All thy works shall praise Thee, O LORD; and Thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy Kingdom, and talk of Thy power; To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the Glorious Majesty of His Kingdom. Thy Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. -- Holy Bible [article link]

{4th of July, 2011} Bible verse: Proverbs 24:1-14 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief. ***Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established [1 Timothy 3:15]: ... If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not He (God) that pondereth the heart [of man] consider it? and He (God) that keepeth thy soul, doth not He know it? and shall not He render to every man according to his works? {The complete Bible is available at ChristianFaithDownloads.com}
Proverbs 24:1-14 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief. Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety. Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate. He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person. The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation [life everlasting] shall not be cut off. -- Holy Bible [article link]

{4th of July, 2011} Wikipedia: King Rat - King Rat is a 1965 World War II film adapted from the James Clavell novel King Rat - The film was directed by Bryan Forbes and starred George Segal as Corporal King, a World War II prisoner of war in a squalid camp near Singapore - [consisting of anti-religious overtones] the movie was nominated for two Academy Awards {Note: An excellent true life-human drama movie realistically portraying life in a WWII POW camp.}
Plot: Corporal King is an anomaly in the Japanese prison camp; not only is he one of only a handful of Americans amongst the mainly British and Australian inmates, he is actually thriving through his conniving and black market enterprises while others (nearly all of higher rank) struggle to survive the sickness and starvation, while retaining as much of their civilized nature as they can. ... King has an entirely different relationship with the lower-class, seemingly-incorruptible [devout Christian] British Provost, Lieutenant Grey (Tom Courtenay). Grey has only contempt for the American and does his best to bring him down, with little success. -- Meanwhile, Grey has another dilemma to deal with. When he accidentally discovers that the high-ranking officer in charge of the meager food rations has been siphoning off part of it, he rejects a bribe and zealously takes the matter to Colonel George Smedley-Taylor (John Mills). To his dismay however, Smedley-Taylor tells him that the corrupt officer and his assistant have been relieved of their duties, but orders him to forget all about it. Grey accuses him of being in on the scheme, but the tampered weight he presented to the colonel has been replaced, and he no longer has any proof of the misdeeds. Smedley-Taylor offers to promote him to captain; when a troubled Grey does not respond, Smedley-Taylor takes his silence as agreement. -- Finally, one day, the camp commandant summons the senior British officers and notifies them that the Japanese have surrendered and that the war is over. Later, a single British paratrooper (Richard Dawson) walks up to the prison gates and disarms the guards. -- After overcoming their shock and disbelief, the prisoners celebrate - all except King. He realizes he is no longer the unquestioned (if unofficial) ruler of the camp. He manages to squelch a premature attempt by resentful underling Sergeant Max (Patrick O'Neal) to reassert his rank and authority, but that only delays the inevitable. When Marlowe speaks to him before his departure back into the ranks of the U.S. Army, King ignores his overture of renewed friendship. -- King's unit sleeve patch is that of the U.S. 34th Infantry Division, which fought the Germans in North Africa and Italy, not the Japanese. [article link]

{4th of July, 2011} imdb: King Rat (1965) Movie - A viewer rating of 7.6 stars out of 10 stars
The Japanese prisoner-of-war camp Changi in Singapore, which houses Allied POWs, is a living hell. The great mass of POWs are living at a sub-human subsistence level. US Army Corporal King has been living up to his surname, through his control of the camp's black market, and by scamming the officers and other POWs. King has a facility for making deals with the Japanese to obtain the contraband he sells to the POWs. His nemesis is British Lieutenant Robin Grey, the camp provost marshal, a humorless, intense martinet who survives through his strict adherence to the British articles of war, which forbid collaboration with the enemy. He is suspicious of King, and is determined to catch him and bring him to justice. The humorless Grey is an upright, uptight moral prig who has been as badly damaged psychologically as any of the other POWs. The high-living King befriends a genteel young British soldier, Peter Marlowe, who at first resists his blandishments, and then succumbs, to his charm. The POWs become aware that the war is drawing to its end, and King and Marlowe grow concerned that the brutal Japanese guards may slaughter the prisoners before they can be liberated. King and Marlowe are determined to raise a large amount of money to buy their freedom by bribing their captors. One of the schemes that King devises is to raise the meat of deer mouse, a native delicacy, to sell to the officers and any POW who can afford it. Conditions are so desperate in the camp, that POWs are stealing rations form one another in order to stave off starvation. This is another one of King's scams, as the "mouse deer' are actually rats, the breeding stock for which have been the rats that have fed off the corpses of dead POWs. The desperate situation in the camp is exacerbated by the brutality of the Japanese guards, and by the senior British officers' predilection for breaking the will of the POWs in order to maintain camp discipline. Resistance, thus, is futile, and with no other outlet, the animosity of the POWs has to be channeled against each other. It becomes quite apparent that, aside from Lieutenant Grey and the dead, everyone in the camp is corrupt. Corporal King merely stands out, as he is Jack-the-Lad, The King-of-the-Hill, King of the Camp, KING RAT. Written by Jon C. Hopwood -- Trivia: Some of the actors had been POWS in the Second World War. Denholm Elliott, while serving in the RAF, had been shot down and taken prisoner by the Nazis. [article link]

{4th of July, 2011} King Rat the Movie part 1 of 10 (YouTube)
Note: Youtube has removed parts 2-10. [article link]

{4th of July, 2011} Edward Trimnell discusses James Clavell's 1962 debut novel, 'King Rat' - "What is good, what is evil? - How do people interact?" - "The novel is not an adventure script but is primarly a book of ideas" (YouTube)
King Rat is set in a Japanese POW camp in 1945. This video introduces the two major characters of King Rat, as well as the themes explored in the book. From EdwardTrimnell.com. [article link]

{4th of July, 2011} See Also: Treblinka by Jean-Francois Steiner (His father Mr. Kadmi Cohen died in the Nazi Holocaust at the Auschwitz sub-camp Gleiwitz) - One of the best books on the Holocaust - This is without a doubt one of the better books about the death camps - You will become intimately acquainted with Treblinka and the Nazis who ran it - Steiner's book is well-written and does justice to the horror {Note: An absolute must read but be prepared for the hard realities the book portrays. It's a difficult book to contemplate because it shows society at its worst in the past and now society is heading back in that very same direction.} (Book)
[Treblinka - Text: English (translation) published in 1968 by Signet Book - Original Language: French published in 1967] A chance meeting with a university professor in NY years ago caused me to ask the question of what was it really, really like to exist in a place of complete insanity; where you were placed at risk of death at every moment, where every act, every gesture could be your last. What sort of social structure could possibly evolve in such indescrible conditions where inmate sometimes turned on inmate for a crust of bread. And yet in this dark chaos an order did evolve. The inmates organized themselves to such an extent that they ultimately rose up in rebellion, overpowering their opressors and a small number actually escaped. I have read numerous books on the Holocaust but none of those prepared me for Steiner's superb work. Many of the works I've read concerned Auschwitz. Frankly, I never focused on Treblinka. As there is a relatively large number of Auschwitz survivors, I suspect scholars tend to focus on them. As far as Treblinka survivors go... there were only 75. Steiner's descriptions are so overwhelming; his imagery so clear and lucid that you can see in your own mind, the acts of brutality and barbarism, as well as small acts of kindness as if you are actually there. I found myself cringing at the blows of the clubs and the slash of the whips. And yet he takes pains to describe acts of heroism one can hardly imagine. You see how exposure to this inhumanity affects the inmates. Some degenerate while others work at mostly futile individual escape attempts in order to warn the remaining Jews of what ultimately lies in wait at the railhead at Treblinka Station. This is strong stuff and is not for everyone. This is not a book that compiles statistics but rather paints a searing description of day-to-day life with the inmates, their struggles to make it another day, their planning and finally their courageous attempt to escape. If you make it through this book, read Kogon's "The Theory and Practice of Hell" and then the next time you see "ethnic cleansing" taking place in some remote venue such as the Balkans, Rawanda or Timor ask yourself just how far we've really come and how easily we've learned to mouth the words "never again". -- Review: I have a morbid facsination with the Holocaust and Holocaust literature so I picked up Treblinka. I was not prepared for what was in it, how it would make me feel. I couldn't put it down. For two days I lived and breathed Treblinka, for two days I was beaten, starved, tortured, I saw my family gassed, I saw my fellow inmates hang themselves because death was better than this hell on earth. For two days I was an inmate of Treblinka because Jean-Francois Steiner put me there. Treblinka is quite possibly the most important piece of Holocaust literature ever written. It is non-fiction but it reads like a novel. It told me more about the death camps and Nazi regime than all of the books I have read combined. The most amazing thing about Treblinka though was the psychology behind it all. It gave answer to my question: Why did they not revolt before this? Why did they simply allow themselves to be led to death? On the third day I rose from the bottom of the abyss, I revolted, I left Treblinka along with 700 Jews, survivors of hell. I left but I didn't escape, no one escapes Treblinka. Like how Treblinka will always hold it's prisoners, Treblinka will always hold it's readers in it's mental grasp. [article link]

FightingForTheFaith.com: Perry Noble 2011 Sheep Beating Incident (Mp3)
- Perry Noble 2011 Sheep Beating Incident - Dr. Mohler Fields Question RE: Homosexual Sin - The Empire State's Moral Revolution - Sermon Review: Mighty Warrior by Casey Henegan, Keypoint Church. [article link]

The Bible clearly speaks of Jesus as being truly God (YouTube)
The Bible clearly speaks of Jesus as being truly God. Pastor Jack takes us through a very powerful set of scriptures ascribing attributes and titles to Jesus that are reserved to God alone. [article link]

Basic Christian: Complete News and Info Feed - RSS or PDF 2004-2011 (PDF)
The Complete Basic Christian: News and Info Feed 2004-2011 now available in both RSS and PDF format. [article link]

Basic Christian: Complete News and Info Feed - RSS or PDF 2004-2011 (RSS)
The Complete Basic Christian: News and Info Feed 2004-2011 now available in both RSS and PDF format. [article link]

Basic Christian: Documents on Issuu (Online - flipbooks)
Basic Christian: The Basics of Christianity ... and then some ... [article link]

Issuu is a neat little service that lets you turn your PDF into an interactive, intuitive flipbook that you can host online and share with others - Issuu is the place for online publications: Magazines, documents, and stuff you'd normally find on print
Document sharing services, including DocStoc, Scribd, and edocr, have been getting a lot of attention over the last few months - and with the premise of being a "YouTube for documents," their usefulness has been growing. Issuu, however, differenciates itself by focusing on the publishing aspect and aiming specifically at digitzing print publications. As their elevator pitch goes, "Issuu is the place for online publications: Magazines, documents, and stuff you'd normally find on print. It's the place where YOU become the publisher." -- A neat thing about the service is the sharing aspect. Users can customize their Issuu and post it easily to Facebook, MySpace, Orkut, Blogger, Friendster, Typepad, LiveJournal, and of course, embed it to their blogs via HTML (embedded on the right side is a sample Issuu.) Users can also comment on and bookmark the Issuus - a useful feature for people involved in design-related fields. -- The startup was founded back in February 2006 by a group of five people - including CEO Michael Hansen - and raised a venture round in February 2007 by Sunstone Capital. [article link]

Update: Basic Christian - I'm planning on starting the coming week with a series of postings based on a possible 'End Times' Timeline of Events. ~ All the best, God Bless everyone, David Anson Brown
Ok, even by doing a planned, introductory, minimal Timeline of possible events it is still going to be controversial - especially for my first post (or two) that I have planned. Though I think we can get through them and consider some possible End Time scenarios. [article link]

End Time Events Intro (1 of 2) - Biblically it seems that both the 1st and 2nd coming of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) are scripted to a certain timeline and number of days i.e. the 1st and 2nd comings and Daniel's 70 Weeks Prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) - Therefore the events are not random nor are they arbitrary but are a part of a pre-determined, planned and scripted series of ordered and ordained events
Within the allotted timeline [Genesis-Revelation] of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) events there are also the events of the Antichrist (Satan/Devil) i.e. the 7 Global (secular) Kingdoms of mankind. Presumably Satan has been given some leeway in formulating his own events within mankind. In part it is climatic events of Satan that will conclude the current 'Secular Age' on earth preceding the ushering in of the Messiah 1,000 year Kingdom Reign on earth. But, what of the climatic End Time events of Satan? Do they have to occur? The short answer is No! It is entirely possible (but not likely) that Satan in chasing down various schemes among mankind could fail to unite and formulate his own 7th Global Kingdom [Revised Roman Empire]. Because of a predetermined timeline of events if Satan were to fail to manifest his desired 7th global kingdom among mankind the 8th Kingdom the Kingdom of Jesus Christ would still manifest, reveal and succeed right on schedule [a schedule created and adhered to before even the foundations of the earth - Matthew 13:35] regardless of the status of Satan's 7th Kingdom [the 6 Satanic kingdoms having already been enacted and concluded]. The point is that as Christians attempting to observe End Time; events, days and seasons we need to keep in mind the Timeline of Jesus Christ and the Timeframe that the Bible has indicated for us much more than we should ever attempt to observe the perceivable End Time events of a Satanic kingdom [wars, famine, depression, etc.] an unholy kingdom that may or may not occur and in any of a variety of shapes and sizes, accompanying a diverse, subtle (counterfeit) variety of events, people and nations. [article link]

End Time Events Intro (2 of 2) - Continuing and considering a possible Timeline for End Time (conclusion of the Church Age) Events - The 2,000 year time period [about 32 A.D. to about 2032 A.D.] is the most often and most frequently used segment [length] of time used when considering the birth and length (duration) of the Christian Church Age {Note: Jesus was about 30 years old (Luke 3:23) when He began His Ministry, a Ministry that lasted 3 1/2 years on earth - using the year 0 A.D. for the birth of Jesus and at the age of thirty (30 A.D.) Jesus began His Ministry that lasted for three and a half years on earth ... 30 A.D., 31 A.D., 32 A.D. and into 33 A.D. (the night of the N.T. Passover and Holy Week in Jerusalem).}
It is clear that nearly every secular generation for the last 2,000 years has attempted to usher in the Satanic 7th kingdom [New Age, NWO, Age of Aquarius, etc.] and all [i.e. Constantine the Great and his Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. which proclaimed religious tolerance -- The de' Medici family and Pope Leo X - proclaimed Pope on 11 March 1513 A.D. -- The 1776 Illuminati, 1919 WWI, 1941 WW2, 1984 George Orwell (occultist), 2001 WTC, 2011 Royal wedding and Arab Spring, the coming 2012 Olympics in London England, and the intended 2013 global Satanic initiation] have all failed so far to this point. Though at one point in time the 7th Occult Kingdom is going to be successfully initiated and with it the End Time events of the Holy Bible. -- Though 2011,2012,2013 are all years that are highly desirable to occultist to initiate their 7th Global Kingdom it might be that the 2032 A.D. timeframe is a more accurate and feasible timetable. Meaning that the NWO is possibly looking at developing (technology) and evolving (policy) at a highly accelerated pace for the next twenty years prior to an actual initiation of the coming NWO 7th Kingdom. -- The Bible in (Leviticus 7:16-18) has an ordinance regarding a sacrifice where the sacrifice offered is viable (fresh) for only two days and cannot be legally received after the 2nd day. This is occasionally considered to be in part an ordinance and a prophecy regarding the 2,000 years [two days] of the Church Age (not to say that the eternal blood of Jesus Christ has a 2,000 year expiration date) only to say that times and dispensations do have a unique aspect about each of them [i.e. the Millennial Kingdom, Temple Ordinances (i.e. Ezekiel chapter 46, etc.)] --"Leviticus 7:16-18 But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten: But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity." [article link]

TWO DAYS (2,000 YRS.) FROM CHRIST'S BIRTH TO SECOND ADVENT (arrival, appearance) of Jesus Christ - There is a [dubious] sermon known as the EPISTLE OF BARNABAS which was written to the early churches - Barnabas [early Church Writers] knew [suspected] the return of Christ Jesus was not imminent [but thought to be in 2,000 years - about 2032 A.D.] -- Lactantius, who lived around 300 A.D. wrote in his seventh BOOK OF DIVINE INSTITUTIONS: "it is necessary that at the end of the sixth thousandth year (of creation) all wickedness should be abolished out of the earth and justice should reign for a thousand years (The Millennial Reign)" Note: Lactantius did not believe the Rapture of the Church was imminent in his day
It has been widely taught in Christendom that from Creation to the Final Judgment, at the end of time, there would be a total of seven thousand years (seven days). Four thousand years (four days) passed from Adam to the birth of Christ Jesus. Also, from Christ's First Advent (His birth) until His Second Advent in glory, there would be two thousand years (two days); followed by His 1,000-yr. reign on earth (one day). And now; time has proven that a literal interpretation of Peter's formula is true: -- "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (II Peter 3:8). -- The apostle Peter has given us a formula by which Christians can calculate the approximate time of Christ's Second Coming to Israel and therefore, the preceding Rapture of the body of Christ, which is the true Church. Many there are in Christendom who say this formula is merely theory. To them I ask, is it mere coincidence that Israel became a political state again in the Promised Land in 1948, which is in the twentieth century since the birth of our Lord Jesus? Or is it God fulfilling His Word on His timetable? God is setting the stage! Watch! [article link]

Wikipedia: Epistle of Barnabas - **the opinion today is that Barnabas (Acts 4:36) was not the author - Many scholars today believe it was probably written in the years 70 A.D. - 131 A.D., and addressed to Christian Gentiles - This passage clearly places Barnabas after the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70 - But it also places Barnabas before the Bar Kochba Revolt of AD 132, after which there could have been no hope that the Romans would help to rebuild the temple - The document must come from the period between the two revolts - The place of origin remains an open question, although the Greek-speaking Eastern Mediterranean appears most probable {Note: The 'Epistle of Barnabas' is another of several early (very corrupt) and very influential writings that have had and still have a major disadvantage effect on common Christian thought . If we were to outline common Christian ideas and precepts of today very often the origins would link back to the pseudo gospels and writings i.e. the 'Epistle of Barnabas' as much or more than even from a good Biblical doctrinal basis.}
Contents: Although the work is not gnostic in a theological sense, the author, who considers himself to be a teacher to the unidentified audience to which he writes (see e.g. 9.9), intends to impart to his readers the perfect gnosis (special knowledge), that they may perceive that the Christians are the only true covenant people, and that the Jewish people had never been in a covenant with God. His polemics are, above all, directed against Judaizing Christians (see Ebionites, Nazarenes, Judaizing teachers). -- In no other writing of that early time is the separation of the Gentile Christians from observant Jews so clearly insisted upon. The covenant promises, he maintains, belong only to the Christians (e.g. 4.6-8), and circumcision, and the entire Jewish sacrificial and ceremonial system are, according to him, due to misunderstanding. According to the author's conception, Jewish scriptures, rightly understood, contain no such injunctions (chapters 9-10). He is a thorough opponent to Jewish legalism, but by no means an antinomist. At some points the Epistle seems quite Pauline, as with its concept of atonement. -- The Epistle reinterprets many of the laws of the Torah. For example, the prohibition on eating pork is not to be taken literally, but rather forbids the people to live like swine, who supposedly grunt when hungry but are silent when full: likewise, the people are not to pray to God when they are in need but ignore him when they are satisfied. Similarly, the prohibition on eating rabbit means that the people are not to behave in a promiscuous manner, and the prohibition on eating weasel is actually to be interpreted as a prohibition of oral sex, based on the mistaken belief that weasels copulate via the mouth. -- It is likely that, due to the resurgence of Judaism in the early 2nd century, and the tolerance of the emperor Hadrian, Christians, such as the text's author, felt a need to resist Jewish influences polemically. In this case, the author seems to aim to demonstrate that Jewish understanding of the Mosaic legislation (Torah) is completely incorrect and can now be considered superseded, since in the author's view the Jewish scriptures foreshadowed Jesus and Christianity when rightly understood. -- The author quotes liberally from the Old Testament, including the apocryphal books. He quotes from the New Testament gospels twice (4:14, 5:9), and is in general agreement with the New Testament presentation of salvation-history. He quotes material resembling 4 Esdras (12.1) and 1 Enoch (4.3; 16.5), which did not become part of the Biblical canon except in some traditions (e.g. 1 Enoch is considered scriptural in the Ethiopian church). The closing Two Ways section (chapters 18-21), see also Didache, which contains a series of moral injunctions, presents "another gnosis and teaching" (18.1) in relation to the body of the epistle, and its connection to the latter has given rise to much discussion. [article link]

The Epistle of Barnabas - Chapter 1. After the salutation, the [unknown] writer declares that he would communicate to his brethren something of that which he had himself received {Clearly a divergent gospel/theology differing often greatly from the original Biblical Apostolic teachings and doctrines. Though very early, unique and rare the 'Epistle of Barnabas' information is interesting in that it is a glimpse into the [often heated] topics and debates of the ancient days but really at the end of the day only solid, real Biblical doctrine and precepts are going to carry the day to day life and fellowship for individual Christian believers.}
Chapter 21. Conclusion: It is well, therefore, that he who has learned the judgments of the Lord, as many as have been written, should walk in them. For he who keeps these shall be glorified in the kingdom of God; but he who chooses other things shall be destroyed with his works. On this account there will be a resurrection, on this account a retribution. *I beseech you who are superiors, if you will receive any counsel of my good-will, have among yourselves those to whom you may show kindness: do not forsake them. For the day is at hand on which all things shall perish with the evil [one]. The Lord is near, and His reward. Again, and yet again, **I beseech you: be good lawgivers to one another; continue faithful counsellors of one another; take away from among you all hypocrisy. And may God, who rules over all the world, give to you wisdom, intelligence, understanding, knowledge of His judgments, with patience. And be taught of God, inquiring diligently what the Lord asks from you; and do it that you maybe safe in the day of judgment. And if you have any remembrance of what is good, **be mindful of me, meditating on these things, in order that both my desire and watchfulness may result in some good. I beseech you, entreating this as a favour. While yet you are in this fair vessel, do not fail in any one of those things, but unceasingly seek after them, and fulfil every commandment; for these things are worthy. Wherefore I have been the more earnest to write to you, as my ability served, that I might cheer you. Farewell, you children of love and peace. The Lord of glory and of all grace be with your spirit. Amen. [article link]

The Gospel of Barnabas by Samuel Green - The *Gospel of Barnabas and the *Epistle of Barnabas - There are two books which carry the name, Barnabas - These are two very different books - The Gospel of Barnabas is promoted by Muslims as an original Gospel written by the man named Barnabas who it is claimed was a disciple of Jesus - Why was the Gospel of Barnabas Written? - The main topic of the Gospel of Barnabas is the life of Jesus - It retells most of the events of Jesus' life as recorded in the Biblical Gospels, **but at some points there are changes and additions to these stories - These changes are not random, instead they follow a clear pattern - They are intentional changes to make the Biblical accounts conform to the teaching of the [Islam] Qur'an
Conclusion: The Gospel of Barnabas is not an authentic Gospel of Jesus. The author does not understand the language, history or geography of the 1st century A.D., and there is no ancient evidence for the book. The internal evidence of the book suggests it was written in the 14th century and there are Muslim scholars who agree with this dating. The book is a The Gospel of Barnabas rewrite of the Biblical Gospel most likely by a Muslim who wanted to portray Jesus as a Muslim who taught Islam and predicted the coming of Muhammad. This type of rewriting has been done elsewhere by Muslims in the Gospel According to Islam. It is disgraceful for Islamic leaders to continue to publish, promote and distribute this false Scripture. It is disgraceful for them to create this deliberate confusion. [article link]

HeartLight.org: My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers - Service Of Passionate Devotion "Lovest thou Me? … Feed My sheep." -- Jesus did not say - Make converts to your way of thinking, but look after My sheep, see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Me (Jesus) John 21:16 -- Jesus Christ calls service what we are [Children of God - family - fellowship] to Him, not what we do for Him
Jesus did not say - Make converts to your way of thinking, but look after My sheep, see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Me. We count as service what we do in the way of Christian work; Jesus Christ calls service what we are to Him, not what we do for Him. Discipleship is based on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on adherence to a belief or a creed. "If any man come to Me and hate not..., he cannot be My disciple." There is no argument and no compulsion, but simply - If you would be My disciple, you must be devoted to Me. A man touched by the Spirit of God suddenly says - "Now I see Who Jesus is," and that is the source of devotion. -- To-day we have substituted credal belief for personal belief, and that is why so many are devoted to causes and so few devoted to Jesus Christ. People do not want to be devoted to Jesus, but only to the cause He started. Jesus Christ is a source of deep offence to the educated mind of to-day that does not want Him in any other way than as a Comrade. Our Lord's first obedience was to the will of His Father, not to the needs of men; the saving of men was the natural outcome of His obedience to the Father. If I am devoted to the cause of humanity only, I will soon be exhausted and come to the place where my love will falter; but if I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity though men treat me as a door-mat. The secret of a disciple's life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of the life is its unobtrusiveness. It is like a corn of wheat, which falls into the ground and dies, but presently it will spring up and alter the whole landscape (John 12:24). [article link]

Pietism Timeline - "Hebrews 10:18-25 Now where remission (forgiveness) of these (sins) is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, **boldness to enter into the Holiest [presence of God] by the blood of Jesus, By a new [the New Testament] and living way, which He (Jesus) hath consecrated for us, through the veil [closed partition], that is to say, His flesh [physical appearance]; And having [Jesus] an High Priest [in the order of Melchizedek] over the House of God; **Let us draw near with a true heart **in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water [credo-baptism]. Let us hold fast the profession of our [Christian] faith without wavering; for He (Jesus) is faithful that promised; And let us consider one another to provoke [encourage] unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day [2nd Coming] approaching."
Pietism Timeline: The Cross and Resurrection birth of Christianity (about 33 A.D.) - 1st Church Council [Acts 15:2] in Jerusalem (about 47 A.D.) regarding Gentile Christian piety [holiness] - *Until about 313 A.D. the N.T. Epistles (Scriptures) and the O.T of the Holy Bible were being translated from the Greek and Hebrew into the common languages of the day i.e. Syrian, Egyptian, Arabic, etc. - Following the 313 A.D. Edict of Milan by Roman Emperor Constantine the Great which proclaimed religious tolerance the Bible in any language other than Roman [Latin] was not tolerated and all other versions of the Bible were deemed illegal by Rome. Latin was the only Bible Translation until the era of the Protestant Reformation Bible translators [John Wycliffe 1328-1384, Desiderius Erasmus 1466-1536, William Tyndale 1492-1536, Martin Luther 1483-1546, etc.] resulting in 1611 with the English language King James Bible [KJV 1611]. With the English Bible in the possession of the common person in England and accompanying Bibles [i.e. German, Dutch, French, etc.] in the possession of other common European citizens the people began to read the Bible and understand that Salvation [eternal life] in Jesus Christ is a free gift from God and is not to be confused with the works, tithes, customs, statutes and traditions of ordinary men and women. Then in about the mid 1650's to the late 1880's as the common person reading the Bible began to realize the assured nature of their own individual Salvation in Jesus Christ the Piety movement began as an answer of how then do we with eternal Salvation live and conduct our life here on earth. {Note: The modern (intentionally confused - not by Roman Catholicism but by occultists) bible versions [i.e. NIV, NKJV, NET, NASB, Message, etc.] are in a sense a return to the Latin Bible where the only Bible translations of the time were in a version that could not be easily understood by the average citizen.} [article link]

{Excellent!!} FightingForTheFaith.com: History of Pietism Part 4 (Mp3)
History of Pietism Part 4 by Dr. Daniel Van Voorhis. [article link]

{Flashback} Apprising Ministries: MYSTICISM PART 5 - Pietism [personal rightiousness] & Subjective [my version of self-rightiousness] Christianity - Where Did Pietism Go Wrong? Of course that is a loaded question and presupposes that Pietism did go wrong - Given the fact that Pietism, to some degree, lives on in church related groups as diverse as Amish, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal and the Amana Society it is hard to be precise - But, wherever experience and subjectivity reigns supreme over Scripture in the lives and churches of twenty-first century believers there is something wrong {Note: The Basic Christian ministry at its core is really a remnant of the Anabaptist - Pietism movement. In about 2001 the Basic Christian: Statement of Faith was re-written (after being posted for only about two months) and expanded including the phrase "while to the *righteous He [Jesus Christ] will give of His life, His gifts, and His glory" this was added with much consideration and what it means is that the purpose of the Basic Christian ministry at its core is a Ministry of Righteousness in Jesus Christ. Righteousness is an extremely loaded word and it should be but it is so loaded that after that one small phrase [and a few more words] were added to the Basic Christian: Statement of Faith that article went from among the most popular articles on the website to one of the least popular articles on the site yet Righteousness (our righteousness only in Jesus Christ) is such an important Biblical concept that I decided to leave that phrase in the Statement of Faith just to help us keep our goals and ambitions on track and in a proper order. - The coming Millennial 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth is going to be His Kingdom of Righteousness [Isaiah 5:16, Isaiah 26:9, Isaiah 45:8, 19, Romans 1:17, 1 Corinthians 15:34, 2 Corinthians 3:9, 5:21, Galatians 5:5, Revelation 22:11] and in order for us as individuals to be able to inhabit properly within the Kingdom of God we need to have a concept of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ in our own lives. - Starting in about 2012 the Basic Christian Ministry is hoping to transition into more Biblical exploration of just what is the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and how does it apply to each Christian in our own personal life and really the Righteousness of Jesus Christ functions and is displayed through the Holy Spirit and in the eternal Melchizedek, Righteous High Priesthood of Jesus Christ.}
Although Pietists adhered to the inspiration of the Bible, they advocated individual feeling as being of primary importance. That may have been an adequate method for avoiding cold orthodoxy of "Protestant scholasticism," it opened the door for the equally dangerous enemy of "subjective experientialism." The first generation of Pietists could recall and reflect on its grounding in Scripture while validly advocating the need for individual experience. A second generation would stress the need for individual experience, but often without a proper Biblical or catechetical basis. This would leave a third generation that would question individual experience with no Biblical or doctrinal "standard" to serve as an objective criterion. In turn, their unanswered questions would tend to demand an authority. When Scriptures were neglected, human reason or subjective experience would fill the need as the required "standard." Thus while not causing other movements Pietism gave impetus to three other movements in the post-Reformation church: deism [reason and logic used apart from the Bible to get to know God], skepticism [doubting Biblical passages that don't seem to relate to the physical realm] and rationalism [placing personal human physical reasoning and understanding as a higher authority than the scriptures of the Holy Bible]. ... The great-grandchildren of Pietism live on in modern evangelicalism. On the positive side, much like original Pietists there is a great hunger today for spirituality. People want a spirituality that works in the trenches of life. They want a faith that is relevant, provides answers and draws them closer to God. There is little interest in "dead orthodoxy." People want to feel something - experience something. George Gallup documents this spiritual hunger in his book, The Next American Spirituality. Unfortunately much of the spirituality that he observes is without biblical foundation leading him to warn, "Contemporary spirituality can resemble a grab bag of random experiences that does little more than promise to make our eyes mist up or our heart warm. We need perspective to separate the junk food from the wholesome, the faddish from the truly transforming." But perspective is hard to come by due to the massive level of biblical illiteracy, not only in America but among Christians as well. Half, he says, "Of those describing themselves as Christians are unable to name who delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Many Americans cannot name the reason for celebrating Easter or what the Ten Commandments are. People think the name of Noah's wife was Joan, as in Joan of Ark." Then there is what some have called "the great disconnect." That is, there is a wide chasm between what Americans in general, and self-proclaimed Christians in particular, claim to believe and how they live. While the general populace claim to have a great interest in spirituality, and Christians claim to be followers of Christ, our societies, homes and churches are inundated with corruption, violence, substance abuse, racism, divorce and materialism. This "cluster of moral and theological shortcomings seemingly throws into question the transforming power of religious beliefs," Gallup admits, leading him to state, "Just because Americans claim they are more spiritual does not make them so." That leans into an excellent question, "Is the church really rediscovering its spiritual moorings - or just engaging in retreat from seemingly insoluble problems?" ... Such [emotional self-experience] "piety" is changing every facet of Christian and church life. Take worship for example. Monte E. Wilson has noted, "For the modern evangelical, worship is defined exclusively in terms of the individual's experience. Worship, then, is not about adoring God but about being nourished with religious feelings, so much so that the worshiper has become the object of worship." The cause for this type of worship, Wilson believes, is the loss of devotion to Scriptures. He writes in pejorative terms, "Others-probably the majority in modern American evangelicalism-have utterly neglected any commitment to the content of the Word and have ended with narcissistic 'worship' services where everyone drowns in a sea of subjectivism and calls it 'being bathed in the presence of the Holy Spirit.' These people come to church exclusively to 'feel' God." Pietistic leanings, of course, are not limited to worship and the gathered church. Where they are most evident, and most concerning is in the area of "God's leading." How does God speak to and lead His people according to Scripture? And how has Pietistic understanding of these things affected the way we interpret both Scripture and our subject feelings? This will be the topic of our next paper. [article link]

{Flashback} [Modern] Pietism - Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later - It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to begin the Brethren movement - The Pietist movement combined the Lutheranism of the time with the Reformed, and especially Puritan, emphasis on individual piety, and a vigorous Christian life
History: Although pietism surely had roots prior to the Reformation and to some extent the cause of it, as a distinct movement within Protestantism pietism became identifiable in the 17th century. The Lutheran Church had continued Philipp Melanchthon's attempt to construct an intellectual backbone for the Evangelical Lutheran faith. By the 17th century the denomination remained a confessional theological and sacramental institution, influenced by orthodox Lutheran theologians such as Johann Gerhard of Jena (d. 1637), and keeping with the liturgical traditions of the Roman Catholicism of which it saw itself as a reformed variation. In the Reformed Church, on the other hand, John Calvin had not only influenced doctrine, but for a particular formation of Christian life. The Presbyterian constitution gave the people a share in church life which the Lutherans lacked, but it appeared to some to degenerate into a dogmatic legalism which, the Lutherans believed, imperiled Christian freedom and fostered self-righteousness. However, in the pietist view, ritualistic elements which Luther wanted to remove were captivating the mainstream of the Lutheran church, squeezing the pietists into fellowships with which they were comfortable. ... In Pia desideria "Pious Desires" (1675), Spener made six proposals as the best means of restoring the life of the Church: 1. The earnest and thorough study of the Bible in private meetings, ecclesiolae in ecclesia ("little churches within the church"). 2. The Christian priesthood being universal, the laity [people] should share in the spiritual government of the Church. 3. A knowledge of Christianity must be attended by the practice of it as its indispensable sign and supplement. 4. Instead of merely didactic, and often bitter, attacks on the heterodox [variant views] and unbelievers, a sympathetic and kindly treatment of them. 5. A reorganization of the theological training of the universities, giving more prominence to the devotional life. 6. A different style of preaching, namely, in the place of pleasing rhetoric [examples directed from news, events and stories], the implanting of [Biblical] Christianity in the inner or new man [spiritual man], the soul of which is faith, and its effects the fruits of life. - This work produced a great impression throughout Germany, and although large numbers of the orthodox Lutheran theologians and pastors were deeply offended by Spener's book, its complaints and its demands were both too well justified to admit of their being point-blank denied. A large number of pastors immediately adopted Spener's proposals. ... In modern societies where Pietism has had a profound impact its religious foundations are no longer apparent. Atheistic pietism is a term used by Asgeir Helgason to describe a pietistic (moralistic) approach to life without religion. "We have denied the existence of God but kept the pietistic rules". Atheistic pietism has been suggested to be one of the characteristics (traits) of the modern day Swedish national spirit. The term is first known to have been used by W.H. Mallock in 1879. [article link]

{Flashback} [Modern] Anabaptist - Anabaptists "re-baptizers" or "adult baptism" [believer's baptism - credobaptism (reciting the well-known "Apostles' Creed" or a personal Bible verse or a Psalm at baptism)] are Christians of the Radical Reformation - Puritans of England and their Baptist branch arose independently, but were influenced by the Anabaptist movement - Where men believe in the freedom of religion, supported by a guarantee of separation of church and state [government], they have entered into that [Anabaptist] heritage - Where men have caught the Anabaptist vision of [N.T.] discipleship, they have become worthy of that heritage - Where corporate discipleship submits itself to the New Testament pattern of the church, the heir has then entered full possession of his [N.T. - Anabaptist] legacy
[Some] Anabaptists rejected *conventional [common and Biblically acceptable] Christian practices such as wearing wedding rings, taking oaths, and participating in civil government. They adhered to a literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount and Believer's baptism. The name Anabaptist is derived from this, because credobaptism ('Believer's baptism' - adult baptism) was considered heresy by all other major Christian denominations at the time of the reformation period (specifically, all major Christian denominations saw [infant] baptism as necessary for salvation and necessary for infants, and held that it was wrong to delay baptism until the child had reached a certain age; they did, however, require that those who converted later in life should confess a baptismal creed [the Apostles' Creed] at baptism (credobaptism). Anabaptists required that candidates be able to make their own confessions of faith and so refused baptism to infants). As a result, Anabaptists were heavily persecuted during the 16th century and into the 17th by both Roman Catholics and other Protestants. ... Somewhat related to this is the theory that the Anabaptists are of Waldensian origin. Some hold the idea that the Waldenses are part of the apostolic succession, while others simply believe they were an independent group out of whom the Anabaptists arose. Estep asserts "the Waldenses disappeared in Switzerland a century before the rise of the Anabaptist movement." Ludwig Keller, Thomas M. Lindsay, H. C. Vedder, Delbert Grätz, and Thieleman J. van Braght all held, in varying degrees, the position that the Anabaptists were of Waldensian origin. ... The Anabaptists were early promoters of a free church and freedom of religion (sometimes associated with separation of church and state). When it was introduced by the Anabaptists in the 15th and 16th centuries, religious freedom independent of the state was unthinkable to both clerical and governmental leaders. Religious liberty was equated with anarchy; Kropotkin traces the birth of anarchist thought in Europe to these early Anabaptist communities. According to Estep: Where men believe in the freedom of religion, supported by a guarantee of separation of church and state, they have entered into that heritage. Where men have caught the Anabaptist vision of discipleship, they have become worthy of that heritage. Where corporate discipleship submits itself to the New Testament pattern of the church, the heir has then entered full possession of his legacy. [article link]

{Flashback} Apprising Ministries: The Emerging church - Three voices from the "emergent church" will explore this capacity of postmodern Christianity *to embrace and redefine tradition, ... Who should attend: Any futurist who feels that everything must change about [traditional Christian] religion and is curious about how progressive [New Age] Christianity is a leading indicator of change - What you'll learn: Attendees will learn how to ground [embed and saturate] their leadership and foresight in the concerns of tomorrow's [New World Order] spiritualities and relate religious concepts to futures thinking through a theology of (false and deceptive) hope - How can this *new knowledge be applied: Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how postmodern spiritualities are **reshaping conservative theologies and communities
Back in November of 2005 the online apologetics and discernment work Apprising Ministries warned you about what is now a full blown cult of neo-liberalism operating within mainstream evangelicalism, the sinfully ecumenical Emerging Church. These past few years this EC has been busy forging together its new form of postmodern liberal theology, a Liberalism 2.0 many call Emergence Christianity, which Emergent Church guru Brian McLaren begins laying out in his latest book A New Kind of Christianity. ... Three voices from the "emergent church" will explore this capacity of postmodern Christianity to embrace and redefine tradition, ... Who should attend: Any futurist who feels that everything must change about religion and is curious about how progressive Christianity is a leading indicator of change. What you'll learn: Attendees will learn how to ground their leadership and foresight in the concerns of tomorrow's spiritualities and relate religious concepts to futures thinking through a theology of hope. How can this new knowledge be applied: Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how postmodern spiritualities are reshaping conservative theologies and communities. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Protestant/Evangelical Church} ContendingForTruth.com: Hidden Luciferians in American culture, politics, academia...and in the Christian community - Parts 3-5 (Mp3s)
Further study of [singer] Michael W. Smith's occult connections » The Alan Parsons Project & the Eye of Horus/Ra/Lucifer » [pastor] David Jeremiah And His All-Seeing Eye. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Protestant/Evangelical Church} Calvary Chapel Melbourne - News and Events - Michael W. Smith in Concert {Apparently the price to fellowship (Q&A) for about 30 minutes with the singers before the show is a huge $50.00 plus an additional $20.00 or $25.00 for the actual show ticket. -- Of course the Church also makes money off the show. -- How is it again, that Christian entertainment and Christian ministry hasn't devolved into a corrupt, evil, greedy, corporation?}
Michael W. Smith in Concert - Posted on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - Multiple Grammy, Dove and American Music Award and winning Christian artist Michael W. Smith will be in concert at Calvary Chapel Melbourne along with special guest Phil Joel formerly with the Newsboys. Friday, March 5th 7:30pm doors open at 6:30 - [prices through the church] *General Admission $20 - At the door $25 - **Artist Circle: $75 (includes 6pm reception with Questions & Answers) Tickets are available at: The Chapel Store/Melbourne Campus The Chapel Store/Viera Campus (General Admission Only) Wings of Joy Bookstore in Vero. **Click Here to buy tickets!-- Artist Circle includes Question and Answer session at 6:00pm. [prices online] **Artist Circle with 6:00 PM Q&A $50.00 - General Admission $25.00. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Protestant/Evangelical Church} Michael W. Smith, David Crowder, Greg Laurie, RTS professor Reggie Kidd Speak at Emergent Conference - The 2009 National Worship Leader Conference took place on July 20-23 in Leawood, Kansas and brought together a convergence of contemplative/emerging speakers
Many of our readers may be wondering why Greg Laurie [Harvest Crusade] would be speaking at this clearly contemplative/emerging conference. Laurie's head pastor, [con artist, charlatan and flim-flam man] Chuck Smith [Calvary Chapel], made it very clear a few years ago that Calvary Chapel would NOT be going in the contemplative/emerging direction. But, come to think of it, Chuck Smith also said at that time that Calvary Chapel had to reject the Purpose Driven movement, but on August 9th, according to Greg Laurie's website he spoke at Saddleback Church at a number of services. -- Michael W. Smith's endorsement of Manning isn't surprising; he's never been doctrinally sound, really. Music is his interest, not biblical Truth. And that's from a person who used to really enjoy his music, one upon a time. -- As for Greg Laurie and Calvary Chapel, I got some heat for stating that I saw CCOCM [Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa] going emergent. The evidence is increasing. Denying something and then behaving in favor of the same thing shows that not only is there hypocrisy going on, but the actions speak louder than words. Why it is that some public pastors deny the Emergent Church Movement, then turn around and endorse it by speaking at its conferences and sharing its leaders' platforms is beyond me. Do professing Christians only hear the weak "denials" and ignore the actions? Its certainly true so often in the political arena, which is why so many Obama supporters are backing away from him now--his actions are not in accordance with his earlier "claims" to the people and thus they are surprised and upset. So deny PDL and ECM, then join them in their promotion of heresy? Folks, its time to wake up and see the truth. Those who are in error do not promote themselves as erroneous, but as "one of us". How do you suppose false teachers secretly sneak in among you? [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Protestant/Evangelical Church} LighthouseTrailsResearch.com: The Shack Heralded by Christian Figures, including Michael W. Smith and [Calvary Chapel speaker and teacher Gayle Erwin] - The New York Times best seller Christian fiction, The Shack, is enjoying the endorsements and ravings of top Christian figures - Contemporary Christian singer Michael W. Smith says: The Shack is the most absorbing work of fiction I've read in many years
The New York Times best seller Christian fiction, The Shack, is enjoying the endorsements and ravings of top Christian figures. Contemporary Christian singer Michael W. Smith says: The Shack is the most absorbing work of fiction I've read in many years. My wife and I laughed, cried and repented of our own lack of faith along the way. The Shack will leave you craving for the presence of God. Wynonna Judd, another popular recording artist states: "Reading The Shack during a very difficult transition in my life, this story has blown the door wide open to my soul." Judd and Smith aren't alone in their promotion of The Shack. Eugene Peterson (author of The Message) says: "This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress did for his. It's that good!" And Calvary Chapel speaker and teacher Gayle Erwin expresses: Riveting, with twists that defy your expectations while teaching powerful theological lessons without patronizing. I was crying by page 100. You cannot read it without your heart becoming involved. The list of endorsements by Christian figures goes on and on. The book has remained on the New York Times best seller list for 25 consecutive weeks now. But in spite of the heart-warming emotion that The Shack stirs within people, Lighthouse Trails believes this is a theologically off-base novel that has an underlying sensual New Age message, appealing to the "carnal" flesh rather than "the things of the Spirit". For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:5,6). [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Protestant/Evangelical Church} Wikipedia: Billy Graham - William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. (born November 7, 1918) is an American evangelical Christian evangelist - Singer Michael W. Smith is active in Billy Graham Crusades as well as [Franklin Graham's] Samaritan's Purse
During a March 12, 1991, CBS broadcast of Billy Graham's Long Island, New York crusade, Graham said in reference to the Persian Gulf War, "As our President, President Bush [Sr.], has said, it is not the people of Iraq we are at war with. It is some of the people in that regime. Pray for peace in the Middle East, a just peace." (Billy) Graham had earlier said that "there come times when we have to fight for peace." He went on to say that out of the war in the Gulf may "come *a new peace [w/o Jesus] and, as suggested by the President, **a (secular) new world order." ... For providing a platform during his events for many Christian musical artists, Graham was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999 by the Gospel Music Association. Several songs by various artists have dedicated songs to or about Graham during his lifetime. Singer Michael W. Smith is active in Billy Graham Crusades as well as Samaritan's Purse. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Protestant/Evangelical Church} Dr. David Jeremiah [Turning Point radio broadcast] & the [Satanic] All-Seeing Eye - Dr. David Jeremiah has been long admired as a great preacher - At his home church, Shadow Mountain Community Church [San Diego, California], he succeeded former senior pastor, Tim LaHaye [co-author of the twisted theology 'Left Behind' book series], in 1981 - Jeremiah's leadership of the church has led to an affiliation with the [SBC] Southern Baptist Convention - As I was searching his sermons on YouTube, I stumbled upon the all-seeing eye that overlooks his altar and sanctuary (Photos)
Is David Jeremiah a Mason? Giving the Shadow Mountain pastor the benefit of the doubt, maybe he didn't realize Tim LaHaye was a Mason, or that the all-seeing eye was an occult Masonic symbol. It this were so, what explains this pose...and even more condemning, the ministry logo. "The point within the circle is an interesting and important symbol in Freemasonry ... The symbol is really a beautiful but somewhat abstruse allusion to the old Sun-Worship, and introduces us for the first time to that modification of it, known among the ancients as the worship of the Phallus." Albert Mackey [Short Talk Bulletin, February, 1936; Vol. 14, No. 2, Reprinted July, 1980, p. 7]. -- See Also: Is David Jeremiah Becoming Contemplative? David Jeremiah Proposes "Major Paradigm Shift" For His Church - The Shadow Mountain pastor draws from Erwin McManus' book, The Barbarian Way - If you attended Shadow Mountain Community Church this weekend, then according to an email we received, you would have heard the second part of Pastor David Jeremiah's series called Journey with Jesus. But the title of this series is a bit misleading - Jeremiah isn't just talking about Jesus; he is discussing a book called The Barbarian Way. The book is written by Erwin McManus, who is pastor of Mosaic Church in California. In Friday's email, Jeremiah stated: This weekend, I will be sharing the second message in our Fall Journey With Jesus. The title of the message is "The Manliness of Jesus." I am praying that it will fire you up as much as it has me. It's a major paradigm shift from our normal thoughts about Jesus. This week, I have read a book by Erwin McManus called THE BARBARIAN WAY. In it, he says something that should prepare our hearts for the weekend message. -- While the quote from the book is benign, the book is not, and if any mention of the book is made by Jeremiah, it should be one of warning. If you have been following Jeremiah's slip toward what we might call contemplative/emerging Christianity, his promotion of McManus' book probably won't be too surprising. Last year, we mentioned on a radio program that Jeremiah was going to be speaking at the Lead Like Jesus conference with Ken Blanchard (whose conference it was). Shortly after this airing, Jeremiah pulled out of the conference and then Blanchard canceled the conference all together. Jeremiah then wrote a letter to Lighthouse Trails and made it public. He defended Ken Blanchard who had been and still is promoting the New Age, particularly New Age mysticism. Source: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=1934 [article link]

The Scottish Bible Society: The People's Bible - When King James VI/I held the first printed copy of the Bible he commissioned in his hands in 1611, he could never have foreseen the impact it would have around the world - Many of our ancestors learned to read from the King James Version and in lots of cases came to a relationship with God
At the Scottish Bible Society we are marking this important anniversary by launching The People's Bible Project with our colleagues in England and Wales. It will travel Great Britain offering people of all faiths and none the opportunity to handwrite two verses of Scripture and at the same time logging that work as a digital copy which they can view on the web. -- We want people to engage with the Scriptures in a new way, maybe for the first time. Some may participate purely for the historical significance of doing so. Others may get involved because they know the Bible but have turned away from the faith they once had. Whatever the reason, 2011, the 400th Anniversary of the KJV, gives us a perfect opportunity to promote the Bible in our own country like never before. [article link]

The King James Bible Trust - Celebration of the Authorised version [KJV 1611] of the Bible - Friday, 17 June 2011 - Sunday, 19 June 2011 - Time: Friday & Saturday 10am-4pm Sunday 2pm-5pm - Location: Glenorchy United Reformed Church, Exeter Road, Exmouth, Devon, United Kingdom - Organisation: Bible Society-Exmouth Action Group
Details: The Action Group are planning a [400th Anniversary] Celebration weekend for the King James Version of the Bible. Church is open from 10am-5pm to view a display of more than 40 [origional] King James Versions of the Bible in a private collection. On Saturday night to hold a concert to raise funds for Bible Society with local singers and musicians. A United Service on Sunday evening at 6.30pm with a guest Speaker. All the local churches will be invited to attend. During the day coffee and tea will be served either in the church or the hall, also light lunches and cream teas. Have selection of Bible Reading notes now available so that we can encourage people to read their Bibles. [article link]

The King James Version [KJV 1611] 400th Anniversary 1611-2011 - In 1611, a convergence of circumstances and developments resulted in the publication of one of the English language's most pre-eminent books - the King James Version of the Bible, popularly known as the Authorised Version (AV) - The year 2011 sees the 400th anniversary of the KJV, thought to be on 2nd May 2011
It wasn't the first English Bible by any means or even the most popular version at the time, but its style of language together with research of Bible manuscripts and their original languages (mainly Hebrew and Greek), discoveries of new documents and not least the combined effect of the Renaissance and Reformation - not just in England but across Europe, together with the dramatic development of printing, brought into being the well loved and renowned Bible version we have to this day. A singularly enduring version, with several revisions to update and correct errors of translation and print; deliberately memorable in its prose and layout; coming in many different formats and still widely in use 400 years on. Modern versions have built upon this Bible version, updating its language and knowledge to bring an understanding of the Word of God to an everyday audience. [article link]

{Excellent!!} Church History - A Biography of William Tyndale (Mp3)
William Tyndale part 2 by Andy Davis | Mar 7, 2009 | Topic: Christian Biography [article link]

KJV 1611 Holy Bible - Red Letter Edition {A Free PDF KJV Bible} (PDF)
The King James Version (KJV) 1611 with the Words of Jesus Formatted in Red is a complete Bible containing both the Old and the New Testaments. [article link]

Martin Luther (1 of 3) - November 10, 1483 - February 18, 1546 - was a German priest and professor of theology who ***initiated the Protestant Reformation - He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could be purchased with money - He confronted indulgence [sin tithe] salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 - His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of *Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet (General Assembly of the Church - Council) of Worms [city of Worms in what is now Germany] in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor - His translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Roman Latin) made it more accessible [to the common person], causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture - It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and ***influenced the translation into English of the 1611 King James Bible {Note: Among the first and finest fruits of the Protestant Reformation was the translating of the Holy Bible into the common languages and the distribution of it into the hands of the common person.}
Luther taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with Luther's teachings are called Lutherans. -- His translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation into English of the King James Bible. His hymns influenced the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry. [article link]

Martin Luther (2 of 3) - The start of the Reformation - It wasn't until January 1518 that friends of Luther translated the 95 Theses from Latin into German, printed, and widely copied, making the controversy one of the first in history to be aided by the printing press - Within two weeks, copies of the theses had spread throughout Germany; within two months throughout Europe - Luther's writings circulated widely, reaching France, England, and Italy as early as 1519. Students thronged to Wittenberg to hear Luther speak. He published a short commentary on Galatians and his Work on the Psalms. This early part of Luther's career was one of his most creative and productive - Three of his best-known works were published in 1520: To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and On the Freedom of a Christian
In 1516-17, Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar and papal commissioner for indulgences, was sent to Germany by the Roman Catholic Church to sell indulgences to raise money to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Roman Catholic theology stated that faith alone, whether fiduciary or dogmatic, cannot justify man; and that only such faith as is active in charity and good works (fides caritate formata) can justify man. The benefits of good works could be obtained by donating money to the church. -- On 31 October 1517, Luther wrote to his bishop, Albert of Mainz, protesting the sale of indulgences. He enclosed in his letter a copy of his "Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences," which came to be known as The Ninety-Five Theses. Hans Hillerbrand writes that Luther had no intention of confronting the church, but saw his disputation as a scholarly objection to church practices, and the tone of the writing is accordingly "searching, rather than doctrinaire." Hillerbrand writes that there is nevertheless an undercurrent of challenge in several of the theses, particularly in Thesis 86, which asks: "Why does the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build the basilica of St. Peter with the money of poor believers rather than with his own money?" -- Luther objected to a saying attributed to Johann Tetzel that "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory [also attested as 'into heaven'] springs." He insisted that, since forgiveness was God's alone to grant, those who claimed that indulgences absolved buyers from all punishments and granted them salvation were in error. Christians, he said, must not slacken in following Christ on account of such false assurances. However, this oft-quoted saying of Tetzel was by no means representative of the official Catholic teaching on indulgences, but rather, more a reflection of his capacity to exaggerate. Yet if Tetzel overstated the matter in regard to indulgences for the dead, his teaching on indulgences for the living was pure. -- The sale of indulgences shown in A Question to a Mintmaker, woodcut by Jörg Breu the Elder of Augsburg, circa 1530. According to scholars Walter Krämer, Götz Trenkler, Gerhard Ritter and Gerhard Prause, the story of the posting on the door, even though it has settled as one of the pillars of history, has little foundation in truth. In his preface to the posthumous second pressing of Luther's compiled work, humanist and reformist Philipp Melanchthon writes "reportedly, Luther, burning with passion and just devoutness, posted the Ninety-Five Theses at the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany at All Saints Eve, October 31" (Old calendar). At the time he wrote the preface, Melanchthon lived in Tübingen, far from Wittenberg. In the preface, Melanchthon presents more untrue assertions: that indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel publicly burned Luther's Ninety-Five Theses, that Luther held colleges on nature and physics, and that Luther had visited Rome in 1511. For a professor of the Wittenberg University to post theses on doors is unparalleled in history. Even further, Luther was strongly law abiding and it would have been against his character to publish his thoughts and direction in this manner. Moreover, Luther never mentioned anything in this direction in his writings, and the only contemporary account of the publishing of the theses is the Latin account by his servant Agricola, who states that Luther presents "certain theses in the year of 1517 according to the customs of University of Wittenberg as part of a scientific discussion. The presentation of the theses was done in a modest and respectful way, preventing to mock or insult anybody".. He makes no mention of nailing the theses to a door, nor does any other source report this. In actuality, Luther presented a hand-written copy, accompanied with honorable comments to the archbishop Albrecht of Mainz and Magdeburg, responsible for the practice of the indulgence sales, and to the bishop of Brandenburg, Luther's superior. [article link]

Martin Luther (3 of 3) - Justification by faith - The first and chief article is this: Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins and was raised again for our justification (Romans 3:24-25) - He (Jesus) alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), and God has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6) - All have sinned and are justified freely, without their own works and merits, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood (Romans 3:23-25) - **This is necessary to believe - This cannot be otherwise acquired or grasped by any work, law or merit - Therefore, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us ... Nothing of this article can be yielded or surrendered, even though heaven and earth and everything else falls (Mark 13:31) -- As a consequence, Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X on 3 January 1521, in the bull Decet Romanum Pontificem
Breach with the papacy: Pope Leo X by Raphael - Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz and Magdeburg did not reply to Luther's letter containing the 95 Theses. He had the theses checked for heresy and in December 1517 forwarded them to Rome. He needed the revenue from the indulgences to pay off a papal dispensation for his tenure of more than one bishopric. As Luther later noted, "the pope had a finger in the pie as well, because one half was to go to the building of St Peter's Church in Rome". -- Pope Leo X was used to reformers and heretics, and he responded slowly, "with great care as is proper." Over the next three years he deployed a series of papal theologians and envoys against Luther, which only served to harden the reformer's anti-papal theology. First, the Dominican theologian Sylvester Mazzolini drafted a heresy case against Luther, whom Leo then summoned to Rome. The Elector Frederick persuaded the pope to have Luther examined at Augsburg, where the Imperial Diet was held. There, in October 1518, Luther informed the papal legate Cardinal Cajetan that he did not consider the papacy part of the biblical Church, and the hearings degenerated into a shouting match. More than his writing the 95 Theses, Luther's confrontation of the church cast him as an enemy of the pope. Cajetan's original instructions had been to arrest Luther if he failed to recant, but he lacked the means in Augsburg, where the Elector guaranteed Luther's security. Luther slipped out of the city at night, without leave from Cajetan. -- In January 1519, at Altenburg in Saxony, the papal nuncio Karl von Miltitz adopted a more conciliatory approach. Luther made certain concessions to the Saxon, who was a relative of the Elector, and promised to remain silent if his opponents did. The theologian Johann Maier von Eck, however, was determined to expose Luther's doctrine in a public forum. In June and July 1519, he staged a disputation with Luther's colleague Andreas Karlstadt at Leipzig and invited Luther to speak. Luther's boldest assertion in the debate was that Matthew 16:18 does not confer on popes the exclusive right to interpret scripture, and that therefore neither popes nor church councils were infallible. For this, Eck branded Luther a new Jan Hus, referring to the Czech reformer and heretic burned at the stake in 1415. From that moment, he devoted himself to Luther's defeat. -- Excommunication: On 15 June 1520, the Pope warned Luther with the papal bull (edict) Exsurge Domine that he risked excommunication unless he recanted 41 sentences drawn from his writings, including the 95 Theses, within 60 days. That autumn, Johann Eck proclaimed the bull in Meissen and other towns. Karl von Miltitz, a papal nuncio, attempted to broker a solution, but Luther, who had sent the Pope a copy of On the Freedom of a Christian in October, publicly set fire to the bull and decretals at Wittenberg on 10 December 1520, an act he defended in Why the Pope and his Recent Book are Burned and Assertions Concerning All Articles. As a consequence, Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X on 3 January 1521, in the bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. [article link]

How to Convert [Basic Christian] RSS Feeds into PDF Documents using Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader is one of the most used PDF viewers. **It also has a feed reader using which you can access and read your RSS subscriptions. A special feature which most of us don't us is that you can use it to convert RSS feeds into PDF documents. This option is available by default in Acrobat 8, but strangely enough disabled by default in Acrobat 9. To change this, - Go to Edit > Preferences scroll down to the Tracker category and under RSS - Check Enable RSS Feed In Tracker. - Now copy the URL of the feed onto your clipboard. - Then go to Comments > Track Reviews > RSS. - Click on 'Subscribe to RSS feeds'. A prompt will open where the feed URL will already be pasted. If not paste the URL in this field, and click OK. A number of entries will appear, choose which ones you want to save into a PDF and click OK. That's it and you will get your RSS feeds as PDF documents which you can share or store. {Using Adobe Acrobat Reader Go to "Forms" then "Track Forms..." then "RSS" and after the feed link has been provided (via link in right window pane) Right Click on the Feed Title (in the left window pane) and select the "Convert to PDF" option.} [article link]

Converted: Basic Christian Extended RSS Feed (PDF)
Basic Christian 2011 Extended Version - News-Info Feed. [article link]

Converted: Basic Christian RSS Feed - blog Bible Study (PDF)
Basic Christian: blog Bible Study - Genesis - Revelation. [article link]

Converted: Basic Christian RSS Feed - blog History Study (PDF)
Basic Christian: blog History Study - The 8 Kingdoms of the World. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} (Part 1 of 3) Pope Leo X: 11 December 1475 - 1 December 1521, born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, [made a Cardinal at the age of 13] was the Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest (only a deacon) to be elected Pope - He is known for granting indulgences [selling a type of sin tithe] for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 Theses - He was the second son of Lorenzo de' Medici, the most famous ruler of the Florentine Republic, and Clarice Orsini - His cousin, Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, would later succeed him as Pope Clement VII (1523-34) {As an Occult infiltrator [concerned with money, power and destroying Christianity] of the Roman Catholic Church Pope Leo X was primarily involved in stripping money from Churches and individuals affiliated with Rome and appropriating the money for his own use. Pope Leo X used four schemes to gain wealth 1. Starting an overpriced building project [reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica] by taxing other churches. 2. Began the selling of 'indulgences' [licenses to sin] to individuals. 3. Initiating finances for a military Crusade against the Middle-East. 4. The selling of church offices, positions and even the belongings for huge sums of money to unqualified an unworthy individuals.}
Spendthrift [primarily on things not directly benefiting or advancing the Christian message and Gospel of Jesus Christ]: Leo's lively interest in art and literature, to say nothing of his natural liberality, his alleged nepotism, his political ambitions and necessities, and his immoderate personal luxury, exhausted within two years the hard savings of [Pope] Julius II, and precipitated a financial crisis from which he never emerged and which was a direct cause of most of what, from a papal point of view, were calamities of his pontificate. -- He sold cardinals' hats. He sold membership in the "Knights of Peter". He borrowed large sums from bankers, curials, princes and Jews. The Venetian ambassador Gradenigo estimated the paying number of offices on Leo's death at 2,150, with a capital value of nearly 3,000,000 ducats (about 132 million dollars in 2010 dollars) and a yearly income of 328,000 ducats ($14,432,000.00). -- The ordinary income of the pope for the year 1517 had been reckoned at about 580,000 ducats ($2,552,000.00) [around $44 each ducat coin in 2010 dollars], of which 420,000 came from the States of the Church, 100,000 from annates, and 60,000 from the composition tax instituted by Sixtus IV. These sums, together with the *considerable amounts accruing from indulgences, jubilees, and special fees, *vanished as quickly as they were received. Then the pope resorted to pawning palace furniture, table plate, jewels, even statues of the apostles. Several banking firms and many individual creditors were ruined by the death of Leo. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} (Part 2 of 3) Pope Leo X: Plans for a [power grabbing] Crusade - A truce was to be proclaimed throughout Christendom; the pope was to be the arbiter of disputes; the emperor and the king of France were to lead the army; England, Spain and Portugal were to furnish the fleet; and the combined forces were to be directed against Constantinople - Papal diplomacy in the interests of peace failed
Plans for a Crusade: The war of Urbino was further marked by a crisis in the relations between pope and cardinals. The sacred college had allegedly grown especially worldly and troublesome since the time of Sixtus IV, and Leo took advantage of a plot of several of its members to poison him, not only to inflict exemplary punishments by executing one and imprisoning several others, but also to make a radical change in the college. -- On 3 July 1517 he published the names of thirty-one new cardinals, a number almost unprecedented in the history of the papacy. Among the nominations were such notable men such as Lorenzo Campeggio, Giambattista Pallavicini, Adrian of Utrecht, Thomas Cajetan, Cristoforo Numai and Egidio Canisio. The naming of seven members of prominent Roman families, however, reversed the policy of his predecessor which had kept the political factions of the city out of the Curia. Other promotions were for political or family considerations or to secure money for the war against Urbino. The pope was accused of having exaggerated the conspiracy of the cardinals for purposes of financial gain, but most of such accusations appear unsubstantiated. -- Leo, meanwhile, felt the need of staying the advance of the Ottoman sultan, Selim I, who was threatening western Europe, and made elaborate plans for a crusade. A truce was to be proclaimed throughout Christendom; the pope was to be the arbiter of disputes; the emperor and the king of France were to lead the army; England, Spain and Portugal were to furnish the fleet; and the combined forces were to be directed against Constantinople. Papal diplomacy in the interests of peace failed, however; Cardinal Wolsey made England, not the pope, the arbiter between France and the Empire; and much of the money collected for the crusade from tithes and indulgences was spent in other ways. -- In 1519 Hungary concluded a three years' truce with Selim I, but the succeeding sultan, Suleyman the Magnificent, renewed the war in June 1521 and on 28 August captured the citadel of Belgrade. The pope was greatly alarmed, and although he was then involved in war with France he sent about 30,000 ducats to the Hungarians. -- Leo treated the Uniate Greeks with great loyalty, and by bull of 18 May 1521 forbade Latin clergy to celebrate mass in Greek churches and Latin bishops to ordain Greek clergy. These provisions were later strengthened by Clement VII and Paul III and went far to settle the constant disputes between the Latins and Uniate Greeks. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} (Part 3 of 3) Pope Leo X: Protestant Reformation and last years - Leo was disturbed throughout his pontificate by schism, especially the Reformation sparked by Martin Luther - In response to concerns about [priest-pastor] misconduct from some servants of the church
In 1517 Martin Luther read his Ninety-Five Theses on the topic of indulgences in the church courtyard at Wittenberg. Students took the theses, translated them from Latin to German, and through the printing press they spread throughout Europe. Within two weeks, the theses had spread throughout Germany, and after two months they had spread throughout Europe. Leo failed to fully comprehend the importance of the movement, and in February 1518 he directed the vicar-general of the Augustinians to impose silence on his monks. -- On 30 May, Luther sent an explanation of his theses to the pope; on 7 August he was summoned to appear at Rome. An arrangement was effected, however, whereby that summons was cancelled, and Luther went instead to Augsburg in October 1518 to meet the papal legate, Cardinal Cajetan; but neither the arguments of the cardinal, nor Leo's dogmatic papal bull of 9 November requiring all Christians to believe in the pope's power to grant indulgences, moved Luther to retract. A year of fruitless negotiations followed, during which the controversy took popular root across the German States. -- A further papal bull of 15 June 1520, Exsurge Domine or Arise, O Lord, condemned forty-one propositions extracted from Luther's teachings, and was taken to Germany by Eck in his capacity as apostolic nuncio. Leo followed by formally excommunicating Luther by the bull Decet Romanum Pontificem or It Pleases the Roman Pontiff, on 3 January 1521. In a brief the Pope also directed Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor to take energetic measures against heresy. -- It was also under Leo that Lutheranism spread into Scandinavia. The pope had repeatedly used the rich northern benefices to reward members of the Roman curia, and towards the close of the year 1516 he sent the impolitic Arcimboldi as papal nuncio to Denmark to collect money for St Peter's. This led to the Reformation in Denmark-Norway and Holstein. King Christian II took advantage of the growing dissatisfaction of the native clergy toward the papal government, and of Arcimboldi's interference in the Swedish revolt, to expel the nuncio and summon Lutheran theologians to Copenhagen in 1520. Christian approved a plan by which a formal state church should be established in Denmark, all appeals to Rome should be abolished, and the king and diet should have final jurisdiction in ecclesiastical causes. Leo sent a new nuncio to Copenhagen (1521) in the person of the Minorite Francesco de Potentia, who readily absolved the king and received the rich bishopric of Skara. The pope or his legate, however, took no steps to remove abuses or otherwise reform the Scandinavian churches. --- Having fallen ill with malaria, Pope Leo X died on December 1, 1521, so suddenly that the last sacraments could not be administered; but the contemporary suspicions of poison were unfounded. He was buried in Santa Maria sopra Minerva. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} The Revised Roman Empire - The Medici Family [generally considered the most Occult family of Medieval Europe] - Other Prominent Medici were *Pope Leo X (1475-1521); Pope Clement VII (1478-1534); Catherine (1519-1589), wife of [King] Henry II of France; and Marie (1573-1642), wife of [King] Henry IV of France and regent for their son [King] Louis XIII [Note: this is also the important and historic timeframe of the general discovery of America by the Italian born explorer Christopher Columbus in his 1492 voyage from Spain to America (Bahamas).]
Medici, an Italian family of merchants and bankers who ruled the republic of Florence through economic power and personal influence. By their patronage of the arts they made Florence the center of the Italian Renaissance. The Medici were created dukes of Florence by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1531, and grand dukes of Tuscany by Emperor Maximilian II in 1575. The last Medici grand duke was deposed by the Austrians in 1737. Important members of the Medici family included the following. Giovanni De' Medici: (1360-1429) established the family fortune and made himself ruler of Florence's merchant oligarchy. Cosimo De' Medici: (1389-1464), his son, used his banking business to gain political power and led Florence in a long period of prosperity and artistic achievement. Lorenzo the Magnificent: (1449-1492), grandson of Cosimo, gained fame as a statesman and patron of arts and letters. He was recognized as a poet himself and was largely responsible for the Tuscan dialect becoming the national speech of Italy. Cosimo (I) the Great: (1519-1574) succeeded to the dukedom in 1537 and ruled as a despot. He restored the duchy of Tuscany by conquering the other republics that had been part of it. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} The Revised Roman Empire - The [two] Medici Popes - Pope Leo X [1513 - 1521] known for being the Pope that challenged Martin Luther's [1517 A.D.] 95 Theses -- Pope Clement VII [1523 - 1534] (Medici cousin of Pope Leo X) known for being Pope during the sacking of Rome in 1527 A.D. [The (Occult) Medici (family), led by (Pope) Clement, had tried to play everyone off against each other and had made everyone their enemy -- at least temporarily - source: mmdtkw.org/VSackRome.html]
Pope Leo X - Giovanni de'Medici, 1475 - 1513 - 1521: Giovanni de'Medici, second son of Lorenzo and younger brother of the fatuous Piero, became the first of the Medici Popes (Leo X - Leone Decimo) at the age of 38 on 11 March 1513. Prior to this his life had been a complete roller coaster. Brought up in Medici luxury alongside Michelangelo (who was included in the Medici household by Lorenzo), older brother Piero and cousin Giulio (who was adopted by Lorenzo after his father (who was Lorenzo's brother) was killed in the Pazzi Conspiracy in 1478), he had access to the incomes of several wealthy monasteries, including Badia a Passignano, and was made a Cardinal at the age of 13. All this came to an abrupt end in 1494 when, in the wake of Lorenzo's death, the incompetent surrender of his brother Piero the Fatuous to the French, and the ensuing Savanorola stirred turbulence, he had to sneak out of Florence dressed as a Franciscan Friar, and then live in hiding with his cousin for the next decade, latterly being protected by the Habsburg Emperor Maximilian (who ironically was to be a major cause of the collapse of the Bruges branch of the Medici Bank) and then by the dreadful Cesare Borgia and his father Pope Alessandro VI (1431 - 1492 - 1503 (72)) in Rome. ... Pope Clement VII Giulio de'Medici, 1478 - 1523 - 1534 (56) Illegitimate son of Lorenzo's (Pazzi murdered) brother Giuliano, adopted son of Lorenzo, and companion in exile to Lorenzo's son Giovanni (Leo X), who was three years his senior, Giulio de'Medici became Pope Clement VII (Clemente Settimo). He was good looking, intellectually sophisticated, a talented musician and a political disaster. In reality he also faced the legacy of the corrupt practices of his cousin Leo X, and the impossible task of operating in the emergent nation state Europe dominated by Charles V, Francis I, and Henry VIII (whom he excommunicated), and threatened by Suleiman the Magnificent, plus Martin Luther dealing the protestants into the game as well - see Insight Page. He lost England, and was humiliated by having to flee in disguise from Rome when it was barbarically sacked by Charles V's rabble army after Clement mistakenly got too close to flashy Francis I of France. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} The Revised Roman Empire - 'Occult' power: the politics of witchcraft and superstition in Renaissance Florence - In Florence, how did one family--the Medici--secure their power after over a century of struggle, and how did they come to construct a myth of their own legitimacy? (Book)
Lawrence's interpretation, however narrow and flawed, does highlight an indisputable element of Grazzini's tale of Dr. Manente: its cruelty and "monstrosity," traits that, I will argue, provide insight into the social structures of the mid-sixteenth century, particularly those that rely upon coersion and force. In Florence, how did one family--the Medici--secure their power after over a century of struggle, and how did they come to construct a myth of their own legitimacy? ... It is important to remember that, from 1494--when the friar himself gained widespread support and offered a major threat to the rule of the Medici family--until long after his execution in 1498, Savonarola bequeathed a powerful religious and political vision that was not dependent on his leadership for survival--a fact that fascinated the political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli. Savonarola's followers--called the Piagnoni first by their enemies and later, proudly, by themselves--remained politically active after his execution, through the Republic that lasted until 1513, when the first Medici pope, Leo X, used the considerable influence of this position to help his family and their allies to return to Florence, and again after the sack of Rome in 1527, which occurred during the pontificate of another Medici, Clement VII. The Piagnoni continued to be active even after the Medici, first Alessandro and then Cosimo I, openly turned Florence onto the path of absolutism [unlimited, centralized authority and absolute sovereignty] by accepting the [nobility] title of Duke. ... Lorenzo's manipulation of the Church comes into play in the next phase of the beffa. ... At this point, Grazzini emphasizes not only that many friars and priests were ignorant, but, more importantly, that the kind of people Lorenzo elevated to positions of power in the Florentine church hierarchy were either superstitious [occult] or corrupt, criticisms that Savonarola also often made of the Medici. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} The Revised Roman Empire - Christian and Rosicrucian Kabbalah [esoteric (hidden) teachings - the real NWO - New Age bible] - The origional Jewish [Witchcraft - King Solomon] Kabbalah --> Christian mystic, Raymon Lull (1232 - 1316 A.D.) originator of the Christian Kabbalah --> Renaissance Christian Kabbalah (Medici family) --> Rosicrucian (Illuminati - Freemason) Kabbalah --> Modern Occult Kabbalah - The beginning of Christian Kabbalah is to be found in the teachings of the Catalan philosopher and mystic, Raymon Lull - Lull had the idea of unifying all three religions [Judaism, Christianity, Islam] by developing a philosophy incoporating elements common to all - the way he intended to [unite] convert was through rational and mystical doctrine - Renaissance Christian Kabbalah was derived from a number of sources - Firstly, the christological [christ doctrine] speculations of a number of Jewish converts from the late 13th to the late fifteenth centuries - Secondly, the philosophical Christian and Renaissance speculation concerning the Kabbalah that developed around the Platonic Acadamy *founded by the **Medici family in Florence
Lull based his Art on the importance which Christian, Moslem [Islam], and Jew each attached to the Divine Names or Attributes, or, as he called them, Dignities. Lull mentioned nine Dignities (or Dignitaries): Bonitas (Goodness), Magnitudo (Greatness), Eternitas (Eternity), Potestas (Power), Sapientia (Wisdom), Voluntas (Will), Virtus (Virtue), Veritas (Truth), and Gloria (Glory). These are shown in the follwing diagram. ... In addition we also find the incorporation of the four elements [earth, water, air and fire] and the qualities, the seven planets and twelves [astrological] signs, medicine, alchemy, geometry, a letter notation, and so on. There is an elaborate system of correspondences, in that the nine Dignitaries have their correspondences in the celestial sphere, the human level, and the animal, plant, and material creation. In all this we see the influence, not only of Kabbalah, but also of Aristotlean categories, Augustinian Platonism (nearly all the Lullian Dignities can be found listed as Augustine's Divine Attributes), and the celestial hierarchies of angels of the Christian Neoplatonist Dionysius. [Frances A. Yates, The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age, pp.9-12]. -- Renaissance Kabbalah: Renaissance Christian Kabbalah was derived from a number of sources. Firstly, the christological speculations of a number of Jewish converts from the late 13th to the late fifteenth centuries. Secondly, the philosophical Christian and Renaissance speculation concerning the Kabbalah that developed around the Platonic Acadamy founded by the Medici family in Florence. Pico della Mirandola The Florentines, headed by the renowned Renaissance hermeticist Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-94) believed they had discovered in Kabbalah a lost divine revelation that could give the key to understanding both the teachings of Pythagoras, Plato, and the Orphics, and the inner secrets of Catholic Christianity. Pico himself had a considerable amount of Kabbalistic literature translated into Latin by the scholarly convert Samuel ben Nissim Abulfaraj. Among the 900 theses Pico presented for public debate in Rome was the claim that "no science can better convince us of the divinity of Jesus Christ than magic and the Kabbalah", and he believed he could prove the dogmas of the Trinity and the Incarnation through Kabbalistic axioms. All this caused a sensation in the intellectual Christian world, and the writings of Pico and his follower Johannes Reuchlin (1455-1522) led on the one hand to great interest in the doctrine of Divine Names and in practical (magical) Kabbalah (culminating in Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim's De Occult Philosophia (1531) and on the other to further attempts at a synthesis between Kabbalah and Christian theology. [Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah, pp.197-8] -- Rosicrucian Kabbalah: By the late 16th century Christian Kabbalah began to be permeated with alchemical symbolism; a trend that continued through the 17th and 18th century. Well known representatives are the Rosucrucian philosopher and alchemist Robert Fludd (1574-1637) and the alchemist Thomas Vaughan (1622-1666) among others. One of the works of Fludd presents an interpretation of the Sefirotic Tree which he illustrates as a Palm (left), whose ten spreading branches raying forth from the lowest world suggest that man on earth is a microcosm or reflection of the macrocosm or universe. In the second half of the 18th century this alchemical kabbalah was combined with Freemasonic numerology and occultism, from which was ultimately to develop the extraordinary occult/magickal revival of the late 19th century known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn illustration (left) from World Trees by Hazel Minot Kircher's Tree from Oedipus Aegyptiacus published in 1652 by Athanasius Kircher, a Jesuit priest and hermetic philosopher -- Occult Kabbalah: By the 19th century the occultists of the French magician revival, such as Eliphas Levi (Alphonse Louis Constant; 1810-1875) and Papus (Gerard Encausse; 1868-1916) had lost all understanding of the original Jewish meaning of Kabbalah, and brought in various extraneous elements such as Tarot. Levi was an influential figure both on the Theosophy of Blavatsky and even more so the Golden Dawn Order of Mathers and Westcott, with it's unique Kabbalistic (or Qabalistic, to use the prefered spelling) formulation of Sefirot and paths, through which Kabbalah established itself in the contemporary Western Occult Tradition. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Protestant/Evangelical Church} Disgraced-Fraudulent "Ergun Goes to Camp"....Ergun Caner to Speak at FBC Jax Summer Youth Camp in August - I have confirmed from a reliable source that FBC Jax church leaders have decided to bring in Ergun Caner to speak to the FBC Jax high schoolers' and middle schoolers' at their summer youth camp that will be held August 1st-5th at the Georgia Baptist Convention's Norman Park Conference Center in Tifton, GA.
Is Caner the best example of integrity and truth that First Baptist can find for their young people? Of course not...but Caner is good friends with Pastor Mac Brunson, and Ergun Caner and Mac are co-authors of a book that they have been working together on for a second edition. So at FBC Jax these days, it sure seems that a personal and business relationship with the pastor trumps the need to find the best role model for kids at camp. Bringing in the pastor's buddy for a speaking gig trumps his "guarding and protecting" the flock, apparently. -- I hope at least some of the parents of middle schoolers and high schoolers at FBC Jax are disgusted at this choice for their young people. I hope the lay workers at FBC Jax who work with these kids are disgusted. They work so hard all year to instill values of truth and honesty in the kids, and their professional seminarian church leaders go and bring in Caner to preach to their kids during the spiritual apex of the church year. Of course most young people at FBC Jax are not up on what has happened over the past year with Caner - they will eat up his [fraudulent] stories, laugh at his jokes, and Caner will rebuild his brand with the next generation of FBC Jax'ers. Heck, at camp Ergun might slip in a story or two of his days growing up learning of American culture by watching Istanbul TV as a kid. Maybe he'll elaborate on his [imaginary] days of "Islamic Youth Jihad" and describe the training he [didn't] received to perform 9/11 style attacks as he claimed at their church in November 2001. -- But maybe some good will come of this. Young people at FBC Jax, let this serve as a prime example for you that your church leaders - your senior pastor especially - don't always have the best interests of the people they are leading at heart. **The pastor is not some sort of super-spiritual "man of God" like a priest or prophet who always knows best. Your pastor is not a "God-appointed agent to save you from your ignorance". ***Pastors are not to be blindly trusted. Your pastor [Pastor Mac Brunson] claimed recently that his number one priority is to "guard the flock", yet I believe he is failing to guard you in this instance as he promises. Perhaps the Lord can use you to let your parents know, and your church leaders know that you aren't happy with this selection for your camp. -- And young people, this is a lesson for you of what NOT to do when you become a lay leader in your church. Don't be a "yes man" deacon or trustee or lay leader. Stand up to your pastor when they make a wrong decision such as this. You don't have to be silent and "let God handle it", or just say "well, Pastor is God's man"....no, YOU are God's man or woman at that church and maybe God wants YOU to speak up and demand accountability for a terrible decision such as this. Don't let the pastor convince you that you are sinning by raising this "controversial issue" and demanding that it be fixed. God has placed plenty of men and women in your church - including YOU - who should stand up to your pastor and say "No" to them bringing Ergun Caner to your camp. -- There still is time for FBC Jax and Mac Brunson to change their mind about bringing Caner to camp. If not, perhaps they can film the sessions with Caner and market it as "Ergun Goes to Camp". Heck, Tifton, GA is not too far away from Atlanta - why not call Eddie Long to come down and help out with camp and be a cabin chaperone for a group of 6th grade boys? Creflo Dollar can come down too. [article link]

{Flashback} It Takes a Long Time to Clean Up [Internet] Falsehoods - The Internet is such a huge "place" - It takes forever to clean up evidences of your past---if you are trying to do that, anyway - I was just referred to this (2005) press release on Ergun Caner's own website (better click fast, it will be gone before long!) - Note this further example of the mysterious "misstatement" that Ergun Caner seemed to be making over and over and over again for years on end {**Note: Ergun Caner is going around preaching (mostly to unsuspecting teenagers) a 100% Emergent Church doctrine, principles and theology i.e. "God = Love" actually "God = God" and love, patience, faithfulness, justice, longsuffering, faithfulness, etc. are all Attributes of God. - Also Note: It is Dr. Norman Geisler (Veritas Evangelical Seminary) [one of Ergun Caner's biggest supporters and a mentor] that is going around from Church to Church doing "Apologetics Conferences" with Ergun Caner (also one of Geisler's Veritas Seminary instructors) ***as Geisler pretends to be informing Christians and preaching against the Gnostic Emergent Church Movement that is currently infiltrating Evangelical Christianity on a massive scale all the while Dr. Norman Geisler is forwarding, promoting and covering for Emergent Church (Gnostic) prompter Ergun Caner. -- July 31, 2010 Calvary Chapel Downey - Apologetics Conference Speakers: Norman Geisler, "Understanding and Answering the Emergent Church" - Ergun Caner, "5 Reasons Why I am not a Muslim" Source: www.cccsdowney.org/high-school/monthly-letter/}
Ex-Muslim to lead at Liberty U. By Bob Lowry ASSOCIATED PRESS LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The new dean of the Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University theological seminary is a former Sunni Muslim who plans to turn out a hipper generation of graduates by relating to them with lyrics from rapper 50 Cent, TV's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and the latest movies and film stars. Ergun Mehmet Caner cracks one-liners as easily as he quotes a Bible verse. Lecturing to a packed auditorium of 450 students, Mr. Caner mixed religion with jokes to keep his students on their toes in a late afternoon theology class. He asked his students which popular actors they would marry [have sex with] "if she or he was a Christian." Their answers brought howls of laughter from the classroom. "In a given lecture, I'll talk about 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,' C.S. Lewis, 'Plato's Cave' and some lyrics by 50 Cent," Mr. Caner said of some subjects one normally wouldn't associate with Mr. Falwell's university. Mr. Caner sees it as a way to connect with his young audiences. "Most college students lose attention every seven minutes and with that, it's important to have that humor to bring us back in and teach us more," said Travis Bush, a junior from Rocky Mount, N.C., in Mr. Caner's class. "He's the best professor here. With the humor, it keeps us interested." Mr. Caner, 39, said he wants a different approach for a new generation of Liberty students, whom he dubs "tecumenicals." "I call them techies because, on one hand, they were raised with e-mail" he says. "And yet they are so ecumenical. This generation is different. They've been there, seen it and done it. They're looking for some *authentic passion that's got a pulse and that sweats. "The point is I'll use anything at my disposal. I'm not hiding from culture and I don't boycott culture. If I'm turning out students who say 'What's that dot on your head for?' That's ignorance. Or, 'Why'd you wear your laundry on the top of your head?' That's ignorance." Mr. Caner takes over as dean of the seminary in July after only two years at the 8,000-student school. The shaven-headed, goateed Mr. Caner [Proven False], whose family emigrated from Turkey [Sweeden] to Toledo, Ohio, when he was a teenager [two years old] ... Boyd Rist, Liberty's vice president for academic affairs, said Mr. Caner was the clear choice for the job after the former dean left for the presidency of another school. As for Mr. Caner's Muslim background, Mr. Rist said Mr. Falwell [Sr.] doesn't mind doing the unexpected at the school he founded in his hometown in 1971. Copyright 2005 News World Communications, Inc. Source: www.erguncaner.com/home/press/documents/ap_04152005.pdf [article link]

{Flashback} 7/29/2010 - Dividing Line with James White "What kind of a person when they get caught lying, instead of repenting just makes up another lie" {Note: Two recordings of Ergun Caner attempting to explain the Trinity - Father, Son, Holy Spirit nature of God are played and Caner does an 'ok' job BUT unexplainably mixes within his convoluted explanations New Age terms and concepts i.e. "eternal progression" saying that Jesus' incarnation was "just a part of His eternal progression" (i.e. LDS Mormonism) and then that the Trinity is embodied at the tip of our own finger (i.e. some New Age [Gnostic - Sex Magik - Da Vinci Code] concept that we are all little gods). The tip of our finger (or something else for males) analogy is completely wrong in that three dimensions (length, height, and width) always have with it the 4th dimension of time and for example the higher [5th and 6th] spiritual dimensions including the ever present eternal, limitless dimension of God so using the tip of our own finger to represent the Trinity of God is perhaps the worst of all possible examples and any Seminary Theology professor should be able to give a more concise and coherent statement on the Trinity than Caner is able to explain - as though he is publically explaining it for the first time.} (Mp3)
Discussed today: A May [2010 - San Diego, CA] recording of Ergun Caner talking about haters [and 'flamers' i.e. Caner's version of Christians who simply question him]. Dr. White also took two calls. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Protestant/Evangelical Church} Contending for Truth with Dr. Scott Johnson - End Time Current Events: 6-12-11 - Hidden Luciferians (Satan worshipers) in American culture, politics, academia…and in the Christian community (Part 1) - IS "CHRISTIAN MUSICIAN" MICHAEL W. SMITH...A COVERT OCCULTIST? (Part 2) (Mp3s)
People/leaders who are Possible Occult /Satanic infiltrators into the Christian Church - of course Satan is going to send his best and most capable deceivers into the true Church in order to cause strife, confusion, a lack of clarity and general disorder for all things Christian (Jesus Christ) within the Church. -- Warnings Regarding: Neil Anderson - Freedom in Christ Ministries; Kay Arthur - Precept Ministries International; Ron Blue; Dietrich Bonhoeffer - WWII German Theologan; Bill Bright - Campus Crusade for Christ; Stuart & Jill Briscoe - Telling the Truth; Larry Burkett - Crown Financial Ministries; Tony Campolo - "Red-Letter Christian"; Paul (David) Yonggi Cho - Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea; Gary Collins - Nelson Ministry Services; *Chuck Colson - BreakPoint; Kenneth & Gloria Copeland - Kenneth Copeland Ministries; Larry Crabb - NewWay Ministries; *Dr. James Dobson - Focus on the Family; Ted W. Engstrom - Youth for Christ International; Gary Ezzo - Growing Families International; *Jerry Falwell [Sr. - Jr.] - Liberty University [LU] & Thomas Road Baptist Church; Richard Foster - Quaker Minister; Bill Gothard - Institute in Basic Life Principles; Billy Graham - The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association; *John Hagee - Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas; Kenneth W. & Lynette Hagin - Rhema Praise television show; Hank Hanegraaff - Christian Research Institute (CRI); Jack Hayford - The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, CA & Chancellor of the The King's University; *Howard Hendricks - longtime professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, speaker for Promise Keepers; Benny Hinn - Benny Hinn Ministries & This Is Your Day TV Show; David Hocking[?] - Hope for Today; Michael Horton - White Horse Inn Blog; Rodney Howard-Browne - Revival Ministries International; *Dave Hunt - The Berean Call; Bill Hybels - Willow Creek Community Church; Jack Hyles[?] - In 1972, he founded Hyles-Anderson College; T.D. Jakes - The Potter's House; Dr. David Jeremiah - Turning Point for God; Dr. D. James Kennedy - Coral Ridge Ministries; Woodrow Kroll - Back to the Bible; Tim & Beverly LaHaye - the Left Behind series of books & Concerned Women for America; Greg Laurie - Harvest Crusade; Zola Levitt - Zola Levitt Ministries; C.S. Lewis - Narnia Chronicles; Hal Lindsey - The Hal Lindsey Report; C.S. Lovett - president of Maranatha Family; Max Lucado - UpWords®; Martin Luther - Protestant Reformation; Bill McCartney - Promise Keepers; Josh McDowell[?] - Evidence That Demands a Verdict; *John MacArthur - Grace to You; Gordon MacDonald - pastor of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts; David & Karen Mains - Mainstay Ministries; Don Matzat - pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Bridgeville, PA; John C. Maxwell - leadership expert; *Joyce Meyer - Joyce Meyer Ministries; Dr. Frank Minirth & Dr. Paul Meier - The Freudian Connection; Sun Myung Moon - worldwide Unification Church; Joel Osteen - Hope For Today; J.I. Packer - Author, Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia; Luis Palau - Global Evangelist; Rod Parsley - Breakthrough; Norman Vincent Peale - The Power of Positive Thinking; M. Scott Peck - American psychiatrist and best-selling author, best known for his first book, The Road Less Traveled; Frank Peretti - Christian fiction author; Dennis Rainey - FamilyLife, Focus on the Family; *Pat Robertson - Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) - The 700 Club; James Robison - Life Outreach International; Dr. Hugh Ross - creationist Christian apologist; Jack Schaap - Hyles-Anderson College; Robert Schuller - Crystal Cathedral; David Seamands - Evangelism Today!; Gary Smalley - Marriage Restoration Intensive; *Chuck Smith Sr. - Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, CA; Charles Solomon - Grace Fellowship International; *R.C. Sproul Sr. - Ligonier Ministries; Charles Stanley[?] - In Touch Ministries; *Charles Swindoll - Insight for Living; *Rick Warren - Saddleback Church, U.N. P.E.A.C.E. Plan, Purpose Driven Life; *Donald Wildmon - American Family Association (AFA); John Wimber - director of the Association of Vineyard Churches; Philip Yancey - Author; Zig Ziglar - motivational speaker -- See Also: Constance Cumbey - Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow; Mark Lowry - Gaither Vocal Band; Leonard Sweet - [Satanist] influential Christian leader; Beth Moore - Living Proof Ministries; Chuck Missler - Koinonia House; John Piper - Desiring God; Phyllis Schlafly - Eagle Forum; Jan Markell - Olive Tree Ministries; Dr. Stan Monteith - Radio Liberty; Nancy Leigh DeMoss - Revive Our Hearts; Mark DeMoss - The DeMoss Group the nation's first and largest public relations agency exclusively serving Christian leaders; *Dr. Norman Geisler - Veritas Evangelical Seminary; Ravi Zacharias - Zacharias International Ministries; Eugene H. Peterson - The Message (bible); Frank Viola - Jesus Manifesto; Rob Bell - Velvet Jesus, NOOMA, Love Wins; William Lane Craig - Reasonable Faith; Lee Strobe - former Chicago Tribune legal editor, author of The Case for Christ. {Note: Updated the list to provide some information regarding the organization each person is affiliated with.} [article link]

DebbieSchlussel.com: TERRIFIC! Video: Michele Bachmann on Israel {Note: Back home and planning on posting some more material soon. - Watched part of the Republican Debate last night. -- Michele Bachmann was clearly out front and probably has my vote. I'm not planning on blogging the 2012 Elections and after the boring debate last night I really want even less to do with the Election though I do think Sarah Palin should be a candidate as she has been very good at providing a Conservative voice for America. - The Republican Debate was really not very good primarily because it was hosted by CNN so all the Liberal topics (i.e. health care) were front and center and it often made the Republican candidates look and sound more like Democrat candidates than Republicans so the format wasn't a good showcase for Republicans and basically it looks like the Republicans have little or no game for 2012.}
She has been derided as Sarah Palin's twin, but Michele Bachmann is no Palin, and, hey, she's actually served complete terms in office without quitting. Yes, she's had some gaffes (including comparing America's high taxes to the Holocaust), though they are very few. But, overall, I'd be happy to vote for her. [article link]

[Christian Communion 1 of 3] The necessity of having the correct Communion elements in the Christian Communion - Wine/Grape product (fruit) of the Vine and the unleavened/unsweetened Bread 'body of Jesus Christ' -- "John 15:5 I (Jesus) Am the Vine, ye (Disciples/Christians) are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me [Vine] ye can do nothing."
"1 Corinthians 11:23-26 For I (Apostle Paul) have received of the Lord (Jesus) that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same [Passover Feast] night in which He was betrayed took [Passover - unleavened/unsweetened] bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body [both His sinless, physical body and also His eternal, resurrection Spiritual body], which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the [Passover - Communion] cup [wine], when He had supped, saying, This Cup [physical and Spiritual] is the *New Testament in My blood [physical blood for the remission of our sins and also Spiritual blood for our eternal life]: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me [Jesus]. For [being both physical and Spiritual] as often as ye eat this bread (body), and drink this cup (wine/vine), ye do shew the Lord's [physical] death till He [bodily/Spiritually] come [return - 2nd Coming]." -- Note: Jesus is clearly the Vine and we are attached to, fellowshipping with and partaking of the Vine (Jesus Christ) as Born Again Christian believers. -- Also Note: The Olive Tree/Oil is generally considered to be a representation of the Holy Spirit and is not to be confused with Jesus. "Romans 11:24 For if thou [Gentiles] wert cut out of the [disassociated] olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good Olive Tree [Holy Spirit]: how much more shall these [Jews], which be the natural [associated with God] branches, be graffed [knowingly] into their own [natural] Olive Tree [the Holy Spirit]?" -- Further Note: The Fig Tree (branch, fruit, leaves) are often associated with mankind and the works, fruits and natural unrighteousness of humans, though with potential to give good fruit (figs). Three main Biblical plants [Vine, Olive Tree and the Fig Tree are each mentioned in James 3:12]. -- "James 3:12 Can the Fig Tree [man], my brethren, bear Olive [Holy Spirit fruit] berries? [or] either a Vine [Jesus - Wine], figs? so can no fountain both yield salt [undesirable drinking] water and fresh [desirable drinking water]." [article link]

Note: Regarding the Hebrews/Jews as a continuing society, religion, ethnicity of people and their affiliation with the Messiah Jesus Christ
Possibly: The Jews as a people never rejected the Messiah (Christ) [True Vine] - many of the Jews rejected Jesus as a man claiming to be the Messiah though a remnant of Jews believed Jesus and began the Christian Church. It is important to note that signs, wonders and miracles alone Do Not authenticate the person of Christ. It is necessary for fulfillment of Bible prophecy (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) and for the resurrection from death [conquering human sin and death] to provide for the authenticity of the Messiah. The Jews rejected the man Jesus and being Spiritually blinded (Romans 11:7, Romans 11:25) have been unable to see the Messiah until "the fullness of the Gentiles has come in" (Romans 11:25, Acts 15:14-18) and the un-blinding (Acts 9:17-18) of the Hebrews/Jews can take place. Having not rejected the Messiah, the resurrected and proven Messiah Jesus Christ, due to their Spiritual blindness (2 Corinthians 3:14) the Jews as a people and a society are not condemned and far from it they are instead much beloved of God being among (Romans 9:4-5) His called, chosen, elect and redeemed people. -- Note: Judas was the only Jewish/person to take N.T. Communion with Jesus, at the 'Passover' Last Supper, and then (John 17:12) "the son of perdition" [Judas first coming] reject (John 13:30) Jesus as the Messiah. {Note: "the son of perdition" during the 2nd coming return of Jesus is going to be the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:3)}. The other 11 Disciples all believed and all who follow the resurrection of Jesus believe. -- Also Note: There were still ramifications for rejecting the physical presence of Jesus as both the Temple and the city of Jerusalem were later destroyed but the continuity of Judaism as the chosen people of God remains and it remains under the New Testament (Ephesians 2:12) - the New Testament having been implemented by Jesus in Jerusalem, among and for the Jews (Hebrews 8:8-10) not at the exclusion of the Jews but for all people Jewish and Gentile. [article link]

[Christian Communion 2 of 3] Both the physical Communion body of Jesus and His Spiritual resurrection body are without sin -- "Matthew 17:1-3 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was *Transfigured [from physical body to Spiritual body] before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias (Elijah) talking with Him (Jesus)." ... "Matthew 17:5-7 While he (Disciple Peter) yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice [from God] out of the cloud, which said, **This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; **hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, **and said, Arise [in Jesus Christ's resurrection-transfigure], and be not afraid."
Note: Jesus being God and without the curse of human sin (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Corinthians 1:29) was able to bodily Transfigure on the Mt. of Transfiguration and also able to bodily resurrect (John 20:5) into His eternal Spiritual body. Jesus will be the only person in heaven who was able to retain any semblance (Revelation 5:6-7) to his previous earthly physical body. The rest of us (Romans 8:3) having within us the curse of sin and death (Romans 6:22-23) do not retain any resemblance to our physical, sin laden, body (2 Corinthians 5:1-9) but instead resurrect as disembodied human spirits to be judged by God (2 Corinthians 5:10, Romans 14:10, Revelation 20:14) and then if Adopted as Sons/Daughters of God we receive a new spiritual body a body that matches our spiritual composition [i.e. a devout handicapped person on earth doesn't just receive legs in heaven that can walk, like everyone that person receives a new (Spiritual) body]. We Humans receiving our new Spiritual body is the correction to sin and is not in any way any type of reincarnation because being given a new body we will still be (soul, spirit) of who we are and more importantly will still be recognizable as who we are by others, it will just be a better, more accurate and more complete eternal bodily match to our soul and spirit than our sin laden physical body could ever be. Reincarnation would involve receiving a body that is not recognizable to others for instance a person reincarnating and becoming a different person or even an animal. -- "2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all [sinner and non-sinner] appear [w/o a physical body] before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his [physical] body, according to that he hath done [on earth], whether it be good or bad." [article link]

[Christian Communion 3 of 3] The eternal pre-existent nature of Jesus [Communion both physical and Spiritual] is revealed in the multi-dimensional, multi-realm (physical, spiritual) aspects of Jesus -- "Matthew 14:25-28 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a [multi-dimensional] spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water." -- "John 20:19 Then the same day [Easter - Resurrection Day] at evening, being [Sunday] the first day of the week, when *the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst [of the locked room], and saith unto them, Peace be unto you."
Note: Mankind seems to have been originally created to be in the 6th dimensional realm along with the Angels however after the sin and fall of mankind it appears that mankind fell two dimensions into the 4th dimension [height, width, length, time]. The Salvation restoration of mankind, those saved in Jesus seem to be restored to the higher 7th dimension. While God [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit] have always existed outside the 7 created realms in their un-created, un-restricted, eternal realm. -- "John 1:18 No [restricted - mortal] man hath seen [unrestricted - eternal] God [the Father] at any time {unrestricted dimensions}; [except] the only begotten Son (Jesus), which is in the bosom of the Father, He (Jesus) hath declared [revealed] Him (Father)." -- "John 5:26 For as the Father hath [eternal] life in Himself; so hath He given (G1325 - administration) to the Son (Jesus) to have [eternal - giving] life in Himself;" -- "John 10:30 I and My Father are One [unrestricted dimension]." -- "Hebrews 1:3 [Jesus] Who being the brightness of His [Father's] glory, and the express (exact) [Spiritual] image of His person, and upholding all things by the Word of His power, when He (Jesus) had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty [Father God] on High;" -- "Hebrews 9:24 For [resurrection] Christ is not entered [earthly] into the holy places [Jewish Temple] made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into Heaven itself, now **to appear in the presence of God for us:" [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Article Introduction - The 7 physical and spiritual dimensions as unfolded in the 7 Days of the Genesis creation model {the 8th dimension being God's realm of unrestricted eternity}
Humans exist in and are limited to the first three physical dimensions (length, height, width) and also the fourth dimension (restriction) of time. The spiritual realm of demons, angels and in part the coming Antichrist exists in the less restricted 5th and 6th dimensions. In fact the coming Antichrist is going to bring down or "contact" the 5th and 6th dimensions and infuse 4th dimensional human beings with 5th dimensional demons [Nephilim spirits] and 6th dimensional fallen [Satanic] angelic spirit beings consequently orchestrating 5th and 6th dimensional miracles and signs and wonders in order to deceive mankind. Note: So who is Melchizedek? Melchizedek is the manifestation [into our human realms] of the infinite dimensional (infinite dimensions - no restrictions - unrestricted) God in Person. Melchizedek is God the Holy Spirit in Person. Melchizedek is the Order of the Holy Spirit Priesthood. -- Also Note: In the Basic Christian article "Who is Melchizedek?" the 8 dimensions (restrictions) are listed in conjunction with the original creation week (Genesis 1:1-2:4) and are categorized as follows: 1. Length [Day one creation - light separated [Judgment] (length) from darkness] 2. Height [Day two creation - divided the waters above from the waters below] 3. Width [Day three creation - dry land and plants] 4. Time [Day four creation - sun, moon, stars for times and seasons] 5. Demonic [Nephilim spirits] - demons [Day five creation - fish from the waters below, birds from the waters above] 6. Angelic - Holy Angels and also Satan with all of his fallen angels [Day six creation - land animals and humans (pre-fall) - humans the highest part of creation created separate and above the animals and equal to the angels but with sin mankind fell from the 6th dimension to the 4th dimension, in fact with the sin of mankind all of creation also fell from its original creation status] 7. Human Salvation redeemed by the blood, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ [Day seven creation - Rest] 8. Unrestricted [outside of creation] - The only Unrestricted, Eternal, Wise, ∞ Infinite, Almighty God consisting of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. -- "Genesis 2:4 These are the generations [dimensions] of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens ..." [article link]

VFTB Live: How and Why We Believe (Mp3)
WHAT WE believe determines how we live. Do you know why you or your church does what it does? Keith Giles joins us to discuss his new book, This is My Body: Ekklesia as God Intended, which expores the difference between church as we know it and ekklesia the way God meant it to be. Then we're joined by Doug Harris, host of Simply the Truth on Revelation TV. He talks about Reachout Trust, his ministry to those in cults, the occult, and the New Age. Please visit the VFTB Facebook page and check out the great Christian podcasters at the Revelations Radio Network. -- {Note: Ekklesia (G-1577) 'Ek' out of; 'Kaleo' called; called out ones (called out of the world and into God's heavenly gathering), congregation. -- i.e. Exodus Ex·o·dus [éksedess] 'out of - departing' leaving (earthly) Egypt and following God to (heavenly) Israel and Jerusalem. The Christian Church [Ekklesia] on earth, biblically is not just an in-gathering of believers but is more represented as an out-gathering from the world who have assembled together before God and with one another. -- "Hebrews 13:12-14 Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without (outside) the [city] gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without (outside) the camp [society], bearing His reproach. For here [earthly] have we no continuing city, but we seek [the holy, eternal] one to come."} [article link]

Littleshots Productions: Presents Two animations of Jack Chick's popular tract stories 'The Sissy' & 'Tiny Shoes' … ON ONE DVD! ($4.95) {Scroll Down} (On-line View)
Four years ago, Steve West called Chick Publications with an idea, and a vision. He asked for permission to make video animations of Chick tracts, using software currently available. His vision was to deliver these gospel messages to a generation that is reading less and less. He hoped to have them translated and make something that would help missionaries spread the Gospel. We gave him permission, and he formed Littleshots Productions and produced videos from two of Jack Chick's stories, "The Sissy" and "Tiny Shoes." ... You can show them to your Sunday School class, youth group, or even your church. Then discuss the message of the story and lead people to Christ. Also, if you purchase a copy, you are free to make as many copies as you wish for your own use. You can give them away like a tract, too. [article link]

Update: Have been working on a family project 'Capt. John Brown Documents' (PDF)
Just about to do some more postings (starting at the end of May or the first part of June) but need a few more days off [I worked so hard on family stuff that I need a break from my break] and time to look at my notes some more before I start posting what I hope is going to be a really good, complex, advanced, solid doctrine series of postings. All the best! ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Bible verse: Isaiah 33:15-17 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly ... He shall dwell on high ... Thine eyes shall see the King (Jesus) in His beauty: they shall behold the land (heaven) that is very far off {The complete Bible is available at ChristianFaithDownloads.com}
Isaiah 33:15-17 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the King (Jesus) in His beauty: they shall behold the land (heaven) that is very far off. -- Holy Bible [article link]

{Celebrating 10 Years!!} Basic Christian Theology: Answers to Bible Questions 132 Topics (PDF)
A Complete handy Reference - Study Guide/Tutorial. It covers 132 Christian Subjects and Topics from Adoption - Yahweh in an easy to read and understand format. An extensive resource, unparalleled in convenience and ease of use yet advanced in topic research. {The original Basic Christian: Theology was released in about May of 2001 as a free PDF file - At that time the first few PDF files were without any color fonts consisting of only black text and a white background - Links of any kind either internal or external were also not available in the original Theology PDF download file - The color fonts feature was soon added within a year of the first PDF file but it would take about a year after that to bring in the linking features and then it wasn't until about 2007 (Microsoft Office 2006 updated) that the links worked properly, previously clicking on a link was often an unsuccessful event - The Basic Christian: Theology presentation was the beginning to much of the resources of the Basic Christian ministry - The Basic Christian: Theology document was the groundwork for the later, highly successful Basic Christian: blog Bible Study.} [article link]

Part 2: {Celebrating 10 Years!!} Basic Christian Theology: Answers to Bible Questions 132 Topics (PDF)
Part 2: The Basic Christian: Theology presentation was initiated with extremely high hopes that the document would be a viable resource material for many Christians however the intentions have never been materialized as the Basic Christian: Theology document consistently remains one of the lesser accessed and downloaded of the Basic Christian materials. - One of the first problems encountered regarding the Basic Christian: Theology project was that in 2003 when the project was finally converted into a html website page the 132 topics of the Basic Christian: Theology project was simply too big [long browser loading time] as a website page especially back in 2003 and the search engines like Google were never able to successfully index it and present it as a viable Christian website page listing for search queries. - Initially among the few people who were able to locate it on the internet the Basic Christian: Theology concept document was considered to be a groundbreaking achievement and an extraordinary accomplishment in the listing and referencing of so many Biblical topics in such an easy to use and understand way [Basic Christian: Theology was one of two files from Basic Christian selected for use in the early Tract-CD project (Biblical Proof Jesus is God was the other document) a project that combed the internet for the best Christian resources and then made them available to other people via CD's]. Despite the initial early successes [much like the 2001 released Jesus Walk 10 Day Easter Timeline Devotion] the next few years would find the Basic Christian: Theology project underutilized and underappreciated by much of the Christian community. Today the Basic Christian: Theology document remains available as a free internet download as there continues to be the hope and passion that one day the material will be a leading resource used in the lives of many Christians seeking to quickly understand Biblical concepts, ideas and practices. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Update: There is still a lot of material to cover regarding the 8 Kingdoms study and the coming 'briefer' Church History study - However it might be a good time (Summer 2011) to divert into some of the more controversial topics i.e. Church Age, individual Redemption-Salvation, Jewish Redemption-Salvation, non-Christian value, Pentecost, bodily resurrection of Jesus, non-bodily judgment and resurrection of the believer, Church rapture, End Times, etc.
Regarding the more controversial topics: The other Christian works and writings, Basic Christian: Theology, Jesus Walk Easter Timeline Devotion, blog Bible Study, blog History Study, end especially the Pierre Statement on Biblical Doctrines have all been written with the intention of presenting a Christian commonality where every Christian can generally agree in basic summary of the material. The coming topics are not intended to be controversial however they are and because of their controversial nature they are going to be presented in an offshoot sort of way realizing that each topic involves some speculation and some personal bias. The intention is to explore, distinguish and separate the more controversial topics apart from the more standard basic Christian topics. Hoping that the intended result is that people will separate the various works understanding that yes, there has been a large quantity of basic Christian material written for the general Christian audience and that now there is some separate but also valid Christian writing that is intended to explore some of the more controversial aspects of the Christian faith. Knowing and understanding that a common Christian consensus regarding these topics is not uniquely sought nor is it uniquely necessary for commonality within the Church body of Jesus Christ. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Sunday, 8 May 2011 : Third Sunday of Easter - Sunday, 5 June 2011 : Ascension of the Lord - Sunday, 12 June 2011 : Pentecost Sunday
Sunday, 24 April 2011 : Easter Sunday [Resurrection Sunday - Matthew 28] -- Sunday, 1 May 2011 : Second Sunday of Easter [doubting Thomas touched Jesus - John 20:24-29] -- Sunday, 8 May 2011 : Third Sunday of Easter -- Sunday, 15 May 2011 : Fourth Sunday of Easter -- Sunday, 22 May 2011 : Fifth Sunday of Easter -- Sunday, 29 May 2011 : Sixth Sunday of Easter -- Sunday, 5 June 2011 : Ascension of the Lord [from the Mt. Of Olives (Olivet) at Bethany near Jerusalem - Luke 24:50-51, Mark 16:19] -- Sunday, 12 June 2011 : Pentecost Sunday [5th Feast, Middle Feast - of the 8 Levitical Feasts (Leviticus 23, Acts 2)]. -- Note: Sabbath (1st Feast) -- Lord's Passover, Unleavend Bread, Firstfruits 'Easter' (The 3 Spring Feasts - Fulfilled during the 1st Coming of Jesus) -- Pentecost (Middle Feast) -- Trumpets 'Rosh Hashanah', Day of Atonement 'Yom Kippur', Tabernacles 'Sukkot' (The 3 Fall Harvest Feasts - To be Prophetically fulfilled during the 2nd Coming of Jesus). [article link]

SHATTER THE DARKNESS: With Host Russ Dizdar - Broadcast Series May 2nd through 6th 2011 [6 Mp3s] - THE CORRUPTED, COMPROMISED, COUNTERFEIT, CORRUPTING EMERGENT CHURCH - Online Minicast Audio Overview and Parts #1-#6 [May 2-6] {Scroll Down - bottom of page} (Mp3s)
THE CORRUPTED, COMPROMISED, COUNTERFEIT, CORRUPTING EMERGENT CHURCH - IN CONTRAST TO THE INDESTRUCTIBLE SUPERNATURAL CHURCH THAT JESUS CHRIST IS BUILDING, HAS COMMISSIONED, IS EMPOWERING AND IS COMING FOR -- The word 'church' is used in the New Testament well over 90 times; it is mainly used of the local visible church though the larger global body of Christ is clearly spoken of. It is of divine origin, it is truly the most spiritual and supernatural organization (living body) on the face of the earth today. It has Jesus Christ for its founder, provider and builder. It has the indwelling presence of God Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit. It is birthed in the infinite love of God and involves all that redemption provides.....and that alone is amazing and unequaled. It is the vessel that the living Christ lives in and through and has as its mission the goal of reaching every single person living anywhere/everywhere on the globe with the love of Christ…the gospel of salvation. -- The church is weak and strong, incredible and at times sickening. It is though......... in the hands of its Sovereign Head.......Jesus Christ. -- It has a massive mission; it can be incredibly powerful and is the only spiritual entity that hell itself would love to destroy. And if hell can't destroy it (the church is indestructible) it would love to compromise, corrupt and counterfeit it...........why? Because satan himself fights against the salvation of the souls of humanity. Does the 'emergent church' aid satans cause? Is it a vessel of dark spiritual corruption? What must we do? The 'emergent churches' betrayal of Christ and its Judas kiss exposed on this live broadcast. [article link]

CNN: The killing of bin Laden: Was it legal? - Was the killing of Osama bin Laden legal under international law? - The administration says yes, absolutely - Experts are unsure {Certainly Not legal under American law!}
The raid on Obama's compound "was conducted in a manner fully consistent with the laws of war," [but is the USA lawfully at war and if so with what Nation? Pakistan?] White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters. Carney declined to offer specifics, but said "there is simply no question that this operation was lawful. ... (Bin Laden) had [allegedly] continued to plot attacks against the United States." Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama had all issued orders to kill or capture the [accused] al Qaeda leader. -- Bin Laden raid was years in the making -- "The authority (during the raid) was to kill bin Laden," CIA Director Leon Panetta said Tuesday during an interview with PBS. "Obviously, under the rules of engagement, if he had in fact thrown up his hands, surrendered, and didn't appear to be representing any kind of threat, then they were to capture him. But they had full authority to kill him." A number of experts have said the question of actual legality may come down to bin Laden's response at the moment U.S. Navy SEALs burst into his room. U.S. officials have revised their account of what happened during the assault on the compound in Pakistan. Bin Laden was not armed during the 40-minute raid, they now say, but he put up resistance to U.S. forces. The al Qaeda leader was moving at the time he was initially shot, according to a U.S. official who has seen military reports of the incident. The official declined to describe the movements more specifically. Officials earlier claimed that bin Laden was an active participant in the firefight that erupted, implying that he was armed and gave the SEALs little choice but to shoot him. Groves, citing the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, said that, based on the most recent White House account, "there is nothing to indicate anything illegal happened." Bin Laden, considered a combatant by virtue of his position as head of al Qaeda, needed to immediately make clear a desire to surrender, if that was his decision, in order to avoid being shot. That apparently didn't happen, Groves said. "The United States offered bin Laden the possibility to surrender, but he refused," Martin Scheinin, the United Nations' special rapporteur for human rights, said Tuesday. "Bin Laden would have avoided destruction if he had raised a white flag." {Note: apparently there are photos of a bloody mattress and the most consistent and plausible detail of events [the amount of fighting is being diminished and even ruled out with each new official vision of events] into the killing of the person alleged to be Osama Bin Laden was that he [bin Laden] was killed while asleep in bed. - Taking into account that the man pretending to be Osama Bin Laden was probably a CIA asset operative [making fake Obama propaganda for the CIA] while living in a Pakistani CIA safe house and of course the CIA-military can go to their own safe house at any time without arousing suspicion. Several sources on the internet are calling the Osama Bin Laden death [whether it's the real or a fake bin Laden] a standard CIA asset retirement operation.} [article link]

AboveTopSecret.com: Wag The Dog - Three reasons why the official OBL (Osama Bin Laden) story stinks to high heaven - REASON #1 All the world's a stage, REASON #2 It all seemed a bit forced...., REASON #3 The body "Where is the body?" - I dont have all the answers, but right now I feel like a duck being fattened up for the slaughter, and I feel that all of this showbiz is not being done for nothing - We are in for something major very soon, and what that is has suddenly become very real and frightening {Psalms 61:1-2 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock [Jesus Christ] that is higher than I.}
post by BlackOps719: Excellent, excellent thread OP (Original Poster). I haven't chimed in on any of the OBL (Osama Bin Laden) threads but when I read your words- it's like you read my mind. This is definitely building up to something big, and obviously bad. It's been quite a week. We had the birth certificate, the beatification of Pope John Paul II, the "royal" wedding, NATO bombing Gadaffi's grandchildren [Libya], and finally the announced death of Bin Laden. I know there was much more that I can't think of right now as well. Now we've got a shuttle launch [delay - next-to-last USA shuttle flight], riot cops vs. college kids in Ilinois, a levee being blown on the Mississippi (Birds Point, Missouri), etc,etc. I haven't heard a peep about Japan in a few days. Could WW3 be on the horizon? It's possible. This chain of events will continue and things are going to get stranger by the day. I believe a couple more catastrophies will need to be orchestrated before WW3 breaks out. Whatever they pull out of the hat will not surprise me at this point. I'm just keeping my eyes peeled, my ear to the ground and my BS detector on at all times. Cheers -- "Psalms 61:1-8 To the chief Musician upon Neginah, A Psalm of [King] David. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of Thy wings. Selah. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear Thy Name. Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations. He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare Mercy and Truth, which may preserve him. So will I sing praise unto Thy Name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows." [article link]

Basic Christian: Spiritual Warfare - Introduction 1 of 5
The teaching of the Basic Christian ministry is that according to the Bible's Genesis Creation model [Genesis chapters 1 and 2] there are 8 dimensions total 7 of the dimensions are represented in God's 7 days of creation [six days of creation and the 7th Day of Rest (Genesis 2:2)]. Accordingly mankind [Adam - Eve] were originally created about equal (Hebrews 2:6,7) to the angels and functioned in a higher 6th dimension [mankind created on the 6th day (Genesis 1:26, Genesis 1:31)]. Through sin mankind was reduced to the lower 4th dimension [height, width, length and time] restrictions that we now physically inhabit (Genesis 3:9,10). It is the further teaching of the Basic Christian ministry that both holy and fallen angels still inhabit the less restricted 6th dimension while according to Genesis Chapter 6 fallen angels [6th dimensional beings] mated with fallen humans [4th dimensional beings] producing 5th dimensional beings commonly referred to as demons. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Article Introduction - The 7 physical and spiritual dimensions as unfolded in the 7 Days of the Genesis creation model {the 8th dimension being God's realm of unrestricted eternity}
Humans exist in and are limited to the first three physical dimensions (length, height, width) and also the fourth dimension (restriction) of time. The spiritual realm of demons, angels and in part the coming Antichrist exists in the less restricted 5th and 6th dimensions. In fact the coming Antichrist is going to bring down or "contact" the 5th and 6th dimensions and infuse 4th dimensional human beings with 5th dimensional demons [Nephilim spirits] and 6th dimensional fallen [Satanic] angelic spirit beings consequently orchestrating 5th and 6th dimensional miracles and signs and wonders in order to deceive mankind. Note: So who is Melchizedek? Melchizedek is the manifestation [into our human realms] of the infinite dimensional (infinite dimensions - no restrictions - unrestricted) God in Person. Melchizedek is God the Holy Spirit in Person. Melchizedek is the Order of the Holy Spirit Priesthood. -- Also Note: In the Basic Christian article "Who is Melchizedek?" the 8 dimensions (restrictions) are listed in conjunction with the original creation week (Genesis 1:1-2:4) and are categorized as follows: 1. Length [Day one creation - light separated [Judgment] (length) from darkness] 2. Height [Day two creation - divided the waters above from the waters below] 3. Width [Day three creation - dry land and plants] 4. Time [Day four creation - sun, moon, stars for times and seasons] 5. Demonic [Nephilim spirits] - demons [Day five creation - fish from the waters below, birds from the waters above] 6. Angelic - Holy Angels and also Satan with all of his fallen angels [Day six creation - land animals and humans (pre-fall) - humans the highest part of creation created separate and above the animals and equal to the angels but with sin mankind fell from the 6th dimension to the 4th dimension, in fact with the sin of mankind all of creation also fell from its original creation status] 7. Human Salvation redeemed by the blood, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ [Day seven creation - Rest] 8. Unrestricted [outside of creation] - The only Unrestricted, Eternal, Wise, ∞ Infinite, Almighty God consisting of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. -- "Genesis 2:4 These are the generations [dimensions] of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens ..." [article link]

Basic Christian: Spiritual Warfare - The Doctrines of Demons 2 of 5
The demonic 5th dimension seems to be a realm of doom and destruction purposefully visited upon the human realm via the guidance of the fallen angel Satan aka Lucifer. The 5th dimension often attempts to trap mankind into a hopelessness and despair. The primary teaching of the Doctrines of Demons (1 Timothy 4:1) is that hell [and legalism] is real and is an inescapable reality that mankind cannot avoid having a 'hellish' existence either on earth in this life or in the life to come. -- Many people are successfully able to identify, reject and for the most part avoid the false Doctrines of Demons and their destructive teachings and the accompanying dangerous, addictive, lifestyle results. However many of the same people who successfully recognize [even secular people] and avoid the dangers of the demonic 5th dimension are themselves unaware of the even more deceptive and destructive 6th dimension and the Doctrines of Fallen Angels. [article link]

Basic Christian: Spiritual Warfare - The Doctrines of Fallen Angels 3 of 5
After successfully navigating the battering of the demonic 5th dimension a person is often presented with the 6th dimension and the even more clever and deceptive Doctrines of Fallen Angels (2 Corinthians 11:14). Doctrines that seemingly reject the brutalities of the Demonic 5th realm but present an even greater deception in that the 6th realm is offering a false peace, false hope, false love and a false security all absent the very real human predicaments of our own fallen sinful nature and of our individual need for Redemption and Salvation only by and through the finished works of Jesus Christ. -- Isn't it interesting that Satan and the other fallen angels would be most interested in having a Doctrine where hell is not a part of reality. "Matthew 25:41 Then shall He [Jesus] say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, **prepared [originally] for the devil and his angels:" [article link]

Basic Christian: Spiritual Warfare - The Doctrine of Jesus Christ 4 of 5
Instead of the 5th dimension Doctrines of Demons and the 6th dimension Doctrines of Fallen Angels there is another Doctrine it is the True and reliable 7th dimension Doctrine of Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:28). Jesus said that He is Life made available for all of mankind. Those who wisely want to reject the destructive Doctrines of Demons and avoid the false and misleading Doctrines of Fallen Angels have real hope and real life in the very real Doctrine of Jesus Christ. The simple, pure, loving, truthful Doctrine of God in the person Jesus Christ having come to mankind with truth and reality to provide a way out of our sins and into the everlasting hope and glory of Jesus Christ! -- "Matthew 11:28 Come unto Me (Jesus), all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I (Jesus) will give you rest." [article link]

Basic Christian: Spiritual Warfare - Conclusion 5 of 5
Conclusion: The (7th dimension) restoration [Luke 5:37-39] of mankind is at a higher level (dimension) than even the original Genesis (6th dimension) creation of mankind. God has the ability and the desire to not only overcome the fall and sin of mankind but to make the restored version (realm) of mankind an even higher, better realm than the original glorious 6th dimension creation of mankind. -- "John 5:24 Verily, verily, I (Jesus) say unto you, he that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him [Father] that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." - "John 6:63 It is the Spirit that quickeneth [makes alive]; the flesh [physical] profiteth nothing: **the Words that I (Jesus) speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are [eternal] life." - "John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way (8th dimension) [for humans into the 7th dimension], the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father [Heaven - both a different dimension and a different (non-physical) realm], but by Me." [article link]

Bible Verse: Matthew 24:45-51 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord (Jesus) hath made ruler over His household [fellowship], to give them meat [sound doctrine Bible study] in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing. {The complete Bible is available at ChristianFaithDownloads.com}
Matthew 24:45-51 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord (Jesus) hath made ruler over His household, to give them meat [sound doctrine Bible study] in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That He shall make him [faithful servant] ruler over all His goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth His coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. -- Matthew 13:41-43 The Son of Man (Jesus) shall send forth His [Holy] Angels, and they shall gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Who hath [Spiritual] ears to hear, let him hear. -- Holy Bible [article link]

The New Testament concept of Fellowship financial openness and accountability -- "John 15:14-16 Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I (Jesus) command you. **Henceforth I call you not servants (lit. slaves); for the servant (slave) knoweth not what his Lord doeth: ***but I have called you friends (lit. brotherly love); for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known [openness] unto you. ... that [with brotherly love and openness] whatsoever ye shall ask [i.e. Moses in the Tabernacle (Tent) of the Congregation speaking to God - Numbers 7:89] of the Father in My name, He may give it you."
John 15:11-27 These things have I (Jesus) spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My Commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, *if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen Me, but ***I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that [with brotherly love and openness] whatsoever ye shall ask [i.e. Moses in the Tabernacle (Tent) of the Congregation speaking to God - Numbers 7:89] of the Father in My name, He may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for My name's sake, because they know not Him (Father) that sent Me (Jesus). If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke [covering] for their sin. He that hateth Me hateth My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin [of open rebellion]: but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father. But this cometh to pass, that the Word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They [sinners] hated Me without a cause. But when the Comforter (Holy Spirit) is come [Pentecost], whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He (Holy Spirit) shall testify of Me (Jesus): And ye (Apostles) also shall bear witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning. [article link]

The Old Testament concept of Congregation financial openness and accountability - Moses publically reported the gifting, finances and tithes given and offered to his congregation --"Numbers 7:89 **And [after public openness and accountability] when Moses was gone into the Tabernacle [Tent] of the Congregation to speak with Him [God], then he heard the voice of One speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the Ark of Testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto Him."
Example: Numbers 7:10-89 And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their offering before the altar. And the LORD said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar. And he that offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah: And his offering was one silver charger [a serving tray], the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab. On the second day Nethaneel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, did offer: He offered for his offering one silver charger [a serving tray], the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering: One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense: One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a sin offering: And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nethaneel the son of Zuar. On the third day ... And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he goats sixty, the lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed. **And [after public openness and accountability] when Moses was gone into the Tabernacle [Tent] of the Congregation to speak with Him [God], then he heard the voice of One speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the Ark of Testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto Him. [article link]

FBCJaxWatchDog: Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability (ECFA) Webinar - "Unleash a Generosity Surge at Your Church" - This webinar will encourage generosity in your church as we review the results from the State of the Plate and the View from the Pew surveys {Note: We as Christians can't do much about the level of greed, abuse and corruption at the U.N. but we can certainly still do something about it in our local Churches. If the Church is not 100% Transparent with their financial statements [readily assessable legal - tax documents] then don't donate or donate only a minimal amount. We all have to take part in reducing the greed and corruption within the current Christian Church system, it is at the point that if we don't take a stand against it we are becoming a part of the problem! - Also Note: the ECFA is seemingly a very unaccountable and suspect [red flag] organization itself. The ECFA though pretending to provide financial oversight for Churches and Ministries refuses to make their own financial statements publically available. Any Church or organization that is ECFA affiliated should be immediately removed from being considered a good, accountable, responsible, viable or safe place for our hard earned donations. - It's not too much to ask any Church or fellowship to display their financial [tax filings] documents and statements, in fact, it's a minimum that an honest and open Church or Ministry must do!}
The same group that Senator Grassley is hoping will encourage churches to be more financially transparent and thus avoid federal legislation in the area of religious organization fund raising - is actually hosting a webinar to help churches squeeze more money out of their people. And their logo has a pastor's head overlay-ed on top of a pile of money. I'm sure Grassley is going to love that! It would have been better to have him with a fist full of cash in his hand! Who has ECFA hired for their webinar? Why none other than "bestselling generosity author" Brian Kluth, also described as "one of the world's leading authorities on charitable giving and generosity". Experts in generosity? Can't we just call it what it is: "fund raiser". We've had people for decades know how to "raise funds", but in the church that wouldn't go over well, so we call them "generosity consultants". Click here to see Brian Kluth's "Maximum Generosity" website where churches can buy his resources on how to get your people to be more generous. Can't be too much longer and we'll see informercials on this. If we have "generosity experts" marketing their wares to pastors, how long before the SBC seminaries start pumping out PhD's in "generosity"? Shouldn't every mega church have a PhD in "generosity", aka "fund raising"? Look below at the blurbs from the ECFA website and blast email - while the speaker isn't using Alec Baldwin's "AIDA" approach, it is awfully close: the five I's: Instruct, Inspire, Influence, Involve, and Ignite! And of course, he'll explain three things you can do, pastor, to increase giving 10% in the next 12 months. -- Here's a strategy: how about preach the gospel, convert the lost, and then just let the Holy Spirit grow your church and let them give according to New Testament standards? Nope, the gospel and Jesus aren't good enough anymore. We need more. We need to pay generosity consultants to tell our pastors how to tell us how to give more money and stop being stingy. -- Preach Jesus, love people, teach people to love Jesus, and see what happens. [article link]

Libyan rebels receiving anti-tank weapons from Qatar - Officials in Doha confirm Qatar has been secretly supplying French-made missiles to Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi
Qatar is secretly supplying anti-tank weapons to the Libyan rebels as part of its strategy of working to overthrow the Gaddafi regime, it has emerged. Officials in Doha confirmed that the Gulf state's military had been shipping French-made Milan missiles to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem, made clear on Wednesday that UN resolutions on Libya permitted the supply of "defensive weapons" to opposition forces struggling to fight Libyan armour. Qatari government officials were tight-lipped about the deliveries, which are being organised by the joint chiefs of staff and probably made by sea. "We need to send the Libyans equipment so they can defend themselves and get on with their lives," one senior source said. "These are civilians who have had to become fighters because of the situation." Britain's foreign secretary, William Hague, and colleagues from the 21-nation Libya contact group endorsed Qatar's position. Hague insisted the UK would supply only non-lethal equipment. France's view is similar but both countries - which are leading Nato air strikes in Libya - accept that arming the rebels is legal. Gaddafi's government has repeatedly complained that the Qataris are supplying the rebels. Khaled Kayim, Libya's deputy foreign minister, claimed on Wednesday that about 20 Qatari specialists were already in Benghazi. Rebel spokesmen have said they are in talks with "friendly" countries, including Qatar and France, to obtain weapons. ... Al-Jazeera satellite TV, based in Doha, is hugely influential. It is also assisting a rebel satellite TV operation broadcasting from Doha and providing other support for Libyan opposition groups. It has agreed to market crude oil produced from eastern Libyan fields no longer under Gaddafi's control. This week Qatar's state-owned marketing company delivered four shipments of oil products to Benghazi. [article link]

CNN: Libya Contact Group to meet in Qatar after day of bloodshed in Misrata - An [mostly non U.N.] international conference on Libya's future is set to begin Wednesday in Qatar - The group also includes officials from the European Union, the Arab League, NATO, the African Union and several countries - Qatar has started marketing [stolen] Libyan oil at the direction of the country's emir "to ease the suffering of the Libyan [rebels] brethren" the Qatar News Agency reported Tuesday {It's completely clear that the U.N. society of governments/government officials are completely unconcerned about actual citizen safety and are out to grab oil, land and resources for themselves. A case in point is all the violent riots in France a couple of years ago [2005, 2007, 2010] when France didn't even lift a finger to protect its own citizens on its own soil. Also the point needs to be made regarding this charade about "protecting civilians" when in actuality the U.N. feels its primary goal is to protect [environmentalism] the earth from people. - Today the U.N. is supposedly protecting people [while stealing and selling their oil] yet they have an agenda [U.N. Agenda 21] that is designed to eliminate several billion people in order to "protect" the earth so we all know where this wonderful U.N. plan of protection is going to end up for most people. -- We are about to start the 2011 Holy Week events and this year let's keep the current events in the Middle-East [their peace and safety] and the peace and safety of Israel in our prayers!}
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- An international conference on Libya's future is set to begin Wednesday in Qatar, one day after witnesses reported more carnage and dire circumstances in western Libya. A delegation from the United Nations, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, will attend the first meeting of the Libya Contact Group in the Qatari capital of Doha. The group also includes officials from the European Union, the Arab League, NATO, the African Union and several countries. Members from the Libyan opposition's Transitional National Council will appear before the group. Meanwhile, former Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa is expected to meet with Qatari government officials and Libyan representatives in Doha "to offer insights in advance of the Contact Group meeting," the British government said. Koussa, a longtime confidant of Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi and a former intelligence chief, fled to London last month after resigning from Gadhafi's regime. How Koussa will be received by Libya's opposition is unclear. [article link]

Looming [U.N.] Financial Crisis Forces U.N. to Mull Less-Than-Radical Cutbacks - The government of Britain was the first to deliver that message last month, when its ministry for international development announced it would cut off four minor U.N. organizations entirely from funding at the end of next year, and put others on warning that they would face the same fate if they did not improve performance - Other generous U.N. funders, like Norway, have started financial reviews that could lead to similar results
One country that has not yet taken the austerity approach is the U.S., which provides at least $6.4 billion for the U.N., according to U.S. government compilations. What most of the suggestions sent to the Nairobi meeting reveal is that despite years of a widely-touted effort to "deliver as one" united organization in its humanitarian and other efforts, the U.N. is still a widely disparate array of uncoordinated bureaucracies, ranging from such giants as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the World Food Program, to such relative backwaters as the International Labor Organization and the International Maritime Organization. ... They also call for "intensification of audits of operations at country, regional and global level," which would reinforce "the sense of fiscal discipline, responsibility and cost consciousness." The suggestion does not note, though another systemwide U.N. study does, that U.N. auditors are already over-stretched, under-qualified for their work, and often impeded and ignored by their bosses. None of the ideas presented to the Nairobi meeting included a drastic change in the ramshackle way the U.N. system itself has grown in the past six decades. Notably, nothing in the suggestions addresses the inefficiency of having 28 international funds, agencies, programs, regulatory agencies and other major global bureaucracies in the first place, many with overlapping and competing mandates for their activities, especially in such rapidly expanding areas as environmentalism. Changes in that overall bureaucratic challenge likely are beyond the pay-grades of even the top-most U.N. executives -- not to mention, perhaps that the changes might not be in their personal or bureaucratic interest. [article link]

CNN: NATO takes command in Libya - U.S. officials, opposition warn Libya could get bloodier - CIA operatives have been in Libya working with [Al-Qaeda backed?] rebel leaders to try to reverse gains by loyalist forces, a U.S. intelligence source said {Note: these stunning Middle-East developments and the UN response and involvement could be no less than the disintegration of the UN as a viable organization. Only days before the Libya crisis began England was in the process of reducing their funding commitment to the UN. The UN response to Libya has been disastrous, when Libya a UN member Nation asked for impartial observers the UN responded with one of the most outrageous military assaults in modern history by delivering untold death and destruction upon the tiny UN Nation of Libya. Biased UN decisions and actions that can only ultimately in all likelihood result in the withdrawal of reasonable (UN) member Nations particularly the Middle-East Nations.}
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- From the halls of Congress to the shell-pocked streets of Libyan cities, intertwined themes rang clear Thursday: Leader Moammar Gadhafi is determined to prevail, and the opposition needs more training and allied airstrikes to have a chance. ... The United States, insisting it is now fulfilling more of a support role in the coalition, shifted in that direction as NATO took sole command of air operations in Libya. The ferocity of this month's fighting and Gadhafi's advantage in firepower was clearly evident in Misrata, which has seen snipers, significant casualties and destruction. ... The CIA has had a presence in Libya for some time, a U.S. official told CNN earlier this month. "The intelligence community is aggressively pursuing information on the ground," the official said. The CIA sent additional personnel to Libya to augment officers on the ground after the anti-government protests erupted, the official said, without giving details. ... NATO emphasized Thursday that the U.N. resolution authorizing action in Libya precludes "occupation forces." NATO Adm. Giampaolo Di Paola, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, indicated that the presence of foreign intelligence personnel does not violate U.N. Security Council 1973, which authorized action in Libya. The term "occupation forces" has "a quite clear meaning," he said at a news conference in Brussels, adding that NATO receives and uses intelligence from allies and does not judge the sources. The NATO mission, called Operation Unified Protector, includes an arms embargo, a no-fly zone, and "actions to protect civilians and civilian centers," NATO said Thursday. It follows U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973, allowing member states to take all necessary measures -- "while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form" -- to protect civilians under the threat of attack in Libya. [article link]

I think a good way to begin these difficult, complex and more technical Biblical topics is to start with the complex topic of the Throne of Jesus and the concept that Jesus Christ will actually be enthroned upon two different Thrones on earth
Apparently, Jesus Christ will first be seated for the 1,000 year Kingdom reign on earth upon the Throne of King David (Acts 2:29,30). Having come as a man [sinless - second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-47)] Jesus will reign and rule the entire earth for 1,000 years upon the Jerusalem Throne of His forefather King David. -- Then after the 1,000 year reign there will be a New Earth and a New Sky (Revelation 21:1) and Jesus Christ will reign eternally upon the earth, not on the Throne of King David but upon His own Throne Dynasty (Revelation 22:1) as Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33) and conquered our sin and our death for us (Colossians 2:14). -- Also note that currently Jesus Christ is seated enthroned in Heaven at the Throne of His Father God in Heaven (Romans 8:34). Technically Jesus has the right and the authority to sit upon three Thrones. The Divine Heavenly Throne [co-reign] with God the Father (Jesus is the only Son of God), the earthly Throne of King David (Jesus, Son of Man - came as a man a descendant of King David), and upon His own eternal Throne having conquered human sin and death through His cross and resurrection. -- Note: each human King sits enthroned upon his forefather's Throne unless he is the originator of a Dynasty. For example King Solomon sat on King David's Throne, Antiochus IV Epiphanes sat upon a remnant [¼] Throne of Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus sat upon the Throne of his uncle Julius Caesar. [article link]

Update: The blog History Study in the next few days is going to continue with a couple of very technical topics i.e. the Holy Spirit, Pentecost and what they mean for the Kingdoms of the earth as well as for each of us as individuals {Note: I was out of town for a few days, glad to be back blogging some more Christian material and looking forward to Holy Week 2011. ~ All the very best, David Anson Brown}
After we finally make it through these last difficult topics then we can get back to the structured Kingdoms study and finish up the entire 8 Kingdoms Study [after] Holy Week 2011 and the Easter Resurrection Day celebration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thanks to everyone for staying with the study as we continue to look at difficult topics, topics that are often not discussed in Church settings but we have the blessed opportunity to prayerfully and Biblically consider them in our own individual studies. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Adobe: Updated Adobe AIR Version 2.6 (Free Download)
Note: The Air program from Adobe is much like the (PDF) Acrobat program from Adobe, both programs have to be installed on the computer before you can view Air Documents or PD files. The Air program is a next generation file system and is more interactive than PDF files. [article link]

Basic Christian AIR (Version 2.08) - For Easter Holy Week Resurrection Day 2011 - {Available - as a FREE Download} Note: The 'Adobe Air' document [BasicChristian.air] can be downloaded to any desktop computer (PC or Mac) and also on some of the newer phones (To download and install - Right click this link) {Note: This is the Basic Christian resource format that I'm now using the most (though it doesn't have the universal search feature of a PDF file). It has all the Basic Christian documents [Contents] easily accessible and it also has the ability for each user to change font sizes [lower right slide bar], add comments [Comments Pod] and also a section to add your own quick links [Favorites] to other websites a feature that I use daily to quickly visit several websites and blogs.}
The project is now in the Easter Holy Week Resurrection Day 2011 Version. It will provide excellent anytime devotions and is perfect as a Holy Week (Easter) gift for others. Most importantly [with the free Adobe Air (2.6) program] the end user can create their own comments list, add links to other websites, blogs, rss feeds, references and documents that once combined create an inclusive individual Christian, research, devotional and study tool project. -- Now Available for Download! [article link]

{Excellent!!} Fighting for the Faith - Rob Bell's [global think tank religion] (Re)Emergence of Liberal Theology - **Martin Bashir Interview on the Paul Edwards Program (Mp3)
Martin Bashir Interview on the Paul Edwards Program - Craig Venter Breaks Ranks with Evolutionists Over Common Descent - Rob Bell's, Love Wins, is Nothing More Than the (Re)Emergence of Liberal Theology - Sermon Review. "In the Zone: God's P.O.V." by David Hughes of Church by the Glades. [article link]

{Excellent!!} Fighting for the Faith - [Analysis] Panel Discussion [Southern Baptist Theological Seminary] of Rob Bell's Love Wins (Mp3)
- Panel Discussion of Rob Bell's Love Wins [article link]

Love Wins: [Southern Baptist Theological Seminary] Conversations on Rob Bell's New Book (Excellent!! - Videos, Mp4s, Mp3s, Downloads)
RELATED RESOURCES: Love Wins: A Conversation on Rob Bell's New Book (Video) By R. Albert Mohler, Jr., Justin Taylor, Denny Burk, Russell Moore -- The Treason of Lost Love - Christ's Letter to the Church at Ephesus (Audio) By R. Albert Mohler Jr. -- A Conversation with Dr. Kevin Ezell (Audio) By Dr. Kevin Ezell. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 - Getting Ready, Best of Postings!! - Christian Movie: Abandoned to God: The Oswald Chambers Story (DVD)
Abandoned to God: Oswald Chambers Story DVD 199199 -->From locations in England and Scotland, David McCasland shows you some of the places and describes key events and people that influenced the young Scottish preacher. Also includes an interview with Chambers' daughter Kathleen who shares memories of her father. Come away with a better understanding of this influential man of God. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 - Getting Ready, Best of Postings!! - Christian Movie: George Müller - Robber Of The Cruel Streets (DVD)
George Müller (1805-1898) was a German playboy who found Christ and gave his life to serve Christ unreservedly. His mission was to rescue orphans from the wretched street life that enslaved so many children in England during the time of Charles Dickens and Oliver Twist. Müller did rescue, care for, feed, and educate such children by the thousands. The costs were enormous for such a great work. Yet, amazingly, he never asked anyone for money. Instead he prayed, and his children never missed a meal. This docu-drama presents his life story and shows how God answered prayer and met their needs. It is a story that raises foundational questions regarding faith and finances. Also included are two special documentaries on Müller and some of the lives affected by his work. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 - Getting Ready, Best of Postings!! - Christian Movie: Faith Like Potatoes (2006) - BASED ON THE INSPIRING TRUE STORY OF ANGUS BUCHAN {Note: An Excellent movie! Extremely well-acted and produced! - Also Note: The movie (like most Christian message movies) is an emotional rollercoaster, be prepared and have the people watching it with you prepared for an excellent, emotional, true movie that is also very moving, touching and most of all faith promoting.} (DVD)
Based on the novel Faith Like Potatoes, this inspiring film tells the story of Angus Buchan, a South African farmer who suffers a series of seemingly insurmountable losses, but through an unlikely friendship with his Zulu farmhand and divine interventions, discovers the key to healing himself and learning to accept others lies in his unwavering belief in the power of faith. This powerful DVD includes a gripping 54 minute documentary on the real life Angus Buchan, the making of Faith Like Potatoes, director and cast commentary, deleted scenes and more. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 - Getting Ready, Best of Postings!! - Christian Movie: St. John In Exile (DVD)
Dean Jones is Saint John in this intimate, inspiring one-man presentation of John in exile on Patmos. Full of humor, strong in spirit, and resolutely committed to Christ, John shares his account of the events that changed the course of human history---and challenges us with his last words before his death: "Little children, love one another." 90 minutes. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 - Getting Ready, Best of Postings!! - Christian Movie: Joseph - The Bible Collection, 10-DVD Set - On Sale $48.99 (DVD)
Witness the frailty, triumph, and glory of Old Testament heroes Abraham, David, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Samson and Delilah. Stars include Richard Harris, Dennis Hopper, Elizabeth Hurley, Jonathan Pryce, Barbara Hershey, Leonard Nimoy, and Ben Kingsley. Experience anew the beloved stories you know by heart with this outstanding collection. Six-DVD boxed set. More than 16 hours of Bible stories. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 - Getting Ready, Best of Postings!! - Christian Movie: The Apocalypse - The Bible Collection, 7-DVD Set - On Sale $44.99 (DVD)
From the Emmy Award-winning Bible series featuring the critically acclaimed movies Abraham, Joseph and Moses comes an all-new production starring Richard Harris as John the Apostle in The Apocalypse. The year is 90 A.D. and the Roman Emperor has unleashed a virulent campaign against the Christians. Held captive by the Romans, the aged apostle John (Richard Harris) struggles to save Christianity from extinction by sending letters to the Christian communities. Driven by the wish to meet the last living witness of the Lord's passion, the young Christian Irene (Victoria Belvedere) succeeds in gaining access to John's prison. Entrusting the written record of his visions to her, he begs Irene to spread its message among the Christians. These visions form the contents of the Book of Revelation. To some, they evoke the end of the world; to others, they allude to the spiritual struggles facing Christians of all eras. [article link]

{Excellent!!} Today on the DL: Presuppositionalism, Chorazin and Bethsaida, and Rob Bell - In That Order {Note: Presuppositionalism (truth-facts are derived from God and not from individual [feelings and emotions] assumptions), I very much agree with this and considerably wonder why so many in Christianity give so much credence to an R.C. Sproul and so many other obvious non-Christian agents of deceit and disinformation. Also 'Congrats' to James White for defending and promoting the very relevant "Cosmological Argument" (creation testifies of the existence and presence of God) as well. All in all an excellent and informative show.} (Mp3)
03/15/2011 - James White, Another eclectic program today, starting off with two calls, one on RC Sproul and his opposition to presuppositional apologetics (the call moved quickly to a discussion of the method more than Sproul's views) and the next from Silly Brit II (aka John Samson) on Jesus' words about Chorazin and Bethsaida. Then we launched into Rob Bell's press-release video presentation from yesterday and the oddity of his allegedly orthodox and yet obviously not theology. Here's the program. [article link]

Update: The Basic Christian Ministry is continuing with the 8 Kingdoms Study and several other major projects including the 2011 Jesus Walk Holy Week Easter 10 Day Timeline Devotion this year starting Friday April 15, 2011
Note: The reason for the current slowdown in ministry postings is primarily due to a season of increased personal devotions, Bible study and prayer time. The time period leading up to the (Easter) Holy Week events usually leads to a personally deeper time into the Bible and this year even more so primarily because the Basic Christian Ministry is in a period of transition. The transition that the ministry is undergoing is one out of [controversial] current event types of events and into more sustained Biblical devotional presentations. I just want to make sure that the Basic Christian ministry continues to progress in a way that is Biblically edifying, uplifting, and provides personal growth for all who take their precious time to read and study the Basic Christian material. - God bless you ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

A Preview and look at some of the aspects of Holy Week 2011 and the 10 Day Jesus Walk 2011 Easter Timeline Devotion **starting on Friday April 15th, 2011 until ---> Easter Sunday April 24th, 2011
We are going to begin to look at some of the aspects of Holy Week regarding what actually happened during the final 10 days the Amazing events of Jesus Christ while He was physically here on earth. We will be considering what His events accomplished and how His completed events affect us today both personally and individually as Christians and as a whole as the Christian Church. - God bless you ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

Rev. Jimmie Hawkins: Church must regroup on Ash Wednesday [Lenten Season]
DURHAM -- Lent is a serious time. No one says "Have a Happy Lent," said the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins. It's a time to consider who God is and who we are as God's people, he said. Lent is a time of penitence, reflection, prayer, fasting and works of love leading up to Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday, with services that include the imposition of ashes on parishioners' foreheads in the shape of a cross as a public sign of repentance. Often they come from the burning of last year's Palm Sunday palms. Hawkins spoke at the community Ash Wednesday service held at First Presbyterian Church downtown. He is pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church and president of Durham Congregations in Action. Churches sponsoring the service also included Trinity United Methodist Church, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Fisher Memorial United Holy Church and Watts Street Baptist Church. Hawkins reflected on the Old Testament reading from Isaiah 58, about challenging what it means to offer yourself as a living sacrifice to God. It requires more than rituals, he said. ... Hawkins said, "We're calling for a Jesus revolution, to stand for what is right for all people." He said that Jesus challenges those to share with others that which they have been given. Hawkins and Rev. Marilyn Hedgpeth, associate pastor of First Presbyterian, imposed ashes on the foreheads of those in attendance with the words, "From ashes (dust) we have come (Genesis 2:7), to ashes (dust) we will return (Job 10:9, Ecclesiastes 3:20)." Lent is a time to prepare for the celebration [of Easter] and to acknowledge the need for repentance, Hedgpeth said. "We begin our journey … with an ancient sign of the frailty of life." [article link]

Pop Benedict's 'Jesus' and the Jews - The second volume of Pope Benedict XVI's "Jesus of Nazareth" has already created a splash - Even before the book's release, numerous Jewish leaders lavished effusive praise on Benedict for the volume's exculpation of the Jews in Jesus' crucifixion - Not only is the reach greater, but Benedict provides an extensive rationale and a close biblical analysis of why Jews bear no blame for Jesus' death {No more blame than we all as sinners bear for the necessary sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.}
(1) Not only is the reach greater, but [Pope] Benedict provides an extensive rationale and a close biblical analysis of why Jews bear no blame for Jesus' death. In his reading of the Gospels and Catholic theology, it is clear that no one should be blamed [more than anyone else] for Jesus' death, since, as he argues, **the crucifixion was necessary for God's plan of universal redemption. In Benedict's keen hermeneutic, even the hitherto toxic cry of the Jewish mob, "His blood be upon us and our children" (Matthew 27:25), **is a plea [possibly unknown at the time] for purification and salvation because [we now know N.T.] that is what Jesus' blood signifies in Christian teachings. It is [ultimately] a cry for reconciliation, not of vengeance or admission of guilt {Note: I agree with this 100%}. (2) As a theological conservative, Benedict has written previously that the Jewish covenant at Sinai [O.T.] has been superseded [N.T.]. But his supersessionism has always been focused on the end of time, and he has maintained that **Jewish unification with the church is "hardly possible, and perhaps not even desirable before the eschaton (end of the age)." In his latest book, he expands this idea, insisting that for now "Israel retains its own [N.T.] mission" and that ***saving Israel "is in the hands of God" - meaning, presumably, not in the hands of Christian missionaries. Had Christians followed this doctrine throughout the millennia, less Jewish blood would have ran in the streets, and Jews would have been freer to practice their faith with dignity. Benedict's expectation of the future acceptance of Christian faith by everyone takes the practical threat out of Christian supersessionism for Jews today. And if some Jews still object to his eschatological supersessionism, they should remember that **it is not far from what most traditional Jews believe will occur in the "end of days," when gentiles will accept Judaism's God [the God of the Jews (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) is the only True God] and, as Jews proclaim regularly in our Aleinu prayer, "In that day, the Lord will be One and His name One" {Note: I agree with this 100%}. (3) Benedict has chosen to stress these teachings not because of Jewish pressure nor to be politically correct. He wrote the book for Catholics around the world, not to win Jewish minds and hearts. Evidently Benedict understands that purging the New Testament and Catholic thinking of all traces of the Adversus [Adverse] Judaeos [Judaism] motifs so prevalent [and wrong] in early and medieval Christian theology is essential if he is to purify the faith of Christian believers. This makes the most recent installment of "Jesus of Nazareth" an all the more important and impressive work {Note: I agree with this 100%}. [article link]

Armor Bearers: Video Blogger Calls FBC Jax Watchdog Investigation "Church Mafia Tactics" - Armor bearers are retired or active law enforcement officers to serve in churches as security guards who will often perform special favors for the pastor or church leadership - because they have the power to do so, and because they believe they are doing God's will {Note: shortly after I had graduated from the Calvary Chapel 'School of Ministry' suddenly there was a Churchwide initiative led by Pastor Chuck Smith to get a certain Orange County officer elected as Sheriff. I thought it was odd having come from SoM school where Chuck himself had "stressed" the importance of ministering only the Gospel of Jesus Christ and not getting involved in politics. I can see now how important it is for petty little pastors like a Chuck Smith Sr. to believe that they have favors they can call in with law enforcement and politicians. -- My thought in life right now is that a person can live through many perils in life but surviving the wrath of petty, jealous, dishonest, incompetent, self-serving, self-important, self-rightious, greedy, money grubbing, pretend church leaders and pastors is probably not a possibility.}
Kevin Oliver has created a video blog post commenting on the Watchdog investigation, and discusses what he calls "armor bearers" in churches. Armor bearers are retired or active law enforcement officers to serve in churches as security guards who will often perform special favors for the pastor or church leadership - because they have the power to do so, and because they believe they are doing God's will. Kevin characterizes the FBC Jax Watchdog investigation and trespass warnings and deacon's resolution as "Church Mafia Tactics". In Kevin's video, he shows excerpts from a Jacksonville TV news report after the lawsuit was settled last October, shows a few shots of Mac Brunson in action, and he even posts a minute of FBC Jax (former) president of trustees A.C. Soud reading the deacon's resolution (that would be resolution number 2009-1, not to confuse it with the other deacon's resolutions) warning church members not to criticize, else they will be perceived as attacking the Lord's church. Kevin gets a good chuckle at that. Check out Kevin's video blog post below. [article link]

Firestorm grows over 'Christian heresy' book - "A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived" was heading towards universalism (i.e. everyone goes to their own version of heaven regardless of their acceptance of the cross, works and sacrifice of Jesus Christ) - The book was scheduled to be released March 29, but Harper One [HarperCollins] pushed the release up to March 15 [Ides of March] - next Tuesday {Possibly intentionally being released on the 15th of March to commemorate yet another NWO accomplished agenda and stab in the back to traditional Christianity.}
He said the controversy swirling is unlike anything else he has seen in this category of books. "I'm not sure I've ever seen this amount of anticipation," he said. "Love Wins" is Bell's first book since his break from Zondervan, the Christian publisher based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that published Bell's first four books and also publishes the New International Version [NIV] of the Bible, one of the most popular translations of the Bible among evangelicals. Bell's split from Zondervan came in part over this new book. "The break with Zondervan was amicable," Tauber said. "In the end the president of Zondervan made the decision. The proposal came in and they said, 'This proposal doesn't fit in with our mission.'" Zondervan would not discuss its relationship with Bell but released a statement: Zondervan has published four books by Rob Bell, as well as numerous Nooma videos in which Rob was featured. We published these titles because we believed they were consistent with Zondervan's [fooling of Christians - occult] mission statement and publishing philosophy. We still believe these titles are impactful with their message and positive contribution and intend to continue to publish them. Tauber said when he got the call that Bell's new book was up for bid, HarperOne jumped at the chance. "There were at least four or five major publishers that were involved in bidding for this book," he said. *When pressed for financial figures of the deal, he said, "We're talking a six-figure deal for the advance, but I can't say more than that." Tauber said HarperOne had been "keeping an eye on him" since Bell's first [ghost authored - actually written by an anonymous, interested, agenda driven, vested 3rd party] book, "Velvet Elvis," came in as a proposal. That book went on to sell 500,000 copies. Bell skyrocketed to prominence with the the Nooma series, which were short teachings by Bell, away from the pulpit and with indie film sensibilities. The high production values and quick releases of the short films made them a hit in [easily deceived] evangelical circles. In them Bell honed his trademark style of asking tough traditional questions about faith and exploring them from angles other than traditional answers. [article link]

{Excellent!!} What Color is the Sky in Their World? - Abortion and Pastor Chuck Smith - Pastor Chuck 'give me the money' Smith unhinged and unsound during his own ministry radio call-in show {Note: Why was the call allowed on air and not handled responsibly off the air? That was also my first thought and probably it's because Pastor Chuck Smith is trying to act as an unbiblical secular agent of change (and he has to perform and produce results for his handlers and overseers) - attempting to drastically change traditional Church positions into a progressive emergent (ecumenical - new age, U.N.) position. Acceptance of abortion is an important aspect to the New World Order and Calvary Chapel Pastor Chuck Smith, Don Stewart, Brian Broderson, Cheryl Broderson, Greg Laurie, etc. and many others already existing within the Church (often in key areas) are probably embedded NWO agents attempting at every opportunity to enact their unchristian, worldly, secular and even Satanic agendas within the true Christian Church.} (Mp3)
Abortion and Pastor Chuck Smith, February 19th, 2011, On today's program I take a closer look at Pastor Chuck Smith and his advise to a caller on the program Pastors Perspectives. [article link]

fbcjaxwatchdog: Two Rivers Baptist Church Changes Name, Drops Baptist, Wants a "Fresh Start" - Two Rivers Baptist Church, a mega church that made headlines when their former pastor Jerry Sutton and other church leaders gave the boot to about 80 church members who used the courts to try to gain access to church financial records when they were denied by church leaders - Ultimately Sutton resigned and last I knew he was teaching at Liberty University [LU] - Sutton won a few battles, but he lost the ultimate war - and so did his church - Sutton was not caught in open sin, had very high morals and integrity - but the manner in which information was shared or not shared, and how he treated those with legitimate questions and concerns, ultimately led to most everyone at the church agreeing his ability to lead the church was seriously eroded
Long-time Watchdog readers will recall the posts I made back in 2008 about the troubles of Two Rivers Baptist Church, a mega church that made headlines when their former pastor Jerry Sutton and other church leaders gave the boot to about 80 church members who used the courts to try to gain access to church financial records when they were denied by church leaders. Ultimately Sutton resigned and last I knew he was teaching at Liberty University. It was just two years prior to this fiasco that Sutton was nominated for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2006 but lost in a close election to Frank Page. -- When the story broke in July 2008 of Sutton's resignation and his $318,000 severance package after this very public battle between he and church members, I wrote the following on my blog July 29, 2008, months before the Watchdog blog became a front-page news story in Jacksonville, and even months before the FBC Jax detective opened his investigation into my blog: "This story should send shockwaves through the SBC, particularly to those pastors at large to mega sized churches that operate with very little accountability and openness and transparency to their members - like Mac Brunson. I will not go into specific commentary in this article on what I believe these lessons are; I first want to just share information with the FBC Jax members to read to become more familiar with the chain of events that led to Sutton's inability to continue to lead his church. The story involves questions of financial accountability, pastor's salary, getting answers to financial questions, church discipline against those seeking the answers, and expelling of church members seeking those answers. Sutton won a few battles, but he lost the ultimate war - and so did his church. Sutton was not caught in open sin, had very high morals and integrity - but the manner in which information was shared or not shared, and how he treated those with legitimate questions and concerns, ultimately led to most everyone at the church agreeing his ability to lead the church was seriously eroded." ... So who knows....they have a new pastor at Two Rivers, and now they have a new name. I wish them all the best, and maybe they can be an example of a church that in these days can recover from the public embarrassment brought about by failed leadership. [article link]

Seems the Folks at Liberty [LU] Listen to the Dividing Line - Last night Ergun Caner's [bogus] endorsement of the book "A Deadly Misunderstanding" by [former Republican Congressman] Mark Siljander - This afternoon we were just informed that it has [since] been removed, and, it has - I will be interested to see if Caner makes any kind of statement and, even more so, if he bothers to explain how he could be in the acknowledgements as having [supposedly] done editing work on the book
03/04/2011 - James White, Last night Ergun Caner's endorsement was listed at http://www.adeadlymisunderstanding.com/endorsements.php. This afternoon we were just informed that it has been removed, and, it has. Of course, that hardly can impact the print editions that are still out there, but since I have heard of a second edition coming out, maybe it will disappear from there? I will be interested to see if Caner makes any kind of statement and, even more so, if he bothers to explain how he could be in the acknowledgements as having done editing work on the book. If he has removed his endorsement, why? We would all like to know. [article link]

An Update on the Disappearance of Caner's Endorsement of Siljander's Book - In any case, I would like to ask either Mark Siljander or Ergun Caner [or LU] to explain the disappearance of the endorsement - If Ambassador Siljander pulled it, why? And if Ergun Caner pulled it, again, why? Were the words that appeared in the endorsement true when written? If they were, why remove them?
I was thinking after posting the information about Caner's endorsement disappearing from the Siljander website...what if this had nothing to do with Caner? What if someone contacted Mark Siljander, provided him with the mountain of documentation proving that everything Cal Thomas said about Caner, as recorded in the book, is bogus (born and raised in Turkey, came here to convert us, blah blah blah), and he realized he did not need that kind of publicity? I jumped to the conclusion that the "endorsement pull" came from Caner's side (given that it would be downright simplistic to post videos of Caner blasting everything Siljander says about Islam, jihad, etc. In fact, let's do that right now: ... Notice the string of falsehoods: madrassas in Istanbul and Cairo (he didn't mention Beirut in this one), coming here when he was 14 (he was 2.5 and he knew it when he said it), and the lie that he knew nothing about America (tough to back that one up when you grow up in Ohio)---of course, we could give him a pass on saying he knew nothing about America when he actually did come here. Most 2.5 year olds are not overly culturally literate. But note that his view of jihad is the exact view of jihad Siljander attacks and decries and identifies as the main part of the problem in his book!). But what if the pull came from Siljander's side? An interesting possibility. [article link]

{Excellent!!} Original Report: Mark Siljander's Insider Movement Promoting Book, and Ergun Caner's Endorsement of It, Today on the DL (Mp3)
03/03/2011 - James White, On January 31st I was contacted by a professor in a reformed seminary relating to Mark Siljander's book, A Deadly Misunderstanding. That happened to be the day I left for London, so I do not recall when, exactly, I purchased the book via Kindle. I know I began listening to it on a 75 mile climbing ride on February 23rd. I finished listening to it yesterday on another marathon ride. The subject of the book, its argumentation, its relationship to Ergun Caner and his alleged expertise in Islam (or lack thereof), and the continued blight upon Christian apologetics represented by the Great Evangelical Coverup led by Norman Geisler and others, is the substance of the entirety of today's program. Get a comfy seat and listen carefully, this is important stuff. Here's the program. -- By the way, here is Ergun Caner's endorsement of the Siljander work: "I believe passionately that Mark has discovered a real pathway here-a means to open dialogue [denying true Christianity and embracing cults and the occult] that we have not seen in centuries." Dr. Ergun Caner President of Liberty University [LU] Theological Seminary [article link]

{Flashback} That's (Yale dropout) Dr. Glenn Beck-Thanks to Liberty University - Saturday morning [May 15, 2010] in Lynchburg, Virginia, Liberty University [LU] conveyed an honorary doctorate in humanities and scientists on [LDS] Mormon conservative media heavyweight Glenn Beck {Wow! - Liberty University has now gone the ecumenical route in a big way! - What will really be interesting is when Glen Beck returns his free Doctorate back to LU because of the taint of the Caner scandal. -- Update: About the time of these events while surfing some postings on the internet regarding Liberty University some people were calling Liberty University "Fiberty University" because of the Ergun Caner lies and also calling Liberty University "a diploma mill" because they will sell a diploma [especially on-line] to anyone for money and case in point give a free unearned Doctorate to Glen Beck. But really hasn't that been the Jerry Falwell Sr. and now the Falwell Jr. scam from the beginning to create divisive issues among people and to profit off of Christians.}
Breaking into his trademark tears, Beck told the stadium of 8,000 Liberty University grads and 20,000 friends and family members, "as a man who was never able to go to college-I went for one semester but I couldn't afford any more than that---I am humbled and honored." Beck immediately offered an apology of sorts for his Mormonism, saying that it was an act of "courage" for the fundamentalist Baptist Liberty University to invite him to speak and that he understood it was "not meant as an endorsement of my faith," offering instead his own "endorsement of your faith," emphasizing his personal belief in Jesus Christ, and exhorting the audience to "look to God and live," a reference to the story of Moses and the brazen serpent (Numbers 21: 7-9). Using research and citation methods that would have earned him a failing grade in any respectable freshman composition class, Beck took a swipe at Barack Obama's May 1 commencement address to the University of Michigan, suggesting that Obama had discouraged the search for "truth" by describing the incredible availability of information in the digital age as a source of confusion. Beck then described one semester at Yale University, during which an unnamed professor discouraged him from reading an unnamed book and instructed that he instead read another unnamed book, virtually bullying him from the classroom podium to do so. Beck encouraged students to reject the Obama-Yale-information-elite and instead use their "God-given right" on a "Holy Spirit"-led search for truth wherever it might lead…. [article link]

**Update: Basic Christian - I posted some family video that my father and I did in 2005 - It gives a little background into who I am - The blog History Study 'The 8 Kingdoms' will be on a continued short break until about next week
Online and download video - God bless everyone! ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

Update: Basic Christian - Out of town again for the next few days - The blog History Study 'The 8 Kingdoms' will be on a short break until about next week
Note: Regarding the current global turmoil and perilous times for Christians [i.e. four (Christian) American hostages on board a yacht hijacked by pirates last week were killed by their (Somali) captors Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement - CNN]. - Brothers and Sisters, no person is promised a tomorrow but we are all promised an eternity in Jesus Christ! -- "James 4:14-15 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow (tomorrow). For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." -- "Mark 10:29-30 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My sake, and the Gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; *and in **the world to come ***eternal life." - God bless everyone! ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

HeartLight: Taken from My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers - Have You Ever Been Carried Away For Him? - Have I ever realized that I can bring to God things which are of value to Him, or am I mooning round the magnitude of His Redemption whilst there are any number of things I might be doing? - It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself - When we are abandoned to God, He works through us
If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it. Have I ever been carried away to do something for God not because it was my duty, nor because it was useful, nor because there was anything in it at all beyond the fact that I love Him? Have I ever realized that I can bring to God things which are of value to Him, or am I mooning round the magnitude of His Redemption whilst there are any number of things I might be doing? Not Divine, colossal things which could be recorded as marvellous, but ordinary, simple human things which will give evidence to God that I am abandoned to Him? Have I ever produced in the heart of the Lord Jesus what Mary of Bethany produced? There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him the abandoned tokens of how genuinely we do love Him. Abandon to God is of more value than personal holiness. Personal holiness focuses the eye on our own whiteness; we are greatly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, fearful lest we offend Him. Perfect love casts out all that when once we are abandoned to God. We have to get rid of this notion - "Am I of any use?" and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time. [article link]

Basic Christian - Continuing the disastrous current [Middle-East uprisings] and coming events of 6/5/2011 and 6/6/2011 - Re: The Family Radio (FR) Worldwide [Harold Camping - familyradio.com] judgment Day: May 21, 2011
The current events are very probably intended to be the cumulating events of 9-11-2001. It is just that the ending events [Sunday June 5 + Monday June 6 = 11, [June] 6 is an upside-down 9 [September] meaning that June 5 & 6, 2011 is numerically a 9-11-2011] events that take place over two days instead of the one day of [9-11-2001] specifically and these several months, years and decades in general. The current and coming 6/5/2011 and 6/6/2011 events are the possible attempted conclusion of a previous NWO 9-11-2001. I'm not saying not go to Church or assemble on Sunday June 5, 2011 but to be very careful, alert and on guard for our own safety and the safety of others as well as Church property and buildings. All of this current Global and Domestic disorder [that has been staged and simmering for decades (i.e. Qaddafi)] is being brought to a NWO intended use and attempted New Age furtherance including even a radical conclusion to the previous two thousand years of history in a possible attempted initiation of a new global eon a proposed era that is not in any way based on or connected to Christianity. - God bless everyone! ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

Update: Basic Christian - On May 21st I'll again be out of town - Regarding: The Family Radio (FR) Worldwide [Harold Camping] - Judgment Day: May 21, 2011 [familyradio.com] - Being out of town on that day I'll have to respond in advance to these events and will do so in this post
Harold Camping is deceptively issuing a knowingly false message that is a part of a much larger 'Peace and Safety' then total war 6/6 scheme. "1 Thessalonians 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and Safety [after the 5/21 false prophecy of Harold Camping]; then sudden destruction (total war, i.e. Egypt, Iran, etc.) [about 6/6/2011] cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." - Harold Camping is knowingly issuing a false and deceptive date of destruction for May 21, 2011 as a part of a larger destruction scheme. Then naturally when his destruction events don't unfold people will naturally be misguided into thinking that global events are proceeding in a continuous manner the way they always have been while in reality it is very possible that the exact opposite is occurring. The current overthrow and military empowerment events of the Middle-East [Egypt, Iran, etc.] are carefully timed and orchestrated events. Events that are possibly being directed at a coming global attack on the Nation of Israel and on as many individual Christians and Jews worldwide as is possible. It is of utmost importance that the Nation of Israel and all Jews and Christians throughout the entire world be aware and on the lookout for events of 6/6/2011, events that are possibly timed and coordinated to be the conclusion of the previously started 2001 [9-11-2001] events, events that began to manifest ten years ago. - God bless everyone! ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

UPDATE 5-Saudi in talks to fill Libya oil gap-sources - Top world oil exporter Saudi Arabia is in talks with European companies affected by the disruption in Libyan supply and is willing and able to plug any gaps in supply, senior Saudi sources said on Thursday
* OPEC can provide all kinds of oil if needed * East-West pipeline can shorten journey to Europe * Italian, Spanish companies contacted-Industry sources * OPEC has yet to officially change output policy (Updates with U.S. lawmakers.) By Amena Bakr and Alex Lawler RIYADH/LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Top world oil exporter Saudi Arabia is in talks with European companies affected by the disruption in Libyan supply and is willing and able to plug any gaps in supply, senior Saudi sources said on Thursday. Oil industry sources said Saudi officials have been in touch with Spanish and Italian oil firms -- among those hit by the Libyan shutdowns. The companies were assessing their needs and have yet to ask for any more Saudi oil. The Saudi sources said Saudi Arabia was able to pump more of the kind of high-quality crude produced by OPEC member Libya and that it could be shipped quickly to Europe with the help of a pipeline that crosses the kingdom. Oil prices have surged towards $120 a barrel because of the unrest and disruption to supply in Libya. Refineries in Europe import about 80 percent of Libya's 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) of exports, analysts say. "We are in active talks with European refineries to find out what quality they want and we are ready to ship it as soon as they need it. This is the way buyers and sellers work. We need to find out what they want before we take any action," a senior Saudi source told Reuters. "Some OPEC countries have started looking at ways to divert their crude to Europe." Analysts have said the loss of virtually all Libya's production is particularly serious because it is high-quality and easy to refine, in contrast to the heavier crudes often associated with OPEC countries. But the Saudi sources said the kingdom had the right kind of crude available. "Saudi is willing and capable of supplying oil of the same quality, either Arab Extra Light or through blending," one of the sources said. While the U.S. imports only small volumes of Libyan crude, three U.S. lawmakers on Thursday urged President Barack Obama to consider tapping America's emergency oil supply to help ease crude prices that have spiked above $100 a barrel over disruptions in Libya. The Democratic congressmen, including Massachusetts' Edward Markey asked Obama to release crude from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help forestall a potential rise in crude prices to record levels of $147 reached in 2008. "We have the capacity to act in case of a major supply disruption," said White House spokesman Jay Carney. [article link]

Arab League to hold emergency meeting on Libya - in its headquarters in Cairo, about the same time when the UN Security Council is due to meet over Libya in New York {Note: This is excellent and interesting news it seems that we really are entering a new era were the leaders "Kings of the earth" are going to step in and take a more meaningful role in government affairs especially regarding reigning in corrupt and abusive governments of the world.}
CAIRO, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) announced that it will hold an emergency meeting Tuesday afternoon to discuss the violent clashes in Libya. The meeting of the permanent representatives of AL's 22 members will convene at 5:00 pm (1500 GMT) in its headquarters in Cairo, about the same time when the UN Security Council is due to meet over Libya in New York. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa called on Monday for an end to the violence in Libya, noting that "the demands of the Arab peoples for reform, development and change are legitimate, and the Arab nations' feelings are joined together in this decisive moment in the history of the region." Protestors began to take to the streets in Libya last Wednesday, calling for an end to Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year-old rule. The pan- Arab TV Al-Jazeera and other media reported that Libya's security forces are using violence to suppress the protests, triggering serious concerns from the United Nations, the Arab Leagues, and the other countries. [article link]

Bahrainis Rally to the Government - Tens of thousands of Bahrainis have rallied in support of their government, dwarfing the opposition's movement {Note: Excellent news! If the government (Royal family) of Bahrain can remain stable (with the help of Saudi Arabia) and in power [and they very probably will] this will be a big help in stabilizing the region. Saudi Arabia is the real behind the scenes influential power and leader in the Middle-East. Also Note: When we return to our 8 Kingdoms Study we are going to have a brief look at some of the modern influential Royal families (Saudi Arabia, Japan, Canada, England, etc.)}
MANAMA: Tens of thousands of Bahrainis have rallied in support of their government, dwarfing the opposition's movement and raising questions about whether the calls for reforms will lead instead to more sectarianism. Their demonstration on Monday came as a hardline Shiite leader called for an end to Bahrain's monarchy and another made plans to fly back to the country yesterday. Hassan Mushaima's return would be another test for authorities, who have a warrant outstanding for his arrest. Many moderates encamped at the Pearl Square roundabout in Manama said on Monday that they simply want Bahrain's royal family to look more like Britain's, and that the country's Shiite majority deserves the same opportunities as the minority who, like the royal family, are Sunni. But calls for the royal family to go escalated nevertheless. Bahrain's king announced plans on Monday to free an unspecified number of political prisoners, a move apparently aimed at appeasing the opposition. The crown prince meanwhile has cancelled Bahrain's formula one race next month. On Monday a new movement called the National Unity Group, which has close ties to the government and Sunni community, positioned itself as an alternative to the popular protests. Sunnis, backed by some Shiites, poured into a courtyard in front of al Fateh Mosque to hear the proclamations of the scholar Sheikh Abdul Latif, its founder. [article link]

Contending for Truth with Dr. Scott Johnson - End Time Current Events: 2-20-11 (Mp3)
Teaching Overview: All Mexican children to be registered in national biometric records-Identity-tracking scheme assembled under radar for 'border pass' program - Kill Switch Beta: Government Blocks 84,000 Websites - Rick Warren Speaks Out Against Those Warning the Church of Meditation - VCY America Interviews Saddleback Health Seminar Attendee - Apostasy Exposed! - Rick Warren's Three Legged Stool Further Unfolds- Fasten Your Seatbelts! - STATE-OWNED CHURCHES ARE KILLING AMERICA - Satan's Master Plan to Destroy the Lord's Church. [article link]

ApostasyWatch: Not of Works - Does God bless our best efforts? (Mp3)
These MP3 audio files may be streamed from this website or downloaded to your computer or smart phone for playback with windows media player or other MP3 compatible device. To download simply place your cursor on the desired title. Right click and select "save link as..." You will be prompted to save the audio into a file on your hard drive. All audio's are free and may be distributed freely within the bounds of all applicable copyright laws. [article link]

FightingForTheFaith: Re-imagining God in the 21st Century (Mp3)
- Pastor Rap Relevance Fail - Re-imagining God in the 21st Century - Roman Catholic Mystic, Richard Rohr on Evolutionary Christianity - Two Good Sermons from Pastors Hodel and Cwirla [article link]

{Excellent Article!!} SolaSisters: On Arresting the Temper by Jeremy Clarke, Legacy Baptist Church, NW Arkansas - You see it is the very nature of the sin nature to invoke self-flattery and excuse, as a means of concealing your (our) iniquity, and therefore suppress any potential for self-abhorrence and repentance {Note: If this Christian message and messages like it were to be preached routinely from every pulpit and implemented within every Christian then the Christian Church would be thriving instead of the anemic self-destructive system of self-righteousness that we now have permeating Christian fellowship.}
You see it is the very nature of the sin nature to invoke self-flattery and excuse, as a means of concealing your iniquity, and therefore suppress any potential for self-abhorrence and repentance. That means to say that our propensity is to justify vice, rather than to acknowledge it and confess it for what it is….and subsequently repent of it. Now there are many vices that we deceitfully attempt to excuse as legitimate. But the one vice in particular that seems to consistently invoke self-flattery and excuse is the destructive vice of anger. What danger lurks in the heart of the un-resisted temper! We should never think that arresting this wicked vice is of little importance, beloved. An inflamed, wrathful, angry, resentful professor of Christ does nothing to promote the gospel…and, in fact, teaches a person to hate it more effectively than a liar or even a thief. And yet the same Authority that condemns these vices also forbids the fleshly fruit of a harsh temper no less vehemently. Therefore, it is as much the responsibility of the Christian to subdue an unruly temper as it is to mortify the most offensive immoral behavior. ... Listen, the very testimony of your faith (and the happiness of others) weighs greatly upon your daily, moment-by-moment exercise of arresting the flesh, and nurturing…in those critical moments…the gentle, quiet spirit that exudes total trust, peace, and confidence in God. Such was the testimony of the very life of the Lord Jesus. His was a pristine life of meekness throughout…even when unjustly condemned by men. And will you, a wretch, attempt to flatter and excuse your anger in the midst of circumstances infinitely less severe? ... If you are to be a radiant testimony for the gospel….if you are to "adorn the faith", then watch and pray with all devotion for meekness….in yourself and for those who are sojourners with you. Do not flatter and excuse your anger…but rather, bow your head at the moment of temptation and ask the Spirit of grace to bring every soft word to bear in turning away wrath. Yield to the resident Helper [Holy Spirit - born again] within, and never relax in your diligence to arrest the carnal dispositions of the flesh until your temper is brought into full obedience to Christ. Discipline and prepare yourself to "Make the most of every opportunity" (Eph 5) to display the splendid virtues of Christ. The days are evil, beloved…..what greater setting for children of light to abound in righteousness? [article link]

Why there should be a case against George W. Bush under [International] torture law - Torture is also one of the few crimes, like piracy, slavery (sex trafficking) and genocide, where there is a global commitment to prevent and punish its commission {Note: At the beginning of a global trial for Bush Jr. many people may not be onboard for it but by the time a televised trial were to conclude and previously nonpublic evidence presented most Americans will have changed their minds. - Also Note: The Bush era surveillance and torture policies put in place and enacted were never about protection or National security had Bush desired at any level to protect the Nation he would have at the very least secured our boarders. The general Bush policies (government, military, banking, finance, etc.) and especially the surveillance and torture policies were all directed at damaging America and not in any way at protecting America.}
Let's correct one major misconception some have about the basis for this action and how it relates to the U.S. legal system at the outset. The Convention Against Torture, which mandates that Switzerland and 146 other countries including the United States investigate and prosecute torturers, is part of U.S. law. Its ratification and its enforcement is part of our constitutional democracy. The anti-American and anti-Constitutional acts were Bush's decision to authorize torture and the U.S. failure to hold him accountable. Politics are being used as a weapon against the law by claims that these are policy choices. They are not. As the State Department Legal Advisor Harold Koh stated, torture can never be a "policy choice." Likewise, the investigation and prosecution of our homegrown torturers is a legal obligation and should not be driven by politics. Frum accuses CCR and others of demanding that "Switzerland override an American decision about which Americans should be prosecuted for violating American law." Yes, it is true that the demand is for Swiss courts to investigate torture where the U.S. has not. But the U.S. decision was one that was not just about American law. U.S. law includes an obligation for the U.S. to investigate and prosecute torturers, and through its ratification of the Convention Against Torture and its support of a provision for universal jurisdiction in the Convention, it recognizes the obligation for Switzerland to do so as well when a torturer is on their soil. Switzerland was being asked to do no more and no less than what the United States has committed to do itself. There are to be no safe havens for torturers. None. Torture is a crime that no circumstance -- even national security -- can ever justify. It cannot be redefined to make acts that have long been illegal suddenly permissible. The memos Bush relies on as a defense are no defense at all: as was found by the American prosecutor in Nuremberg, providing legal advice that justifies and leads to war crimes or torture is criminal. And it cannot protect from prosecution. Torture is also one of the few crimes, like piracy, slavery (sex trafficking) and genocide, where there is a global commitment to prevent and punish its commission. [article link]

Wikipedia: Anarchy [different from Freemasonry] - Anarchy (Greek: "without 'oversight' ruler") may refer to any of several political states, and has been variously defined by sources - Most often, the term "anarchy" describes the simple absence of publicly recognized government or enforced political authority - When used in this sense, anarchy may or may not imply political disorder or lawlessness within a society - In another sense, anarchy may not refer to a complete lack of authority or political organization {Note: George W. Bush Jr. is the quintessential Anarchist opposed to oversight of any kind while always embedding within his every motive, gesture and effort the seeds (Anarchy) of ultimate failure and destruction for mankind. Also Note: Freemasonry (building a society) and Anarchy (ultimately destroying a society) are not the same thing though at times their goals may seem to overlap. Real Freemasonry is dedicated to building including the coming Temple [Antichrist] in Jerusalem while a few Anarchy elements within Freemasonry are more interested in disruption and chaos simply for private personal goals and gain.}
Main article: Anarchism - Anarchists are those who advocate the absence of the state, arguing that inherent human nature would allow people to come together in agreement to form a functional society allowing for the participants to freely develop their own sense of morality, ethics or principled behaviour. The rise of anarchism as a philosophical movement occurred in the mid 19th century, with its idea of freedom as being based upon political and economic self-rule. This occurred alongside the rise of the nation-state and large-scale industrial state capitalism or state-sponsored corporatism, and the political corruption that came with their successes. Although anarchists share a rejection of the state, they differ about economic arrangements and possible rules that would prevail in a stateless society, ranging from no ownership, to complete common ownership, to supporters of private property and capitalist free market competition. For example, some forms of anarchism, such as that of anarcho-collectivism, anarcho-communism or anarcho-syndicalism not only seek rejection of the state, but also other systems which they perceive as authoritarian, which include capitalism, capitalist markets, and title-based property ownership. In opposition, a political philosophy known as free-market anarchism, contemporary individualist anarchism or anarcho-capitalism, argues that a society without a state is a free market capitalist system that is voluntarist in nature. The word "anarchy" is often used by non-anarchists as a pejorative term, intended to connote a lack of control and a negatively chaotic environment. However, anarchists still argue that anarchy does not imply nihilism, anomie, or the total absence of rules, but rather an anti-statist society that is based on the spontaneous order of free individuals in autonomous communities. [article link]

Mobile News: Adobe Touts Flash, *AIR Momentum at Mobile World Congress - At the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona, Adobe Systems says its Flash Platform technology-AIR and Flash Player-is taking off with smartphones and tablets
Adobe officials said developers and content publishers can now deploy Adobe AIR applications [i.e. BasicChristian.air] to the more than 84 million smartphones and tablets running Android and [Mac] iOS. Thousands of applications have been created and made available on Android Market and Apple's App Store to date. Moreover, by the end of 2011, Adobe expects more than 200 million smartphones and tablets to support Adobe AIR applications. For examples of popular AIR applications for Android and iOS, visit m.flash.com [article link]

Note: The blog History Study in the next few days is going to continue with a couple of very technical topics i.e. the Holy Spirit, Pentecost and what they mean for the Kingdoms of the earth as well as for each of us as individuals
After we finally make it through these last difficult topics then we can get back to the structured Kingdoms study and finish up the entire 8 Kingdoms Study before Holy Week 2011 and the Easter Resurrection Day celebration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thanks to everyone for staying with the study as we continue to look at difficult topics, topics that are often not discussed in Church settings but we have the blessed opportunity to prayerfully and Biblically consider them in our own individual study. [article link]

{Highly Recommended!!} HOTM: Social Activism (Mp3 - Mp4)
Heart of the Matter: Started in early 2006, Heart of the Matter is a TV show produced in the Mecca of Mormonism, Salt Lake City. It's where Mormonism meets Biblical Christianity face to face! Shawn McCraney, the host of Heart of the Matter, provides great entertainment value and valuable knowledge of Mormonism and what it means to be a Born-Again Christian. [article link]

{Highly Recommended!!} FightingForTheFaith.com: (Chris Rosebrough) Interview with Frank Turk (TeamPyro.blogspot.com) RE: His Open Letter to (WhiteHorseInn.org) via Dr. Michael Horton (Mp3)
- Interview with Frank Turk RE: His Open Letter to Dr. Michael Horton [article link]

Basic Christian download files on Microsoft 'SkyDrive' select "Download as .zip file" to download all the files with one click - Also available the new Basic Christian (Adobe Air) platform file
1. The Basic Christian files [free MS Word file downloads] located on Microsoft's 'SkyDrive' are available for download. When a Basic Christian file [or any file] is individually downloaded from SkyDrive Microsoft by default has placed the file in 'Protected View' mode just click the 'Enable Editing' button being displayed and the file will revert to a standard MS Word file. 2. The new Basic Christian (Adobe Air) file is a highly recommended Platform file - the Adobe Air technology is one of the newest technologies and already much can be accomplished in the way of linking websites, adding personal comments and browsing blogs within the Basic Christian document. Please download and try the various document formats that the Basic Christian materials are now available in and look for Adobe to continue to add features to their new Air document platform. [article link]

Regarding Nimrod's (Babylon, Babel - 1st Kingdom) and the later Babylon [Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar - 3rd Kingdom] of Iraq there seems to be a bit of 'Confusion', a bit of a 'pun' but we desperately need to clear up this confusion
The Babylon that is being addressed in the Book of Revelation i.e. Revelation chapter 18 is the Babylon of Nimrod. "Revelation 18:4-5 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of [Babylon - Mystery Babylon] her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins **have reached unto heaven [a direct reference to Genesis 11:4 and the original Babylon, Nimrod's Tower of Babel], and God hath remembered her iniquities." - The Hebrew word for Babel (H894) {used twice in the O.T.} is also the same word for Babylon (H894) {used 231 times in the O.T.} the word means 'Confusion' and is a word originating from (H1101) meaning to mix, mingle, and confuse. The N.T. Greek word (G897) Babylon is (transliterated) derived from the O.T. Hebrew word (H894) Babylon being one in the same word. [source: blueletterbible.org] - It's important not to confuse the later 2nd Babylon of Iraq with the original Babylon (Tower of Babel) and Nimrod. Lastly: It was very common in ancient times to reuse the same name for both people and cities. There were two cities named Bethlehem [Bethlehem near Jerusalem (Genesis 35:19, Micah 5:2) - and another Bethlehem in Northern Israel (Bethlehem of Galilee, aka Bethlehem of Zebulun)] in ancient Israel and about six cities called Antioch at the same time in the region of Israel in the Days of Jesus. Iraq being a 2nd Babylon would be common for the ancient days. The square Towers (Ziggurats) of Iraq are later reproductions of the original, round Tower of Babel built by Nimrod. Between the Two Babylons [the one in Iraq was a continuation of the other] there are many similarities but there are also several significant differences primarily being the Tower of Babel was the original Kingdom [post-flood] and it encompassed all the people (Nations) of the day while the later Babylon in Iraq primarily only encompassed the known global region of Iraq. The extent of the 1st Babylon was that whatever happened there was so significant that God took the step and confused the language of mankind as it remains to this day. The extent of the 2nd Babylon (Iraq) is that the false religion of the original Babylon continues to go forth corrupting mankind in a nearly unabated fashion. -- "Revelation 18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city [Nimrod's] Babylon [Mystery Babylon], that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come." - "Revelation 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon [Mystery babylon] be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the [Occult] voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy **sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth." [article link]

Nimrod a foreshadowing type of Antichrist: Nimrod gathered all the Nations of the world (Genesis 11:1), the Antichrist will also gather all the Nations of the world (Daniel 7:23) -- "Daniel 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast [Rome-Revised Rome - appearing after Babylon, Persia and Greece] shall be the fourth [the future 6th (Rome) and last 7th (Revised-Rome) Gentile] kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all [previous Gentile] kingdoms, and shall devour the **whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces."
Daniel 7:19-28 Then I [Daniel] would know the truth of the *fourth beast [Rome-Revised Rome, {first two Kingdoms Babel and Egypt were past Babylon (present and 1st of the four beasts, Daniel 7:1) then Persia (2nd beast), Greece (3rd beast), Rome-Revised Rome (Antichrist) is the 4th beast in this vision], which was ***diverse (different) from all the others [the previous Kingdoms], **exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue [H7606 - lit. left down-behind, i.e. those not taken up in the Christian Church rapture, *this is perhaps the most compelling pre-tribulation rapture verse in the O.T.] with his feet; And of the ten horns [The 10 Revised Rome - Global (Regional) Kingdoms] (Revelation 12:3) that were in his head, and of the other [Antichrist] which came up, and before whom three fell [Antichrist removes Three of the Ten Regional Kings before coming into power]; even of that [Antichrist] horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn [Antichrist] made war with the saints [Martyred Saints of Revelation], and prevailed against them [Revelation 13:7]; Until the Ancient of days came [Revelation 19:11, 20:11], and judgment was given to the saints [Revelation 20:4] of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the [future from Daniel's time] fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be *diverse from all [previous 6] kingdoms, and shall devour ***the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings [of the Revised Roman Empire] that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he [Antichrist] shall be diverse from the first [H6933, former], and he [Antichrist] shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against [God-Jesus] the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they [Martyred Saints of Revelation] shall be given into his [Antichrist] hand until a time (1) and (+) times (2) and (+) the dividing (½) of time [a total time of 3½ years - except this Great Tribulation time (the 2nd 3½ year time period Revelation 12:14, Matthew 24:21) is shortened (Matthew 24:22) to possibly only 45 days (Daniel 12:11-12)]. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his [Antichrist] dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom [the 8th Kingdom - Kingdom of Jesus Christ] is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him [Jesus Christ]. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations [H7476, thoughts, self-awareness] much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart. [article link]

It is slightly difficult to study the 4th beast of Daniel (Daniel 7:19) because it covers two Kingdoms (6 and 7) Rome and Revised-Rome - Combining the two later Kingdoms because the earlier and easily identifiable transition between Kingdoms has now become almost imperceptible -- "Revelation 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space." - {Note: In both the description in Daniel and the description in Revelation apparently what is being portrayed is a series of 7 dominant Kingdoms. A series that starts out as easily distinguishable from one another, Nimrod --> Egypt --> Babylon --> Persia but then something is happening and that is that as the 7 Kingdoms progress in history they also become harder to distinguish from one another. Greece takes over from Persia but with most of the baggage and characteristics from all of the previous kingdoms (Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon, Persia). Then when Rome takes over from Greece the difference is even less noticeable as one day Greece ruled the world then through transition [many treaties, negotiations and agreements] Rome was suddenly ruling the world. Now since 313 A.D. and the Revised-Rome Empire we have a continuous assimilation into the 7th global kingdom to where it will suddenly be upon us when in actuality it has been 1,700 years in the making. Then apparently the Antichrist will attempt to even more subtly transfer the 3½ year 7th Kingdom into his own 1,000 year reign 8th Kingdom but it is the rightjul Kingdom of Jesus Christ and the Antichrist will be unable to accomplish his [fake death and fake resurrection] transition.}
Revelation 17:9-14 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads [of the red Dragon - Revelation 12:3] are seven mountains [Kingdoms], on which the woman [Mystery Babylon - false religion] sitteth. And there are seven kings: five [Nimrod (Babel), Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece] are fallen, and one [Rome] is, and the other [Antichrist of Revised Rome] is not yet come [Revised Rome has been in existence since about 300 A.D., by Saint Constantine the Revised-Roman Emperor and his deceitful 'Edict of Milan' in 313 A.D., which proclaimed religious tolerance (for) [compromised - emergent] Christians throughout the empire - wiki.com]; and when he [Antichrist] cometh, he must continue a short space [Great Tribulation, the second 3½ years of Revelation but is probably reduced to 45 days due to excessive violence]. And the beast [Antichrist] that was [the first 3½ years of Revelation Tribulation], and is not [fake death], even he [faked resurrection] is the eighth [an attempt by the Antichrist to transition from his 3½ years of Revelation reign into the 8th Kingdom and a 1,000 year reign on earth], and is [the same person] of the seven [7th king], and goeth into perdition [Revelation 19:20]. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten [final kings of Revised-Rome] kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; *but receive power as kings one hour [a short time] with the beast. *These [ten region kings] have one mind [after three of the kings are replaced (Daniel 7:24)], and **shall give their power and strength unto the [Antichrist] beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He [Jesus] is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they [Christians] that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful. [article link]

Where is all this going in our day - Presumably back to Gnosticism (the original Nimrod occult replacement doctrine deception) - Gnosticism was also the primary deception [occult answer to the resurrection truth of Jesus Christ] able to be maintained as a viable deception (against Christianity) and hold its own in the early years of the new bright and shining N.T. Christian Church light and then with the passing of the original Church Apostles a modern (post-resurrection) Gnosticism was then able to take root and remain until our time - Gnosticism is in regards to who is the actual Christ (Jesus) and who is the actual Antichrist (Satan) - Are the two roles of God and Devil reversed as Gnosticism would portray
The Revised Roman Empire [Rome and whomever Rome (the Vatican) empowers (Revelation 17:13)] rose out of the earlier doctrines of Gnosticism and sustained itself until a modern (post-resurrection) Gnosticism could again became rooted and well established in human society. Following the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the New Christian Church eternal, resurrection, life in Jesus paradigm there was no Revised Roman Empire but eventually in the reconfigured (Jesus - Satan) [post-resurrection] doctrines of Gnosticism about 300 A.D. Revised Rome emerged. Gnosticism is the 'Double Star' Twins (Christ - Antichrist or Castor - Pollex) Nimrod deception religion of the 7 Gentile Kingdoms. -- Albert Pike (1809-1891) [Confederate Civil War General] said "three future world wars would prepare the world for the [Satanic] New World Order. ... (NWO) will receive the true light [Gnosticism] through the universal manifestation of the pure doctrine of Lucifer [Satan], **brought finally out [of secrecy and into] in the public view, a manifestation (belief in Satanism) which will result from the general reactionary movement which will follow the [Gnostic Satan is the christ] destruction [discrediting] of Christianity and atheism [all cults i.e. Mormon LDS , etc. and all false religions i.e. Islam, etc.], *both [Christianity and all non-Luciferianism] conquered [*after the rapture] and exterminated at the same time" - Albert Pike was actually addressing the teachings of French occultist Eliphas Levi. [Eliphas Lévi, born Alphonse Louis Constant, (1810-1875) was a French occult author and purported magician. "Eliphas Lévi" the name under which he published his books, was his attempt to translate or transliterate his given names "Alphonse Louis" into Hebrew although he was not Jewish. - Wiki.com] -- "Acts 28:11 And after three months we [Apostle Paul and Luke] departed [the island of Melita (Malta)] in a ship of Alexandria [a Greek colony in Egypt], which had wintered in the isle, *whose sign was Castor and Pollux (Gnosticism). And landing at Syracuse [in Sicily - 364 mi. south of Rome], we tarried [stayed] there three days." Was Luke embedding into his book of Acts for future Christian understanding the concept that Gnosticism and Christianity would be traveling companions on the high seas of history leading towards a final destination of Rome and the eventual End Time Revised Rome Empire! - Note: There is a current events (End Time) scenario in process regardless of how accurate or inaccurate Albert Pike was in his letters. The Albert Pike material is only being posted as reference material - in reference to a general End Time Gnostic plan and scenario and not as though Albert Pike was able to predict the future or affect future events in any sustainable cohesive way. [article link]

Regional 10 Kings Timeframe -- "Revelation 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings *one hour [a short time] with the [Antichrist] beast." - {Note: Apparently in the final stages of the building of the coming Revised Rome Antichrist Kingdom there are 10 regional kingdoms that are put into place at about the same time for the singular, privately expressed purpose of empowering and enthroning a one world leader. Three of the ten regional kings reject the person put forth as a global leader and all three are quickly and determinedly removed from their power and replaced with three regional rulers who will make it a unanimous decision in favor of the new global leader. - Also Note: The events might be similar to the sudden intrigues described in 1 Kings Chapter 1 between Adonijah and Solomon and the anointing of Solomon supported by a select committee of powerful individuals that confirm Solomon as King in Israel.}
Timeframe: In speculating an End Time timing of events there are several pending Biblical time markers that are relevant (or could be relevant) to End Time Revised-Rome 7th Kingdom events. 1. Satan himself appears to be under a time constraint in building his kingdom and is vividly aware of it. "Revelation 12:12 ... for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." 2. Though 7 Gentile Kingdoms will be instituted it is not mandatory that a 7th Kingdom be emplaced before the 2nd Coming Return of Jesus Christ. If time continued and Satan was unable to assemble his 7th Global Kingdom it would not be a restraint in the return of Jesus Christ to earth [especially from a non-Calvinist view]. Jesus could return (at the proper time) and institute His Kingdom on earth [the true 8th Kingdom] and it would all be completely Biblical as God has arranged events, circumstances and legalities for Himself in order to not be confined by the intentions of others. Jesus would return and reign on earth for 1,000 years regardless of whether Satan was able to coalesce his Kingdom. [article link]

Noah's Ark, Ararat in the region of modern Turkey - Nimrod's (round, origional) Tower of Babel [was also located in the same region where Noah's Ark landed]. *Ancient Shinar (O.T.) [region of ancient Turkey and East towards Iraq and Saudi Arabia], *Ancient Galatia (N.T.) [region of ancient Turkey and West towards Greece]
"Genesis 8:4 And the ark (Noah's Ark) rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat [modern Turkey]." - "Genesis 11:1-4 And the whole earth {even pre-flood} was of one language, and of one speech [especially descending from Noah's Ark]. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from [the area of the Ark] the east [going west and south from the Ark location and towards the area of Iraq], that they found a plain [located between the Ark of Noah and modern Babylon Iraq] in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower [Nimrod's Tower of Babel (Babylon)], *whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." [article link]

Descendants of Ham [Cush, Nimrod, Amraphel aka Hammurabi (lit. Ham the Great) Source: www.biblewiki.be/wiki/Amraphel] - Nimrod and *Amraphel king of Shinar [about 4 generations after Nimrod's Tower of Babel - though probably not a descendant of Nimrod] they were ('brothers' from Ham) both were descendants from the same bloodline of Ham the 2nd son of Noah
"Genesis 10:6-12 And the sons of Ham [2nd son of Noah]; Cush [1st son of Ham - a Grandson of Noah], and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. *And Cush begat **Nimrod [a son fo Cush, probably the 5th and youngest son - a Great-grandson of Noah]: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He [Nimrod] was a mighty hunter [of sin, occult] before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his kingdom [the 1st of the 7 Global Gentile Kingdoms] was *Babel (Babylon), and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar [ancient Turkey and East]. Out of that land went [from (West) Turkey (Tower of Bablel) to East (northern Iraq)] forth Asshur [2nd son of Shem, Gen 10:22], and builded Nineveh (north of Babylon Iraq, modern day Mosul Iraq), and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city." - "Genesis 14:1-3 And it came to pass in the days of *Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea (Dead Sea area of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah, in modern Israel)." [article link]

Summary of Occult Kingdom Attempts: Nimrod, Amraphel king of Shinar, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome … Gaul [Western Europe, France] and Britain [England - U.K.] the political and military forefront of the 7th Kingdom Revised Rome
1. [3rd Generation from Noah] Nimrod (Tower of Babel) the first attempt of Satan to form a cohesive, dictatorial, human government upon the earth the result was a complete success or a near complete success. Previous to the Tower of Babel was the flood of Noah's Day and the flood of that time presumable closed many occult doors that had been opened up during the previous generations. Nimrod seemingly was a success for Satan in the same way that Eve had been an earlier success for Satan, both falling miserably into the snare of the Devil. The events of the Tower of Babel were enormous in scope affecting all human descendants from that time. It seems that Satan came out with his biggest plan for corrupting mankind at the Tower of Babel *including the possibility that Satan had originally intended to offer his "Mark of the Beast" human altering demonic -spirit encounter to a gullible mankind but the events of the Tower of Babel were interrupted by God including the confusing of the language, scattering the people and destroying the original Tower of Babel. 2. [4th Generation from Nimrod - during the days of Abraham] Amraphel (Hammurabi) king of Shinar is tapped by Satan to build the 2nd human occult kingdom upon the earth but it does not succeeded and it fails to succeed only because Abraham [Hebrew, Israel] was just out of reach [away from the city of Soddom and living in a tent at Hebron (Genesis 13:18)] of the invading armies of Amraphel and his colleagues. 3. [2nd Generation from Abraham] Shortly after the failed attempt the Nation of Egypt (Genesis 39:1) is raised up as a successful occult Kingdom. Before the Kingdom of Egypt had completed its course the Nation of Assyria directed by Satan made an attempt to become the next Occult Kingdom but was stopped (Isaiah 37:37) being unable to gain oversight of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Then after the Occult Kingdoms of Babylon, Persia and Greece had been instituted and even as Rome [6th Kingdom - Julius Caesar] was about to be instituted the Nation of Rome under the military leadership of General Julius Caesar was busy pushing into and conquering the new territory of Gaul [region of Western Europe] and [in 55 B.C. Julius Caesar conducted the first Roman invasion of Britain (England) - Wiki.com] for the Nation of Rome. Biblically Satan has been very determined and pre-occupied (Matthew 4:8) regarding the human Kingdoms of the earth. In historical appearance of the Gentile Kingdoms it appears that Satan was trying to quickly cycle through a previous 6 Kingdoms knowing that he is to be enthroned (Antichrist) only in the 7th Kingdom. [article link]

The Eternal Kingdom of God - Soon after Satan had successfully initiated the first Kingdom in Nimrod and was busy attempting to quickly cycle through the coming Gentile Kingdoms in order to get to his own eventual [7th Kingdom] and manifest in his enthroned Kingdom on earth a different appearance was made among mankind - God manifested into human form as the eternal King of Salem (Peace) revealing unto Abraham among the Communion elements of bread (body) and wine (blood) of Jesus Christ that indeed there is another Kingdom, separate and distinct from the Kingdoms of the earth, a Holy Kingdom, Eternal and Righteous, Everlasting in the body (bread) and spirit (wine) of Jesus Christ offered free and without cost to all mankind - Abraham choosing the Eternal Kingdom of God walked away from Sodom and the other kings of the earth without so much as a shoelace from them in his posession
"Genesis 14:17-23 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him [Abraham] after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings [Amraphel (Hammurabi) king of Shinar] that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And ***Melchizedek King of Salem (Peace) brought forth [Communion] bread and wine: and He was the Priest of the Most High God. And He [Melchizedek] blessed Him [Abraham], and said, Blessed be Abram [Abraham] of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he [Abraham] gave Him [Melchizedek - God] tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou [Gentiles] shouldest say, I have made Abram [Abraham] rich:" [article link]

Satan's offering to Jesus - In Matthew 4:1-11 we encounter a very amazing interaction, it is an interaction between Jesus and Satan
"Matthew 4:1-11 Then was Jesus led up of the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil [revealing Satan's intentions]. ... Again, the Devil taketh Him [Jesus] up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world [7 Gentile Kingdoms], and the glory of them; And saith unto Him, *All these things will I give thee, *if thou wilt fall down and worship me (Isaiah 14:12-14). Then saith Jesus unto him [Satan], Get thee hence [go away], Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the Devil leaveth Him, and, behold, [Holy] angels came and ministered unto Him [Jesus]." - What seems to be in negotiation here is the fact that Satan is offering to Jesus a Kingdom on earth if Jesus would 'worship' the Devil [note: worship is to acknowledge were life comes from - life comes from God not Satan]. The interesting part about Satan's offer is that as is usually the circumstances of Satan the offers of the Devil once examined are misleading, shallow, and really non-existent. It appears that what Satan was offering Jesus isn't Kingdoms [plural] but a Kingdom [singular] because at the time of this offering the 6th Kingdom in Julius Caesar had already been initiated and in fact Julius Caesar was already deceased at the time of the offer. That left only 1 legitimate Kingdom that Satan had in his ability to offer, the 7th Kingdom the Revised Rome Kingdom [granted Satan is trying to combine two Kingdoms the 7th and 8th for his version of plural Kingdoms]. But there is a huge stipulation attached to the Throne of the 7th Kingdom and that is whoever sits on it only gets to reign for 3½ years, the first 3½ years of Revelation and Tribulation. Then the deal gets even worse for the person as the person who is reigning upon the Revised Rome Throne is killed at the end of the 3½ years in order that Satan can obtain and inhabit a body to then reign manifested among mankind for his 8th Kingdom [triggering the Great Tribulation and Wrath of Revelation] becasue rightfully it is the 1,000 year Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Satan was offering to Jesus a 3½ year Throne where the one seated upon it is to die so Satan can inhabit the body. Satan was attempting to kill Jesus and inhabit His body in an attempt to forever rule mankind. Without hesitation Jesus declined Satan's offer. - Note: What separates Rome the 6th Kingdom [Throne] and Revised Rome the 7th Kingdom [Throne] is the Christian Church Age (Acts 15:14-18) and had Jesus worshiped Satan then there would have been no cross, no Savior and no Church Age for mankind and the 6th Kingdom [Throne] would have instantly merged into the 7th Kingdom [Throne] had Jesus accepted the offer. [article link]

6th King, Gaius Julius Caesar's support for Israel - He [Julius Caesar] permitted the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem, restored to Judea the port of Jaffa, and confirmed Hyrcanus and his descendants after him as High Priests [Jewish Temple in Jerusalem] and ethnarchs of Judea {Note: Jewish participation in the Gentile Kingdoms designated as Global Kingdoms is mandatory in order for the Gentile kingdom to rise to the status of Global Kingdom. Joseph participated in the ancient government of Egypt, Daniel participated in both Babylon and Persia (King Cyrus funded the Jewish return to Israel and the rebuilding of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem) - Alexander the Great of Greece spared the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem and left the Nation of Israel intact - Greek and Hebrew scholars translated the Jewish Old Testament Scriptures into the Greek Septuagint - Roman ruler Julius Caesar was very favorable to the Nation of Israel - The coming (Antichrist) one world leader will sign a favorable 7 year covenant with the Nation of Israel and the Jews of the world.}
JULIUS CAESAR (100-44 B.C.), Roman leader. During the [Roman] civil war between him and [Roman - First Triumvirate] Pompey (49 B.C.E.), Caesar freed Aristobulus II, the deposed ruler of Judea, planning to send him to Syria, along with troops to aid him to recover his throne. Pompey's supporters, however, succeeded in poisoning Aristobulus [II] before he could leave Rome (cf. Dio Cassius 41:18, 1). At the same time, Hyrcanus II and Antipater, in common with the other vassal rulers in the East, remained loyal to Pompey and even sent him troops for the battle of Pharsalus (48 B.C.E.); **but after Caesar's victory and his conquest of the Orient, they went over to the side of the victor. When Caesar besieged Alexandria [Egypt], Hyrcanus was one of the Oriental rulers who sent him reinforcements, and Hyrcanus's letter influenced the Jews living in the "territory of Onias" to grant the invading army free passage. Upon his return to Syria, Caesar ratified Hyrcanus [I] appointment as [Jewish] High Priest [for the Temple in Jerusalem] and granted Antipater [(died 43 B.C.) father of Herod I he was the son of Antipas, a convert to Judaism, who was governor of Idumaea - JewishEncyclopedia.com] Roman citizenship and exemption from taxes. *The efforts of Aristobulus' younger son Antigonus to turn Caesar against Hyrcanus and Antipater met with failure. *At the same time, Caesar nullified [a Roman city in Israel] Gabinius' Judean settlement **and even attempted to correct some of Pompey's abuses against the Jews. **In a series of decrees and through decisions made by the Senate at his instigation, Caesar instituted a new administration in Judea. ***He permitted the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem, restored to Judea the port of Jaffa, and confirmed Hyrcanus and his descendants after him as High Priests and ethnarchs of Judea. Hyrcanus' realm now included Judea, Jaffa, and the Jewish settlements in Galilee and Transjordan. He also ratified Hyrcanus' ownership of the Hasmonean territory in the "Great Valley of Jezreel." The annual taxation [in Israel by Rome] of Judea was set as 12.5% of the produce of the land, *with total exemption during the sabbatical year [year of Sabbath]. Extortion by the [Roman] military [against Jews] was forbidden under any pretext. Caesar's settlement favored the continued rise of the House of Antipater. Caesar permitted Jewish organization in [Rome during] the Diaspora, and his tolerant attitude to Diaspora Jewry was emulated by the rulers of the provinces. **Caesar's enmity toward Pompey, who had conquered Jerusalem and defiled the Holy of Holies, led to a positive attitude toward him among the Jews. His restoration of the unity of Judea, his deference toward the high priest, Hyrcanus II, and his tolerant attitude toward the Diaspora Jews increased the sympathy of the Jewish masses for him. When he [Julius Caesar] was assassinated [March 15, 44 B.C.], he was mourned by the Jews more than by any other nation, and for a long time after they continued to weep over his tomb both by day and night (Suetonius, Divus Iulius, 84). [article link]

Origins of 7th Kingdom Revised Rome - The previous six Global Gentile Kingdoms [Babel, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome] were each separate and unique from on another - However the 7th Kingdom Revised Rome was to re-emerge back up from the 6th Kingdom of Rome
It seems that at the very moment the 6th Kingdom [Gaius Julius Caesar] Rome was being initiated the coming 7th Kingdom Revised Rome was also being staged by Gaius Julius Caesar to then later be initiated in about 300 A.D. by Roman Emperor Constantine I. When Constantine did initiate in 313 A.D. [the yet to be enthroned] 7th Kingdom Revised Rome the re-emerged 7th Kingdom then had the expanded area of Western Europe and England to emerge from because "Flamen Dialis" Jupiter Priest Julius Caesar had initiated the expanded regions around Roman territory. - In 55 B.C. Julius Caesar conducted the first Roman invasion of Britain (England) - Wiki.com. - From 58 B.C. to 50 B.C., Julius Caesar was governor of Gaul, which he conquered. - In 45 B.C. Gaius Julius Caesar makes Hispalis (in Spain) a Roman town, and it becomes one of the most prosperous cities in Hispania (ancient Spain) [Source: www.neta.com/~1stbooks/0achron.htm]. -- "Flamen Dialis" (Priest of Jupiter) Roman ruler Lucius Cornelius Cinna (died 84 B.C.) was the next Roman ruler after the death of Gaius Marius [uncle of Julius Caesar] and was a four-time consul of the Roman Republic, serving four consecutive terms from 87 to 84 BC, and a member of the ancient Roman Cinna family ... the other daughter, Cornelia, married Julius Caesar around 86 BC and died in 69 BC after bearing a daughter Julia - Wiki.com. Lucius Cornelius Cinna appointed his young son-in-law Julius Caesar to the post of "Flamen Dialis" (Priest of Jupiter - i.e. Satan). Though a young Julius Caesar preformed few tasks as a priest [later becoming a solider and a politician] all of the military campaigns of Julius Caesar especially into Gaul (France), Hispania (Spain) and Britannia (England) would have all been dedicated to Jupiter (Satan). [article link]

7th Kingdom Revised Rome, Unthroned - In these the days of the revising of the Revised Roman Empire 7th Kingdom each Nation that comprises the core of the emerged [European] Empire has each at one time or another vied often very successfully as a location to be the Throne Nation for the 7th Kingdom however each Nation has also neglected to one degree or another to form a cohesive relationship with the Jews in exile [on the 29th November, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz-Israel (Land of Israel) - Wiki.com] and now the Nation of Israel and therefore has been unable up until this point in time to successfully enthrone the 7th Kingdom
Roman Emperor Claudius expelled all the Jews from Rome in 49 A.D. -- Jewish History Sourcebook: The Expulsion of the Jews from France in 1182 A.D. -- Edict of Expulsion (of Jews from England), given by Edward I King of England in 1290 -- Spanish Edict of the Expulsion of the Jews 1492 -- Expulsion of the Jews from Frankfurt, Germany on August 23, 1614 - In 1933, (Germany) persecution of the Jews became active Nazi policy -- Various "land-for-peace" negotiations co-sponsored by the USA and the USSR, In the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, US President George H.W. Bush Sr. and his Secretary of State James Baker formulated the framework of objectives, and together with the Soviet Union extended a letter of invitation, dated October 30, 1991 [Madrid Conference of 1991] to Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Palestinians -- September 10, 2001 President Bush Jr., Arabia and Israel "land-for-peace" negotiations -- June 04, 2009 President Obama "land-for-peace" speech in Egypt at Cairo University. - Sources: Google.com, Wiki.com. [article link]

Three Beast Offices of Revelation (Chapters 13 and 16) - All three Satanic offices of Satan in Revelation were also all combined in the one ruler the 6th King Julius Caesar - The 7th Kingdom then re-emerging from the previously established and initiated 6th Kingdom of Rome and the three offices [Priest "Flamen Dialis", Military General and King (Caesar)] of Julius Caesar
"Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast [Satan-Antichrist, King-Caesar] rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy." - "Revelation 13:11-17 And I beheld another beast [false prophet, priest, "Flamen Dialis"] coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." - "Revelation 16:13-14 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan], and out of the mouth of the beast [human Antichrist], and out of the mouth of the false prophet [priest]. For they are the [Military, General Caesar] spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, *to gather them to the **battle of that great day of God Almighty." [article link]

{Excellent Article!!} Maitreya - Hidden in Plain Sight Part II by Kathi Sundeen - Maitreya [U.N. imposed Antichrist - currently in the person (anouncer - i.e. John the Baptist) of Benjamin Creme, a British artist and long-time student of esoteric (Occult) philosophy, has become the principal source of information about the emergence of Maitreya, the World Teacher - source: share-international.org/background/bcreme/bc_main.htm] - Benjamin Crème says Maitreya will bring lasting [global] peace using an army [billions of people] that is now in position - [Pastor - attempting to become the False (Priest) Prophet of Revelation 13] Rick Warren's website tells us [his U.N.] P.E.A.C.E. Plan will have the world's largest army of workers and will "mobilize 1 billion Christians ... to attack the five global, evil giants (i.e. environmentalism, food control, population control, etc. all via U.N. Global Agenda 21 sustainability)...." He said this will require "the global church...." - [January 20th, 2009, Barack H. Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America] Pastor Rick Warren at the ceremony invokes "the compassionate and merciful One" (Allah) at the beginning of the Invocation - This is a title given to the prophet Muhammad in the Quran - The Invocation ends praying in the name of Jesus, as well as Isa [Jesus] the Muslim prophet - This takes on an ominous tone when you consider that the [Rick Warren - U.N.] P.E.A.C.E. Plan includes [Christians (via Isa) religiously united with] Muslims {Note: Pastor Rick Warren and friends are trying to Convert Christianity over into a pseudo (New Age version) of Islam (Slavery) all for the purposes of enslaving [Christianity, Islam, and all the cults] into a prearranged U.N. control structure. - Also Note: Pastor Rick Warren (in conjunction with the U.N. and Benjamin Creme) apparently believes himself to be acting in the office of the coming False Prophet of Revelation Chapter 13 and all of the Pastors [Chuck Smith Sr. of Calvary (skull) Chapel, Greg Laurie of Harvest Crusade, SBC, Pastor John Piper, etc.] who are supporting and establishing Pastor Rick Warren also seem to believe that Rick Warren might become the [U.N.] False Prophet [Two Horns Like a Lamb] of Revelation 13 though it will never happen in this way via the the U.N.}
Two Horns Like a Lamb (Revelation 13): Crème says Maitreya will bring lasting peace using an army that is now in position. Maitreya has called "1 billion" into the army to "save the world." Rick Warren's website tells us the P.E.A.C.E. Plan will have the world's largest army of workers and will "mobilize 1 billion Christians ... to attack the five global, evil giants...." He said this will require "the global church...." Warren invokes "the compassionate and merciful One" at the beginning of the Invocation. This is a title given to the prophet Muhammad in the Quran. The Invocation ends praying in the name of Jesus, as well as Isa, the Muslim prophet. This takes on an ominous tone when you consider that the P.E.A.C.E. Plan includes Muslims. The Quran says, "When you encounter the unbelievers on the battlefield, strike off their heads until you have crushed them completely...." "...And he (the beast with two horns like a lamb, v. 11) had power to ... cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.... I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus...." (Revelation 13:15, 20:4) Maitreya is incognito, and "the people before whom he appears are in every case fundamentalist Christians of one persuasion or another." He appears "almost weekly." Maitreya is one of "three Great Lords" on earth. The three are: Manu (the "perfected man," the Will aspect); Maitreya (the "Christ," the "World Teacher," the Love/Wisdom aspect); and Sanat Kumara (the "Lord of Civilisation," the Intelligence aspect). Mankind will take five initiations during meditation, the first two with Maitreya. Maitreya then presents the initiate to Sanat for the third initiation, the first time man will "come face to face" with God. Sanat oversees the third through fifth initiations. We are told we are not to worship Maitreya, as he is not God. We are repeatedly referred to as "divine sparks of God." Rick Warren also denies [publically] we are God, yet was an exuberant judge in The Power of Purpose Awards. The winning essay began, "We [chosen ones - not the slaves] must commit to becoming one with that passive spark of divinity longing for actuality...." "And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast.... And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb ... and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast...." (Rev. 13:4, 11-12) -- Hidden in Plain Sight: In Warren Smith's book, Deceived on Purpose, we see Rick Warren's extensive use of Eugene Peterson's, The Message, in his writings. The Message [bible] inserts the [Satanic] phrase, "as above, so below, [as above on earth - from below in Satan's hell - earth and hell as one vs. Heaven and earth as one in the Bible (Matthew 6:10)]" into the Lord's Prayer. It means "the transcendent God beyond the physical universe and the immanent God within ourselves are one." Smith points out that Warren used the derivative, "above and below," also from The Message, to quote Col. 1:16. Warren also taught this concept using the New Century Version to quote Eph. 4:6, which renders the verse to say that God is "in" everything. In fact, Smith tells us these exact words are in Saddleback's Foundations Participant's Guide, where it says God "is both transcendent (above and beyond his creation) and immanent (within and throughout his creation)." Crème says Maitreya will "show that God is transcendent, above and beyond man and all creation, while at the same time intrinsic, immanent in all creation." In Warren Smith's book, A Wonderful Deception, we see Rick Warren's connections to New Age sympathizers who teach quantum spirituality, that God is "in" everything, which is a "'New Spirituality' for a new era - the coming 'New Age.'" In the chapter "Fractals, Chaos Theory, Quantum Spirituality, and The Shack," we see the merger of spirituality and science. This "new science" includes fractals and chaos theory. "Fractals reveal a hidden 'order' underlying all seemingly chaotic events." Fractals are repeating patterns, hidden in plain sight, that reveal "as above, so below." Our failure to see the "as above, so below," God "in" everything has resulted in chaos, which will be overcome when humanity sees itself as "one." One of chapters is subtitled "Hidden in Plain Sight." Here, Warren Smith speculates that perhaps the fractal, "as above, so below," was intentionally hidden in plain sight in the Lord's Prayer. Then, at some future point, it would be seen as "the message that was in The Message," a "prophetic sign" from God ... "the key to saving the world...." Crème explains, "You can only understand life in the macro-cosmic sense if you have experienced it in the microcosm. As above, so below. You can know what the greater is if you experience it in you, the smaller, because there is only one life...." On his website for pastors, Rick Warren has an article that again uses The Message to render Col. 1:16, using the "above and below" derivative. In the article, he says, "How does God teach you peace? ... Peace is learned in chaos, in a crisis." Warren has a new book coming out in Nov. 2010, The Hope You Need, which is based on the Lord's Prayer. Will he use The Message to insert "as above, so below"? Could this be the "key to saving the world," the "hope you need" to rid the world of chaos? ... On Nov. 13, 2009, Warren spoke at The Pew Forum, saying, "We intend to be the first church in the history of Christianity to literally fulfill the great commission ... by the end of this next year. We will be the first church in 2000 years of Christianity to literally go to every nation." He explained they will be doing the P.E.A.C.E. Plan. [article link]

1 Kings Chapter 1 King Solomon (Antichrist) Enthroned - Solomon's older half brother Adonijah attempts to seat himself upon the Throne before Solomon can be seated as was promised to Bath-sheba - This could have implications and actually be a model of how the eventual Antichrist is to be seated - Two brothers (also from the same bloodline son of Noah) Adonijah and Solomon vying at the same time for the same Throne - In modern times Adonijah could actually be the emerging E.U. President (with dictitorial powers in 2012) or a U.N. President while Prince William (son of Prince Charles and Dianna) is an obvious Solomon with Lady Dianna also fitting as a type of Bath-sheba - {Note: *The Basic Christian ministry in studying End Times and current events is taking two approaches 1. Trying to present the obvious End Time scenarios as they seemingly are portrayed in current events. 2. Speculating about completely un-obvious events (i.e. UFO's, Aliens, etc.) realizing that the actual Biblical prophecy fulfillments will probably be a combination of the two, the obvious and the unobvious or extreme.)
"1 Kings 1:5-7 Then Adonijah the [4th] son of [King David (2 Samuel 3:4) via] Haggith (Aggith 'festive') exalted himself, saying, I will be king [after King David]: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. And his father [King David] had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom. And he conferred with Joab [the Military General of Israel] the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the [Tabernacle (Tabernacle of Moses) High Priest via the line of Eli (1 Samuel 2:12, 1 Chronicles 15:11)] priest: and they following Adonijah helped him. But Zadok [1st Temple priest (Solomon's Temple) and the new family line of High Priests (1 Chronicles 29:22)] the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah." - "1 Kings 1:10-14 But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he [Adonijah] called not [to the ceremony]. Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not? Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, *Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid (Bath-sheba) [Lady Diana also received promises that her son (William) would be enthroned], saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign? Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king [David], I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words." - "1 Kings 1:32-46 And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king [David]. The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to *Gihon [away from Jerusalem - Solomon (Antichrist [7th Kingdom] is first anointed outside of Jerusalem)]: And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon. Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too. As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David. So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon. And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them. And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar? And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings. And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king. And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule: And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard. And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom." [article link]

Update (returning to this portion of the study): The Basic Christian Info Feed is currently working on a short, complex series of posts regarding the Atonement, Blood of Christ, Relationship [Sonship, Daughtership] Christianity - This is an expanded part of the 8 Kingdoms study - Originally the timeframe of the 8 Kingdoms Study was intentionally shortened in order to simplify the 8 Kingdoms study however now that the study has been extended until about Easter 2011 a few more concepts are going to be brought back into the 8 Kingdoms Study {Note: This is a very exciting time for the Basic Christian Ministry in that about 10 years ago when the ministry began to post on the internet a main desire was to have a ministry that was mature enough to explore the relationship aspects and concepts of Christianity i.e. Redemption, Sonship, etc. Now finally after so much controversy, current events and End Times study we are going to briefly study a relationship segment. We should wrap up this portion of the study in about 1 week to 10 days and then revisit and conclude all 8 Global Kingdoms and a few supporting kingdoms in the current Kingdoms Study.}
Currently modern Christianity is not generally embedded in the ancient error of 'Law Righteousness' where our own individual righteousness [an acceptable relationship with God] was incorrectly thought to be based on our own individual ability to keep the Old Testament 'Mosaic' (Moses) Laws but currently modern Christianity is deeply embedded in the (Dr. Rick Warren, Dr. John MacArthur, etc.) error of a works righteousness a 'Social Righteousness' - a socially acceptable (Christianized social gospel - whatever that is at any given time i.e. secular culture, lifestyle, knowledge (evolution, aliens, ET's, etc.), TV, music, pro-sports events, clothing style, hair, facial hair, etc.) based on a series of individual works (i.e. tithing, volunteerism, harmony, good works, submission, social justice, etc.) determined at any moment by a need for social acceptability and social compromise. What the Bible indicates is not a Law Righteousness nor a Works 'Social' Righteousness but instead a Free Gift (John 1:12, Matthew 17:26-26, Revelation 22:17) a "Relationship Righteousness" our Righteousness not by Law, not by Works and not even by social acceptance [either in Church or in society as a whole] but by a simple relationship of individual Sinner Saved by God [Jesus Christ] and once saved brought into a Family Relationship as Sons and Daughters with God our Father. [article link]

Ancient Pagans [Blindly] Tithed to Their False Gods, So How Dare Christians NOT [Blindly] Tithe to Their God, Says [Pastor] Mac Brunson {Note: This timely expose article covers some of what we are going to examine in the coming postings regarding our Sonship in Jesus Christ. The dilemma is that in modern Christianity are we as Christians to be restricted, uninformed, obedient (tithe) slaves or are we as Christians allowed to be individuals, free, informed and led by the Holy Spirit.} -- "John 15:15 Henceforth I [Jesus] call you not servants (G1401, Doulos - lit. Slave); for the servant (slave) knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends (G5384, Philos - lit. Brotherly Love, i.e. Philadelphia); for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you."
But Mac Brunson recently has put forth one of the wackiest, over-the-top arguments I've ever heard on tithing: that because ancient pagans supposedly "tithed" to their phoney-baloney gods, that we as Christians today should be quite happy to practice the same ritual. ... Commnets: Steward said...I've been piecing together a book on tithing, and have almost a complete chapter dedicated to this mentality. I will post 2 paragraphs below to get you an idea of how i address this "We say that our God is alive, but we give to Him in the same [tithe] manner as pagans do. Any pagan can give a tithe to his god; and any religion can develop monotonous rules that promote consistent giving. *But Christianity is different. **We have a relationship with a living God. **We also claim to have communication with our God; but we continue tithing as if we do not know how to talk to God in regards to giving. We're just like robots that do as their told. We might as well say that we believe our God is a stone statue just like other god's that can't communicate. Stone statues don't communicate with their worshippers, nor do the stone statues tell them what to bring to the altar. Every religion develops their own way of pleasing their god's, and Christianity follows suit in the same manner with our type of giving. ***We have the opportunity to be led by the [Holy] Spirit, but instead we want to be led in the same way that pagan's are led. We have the opportunity [Sonship] to hear what our God's Spirit is internally convicting us to give [to who, how much and when], but instead we've developed the deaf ears of pagans, and replaced our God with stone lips that do not speak personal instructions." - jared January 22, 2011 7:58 PM. [article link]

The BasicChristian.org website's decoding of the 1966 movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery. (filmed in Italy, extended version released in Europe in 1966, an edited version was released in the USA in 1968, an almost completely restored-extended version was released in 2003 on DVD) - imdb.com. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Background - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Why is there a need and what is the relevance of looking at this particular movie? Recently I was listening to a Current Events discussion and interview on a Christian podcast - the person being interviewed though unprompted launched into a standard End Time Armageddon scenario. It was the same Armageddon scenario that is so routinely submitted by so many End Time - Watchman ministries that most people assume that the current Armageddon scenario is factually based on well researched Christian doctrine. However the reality is that the current Armageddon scenario is anything but Biblically based and seemingly the way it is dogmatically rendered on Christian radio and in End Time Ministries the Armageddon scenario is actually an occult scenario that has entered into the Christian Church. Lest people say that there is no occult End Time Armageddon scenario we are going to examine the 1966 movie "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" a movie that actually depicts and blueprints all of America's military wars and engagements from the Civil War up until an Armageddon scenario put forth in the movie's climatic showdown scene set in a fictitious cemetery, a massive graveyard called "Sand Hill" i.e. the sand hills of the "Middle-East" and Armageddon. Also, if anyone disagrees that this occult scenario has entered into the Christian Church just remember that the movie came out in 1966 & 1968 and then later in 1970 the book "The Late, Great Planet Earth" by Hal Lindsey came out followed by numerous other authors such as Chuck Missler all following the movie's Armageddon scenario and then blueprinting that Occult scenario into the Christian Church as a modern End Time doctrine for Evangelical Christianity. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Plot Summary 1 - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
The movie uses a part historical and part fictitious American Civil War setting in order to orchestrate and illustrate (instruct) what is presumably a desired occult outcome to global affairs. The movie has three main characters and several sub-characters; all of whom we will examine in detail later. The three main characters though monikered as 'The Good', 'The Bad' and 'The Ugly' are each unveiled in the opening scenes of the movie as equally undistinguishable in their vicious, mean, stubborn and underhanded day to day lives. The movie plot follows the lives of the three figures, The Good - The Bad - The Ugly as they each compete to gain sole possession of a fortune [the earth's wealth] in buried [payroll] gold. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Plot Summary 2 - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
About half way through the movie the scenes follow a series of wartime events and battles. Each scene event depicts a different war in American history. Starting with a brief scene where a Civil War Union solider 'thief' is executed by a formation of Union Soldiers firing into the condemned man at a very close range. This is actually the only scene that depicts a Civil War era combat event in the movie and apparently the occult lesson is that the Civil War was actually an execution of soldiers on both sides in the war, in the intent and extent of the way that the war was fought. After the brief Civil War era execution scene the plot quickly shifts to a city destroyed by war but not the Civil War in the movie's depiction it is now the wars of Europe WWI & WWII. The bomb (shell) that explodes in the middle of the street is a WWI era 'whistling' bomb and explosion {bombs in WWI often had a whistle type of noisemaker attached to them to provide an additional psychological fear factor to the bombing and shelling, a practice that was also initially practiced early in WWII but was soon ended as WWII soon opted for much more tonnage of bombs in order to achieve the additional fear factor instead of the fewer but nosier bombs of WWI.} - After the WWI view of the city and the bomb explosion in the center of the street the same scene adopts a WWII style as now the men 'attack' through the destroyed city by walking down both sides of the street in a typical WWII military formation and while going down the street encounter a 'sniper' depicting the ever present German snipers of WWII, the character Tuco utters one word in the scene "hold" very similar in sound to German word "halt". The WWII era scene also depicted a man reading a book (very common of the WWII generation) and also includes a scene where a dead man's shirt is lifted up revealing in appearance a WWII German rife or machinegun wound and not the pistol wound of the movie (and one of the characters comments "he must have shot him at close range" in order to help cover that the wound is too large for a Civil War era pistol wound). Apparently the occult lesson is that WWI and WWII were intended to destroy large cities and in the process endanger, destabilize and shift (relocate) huge populations of civilians. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Plot Summary 3 - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
After departing the badly war-torn city two of the characters on route to their destination are 'captured' and forcibly taken to yet another military engagement. This time the military battle is a depiction of the war in Korea as the scenery is now hills with sparsely covered vegetation (characteristic of Korea). Much of the later Korean War [up until the ending stalemate] was fought from small trenches dug along the hills with accompanying artillery positions also dug into the hills. The river in the scene is depicting the Yule River that the Chinese crossed to enter the Korean war. The movie is depicting American and Chinese forces fighting on the bridge. The Captain, younger than the WWII aged men in the previous scene [more on this later] is of the age of a Korean War veteran (in 1966) and acts the part of an Army officer in Korea, his (shrapnel and bayonet) wounds and the treatment of them (a mountain of gauze) are characteristic of the Korean War. Apparently the occult lesson is that Korea was fought to (secretly) bring down bridges and separators between Nations and populations i.e. a global economy. - Note: In the actual Korean War when Marines of the 1st Marine Division raised the American flag in victory during the Battle of Seoul in Korea and within hours of hearing about it American General Douglas MacArthur ordered that the American flag was to be removed and the U.N. flag flown in its place and the order was reluctantly carried out by the troops at the scene. - Also Note: Ray L. Walker, USMC veteran of the Korean War "I was there and I recall it well. Including the attempt by an army color guard to remove the American Flag we flew in Seoul and replace it with a U.N. flag. The result was a flag pole we shot to hell - no flag flew from that pole anymore [though the U.N. flag did replace the American flag as ordered in other places]. History depends on who's telling it. Usually non-combatants working from official documents." - Source: www.koreanwar-educator.org/topics/brief/brief_account_of_the_korean_war.htm [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Plot Summary 4 - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Crossing over what remains of the destroyed bridge the two characters find a vastly different scenery (and a different war) on the other side of the river. The scenery is now the lush green (jungle) of the then current (1966) war in Vietnam. Spread among the ground are the bodies not of rebel soldiers but the bodies of attacking Viet Cong from the previous night's battle (much of the fighting in Vietnam was at night). One of the characters comes across a very young (Vietnam veteran age in 1966) and very badly wounded solider. The character covers the wounded solider with his own jacket in a scene very typical of a wounded soldier in Vietnam being covered by a poncho from his fellow soliders to help comfort the wounded solider while a medevac helicopter was on its way and as depicted in the movie often the solider died in the presence of friends {Note: Vietnam veterans actually intimately encountered more death of fellow soldiers than the WWII veterans who were busy attacking through objectives and later saw the dead bodies of close friends, while soldiers in Vietnam died in the arms and presence of one another often while waiting for a medevac.} - In the Vietnam scene the primary scene of destruction is of a badly destroyed and now unusable Church building. Apparently the occult lesson is that Vietnam was fought to completely destroy a Christian based society in America. With the Christian Church now in ruins the character Tuco is now literally blasted from one cannon shot after another [one conflict after another] into the cemetery of 'Sand Hill' setting up the desired Armageddon outcome. - Note: Defense Sectary Robert McNamara (during the Vietnam war) was a major architect and proponent of extending American involvement in Vietnam and McNamara is quoted on film as saying that if America withdraws (early) from the conflict in Vietnam that the desired social changes [government regulations, taxation, controls, oversight and surveillance] in America could not be achieved in peacetime as easily as they could in wartime. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Character Summary - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
The three main characters in the movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" in the order that they first appear in the movie. 1. Eli Wallach - Tuco (the ugly) Tuco aka 'the rat' however Tuco is apparently the Spanish word for a small rodent that burrows into the ground while 'la rata' is apparently the Spanish translation of rat as in a rodent. 2. Lee Van Cleef - Angel Eyes (the bad). 3. Clint Eastwood - Blondie (the Good) note that the Clint Eastwood character is not an actual blond in the movie so the title 'Blondie' is not an actual title but is a figurative title as the names Tuco and Angle Eyes are also primarily figurative and representational names. In the movie Blondie represents of course the Arian (enlightened) species the Occultists. Tuco a species that burrows into the ground represents the Middle-East Arab Muslim oil Nations. Angel Eyes (someone who is supposedly heavenly focused) represents the people who control and manipulate the Christian Church i.e. a Pastor. In short the three main characters in the movie are an Occultist, a Muslim and a Christian. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Angel Eyes 1 - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Angel Eyes - In an early scene in the movie Angel Eyes' first appearance is at the home of a wounded and recovering solider. Angel Eyes is looking for information on behalf of another person and during the conversation Angel Eyes learns that it is information about a stolen and buried payroll that is really the information attached to the name he was attempting to discover for his client. - Angel Eyes pauses at the entrance of the house before going in and in appearance Angel Eyes at first sight appears to look like a Missionary [instead of the dangerous gunman that he is] and indeed Angel Eyes has a big cloth bandanna draped around his neck to indicate subtly that he is a man of the cloth a Christian. Sitting down and eating the other man's food Angel Eyes picks up the bread and cuts off a piece of it, he holds the piece of bread in one hand (as in holding communion) and is filmed in a deliberate act of eating the bread (taking communion) further establishing Angel Eyes as a figure representing Christianity. Later Angel Eyes will be seen drinking from a cup (concluding his communion) and the (communion) cup will appear and be staged as a prop in the final Armageddon scene. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Tuco 1 - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Tuco Ramírez (full name: Tuco Benedicto Pacífico Juan María Ramírez - wiki.com) The character Tuco representing the Islam character has a long difficult name to pronounce like a Muslim generally has a difficult name for Westerners to pronounce. When Tuco is apprehended and brought into the Sheriff's office the first time Tuco utters a continuous stream of Arab type of proverbs against his captor, his captor's father and his captor's mother. It is revealed later in the movie that Tuco actually has a brother that is a Catholic Priest in charge of the local Catholic Missionary enclave [Islam and Catholicism as brothers]. Tuco [representing Islam] remarks to his Catholic Priest brother that he is unfamiliar with the Catholic ways and simply kisses the tassel of his brother's robe in a feigned attempt at admiration. In the Catholic Mission Tuco finds himself facing a portrait of a crucified Jesus Christ and upon seeing the picture Tuco begins to pray [possibly earnestly for a second] but then quickly and irreverently he takes out a bottle of whiskey and drains it in front of the portrait. - The genuinely good natured Tuco as a type of Islam he is repeatedly used [his neck constantly in and out of nooses] throughout the movie resulting from the scams and moneymaking cons of others to the point that Tuco really knows no other way of existing and making a living. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Blondie 1 - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Blondie enters the movie in a scene just in time to save Tuco from being captured by other bounty hunters. Blondie is anonymous and is first heard without being seen and then is seen only from behind (his entire face is hidden as he talks and when he shoots) the first act of Blondie is [occult] to call down fire from heaven (well, actually to strike a match and light his cigar) he then proceeds to kill a trinity of three men. Blondie aka "Man with No Name" is also known as Judas when Tuco calls him by his name 'Judas' at the Sherriff's office "Judas you sold my hide." Blondie aka Judas is monikered in the movie with his label of "The Good" at the very moment that Judas or Blondie has just preformed his most devious, sadistic and underhanded task in abandoning a tied up Tuco in the wilderness. Certainly the label of "The Good" is not intended to imply compassion or goodness of any kind but is implying that Blondie/Judas is good at being devious. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Meddler - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Meddler - After the opening credits the first scene in the movie is of a man (meddler - a *Don Quixote type figure) who pops-up awkwardly into the viewing frame as if he is an arcade game pop-up toy who's only intention is to be unceremoniously knocked down again. Indecently 'meddler' is a biological blondie however he is nothing of the spiritual Occult Blondie that the movie intends to portray. Unsurprisingly within moments the meddler and his two companions are indeed meddling in the affairs of Tuco, Angel Eyes and Blondie as the unfortunate meddling trio attempts to apprehend Tuco but the shifty Tuco easily dispatches two of them wounding the third and easily escapes being captured by them. Later in the movie meddler again bumps into Tuco and again tries to apprehend Tuco and seek vengeance for his previous wound from Tuco. Upon encountering Tuco the often offended meddler immediately rehearses a long list of grievances and desires that he has intended to visit upon Tuco but Tuco simply shoots him down like the pop-up target he has always been. Meddler or a Don Quixote figure is a very important figure in Occult teachings and supposedly the famed Skull & Bones Society of Yale University has only three items of interest within their society walls the first being a human skull (death and Satan worship) the second being a Black (Satanic) Pope [instituting a Satanic Pope over the Catholic Church] and the third being a statue of a Don Quixote figure. -- "Proverbs 20:3 It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling." - "Psalms 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." -- "Psalms 11:7 For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; His countenance doth behold the upright." - "James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Catholic Priest - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Catholic Priest - Tuco's brother the Catholic Priest upon recognizing Tuco immediately launches into his own private crusade against [the Muslim] Tuco. Tuco then does reveal to his brother that indeed he is a [Muslim] man with many wives (i.e. a harem) and the two have a minor altercation among brothers. In a very touching scene the Catholic Priest does rightly repent of his treatment towards Tuco and quietly [out of sight of Tuco] asks for Tuco's forgiveness for the previous crusade. Note: The Catholic Mission is portrayed in the movie as a place where both sides in the professed war (good and evil) can freely enter in and receive from the resources of the Mission. How interesting that the Occult scenario is that the Catholic Church should administer its Priestly duties without any Priestly discernment as though the only two options in Christian Ministry are complete acquiesce and acceptance of all things evil or of an over the top unwarranted crusade against every small appearance and detail of evil. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Jew - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Jew - The man named Baker [as in Jewish Matzoh - baked unleavened bread] is portrayed primarily by his Jewish facial features. The Jew is stereotypically depicted as being infirmed, greedy, lazy and in immediate possession of a handful of cash. Angel Eyes [Christian authority] is portrayed as working for Baker, as an unwilling servant to the Jew, it is Baker [the mythical Jewish conspiracy] that ultimately employs and pays Angel Eyes his wages. In the movie plot Angel Eyes has discovered another way to make money via the new information of a buried [payroll] treasure and he quickly kills the Jew seemingly having gained his own independence. Amazingly in the movie Angel Eyes after needlessly killing the Jew, then Angel Eyes clutches the lamp of the Jew and blows out the lamp, the light of the Jew is now extinguished but it was also his only source of light and Angel Eyes is left standing in utter darkness foretelling of his own impending destruction. How informative that when Christianity removes the Jewish nature of the Bible, of Christianity and of God revealed to mankind that indeed Christianity has darkened the only light it will ever know. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Batterville - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Batterville - Angel Eyes had discovered that his best opportunity to find more information regarding the buried [payroll] treasure would be at the Prisoner of War camp Batterville and has placed himself in authority as the Sargent in charge at Batterville. Angel Eyes is looking for the one last living person, a solider originally named Jackson but who was now going under the assumed name of Bill Carson, who was the only living clue left as to where the treasure was buried. Batterville is an amazing place, it is a place where Angel Eyes thinks he is in complete authority, able to conduct his own business in his own way. Batterville is the exact Occult scenario of how an Occult influenced [treasure seeking] Christian Church should be run. The prisoners [Christians unfortunate enough to land in Angel Eyes' greedy Mega-Church chapel] are abused, malnourished, neglected, tormented and mistreated at every available opportunity by Angel Eyes and his personally selected staff of enforcers. In a prominent scene in the movie at the aptly named Batterville [where all who enter are battered and beaten] Angel Eyes and his staff are seen in their luxurious accommodations having just taken up a collection [robbing the people of their last cent] from among the newly arrived prisoners. The collection pile is spread out on top of the table and Angel Eyes and his co-conspirators lament that the pile of money and goods wasn't as large as they would have liked it to have been but just the same the pile of money is scooped up into a sack and sent outside the camp [where it will no longer be of any use to the prisoners] through a convenient side window in the office. Angel Eyes insists that the camp's 'praise and worship' band begin to play, not that praise and worship will help the downtrodden prisoners all that much but Angel Eyes has learned that even a half-descent praise band will go a long way in helping to cover and conceal the multitude of crimes and indiscretions perpetrated by Angel Eyes and his staff against the honest prisoners of the camp and indeed Angel Eyes sees no reason to release any meaningful financial statements or insert any oversight of any kind into his daily proceedings, a tactic that quickly breaks the morale and destroys the will to resist of all the many prisoners in his beloved kingdom of Batterville. Angel Eyes is called before the Camp Officer the true Camp authority the Commandant [a type of Jesus Christ] but Angel Eyes sees the true authority as diseased (a wound that has not healed and has turned to gangrene) and Angel Eyes simply scoffs and wishes the Commandant "good luck" in his desire of bringing justice, fair treatment and accountably to Batterville and to the entire Army for that matter [though Angle Eyes should have stuck around and come back to the Camp Commandant (Jesus Christ) on the third day and he would have found Him not injured on the cross and not in the grave as he suspected but completely healed and in complete authority]. Angel Eyes does locate the information of Bill Carson but it happens to be Tuco that now has the name of Bill Carson and knows the location of the cemetery where the treasure is buried. Angel Eyes invites Tuco into his office for fellowship and a free agape meal together. Tuco suspecting that the meal is poison is reluctant at first but then dives in with a large appetite and an equally large spoon. Interestingly enough the feast Angel Eyes provides has no cups to drink from and no wine to drink but only whisky to drink and bowls to drink from and both men drink from the bowls of wrath filled to the brim. The cup [communion cup] will come later. True to his nature and desires Angel Eyes quickly instructs an assistant to pummel Tuco into submission while the camp praise band begins playing in the background intending to cover the crime though the scheme fools few. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Arch Stanton - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Arch Stanton - Tuco is incorrectly told by Blondie that the fortune of wealth is buried in a grave with the name of Arch Stanton on the grave marker when actually the treasure in the movie is buried in the grave next to (on the left side) of the grave marked Arch Stanton. Tuco at first digging through the sand with a board borrowed from the grave on the left and with his bare hands uncovers the coffin of Arch Stanton. Blondie being little help tosses an almost finished Tuco a shovel at the last moment and just as the coffin of Arch Stanton is about to be opened to reveal its contents who should appear tossing in another shovel none other than Angle Eyes himself. The grave is opened by Tuco to reveal not treasure but a skeleton the bones of Arch Stanton [in the Occult the Archangel Satan is the ruler of the dead]. Blondie proclaims that the three will have to work [kill] for the treasure, and actually it's dance for the treasure because what follows is an amazing dance of the Devil that is conducted within an Occult circle by the three participants. -- Grave markers - There are primarily three types of grave markers in Sand Hill cemetery. The short rounded top gravestone familiar to all graveyards, there are many Christian crosses also a familiar site in graveyards and at the fictional Sand Hill cemetery there is a common third type of grave marker it is a dual plank grave marker that when weather aged or assembled shoddily actually comes separates at the top and reveals a distinct occult V at the top of the marker. Arch Stanton happens to be buried in an occult marked grave and it has the distinct occult V located at the top. The name Arch Stanton (Archangel Satan) leaves no doubt that the grave is of occult origin. The grave on the left of Arch Stanton the grave with the treasure to be plundered is marked with a cross. When the skeleton of Arch Stanton [a type of Satan] is exposed it shows a skull that is turned to the left keeping watch on the treasure in the accompanying grave. [article link]

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH DR. JOHN PIPER? {Note: About the Occult V (Victory, Vendetta) symbol - Shortly after the American Civil War the Occult symbol K came into prominence in America and especially in the just defeated Confederate States. In Occult lingo a more highly dedicated occultist would choose more K's i.e. the symbol KKK. However the symbol KKK quickly became detestable in all of America and went out of style. The ancient Occult symbol V always remained in prominence in Europe and like the KKK of America a European Occultist would add multiple V's and actually create the W - Therefor an Occult W is equal to an Occult KKK - Here is a recent photo of Pastor John Piper flashing the Occult W sign.} (Photo)
In Rick Warren To Be Featured At Desiring God 2010 - I was among the few who broke the story that Dr. Piper had made the ill-advised decision to invite Leadership Network's propped-up Purpose Driven Pope Rick Warren to DG 2010 as a keynote speaker. Then, as I shared in Rick Warren Doctrinal And Sound?, unfortunately it got even worse when Dr. Piper decided to defend his decision: At root I think [Rick Warren] is theological and doctrinal and sound. ... So whether one even knows it or not, Warrengate still is slowly simmering; Dr. Piper's choice here has had the rippling effect of people, even outside of any discernment ministries, beginning to look a little closer at his theology, educational background, and associations; e.g. his charismatic bent, his connection to Fuller Theological Seminary, and with the late Ralph Winter. I had received a tip from a source back in June of this past year; and as I followed up on it, it would eventually lead me to discover some disturbing information which I orginally began sharing in Questions Concerning Dr. John Piper and Dr. John Piper And Unanswered Questions. When I wrote those initial articles Dr. Piper was on his much talked about sabbatical; now however, he is back and a few of the mystic books I pointed in the latter piece are no longer in the BBC online library. ... What I just showed you here should give us real concern as the obstensibly Reformed, "happy," and "romantic," Calvinist Dr. John Piper is sounding less like a charismatic and more like a mystic as he points us to apostate teachers of Roman Catholicism and its spiritually bankrupt mysticism; and from what we can see, this has been going on for quite some time now. Perhaps, now that his discernment is so far off he's even promoting the double-minded Rick Warren, the time has finally arrived for some of his DG speakers to take a closer look at what's going on in this neo-Reformed camp. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: 6 the perfect number - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
6 the perfect number - After Angel Eyes and Blondie depart the Prisoner of War camp Batterville [now equal partners in search of the treasure at least that's what Angel Eyes thinks] the two camp out by a river and in the morning it is revealed that Angel Eyes has a gang of friends who have come to meet him. One of them is shot by Blondie before he can even enter the camp site. Angel Eyes tells the rest of the "boys" to come out, Blondie counts them all including Angel Eyes and declares that the six of them make a perfect number because his gun has six bullets. Blondie says the word six exactly three times "... five, six ... that's six ... six bullets in my gun" for a complete 666. As Blondie is counting and reaches the sixth person who happens to be Angel Eyes just as Blondie counts six and implying all of their deaths Angel Eyes is drinking from his cup completing his communion. Note: This one small seemingly innocent scene is perhaps the most important scene in the entire movie in order to decode the movie and it is one of only two scenes that Sergio Leone edited out of the [1968] American version. Leone might have figured the movie could have been easily decoded by American audiences so the scene was deleted along with an earlier scene with Tuco that comes off as highly socialist. The decoding elements in the campsite scene are two, first each face of the men is clearly shown as they are each counted and each one is about the same age as the others, each man is the age and appearance of a WWII veteran in 1966. The movie audience in America would have easily picked up that all the men in the scene were of WWII age and with the coming destroyed city scene would have realized that the movie had departed the Civil War era motif and had entered a WWI and WWII motif and could have easily placed the next two scenes as Korea and Vietnam. The other deleted element in the same scene is the drinking from the cup. It was probably even more important for Sergio Leone to cut and cover up the scenario that the bad guy represented in the movie was his representation of Christianity. Without seeing Angel Eyes deliberately drinking from the cup it becomes difficult for the audience to combine the earlier eating of the bread with the cup making for a completed Communion sequence and perhaps most important of all by cutting the scene Sergio Leone doesn't have to explain why suddenly Communion cups show up on the mass graves of dead Christians in his ending Armageddon scene [leaving no doubt that it's a Christian massacre that Sergio Leone is depicting in the mass graves at Sand Hill cemetery]. Note: Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) served in the U.S. Navy aboard minesweepers and subchasers during World War II. Source imdb.com. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Enabler - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Enabler - The complicit enabler though not generally mean, evil or underhanded like the three main characters in the movie it is the acceptance, actions and abilities of the usually unaware complicit enabler that allow all of the coming events of massive carnage and destruction to so easily and continually take place. We first meet the complicit character in scene #13 titled "Southern Cuisine". Angel Eyes is out riding his horse and looking for clues to the whereabouts of Bill Carson when he comes across a small Confederate outpost. Most of the men are badly injured and are in much pain and are suffering much however one man is not sharing their pain and misfortune, that man is the enabler [the unscrupulous; politician, recruiter, defense contractor, etc.] Welcome! It is the first word of the enabler cheerfully spoken to a befuddled Angel Eyes. Enabler is not a solider himself, he has no weapon, he is wearing an empty pistol holster a holster that is placed too far back on the hip to be the dress of a real solider. Enabler doesn't see the pain, the loss or the tragedy instead he sees the comedy, the money, the travel, the experiences, and the opportunity. Angel Eyes quickly knows how to deal with this type of man and gives him a bottle of cheap whiskey in exchange for all the information the man has. A last close-up of the man while he is sitting guzzling his precious bottle of cheap booze reveals that the closer we get to this man and the more we see of him the less appealing he becomes. Note: the amazing song that is being played in the background of the scene is the Christian Hymn "Were You There?" some of the words are "Were you there when they crucified my Lord? ... It makes me WONDER, Wonder, wonder..." [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Family - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Family - The one intact family in the movie is represented by the Stevens family [Stephen the first Church maryter - Acts 7:59]. No first name is given the family is simply represented as a whole. The unnamed patriarch of the Stevens family is a wounded solider a farmer who is back to farming his land and recovering from his wounds received during his service in the war. Angel Eyes appears at the doorway and for a while it is uncertain if Angel Eyes is a friend or a foe. Walking towards the seated Stevens the accessible and ready to be used gun in the belt of Angel Eyes is now plainly visible and all hope of him being a friend is removed. Angel Eyes seats himself down and begins eating Stevens' food and looking at a small family picture on the wall Angel Eyes asks "is that your family" Stevens replies "yes" Angel Eyes responds with a laugh and says "nice family." Stevens comments that Angel Eyes is there to murder him and offers to pay him a $1,000 "some in gold" Angel Eyes looks at the money and says "a tidy (tithe) sum" takes the money and then proceeds to gun down the elderly family man. Shockingly the movie being an Occult blueprint for the destruction of the Church and family has depicted that Church Ministry is to be the determined tool to destroy the family as a viable unit. Angel Eyes then proceeds to kill the firstborn son and as he leaves a devastated family behind him the distraught mother and her younger son run into the room she screams and collapses. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Upsidedown cross - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Upsidedown cross - In one of the early scenes as Angel Eyes rides onto the Stevens' property the youngest son is riding a donkey that is dumping water into a field. Adjacent to the donkey water pumping station is a decorative rock mosaic circle [it is identical to the mosaic rock circle in the final Armageddon scene where the dance of the Devil takes place]. As Angle Eyes rides onto the property the boy stops the donkey and gets off the donkey to go into the house the donkey then continues alone around his circle a distance of about 13 steps and then stops. When the donkey (burrow) stops the two poles of rigging form exactly an upsidedown cross within the rock circle [the two poles in the scene have been enlarged, lengthened (by the movie design set) and by the end of the scene the donkey now cannot get past the wall causing the donkey to stop and creating the upsidedown cross image in the circle]. Angel Eyes as he rides into the property *takes a shortcut and rides directly over the rock assortment and unknowingly troddens down a sacred Occult [upsidedown cross] symbol. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Socialism - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Socialism - The two known scenes cut from the 1968 film version released to American theaters are all of scene #11 "Rich and Lonely" and the camping by the river portion of scene #22 "Different Partner, Same Deal". The scene "Rich and Lonely" begins with yet another upsidedown cross this time it is a dead chicken being held out by Tuco (the legs of the chicken are tied but the wings hang out). Seemingly with the Occult image opening the scene the representation is that Socialism [Communism] is just another of the many tools of manipulation available to the Occult realm. Tuco uses the false promise of money to lure his childhood friends into a trap and certain death knowing all along that they will not survive their ordeal with Blondie. Note: The two scenes are restored to the 2003 DVD version of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" however it is suspected (by the commentator on the DVD version) that a few more portions were cut from the original 1966 film and have not been restored and could not be restored, they might be lost. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Church - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Church - The completely destroyed building of what was once a lovely Church is the last structure encountered just before their entrance into "Sand Hill" cemetery. Angle Eyes is not present at the Church his Church and congregation consisted of the abused souls at Batterville concentration camp. The congregants of Batterville remained standing in rows [instead of seated in pews] while the deacons of Batterville took up the offering, the praise band played and Pastor Angel Eyes personally gave the (emergent) sermon especially to Tuco. A building, pews, baptismal fount, fellowship, freedoms and pleasant scenery were unnecessary items in the religion Angel Eyes sought to capitalize in. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Eye - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Eye - The Occult Eye (Satan's dominance) of enlightenment is prevalent throughout the movie in fact almost every character is filmed at one time or another posed with only one eye showing or revealing that each person has a certain level of Satanic enlightenment. Blondie is reviled with the one eye enlightenment as he cleans his pistol in the hotel room just as he is enlightened to the pending attack by Tuco's pals. Blondie is further enlightened (shown with only one eye - a spiritual eye) when leaning against the stagecoach after he has learned the name on the grave of the buried treasure. Both Bill Carson (the solider) and Maria (the prostitute) are shown to have a single eye and actually both have a nearly identical, indistinguishable blue eye. Tuco is shown repeatedly to have one eye usually when he wears the eye patch of Bill Carson. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Pyramid - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Pyramid - The Occult pyramid is a structure that is broad at its base yet minimal, selective and very notable at the top. The top of the pyramid has everything and dominates everything while the bottom of the pyramid has nothing and dominates nothing, unless it is given the ability to move up to a higher location within the pyramid. The pyramid is evident in the movie most notably during the encircled Dance of the Devil when Blondie takes his evident place at the top of the pyramid and Angel Eyes and Tuco vie for the left (unfavored) and right side (favored) positions at the bottom of the pyramid. Then after all of the events of the movie when Angel Eyes is dead and Tuco is left stranded again (this time at Sand Hill) Blondie rides off out of Sand Hill and into a new lush Garden of Eden utopia. The final scene and ending of the movie is the rider on a black horse riding across a now capped - pyramid (the top stone in place) that is etched into the ground mostly visible though somewhat not visible. The movie ends with the ending title "The End" and situated between the two words is the 'cap stone' of the pyramid signifying not the end but a new begging for those who are in and know. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Circle of Dominance - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Circle of Dominance - Satan sits enthroned above his circle and watches down upon the events occurring within his circle just as Satan's faithful servant Arch Stanton faithfully watched the treasure in the grave next to his. The circle of dominance is prevalent in all occult rituals. The subject whether human or spirit being is summoned into the circle and then once in their sphere of influence is dominated. -- "Isaiah 40:21-23 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He [God Almighty] that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: That bringeth the princes to nothing; He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity." [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Revelation - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Revelation - Angle Eyes once he enters Satan's circle of domination for the last and most evident time has the personal revelation that he has been the one deceived. Make no mistake about it Angle Eyes does not represent the ordinary Christian. The ordinary Christians are the poor unfortunate souls in Angel Eyes' congregation the ones who in this scene are now filling the graves of the mass graveyard at Sand Hill cemetery. Angel Eyes didn't submit to the system, any system, neither God's nor Satan's but instead rode the system, rode upon the beast and rode it to his destruction. - "Revelation 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast [the scarlet coloured beast - Revelation 17:3], these shall hate the whore [Angel Eyes], and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire." [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Dance of the Devil - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Dance of the Devil - Once in the circle of domination the dance of the Devil takes place. All of the participants enter the circle and dance. Blondie dances elegantly to his rightful and mostly unchallenged place at the top of the pyramid within the circle. Tuco confused and bewildered wanders a bit in his dance. Angel Eyes enters the circle and has the revelation that he has been deceived [in thinking he was an equal partner with Blondie]. Upon his revelation Angle Eyes begins to dance a new dance. Angle Eyes pirouettes [does a dance move] creating his own small circle of dominance attempting to conjure [within himself] his own ability to emerge from his difficult position and into the position of a fellow enlightened Blondie but in doing so Angle Eyes crosses over Tuco, attempting to place Tuco on his gun hand side but instead places himself on the left [from the audience perspective] the unfavored position in the pyramid [but from the top of the pyramid perspective looking down Tuco is on the left side - the Occult favored side]. Angle Eyes has unknowingly danced himself into his position a position in front of an already open grave. The shot is fired, in 'Shock and Awe' a wounded Angle Eyes utters but one stunned word "Oh" and falls into his open grave to be finished off by one more firing of a bullet. - Note: This dance of the Devil has seemingly been taking place since 9-11-2001 when the circle of dominance has been revealed to control almost every aspect of the human condition; war, terrorism, flood, weather, security, finances, food, drugs, crime, clothing, technology and even religion. Also seemingly the Angel Eyes Pastors of America are aware of the dance and just like the Angel Eyes of the movie are desperately dancing in an attempt to circle, cross over and manifest as an enlightened one. Pastor Rick Warrens' U.N. PEACE initiative, Pastor Chuck Smith Sr. and his public support and declaration that Rick Warren is his good, close and dear friend. Pastor Greg Laurie inviting Rick Warren to give the alter call at his Harvest Crusade. Pastor Skip Heitzig opening his congregation to the known Occultist the Satanist Leonard Sweet. Pastor Mike MacIntosh willingly and knowingly taking part in the 9/11 cover-up and accompanying deception. Dr. John MacArthur recently insisting that he has never had a Christian conversion moment in his life. Dr. John Piper assisting Rick Warren and himself displaying occult symbolism [W]. The SBC staff and community in propagating, persisting and covering-up of the fraudulent and dangerous Occult [war invoking "Sand Hill"] agenda of Ergun and Emir Caner, two charlatans who are attempting to portray Islam as dangerous and provoke Christians into a needless, endless and deadly religious war. [article link]

Caner's Comeback Almost Complete - Will Speak to Students at FBC Jax Pastor's Conference - It was announced to FBC Jax high schoolers and their parents this past Wednesday night that Ergun Caner will be speaking to the high school students at the Pastor's Conference on Saturday night, January 29th, 2011
In only seven months since Ergun Caner was removed from his duties as dean of the Liberty Theological Seminary, his rise back to SBC prominence is almost complete - with a little bit of help from his friend Mac Brunson and the high schoolers of FBC Jacksonville. It was announced to FBC Jax high schoolers and their parents this past Wednesday night that Ergun Caner will be speaking to the high school students at the Pastor's Conference on Saturday night, January 29th. I assume this is why Ergun Caner's picture and bio appear at the Pastor's Conference website although he doesn't appear any where in the speaking schedule: he must be the speaker at the 7:00 pm "Student Conference" on the conference agenda, for which there is no specific speaker listed. If he is the speaker there, why not put his name on the agenda? Why is the cat let out of the bag only a few weeks prior to the conference? Pretty amazing that in just 7 months since his removal as President of the Liberty Theological Seminary over his 9 years of telling fibs in pulpits all over America - exaggerations of his testimony including his growing up in Turkey, learning of American culture through watching American TV shows while living in Turkey, how he was trained in Jihad - all false - that Ergun Caner is now given a platform to speak to high schoolers and presumably seminary students at the 2011 FBC Jax Pastor's Conference. ... This rapid return of Caner to SBC prominence perhaps says just as much about the state of evangelical Christianity as did our eagerness to lap up his stories for nine years and roll in the aisles at his racial and gender stereotype jokes. The lesson is if you can tell a good yarn, make people laugh, have superior oratory skills and can draw a crowd and generate revenue - you will be in high demand. It is about the dollar, and who are your friends. Caner is a co-author with Brunson, and Vines is the one who helped him to fame in 2001 when he brought him to FBC Jax. Neither can afford to let Caner fail. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Armageddon - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Armageddon - A future Biblical scenario [possibly Revelation 20:8-9] where the armies of the earth gather to do war in the Middle-East including the valley of Megiddo a location in the hills "Sand Hill" of Israel. In the Occult scenario Armageddon can't happen soon enough, hoping to destroy much of the population and overtake the planet for themselves. However the Biblical depiction of the battle of Armageddon more likely occurs during the future Kingdom Reign of Nations at the end of the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ when Nations go to war against God. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: No bullets - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
No bullets - Tuco unknowingly enters the dance of the Devil unarmed, the bullets having been removed from his revolver the night before by Blondie. In his movie Sergio Leone gives us a complete wide-angle view of both Blondie and Tuco drawing their guns against Angle Eyes but in the next view of Tuco [a narrow camera view] it is unclear whether a determined Tuco has begun to fire on Blondie in an attempt to gain the treasure all for himself. Tuco is pulling the trigger of an unloaded weapon a weapon that might be pointed at Blondie [we don't have a wide-angle view to know for certain] but from the reaction of Tuco it seems that it was. Clearly the Occult plan is to reduce as many factions as possible in reducing the global population and clearly the plan is to leave whatever fraction of a faction is left unarmed, severely restricted (hands tied) and obedient to the Occult. Tuco is allowed to live, momentarily and as is seen in the movie only if Tuco is willing to run back into the circle of domination something that Tuco willingly does as he runs back into the circle, with hands tied while kicking and shouting but in the circle none the less. That's the movie however and in reality Tuco [Islam] is not unarmed and in fact is being overly armed since 9-11-2001 when the neck of Islam was again figuratively placed in a noose only to be again removed and this time mistakenly armed and equipped with enough bullets and ability to take on Blondie. We will look at this in more detail in our coming study of the 10 [Regional] Kingdoms where in the Bible [Daniel 7:24] three of the 10 Kings feel that they are the rightful rulers and challenge the eventual Antichrist but are swiftly and deliberately dealt with and removed from their authority by the coming Antichrist. Who the three Kings are who challenge the coming Antichrist is unknown, could it be Islam, could it be anyone else? [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Occult Timeline - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Occult Timeline - The Occult seemingly has an alphabetical timeline assigned to America specifically and possibly the End Times in generally. At the founding of America with the Revolution War the Occult alphabet seemed to be near the beginning using the early letters of the alphabet often the letter B in words, codes and families. The Blair, Brown and Bush families were all significant families on both sides of the Atlantic in England and in the American Colonies and much of the early Revolutionary War activities took place in the city of Boston, Massachusetts i.e. the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773 by the Freemason Lodge St. Andrew's Lodge in Boston [http://meta-religion.com/Secret_societies/Groups/Masonry/masonic_myths_of_the_founding_fa.htm]. With the events of the American Civil War the Occult society had felt that it had advanced enough to use the letter K i.e. KKK and in the sport of baseball a product of the Civil War, baseball scoring records a pitcher's domination over a batter with a K as a symbol for a strikeout. Today we are nearing the end of alphabet with the letters V, W and X being used more and more and generation Y is often dubbed as the current teenage generation. Though we are not yet at the end of the Occult alphabet timeline [designed end of the American empire] we could be getting close with only the letters Y and Z left to be used. We are going to study End Times a bit more thoroughly and in short what is going to be attempted is a study of the obvious [the British Throne] and the not so obvious [other possibilities] suspecting that the actual End Time events would probably be a combination of the obvious and of the not so obvious. For instance the emerging Global Kingdom is a "revised" Roman Empire - but how revised? Revised enough for the throne to originate not in Rome but in England [probably], revised enough for the throne to originate in America [possibly] or revived enough for the throne to originate in Arabia [possibly]. One thing is for certain the End Time events are not set to the point of their being unchangeable. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Tuco 2 - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Tuco 2 - Tuco makes his appearance in the movie and like Blondie is heard from before he is seen by the guns of Tuco firing. Tuco bursts into view in the movie by literally bursting through a plate glass window. Tuco is holding a gun in one hand and a half eaten leg of lamb with a bottle of whiskey in the other. Tuco is leaving the scene without paying for his meal. Tuco is a thief that has taken from the shepherds flock. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Blondie 2 - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Blondie 2 - Blondie is himself a trinty of personalities. Blondie as the "Man with no name" is a type of the mythical but real Satan. Blondie as Judas is a type of a diabolical personality who cannot be trusted. Blondie as Blondie is a type of person who is in control and in charge of both himself and his situation. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Angel Eyes 2 - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Angel Eyes 2 - Angel Eyes is first presented in the movie in clear detail with the sky of heaven as his background. What Angel Eyes could have been if he had lived up to his own potential. A friend too many, a leader, an example and a divine accomplishment both in this life and in the life to come. Instead Angel Eyes lived not to his best abilities but to his worst abilities, his worst greed and his worst compassions. In the end Angel Eyes is standing in Sand Hill graveyard surrounded by the graves of the men who were the very congregants of his church, yet he is unphased by it all, unphased that is until the reality of his own world comes violently and suddenly crashing down upon him. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Summary - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Hymn: Where you There? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Were you there when God raised him from the tomb? Were you there when God raised him from the tomb? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. **Were you there when God raised him from the tomb? Source: lutheran-hymnal.com/lyrics/lw505.htm -- Where you there [when they Glorified my Lord]? ... It makes me to WONDER, Wonder, wonder! [The hymn uses the older English word 'tremble' but the word 'wonder' is a good or better modern equivalent.] The Christian hymn is asking the question "Were you there?" at the cross of Jesus Christ, asking not in an accusing way as in looking for one who had nailed our Savior to the cross but instead asking in a pilgrim way. It is imperative that each Christian make the pilgrimage to the cross of our savior the Lord Jesus Christ. The Prophets of Judah made the trip (Isaiah 53), the Kings of Israel made the trip (King David - Psalm 22). The three wise men from afar made the trip (Matthew 2) and the peasant girl Mary also made the trip (John 19:26). Fishermen and theologians, disciples and doubters have all made the trip to the cross. Those who have been to the cross, those who have made the pilgrimage to the glorification of our Savior have been able to reflect on the glorious and significant sacrifice that God in His love for us provided for us. The hymn is asking the question because having been to the cross it is then impossible to continue to live our lives in the same selfish and disrespectful ways in which we have previously lived. Have you been to the cross of Jesus Christ ... It makes me WONDER, Wonder, wonder ... [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Conclusion - Decoding "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Italian film director Sergio Leone
Conclusion - The movie "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" begins in the opening credits in the midst of an ongoing battle, a large battle is taking place, it is an unseen battle it is the battle of the spiritual realm. According to the opening credits it is both colorful and chaotic it is both stunning and terrifying. We are not simply viewers in this unseen battle we are all participants either willingly or unwillingly. The spiritual war has swept into our country, into our city and it has leveled every block in our neighborhood. We have a choice though, we can either beg for mercy in a harsh war like the owner of the hotel had chosen to do or we can live in faith. We can live in faith, in hope and in love by keeping a war that has come so close to us, to our very doorstep, keeping that war as far away from our heart as possible by knowing that God in Heaven as already prepared a place for us and in that place we won't be disappointed. [article link]

Chuck Missler & Council for National Policy Warning-Part 1 (Mp3)
Comments: Blaine says - January 26, 2011 at 5:08 pm Did you bother to listen to the teaching? or did you just commenting after seeing the title? I have listened to a lot of Chuck's teaching. My favorite is The Return of The Nephilims. However, though I think Chuck has some good teachings, his connections are still questionable. Scott has brought up some interesting points which he backs up with prove. A man who calls himself a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ has no business yoking up with the people and wicked organizations Chuck is yoked up with. The bible tell us to come out from among them, be separate, and touch not the unclean thing. Then will I receive you, says the Lord. A believer cannot be feasting at the Lord's table while in communion with devils... can't have it both ways. I know many of us have had loads of respect for Chuck Missler because of the teaching he has put out, but the truth is the truth! I'll rather side with the truth than blindly follow a man when he's exposed by the light of the truth. [article link]

Chuck Missler & Council for National Policy Warning-Part 2 (Mp3)
Comments: Nola says - January 25, 2011 at 3:36 pm I thank God you have exposed Chuck Missler. I had been so impressed with his teachings that I had purchased at least $400.00 worth of his teachings. I was actually planning to get a library of all his bible DVDs, which (after listening to your teaching) I WILL NOT. God bless you and thank you. ... Elizabeth says: January 27, 2011 at 3:26 am Dear Scott, I shouldn't be surprised, but I continue to marvel at how clever and embedded, and sly and transformed into "light" these men and women are. They say all the right things, they know all the right people, they show well in our conferences and seminars and churches. "Good words and fair speeches", deceiving "the heart of the simple". We need to STOP being simple, dear children of God! These wolves and goats are filling our ranks and most seem to have no idea. Thank you, Scott, for your diligence and willingness to present the truth as you uncover it. We are listening.... Blessings of comfort and strength in the Lord, Elizabeth [article link]

Multiple Dimensions - Exotica: Alien Genesis - Randy Maugans with Nigel Kerner, Dr. Andrew Silverman, Professor John Biggerstaff - wide-ranging [mostly secular] discussion on the phenomena of alien abduction and the ET agenda {Note: The 1966 Occult movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" introduced the world to an Occult Timeline through a series of pre-determined wars and events however that was decades ago and now the Occult is busy (very busy) introducing the world to their version of a multi-dimensional Occult Universe. An Occult universe of Aliens, UFO's, Nephilim, fallen angels, demonic beings, magical and mythical beings of all kinds.} (Mp3)
Part 1 of 2 shows: Nigel Kerner, author of "The Song of the Greys" and "Grey Aliens and the Harvesting of Souls", returns with his colleagues to conclude the wide-ranging [mostly secular] discussion on the phenomena of alien abduction and the ET agenda to genetically and technologically re-engineer humanity. You say you want a de-volution...? [article link]

Sweetly Broken [at the cross] - (Youtube)
By Jeremy Riddle - Sweetly Broken - Christian Music. [article link]

Blessed be the Name (Youtube)
By Matt Redman - Blessed Be Your Name - Christian Music. [article link]

Christian and Missionary Alliance: TOZER DEVOTIONAL, THOUGHTS ON COMMUNION - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - What a sweet comfort to us that our Lord Jesus Christ was once known in the breaking of the bread - In earlier Christian times, believers called the Communion "the medicine of immortality," and God gave them the desire to pray - But do not then depart; Savior, abide with us and spread Thy table **in our heart [not just in our mind]
THOUGHTS ON COMMUNION: What a sweet comfort to us that our Lord Jesus Christ was once known in the breaking of the bread. In earlier Christian times, believers called the Communion "the medicine of immortality," and God gave them the desire to pray: Be known to us in breaking bread, But do not then depart; Savior, abide with us and spread Thy table **in our heart [not just in our mind]. Some churches have a teaching that you will find God only at their table-and that you leave God there when you leave. I am so glad that God has given us light. We may take the Presence of the table with us. We may take the Bread of life with us as we go. Then sup with us in love divine, Thy body and Thy blood; That living bread and heavenly wine Be our immortal food! In approaching the table of our Lord, we dare not forget the cost to our elder Brother, the Man who was from heaven. He is our Savior; He is our Passover! [article link]

Mormon Coffee: Do you follow God, or the law that governs God? - In Christian circles, this concept creeps in under the guise of "God has to answer my prayers", or "God has to forgive my sins", as if there were something obligating God to do these things - The idea that God is subordinate to a law is endemic in Mormonism
In an exchange with a Mormon at the Mormon Coffee website, I concluded by asking my adversary if he followed God, or if he followed the law that governs God. You can find the full transcript here. Though the theology is interesting, what concerns me more is the direction, or rather the two very different directions you can go in, depending on your response to the question. ... If the union of the believer with God is the ultimate objective, then that union is characterized by the worship of God. It is not simply patting God on the back and saying "good job"; it is the total acknowledgement of God as He fully is, for example; ... Within this perspective, it is quite legitimate to consider the law as one of the "powers and authorities" in the "all things" that were created, whether it be the law of Moses or the law of gravity. The law, then, is created by God and has its being in Him, not the other way around. ... Following The Law That Governs God: In order to explore this idea, we need to move into terrain that is totally alien to the Biblical landscape. Firstly, the subordination of the law to God is reversed, such that God is governed by something that is greater than Himself. God is no longer free, in an absolute sense, but is compelled to do things by some greater, external force. In Christian circles, this concept creeps in under the guise of "God has to answer my prayers", or "God has to forgive my sins", as if there were something obligating God to do these things. The idea that God is subordinate to a law is endemic in Mormonism. ... Conclusion: The attempt to follow the law that governs God leads you on a path towards independence from God. You may be promised "all the Kingdoms of the world and their splendor" (Matt 4:8), or even the chance to rule entire planetary systems as if you were God. However these places will not be filled with God-worship and God will not be found in them. If you follow God, then you have Him, and you need nothing else. [article link]

Update: The Basic Christian Info Feed is currently working on a short, complex series of posts regarding the Atonement, Blood of Christ, Relationship [Sonship, Daughtership] Christianity - This is an expanded part of the 8 Kingdoms study - Originally the timeframe of the 8 Kingdoms Study was intentionally shortened in order to simplify the 8 Kingdoms study however now that the study has been extended until about Easter 2011 a few more concepts are going to be brought back into the 8 Kingdoms Study
Currently modern Christianity is not generally embedded in the ancient error of 'Law Righteousness' where our own individual righteousness [an acceptable relationship with God] was incorrectly thought to be based on our own individual ability to keep the Old Testament 'Mosaic' (Moses) Laws but currently modern Christianity is deeply embedded in the (Dr. Rick Warren, Dr. John MacArthur, etc.) error of a works righteousness a 'Social Righteousness' - a socially acceptable (Christianized social gospel - whatever that is at any given time i.e. secular culture, lifestyle, knowledge (evolution, aliens, ET's, etc.), TV, music, pro-sports events, clothing style, hair, facial hair, etc.) based on a series of individual works (i.e. tithing, volunteerism, harmony, good works, submission, social justice, etc.) determined at any moment by a need for social acceptability and social compromise. What the Bible indicates is not a Law Righteousness nor a Works 'Social' Righteousness but instead a Free Gift (John 1:12, Matthew 17:26-26, Revelation 22:17) a "Relationship Righteousness" our Righteousness not by Law, not by Works and not even by social acceptance [either in Church or in society as a whole] but by a simple relationship of individual Sinner Saved by God [Jesus Christ] and once saved brought into a Family Relationship as Sons and Daughters with God our Father. [article link]

Basic Christian blog Bible Study: Leviticus 1-5 - The Laws for the offerings of the Levitical Priesthood - {There are multiple parts to the Old Testament Levitical Atonement 'Kaphar' (3722) Covering Sin Offering: 1. The sacrifice has to have a cost to the sinner, a precious useful animal was to be sacrificed. 2. The laying on of hands onto the animal's head then the confession and transfer of sins from the sinner to the innocent sacrifice. 3. The sacrifice dies with your sins, death of the sins. 4. The blood [life] of the animal is poured out providing a New Life opportunity (for a season, often one year) from the blood of the sacrifice for the sinner.}
1. The Burnt Offering Sacrifice: Giving totally to God, the entire sacrifice is consumed in fire and given to God. [Note: humans can and should concentrate themselves to God for a time, a season or even just an event. Where the animal offering was burnt and given to God it is the human service, fellowship that is consecrate to God. - The pagan practice is to burn a human in the fire but if a Christian person died in a fire that would end their consecration not start it and there is no such alter of God that would ever accept a human offering, a human is never ever to enter a physical fire as a sacrifice in Judaism/Christianity. The pagan practice of human sacrifice is strictly forbidden and prohibited in worshiping the true God of Israel.] 2. The Grain Offering: A sweat smelling (savor) freewill offer given to God. Bread flower covered with oil and sprinkled with Frankincense aroma is burnt in the fire with the smell of baking bread ascending up into heaven. No human induced ingredients are allowed no leaven [sin] and no honey [mans accomplishments] are allowed in the offering. 3. The Peace (Fellowship) Offering: An animal to be roasted as a celebration meal. The animal had to be without spot [inherited birth defect] or blemish [acquired defect]. The animal was to be roasted the fat [worry] was to be removed and burned separately and given to God the people couldn't eat the fat [worry]. The blood [life] was also to be poured out as at no time could they eat any blood [life of the animal]. 4. Sin Offering for Unintentional Sin (weaknesses): A young bull for the sins of individual people. A mature bull for the sins of a Priest. A [goat] that the leader was to lay hands on it for the sins of the nation. 5. Trespass Offering for Intentional Sin: A sin offering plus a grain (flour) offering withholding the oil and the Frankincense aroma. -- Having sacrificed to God and their sins now covered for a year the O.T. Saints could then live in the presence of God to commune and interact with God however the O.T. animal sacrifices did not provide the individual direct access to God. The individual people did not live in the perceivable presence of God, did not have direct access to God and did not experience God the way individual N.T. saints often do. [article link]

Basic Christian blog Bible Study: Leviticus 6-10 - The offerings to God are to restore man's fellowship with God - The problem of sin [a separator, barrier between us and God] is not on God's side the problem is on our side therefore a sacrifice had to be made to cover the sin (or remove the sin N.T.) and open the way to God - Aaron and his sons are anointed for their ministry - the people view the anointing and consecration of Aaron and his sons - During the first offerings 'strange fire' is offered to God and two of Aaron's sons die in the process
Strange Fire: 'Leviticus 9:23-10:3 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces. Leviticus And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire [not from the alter] therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.' ... 'Leviticus 10:8-9 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine [influences] nor strong drink [delusion], thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations' ... 'Acts 5:1-11 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept [the problem was in the deception not in the keeping] back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost [the only acceptable wine (Holy Spirit), influence that we can be under in our approach God], and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power [they didn't have to give it all]? why hast thou conceived this thing [disception] in thine heart? thou hast not lied [Strange Fire] unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much [deception]. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt [Strange Fire] the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the Church, and upon as many as heard these things.' - Ananias and Sapphira encountered the same judgment that befell Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron so many years before and that could befall any servant of God at any time even today. Both pairs of 'Priests' were children of God and are in heaven today however each of their ministries to God was ended suddenly by their own rash actions. It was two different Priesthoods; Nadab and Abihu were a part of the Levitical/Aaronic Priesthood while Ananias and Sapphira were a part of the Melchizedek/Jesus Priesthood. Two Priesthoods; one pair offering strange physical fire the other pair offering strange spiritual fire both to the same God and all received the same results. Note: Ananias and Sapphira both died as believing Christians they did not die in unbelief they died offering an unacceptable [strange fire] sacrifice offering to God. [article link]

Bible verse: Psalms 33:1-5 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright - Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings - Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise - For the Word of the LORD is right; and all His works are done in Truth - He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD - {Have a Blessed and Glorious New Year 2011 in the love, patience and presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!} - The complete Bible is available at ChristianFaithDownloads.com
Psalms 33: 6-22 By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: He layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast [established - secure - available]. The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the Nation whose God is the LORD: and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance. The LORD looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the Sons of Men. From the place of His habitation He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; He considereth all their works. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host [army]: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain [empty] thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the LORD: He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His Holy Name. Let Thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee. -- Holy Bible [article link]

Bible verse: Psalms 33:1-5 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright - Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings - Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise - For the Word of the LORD is right; and all His works are done in Truth - He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD - {Have a Blessed and Glorious New Year 2011 in the love, patience and presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!} - The complete Bible is available at ChristianFaithDownloads.com
Psalms 33: 6-22 By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: He layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast [established - secure - available]. The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the Nation whose God is the LORD: and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance. The LORD looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the Sons of Men. From the place of His habitation He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; He considereth all their works. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host [army]: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain [empty] thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the LORD: He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His Holy Name. Let Thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee. -- Holy Bible [article link]

Update Winter 2010: The Majesty and Glory of King Jesus Christ! "All Blessings, Honor, Glory, Majesty and Praise to the King and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ" - The Basic Christian Ministry is currently undergoing the series "The 8 Kingdoms of the World" regarding the Majesty and Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ - Update: The 8 Kingdoms Study will now continue until about the Easter (Resurrection) Holiday [and the start of the Basic Christian 2011 Jesus Walk Easter Timeline Devotion on Friday April 15th --> Easter Sunday April 24th] then the Church History segment should begin after the conclusion of both the 8 Kingdoms Study and the 2011 Jesus Walk Timeline Devotion
Basic Christian has recently completed the 'blog Bible Study' and is currently in the process of the 'blog History Study' including the '8 Kingdoms of the World' study. The current plan is to study at a slower pace than the fast paced blog Bible Study and also to insert a couple of Topical Studies before the 8 Kingdom Study really gets back on track. Ideally the plan is to really get into the 8 Kingdom Study this Fall and then conclude the 8 Kingdoms (Kings) study just before we celebrate Christmas 2010 and the birth of the King the Lord Jesus Christ (Isaiah 6:5, Matthew 2:2). Then to spend the time from Christmas to Resurrection Day Easter (2011) studying Christian Church History as we prepare for Resurrection Day 2011 and the birth of the Christian Church - the Christian Church having started on the Resurrection Day of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. -- Update: The website theme for 2010 has been "Revival - both personal and churchwide" the website theme for 2011 is "Church accountability and openness - Leadership, Financially and Churchwide" then the coming theme for 2012 is going to be "Sabbath Rest and Trust - entering into the finished and completed Eternal works of Jesus Christ" simultaneously in 2012 [or sooner - at the conclusion of the blog History Study] the Basic Christian blog is going to transition again this time into an exclusive Daily Devotional Bible Study - presenting daily devotionals based on segments of the Bible i.e. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. [article link]

#1 blog Post of 2010 - Emerging Church DVD - Extremely Important Viewing!!! - Part 8 Dialectic Deception - [*To Download Click the Share Button] (Online Video)
Emerging Church DVD (Online) This two hour and forty-five minute DVD takes a hard look into the beliefs and practices of what has become one of the most dangerous deceptions assaulting God's people today - The Emergent Church. - Part 8: Sandy Simpson speaks on: Methods used by false teachers to deceive God's people. [article link]

Basic Christian - New Website Menu System - Example Page
Note: The BasicChristian.org website is working on implementing an additional website menu system structure [left side of the page] to aid in article and website navigation. The intention is to provide the BasicChristian.org website as an easier to use research, devotional and study tool website. [article link]

[*Updated] Basic Christian: blog Bible Study Version 2.0 - eBook available in EPUB format (ePub)
The complete Through the Bible blog Bible Study in ePub format. To download the eBook 'Right Click' on the Article Link and select "Save file as ." [article link]

Excellent Article!! - SolaSisters: Anne Rice "No Bloody Atonement Necessary?" [12/24/2010 - WSJ] [no original sin] - A baby in a manger cannot save anyone, and in truth, we cannot - must not - stop at the manger - The manger is just the beginning of the story of Jesus, and ultimately, this story leads to the Cross - {It should also be noted: Regarding the incorrect doctrine of 'Limited Atonement' that the Atonement [Christ] was sacrificed here on earth - there is no atonement blood being sacrificed in heaven to be given down to mankind. The atonement blood sacrifice was shed on the cross of Jesus on earth and the works of the cross of Jesus offered up and accepted by God the Father in Heaven creating a completed atonement [the repaired relationship between the Holy God and a sinful mankind] at one time for all mankind; past, present and future. -- "Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." -- "Leviticus 6:7 And the priest (Hebrews 3:1, Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 6:20) shall make an atonement for him [sinner] before the LORD [God]: and it shall be forgiven him [sinner] for any thing of all that he hath done [sins] in trespassing therein." - Also Note: The atonement sacrifice of Jesus is complete, conclusive and eternal for all mankind who are willing to receive it because the blood that Jesus shed on the cross after His death [full payment for our sins] is blood that is sinless [unlimited], Holy [in fellowship with God] and eternally [pre-existent] alive [Spirit life]. We receive our eternal life from the life of the blood (Leviticus 17:11) of Jesus promised at the Last Supper Communion (Matthew 26:28) then shed and poured out (John 19:34 - Psalms 22:14 - Isaiah 53:12) on the cross.}
I would remind anyone reading what Anne Rice wrote that the atonement was not simply a theory. It was an actual event that happened in history, and it is only through the atonement that we are able to touch Christ's "outstretched hand." In fact, without the atonement, no one may approach God, and all who reject the atonement will remain under God's wrath. -- To me, it is far more amazing to have a Savior who was human - yes - but who was fully God, too. And because of his Deity, Christ was able to make the ultimate sacrifice: offering up his own perfect, sinless life and suffering God's wrath on behalf of those who would repent and place their faith in this atoning work done on their behalf. God - in his magnificent, unsurpassable wisdom - made a way to reconcile wretched, sinful men and women to himself without compromising his perfect, holy justice. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, who was both fully God and fully man, and who lived a perfect life, never sinning in thought, word or deed, and who, because of this, was able to offer up his life as a ransom for many. I broke God's laws, and Jesus paid my fine in his life's blood so that I could be released from the rightful condemnation of the law. But this gift of salvation, though given freely, is narrow and exclusive. Only those who recognize their sinful wretchedness and need for a Savior, and repent and place their faith in Christ's atoning work done on their behalf, will see the kingdom of Heaven. -- A baby in a manger cannot save anyone, and in truth, we cannot - must not - stop at the manger. The manger is just the beginning of the story of Jesus, and ultimately, this story leads to the Cross. -- Anne Rice is celebrating the "what" of Jesus's incarnation [Christmas] (that He actually came, that He entered into time and space), but she is leaving out the most important part of Christ's incarnation, which is the "why" of his incarnation: the Cross. Quite literally, Jesus was born so that one day He would die. His life's mission was that He would be born, live a perfect life, and then die and rise again, conquering sin and death and reconciling God's people to himself. [article link]

Triablogue.blogspot - [12/28/2010] Bible-optional Christianity: William Lane Craig "As for your two moral objections, the first is an objection to the doctrine of original sin. But once more, that doctrine is not universally affirmed by Christians and is not essential to the Christian faith. So don't let that be a stumbling block for you." - COMMENTS: VYTAUTAS SAID: "If the doctrine of original sin is optional, then so is the doctrine of imputation. Paul bases justification to life eternal on Adam's trespass."
Comments: The fact that WLC (William Lane Craig) [at one time] personally affirms original sin doesn't change the fact that he [now] feels free to tell potential converts which Scriptural teachings they must believe and which Scriptural teachings they may disregard. ... SKOTOS SAID: I didn't mean to defend WLC by putting forth the full quote, only to make sure we don't take his words out of context. Just curious, did all of the people posting comments read through the entire post by wlc? Again, I'm not here to defend him, just to make sure his comments get a fair trial. In case you are wondering, I very much believe in the doctrine of original sin and the need to show people of it. [article link]

ReasonableFaith.org: [about 12/28/2010 - undated material] [WLC] Question 193 Subject: Overweening Ignorance by William Lane Craig "original sin ... not essential to the Christian faith" - {Note: are William Lane Craig, Anne Rice, Billy & Franklin Graham, George Bush Jr. and others operating in a pre-planned, coordinated, Christmas 2010 assault on traditional 'original sin' Christianity? Certainly the Bush family and others would like people to believe that they are unique or even superior to others in a birth without 'original sin' yet that would simply be an "Unreasonable Faith" for Christians to follow.}
Dr. Craig responds: ... Similarly, most Christians don';t hold to Young Earth chronology, as you seem to assume. So that needn't be a hindrance to you. You assume that God cannot give and take human life as He sees fit; but I see no reason at all for that assumption. God is under no obligation to prolong my or anybody else's life for even another second. You speak derisively of the doctrines of the Trinity and incarnation; but you do not interact with my or any other philosopher's articulation and defense of those doctrines (see Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview). As for your two moral objections, the first is an objection to the doctrine of original sin. But once more, that doctrine is not universally affirmed by Christians and is not essential to the Christian faith. So don't let that be a stumbling block for you. What is essential to Christian faith is that all men are sinners and in need of God's forgiveness and redemption. I'm sure you'd recognize your own moral shortcomings and failures, Luke. So don't get hung up on Adam's sin. It's your own sin you need to deal with. [article link]

Apprising.org: [12/29/2010] "SOME PEOPLE ARE BORN CHRISTIANS" [without having original sin] According to the below (quote) by former President George W. Bush Jr. from his [2010] book "Decision Points" - The Rev. Billy Graham made a rare appearance Monday [12/20/2010] at a book-signing for former President George W. Bush Jr. and his wife, Laura Bush
"Some people are born Christians," at least so says renouned Southern Baptist evangelist Billy Graham. According to the (quote) below by former President George W. Bush from his [2010] book "Decision Points". ... The problem is: If some so-called "religious" people are simply born Christian without being "born-again" we have just negated the doctrine of regeneration; we have salvation by osmosis ala the heresy of the wider mercy view, which Graham espouses in the video below. However, God's Word tells us that someone who has not been regenerated remains a slave of sin (cf. Romans 6:16-20); and no matter how religious one might be - Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36). ... In Billy Graham Makes Rare Appearance at Bush Book-Signing w''re told: The Rev. Billy Graham made a rare appearance Monday [12/20/2010] at a book-signing for former President George W. Bush Jr. and his wife, Laura Bush. The 92-year-old evangelist, who sat in a wheelchair, and his son, Franklin, had lunch and prayer with Bush and the former first lady before heading to the Billy Graham Library to receive signed copies of the Bushes' books and pose for photos. Bush and his wife were in Charlotte to sign copies of their respective memoirs, Decision Points and Spoken From the Heart. Franklin Graham said the former President and his father have been friends for 30 years. (Online source) Friends for thirty years; more than enough time for friends to discuss what they believe about salvation. [article link]

Excellent Commentary!! - Dr. John MacArthur Can't Recall Conversion; [08/06/09] Claims He 'Always Believed' [no original sin?] (YouTube)
Pastor John E. Coleman of "Into The Word Apologetics" examines peculiar statements by the inimitable John MacArthur regarding his conversion experience. The following are excerpts from "John MacArthur's Life Testimony": JOHN: Well I always believed the gospel. I don't ever...I don't ever remember a time when I didn't believe the gospel. I mean, it was so wonderfully modeled by my Mom and Dad [without original sin?], it was so consistent. They were exactly at home what they were in the church. And what my Dad was in the pulpit he was in the house. And Christ was always very wonderful to me and inviting to me. And my Mom and Dad lived out their Christian life before me. And so, I never rebelled against it. I always knew I needed Jesus to be my Savior. PHIL: So youre saying...are you saying it would be difficult for you to put your finger on when your conversion took place? JOHN: Yeah. I've never been able to do that. And it doesn't bother me. I think I'm one of those kids...I was one of those kids that never rebelled and always believed. And so when God did His saving work in my heart, it was not discernable to me. [article link]

Update: Predatory Preaching - Why So Much Angst About Anonymous Critics? {Note: I was listening to this [terrible outburst] again this morning [and again I'm very disheartened to have to listen to it - such an obvious wolf in sheep's clothing speaking from behind the pulpit]. I was left wondering why does this pastor only rail against anonymous criticism, if he were to be consistent wouldn't he be equally offended by anonymous donors as well. If the modern church leadership [and I use that term lightly] is going to take such a self-imposed righteous stand against anonymous criticism then equally they need to reject all anonymous donations as being equally "pathetic" and from "narcissistic zeros" and for the record, whoever made that anonymous comment, he or she was very smart to make it anonymously. It seems that some leaders-pastors want info in order to use it [seriously] in [Satanic] curse rituals against the person that is trying to help the Church move forward in a godly way. So yes, be very careful about letting your name, as a helpful person or as a critic get in the hands of some of these pastors where once they have an identity they can go to work behind the scenes [demonically casting spells and socially casting dispersions] making life very difficult for anyone they desire to do harm to.} (Audio)
I recently came across the audio excerpt below from Matt Chandler, where he absolutely blasts people who would dare send him anonymous, critical emails. He angrily calls them several choice names like "pathetic" and "narcissistic zeros". I came across this audio clip at Dr. Alvin Reid's blog site, as he included Chandler's clip with his blog post here entitled "Dealing with Critics". You really have to listen to this. It gives I think a glimpse into just how much disdain there is for anonymous emailers and bloggers critical of the Southern Baptist power structure. It is my view, based on my experience as a formerly anonymous blogger, that Chandler's disdain for anonymous critics is shared by many of our Southern Baptist leaders. After all, Alvin Reid posts it for his readers (many of whom are our future pastors!), presumably as an example of how to view those who dare to criticize anonymously. [article link]

ChristianPost.com: Rick Warren Prepares Saddleback [in Twitter postings referred to as 'the church'] for Decade of Blessings - "I want the next ten years of your life to be the best 10 years of your life" Pastor Rick Warren told church attendees {Note: is Pastor Rick Warren acting as a deliberate agent of disinformation (Judges 4:19-21 - bottled milk - strange doctrines) regarding his purposed 'Decade of Blessing' - At the very, most perilous [post 9/11/2001] time in modern history Rick Warren want's Christians to be self-centered on [warm milk] fanciful blessings and not engaged in the End Time reality [abundant deception] that is all around us and is threating to engulf us.}
Saddleback Church in Southern California is kicking off its "Decade of Destiny" this weekend in an effort to prepare the mega-congregation to receive showers of God's blessings. "I want the next ten years of your life to be the best 10 years of your life," Pastor Rick Warren told church attendees. "I want you to be more blessed and less stressed. I want God's blessing ... on every area of your life." The Decade of Destiny is a two-month spiritual growth campaign that is aimed at moving Christians forward in their faith walk. Warren acknowledged that as their pastor, the Bible holds him accountable for the congregants' spiritual growth. "I don't take that lightly," the well-known megachurch pastor said. Along with helping believers come to a position of being "blessable," the campaign will also lead the church to be a blessing to the community. "God blesses you so you can be a blessing to others, not just so you can be some fat cat and self-centered," Warren highlighted. The Decade of Destiny campaign was first announced during Saddleback Church's 30th anniversary celebration in April. Over the next ten years, the church of some 22,000 weekly attendees will enhance its programs and operations and expand its campuses and small groups. By the end of this year, the megachurch plans to have 10 different Saddleback locations in Southern California. In preparation for the campaign, Warren studied every verse in the Bible that speaks of God's blessing. [article link]

More Iraqi Christians Consider Leaving Iraq After Attack on Baghdad Cathedral - Christians carry coffins of their slain relatives during a funeral service at a Church in Baghdad on November 2, 2010 for victims of the attack at the Assyrian Catholic Church of Our Lady of Salvation on the evening of October 31, 2010 {Thanks, Rick Warren and George W. Bush because both of you are real distinguished men of PEACE and understanding and the world thanks you for it. You two in your leadership positions have made the world a much better place and deserve all of the praise and adoration you so greedily demand and seek after!}
BAGHDAD -- Vian Jabburi, a 22-year-old Roman Catholic, was celebrating Mass in Baghdad with her father on October 31 when Al-Qaeda militants stormed the church. Shot through her shoulder during the ensuing siege, Jabburi survived. Her father was also shot and slowly bled to death, while she lay helpless at his side in a pool of her own blood. "Nothing resembles this experience. Nothing," Jabburi tells RFE/RL as she breaks down in tears at her father's funeral. "The situation was very, very difficult. I still don't know whether it was reality or just a nightmare. I do not know. I really don't know. "We were bleeding for four or five hours without receiving any help," she adds. "I will leave it to God. He is the only one who can take our revenge [or be our refuge]." Jabburi is among thousands of Iraqi Christians who suffered through [recent] years of sectarian violence in Iraq but is now considering whether to stay any longer. [article link]

President Bush [Jr.] to chat with Saddleback's Rick Warren - Former President George W. Bush will have a conversation on leadership with Pastor Rick Warren during Saddleback Church's 6th Civil Forum, [Monday] Nov. 29, 2010 - On Dec. 1, 2008 Warren presented the first International Medal of PEACE to Bush when he moved his annual Civil Forum on Global Health from Orange County to Washington, D.C on this 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day {So, Pastor Rick Warren thought that Bush Jr. [the man who never lifted a finger or even attempted to peacefully end any of the bloody conflicts he started] was the embodiment of the best man to bestow his first PEACE medal upon - it says a lot about Rick Warren both as a religious man and as an outwardly ambitious person filled with inner hidden agendas and it isn't good.}
LAKE FOREST - Former President George W. Bush will have a conversation on leadership with Pastor Rick Warren during Saddleback Church's 6th Civil Forum. The forum planned for Nov. 29 will focus on Bush's leadership and is expected to include excerpts from the former president's recently released memoirs, David Chrzan, Warren's chief-of-staff said Tuesday. "The forum will include a personal conversation between Pastor Rick and President Bush," Chrzan said. "The goal is to create a forum where the community around Saddleback Church can hear from speakers who are great leaders and those who have positively impacted humanity." ... On Dec. 1, 2008 Warren presented the first International Medal of PEACE to Bush when he moved his annual Civil Forum on Global Health from Orange County to Washington, D.C on this 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Saddleback has hosted other Civil Forums on topics of global interest including the plight of orphans worldwide, The Holocaust Survivors, *The Persecuted Church, The Presidency with Senators John McCain and then Senator Barack Obama, and Reconciliation with President Kagame of Rwanda. [article link]

Video Interview: Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health - Rev. [b_hag] Rick Warren talks with President [there's a PANdemiK] George W. Bush at the Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health in Washington, DC, on December 1, 2008 [Online Video]
Back in 1988, the World Health Organization and U.N. General Assembly first declared December 1 "World AIDS Day." This year marks the 20th anniversary of the annual event dedicated to remembering those we've lost to the virus and to recommitting with vigor to the fight against AIDS. Rev. Rick Warren talks with President George W. Bush at the Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health in Washington, DC, on December 1, 2008. [article link]

APPRISING MINISTRIES, RICK WARREN, & TWITTER - And by looking here at this Google cache link I was sent, the retweet look as if it shows up without any prior tweet from which to repost - This same [Twitter] quote is on Rick Warren's Facebook page as well {Note: apparently Pastor Rick Warren authored a despicable, mean spirited Twitter tweet intending to harass and intimidate three Christian bloggers who have called into question Rick Warrens intentions within the Christian Church. Rick Warren then fraudulently wrote a Twitter Tweet as though he was receiving a retweet (RT) from another person attempting to mask himself as the original source of the offending tweet. However, Warren apparently forgot that his tweets are set up to also post to his Facebook page and as the originator of the deceptive tweet it displayed on Rick Warrens Facebook page as one of his numerous regular Twitter postings. -- In light of this deliberate act of fraud, deceit and intimidation this is a DIRECT REQUEST that Saddleback Church launch an investigation into conduct and actions of their abusive lead Pastor Rick Warren. -- It is certainly viable that at this time Pastor Rick Warren should take a leave of absence from all Pastor duties and should even resign as Pastor of Saddleback Church.}
It's no secret that the online apologetics and discernment work Apprising Ministries is a leading critic of Rick Warren of the highly influential Saddleback Church who, like me, is a pastor within the Southern Baptist Convention. One of my writers over at Christian Research Network made me aware today of the following tweet, which would appear to be from Rick Warren: It struck me rather odd. However, initially my attention was also drawn to something called ApprisingMin, which apparently tried to pass itself off as being the Twitter account for this labor in the Lord. While perusing it, I would hope that people would be able to tell this is not me; say what you will about my style, this quite obviously is not it. The fact is, though there are those who have suggested it, at this time Apprising Ministries is not on Twitter at all; and certainly not as something else called DespisingMin. ... Well, since Rick Warren exhorts me, then I guess I'd best keep right on speaking, as I certainly don't want to "be bluffed into silence" by [Rick Warren or] any [other] "religious bullies." After-all, he is America's favorite Mega-pastor. [article link]

Rick Warren: Quarreling is for Fools! You want to see a prime example of [Rick Warren] hypocrisy? Keep reading. Now notice something here - At first blush it looks like this is a retweet of someone else's tweet - But, with the question mark in front of the "RT," it becomes clear that this wasn't a retweet, but a direct tweet from Warren himself - It looks like Warren wanted this to appear like a retweet, but as of now, this tweet has been found to have originated on Rick Warren's Twitter page - He also posted it on his Facebook page
As you may already know, Rick Warren was the keynote at John Piper's recent Desiring God Conference. This caused a major backlash on Piper. Many people called Piper out for inviting Warren, and for also saying that Warren is Biblically and theologically sound. Many questioned this decision, and rightly so! It would take too long to go into now, but Warren's Purpose Driven theology has done great and substantial damage to the church. ... Well, apparently Rick Warren didn't like that too much, so he struck out at Rosebrough, Ken Silva (of Apprising Ministries), and Ingrid Schlueter (of Crosstalk America and Crosstalk Blog). So, like a true, mature adult, the Purpose Driven Pope took to his Twitter account and tweeted: ... I love it! Rick Warren is letting his true colors show. He can't stand criticism and lashes out at those who would dare take him to task for teaching false doctrine. Warren's own words indict him, wouldn't you say? Comments: Warren has proven himself again to be a wolf. ... Rick Warren. The finest example of an angel of light lurking in the church today. John Piper was cut from the same filthy rag. Jude and Peter speak of such men "to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever". Follow such men at the peril of your soul and it's eternal destiny. Acts 4:12 [article link]

Sola Sisters: *Chris Rosebrough's very excellent sermon deconstruction of Rick Warren's [video] keynote address at Dr. John Piper's 2010 Desiring God Conference - "John Piper's & Rick Warren's theology train wreck - it was seriously off" (Mp3)
See Also: Rick Warren: Piper Approved! - Comments: I agree - it's very disturbing. People keep saying, "But Piper is solid! Piper is solid!" Well, at some point, these questionable choices become something we can't ignore....even a pattern. The question is, are we there yet? ... Ken Silva said "If you look at the twitter stream you'll see Warren clearly won the day. In my mind, he purposely avoided going there in person. Bob DeWaay has Warren pegged correctly: File card orthodoxy. You question him and out comes the file card [staged - Church approved, acceptable explanation]; but he puts it back in file after you go away. His methodology and associations simply do not match the words he professes to believe. Again, in my opinion, people don't see this because they don't want to." This is the sad state of this visible church: http://apprising.org/2010/10/02/enemy-troops-steadily-advancing-in-church/ ... After reading the first few comments, I thought, "Isn't it weirdly convenient that Rick Warren could get his message out to this audience via a video, and at the same time not have to incur any challenges to his ministry?". Then I read Ken Silva's comment, and I completely agree. This has either been cleverly orchestrated [by Rick Warren - John Piper]. (Don't kid yourself, Rick Warren is as slick as they come. I firmly believe he is VERY strategic and says whatever it takes to further his agenda.), or their is a [secret - NWO] power at work causing these [heritical - unbiblical] things to happen. Obviously, this is all under God's providentially, ordained will. Interesting... [article link]

Purpose Drivel [Pastor Rick Warren - Unhinged]: Rick Warren takes public [Twitter] swipe at his critics and NAMES NAMES - Rick Warren has shown his true colors this morning [Friday 10/08/2010], taking a swipe at Ken Silva, Ingrid Schlueter, and *Chris Rosebrough all in one fell tweet
Rick Warren has shown his true colors this morning, taking a swipe at Ken Silva, Ingrid Schlueter, and Chris Rosebrough all in one fell tweet (retweeted supposedly from one of his supporters, who uses the fake "ApprisingMin") Apprising Min is a moniker that is used to try and mock and discredit Ken Silva. This is much like when Richard Abanes, former music ministry member at Saddleback, and un-official ankle biter for Rick, created a parody site for Ingrid's Slice of Laodicea blog, calling it Slice of Laodicea Church. He even made it look almost exactly like hers. Don't any of these people have an original idea? ... Rick has protected his tweets but if you go to his main page you can scroll back and find it, at least until he becomes embarrassed enough to delete it. The time stamp is approximately 10-7-2010 about 3:30pm give or take. (estimating from the '19 hours ago' that currently shows on the twitter feed as I write this). Even I must admit, attacking those who would call you to repentance in 140 characters or less takes some talent and creativity and innovation. But Rick tops them all by managing to attack THREE of his critics at once within the Twitter parameters! I think that must deserve a trophy of some sort to put in his umpty thousand book library. Since he is so keen on mentioning all his good works in every public appearance (his tithing is now up to 91 percent, I'll have you know!), ...Hmm... that reminds me also of this tweet: But I digress. ... At the very least, I pray something of the truth is finally getting through to him and cracking that self righteous facade. [article link]

RE: Twitter -- Rick Warren Responds to Crosstalk (host - Ingrid Schlueter) and Friends [TWEET: ? RT @ApprisingMin @DespisingMin KenS&Ingred saw Veggie Tale movie "Pirates who don't Do anything" expecting a bio of Chris (Rosebrough)] (YouTube - Song: "Pirates who don't Do anything") {Note: Apparently this very mean spirited and nasty Tweet by Pastor Rick Warren is in reference to a previous comment by mean spirited [LU - Liberty University] flunky Ergun Caner who recently referred to 'discernment' Apologetics Ministry bloggers as people who live in their basements and don't do anything. Also it is in reference to the recent Rick Warren [video] monologue and his excruciatingly unbearable [be like Rick W.] diatribe at this years' Desiring God Conference about how Rick Warren is single handedly saving the world [along with a few of the folks that are in the know at Saddleback], something not even Jesus could do according to Rick W. and according to Rick W. everyone should strive to be like Rick W. and well that wimpy Jesus forget about Him, says Rick Warren because Rick has read more books and tithed more money and authored more books and sold more books and been invited to speak at more places than Jesus could ever have hoped to have accomplished [not mentioning the Holy Spirit or the Apostles of course].}
Rick Warren apparently was made aware of our recent Crosstalk program on his speech to the Islamic Society of North American Conference back in 2009. Joe Kaufman, author of the Frontpage Magazine story, Rick Warren: A Shill for Terror, was the guest that day on the program and reported on the terror connections of at least three of the speakers who shared the platform at the same conference. Given the gravity of the issues addressed on the program: Rick Warren's name and photo being allowed to stay at the ISNA website as a speaker and the Jesus-free, gospel-free presentation he gave to the Muslims in attendance, it would be hoped that a leader of Mr. Warren's stature would give an equally serious response or rebuttal to what was said. You can see Mr. Warren's response here on Twitter. No commentary is needed. (Warren refers to me (Ingrid), Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries and Chris Rosebrough of Fighting for the Faith. The Veggie Tale clip can be seen here.) [article link]

[LU's] Ergun Caner Retaliates: Bloggers are "Frustrated People in their Basement" and "It Takes More than Edited Videos to Bring me Down" - Yesterday, Ergun Caner apparently decided to do what he told his church a few weeks ago that he would not do: he has decided to "take the bait and retaliate"
The Lynchburg News and Advance reported this morning that yesterday at a Bristol, VA prayer breakfast Caner addressed the Liberty University investigation, downplayed the seriousness of the allegations, took a swipe at his blogger critics, and basically said "any pastor in America" would be in trouble for lying if they listend to 200 hours of their sermons. This sickens me. If you ever thought Caner was repentant for his 8 1/2 years of perpetual exaggerations to congregations all over the United States about his past, you were wrong. I will admit, I was wrong. At least Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker had the sense to appear as though they were repentant. Swaggart at least shed a few public tears and looked to the heavens and declared he had sinned. Not Caner. He is full steam ahead, attack the critics, mischaracterize the allegations that led to his dismissal as seminary president, and to top it all off, he feels compelled to brush all pastors to be just like him. Shameless, shameless, shameless. Thank you Liberty University and Jonathan Falwell - you have created this monster by mishandling this entire fiasco. You waited to investigate until the main stream media got involved. You pooh-poohed the bloggers' claims until the press realized we were telling the truth. Then and only then did you do an investigation, but then refused to release any the investigative committee report findings, and simply slapped him on the wrist and kept him at your university. He now will use his position as "Professor at Liberty University" to continue his speaking circuit - and while he may tone down his rhetoric of being "raised in Europe" and learning of America from Turkish television - it seems he is content to use his engagements to mischaracterize what has happened in 2010 that led to his dismissal to rehabilitate his image and keep the gravy train rolling. ... It is too bad that Caner is going this route. I don't know why he did not just come out after his month-long haitus following his dismissal as seminary president and make a blanket confession of exaggerations and ask for people to forgive him, and then move on. Instead it seems the approach is to take pot shots here and there at his critics, paint himself as a victim of frustrated bloggers out to "take him down", to continue to use congregations and speaking engagements to defend himself, and mischaracterize what happend this year. Perhaps he has every intention of still telling his stories - after all, yesterday at Bristol he rolled out the 'ole "Jesus died on a cross so I didn't have to strap a bomb on myself" routine. ... All I had to do was go through 0.75 hours, Ergun, when you came to First Baptist Jacksonville in November 2001, and lied to us about your past to convince us that you were a trained terrorist who was in Islamic Jihad, trained in Europe. That has nothing to do with your kids' names or dates. It has to do with you misleading us about your past, and who you were, which helped to create a caricature of yourself as a former terrorist trained in Europe in Islamic Jihad. And you still haven't apologized to the people of First Baptist Jacksonville for your lies in our pulpit in 2001 that helped launch you to SBC-stardom. I hope you have at least privately apologized to Jerry Vines, who sat behind you nodding and amening as you lied to our congregation that morning. And Ergun, you're wrong about other pastors. None of my pastors - none of them - have ever lied to me about where they were raised, or born, or when they learned English, etc. None, not one, ever. Pastors, I hope you appreciate Caner trying to lump you all into one category as being liars just waiting for disgruntled bloggers to dig up your lies. Sad that to defend himself, he is content in dragging his cohorts down to his level. Shame on you, Ergun. [article link]

No Compromise Radio Appearance - Rick Warren's presentation at the DG Conference - Very painful - Here's the program (Mp3)
10/07/2010 - James White - I was forced at gunpoint to join Mike Abendroth (one of the nefarious and widely feared Abendroth Brothers Gang) on his No Compromise Radio Program today. What was worse, he forced me to listen to Rick Warren's presentation at the DG Conference. Very painful. 350 pithy platitudes strung together on citations of the Message and the Living Bible interspersed with psychology and repeated references to how uber cool Saddleback is. But, I listened, because I was forced to! And then Mike made me go on the air and give a report! It was a traumatic experience, but I got through it. Someday I will return the favor and force Mike to race me up South Mountain. Here's the program. [article link]

[via aomin.org] With All Due Respect, The Vatican's Latest, Painful Pronouncement On Israel is Wrong by Joel Rosenberg - As such, it is the duty of all true followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to bless Israel and reaffirm her fundamental legitimacy and right to the Land - Yes, we should bless and love the Palestinians, as well, because our Lord Jesus said as a Jew living in Israel, "Love your neighbor" and, "Love your enemies" But we should never accept the false teaching that God has rejected the Jewish people or rescinded His promises to the nation of Israel - That simply is not Biblical {Note: I agree with this article and it is a major position of the Basic Christian Ministry that Christians are called by Jesus Christ to support the Jewish people in all locations and especially in their right to live peaceably in the land of Israel. The Vatican is in a position to be a substantial blessing to Israel and to the Jewish people and I think they will be. Also Note: I have been looking for pro-Israel charities to financially support but I don't think that these are the charities to financially support (ECFA membership is actually not a good sign), when I do locate an effective (Christian and Jewish recommended) pro-Israel charity I'll pass it along.}
A new headline in the Jerusalem Post reads: "Vatican synod calls for end to Israel's 'occupation': At conference on Christians in the Middle East, US Melkite archbishop says: 'There is no longer a chosen people.'" With all due respect, the Vatican is wrong on this issue. The entire Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - makes crystal clear again and again the Lord's love for the Jewish people, His decision to choose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants for His very own, and His eternal promise to give the Holy Land to the Jewish people. As such, it is the duty of all true followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to bless Israel and reaffirm her fundamental legitimacy and right to the Land. Yes, we should bless and love the Palestinians, as well, because our Lord Jesus said as a Jew living in Israel, "Love your neighbor," and, "Love your enemies." But we should never accept the false teaching that God has rejected the Jewish people or rescinded His promises to the nation of Israel. That simply is not Biblical. [article link]

Pope [Benedict XVI] dedicates iconic church - Pope Benedict XVI today dedicated the Sagrada Familia ["holy family" - Joseph, Mary and Jesus] church, an emblem of Barcelona, Spain - The Gothic-inspired structure with 18 spires is thought to be the largest church in the world - Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia were in the full-to-overflowing church as the Pope poured oil on the altar and rubbed it in with his hand, then swung incense over it {Note: We are going to have an interesting study about the coming 10 Kingdoms [Daniel 7:24], because technically the U.S. cannot have a King [it's against our Constitution] so who will be the future King over the North American region, I think it puts Canada in play "The Canadian Royal Family" as a possible family (bloodline) and location for the region's coming [i.e. U.N. fronted] capital. - Article I: Section 9, Paragraph 8 of the U.S. Constitution - No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States:}
Barcelona, Spain (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI defended religion from critics Sunday as he dedicated the Sagrada Familia church, a still-unfinished emblem of the Spanish city of Barcelona. "This is the great task before us: to show everyone that God is a God of peace not of violence, of freedom not of coercion, of harmony not of discord," he said. And he pushed back against what he sees as increasing secularism in the world, saying, "I consider that the dedication of this church of the Sagrada Familia is an event of great importance, at a time in which man claims to be able to build his life without God, as if God had nothing to say to him." He also defended the traditional family, after Spain's Socialist government legalized same-sex marriage. "The generous and indissoluble love of a man and a woman is the effective context and foundation of human life in its gestation, birth, growth and natural end," he said. Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia were in the full-to-overflowing church as the pope poured oil on the altar and rubbed it in with his hand, then swung incense over it. ... The Sagrada Familia, or "holy family," church, is still being built after more than 100 years. Gaudi, a Catalan architect, only lived to see one tower and most of one facade finished by the time he died in 1926. "The interior space of the church, the sacred space of the church, is finished, and for that, the pope comes here to consecrate the church," said Jordi Fauli, the deputy architect. Gaudi planned the church to have 18 towers -- 12 for the apostles, four for the evangelists [the 4 Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John], one for the Virgin Mary and the tallest for Jesus. Only eight are finished. Fauli said the privately-financed work may be done by 2026, on the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. Asked once why it was taking so long to finish the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi replied, according to his assistants, "My client -- meaning God -- is not in a hurry." [article link]

1 Samuel 1-2 - The Book of the Prophet Samuel - The establishment of God's Prophets and Kings in the Nation of Israel - '1 Samuel 1:3 And this man [Elkanah and his wife Hannah] went up out of his city [Ramah] yearly to worship and to sacrifice [at the Tabernacle] unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh [the Temple in Jerusalem had not yet been built]. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the [Levitical] Priests of the LORD, were there.'
1 Samuel 1:26-2:11 And she [Hannah] said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord [Eli the High Preist], I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child [Samuel] I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of Him: Therefore also I have lent him [Samuel] to the LORD; as long as he liveth [consecration, burnt offering vow] he shall be lent to the LORD [the same consecration vow Jephthah made with God Judges 11:31]. And he [Eli] worshipped the LORD there. And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none Holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave, *and bringeth up. The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars [stabilization] of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world [stable] upon them. He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength unto His King (Jesus), and exalt the horn of His anointed. And Elkanah [and Hannah] went to Ramah to his house. And the child [Samuel] did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest. - Hanna vowed and consecrated her son Samuel to the service of God for his entire life. Samuel is from the tribe of Ephraim not a Levite and is ineligible to serve God as a priest however he does serve God as a Prophet. The three offices of God; Priest, Prophet and King are not allowed to be combined into one human man because they are only combined into one office in Jesus Christ. In coming verses we will see the distinctions of the three Godly offices and also the disastrous results when King Saul who was already counted among the Prophets takes upon himself the office of Priest and performs a sacrifice. [article link]

1 Samuel 3-5 - Hannah receives an answer to her prayer and gives birth to her first son Samuel whom she had promised to dedicate to the service of God - As a small child Samuel is dedicated at the Tabernacle and remains to help minister in the Tabernacle at Shiloh - While a child and ministering in the Tabernacle as he took a nap one day God talked to the little Samuel - God made Samuel a Prophet for the Nation of Israel -- '1 Samuel 3:4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he [Samuel] answered, Here am I.' ... And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.'
'1 Samuel 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before [in the presence of] Eli [the High Priest].' - A main lesson in the books of Samuel and Kings is the distribution of the three offices of God. The offices of Priest, Prophet and King were to be divided among there Tribes [Priests - Tribe of Levi; Kings - Tribe of Judah] and among the people. The offices of Prophet, Priest and King are only allowed to combine in the one person Jesus Christ. - A Priest could be a prophet though it was unlikely and when God did communicate with the High Priest it was often not as a Prophet but through the Thummim and Urim stones or the stones on His breastplate but usually not speaking directly like to a prophet. Some of the of the Kings were both Prophets and Kings but were not to take on the third office of Priest or particularly High Priest. When King David offered sacrifices to God it was on behalf of the Nation of Israel not on behalf of himself as Saul did. King David was also careful to wear a linen ephod not a gold ephod like the High Priest would wear and certainly King David had the Priests do the actual sacrifices. When King David built an Alter on the site of the future Temple and offered a sacrifice to God [2 Samuel 24:25] it is probable that David had the Priests offer the actual sacrifices [as he had the Priests move the Ark in 2nd Samuel 6:1-18] though King David is a type of Jesus and as the type of a King, Prophet and Priest for Jesus he might have been led by God to offer a sacrifice as well because it was on the correct location of the new Temple Mount and not some random location chosen by David but a place designated by God. - Samuel was ministering to God under Eli in that Samuel was probably not a Levite Priest but he was a firstborn male that was not redeemed but was consecrated to God by his mother Hannah so he was eligible to minister in some capacity with the Levitical Priesthood. [Samuel wore only a linen ephod like King David would later wear.] - Note: Samuel was probably from the Tribe of Ephraim and not of the Priestly Tribe of Levi. If Samuel was of the Tribe of Levi then his mother Hannah would not have had to dedicate him to the service of the Lord because he would already have been dedicated to the service of God through a Levitical heritage. Samuel's father's family is listed as worshipers not Priests. Samuel's father Elkanah has two wives if he was a Levitical Priest he probably could only have one wife and possibly a concubine [Judges 19:1]. - There is an Elkanah and a Samuel listed in 1 Chronicles in the Levitical family line of Kohath the son of Levi however it does not appear to be the same family as listed in 1 Samuel. '1 Samuel 1:1-3 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah [Samuel's father], the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, *an Ephrathite [Tribe of Ephraim]: And he had *two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city yearly to *worship and to sacrifice [as a citizen] unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh.' - '1 Chronicles 6:22-28 The sons of Kohath [Levitical Priestly line, Kohath was a son of Levi]; Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son, Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. And the sons of Elkanah; Amasai, and Ahimoth. As for Elkanah: the sons of Elkanah; Zophai [Zuph?] his son, and Nahath [Tohu?] his son, Eliab [Elihu?] his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni [Joel?], and Abiah.' - Though some of the names are similar and some of the names are the same its possibly not the same family. It seems more likely that these are two different families and that Samuel the Prophet was of the Tribe of Ephraim and he did some ministry to the Lord as a firstborn unredeemed male and that Samuel and two of his sons functioned as Judges in Israel though Samuel officiated in two offices of God it's important to note that he did not serve in the third office or capacity as a King in Israel. It doesn't make a big difference whether or not Samuel was from the Tribe of Levi or not because he was not a King but just keep in mind that Israel had strict procedures and policies that they followed to the letter of the law and Samuel does not match the Levitical Priesthood to the letter but his main office was that of a true Prophet and he does fit that office and serve God to the letter of the law. [article link]

1 Samuel 9-11 - Saul a young man from the Tribe of Benjamin is selected to be the first anointed King over Israel -- '1 Samuel 9:21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a *Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? *wherefore [why] then speakest thou so to me?' {Saul new that Israel had requested a King from Samuel but Saul also knew that he was from the wrong Tribe in Israel. The Kings for Israel were supposed to come only from the Tribe of Judah [Genesis 49:10] just as the Levitical Priests of Israel are to come only from the Tribe of Levi and the family of Aaron [Exodus 28:1] and Saul is from the Tribe of Benjamin.}
'1 Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon [Saul] his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because *the LORD hath anointed thee *to be Captain [King] over his *inheritance?' [The inheritance of God is both the Nation of Israel and the Gentiles, Jesus being the firstborn gets the double inheritance (Jews and Gentiles) for His firstborn double portion inheritance.]- Saul has been anointed into one of the offices of God as King and soon Saul will gain his second office of God as a Prophet. Later Saul will disobey God and he will take upon himself a third office of God when Saul himself builds his own alter and offers a burnt offering sacrifice to God, making himself a Priest to God and possibly in this case by building a sacrifice alter accidently making himself a High Priest to God. Saul unknowingly or knowingly in taking on all three offices of God in being a King, Prophet and Priest Saul has declared himself to be the coming Messiah (Christ). The results are that Saul is immediacy rebuked by Samuel and Saul is stripped of his two offices of King and Prophet. - '1 Samuel 10:10-16 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him [Saul]; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, *he [Saul] prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? *Therefore it became a proverb [a well known saying], Is Saul also among the prophets? And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place. And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses [donkeys]: and when we saw that they were no where, we came to Samuel. And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you. And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. *But of the matter of the Kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.' [article link]

1 Kings 1 - King David has become too old to sit on his royal throne - Adonijah attempts to set himself upon his father David's throne - King David declares to Bath-sheba that he will pass along the Kingdom to their son Solomon -- '1 Kings 1:29-30 And the King [David] sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress, Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.'
Solomon is anointed to be the 3rd and final King over a united Israel: '1 Kings 1:32-39 And King David said, Call me Zadok the [High] Priest, and Nathan the Prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the King. The King also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: And *let Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet anoint him there King over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save King Solomon. Then ye shall come up after him, *that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be King in my stead: and *I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the King, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the King say so too. As the LORD hath been with my lord the King, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David. So Zadok the Priest, and Nathan the Prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon King David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the Tabernacle [the Temple has not yet been built], and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save King Solomon.' - The three offices of God; King, Priest and Prophet are all three still in existence and functioning separately in Israel during the reign of King Solomon. [article link]

Book of 1 Chronicles - The Books of 1 & 2 Chronicles cover mostly the same information as 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings - 1 & 2 Chronicles focus more on the *Priestly aspect of the time period - The Book of 1 Chronicles was written [possibly compiled/written while in Babylon (by Ezra the scribe)] preparing for the return to Jerusalem and Israel after the exile - To help those returning to Israel understand how to worship God - {Note: The three offices of God each produced their own scrolls and combined the selected scrolls compose the Holy Bible. The Kings (1st and 2nd Kings - [not selected] the book of Jasher and the book of the acts of Solomon, etc.), the prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, etc.) and the Priests (1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st and 2nd Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, etc.) - Once in Babylon and in captivity for the 70 years the Temple in Jerusalem having been destroyed the Temple ceased to be the primary focus of Judaism and the Bible scrolls now became the primary focus of Judaism and while in Babylon without a Temple to officiate and serve in the O.T. Bible scrolls (up until that point) were compiled, edited and composed into the books [that we now have today] and presented to the people (primarily in Synagogues) for their own congregational and personal use in worship and in daily living. - So starting at this point in history we now have a shift away from the Temple [Tabernacle, Temple worship - started by Moses at Mt. Sinai] and onto the Scriptures and the beginnings of the Synagogue (Jewish Church). - Also Note: At this point in history the Word of God [having mostly been written by that time] is already replacing and superseding (Leviticus 17:11, John 5:24, *John 6:63) the blood of the animals as a cleansing offering and as a sacrifice for man (John 1:14, John 15:3) until the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross can sustain mankind for all eternity.}
Brief Summary: The first 9 chapters of 1 Chronicles are dedicated to lists and genealogies. Further lists and genealogies are scattered throughout the rest of 1 Chronicles. In between, the Book of 1 Chronicles records David's ascension to the throne and his actions thereafter. The book concludes with David's son Solomon becoming King of Israel. Briefly outlined, the Book of 1 Chronicles is as follows: Chapters 1:1-9:23 - Selective Genealogies; Chapters 9:24-12:40 - David's ascent; Chapters 13:1-20:30 -David's reign. - Foreshadowings: In David's song of thanksgiving to God in 1 Chronicles 16:33, he refers to the time when God will come "to judge the earth." This foreshadows Matthew 25, in which Jesus describes the time when He will come to judge the earth. Through the parables of the ten virgins and the talents, He warns that those who are found without the blood of Christ covering their sins will be cast into "outer darkness." He encourages His people to be ready because when He comes, He will separate the sheep from the goats in judgment. - Part of the Davidic Covenant which God reiterates in chapter 17 refers to the future Messiah who would be a descendant of David. Verses 13-14 describe the Son who will be established in God's house and whose throne will be established forever. This can only refer to Jesus Christ. - Practical Application: Genealogies such as the ones in 1 Chronicles may seem dry to us, but they remind us that God knows each of His children personally, even down to the number of hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30). We can take comfort in the fact that who we are and what we do is written forever in God's mind. If we belong to Christ, our names are written forever in the Lamb's book of Life (Revelation 13:8). [article link]

Ezra Background - The History of Israel and the Law, the Ark of the Covenant, the Day of Atonement and the legitimacy of the Messiah [Jesus Christ] who was born under the Law (Galatians 4:4) and who fulfilled and removed the Law -- '2 Chronicles 35:3 And said [King Josiah] unto the [Zadok] Levites that taught [Ministry of Teaching the Word of God a higher Testimony Ministry than the Temple Testimony Ministry with the blood of animals] all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, **put the Holy Ark [back] in the House [Temple] which Solomon the son of David King of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders [it is hidden close by, in one of several nearby caves, tunnels and cistern hiding locations]: serve now [also with the Testimony of the blood and animal sacrifices] the LORD your God, and His people Israel' -- 'Matthew 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him [John the Baptist], Suffer it to be so now: for thus **it becometh us ***to fulfill all righteousness [in order to do away with the Levitical-Aaronic Laws and Priesthood and to then replace it with Jesus's Royal Laws and His Royal 'Righteous' eternal life Priesthood]. Then he suffered Him [and John baptized Jesus].' - Also Note: "all righteousness" is also a direct reference to Jesus' Melchizedek Priesthood as Melchizedek means "To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of Righteousness" Hebrews: 7:2 - All of the Old Testament Promises, Covenants, Commandments, Offices (King, High Priest, Prophet), Laws, Priesthoods (Aaronic, Eli, Zadok), Feast Days, Prophecies (Revelation 19:10) and Messianic Biblical Types and Shadows are directly combined and fulfilled in the one person of Jesus Christ and in the one New Testament Covenant and Ministry of Jesus Christ the True Messiah!
Note: Regarding the Tabernacle and the Temples and the Ark of the Covenant. In reading the Bible's history of ancient Israel regarding the Ark of the Covenant it quickly becomes obvious, painfully obvious, that the Ark of the Covenant is missing from the Holy of Holies more often than it is there. For instance from the time of King Saul until the reign of King Solomon and the building of the 1st Temple the Ark of the Covenant is not in its proper location within the Holy of Hollies. That means that throughout the entire Kingdom of King David the Ark was not in the Holy of Holies and therefore a proper observance of the feast of "The Day of Atonement" could not be observed and fulfilled. In other words it would probably not be possible for the Messiah to arrive (or be born) w/o having had the Ark of the Covenant located inside the Holy of Holies. - If it was necessary in "fulfilling all righteousness" and it probably was then the Ark of the Covenant was within the Holy of Hollies in the 2nd Temple [Cyrus'/Herod's Temple] at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ. -- Having King David as a Biblical example of the Messiah [Jesus Christ] and King Solomon as a Biblical example of the coming Antichrist. -- King David was born in Bethlehem; King Solomon was born in Jerusalem [outside of Bethlehem]. King David was born when the Ark of the Covenant was located within the Holy of Hollies in the Tabernacle at Shiloh. King Solomon was born while the Ark of the Covenant was missing from within the Holy of Hollies, the Tabernacle having been moved from Shiloh to Gibeon without the Ark. - According to the book of Daniel - 'Daniel 9:27 And he [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [7 years]: and in the midst of the week [at 3½ years] he shall cause the [3rd Temple] sacrifice [animal blood sacrifices] and the oblation [Temple offerings] to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate [unholy], even until the consummation [end of the Book of Revelation], and that determined [judgments of Revelation] shall be poured upon the desolate [earth].' - Note: It's possible that what Daniel is prophesying about is a Theological shift and not a Political shift {a point where Antichrist Politics (currently in progress in some form i.e. UN) **completely merges with Antichrist Theology (currently in progress in some form i.e. purposely corrupted Bible versions, NKJV, MESSAGE, NIV, and Wikipedia)}. The coming 3rd Temple in Jerusalem is briefly going to reinstitute the animal sacrifices of the Eli Priesthood of the Old Testament then as the Antichrist claims to be the true Messiah it seems he will declare himself to be legitimate over Jesus Christ because the Antichrist will have the Ark of the Covenant within the Holy of Holies and of course could claim that Jesus did not - though Jesus did fulfilled all righteousness and if it was necessary then the Ark of the Covent was within the Holy of Holies during the "Day of Atonement" for the year of the birth of Jesus Christ, if it was necessary and it probably was necessary as Jesus was born under the Law (Galatians 4:4) and came to fulfill the Law in order to abolish once and for all the Law. - Therefore there is a possible event where the Antichrist stops the Temple animal sacrifices because he is declaring himself to be the biblical fulfillment and then Theologically switches from the life of the animal blood [Eli's Priesthood] to his counterfeit ministry of [spirit life] through his words and his lies [imitating the Zadok Ministry], initiating the same Theological shift that the Bible initiates in Ministry from the physical life of the blood to the Spiritual life of the Word and completely counterfeiting the life and Ministry of the True Messiah, Jesus Christ. [article link]

The Book of Zechariah - The historical background of Zechariah's prophecy is the same as that of Haggai, both seers [Prophets - 'seer' is a refrence to ancient Israel when God led them out of Egypt and into the Promise Land the people could "see" God in their midst i.e the pillar of fire by day; after the people rejected God's presence and wanted a King (Saul) the ministry switched from 'seer' to 'prophet' (1 Samuel 9:9)] ministering during the same period and having similar missions - Zechariah's ministry was to encourage the Jewish remnant by the promise of present success and future glory - His theme then was: In view of the future glories of the times of the Messiah, the Nation should serve God faithfully through their present distress - Zechariah's prophecies were concerned more with the coming of the Messiah to build a spiritual temple than with the building of Zerubbabel's Temple, which was only a type of the future spiritual temple - The book begins with an admonition and then continues with a series of nine visions symbolic of hope
THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH: Zechariah's prophecies were concerned more with the coming of the Messiah to build a spiritual temple than with the building of Zerubbabel's Temple, which was only a type of the future spiritual temple. The Apostle Peter has given us a splendid view of the inspiration and the ministry of the Old Testament prophets: Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into (I Peter 1:10-12). -- THEME: The historical background of Zechariah's prophecy is the same as that of Haggai, both seers ministering during the same period and having similar missions. Zechariah's ministry was to encourage the Jewish remnant by the promise of present success and future glory. His theme then was: In view of the future glories of the times of the Messiah, the nation should serve God faithfully through their present distress. -- AUTHOR: Zechariah was probably born in Babylon. He was Haggai's colleague and began prophesying a short time after him. -- CONTENTS: 1. Symbolic: Visions of Hope (Chapters 1-6). The book begins with an admonition and then continues with a series of nine visions symbolic of hope. The visions are: 1. The horses. 2. The four horns and carpenters. 3. The measuring line. 4. *Joshua (lit. Jesus), the High Priest. 5. The golden candlestick and the olive trees. 6. The flying roll. 7. *The ephah [the 'End Time' return of the (demonic) spiritual realm back to Babylon]. 8. The four chariots. 9. The symbolic crowning of Joshua (Jesus), the High Priest. **This was a symbolic merger of the two [previously unmergable] offices of King and (High) Priest in the coming of the Messiah [Jesus Christ, including the third office of Prophet - Jesus Christ being the King, the High Priest (Melchizedek) and the Prophet of God] ... [article link]

Zechariah's Eight Visions for [the Glory and Honor of] Israel - {The 9th vision (Word from the Lord) was "The symbolic crowning of Joshua, the High Priest. This was a symbolic merger of the two [three] offices of King and High Priest [and Prophet the 'Branch' (Nazarene -Netzer the green living, alive, anointed branch capable of growth, bearing fruit and of self reproduction)] in the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ} - Zechariah 6:11-15 Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the High Priest; And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of Hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH [living, Christ]; and He shall grow up out of His place [Heaven], and **He shall build the [eternal] Temple of the LORD: Even He shall build the Temple of the LORD; and He shall bear [have] the Glory, and shall sit and rule upon His Throne [King]; and He shall be a *Priest upon His Throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both [office of King and office of Priest]. And [for a prophecy remembrance] the crowns [just made by Zechariah] shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, *for a memorial [remembrance] in the Temple of the LORD [intended to be there until the Messiah comes - Jesus was instead crowned with thorns by Herod's troops (Matthew 27:29)]. And they [Gentiles] that are far off shall come and build in the [eternal] Temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of Hosts hath sent Me unto you. *And this [crowning the Messiah in Jerusalem] shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God. - {Note: This will still come to pass, not at the 1st coming of Jesus but at the 2nd coming of Jesus.}
What Does This Mean to Us? - The rest of the book of Zechariah contains more promises of forgiveness for Israel, blessings of restoration of the land and people from exile, and judgment on the nations who come against God's eternal plans and promises.Of the people of Israel, God called them to "administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other" (Zech. 7:9-10). Of the land of Israel, God cries out: "I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem I will save My people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be My people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God" (Zech. 8:2,3,8). Of the people of the nations, God says, "In those days, ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the edge of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you'" (Zech. 8:23). Of the choice the nations must make: "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding people reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves On that day, I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem" (Zech. 12:2-3,9). Of the Jewish people, He says: "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the one they have pierced, and mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son On that day, a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity" (Zech. 12:10; 13:1). Of the Messiah, "On that day, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. Then, the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zech. 14:4,16)."In that dayin that day." This book is a most prophetic book, which says much about Israel in a future day when the Jewish people will return from exile and restore the land to its former glory. Messiah will come and establish Himself in Jerusalem where He will rule and reign in justice over the whole world from Jerusalem. This is that day, and we can be excited that we can be a part of prophecy, not only witnessing God's plan unfolding, but participating in prophecy through the projects and programs of Bridges for Peace and other Christian Zionist organizations. As we say at Bridges for Peace, "Don't just read about Bible prophecy when you can be a part of it." Get involved. Pray. Give. And, participate. Psalm 102:13 says it all: "The time to favor Zion [Israel] is now!" [article link]

Acts 7 - Stephen under arrest for blasphemy and on trial for his life in Jerusalem - Stephen uses as his defense the known fact that nearly every single prophet of importance to Israel throughout the history of Israel the people of Israel have first rejected the true Prophet before they ultimately accepted them and their ministry as being of God - Stephen is saying that Jesus was obviously God in the flesh though many people refused to believe it but then rejecting the true Prophets of God is the track record of mankind when it comes to interactions between man and God - Mankind has a propensity to reject the true interaction with God while at the same time embrace the false prophets of the world -- 'Acts 7:52-53 Which of the [true] Prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them [true Prophets] which shewed before [prophesied] of the coming of the Just One [Jesus Christ]; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers [their Jewish forefathers put to death the true prophets but they managed to go a step further and put to death the Messiah, Jesus the one prophesied about]: Who have received the law [the image of Jesus] by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it [because the law revealed the nature of Jesus].'
Acts 7:52-60 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One [Messiah]; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law [Divinely] by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart [enraged in their soul], and they gnashed on him with their teeth. *But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, *looked up stedfastly *into heaven, *and saw the glory of God, *and Jesus *standing [Jesus is standing as the Melchizedek High Priest ready to receive into Heaven the acceptable offering of the sacrifice and life of Stephen] on the right hand of God, And said, **Behold, I see the Heavens opened, and the Son of Man [Jesus] standing on the right hand of God [Father]. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city [outside the city limits, probably at the dump], and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul [later the Apostle Paul] {Note: Saul (the Apostle Paul) although perfectly within his rights did not throw a stone himself - Paul was not the violent aggressor that the secular world wants to portray}. And they [not Saul] stoned Stephen, ***calling upon God, and **saying [as Jesus said from His cross (Luke 23:46)], Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. *And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge [as Jesus had said from His cross (Luke 23:34)]. And when he had said this, he fell asleep [to the Christian death is as harmless as sleep and often in the Bible death is referred to simply as a [harmless] sleep for those who are saved and will awake in Heaven]. - Note: Normally in the Bible Jesus is represented as seated [enthroned]at the right hand of the Father Matthew 26:64)however Stephen describes Jesus as standing - standing is a part of the office of the High Priest - sitting is a part of the office of the King. Jesus preforms all three offices of God as King of the Universe, High Priest [Melchizedek] and True Prophet. The Christian Stephen lived his life with Jesus as his example, he preached his life with Jesus as his example and in his death (sleep) he departed with Jesus as his example and as such Stephen saw Jesus standing in Heaven and was received directly into Heaven receiving what the Apostle Paul would call the martyrs death the "better resurrection" (Hebrews 11:35). [article link]

Heartlight.org: The Authority of Reality "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8) - from My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
It is essential to give people a chance of acting on the truth of God. The responsibility must be left with the individual, you cannot act for him, it must be his own deliberate act, but the evangelical message ought always to lead a man to act. The paralysis of refusing to act leaves a man exactly where he was before; when once he acts, he is never the same. It is the foolishness of it that stands in the way of hundreds who have been convicted by the Spirit of God. Immediately I precipitate myself over into an act, that second I live; all the rest is existence. The moments when I truly live are the moments when I act with my whole will. Never allow a truth of God that is brought home to your soul to pass without acting on it, not necessarily physically, but in will. ... We have to go clean over on some word of our redeeming Lord and transact business with Him. His word "come" means "transact." "Come unto Me." The last thing we do is to come; but everyone who does come knows that that second the supernatural rush of the life of God invades him instantly. The dominating power of the world, the flesh and the devil is paralysed, not by your act, but because your act has linked you on to God and His redemptive power. [article link]

Pimppreacher via Apostasywatch: Minister or Sinister? How to know when your Church has become a cult - Everything is about CONTROL - The main tools used to control members are INTIMIDATION and MANIPULATION - *The intimidation and manipulation are very subtle and disguised with a false sense of love and concern - It's all a strategic COURTSHIP
RUNNING GAME The Cult [suspect Church] will have a team of people (we will call them the GAMERS) who are assigned to COURT you (THE PROSPECT) [for their gain - power, prestige, finances, etc]. The courtship begins with COMMUNICATION. Good communication starts with paying attention to what is said. The Gamer will ask strategic questions about the PROSPECT, their family and their life. Once they hear something they can identify with the prospect (YOU) they will begin telling the prospect how wonderful the church is (disclaimer: they will always say "we're not a perfect church, but we love God and our Pastor loves the people of God, we are a loving church"). -- The Gamer will tell a story about how they were so lost, broke down, and hurt BUT because of this ministry they were able to get their lives together and they don't know where they would be without this ministry (*not GOD, but the ministry) this will of course include many examples of how the Cult Pastor is very sincere and loving. This call will conclude with an invitation (FIRST DATE). This first date may be an invitation to come to the midweek service, a fellowship, or next Sunday's service and the prospect is told to ask for the Gamer as soon as they come through the door so the two of them can sit together. The members are moved by what they HEAR they are compelled to say YES TO THE FIRST DATE. ... PROPHET OR PROFIT? In treating the members as children they are taught to NEVER speak against the leader. If fact, any questioning of the ministry teachings, any criticism, any independent thinking is considered a form of rebellion. "Touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm" I Chron. 16:22. There will be a strong emphasis on authority, unquestioning obedience and submission. Members become afraid to say anything, even if they know something is wrong because speaking against what they KNOW to be wrong is speaking against the "Pastor" and it's a SIN. They are convinced that if the Pastor is wrong - God will get him and when the "wrong' is continued they assume the Pastor was right. And if anyone is ever so bold to speak against the leader they are ostracized by the entire church. Yes, this "loving" church will turn their back on you. -- SiGNS TO LOOK FOR: 1. LOST OF IDIVIDUALITY. You are no longer a creative, independent thinking individual. Everyone must speak the SAME thing.say what the leader says at all times.any other opinion is going against God. 2. LOST OF RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS. Relationship with friends, relatives, and children - ANY NON-MEMBER is severed. - RELATIONSHIP IS BASED ON MEMBERSHIP 3. EXCESSIVE GIVING. Extreme pressure to give all you have. Several offerings, large sums, public announcement of your amount resulting in guilt and intimidation. 4. ISOLATION. Isolation from anything and anyone not directly affiliated with the church. 5. CONTROL OF TIME. 6. LOSS OF FREE WILL. Members cannot make any independent decisions concerning personal life. Cannot question leadership. [article link]

Predatory Tithing - Ed Young's Tithing Sermon: Show Me the Money! - The video of Ed Young posted here on Sunday has gotten quite a bit of play around the blogosphere It has even moved over to YouTube - Christians and non-Christians alike are flabbergasted that a pastor from the pulpit is trying to get people to commit to give 10% of their income to his church through automatic withdrawal {Note: the Corporation Churches [501(c)3] need to own up to their public accountability and financial obligations in reporting and accounting for every single dime that they collect in offerings [so called tithes, offerings, gifts]. The Basic Christian Ministry is going to designate 2011 as a year of Church accountability [actually starting now!!] - No public disclosure of legal financial statements provided by the church and staff then no money provided by the congregation it's that simple!! - Also Note: The people that are blindly donating to demanding and offensive personalities are the very people that are enabling, perpetuating and furthering this very serious [*Predatory Tithing] problem within the Church. It's important that everyone within the congregation accept responsibility and withhold financial support from any Church or organization that is not 100% transparent with its organizational structure, affiliations or income disbursements.} (YouTube)
He tells them they are cursed if they don't tithe. He wonders why they come to church if they don't bring the tithe, tells them to stay home or play golf, to quit wasting Ed's and God's time. He says to watch your wallet if you're sitting next to a non-tither. He brags that "blessings track him down" for his 29 years of faithfulness. He even declares multiple times that the blessings of the Christian life are "all about the money". Ed even says "Show me the money" - which I take to mean "show me your bank account and routing number". He says that if you don't tithe, your marriage, your job, your kids, will all suffer because you're under God's curse. I hope that someone in Ed's circle of friends - maybe John Cross, or maybe Ed's father - someone, will help Ed see that he is abusing his congregation. Comments: Anonymous said... 80% of Ed young's church membership need to leave the church now. Those people should choose a place to meet and have a great time in fellowship. choose a God fearing man as a teacher while giving him some living standards. No jet. And learn the truth of the [B]ible. [article link]

Predatory Preaching - Why So Much Angst About Anonymous Critics? (Audio)
I recently came across the audio excerpt below from Matt Chandler, where he absolutely blasts people who would dare send him anonymous, critical emails. He angrily calls them several choice names like "pathetic" and "narcissistic zeros". I came across this audio clip at Dr. Alvin Reid's blog site, as he included Chandler's clip with his blog post here entitled "Dealing with Critics". You really have to listen to this. It gives I think a glimpse into just how much disdain there is for anonymous emailers and bloggers critical of the Southern Baptist power structure. It is my view, based on my experience as a formerly anonymous blogger, that Chandler's disdain for anonymous critics is shared by many of our Southern Baptist leaders. After all, Alvin Reid posts it for his readers (many of whom are our future pastors!), presumably as an example of how to view those who dare to criticize anonymously. [article link]

Note: Only informed responsible giving (tithing) is cheerful giving - Previous year 501c3 non-profit tax form filings should be open and publically available (in Church offices) and on the internet for anyone and everyone to look at and only then is a person capable of making an informed decision about personally donating to charitable 'Churches' and causes i.e. a Harvest Crusade type of event -- "2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth [responsibly] in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful [responsible] giver."
Only informed responsible giving (tithing) is cheerful giving! Not the ignorance is bliss, dutiful giving that the modern Church now wants us to participate in. -- "Ecclesiastes 7:12 For wisdom is a defense [refuge], and money [opportunity, power, influence, prestige] is a defense: but [more important than money] the excellency of [Biblical] knowledge [accurate, reliable Biblical doctrine] is, that wisdom giveth [eternal] life to them that have it." [article link]

Donor Bill of Rights - PHILANTHROPY (Charitable Donations) is based on voluntary action for the common good - It is a tradition [and religious requirement] of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life - To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights: I. To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes - II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities - III. **To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements - IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given
I. To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes. II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities. III. To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements. IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given. V. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition. VI. To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law. VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature. VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors. IX. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share. X To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers. [article link]

Questions to Ask a Nonprofit (Church - Crusade - Conference - etc.) *Before Investing in [or contributing to] It - 3. What are your annual goals, needs, and results? How do they compare to similar organizations in your community? - 6. How well have you utilized your funding? Describe how efficiently you have fulfilled your goals of recent years in relationship to the amount of funds you have raised
Thinking of donating to a nonprofit? Here are some suggested questions to ask nonprofit organizations before investing in them. The answers can help you determine which charities to give to and evaluate the performance of the philanthropies you already support. 1. How are you collaborating with similar organizations on a local, regional, or national level? 2. What are the main obstacles that inhibit the fulfillment of your mission? How are you planning to overcome them? 3. What are your annual goals, needs, and results? How do they compare to similar organizations in your community? 4. How much turnover have you experienced of employees and board members in the last two years {and how many related family members are employed and in what places within the organization}? 5. To what degree have you attracted new people {non-family members} and new ideas to your organization and board? 6. *How well have you utilized your funding? Describe how efficiently you have fulfilled your goals of recent years in relationship to the amount of funds you have raised. 7. Most for-profit organizations have recently restructured themselves in recent years to become more efficient and productive. How, if at all, are you considering (or have you implemented) some version of this approach? 8. How efficiently is your organization run? To what degree have you assigned day-to-day management responsibilities to a tightly run executive committee instead of relying upon your full board? 9. Who are your main competitors and how do your results in recent years compare to theirs? [article link]

Tips for Choosing a Charity: A Donor's 9-Step Guide to Giving Wisely - Avoid charities that won't share information or pressure you - Reputable nonprofits: Will discuss their programs and finances - [they] Don't use pressure tactics - Are willing to send you literature about their work or direct you to a Web site - Will take "no" for an answer - Trust your instincts: If you still have doubts about a charity, don't contribute to it - Instead, find another nonprofit that does the same kind of work and with which you feel comfortable, then make your donation
Tips for Choosing a Charity: A Donor's 9-Step Guide to Giving Wisely - Here are GuideStar's tips for donors who want to give with their heads as well as their hearts. Researching Charities Clarify your values. Do this before you open your checkbook, volunteer your time, or look at that letter from a charity. Identify your preferences. Ask yourself: "What is important to me?" The environment? Education? Hunger? Animal welfare? Helping sick children? Where should the charity do its work-in your neighborhood, region, the nation, or internationally? Ask yourself if you want to support a large or small charity, a new or an old one. Search the GuideStar database to find charities that meet your criteria. Focus on the mission. Look at each charity's description in the GuideStar search results, on its Web site, or in its literature. Find the nonprofits that fit best with your values. Eliminate organizations that don't meet your criteria. Now you're ready to look more closely at these organizations. Evaluating Charities Get the cold, hard facts. A reputable organization will: Define its mission and programs clearly. Have measurable goals. Use concrete criteria to describe its achievements. Compare apples to apples. Be sure to compare charities that do the same kind of work, especially if you're looking at their finances. The type of work a charity does can affect its operating costs dramatically. Avoid charities that won't share information or pressure you. Reputable nonprofits: Will discuss their programs and finances. Don't use pressure tactics. Are willing to send you literature about their work or direct you to a Web site. Will take "no" for an answer. Trust your instincts. If you still have doubts about a charity, don't contribute to it. Instead, find another nonprofit that does the same kind of work and with which you feel comfortable, then make your donation. [article link]

Extremely Important Viewing!!! Part 8 - Dialectic Deception - [To Download Click the Share Button] (Online Video)
*Emerging Church DVD (Online) This two hour and forty-five minute DVD takes a hard look into the beliefs and practices of what has become one of the most dangerous deceptions assaulting God's people today - The Emergent Church. - Part 8: Sandy Simpson speaks on: Methods used by false teachers to deceive God's people. [article link]

Update: After the Break - The Basic Christian Ministry is going to respond [with a 10 part investigation article] into the wholesale manipulation and fraud that is taking place within the current greater Christian Church movement - Regarding both the fraud and wholesale manipulation [a deliberate convergence of the Church, Emerging Church and the New Age agenda] that just occurred during the 2010 Desiring God conference and also of the related fraud that is about to take place in the coming Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa - 2010 Apologetics Conference [November 5-6, 2010] -- Coming Soon: Exposing Chuck Smith - The Calvary Chapel Fraud - A 10 Part Investigation!!!
The Christian Church body as a whole after having just endured the unjust and unethical manipulations of the Dr. John Piper (Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis) - Dr. Rick Warren (Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, California - SBC Affiliated) 2010 Desiring God fiasco, now the greater Evangelical Church is expected to be forced to endure yet another conference of fraud, lies and deceit - this time it is the 2010 Apologetics Conference by Dr. Norman Geisler's Veritas Seminary (Murrieta, California) featuring the discredited (SBC Affiliated) [Liberty University - professor] Ergun Caner and is being hosted at the Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, Sr. Pastor Chuck Smith. [article link]

Update {Scroll Down for Updates}: Before I begin to post again - I just want to recap a few items and I feel the need to reiterate the purpose and servant [service] oriented aspect of the Basic Christian Ministry - Because sadly some people want to portray internet bloggers as frustrated, or 2nd class, or something else all because they don't understand the value and intentions of internet [Christian fellowship] blogging
I spent most of the last week visiting [doing some upkeep] at my Mom's [my Dad passed away this past spring]. My Mom and I wanted to go to Church [with a friend and neighbor of my Mom's] and by coincidence her neighbor is now attending the old Church where my Mom used to attend [for a couple of years] and took me and my sisters to while we were really young [I was about 2 years - 4 years old]. I have few memories of that old Church [I certainly wasn't saved there and probably few people are] but I have a few memories and while I was sitting in the service this last week I had several thoughts but primarily I was just so grateful for the personal relationship I have with Jesus Christ [something that as a small child I though was impossible to have] and also how grateful I am for the opportunity of the Basic Christian ministry to post Christian material and information on the internet for others to use and enjoy in their own relationship with God. -- In 1996-1998 I attended a two year ministry school [under Chuck Smith at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, CA] that was primarily geared towards future pastors but I applied to [and graduated] the school in my then current ministry capacity as a volunteer counselor [a volunteer counselor at a pro-life family clinic] and not as a pastor or even as a future pastor. -- The Basic Christian Ministry this coming spring will celebrate 10 amazing years of on-line internet ministry. The first two documents electronically published (posted) were the Jesus Walk 10 Day Easter Timeline Devotion [2001 version] and the 132 Topics of Basic Christian: Theology. Then the first articles were 'Biblical Proof that Jesus is God' followed by the posting of the previously researched 'The 7 Miracles of Jesus in the Gospel of John'. With these early postings [2001-2003] I felt at the time that the ministry had already reached [most] of its ministry goals and that any future ministry up until now has primarily been a sort of a wonderful, beyond my expectations, bonus opportunity. -- This past Sunday I also realized that I am completely dedicated to internet ministry and to providing internet resources and look forward to the next decade of internet ministry service. A decade that will provide many more advances and innovations in the Basic Christian ministry as the ministry begins [starting late next year] to transition away from the text postings of today and into video postings drawn and refined from all of the current Basic Christian material. [article link]

Part 1 - Introduction: Exposing the Modern Church
It's true that there is a hidden NWO agenda [now more visible and more widely known to the public] and it's understandable that secular groups [i.e. UN, Think Tanks, Universities, CIA, Skull & Bones, etc.] would seek to impose a secular [ultimately Satanic] rule of order among all people and all Nations - But what is completely unacceptable is that so many in the Church movement [i.e. Chuck Smith, Dave Hunt, Norman Geisler, Jerry Falwell Jr., Rick Warren, John Piper, John MacArthur, Lee Strobel, R.C. Sproul, Brian Broderson, Ergun and Emir Caner, etc. ] would so actively participate and join in an emergent Antichristian/Antichrist movement [of deliberate lies and deceit formed against the true Christian Church] to the extent that it is now completely reasonable to question whether (since 9-11-2001) they are any longer or [in some cases] ever were Christians? [article link]

Part 2 - Occult Signatures: The [NWO] occult communicates in a separate hidden but open manner that attempts [often successfully] to reveal their true intentions and identities to other occult groups but is generally masked to the general public
Occult (Satanic) signatures that are now commonly and widely used within the Christian Church -- the number 13 [or the reverse 31] as conference dates, numbers of topics or speakers, etc. Using Latin (Roman Catholic) names in Protestant ministries i.e. Norman Geislers 'Veritas' (Latin for truth) Seminary [V - a Hebrew 6 - is also considered occult - the number of fallen man] and Chuck Smith's 'Calvary' (Latin for skull) Chapel i.e. Skull (Satan's) Chapel [Pastor Chuck Smith might have been purposefully looking for a Satanic Signature in his 1965 move from his Riverside, CA ministry to the existing Calvary Chapel - Costa Mesa, CA fellowship]. - Other occult signatures include using a B&W bio photo as in the movie 'The Wizard of Oz' where reality, real life was portrayed in dull B&W while color was reserved only for the alternate Oz occult realm. Use of highly occult influenced bible translations notably the occult bible version NKJV. [article link]

Welcome to *Veritas Evangelical Seminary [use of a horned (Satanic) *V] Online (VESO) where students may enroll and complete their external study courses online or check your residential course pages from anywhere in the world
Welcome to Veritas Evangelical Seminary Online (VESO) where students may enroll and complete their external study courses online or check your residential course pages from anywhere in the world. VESO also offers those enrolled in specific courses the opportunity to interact with others in the course, including your professor. This is accomplished by clicking on the specific course title on the left of your browser screen. In addition, faculty and students may discuss, interact, and build each other up in the Lord! Feel free to explore the VESO Forum where your written posts and questions may be read and replied to by others in the VES family. There is also a chat option where you can engage in real time communication with others that happen to be on line. [article link]

Codex Magica: V - Victory for the Devil - Sign of the Horned God, Pan (Satan) - The Complete Book of Witchcraft3 explains further the occult meaning - When the [V] sign is given to produce a shadow behind, a diabolical image appears that seems to be the face of the devil - Witches and Magicians -and some Catholic Popes -used this image to effect emotional response
[V] A Symbol of Wrath and Destruction: The "V" sign as displayed by the hand is also used by Illuminists in the form of the letter V with two straight lines angled to meet at a point facing downward. It becomes a V device, or chevron, and has been adopted for the uniforms of military troops of some countries. Resembling a downward pointing triangle with the top line open or omitted symbolizes fiery destruction and wrath on the object at which it is pointed. About 12 years ago, a few Satan worshippers arrived secretly in the darkness at my ministry building and evidently carried out a ritual. For many months we had received anonymous telephone threats, so were not surprised. On the concrete porch near our front door, the vandals had scratched a "V" pointing to the entrance, and there were signs of candle use and the burning of objects. Here we see the fantastic beliefs by occultists that their rituals create reality. -- Triple 6 or 666: As we have previously seen, the Jewish cabala is at the root of most wicked systems of magic. The cabala (or Kabbalah) is the fount of doctrine for Freemasonry and for many other secret societies. We can expect, therefore, that the "V" sign is also emphasized by the rabbinical priests of cabalism. And in fact, we find that the rabbis teach that the meaning of the Hebrew letter for V (Vau) is "Nail," and nail is a secret title for Satan. (Its corrupt meaning comes from the nails driven into the hands of Jesus crucified.) Vau, or V, is the sixth letter in the Hebrew alphabet [6 the number of man - fallen mankind], and, of course, the Book of Revelation reveals that the name of the beast, or AntiChrist, is coded with the number of triple 6, or 666. [article link]

calvarycic.org: Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa [B&W bio photo] - Gayle Erwin The Man, The Myth [in cartoon caricature]
Calvary Chapel Iowa City Church Vision: The emphasis of our church is to make mature disciples of Jesus Christ. The Great Commission commands in Matthew 28:20 that we are to be "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you." We are doing the very same things that have been done for nearly 2000 years. In Acts 2:42, Luke tells us that the early church was continuing steadfastly in the teaching of God's Word, in fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2:46 tells us that they were praising God and verse 47 it tells us that "the Lord added to His church daily those who were being saved." Our hope and prayer is to win the lost to Christ, disciple and grow them into mature Christians. We desire believers that God can and will use as His vessels of honor, His workmanship created for good works and for His pleasure. [article link]

John Macarthur [B&W bio photo]
John Macarthur is my favorite preacher for a few reasons. First, it is his unwavering defense of Truth; Second, his consistent life; and Third, his consistent theology to let the text of scripture speak for itself. The message I used in this sermon jam ("rekindling your love for Christ") I have probably listened to 20 times.and yes it is still one of my favorite messages out there. If any of you would like access to all of Macarthur's preaching messages for free visit http://www.gty.org/. [article link]

Ergun Caner [B&W bio photo]
The Southern Baptist minister who leads Liberty University's seminary made a career as a go-to authority on Islam for the evangelical world, selling thousands of books and touring the country as a former Muslim who discovered Jesus Christ. Now Ergun Caner is being investigated by the Lynchburg, Va., university - founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell - over allegations that he fabricated or embellished his past. [article link]

Rick Warren on the cover of Time Magazine [B&W color tones, bio photo] - Rick Warren makes use of multiple B&W photos as well as multiple [cartoon caricature] depictions of himself and his ministry
The Internet is abuzz about author and pastor Rick Warren being temporarily blinded by firestick plant sap. Rick was pruning a firestick plant in his yard when he got some of the sap on his hands. According to publicist A. Larry Ross, "He went to wipe his brow and immediately experienced excruciating pain in both eyes." The sap of the Firestick plant, or Euphorbia tirucalli, is corrosive and extremely toxic. [article link]

PASTOR BRIAN BRODERSON [B&W color tones, bio photo] Associate Pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa
"Anything that will help Christian people get more into the word and more out of the word is bound to be a great blessing. This book will do just that. Andy has done a fantastic job of laying out numerous options for Bible Study. I'm sure there's a method here that will be helpful for most everyone who is serious about growing in the Lord through his word." [article link]

Part 3 - Replacing the True (Free) Christian Church with a False (Bondage) NWO Church: Churches like Chrystal Cathedral (Robert H. Schuller), Calvary Chapel (Chuck Smith, Brian Broderson), First Baptist Church of Woodstock, GA (Johnny Hunt), Liberty University (Jerry Falwell Jr.) have gone through extensive employee layoffs and shifts in recent times
These Church 'disorder' replacements of pastors and staff employees, whether through leadership changes (i.e. Brian Broderson) or financial crisis or crises, either perceived (Church of Woodstock) or real (Chrystal Cathedral) are having the very real and intended results of rapidly removing a once solid Christian base and replacing it with a new and now solid Emergent Church [i.e. Ergun Caner] - NWO - New Age, or even a Satanic base of church staff members, instructors and pastors. With the very real and intended result of stripping the True Christian Church of its [Gospel] identity and of any safety net that might have been in place for any Christians in need of actual ministry, counseling or any of a variety of support, assistance and aid programs. [article link]

{Highly Recommended!!} Pirate Christian Radio: . [Pastor] Mac Brunson Says America is Being Judged Because Christians Aren't Tithing {Note: Christians aren't under the law - or at least we are not supposed to be - unless some unscrupulous person is trying to put us [under their own law] and in bondage for their own personal agenda and own personal financial gain! - It's also very interesting that the [Pastors] demanding Tithes are the same Pastors who repeatedly refuse their obligation to openly disclose their Church's financial statements. - Also Note: It's completely irresponsible on our part to donate [money, time, resources, etc.] to some man's private ministry without our having complete access to ALL financial records. So in this case and others, Bankruptcy isn't a bad thing as these Mega Churches are already Morally Bankrupt and probably shouldn't even try to be in the Business of Preaching the free Gospel of Jesus Christ!} (Mp3 - Download link is on the Main page)
[Saul] The Rebel King -- . Mac Brunson Says America is Being Judged Because Christians Aren't Tithing . Is Perry Noble Qualified to be a Pastor to Pastors? . Sermon Review: [Saul] The Rebel King by Pastor Gervaise Nicholas Edward Charmley --- [article link]

Robert Schuller [Sr.] Pleads for Troubled (Bankrupt) Crystal Cathedral - Robert H. Schuller , who is trying to pull his California megachurch from bankruptcy protection, pleaded with his congregation for help Sunday - "If you are a tither, *become a double-tither [where is that in the Bible?]. If you are not a tither, become a tither. This ministry has earned {but now with (too many scams) has lost} your trust. This ministry has earned your help" - The Crystal Cathedral, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, will likely spend the coming weeks trying to restructure its staggering debt {The teaching that Christians are supposed to Tithe to some man's ministry is a modern myth and a completely false teaching at that! Tithing was of the Jewish Old Testament Law and Jesus fulfilled the law, *freeing us from the law, yet many like the Schullers [Robert Sr. and daughter Sheila] want to put Christians back under the law and specifically the excessive 'bondage' of Tithing simply for their own personal [primarily financial] gain. -- "Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith [Jesus] Christ hath made us free [from the O.T. law and into a N.T. relationship with God], and be not entangled again with [i.e. tithing] the yoke of bondage."}
"Budgets could not be cut fast enough to keep up with the unprecedented rapid decline in revenue due to the recession," Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman said in a statement. Services and programs at the landmark church will continue, including the "Hour of Power" TV program, she said. The beleaguered glass cathedral canceled its "Glory of Easter" for the first time this year and could be forced to cancel its popular Christmas spectacular next month. The pageants, which charged up to $45 admission, drew thousands of people. "It was a very big production," said Juliet Noriega, the wardrobe manager for the pageants, who claims she is owed more than $11,000. In a statement , Schuller Coleman said the bankruptcy filing was necessary because a small number of creditors chose to file lawsuits and obtained court-ordered writs to attach the church's bank accounts and assets in an attempt to get paid immediately. ... The church's money troubles have forced it to lay off 140 people in the past year, halve its "Hour of Power" air time and even dismiss its orchestra and professional choir singers, church officials have said. The church choir is now made entirely up of volunteers. In May, the church sold land donated by a San Juan Capistrano couple for $22.5 million. ... The cathedral decided to file for Chapter 11 only after some of its creditors sued for payment, according to church officials. Hundreds of creditors could be owed between $50 million and $100 million, according to documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Its largest creditors include several television stations. The iconic church was founded by the Rev. Robert H. Schuller in a rented drive-in movie theater in 1955 and came to prominence through the "Hour of Power" television show, which reaches millions of viewers. ... At a news conference, Schuller recalled her father's popular proverb, "Tough times never last, but tough people do." She stressed that the church's "message of hope will continue." Schuller did not return phone calls seeking comment. [article link]

WSJ: [Mega Church] Crystal Cathedral's Cracks Show in Bankruptcy Filing [after - The younger Schuller [Robert A. Schuller] (preaching an Excellent Gospel Message) was removed as (Crystal Cathedral) President in November 2008 when the division between (NWO) father and (Christian) son became significant enough to adversely affect the corporation [a.k.a. Crystal Cathedral] the elder Dr. Schuller [Robert H. Schuller] built - Answers.com] - The Crystal Cathedral church in Garden Grove, Calif., filed for bankruptcy protection [October 18, 2010] amid $48 million in debt - The church's filing lists 550 (unpaid) creditors
How the 55-year-old church will survive is another matter. The ministry, founded by Mr. Schuller in 1955 in rented space at a drive-in theater, now owes $12 million to creditors and holds a $36 million mortgage with Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach, Calif. The church was roiled by leadership changes after the abrupt departure in 2008 of Mr. Schuller's son as head pastor. Mr. Schuller's daughter, Sheila Schuller Coleman, now presides as pastor. Mr. Schuller, 84, preaches occasionally. "The period of unsettled leadership caused some...to leave the ministry, resulting in reduced revenue for an organization that exists primarily on donations," court documents say. [article link]

Religious workers denied jobless benefits - Earlier this year, a survey by the National Association of Church Business Administration showed that 32 percent of responding U.S. churches were having economy-related difficulties, up from 14% in August - 20% said they had laid off staff - Benefits are available only to people whose employers paid the unemployment tax - It was a hard way to learn that under Virginia law, as in many states, including Georgia, tax exemptions for religious organizations include freedom from paying unemployment taxes - "If they leave the church, they won't be covered, and that is a shock for many churches" he said {Note: The Churches not paying an individual's unemployment tax and therefore denying unemployment benefits to people is a real bondage the Church has over its employees - no wonder so many employees and Churches are so quickly and so easily going along with a co-opted NWO agenda, because they have too, the church owns them and that's the way the modern protestant church wants it.}
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - God may provide, but the state may not when it comes to unemployment benefits for employees laid off by churches and other religious groups. Carol Bronson discovered that a few months ago after she lost her secretarial job at Temple Emanuel synagogue in Virginia Beach. Bronson assumed she could draw unemployment benefits, but when she filed a claim, she was denied. It was a hard way to learn that under Virginia law, as in many states, including Georgia, tax exemptions for religious organizations include freedom from paying unemployment taxes, though the IRS requires they pay Social Security and withholding taxes. "I had no idea that there would not be any benefits for me after leaving my job," said Bronson, who worked at the synagogue for two years. She's since found a job with a wholesale flower market. Budget cuts, including layoffs, are one way religious groups are coping with slashed income from investments or contributions. Earlier this year, a survey by the National Association of Church Business Administration showed that 32 percent of responding U.S. churches were having economy-related difficulties, up from 14 percent in August. Twenty percent said they had laid off staff. For workers who are left jobless, unemployment benefits are a big piece of the social safety net. In Virginia, payments range from $54 to $378 weekly. Benefits are available only to people whose employers paid the unemployment tax. Not every state bars unemployment compensation to employees of religious groups. In New York, employees whose work is not religious in nature, such as a cook or a secretary, are entitled to benefits, and their employer must pay the state unemployment tax, said Karen Williamson of the New York Department of Labor. [article link]

SBC [2010] must build its Great Commission legacy [through humble individual service to Jesus Christ and not by donations or money tithed or given to SBC principals especially in the form of thinly veiled pleas and slightly disguised threats (i.e. pastors will be laid off -- and the True faithful Christian Pastors are being laid off in multitudes while fake NWO pastors are then being brought in to replace them [this is happening in every profession i.e. teaching, religion, politics, law, business, banking, government] in requesting additional finances 'In difficult economic times' as Pastor David Uth seems to be doing], Uth says {Note: Money, pride and paid (professional) Charity work seldom mix very well and Christianity in the image of Jesus Christ is the essence of Humble Servant Charity Work. We need to be humble and be about the true reconciliation work of Jesus Christ and often that means being only in charge of ourselves and having authority only over ourselves and not having a staff, an expense account and not even having status within society all while we individually and collectively labor lovingly in God's Kingdom the True and Eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ.}
ORLANDO (FBW)-The Southern Baptist Convention sits at a crucial point in history when it must recommit to building a legacy of obedience to the Great Commission, David Uth, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Orlando, said *June 13 [Satanic signature] at the SBC Pastor's Conference. "There comes a point where we say, 'This is where we want to go. This is what we want life to look like. This is what we want our legacy to be,'" Uth said. "And I really believe this convention is the defining moment for us that will determine that legacy." Preaching from Acts 20, Uth said a godly denominational legacy must include living out the Great Commission rather than merely discussing it. "As Southern Baptists, we have been saying a lot about the Great Commission all of our history," he said. "We have been saying a lot about this kind of a legacy. But at some point, saying is not enough." Uth listed three steps Southern Baptists must take in order to build a legacy that glorifies God. First, they must walk with humility. "Southern Baptists, we're not all that. We need to honor and glorify the One from whom all blessings flow. We are not all that," Uth said. "One of the things that has broken my heart is to hear people talk about their ministry and people talk about their church. People talk about this and that, 'We did this. We did that. We did this.' Let me tell you, if you've done anything worthwhile of eternal value, you didn't do it. Your Father granted it from heaven. Give Him glory." Second, they must shed tears over the lostness in the world. While Southern Baptists cry over votes that don't go their way and derailed personal ambitions, many have stopped crying over non-Christians who are on the path to hell, Uth said. Yet the multitudes who do not know Jesus should be among the greatest causes of tears, he said. ... Third, Southern Baptists must fulfill their ministry despite trials. In difficult economic times, churches and denominational entities are being forced to cut budgets, he said. In fact, First Baptist Orlando recently cut six pastoral staff members. But fulfilling the Great Commission is worth the pain of budget cuts, he said. "The church does not exist to employ people. It exists to reach the nations for God's glory. And if I could just be so bold to say, the Southern Baptist Convention does not exist to employ people. It exists to reach the nations for the glory of God. And it just might be we have to do hard things," he said. Through any trial, Jesus is enough to sustain those who are following Him, Uth said. [article link]

ABP Opinion: 1st reaction to Great Commission Resurgence, 2nd verse - My strategy to encourage churches to higher CP (Cooperative Program) giving is this: Demonstrated commitment to CP from those who lead the Southern Baptist Convention - SBC president Johnny Hunt [after just laying off several Pastors and staff members at his church], who has pledged to double his church's CP (Cooperative Program) giving this year to about $900,000 {Note: This is a deliberate plan to take money away from the local Church authority [and local Church work] by donating it upstream [instead of downstream to needier Churches and causes] to some vague, vapid [non-Christian] national-international (secular) and fraudulent causes i.e. Rick Warren's purpose driven agendas and the New Apostolic Reformation and their upstream donations to their main church offices and to a select few (possibly non-Christian, infiltrated) directors, presidents and staff members.}
If the SBC is to adopt a new mission statement -- and such adoption should be considered a huge undertaking -- what is the statement it replaces? The SBC was formed in 1845, according to our founding documents, for the "purpose of carrying into effect the benevolent intention of our constituents by organizing a plan for eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the denomination for the propagation of the gospel." The purpose of our convention, according to Article II of our bylaws, is "to provide a general organization for Baptists in the United States and its territories for the promotion of Christian missions at home and abroad and any other objects such as Christian education, benevolent enterprises, and social services which it may deem proper and advisable for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God." Are a "purpose" and a "mission statement" the same thing? If the proposed mission statement is an add-on, it can be enthusiastically endorsed. If it is to change the purpose statement of the convention, it needs far more serious consideration than to be the first of seven recommendations from a task force formed for a different purpose entirely. The task force still wants to dilute the Cooperative Program by making it the "first and primary component" of something they would call Great Commission Giving. The progress report in February basically would have taken any responsibility for Cooperative Program promotion and "returned" it to the state conventions. The new version still doesn't recognize that the states have always had primary responsibility for CP promotion and it urges the SBC Executive Committee to work with state conventions to form a "unified strategy with clearly established goals" by 2013. My strategy to encourage churches to higher CP giving is this: Demonstrated commitment to CP from those who lead the Southern Baptist Convention. SBC president Johnny Hunt, who has pledged to double his church's CP giving this year to about $900,000, rightly reminded the editors that no one responds positively to criticism. You can't get someone to do more of something by emphasizing how little of it they currently do. He reminded us that "thousands" of churches that claim SBC affiliation give nothing to CP -- and the six-percent average church CP commitment would be much smaller if not for the large dollar amounts churches like his provide. [article link]

Gimme That OC Religion - Crystal Cathedral Declares Bankruptcy - Why Robert Schuller Had it Coming - Schuller ultimately influenced American Christianity [but not in a lasting, positive way] the most of any pastor in OC - at the expense of his own flock and for personal benefit
Because, when all of OC's titans of Christianity eventually meet Charles E. Fuller in the afterlife, the world will see that Schuller [Robert H. Schuller (Sr.)] ultimately influenced American Christianity the most of any pastor in OC--at the expense of his own flock and for personal benefit. While Chuck Smith revitalized American evangelicism [according to Chuck Smith - because everyone knows that it was Billy Graham not Chuck Smith that 'revitalized American evangelicism'] via Calvary Chapel, the [TBN] Crouches [Paul and Jan Crouch - Trinity Broadcasting Network] revolutionized broadcasting the words of Christ (including Schuller's own Hour of Power) and Rick Warren built a global megachurch without peer, Schuller put too much of his church's focus on himself--the best-selling books, the television program, the many lectures. **His message of possibility thinking [i.e. Chuck Smith "made room in his heart ... generating a movement of the Holy Spirit"] and seminars for pastors made Warren possible, created the megachurch movement, and brought in millions to build his Crystal Cathedral--but while Schuller mugged for the cameras, he never did set a course of succession for his flock [Robert H. Schuller (Sr.) had a clear succession in his son Robert A. Schuller - but Robert A. Schuller turned out to be an actual Christian and that was unacceptable to NWO instigator Robert H. Schuller]. If I was more up-to-date on my Scripture, this is the part where I'd quote Jesus or some prophet about vanity--oh, Ecclesiastes!--and say Schuller didn't [want to] learn. I've brought this point up before, but it demands repeating: maybe if Schuller had ditched the endless tours and paid more attention to his church [Christianity], the Crystal Cathedral wouldn't be in this situation today. Or maybe he understood that it's Christ's message that's more important, not so much paying bills on time. But what do I know? I'm just a pissed-off Papist [Catholic]. [article link]

Yahoo: Schuller pleads for dollars for Crystal Cathedral - Church officials have said that for the time being, "Hour of Power" will remain on the air though the number of stations airing it has been cut - Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows a *business to keep operating while it tries to put its finances in order under court supervision {Note: Legal - financial documents are already being filed and it will be interesting if we get to see a detailed 'court supervision' financial history of Robert H. Schuller's travel/expenses/perks and of the Crystal Cathedral's general spending habits.}
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. - Crystal Cathedral founder the Rev. Robert H. Schuller on Sunday tearfully asked his parishioners for help in overcoming the megachurch's bankruptcy and tens of millions in debt. Schuller, 84, made the plea from the pulpit as he spoke publicly for the first time since the church filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Oct. 18. "I need more help from you," Schuller said, according to the Orange County Register. "If you are a tither, become a double-tither. If you are not a tither, become a tither. This ministry has earned your trust. This ministry has earned your help." -- (596) Comments: Steve| Maybe he can book the Beck & Palin Travelin' Salvation Show! Their little gig seems to bleeding the ignorant of tons of money! ... People's Political Co| ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!! F-U Schuller and your phony religion. "Give me more money so I can live like an Oriental Potentate". ... Lep| Maybe they should have tried "Biblical money management" from the get-go. I'm not sure exactly what that is, but I'm sure it doesn't include multi-million dollar mortgages and tens of thousands of dollars renting livestock for Christmas pageants. ... Lee| If they REALLY want to save their "church" they should work for a dollar a year until this "crisis" is over. Will they do that?? No, they would have to dip into their personal fortunes to continue living in the lifestyle they have become accustomed to. They would rather have someone, their followers, bail them out. ... WadeS| Anybody who sends these frauds money is brain dead and a fool. [article link]

Part 4 - Chuck Smith's Fabricated Background - The "common" story behind the Calvary Chapel story is that Chuck Smith saved [an already saved] hippie named Lonnie Frisbee and single handedly instituted the Jesus Freak movement making Chuck Smith the father of [the already existing] Jesus Freak movement
Surprisingly the Chuck Smith Sr. ministry story from childhood until even now [Calvary Chapel (miles from any beach) is now claiming to have been a mecca church to both hippies and surfers] is almost as fabricated and fictitious as the well-known fictitious Ergun Caner [my life as a Muslim terrorist] ministry story. - Supposedly Chuck Smith led a hippie Lonnie Frisbee to the Lord creating the Jesus Freak movement however apparently Lonnie Frisbee was already a 'born again' Christian when he first met Chuck Smith - so what really happened? In 1965 Chuck Smith made his switch from his longstanding Foursquare Church denomination to the unknown Calvary Chapel fellowship. The question remains was this 'late season' denomination move on Chuck's part an attempt on Chuck Smith's part to enter the coming 1966-1969 Satanic Revolution that would soon be sweeping America? On cue in 1968 Chuck Smith had finally scrounged around enough and found the defanged hippie that he had been looking for as his entrance into the hippie movement in order to play "Papa Chuck" in his diabolical, controlling and manipulating role as father of the hippies all the while undermining the foundations of the true Christian Church. [article link]

There are at least three versions of the Calvary Chapel story regarding how Chuck Smith first met the hippie Lonnie Frisbee - The least credible of the stories is the story that Pastor Chuck Smith tells regarding his daughter Cheryl (wife of Pastor Brian Broderson) according to Chuck Smith she had a boyfriend at the time who introduced Lonnie to Chuck Smith
Another person altogether has claimed [and insists] to have first introduced Lonnie Frisbee to Pastor Chuck Smith. [article link]

Calvary Chapel Chuck Smith - With a sincere concern for the lost, Pastor Chuck made room in his heart and his home for a generation of *hippies and *surfers {Note: The Chuck Smith Calvary Chapel myth has grown to now suddenly include both hippies and surfers. Hint: Calvary Chapel is located in Santa Anna, CA and is miles from the beach but can't let a little reality get in the way of a good "grab it (from somewhere else) and blab it" Calvary Chapel story.}
Chuck Smith Senior Pastor: In 1965, Pastor Chuck Smith began his ministry at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. Only twenty-five people attended. What began as a small chapel has now grown into a church that seats over 2000 and is filled almost nightly. From the beginning, Pastor Chuck welcomed all, young and old, without judgment, placing his emphasis on the teaching of the Word of God. His simple, yet sound, biblical approach draws 25,000 people weekly. With a sincere concern for the lost, Pastor Chuck made room in his heart and his home for a generation of hippies and surfers; **generating a movement of the Holy Spirit that spread from the West Coast to the East Coast, bringing thousands of young people to Jesus Christ. Included among this generation of new believers were Greg Laurie, Mike MacIntosh, Raul Ries, and Skip Heitzig, as well as hundreds of others who now have ministries of their own. {Note: Chuck Smith thinks that whatever he personally does becomes approved by God [regardless of what the fruit develops into] and has a type of Biblical [equal to the Bible] human divinity associated with it "generating a movement of the Holy Spirit" the guy just isn't all there!! Also Note: True Christianity is the exact opposite of what Chuck Smith, Dave Hunt, Norman Geisler, Jerry Falwell Jr., Rick Warren, John Piper, John MacArthur, Lee Strobel, Greg Laurie and many others are subtly preaching and directly practicing. True Christianity is NOT 'generating' an alleged move of God one that happens to immensely and directly benefit (preferably financially) the person or persons involved but True Christianity is to participate [in a personal relationship way] in what God is already involved in. -- "Jeremiah 33:2-3 Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is His Name; *Call unto Me, and **I will answer thee, ***and shew thee great and mighty things, ****which thou knowest not."} [article link]

Wikipedia: Lonnie Frisbee - Contemporary accounts attributed his accomplishments to his incredible anointing of the Holy Spirit - Frisbee was a key figure in the Jesus Movement and eyewitness accounts of his ministry documented in the 2007 Emmy-nominated film Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher explain how Lonnie became the charismatic spark igniting the rise of two worldwide denominations Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel and John Wimber's Vineyard Movement
Lonnie Frisbee (June 6, 1949 - March 12, 1993) was an American Pentecostal evangelist and self-described "seeing prophet" and mystic in the late 1960s and 1970s. Despite (or because of) his hippie appearance and being a man who struggled with homosexuality, Frisbee had notable success as a minister and evangelist. Contemporary accounts attributed his accomplishments to his incredible anointing of the Holy Spirit. Frisbee was a key figure in the Jesus Movement and eyewitness accounts of his ministry documented in the 2007 Emmy-nominated film Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher explain how Lonnie became the charismatic spark igniting the rise of two worldwide denominations (Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard Movement). It was said that he was not one of the hippie preachers, "there was one." ... Jesus movement, Calvary Chapel: Frisbee and his wife had left the [Christian] commune of the House of Acts [near San Francisco] to go to Southern California. Chuck Smith, meanwhile, had been making plans to build a chapel out of a surplus school building in the City of Santa Ana, near Costa Mesa when he met Lonnie Frisbee. Lonnie and his wife Connie joined the fledgling Calvary Chapel congregation and Smith was struck by Lonnie's charisma, "I was not at all prepared for the love that this young man would radiate." Frisbee's attachment to the charismatic Pentecostal style caused some disagreement within the church since he seemed focused more on gaining converts and experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit than on teaching newer converts Biblical doctrine. Chuck Smith, however, took up that job and welcomed Frisbee into his church. Frisbee's appearance helped appeal to hippies and those interested in youth culture, and he believed that the youth culture would play a prominent role in the Christian movement in the United States. He cited Joel the prophet and remained upbeat despite what the young couple saw as unbalanced treatment as Frisbee was never paid for his work yet another person was hired full-time as Smith's assistant. Under Frisbee's ministry his most visible convert was evangelist Greg Laurie whom he mentored and has since gone on to establish Harvest Christian Fellowship, the eighth largest church in America with over 15,000 members. Frisbee became one of the most important ministers in the church when on 17 May 1968 Smith put the young couple in charge of the Costa Mesa rehab house called "The House of Miracles" with John Higgins and his wife Jackie, within a week it had 35 new converts. Lonnie led the Wednesday night Bible study which soon became the central night for the church attracting thousands. The House of Miracles grew into a series of nineteen communal houses that later migrated to Oregon to form Shiloh Youth Revival Centers, the largest and one of the longest lasting of the Jesus People communal groups which had 100,000 members and 175 communal houses spread across North America. This may have been the largest Christian communal group in US history. [article link]

Lonnie Frisbee and Chuck Smith [1968-1971] - from the DVD The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher (YouTube)
Lonnie Frisbee meets Chuck Smith and together the two men shepherd Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa into a new spiritual revival. -- DVD available at www.lonniefrisbee.com [article link]

DVD The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher [Lonnie Frisbee] - TRAILER 1 (YouTube)
Frisbee recounts the life of a radical hippie turned Christian evangelist whose call into the ministry came while involved in the Laguna Beach homosexual scene. Even though he was the spark who propelled two of the largest evangelical denominations in the last thirty years into existence, he was treated with contempt throughout his career because of his sexuality. What do you do when the Jesus freak who starts your church dies from AIDS? Simple. Erase him from history. [article link]

Part 5 - A Fraudulent and Deceptive System - A system that entraps, entangles and ensnares unsuspecting people [for generations] within a fraudulent , misrepresented system - A system that then seeks to exchange people within the system [a mock freedom of choice - but only within the supervised system of control and manipulation] from one fraudulent ministry into another i.e Calvary Chapel youth being vigorously marketed to attend the Norman Geisler/Ergun Caner VES school
A fraudulent and deceptive system has been systematically put in place attempting to give the effect that these men [their families] and ministries are more influential and more powerful than they really are and of course with the appearance of more power and influence comes more prestige and with it much more money. This is actually a very diabolical system because it is a false system, a system that only pretends [i.e. Rev. Robert H. Schuller] to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a system that only pretends [i.e. Dr. James Dobson - Jerry Falwell Jr.] to uphold family values and causes. It is a system that only pretends [i.e. Chuck Colson] to represent conservative voter values. Note: many supposed Christian, conservative, family values ministries have been doggedly determined in their referring of occult [i.e. Harry Potter] material [and other resources i.e. occult movies 'The Matrix' and 'V for Vendetta'] into the greater Christian Church body. Both Chuck Colson's [Prison Fellowship] ministry and Dr. Dobson's [Focus on the Family] ministry have recommended the Harry Potter books to their Christian audiences. This is the very disastrous effect of having wolves guard the sheep [and worse pretending to minister and protect the sheep] and the sheep (Christians) are being discouraged, disheartened and devoured both spiritually and physically (financially) because of this deliberate, diabolical system enacted and entrenched by diabolical men. [article link]

Veritas Evangelical Seminary: UPCOMING ANNUAL VES APOLOGETICS CONFERENCE!! 11/05/10 - 11/06/10 - VES Annual Apologetics Conference (Calvary Chapel - Costa Mesa, CA) {Note: Previously the VES Apologetics Conferences had an admission fee (about $40) but now in some cases the fee seems to have been dropped, because it must be very difficult to lure young potential students into a diabolical Veritas Seminary system by both lying to them and charging them money for the introduction the (VES) sales pitch [aka VES Apologetics Conference] so apparently something had to be dropped and it was the fee that was dropped while the phony Apologetics show remains in yet more attempts to attract young unsuspecting students to Norman Geisler's fraudulent VES school.}
11/05/10 - 11/06/10 Speakers: Joel Rosenberg (Israel, Middle East, and the Last Days), Lee Strobel (The Case for Christ), *Norman Geisler (Responding to the New Atheism & If God, Why Evil?), Ron Rhodes (Answering Brian McLaren and the 'The New Kind of Christian') William Dembski (The Theological Case for Intelligent Design & The Scientific Case for Intelligent Design), Stephen Meyer (Signature in the Cell: DNA Evidence for Design), *Ergun Caner (The Secret of Islam), Steven Collins (Archaeology Confirms the Bible). ... 05/06/11 - 05/07/11 - VES Apologetics Conference (Mt. Airy, MD) (Calvary Chapel) [Note: all or almost all of the VES Conference are hosted exclusively at various Calvary Chapel affiliated Churches - even though the Calvary Chapel name is not always used by VES in order for VES to give an appearance of a wider scale of acceptance of their agenda.] Speakers: *Norman Geisler (2 Lectures - From Evangelical to Agnostic: The Error's of Bart Ehrman & Pluralism: Is Jesus the Only Way to God), Ron Rhodes (2 Lectures - Responding to Brian McLaren and the 'New Kind of Christian' & 10 Keys to Answering Cultists at Your Door), Ed Hindson (2 Lectures), *Ergun Caner (2 Lectures - Why I Am Not a Muslim & The Secret of Islam), Joseph Holden (1 Lecture - Archaeology and the Bible: What the Stones Tell Us About the Reliability of Scripture). [article link]

It Takes a Long Time to Clean Up [Internet] Falsehoods - The Internet is such a huge "place" - It takes forever to clean up evidences of your past---if you are trying to do that, anyway - I was just referred to this (2005) press release on Ergun Caner's own website (better click fast, it will be gone before long!) - Note this further example of the mysterious "misstatement" that Ergun Caner seemed to be making over and over and over again for years on end {Note: ***Ergun Caner is going around preaching a 100% Emergent Church doctrine, principles and theology i.e. "God = Love" actually "God = God" and love, patience, faithfulness, justice, longsuffering, faithfulness, etc. are all Attributes of God. - Also Note: It is Dr. Norman Geisler (Veritas Evangelical Seminary) [one of Ergun Caner's biggest supporters and a mentor] that is going around from Church to Church doing "Apologetics Conferences" with Ergun Caner (also one of Geisler's Veritas Seminary instructors) as Geisler pretends to be informing Christians and preaching against the Gnostic Emergent Church Movement that is currently infiltrating Evangelical Christianity on a massive scale all the while Dr. Norman Geisler is forwarding, promoting and covering for Emergent Church prompter Ergun Caner. -- July 31, 2010 Calvary Chapel Downey - Apologetics Conference Speakers: Norman Geisler, "Understanding and Answering the Emergent Church" - Ergun Caner, "5 Reasons Why I am not a Muslim" Source: www.cccsdowney.org/high-school/monthly-letter/}
Ex-Muslim to lead at Liberty U. By Bob Lowry ASSOCIATED PRESS LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The new dean of the Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University theological seminary is a former Sunni Muslim who plans to turn out a hipper generation of graduates by relating to them with lyrics from rapper 50 Cent, TV's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and the latest movies and film stars. Ergun Mehmet Caner cracks one-liners as easily as he quotes a Bible verse. Lecturing to a packed auditorium of 450 students, Mr. Caner mixed religion with jokes to keep his students on their toes in a late afternoon theology class. He asked his students which popular actors they would marry "if she or he was a Christian." Their answers brought howls of laughter from the classroom. "In a given lecture, I'll talk about 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,' C.S. Lewis, 'Plato's Cave' and some lyrics by 50 Cent," Mr. Caner said of some subjects one normally wouldn't associate with Mr. Falwell's university. Mr. Caner sees it as a way to connect with his young audiences. "Most college students lose attention every seven minutes and with that, it's important to have that humor to bring us back in and teach us more," said Travis Bush, a junior from Rocky Mount, N.C., in Mr. Caner's class. "He's the best professor here. With the humor, it keeps us interested." Mr. Caner, 39, said he wants a different approach for a new generation of Liberty students, whom he dubs "tecumenicals." "I call them techies because, on one hand, they were raised with e-mail" he says. "And yet they are so ecumenical. This generation is different. They've been there, seen it and done it. They're looking for some *authentic passion that's got a pulse and that sweats. "The point is I'll use anything at my disposal. I'm not hiding from culture and I don't boycott culture. If I'm turning out students who say 'What's that dot on your head for?' That's ignorance. Or, 'Why'd you wear your laundry on the top of your head?' That's ignorance." Mr. Caner takes over as dean of the seminary in July after only two years at the 8,000-student school. The shaven-headed, goateed Mr. Caner [Proven False], whose family emigrated from Turkey [Sweeden] to Toledo, Ohio, when he was a teenager [two years old] ... Boyd Rist, Liberty's vice president for academic affairs, said Mr. Caner was the clear choice for the job after the former dean left for the presidency of another school. As for Mr. Caner's Muslim background, Mr. Rist said Mr. Falwell [Sr.] doesn't mind doing the unexpected at the school he founded in his hometown in 1971. Copyright 2005 News World Communications, Inc. Source: www.erguncaner.com/home/press/documents/ap_04152005.pdf [article link]

APOLOGETICS CONFERENCE - SATURDAY, JULY 31, 8:00AM - 5:00PM - You won't want to miss this all day conference featuring some of the best Apologists in Christianity [Dr. Norman Geisler, Ergun Caner] who will be responding to some critical issues confronting the church today - See bullentin insert {Note: It will be interesting to see if Calvary Chapel will withdraw Dr. Norman Geisler and Ergun Caner from participation in this Church event and begin to put an end to this obvious charade, hoax and falsehood that is taking place or if Calvary Chapel will continue on in its business as usual manner and continue to be a part of the Caner [Ergun and Emir] cover-up, deceit and lies that are now openly taking place within Christianity.}
Apologetics Conference: Calvary Chapel Downey is hosting an Apologetics Conference on Sat., July 31. Come out and glean from some excellent speakers: *Norman Geisler, "Understanding and Answering the Emergent Church"; Paul Copan, "Responding to Relativism with Absolutes"; Ron Rhodes, "The Reliability of the New Testament"; *Ergun Caner, "5 Reasons Why I am not a Muslim"; Doug Geivett, "If God, Why Evil?"; William Dembski, "The Scientific Case for Intelligent Design"; and Patty Tunnicliffe, "Oprah Winfrey". For cost and detailed information, contact CC Downey's Church office [Source: www.cccsdowney.org/high-school/monthly-letter/]. -- Dr. Norman Geisler's Speaking Schedule - July 31, [2010] Calvary Chapel (Downey, CA), Apologetics Conference [Source: www.normangeisler.net/schedule2.html] [article link]

New Southern California Seminary Founded by Norman Geisler and Joseph Holden in MURRIETA, California - Veritas Seminary is planning their first annual apologetics conference for November 6-7 [2009], featuring lectures by distinguished pastors and apologists including Ravi Zacharias, *Norman Geisler, *Chuck Smith [Sr.], *Ergun Caner [LU], Lee Strobell, Ron Rhodes, Greg Koukl and others
MURRIETA, Calif., April 9 [2009]/Christian Newswire/ -- Former Dean and President of Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES), Norman Geisler, has founded Veritas Evangelical Seminary in Murrieta, California, with co-founder and former SES student, Joseph Holden, who now serves as the seminary's first president. The founding of the institution has added a classically oriented apologetic curriculum with a strong emphasis on biblical inerrancy to the southern California area that hosts other larger universities such as Biola University, Fuller Seminary, and Azusa Pacific University. The Veritas faculty consists of well-known evangelical scholars and authors such as Randall Price, H. Wayne House, *Ergun Caner, Gary Habermas, Thomas Ice, Ron Rhodes, Arnold Fruchtenbaum and others. -- When asked of the need for such a unique seminary President Holden said, 'I see Veritas Seminary as an answer to the rapid slide away from the classical doctrines of Christianity such as the inerrancy of Scripture, the immutable and timelessly eternal nature of God, and the need to proclaim the gospel to a lost and searching world. In large part this is due to the influence of postmodernism on the thinking on some faculty and students. No longer can we take it for granted that one's church or school will hold fast to these cherished beliefs. Thus, our focus is not on the academic degree or credential one will earn, the stakes are much higher today, it is on the equipping of the Body of Christ and personal transformation by the Holy Spirit. What is needed today is an academic reformation and spiritual revival.' Since it's founding in March 2009, Veritas Seminary has experienced unprecedented support and enrollment by students and faculty seeking a safe learning environment. Holden said, 'The seminary's first course, Introduction to Apologetics, was taught by Dr. Geisler to a nearly full classroom of students from diverse backgrounds, all seeking a safe haven from the ideologies that are driving the shift away from sound doctrine.' Veritas Seminary is planning their first annual apologetics conference for November 6-7, featuring lectures by distinguished pastors and apologists including Ravi Zacharias, Norman Geisler, Chuck Smith, Ergun Caner, Lee Strobell, Ron Rhodes, Greg Koukl and others. For more information concerning Veritas Evangelical Seminary visit www.VeritasSeminary.com [article link]

Calvary Chapel Bible College located in Murrieta California [since about 1996] - Calvary Chapel Bible College is affiliated with Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa where Chuck Smith [Sr.] is the pastor - All members of the Bible College staff are employees and ministers of Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, under the direction of Pastor Chuck Smith and Associate Pastor Brian Brodersen [Note: associate pastor Brian Brodersen is just Chuck Smith's son in law.]
Affiliation: Calvary Chapel Bible College is affiliated with Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa where Chuck Smith is the pastor. All members of the Bible College staff are employees and ministers of Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, under the direction of Pastor Chuck Smith and Associate Pastor Brian Brodersen. -- Letter From The President: God is moving mightily by His Holy Spirit in this generation and we praise Him for His mighty works. As a part of what God is doing by His Spirit worldwide, He has raised up the Calvary Chapel ministries to help feed His people with His Word. At Calvary Chapel Bible College, men and women from all over the world gather together in the beautiful Murrieta Hot Springs oasis of Southern California to study the Word of God with Calvary Chapel pastors. May God bless you richly with His abundant love. Pastor Chuck Smith, President -- As the Vice President of the Bible College, Pastor Brian Brodersen works closely with Pastor Chuck and the Bible College Director, Pastor David Shirley to shape the vision of CCBC. Brian has been involved in pastoral ministry for over 20 years. He has served as Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Vista in Southern California, and also as Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Westminster in London, England. Brian has been extensively involved in missionary work throughout various parts of Europe. Brian is the featured speaker on the Bible teaching program 'Back to Basics' as well as the co-host of the live call-in program 'Pastor's Perspective.' Pastor Brian Brodersen, Vice President. [article link]

Greg Laurie [Harvest Crusade] Connects Purpose Driven [Rick Warren] to a Move of God - Gives Financial Support - In addition to Greg Laurie's letter to pastors regarding Rick Warren and Bill Hybels, Lighthouse Trails has also learned that Laurie is also helping to finance Warren's September [2008] event in New York - Lighthouse Trails contacted the New York City Leadership group this past week after we learned that Laurie's name was on their website showing him to be a sponsor - The New York City office said that this sponsorship is in the way of financial support and is for Rick Warren's September conference - This coming November [2008] Greg Laurie will present "Preach the Word" a conference for Pastors and Leaders - Those joining him will include Alistair Begg, Chuck Smith, and John MacArthur - Perhaps these three men can help Greg Laurie remember the simple and true faith he found so many years ago {Note: The hidden danger in donating to marginal ministries like Greg Laurie's Harvest Crusade is that some of the finances are then directly used [as a result of compromise and consensus building techniques] in some of the very ministries [purpose driven and emergent church events] that reject sound Biblical doctrine.}
On May 6th, [2008] Greg Laurie, pastor of mega-church Harvest Christian Fellowship wrote a letter to pastors and church leaders in the New York region, announcing his Harvest Crusade 2008 in New York City on October 19th. This letter to pastors and leaders is causing confusion among some because of its content, and this Lighthouse Trails report will examine this issue. Greg Laurie is best known as a Calvary Chapel pastor. His church is listed on the Calvary Chapel website, and Laurie often speaks at Calvary Chapel functions. And it is Laurie's connection with Calvary Chapel that presents a great dilemma. Two years ago, in May of 2006, Calvary Chapel issued a "Parson to Parson" letter, in which a statement was made against the emerging church and contemplative spirituality. The following month, at the 2006 Senior Pastor's Conference, Calvary Chapel founder and pastor, Chuck Smith, told the senior pastors that Calvary Chapel as a whole was rejecting various movements and practices that have been taking place within the Christian church at large as well as in some Calvary Chapel churches. According to a number of pastors in attendance, who afterwards spoke with Lighthouse Trails, Smith asked that those Calvary Chapel pastors who were going in the direction of the emerging church would no longer call themselves Calvary Chapel churches. One week later, Calvary Chapel instructed its distribution center to immediately remove all of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life books from its center. The statement read: "The teaching and positions of Rick Warren have come into conflict with us at Calvary Chapel. Pastor Chuck has directed us to discontinue this product effective immediately." ... And now this brings us to the unpleasant task of reporting that Greg Laurie is giving a strong promotion of Rick Warren and Bill Hybels, which means he is indirectly promoting contemplative and emerging (which we will explain later in this article), and directly promoting Purpose Driven. And unfortunately, there is a twist to this story. In Laurie's May 2008 letter to pastors and leaders, Laurie talks about his upcoming crusade in New York City, saying, in reference to it, "God is on the move." He then states that "[t]his move is also seen in the formation of the New York City Leadership group. Under their direction, a community-wide 40 Days of Purpose campaign with Pastor Rick Warren has been launched, and the significant services of Bill Hybels' Leadership Summit conferences are also being organized to strengthen the local church." ... This report will obviously be disheartening to many Calvary Chapel pastors and church goers who have believed that their movement was going to press forward into the future without these un-biblical movements. Laurie's current promotion and financial backing of Rick Warren will cause many to wonder just which direction the Calvary Chapel movement will really end up going. ... This coming November Greg Laurie will present "Preach the Word," a conference for Pastors and Leaders. Those joining him will include Alistair Begg, Chuck Smith, and John MacArthur. Perhaps these three men can help Greg Laurie remember the simple and true faith he found so many years ago. [article link]

JIM WALLIS ADMITS TO SOROS FUNDING - George Soros, one of the leading billionaire leftists - he has financed groups promoting abortion, atheism, same-sex marriage, and gargantuan government - bankrolled Sojourners with a $200,000 grant in 2004 - Since then Sojourners has received at least two more grants from Soros organizations - In a Patheos interview, Wallis suggested that Olasky was lying "No, we don't receive money from Soros" - And now it seems Wallis has done an about face - Wallis released a statement through a spokesperson to Patheos - I should have declined to comment until I was able to review the blog post in question and consulted with our staff on the details of our funding over the past several years [The Reverend Jim Wallis is an evangelical Christian writer and political activist, best known as the founder and editor of Sojourners magazine, and of the Washington, D.C. based Christian community of the same name - Wallis actively eschews political labels, but his advocacy tends to focus on issues of peace and social justice, earning him his primary support from the religious left - Wiki.com]
George Soros, one of the leading billionaire leftists - he has financed groups promoting abortion, atheism, same-sex marriage, and gargantuan government - bankrolled Sojourners with a $200,000 grant in 2004. A year later, here's how Jim rebutted a criticism of "religious progressives" for being allied with Soros and MoveOn.org: "I know of no connections to those liberal funds and groups that are as direct as the Religious Right's ties to right-wing funders." Since then Sojourners has received at least two more grants from Soros organizations. Sojourners revenues have more than tripled-from $1,601,171 in 2001-2002 to $5,283,650 in 2008-2009-as secular leftists have learned to use the religious left to elect Obama and others. However, apparently Jim Wallis took exception to this: In a Patheos interview, Wallis suggested that Olasky was lying. "It's not hyperbole or overstatement to say that Glenn Beck lies for a living. I'm sad to see Marvin Olasky doing the same thing. No, we don't receive money from Soros. Given the financial crisis of nonprofits, maybe Marvin should call Soros and ask him to send us money. Then it gets worse for Wallis: Jay Richards of National Review and Olasky responded to Wallis. Here's Olasky again: Want to see for yourself what someone apparently did not want you to see? Click here to download the PDF, go to page 225, and you'll see the grant to Sojourners. And now it seems Wallis has done an about face: Wallis released a statement through a spokesperson to Patheos. I should have declined to comment until I was able to review the blog post in question and consulted with our staff on the details of our funding over the past several years. Instead, I answered in the spirit of the accusation and did not recall the details of our funding. You can read this CT piece by Sarah Pulliam Bailey right here. [article link]

Part 6 - 9-11-2001 - A Pact with the Devil
What is generaly being taught [Tithing, Dominion Now, New Apostolic Reformation, Inner Sanctuary, The Secret, New Age - Emergent Church, etc.] in Churches throughout America since the fateful day of 9-11-2001 is radically different from the [Bible Study, Devotions, Prayer, Fellowship, Holiness, Righteousness, Truth, Eternity, Reality, Life in Jesus Christ] that was generally being preached before 9-11-2001. The events of 9-11-2001 are highly debatable yet one diabolical aspect of 9-11-2001 remains and that is that the events of that day were a deliberate Occult [Chaos] offering to Satan. Not surprisingly it now seems that many leaders in the Christian Church have joined in [or had previous knowledge of a pending, disastrous event that was to befall America] - joined in on the secret plan to disable the Christian Church and deliver America over to a united [occult] NWO world government. [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Mike MacIntosh "a Ground Zero Chaplain" - the senior pastor of Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego, California a Calvary Chapel affiliate - [Book] (2002) When Your World Falls Apart: Life Lessons from a Ground Zero Chaplain by Mike MacIntosh, Foreward by Anne Graham Lotz {Wow! 9-11 books and bracelets - some Calvary Chapel pastors seemed to see 9-11 as an opportunity to make some quick money. No wonder Calvary Chapel Pastors don't investigate [or even publically talk about] the possible NYC 9-11-2001 events because it seems in their best interest (best income opportunities) to go along with the official 9-11 version of events.}
Mike MacIntosh (born 1944) is the senior pastor of Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego, California, and is a Christian leader in the United States. MacIntosh left the hippie scene of the 1960s and got involved with Calvary Chapel. He then went on to pastor Horizon Christian Fellowship, a Calvary Chapel affiliate, beginning in 1974. He is also the organizer of Festival of Life, an international evangelical outreach program. MacIntosh has also served as a chaplain for the San Diego Police Department, and has been involved in post-9/11 rescue efforts in New York City, as documented in his book When Your World Falls Apart. [When Your World Falls Apart (2002): Life Lessons from a Ground Zero Chaplain by Mike MacIntosh, Foreward by Anne Graham Lotz - Amazon.com] -- An Unofficial Associate Pastor: An example of this is Calvary of Albuquerque [pastor Skip Hietzig] where Skip's wife, Lenya, functioned almost as a pastor for women. Her "9-11 bracelet" idea [was it her idea alone or was it a 'think tank' religion idea being passed along through Lenya Hietzig?] ended up costing the church hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory write-offs. - Source: http://calvarychapel.pbworks.com/pastors-wife [article link]

Part 7 - Perilous Days
The days are perilous and becoming more so not because mankind is becoming more and more wicked but because mankind is becoming more and more neglectful and forgetful of the plans, personality and reality of who God really is. The worst of the problem is that it is within the Church that God is being the most neglected and the most misrepresented. [article link]

As it was in the Days of Noah - The time leading up to the Great Flood was a lot like our time in that it was characterized by a deliberate and increasing disregard for the ways of God -- "Matthew 24:37-39 But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man [Jesus] be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe (Noah) entered into the ark, And [they] knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."
As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man (Matt 24:37). The time leading up to the Great Flood was a lot like our time in that it was characterized by a deliberate and increasing disregard for the ways of God. Finally "the Lord saw how great man's wickedness on earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time" (Gen. 6:5). ... the sequence of events suddenly became so obvious to me. Enoch was taken alive from earth and the Holy Spirit was withdrawn. Then in Gen. 6:5 man's behavior is described as having become unbearably wicked and in Gen. 7 the judgement came, in that order. Enoch's name means teaching and according to Jude 14-15 he gave the first prophecy of the 2nd coming. ... If Enoch is indeed a model of the church and if the Lord's prophecy of Matt 24:37 includes the sequence of events, as seems likely, then one day soon we will be taken alive (raptured) from earth, the Holy Spirit withdrawn. Man's behavior will become unbearably wicked and the judgement will come, all in that order. As it was in the days of Noah. Selah. [article link]

Part 8 - Hidden Agendas
The perilous days [neglect of the plans of God] are being brought to us directly from the pulpits of America as the preachers in America are conforming to and confirming the preaching of the hidden messages and hidden agendas of the world. Messages and agendas that are secretly intended to disassociate mankind from a true relationship with God and once disassociated to then falsely unite mankind within any of the many false religions of today. [article link]

Holiness.mp3 the #1 Download from Basic Christian for 2010 (Mp3)
Christian music with message compilations. [article link]

Part 9 - A False Hope
Along with the false religions both ancient and new, comes a false hope. It is a false hope to think that financing the lifestyle of an individual is actually furthering the Kingdom of God on earth. It is a false hope to think that to exalt one man or woman above another is to further the Kingdom of God on earth. It is a false hope to think that anything apart from Jesus Christ Himself is furthering the Kingdom of God on earth. [article link]

Jesus came to seek the lost Hallelujah! - Pace, be Still [Jesus calms the storms] - Know that Jesus is God - [he-came.mp3] (Mp3)
Christian music with message compilations. [article link]

Part 10 - Conclusion: The Real Hope - Jesus Christ
On November 5-6, 2010 Dr. Norman Geisler, Ergun Caner and several others will enter the Church sanctuary of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa (located in Santa Anna) CA, not to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ but to continue the lies; to deceive, manipulate and control the assembled people into a prearranged pseudo religion. A pseudo man-made, man-exalting religion that seeks to serve God less and man more. The host, Pastor Chuck Smith likes to play the role of a mature Christian yet he never seems to actually do anything that is emotionally Christian mature and instead compromises in the immature nature of prestige and adoration all the while neglecting a true Christian commitment to real Christian values and real Christian integrity. - The choice is clear and is becoming clearer each day and that is that Christians can continue to go down this path of lies and deceit being led by one of the many willing participants like Pastor Chuck Smith or Christians can seek God in our own devotions to God and find God on our own or in small fellowships born of everlasting truth, righteousness and accountability. -- "Isaiah 5:13-25 Therefore My people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth [in the mishaps of others], shall descend into it. And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: **But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is Holy shall be sanctified in righteousness. Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat. Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: *That [mockers] say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it! Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: *Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the Law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against His people, and He hath stretched forth His hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. [Though] For all this His anger [God] is not turned away, but His Hand is stretched out [in a relationship with mankind] still." [article link]

Conclusion - The Vagabond Priesthood (i.e. Emerging Church): Definitions of the Vagabond Priesthood -- "Acts 19:13-17 Then (1)certain of the vagabond Jews, (2)exorcists, took upon them [themselves] to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you (3)by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests [lit. the Vagabond High Priest], which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and (4)overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. (5)And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified."
1. The Vagabond Priesthood was a vagrant, wandering sect of pseudo Judaism attempting to Merchandise their minimal knowledge and abilities to the local populations. 2. Good intentions are a part of the Vagabond Priesthood in that its practitioners are generally out to perform a service (exorcism) for the good of mankind. Note: both good works and money were a motivating factor but money and reputation surpassed the works of good intentions. 3. Plagiarism and borrowing from other religions (i.e. New Age Religions, Cults) is a common and acceptable practice within the Vagabond Priesthood. 4. Ultimately the Vagabond Priesthood not being grounded in either reality or in Biblical Truth the Vagabond Priesthood is a powerless priesthood. 5. The Vagabond Priesthood being a pseudo and powerless priesthood is a contrary [don't do what they do] witness to mankind. [article link]

Conclusion - Return of the Scapegoat: The return of the scapegoat brought with it the omen of great destruction for the city of Jerusalem (Luke 23:28)
In reading the Bible most people are generally left with the impression that something is missing, something in a deep dark burden is being left untold by the early Church Apostles and too often many people conclude that the untold secret of the New Testament is that Christianity and the resurrection of Jesus is untrue however the Resurrection of Jesus is true; it is as true as life, light, truth and liberty. Seemingly following on the Old Testament tradition (Leviticus 16:9 - a possible return of the scapegoat is not mentioned - mentioning the return of the scapegoat is too disastrous to contemplate) the 'deep dark secret' of the New Testament was that the scapegoat (Barabbas) had returned to Jerusalem, foretelling of the coming 70 A.D. destruction of Jerusalem. Barabbas was released from his sentence of crucifixion (Matthew 27:26) while Jesus and the other two prisoners were then executed. Seemingly Barabbas [probably also of the Tribe of Judah and a direct descendant of King Solomon - his followers felt Barabbas could overthrow Rome and reestablish the throne of Solomon in Jerusalem (Mark 15:7, Luke 23:19)]. Barabbas probably not the wisest person on the streets of Jerusalem thought his momentary pardon from Herod was good for the rest of his life and quickly returned (days later) to Jerusalem where he would be quickly recognized now by nearly everyone and instantly arrested by Roman soldiers. Rome having just crucified the innocent Jesus in the place of Barabbas then might have crucified Barabbas in a similar (but not nearly as severe as Jesus) manner (crown of thorns, mocking, beating, spear in the side) as Jesus had been recently crucified. The followers of Barabbas also having great hope in Barabbas received his body and might have thought that he too would resurrect as it was being told that Jesus had resurrected. Barabbas unable to resurrect could possibly be the image and the blood belonging to the mysterious Shroud of Turin. The Apostles of the Early Church grappled with the knowledge and with the burden of the knowledge that Barabbas (the scapegoat) had returned to Jerusalem and of the knowledge of the then pending destruction of the city of Jerusalem. Underwritten in every N.T. epistle is the idea that yeah the Church has various problems but there is this bigger mostly unmentionable [Hebrews 8:13 - Apostle Paul mentioned that the Temple was about to pass away] pending destruction of Jerusalem problem that the early Church didn't really know how to deal with until Paul was given evangelical insight and later (after the destruction of Jerusalem) and the giving of Revelation to the Apostle John [Note: Mary the mother of Jesus and the Disciple John were both present at the crucifixion events (John 19:25) and were probably both also present in the crowd when Barabbas was released over Jesus]. -- "Revelation 11:13-14 And {because Antichrist (scapegoat) policy is taking effect in Jerusalem} the same hour [after the two witnesses have been killed and ascend up into heaven] was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city [Jerusalem] fell [is destroyed], and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of Heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly." [article link]

Conclusion - Day of Atonement Scenario {Note: Dating a possible End Time scenario - a rapture occurring in 2012 would put the Blood Moon scenario on track at 3½ years later in the Mid-Tribulation [revealing of the Antichrist] in 2015. Also Note: The original Basic Christian: Royal Priesthood article (about 2002) was intended to include the concept that a 'voluntary' individual freewill offering (Leviticus 7:16-17) i.e. the cross of Jesus Christ - a freewill offering could only be offered for two days and the unused portion was to be consumed in fire the third day -- seemingly it would put an expiration date on the sacrifice of Jesus at 2033 - meaning all Christian Church activity would be concluded by 2033 A.D. - Though it is pure speculation and I don't now consider it as important as a concept as I once did I still intend to update the Royal Priesthood article [in about 2011] with the concept just to tie together some loose ends regarding Church theology. Remember: That 2012 is the 2,000 year anniversary of Jesus [revealing His ministry] entering the Temple (Luke 2:41-49) as a child and teaching in the Temple in Jerusalem.}
A possible End Time scenario could look like this - The Christian Church is raptured on the Feast of Trumpets then 10 days later [after political intrigue] on the Day of Atonement {Jesus has already atoned for the sins of the world} steps are taken in a global kingdom as one man [the return of the scapegoat] is initiated in a global governance position and signs a covenant of protection (Daniel 9:27) with the Nation of Israel - A position that 3½ years later will reveal the Antichrist and breaking the Covenant with Israel will user in the Great Tribulation - The Time of Jacob's Distress -- "Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it." [article link]

The Blood Moon Scenario (Revelation 6:12) - tracking solar and lunar eclipses and comparing them with Levitical Feasts
In the spring of 2015 Israel's religious year will begin with a total solar eclipse, followed two weeks later a total lunar eclipse on Passover. And then six months later the sequence will repeat itself with a second solar eclipse on Rosh Hashanna followed two weeks after that by another total lunar eclipse on the Feast of Tabernacles, all in 2015. The last time anything like this happened was in 1967, when Jerusalem became an undivided Jewish city again, and before that there were several occurrences during the years of 1948-50, as Israel was becoming a nation. There were none at all in the 1800's, 1700's, or 1600's, and none in the 1500's that coincided with Feast Days. ... If these earlier Blood Moons did in fact announce the re-birth of the nation and the reunification of Jerusalem as it appears, then the next major step in Israels' journey toward the Kingdom is their national reunion with their Creator. This is the way Ezekiel saw it happening, and in my view is important enough to God to merit such a celestial announcement. After all He's been waiting to take them back for 2000 years. [article link]

Observing Yom Kippur By Debbie Schlussel - Tonight [Friday], the Jewish fast day of Yom Kippur begins (and ends on Saturday Night) - It's a day of atonement for our sins and a day full of prayer to *G-d, asking for forgiveness and a good year - *Religious Jews use dashes in the word "G-d" and do not write it out completely out of respect for Him and the wish not to write the name in vain
Yom Kippur is one of the holiest Jewish holidays, at the end of which we believe our fate for the next year is "sealed" by G-d. We believe that on Rosh HaShanah, that fate is written by Him, and on Yom Kippur, he issues his final Judgment. This is Judgment Day. On Yom Kippur, we fast and pray for about 25 hours to ask G-d for a good year. Before the fast, we eat a big, sumptuous meal, which expands the stomach and makes the fast more difficult. During the holiday, there are strict prohibitions: no food, drink, shower, TV/radio, phone, etc. the whole day, which is mostly spent at synagogue. The idea is that you are removing yourself from worldly concerns and focusing on spiritual ones, most importantly repentance for your sins. We also don't wear leather shoes, as back in the day, those were a luxury of the wealthy, and the holiday is not about ostentatious displays, but about humble requests before G-d. It starts just before sundown, tonight, and ends after dark tomorrow (Saturday) night, with one sound of the shofar (ram's horn-see explanation of shofar here). To my Jewish friends and readers, have an easy fast and a great year. Gmar Chatimah Tovah [May you be finally sealed for good.] [article link]

Yom Kippur 1945, in a camp for Holocaust survivors - The older generation was almost not there - They were the first victims, since they lacked the physical strength to withstand the horrors of the camps - Few children survived - They, too, succumbed quickly - The survivors prayed, remembered, wept and found a little comfort in those tears
After morning prayers, I decided to visit other synagogues and spend some time with other groups. I left the synagogue and walked across the half empty streets. There were many people who remained in the street and refused to attend services. They were angry at G-d. Among them were formerly religious Jews who could not accept the apparent indifference of G-d to the suffering; the torture, and the tragedy they had both witnessed and experienced in their homes and in the camps. They could not reconcile their former beliefs and convictions of an All-Merciful, Almighty Divine Being, with the catastrophe that had struck their communities. They would not pray. When they heard the recitation of the Kaddish, the special prayer of mourners expressing praise of the Lord, they reacted angrily that G-d did not deserve the Kaddish. They were broken in spirit. They could not reconcile recent events to which they were witnesses with the contents of the Hebrew prayers. These Jews roamed the streets. They wanted to express their anger, to show G-d that they defied Him, as he seemed to have abandoned them. Some ate their food on the fast day publicly in the streets, as a gesture of defiance - of revolt. In one of the streets, I saw a large group of people standing in a circle. I approached nearer to find out what was going on. In the middle of the circle stood a seven-year-old girl, embarrassed, perplexed. She could not understand why all these people stood around her. She, of course, could not know that they were surprised to find a Jewish child. So they stood, silently, and just looked at this miracle of a Jewish child in their midst. They could not tear themselves away from this one child who said nothing and to whom nothing was said. They just stood and gaped. A special prayer is normally recited on Yom Kippur for the departed members of one's family. It's called Yizkor, the memorial prayer. As those people looked at the little girl, they remembered their own children, or their younger brothers and sisters, the nephews and nieces who at one time were their pride and joy, and who were no more. Each one of them looked and remembered, recalled the beloved children who were cruelly exterminated. As they remembered, they recited without any words the Yizkor for all those who once were part of their lives and now were gone forever. This was a silent, most moving Yizkor, without words, without prayer books, recited in that street in Landsberg, by a group of Jewish survivors, watching a bewildered little Jewish girl. It was the most moving, most eloquent, most heartfelt, most silent Yizkor I have ever heard. [article link]

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) [Saturday] September 18, 2010 - Jewish Year 5771: sunset September 17, 2010 - nightfall September 18, 2010 -- Sukkot (Feast of Booths - 7 days) - Starting the fifth day after Yom Kippur - sunset [Wednesday] September 22, 2010 - nightfall [Wednesday] September 29, 2010
Yom Kippur is probably the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Many Jews who do not observe any other Jewish custom will refrain from work, fast and/or attend synagogue services on this day. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri. The holiday is instituted at Leviticus 23:26 et seq. The name "Yom Kippur" means "Day of Atonement," and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. It is a day set aside to "afflict the soul," to atone for the sins of the past year. In Days of Awe, I mentioned the "books" in which G-d inscribes all of our names. On Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. This day is, essentially, your last appeal, your last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate your repentance and make amends. As I noted in Days of Awe, Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and G-d, not for sins against another person. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible. That must all be done before Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath; no work can be performed on that day. It is well-known that you are supposed to refrain from eating and drinking (even water) on Yom Kippur. It is a complete, 25-hour fast beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. The Talmud also specifies additional restrictions that are less well-known: washing and bathing, anointing one's body (with cosmetics, deodorants, etc.), wearing leather shoes (Orthodox Jews routinely wear canvas sneakers under their dress clothes on Yom Kippur), and engaging in sexual relations are all prohibited on Yom Kippur. [article link]

The Jewish Feast Day Rosh HaShanah (Feast of Trumpets) Ends Today (Friday) at Sundown - Possibly meaning that there is no Church rapture until at least the next year and the next Feast of Trumpets {I pray for God's continued blessing upon the Jewish people throughout the New Year!}
The next Jewish Feast Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is on Saturday Sept. 18, 2010 also starting at sundown the previous day [Friday the 17th of September 2010]. We will have a lot of material and also a lot of speculation about End Time scenarios regarding the yet to be completed 'Day of Atonement'. The 'Day of Atonement' was initiated and completed regarding sin on the cross of Jesus Christ however if the atonement 'scapegoat' (Leviticus 16:8, Leviticus 16:27-30) were to return to the people it would bring with it extra difficulty (sin) and a prolonged atonement realization process. [article link]

Basic Christian: Jesus Walk 10 Day Timeline Devotion for Easter, Holy Week - The Eight Appointed Holy Feasts of Leviticus Chapter 23 - Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
Feasts Observed on the Seventh month (Tishri) [approx. September - October] Corresponding to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ: Trumpets - "Leviticus 23:23-25 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an Holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD." The offering of fire is likely the Baptism of Fire that the Christian is undergoing since the Flames of Fire upon the heads of the believers occurring at the Feast of Pentecost. The Trumpet is an announcement and in this case it is an announcement for God's people to gather together into one place. For the Church this is very likely fulfilled in the Rapture, the calling by God of His Church into Heaven to be with Him and to escape His coming judgment that is about to come upon the entire world of non-believers. "Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the voice which I heard was as it were of a Trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter." -- Atonement: "Leviticus 23:27-32 Also on the Tenth day of this Seventh month there shall be a day of Atonement." This feast in a large part was completed at the cross of Jesus as Jesus is the Atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. Atonement is the repair the mending of a broken relationship. For a relationship to be repaired there has to be a desire to repair the union and there needs to be an acknowledgment of the wrong that severed the relationship in the first place. It is corresponding to the second coming of Jesus because there is still much to be fulfilled with this particular feast. For starters at the Atonement Feast Leviticus 16:1-34 there are two goats the first goat is sacrificed for the atonement, the removal of sin, because the result of sin is death so only when death occurs is sin satisfied. This sacrifice is a representation of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us. Meanwhile, the second goat called the "scapegoat", the carrier of sins is released far away carrying with it the sins of the people and if that scapegoat never returns then the sins never return and are completely removed and stay away. If the scapegoat does return then all of the sins return with it. It is evident that at the cross of Jesus that a man called Barabbas was the scapegoat, as Barabbas was set free and he was never heard from again. That is until the Antichrist comes because the Antichrist will be carrying the name of "Son of the Father" which translated into Hebrew is "Barabbas" Bar = son and Abba = Father. Unfortunately the scapegoat the carrier of sin "Satan" will be returning one day as he will again be accepted by the people to be their friend and their king and when he does come he will bring with him the sins of the world. Also the Jewish people as a nation have not yet recognized Jesus as the true Messiah and this will happen at the second coming of Jesus so this feast is still partially yet to be fulfilled. -- Tabernacles (tents) - Booths (temporary shelters): "Leviticus 23:34-43 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The Fifteenth day of this Seventh month shall be the feast of Tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. ... That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." The Tabernacle is a Tent a temporary shelter as opposed to a Temple which is a permanent building. The Jewish Temple originally was a Tabernacle a Tent that the Hebrews carried with them and set up during their wilderness journey prior to their entry into the Promise Land of Israel. Once in the Promise Land, the permanent living place the Tent was then replaced in Jerusalem by the permanent Temple made of stone. This is the comparison of our earthy body to our future Spiritual body. Currently we Tabernacle in a Tent body a temporary body made of flesh. Whenever anyone dies their spirit and soul departs this tent and if you are a child of God, God then accepts you into Heaven our Permanent home and we receive our new Temple body, a Spiritual body to match our spirit and our soul. "John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled, 4637)[physically, temporarily stayed among us] among us." It is possible that the Birthday of Jesus occurred on the Feast day of Tabernacles as John in the Gospel of John uses the word Tabernacle to describe Jesus manifesting into our physical earthly realm. [article link]

The Blessed Savior: Barabbas The Scapegoat And Jesus The Perfect Sacrifice - Pilate carried out a "lot" of sorts in deciding between Jesus and Barabbas which one would be set free - Barabbas played the part of the scapegoat and was set free [but did Barabbas the scapegoat return to Jerusalem? and will he [in DNA] eventually return as the Antichrist?] - After the High Priest sent the scapegoat into the wilderness they were to wash themselves - Pilate washed his hands after he let Barabbas go
The fact that Pilate offered the people a choice between Jesus and Barabbas has a much deeper meaning that may not be obvious at first. In order to understand what was going on in verses 15-24 we must go back to the Old Testament book of Leviticus. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says he did not come to destroy the Law or the prophets but rather he came to fulfill them. God was preparing his people in the Old Testament for the coming of Jesus and as such the sacrificial system was getting his people into the mindset that the blood is what makes atonement for sin. Leviticus chapter 16 is the key to understanding why it was necessary for Pilate to offer both Jesus and Barabbas before the people. Jesus had to fulfill God's requirement for atonement. ... Jewish tradition says that a red string was tied around the horns of the scapegoat and after the other goat was killed the string on the scapegoat would turn white. The Talmud says this stopped happening around 30 A.D. which was around the time Jesus was crucified. This was also 40 years before the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. [Talmud Bavli, Yoma 39b "Forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot did not come up in the right hand, nor did the crimson stripe become white, nor did the westernmost light burn; and the doors of the heikhal (the Holy Place of the Temple) opened of their own accord, until Rabbi Yochanon ben Zakkai rebuked them".] According to some sources Barabbas full name was Jesus bar-Abbas which means "Jesus son of the Father". Jesus Christ was the Son of God (John 1:34). Even though Pilate thought Jesus was innocent the crowd wanted Jesus crucified and Barabbas set free. Pilate then washes his hands in front of the crowd and declares he is innocent of the blood of Jesus and for them to see to the crucifixion. Pilate's biggest sin is he condemned Jesus even though he believed him to be innocent. Pilate carried out a "lot" of sorts in deciding between Jesus and Barabbas which one would be set free. Barabbas played the part of the scapegoat and was set free. After the High Priest sent the scapegoat into the wilderness they were to wash themselves. Pilate washed his hands after he let Barabbas go. [article link]

Matthew 27 - After the Communion (Passover) Celebration Jesus and now eleven of His Apostles go to the Mount of Olives while Judas had departed earlier to betray Jesus - Jesus suffers betrayal, arrests, rejection, mockery and finally crucifixion and physical death
The Atonement Sacrifice of Jesus Christ: 'Matthew 27:33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, They [Romans] gave Him (Jesus) vinegar to drink mingled with gall [extreme bitterness]: and when He had tasted thereof, He would not drink [Jesus had said during Communion that the next wine He would drink would be sweet wine in Heaven with His disciples, Jesus had no intention of drinking the bitter cup from Rome and mankind (the myrrh also in the wine revealed it to be Roman wine as adding myrrh to wine was a common Roman practice)] and they crucified Him ...' - 'Romans 5:11 And not only so [we have eternal life], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the atonement.' - The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was the start a part of the fulfillment of the Atonement sacrifice for the Day of Atonement Feast [Leviticus 16:1-34] a Feast that is actually a Fall Feast and will have its complete fulfillment in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. - In corresponding with the Atonement Sacrifice Barabbas is the Scapegoat who was set free while Jesus was the permanent sacrifice offering. In Hebrew Barabbas (Bar = son and Abba = Father) literally means son of the father and is actually a duplicate claim to the true status of Jesus Christ as Jesus is the Son of the Father. Barabbas in name is actually also claiming to be the son of the father therefore claiming to be the replacement of Jesus and Barabbas is actually a type of the Antichrist [anti in Greek is 'instead of' and means replacing] and it is possible even plausible that Barabbas may actually be the Antichrist. - When the scapegoat was released as Barabbas was released the scapegoat was to take with it all the sins of the Nation of Israel and if at any time the scapegoat returned all of the sins of the Nation of Israel returned with it. Jesus Christ is Atonement offering for all the sins of the world and therfore Barabbas as the scapegoat was departing with all the sins of the world. When the scapegoat Barabbas as the Antichrist returns to mankind claiming to be the son of the father instead of Jesus the Antichrist will bring with him all of the sins of the world all of the sins ever committed. Note: The custom of the Roman Governor to release one condemned Jewish prisoner during the Passover was a custom of the Roman Governor playing God saying to the Jews that they think their God will provide Passover life but instead the Governor was showing the people that he believed Rome to be God as Rome could grant life and pass over death so it was actually a mocking gesture from Rome towards the Jews and their customs as the people of God. [article link]

CLONED ANTICHRIST BEAST REVEALED 8/12 - Cloned from blood removed [1978] from the Shroud of Turin [possibly cloned/gene-spliced with Prince Charles sperm and] used to impregnate Princess Diana (married 1981 to Prince Charles 13 years her senior) for the 1982 timed birth [30 in 2012] of Prince William {Princess Diana's son William turning 30 in 2012. The age of 30 is the biblical legal priestly age (before 30 a Levite could only be an assistant priest), both John the Baptist (Levitical and Jesus [Melchizedek Priest]) began their ministries at the legal age of 30 [John's mother and Mary were of the House of David/Judah but John's father was a Levitical Priest (Luke 1:8) a descendant of Aaron from the house of Levi]. Also the London 2012 Olympics the XXX Olympiad (unholy trinity Olympiad) is deliberately timed and placed to be in London in 2012 the birth of the New Age, for a desired Satanic awakening in 2013 [Fox News uses the numer 13 in everything now]. It will also probably come out that Prince Charles is unable to naturally have children as Henry, the younger brother of Prince William is already considered by most not to be the son of Prince Charles but the son of James Hewitt.}[Note: Its possible and probable that Satan quickly realized who his scapegoat was in Barabbas and that Barabbas soon after his Passover release was recaptured by Roman soldiers and quickly crucified as Jesus had just recently been crucified and that Satan would devise a way to keep some of the blood [life] of Barabbas for future End Time use and that the image created on the Shroud of Turin and the blood on the Shroud of Turin are that of Barabbas. The unique image and bloodstained shroud cloth could be of Barabbas and having been kept and passed on by the followers of Barabbas until ultimately it came into the possession of the Crusaders and Knights Templar in about 1300 A.D. The shroud of Turin possibly being a cloth and image of Barnabas it's certainly not the image and blood of Jesus.] (YouTube)
[article link]

foxnews.com: Italian Scientists Reproduces Shroud of Turin - A professor of organic chemistry at the University of Pavia - Garlaschelli made available to Reuters the paper he will deliver and the accompanying comparative photographs - But scientists have thus far been at a loss to explain how the [origional Shroud of Turin] image was left on the cloth
ROME - An Italian scientist says he has reproduced the Shroud of Turin, a feat that he says proves definitively that the linen some Christians revere as Jesus Christ's burial cloth is a medieval fake. The shroud, measuring 14 feet, 4 inches by 3 feet, 7 inches bears the image, eerily reversed like a photographic negative, of a crucified man some believers say is Christ. "We have shown that is possible to reproduce something which has the same characteristics as the Shroud," Luigi Garlaschelli, who is due to illustrate the results at a conference on the para-normal this weekend in northern Italy, said on Monday. A professor of organic chemistry at the University of Pavia, Garlaschelli made available to Reuters the paper he will deliver and the accompanying comparative photographs. The Shroud of Turin shows the back and front of a bearded man with long hair, his arms crossed on his chest, while the entire cloth is marked by what appears to be rivulets of blood from wounds in the wrists, feet and side. Carbon dating tests by laboratories in Oxford, Zurich and Tucson, Arizona in 1988 caused a sensation by dating it from between 1260 and 1390. Sceptics said it was a hoax, possibly made to attract the profitable medieval pilgrimage business. - But scientists have thus far been at a loss to explain how the image was left on the cloth. Garlaschelli reproduced the full-sized shroud using materials and techniques that were available in the middle ages. They placed a linen sheet flat over a volunteer and then rubbed it with a pigment containing traces of acid. A mask was used for the face. PIGMENT, BLOODSTAINS AND SCORCHES: The pigment was then artificially aged by heating the cloth in an oven and washing it, a process which removed it from the surface but left a fuzzy, half-tone image similar to that on the Shroud. He believes the pigment on the original Shroud faded naturally over the centuries. They then added blood stains, burn holes, scorches and water stains to achieve the final effect. The Catholic Church does not claim the Shroud is authentic nor that it is a matter of faith, but says it should be a powerful reminder of Christ's passion. One of Christianity's most disputed relics, it is locked away at Turin Cathedral in Italy and rarely exhibited. It was last on display in 2000 and is due to be shown again next year. Garlaschelli expects people to contest his findings. [article link]

The Shroud Of Turin - The image on the Shroud is uniquely three-dimensional - The life-size image on the cloth is NOT the result of pigment, stain, acid, dye, or any applied material - The image itself is confined to the top-most fibrils of the cloth's fibers - Whatever made the image did not penetrate the fibers of the cloth as all known artistic materials would - The exact way the man was crucified closely matches biblical accounts of Jesus's crucifixion. Among other things, there are 120 lesions, the shape of dumbbells, distributed over the back and running around the front of the body--probably caused by a Roman whip called a flagrum whose thongs were tipped with bits of lead or bone. There is a deep wound on the right side of the body between the ribs which bled profusely (which is what Biblical records indicate happened when a spear was thrust into Christ's side). There are thorn-like marks on the victim's head (possibly from a crown of thorns). And the victim's legs were not broken (which is significant both because Roman-style crucifixions ended with their victim's legs being broken and because the New Testament account of Christ's death indicates that this was a Roman custom which Jesus was spared from) - The beard and hair style of the crucified man were not common anywhere in the Roman Empire except Palestine. The image has semitic features, including sidelocks and a unplaited ponytail
The Shroud Of Turin by David Sunfellow: The Shroud of Turin is one of the most venerated, most remarkable, most mysterious, most thoroughly studied artifacts in the world today. Believed by many to be the actual burial cloth of Christ, the Shroud made its first recorded appearance in 14th century France. Housed in the Italian city of Turin since 1578, renewed interest was generated in 1898 when the first photographs were made of the relic and it was discovered that the image on the Shroud was a photographic negative! How was such an image made? And how does one explain the incredibly life-like details which are remarkably consistent with Biblical accounts of Christ's crucifixion? Historians, pathologists, linguists, biblical scholars, textile experts, chemists, physicists, photographic specialists, artists, botanists, microbiologists and other scientists from around the world have been trying to answer these important questions for decades. Over the centuries, dozens of shrouds--some with images and some without--have surfaced claiming to be the burial cloth of Jesus. In the case of the Shroud of Turin, it has been publicly declared a forgery by both Roman Catholic Church officials and prominent scientists. In 1389 the local bishop of Troyes denounced the Shroud claiming an artist had confessed to forging it. More recently, in 1988, after three different laboratories Carbon-14 dated the Shroud and found it to be some 1200 years younger than it should have been, the Roman Catholic Church announced to the world the results of the test. As word spread that the Shroud of Turin was, after all, a medieval forgery, a firestorm was created in the Shroud community. While scores of Shroud scientists hotly challenged the entire Carbon-14 testing procedure, as well as the test results, lay people around the world had to wrestle with what appeared to be solid scientific proof that the Shroud was a fake. -- So where are things at now? Is the Shroud of Turin authentic, or not? Could a medieval artist, or for that matter, any artist, have forged it? And if the Shroud is an authentic burial cloth from the first century, is the man whose crucified image appears on the Shroud actually that of Jesus Christ? Combining ongoing discoveries about ancient Palestine with cutting-edge scientific analysis, a growing number of scientists (Christian, Jewish, agnostic and otherwise) are coming to the conclusion that the Shroud is indeed the actual burial cloth of Jesus Christ. If this is true, then not only does the Shroud bear witness to the fact that a man named Jesus actually lived and died in ancient Palestine, but it may also present physical proof that some kind of miraculous event took place after his death which caused his image to be imprinted on the Shroud! What's more, we may also be able to learn something about Jesus himself: What his physical characteristics were like, what kind of Jewish traditions he adhered to and rejected, how he, and his body, faced a horribly violent death. -- So what, exactly, do we know about the Shroud of Turin? Here are some of the astonishing findings that modern day science has uncovered so far: The body that appears on the Shroud is naked. Under Roman law, criminals were whipped and executed in the nude. (These are facts that most medieval artists would not have known, or if they had known, would not have dared to publicly reproduce.) The man that appears on the Shroud was crucified with nails driven through his wrists. Although artists throughout the centuries (and even stigmatists) have traditionally thought that Christ was nailed to the cross through his palms, it is now known that crucifixion victims were nailed to crosses through their wrists. This is supported both by archeological digs that discovered crucifixion victims with spike marks on their wrists (not palms) and also by studies that were conducted on corpses which proved that nails in palms will not support the weight of a body. The life-size image on the cloth is NOT the result of pigment, stain, acid, dye, or any applied material. The image itself is confined to the top-most fibrils of the cloth's fibers. Whatever made the image did not penetrate the fibers of the cloth as all known artistic materials would. The image on the Shroud is uniquely three-dimensional. Although most scientists believe that the image was made by the body emitting a burst of energy of some kind (which caused the body's image to be lightly burned onto the Shroud), they have no idea how this could have been done. Efforts to lightly burn images into shroud-like fabrics have all failed to reproduce the extraordinarily delicate, detailed, three-dimensional effect found on the Shroud. The way the image was burned onto the Shroud is also flawlessly accurate in terms of how a body emitting energy would imprint itself on a cloth that was covering it. The image of the Shroud is absolutely accurate in both anatomical and physiological details. The anatomical and physiological details of the Shroud accurately record what would happen to a man who experienced a Roman-style crucifixion (see Robert Bucklin's pathological report at the end of this summary). -- The Shroud is stained by human blood that has run out of the image's wounds. The way the blood flowed, puddled and stained the Shroud are perfectly correct. Unlike the Shroud's image which only appears on the topmost fibrils of fabric, the blood on the Shroud soaked deeply into the fabric. The exact way the man was crucified closely matches biblical accounts of Jesus's crucifixion. Among other things, there are 120 lesions, the shape of dumbbells, distributed over the back and running around the front of the body--probably caused by a Roman whip called a flagrum whose thongs were tipped with bits of lead or bone. There is a deep wound on the right side of the body between the ribs which bled profusely (which is what Biblical records indicate happened when a spear was thrust into Christ's side). There are thorn-like marks on the victim's head (possibly from a crown of thorns). And the victim's legs were not broken (which is significant both because Roman-style crucifixions ended with their victim's legs being broken and because the New Testament account of Christ's death indicates that this was a Roman custom which Jesus was spared from). -- The beard and hair style of the crucified man were not common anywhere in the Roman Empire except Palestine. The image has semitic features, including sidelocks and a unplaited ponytail. The Shroud itself was woven with techniques common to the first century. The Shroud's distinctive weave is so rare that researchers seeking to find a control sample could not find one anywhere in the world. A dirt sample taken from near the Shroud image's feet was identified as a relatively rare form of calcium carbonate. Samples of dirt taken from Jerusalem revealed an unusually close match. This strongly suggests the man pictured on the Shroud was crucified in Palestine. 58 varieties of pollen were discovered on the Shroud. 11 of the pollen samples were from plants that do not exist in Europe, but which do exist in the Near East. The pollen samples also indicated that the fabric of the Shroud had to have been made in Palestine before circulating in Europe. Pollen samples also helped trace the Shroud's route from Palestine through Anatolia and Constantinople into Europe. Furthermore, two of the pollen samples that were discovered on the Shroud coincided with highly distinctive plants found in the region surrounding Jerusalem. The pollen study concluded that the Shroud itself was probably made near Jerusalem and that it had been in the vicinity of the Holy City for some time before being transported out of the area. Images of 28 different types of flowers, small bushes, and thorns have been detected in bunches around the Shroud image. All 28 grow in Israel, either in Jerusalem or in the nearby desert or Dead Sea area. Most of them are not found in Europe. 25 of the 28 flowers matched the pollen samples found on the Shroud. 27 of the 28 plants bloom during March and April, which corresponds to the time of the crucifixion. An image of a coin appears over the right eye of the Shroud image. This coin, a very rare Pontius Pilate lepton struck in 29 to 32 A.D., was not found until 1977. Tests which were conducted in 1993 on a piece of first century fabric similar to the Shroud's now indicate that a fire the Shroud passed through in 1532 corrupted the October 1988 Carbon-14 dates that concluded the Shroud was not authentic. According to these recent tests, which were conducted by scientists at the University of Arizona and Russian scientists in Moscow, the 1988 Carbon-14 dates were some 1200 years in error. This dates the Shroud back to the first or second century. Some historians believe the Shroud of Turin may be The Mandylion, or Edessa Portrait, a holy relic mentioned in some accounts as early as the first century. If this is so, then the Shroud can be traced, through various legends and stories, all the way back to first century Jerusalem. [article link]

ANTICHRIST - PRINCE WILLIAM 2012 - Is Prince Williams the Face on the Shroud of Turin? Is the Image on the Shroud the Antichrist - The Image of the Beast? (YouTube)
This video is intended to be just a "teaser" to the very real possibility that Prince William is the Beast of Revelation. Comments: Of course, his name is Will-I-Am; a play on the words of what God Himself said, "I Am." [article link]

How do you know that there is real blood (and not paint or a stain) on the Shroud of Turin? - 1980 They (Gilbert and Gilbert) concluded that the blood flecks are real blood - Several claims have been made that the blood has been found to be type AB - The blood appears to be so old that the DNA is badly fragmented
Alan Adler was an expert on porphyrins, the types of colored compounds seen in blood, chlorophyll, and many other natural products. He and Dr. John Heller, MD, studied the blood flecks on the STURP sampling tapes [Heller and Adler, Applied Optics 19, (16) 1980]. They converted the heme into its parent porphyrin, and they interpreted the spectra taken of blood spots by Gilbert and Gilbert. They concluded that the blood flecks are real blood. In addition to that, the x-ray-fluorescence spectra taken by STURP showed excess iron in blood areas, as expected for blood. Microchemical tests for proteins were positive in blood areas but not in any other parts of the Shroud. -- Several claims have been made that the blood has been found to be type AB, and claims have been made about DNA testing. We sent blood flecks to the laboratory devoted to the study of ancient blood at the State University of New York. None of these claims could be confirmed. The blood appears to be so old that the DNA is badly fragmented. Dr. Andrew Merriwether at SUNY has said that "… anyone can walk in off the street and amplify DNA from anything. The hard part is not to amplify what you don't want and only amplify what you want (endogenous DNA vs contamination)." It is doubtful that good DNA analyses can be obtained from the Shroud. It is almost certain that the blood spots are blood, but no definitive statements can be made about its nature or provenience, i.e., whether it is male and from the Near East. [article link]

July 08, 2009: British Scientists Claim to Create Human Sperm - British scientists claim they have created human sperm from stem cells. But other experts have questioned their data
LONDON - British scientists claim they have created human sperm from stem cells. But other experts have questioned their data. Researchers at Newcastle University and the NorthEast England Stem Cell Institute say they used a new technique to derive what they described as sperm cells from embryonic stem cells. ... But many other British experts say they are unconvinced by the research. They also say the sperm cells created in the laboratory were clearly abnormal. [article link]

IUC World Exclusive: Prince Charles Not Harry's Real Father - the fact that Diana's ex lover James Hewitt is the Harry's real father - Diana stopped having sex with Charles years before Harry was born - Just the way they killed Diana they'll kill James {Prince Charles might not be able to have children and it's thought that neither son, William or Harry, are direct natural descendants of Charles.}
A longtime employee of Harry's mother Princess Diana told IUC that the Royal Family was involved in a massive coverup to hide the fact that Diana's ex lover James Hewitt is the Harry's real father. According to the source Prince Philip threatened Hewitt's life if he didn't go along with the coverup. "They made him lie about the timeline," the source told IUC. "Prince Philip told Hewitt he would destroy him if it ever leaked out. It's impossible that Charles is Harry's real father. Hewitt was on the scene as Diana's lover two years before Harry was born. Diana stopped having sex with Charles years before Harry was born. Harry looks exactly like Hewitt." -- The massive coverup involved Hewitt lying to the world about when his dalliance actually began with Diana. Originally he told the world he met Diana in 1986. Harry was born in 1984. Under hypnosis for a tv interview Hewitt admitted he met Diana in 1981 or 1982, had sexual relations with her then - some two years before Harry was born. A relative of Hewitt told IUC that privately Hewitt has always believed he's Harry's dad but has denied it in public because he fears for his life. He also wants to protect his son from being dethroned. ... The relative added that this is another example of why the Royal Family should be abolished. "They're the biggest crooks and liars in the world," he said. "All the evidence clearly demonstrates that James is Harry's real father. Just the way they killed Diana they'll kill James. You'll see, one day his body will be found mysteriously in a hotel room and the Royals will try to convince the world that James committed suicide." [article link]

Diana: Charles wanted rid of Camilla - so that he could marry Tiggy! - Princess Diana feared she and Camilla Parker Bowles were to be eliminated in a royal plot, paving the way for the Prince of Wales to marry another woman - But Operation Paget's report also provides startling details of the princess's state of mind as her marriage to Charles disintegrated - It read: 'This particular phase of my life is the most dangerous - my husband is planning "an accident" in my car, brake failure & serious head injury in order to make the path clear for him to marry' -- Comments: The image they created together made her of interest to the public and the media were responding to the that appetite. Without them [press] she would have been nothing more than a royal baby machine {Note: the concept is that a young Diana was used by Prince Charles to provide male children for the throne. Then after their irreconcilable differences Princess Diana was used again to date (seduce) eastern [Islam] men and help pave the way for a global (British) throne for William.}
The extraordinary allegation against the prince is at the heart of the report published yesterday by Lord Stevens into the death of Diana and Dodi Fayed when their chauffeured Mercedes crashed in a Paris underpass. The 832-page report stops short of naming the other woman, but the Daily Mail understands it is Miss Legge-Bourke, who became a surrogate mother to Princes William and Harry after their parents' divorce. The exhaustive £3.6million dossier systematically *demolishes conspiracy theories that Diana and Dodi were murdered in an Establishment conspriacy. *It dismissed claims by Dodi's father, the Harrods tycoon Mohamed Al Fayed, that Diana was pregnant and planning to marry his son. But Operation Paget's report also provides startling details of the princess's state of mind as her marriage to Charles disintegrated. Diana was convinced that he and Tiggy were having an affair and that Charles wanted to marry her. The 'plot' was revealed by the highlyrespected royal lawyer and Labour peer Lord Mishcon. He took a confidential note of Diana's fears when he met her two years before her death in August. A similar claim was made by Diana in a letter sent to her former butler Paul Burrell. It read: 'This particular phase of my life is the most dangerous - my husband is planning "an accident" in my car, brake failure & serious head injury in order to make the path clear for him to marry.' Interviewed by Lord Stevens, Prince Charles said he had no knowledge of Diana's claims until the 'note' was released by Mr Burrell in 2003. 'The Princess of Wales did not speak to him about it,' the report says. 'HRH the Prince of Wales knew the woman named in the note as a family friend. There has never been any possibility of marriage to her.' The Stevens report's main findings were that: there was no conspiracy to kill Diana and Dodi -and no cover-up; Diana was not pregnant; the couple were not engaged; and the princess might have survived the crash had she been wearing a seatbelt. Details of Lord Mishcon's note were given to Lord Stevens three years ago after Mr Burrell published his letter. In it Diana's mention of another woman was widely believed at the time to be a reference to Camilla. However, the Stevens report said: 'This is not so. The Princess of Wales did name a woman in her note. It was not Camilla Parker Bowles.' [article link]

cuttingedge.org: 2012 - Is This The Year When (British) Antichrist Might Arise? - "All right, I have seen enough calculations and discerning facts to convince me: Antichrist will arise from the House of Windsor (British Royalty) - If the timing is soon, Prince Charles will be that man; if the timing is delayed, Prince William will be Antichrist. However, Prince William must turns 30, which is the Jewish minimum age for a man to be a Rabbi. Williams turns 30 on 2012. Since the Illuminati always has a "Plan A" and a "Plan B", this scenario could be very probable
Suddenly, both Christian and New Age leaders are teaching that the year 2012 might be the year in which Antichrist arises. Cutting Edge weighs in on this discussion, with our knowledge of the occult, to conclude that 2012 might, indeed, be the year when the Masonic Messiah comes to the world scene! ... What Is So Special About 2012? This is the year in which the ancient, pagan Mayan Calendar changes to a New Age, an age in which a Messiah is supposed to arise. Listen to the official write-up from a New Age website. ""It is my great honor and privilege as Master Quetzalcoatl to return to Earth in this overt fashion to spearhead so to speak and bring to your attention the I AM University End of the Mayan Calendar and Countdown Project! As you might know, I Am Quetzalcoatl, Grand Master of the Mayan days … You all know that the Mayan calendar as has been channeled and introduced to the Earth in the Ancient Days from Higher Cosmic Sources, ends in the year 2012 - on December 21st at 21:21:59 pm to be precise. This exact date and time marks the Official Ending of the Kali Yuga or Dark Age and the Official Birth of the Age of the Christ / Buddha / Krishna / Mohammed / Moses, and God! It is December 21st 2012 at 22:00 pm which marks the Official Return or Second Coming of the Christ, Imam Mahdi, Buddha Maitreya, Kalki Avatar, Great Tao, and Messiah!" ... The House of Windsor: The time in which a knowledgeable Christian will make a discerning decision regarding the identity of the man who will be Antichrist will be before he is arisen; and, this knowledge beforehand will require Biblical discernment, knowledge of Scripture, and a series of calculations! With this point made to me by a pastor, I bought Antichrist And A Cup of Tea and began to read, albeit still with a high degree of skepticism. About three-fourths of the way through this book, I set it down and said to myself, "All right, I have seen enough calculations and discerning facts to convince me: Antichrist will arise from the House of Windsor. If the timing is soon, Prince Charles will be that man; if the timing is delayed, Prince William will be Antichrist. However, Prince William must turns 30, which is the Jewish minimum age for a man to be a Rabbi. Williams turns 30 on 2012. Since the Illuminati always has a "Plan A" and a "Plan B", this scenario could be very probable. [article link]

Renaissance Radio #6: the New World Order's fake alien invasion set for the 2012 London Olympics (Mp3-Secular)
Renaissance Radio #6: Renaissance Radio is back to talk about Project Blue Beam, Rik Clay's murder, and the New World Order's fake alien invasion set for the 2012 London Olympics. [article link]

Rik Clay - London-Zion-2012 - London the New Jerusalem - The New World Order's fake alien invasion likely being prepared for the 2012 London Olympics [iPaper Book - Right Click and Print] (Book-iPaper-Secular)
Thanks to infowarrior Andrew for compiling the entirety of Rik Clay's research on the New World Order's fake alien invasion likely being prepared for the 2012 London Olympics. Why is it both the Beijing and London Olympic logos can be arranged to form the word "Zion"? What is the plan for Project Bluebeam's top secret holographic technology? Why was Rik Clay killed (quite probably) shortly after releasing all this information on his blog? [article link]

Matthew 28 - The betrayal, rejection, crucifixion and death have all happened to Jesus as man has had his say about the Son of God - Jesus in turn has forgiven mankind for all of our transgressions - Jesus then conquered death as He resurrected from the grave the third day and began His Christian Church - The Old Testament has come to a conclusion and the New Testament has now begun being instituted in the person, life, power and resurrection authority of Jesus Christ -- 'Matthew 28:2-5 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here [dead]: for He is [alive] risen, as He said'
Jesus reveals His eternal life Resurrection to His Disciples instructing them to go throughout the entire world teaching others and baptizing others all in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus confirms that all power and authority in both heaven and earth are His and that therefore the Disciples are to go out into all Nations proclaiming the good news of the eternal life giving Gospel of Jesus Christ! - 'Matthew 28:16-20 Then the eleven disciples went away [from the upper room in Jerusalem] into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they (Disciples) saw Him, they Worshipped Him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.' [article link]

ChristiaNet Forum Discussion: Adventists believe that the scapegoat in Leviticus typifies Satan - The truth is that Jesus became our scapegoat [actually not our scapegoat but our sacrifice] on the cross - He bore the blame for sins he did not commit - Any comments? -- When animals are used as types along with the sanctuary, to be a figure of Christ they must shed blood - There are other scriptures in the Bible which support the scapegoat as satan [antichrist - scenario] - **What most poeple are missing is that before the scapegoat [Antichrist] is addressed, the sin of Israel has already been cleaned and removed [i.e. New Testament (Matthew 26:28, Romans 9:4)], or atoned for by God
When animals are used as types along with the sanctuary, to be a figure of Christ they must shed blood. There are other scriptures in the bible which support the scapegoat as Satan. In Revelation for example: Satan, the beat, false prophet are cast into the fire ALIVE. In genesis, there is the duality of the heel bring bruised, and the head being crushed as Christ and Satan are contrasted. and there are other passages to support that this scapegoat is Satan. What most people are missing is that before the scapegoat is addressed, the sin of Israel has already been cleaned and removed, or atoned for by God.---francis on 4/24/10 ... Lev 16:8-26, R.V., "the goat for Azazel" At a later period a modification of the law of Moses was introduced by the Jews. "The goat was conducted to a mountain named Tzuk. Judean desert was supposed to commence, and the man in whose charge the goat ..while setting him free, was instructed to push the unhappy beast down the slope of the mountain side, which was to insure the death of the goat. The reason of this barbarous custom was that on one occasion the scapegoat returned to Jerusalem after being set free, which was *considered such an evil [end of the world] omen that its recurrence was prevented for the future by the death of the goat" Easton, M. G. "Scapegoat," Easton's Bible Dictionary. Blue Letter Bible. 1897.---Samuel on 4/23/10. ... Story of Jesus and Barabbas, Barabbas = Scapegoat- full of sin yet he was freed (just like the scapegoat in Leviticus) Jesus = sacrifice for SIN - totally sinless and sacrificed for sin. See Matthew 27 where Pontius Pilate asks who they choose to be killed and who they wanted set free.---miche3754 on 4/20/10. ... If this scapegoat is the [supposed] future [co-redeemer] sacrificial lamb, why is not NEVER Sacrificed?---francis on 4/20/10. ... If anyone thinks that the scapegoat is the TRUE LAMB OF GOD then he is mistaken. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sins. The text clearly says ONE goat for the Lord's and the other the scapegoat. Both goats are not for the lord. Blood must be shed to take sins away. There is no other way. That is a fundamental truth that cannot be changed. Our sins can only be atoned for by the shedding of blood. First the atonement is made with THE LORD'S Goat for OUR SINS, then after the atonement is made, and all our sins are wiped away, then and only then is the scapegoat dealt with.---francis on 4/20/10. [article link]

The Scapegoat Dilemma by John P. Pratt an astronomer and computer programmer, specializing in ancient calendars - There are several problems with that interpretation, or at least many questions remain unanswered - For starters, the goat usually represents evil - Christ compared his followers to sheep, but those who did evil to goats (see Mat. 25:32-46) - The scriptures testify that Jesus was the "Lamb of God" (John 1:36; Rev. 5:6, 12), which is consistent with that symbolism - But why would an (evil) goat be used to symbolize Christ [John 3:14 - the brass serpent used by Moses (Numbers 21:9) is a symbol of Jesus only on the cross]? Where does scripture even suggest that He was the "Goat of God" [2 Corinthians 5:21 - Jesus became our sin - a goat]? -- "2 Corinthians 5:21 For He [Father God] hath made Him [temporarily - on the cross - because there was no other way (Matthew 26:39)] to be sin for us, [Jesus] who knew no sin; that we [sinners - goats] might be made [sheep] the righteousness of God in Him."
1.3 The Enigma: There are several problems with that interpretation, or at least many questions remain unanswered. For starters, the goat usually represents evil. Christ compared his followers to sheep, but those who did evil to goats (see Mat. 25:32-46). The scriptures testify that Jesus was the "Lamb of God" (John 1:36; Rev. 5:6, 12), which is consistent with that symbolism. But why would an (evil) goat be used to symbolize Christ? Where does scripture even suggest that He was the "Goat of God"? And even if He is a goat in this case, the other goat (scapegoat) of this pair seems like a much better candidate. After all, he was the one chosen to be "for Jehovah", and he was sacrificed to atone for the sins of mankind, as was Christ. If the scapegoat represents Christ [**standard Christian interpretation is that Jesus is the sacrifice not the scapegoat] who bore all of our sins, then what was the point of the other goat [two goats - two kingdoms in this world - sin that is atoned for (God's Kingdom) and sin that remains (Satan - Antichrist Kingdom)] which was sacrificed to pay for them? Most commentators conclude that both goats represent Christ, but have no compelling explanation for the difference between them. Why were two goats necessary? Both of them were said to atone for or bear mankind's sins. Have there been two people in history who have done that? If so, did the one who is not Christ have any experience similar to that of the scapegoat? The standard answer is that only Christ suffered for our sins, so they must both symbolize Him. But when was it that Christ was led into the uninhabited wilderness to be banished forever? Why is it worth mentioning that the scapegoat was led by an "appointed" (translated "fit" in the KJV) man? Does he represent someone in particular? And if it was Christ he was leading, why was that man "unclean" afterward? Is the additional feature of sending the goat to its death off a cliff into jagged stones a barbaric perversion which reverses the whole concept of freeing the goat, or does it capture the intended symbolism of sending both goats to their death by different means? If the scapegoat was intended to be freed, then why does it get off with no suffering, if it is bearing the sins of all mankind? That certainly doesn't seem to be like Christ, who suffered more than is humanly possible. And if the cliff death is a correct symbolism, or even being exiled, then what does it correspond to in the life of Christ? What is the point of the elaborate ceremony where lots are chosen to determine the fate of each? If two animals are needed for some reason, why not just sacrifice one and let the other one go as was done with birds in the cleansing of a leper (Lev. 14:1-7)? Why have spectators witness the high priest determine which goat was which? Who cares which goat is chosen? Surely the answer has something to do with the fact that one was "for Jehovah (God)" and the other "for Azazel (Satan)", so another question is, what does Azazel really mean? Let us dig deeper to answer all of these questions. ... 2. Barabbas: If this incident was indeed symbolized by the scapegoat ceremony, several questions remain. If the scapegoat represents a false Christ [Antichrist], then what about bearing the weight of the sins of all mankind? And what about being led by an appointed man into the wilderness? We may be on the right track but we need some more answers. ... 4. Conclusion: The results of this investigation suggest that the standard Christian interpretation of the scapegoat as representing Christ is probably in error [**standard Christian interpretation is that Jesus is the sacrifice not the scapegoat]. The more straightforward Hebrew interpretation that Azazel is Satan can be explained in terms of Christian doctrine by the Book of Enoch. In particular, the goat "for Jehovah" is indeed Jesus Christ, who atoned and was sacrificed for all the sins of mankind. But the other goat, the scapegoat "for Azazel," also bears the weight of the sins of all mankind because Satan (Azazel) is ultimately responsible for them all. And he will be punished for them, first by being cast into the bottomless pit, and later by being thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone at the last day. This ceremony teaches these two truths simultaneously. One practical lesson to be learned is that it can be very difficult to judge between the two nearly identical goats, representing Christ and a false Christ. Jesus appeared to the Jews to be a false Christ. They believed He performed His miracles by Satan's power (Luke 11:15) and some may have thought they were doing Jehovah a service by crucifying Him (compare John 16:2). Even though they were fulfilling scriptural prophecy, the Jews chose poorly between Barabbas and Christ. Perhaps next time the choice will be between two lambs instead of two goats (Rev. 13:11). Satan is the great deceiver and can do miracles (Rev. 13:13-15). He disguises himself in sheep's clothing (Mat. 7:15). The Savior warned us not to be deceived by false Christs who will show great signs and wonders, who will, were it possible, deceive the very elect (Mat. 24:24). If we had to choose between two candidates, both of whom claimed to be Christ, to do miracles and to have the power to save us, would we vote for the One who is indeed the true Savior? Would we go along with the screaming crowd and cast our vote against Christ, or would we have the courage to stand against the throng and heed the still, small voice that testifies of the true Son of God? [article link]

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) - "For the life of the flesh is *in the blood [besides oxygen, nutrition, etc. is this also a refrence to DNA?]; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life" Leviticus 17:11 NASB - Next, the High Priest proceeds to the east side of the Alter, where there are two young goats waiting - He took two golden lots and placed them inside a golden box, and shook them. He then pulled one from the box, and held one before each goat's head - On one lot was engraved "For YHWH," and on the other lot was engraved "For azazel" - The one which received the azazel lot was marked with a scarlet thread tied around one of its horns - There is much speculation concerning the word azazel, since it is both the name of a fallen angel in Hebrew, and also implies the concept of escape (PDF)
A week before this day, the High Priest would leave his home, and reside in the Temple itself, in special quarters set apart for this purpose. This was to keep the High Priest away from any unintentional defilement, so he could perform the duties he was required to perform. An alternate was appointed, in case the High Priest were to suddenly become ill, or die, or become unclean. During this week, the High Priest himself performed all the Temple services which were normally performed by the priests within the section assigned to that week. -- On the morning of Yom Kippur, the High Priest would wash himself completely (on other days, he would wash his hands and feet only), and dressed in his normal service linens (purple, with bells hung at the bottom, and the gold breastplate with the twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel). Once this morning service was performed, the High Priest would return to the chambers within the Temple, and being preparing for the afternoon service. He immersed his entire body again, and then put on a new set of white linen garments, identical to the linens the normal priests wore during their performance of the Temple services. The white linen garments he wore on this day were never worn again; they were disposed of at the end of the day. -- The High Priest now returns to the Court of the Priests, where there is a young bull waiting for him. He presses his hands on its head, and confesses his sins. During this confession, the name of God is spoken three times; this name was forbidden to be spoken at any other time during the year. At this point, he is confessing and atoning for his sins. -- Next, the High Priest proceeds to the east side of the Alter, where there are two young goats waiting. He took two golden lots and placed them inside a golden box, and shook them. He then pulled one from the box, and held one before each goat's head. On one lot was engraved "For YHWH," and on the other lot was engraved "For azazel." The one which received the azazel lot was marked with a scarlet thread tied around one of its horns. -- There is much speculation concerning the word azazel, since it is both the name of a fallen angel in Hebrew, and also implies the concept of escape. Thus, the goat which escapes becomes the scapegoat, but it escapes to a demon, where all the sin of Israel is carried. The goat with the scarlet thread was turned to face the congregation, while the other was turned to face the alter. -- The High Priest now returned to the young bullock, and places his hands upon its head a second time. This time he confesses the sins of the priests onto the bullock. He then slaughtered the bullock, and placed some of its blood in a golden bowl. This was given to an attending priest. He then walked up to the alter and took a small scoop of live coals in a censor, and two handfuls of incense, placing them in a golden ladle. With these two, he walked into the Temple, through Holy Place, and into the Holy of Holies. He poured the incense on the censor, and waited until the smoke filled the air. -- Once this was done, he returned and took the golden bowl. With this, he moved back into the Temple, through the Holy Place, and back into the Holy of Holies. He dipped his fingers in the blood seven times, each time sprinkling the blood downward. Again, he dipped his fingers in the blood seven times, sprinkling the blood upwards. He then moved from the Holy of Holies back outside the Temple to the courtyard where the two goats were left standing. He now slaughtered the goat set aside for the Lord, the one which was facing the Alter, and placed it on the Alter to burn, setting aside a golden bowl of its blood. He took this bowl of blood into the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled it fourteen times as well. Now, he moved back to the courtyard and mixed the two bowls of blood together. He sprinkled this mixture on the four corners of the Alter which stood in the courtyard. Finally, the High Priest moved back to the Court of the Priests, where the one goat remains standing. He placed his hands on its head, and confessed the sins of the people onto the goat. The goat was then led out of the Eastern gate, to a distance about 10 miles from the city (camp), where it was released. In the days of the second Temple, the scapegoat wasn't actually released, but was rather pushed off a cliff, so that the goat, carrying the sins of the people, would not accidentally wander into some inhabited place, and bring the sins of Israel with it. The High Priest now passes through the Temple once again, and into the Holy of Holies. This time he removes the censor and ladle used to bring the coals and incense into the Holy of Holies. He then bathes, and changes into his normal priestly clothes, and performs the evening Temple service. -- An interesting aside: They tied a rope around the High Priest's ankle when he went in to the Holy of Holies, in case something happened [in case the High Priest didn't put enough smoke and incense inside the Holy of Holies (Leviticus 16:2, ) before he entered and he accidently saw the glory of God - to see the actual glory of God without Jesus as an atonement is to immediately die], and he couldn't make it back out. In this way, they could pull the High Priest back out without breaking the sanctity of the Holy of Holies. This is the only time during the year that the High Priest enters the Holy of Holies. [article link]

Brazen Serpent Sculpture (July 25, 2005) - [Note: The red iron T depicts the ancient wooden 'pole' it was a pole (T or t shaped) that held a banner - originally the cloth banner was removed and the brass serpent was placed on the pole by Moses. -- In the sculpture the serpent is the darker item that loops around the pole several times near the top and then loops over the top of the T shaped pole (also stylistically forming an Ankh ancient Egyptian cross [unChristian], known as key of life - Wiki.com).] (Photo)
Description: The Christological Symbol (Brazen Serpent Sculpture), created by Italian artist, Giovanni Fantoni, stands atop Mount Nebo. It is symbolic of the bronze serpent created by Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9) and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified (John 3:14). -- Date: 14:56, 25 July 2005. [article link]

Wikipedia: Mount Nebo located in Jordan - According to the final chapter of Deuteronomy, Mount Nebo is where the Hebrew prophet Moses was given a view of the promised land that God was giving to the Israelites - "And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho" (Deuteronomy 34:1) - The serpentine cross sculpture (the Brazen Serpent Monument) atop Mount Nebo was created (25 July 2005) by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni - It is symbolic of the bronze serpent created by Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9) and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified (John 3:14) (Photos - scroll down)
Judaism and Christianity: According to the final chapter of Deuteronomy, Mount Nebo is where the Hebrew prophet Moses was given a view of the promised land that God was giving to the Israelites. "And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho." (Deuteronomy 34:1). According to Jewish and Christian tradition, Moses was buried on this mountain by God Himself, and his final resting place is unknown. Scholars continue to dispute whether the mountain currently known as Nebo is the same as the mountain referred to in the Torah. ... Ruins: On the highest point of the mountain, Syagha, the remains of a church and monastery were discovered in 1933. The church was first constructed in the second half of the 4th century to commemorate the place of Moses' death. The church design follows a typical basilica pattern. It was enlarged in the late fifth century A.D. and rebuilt in A.D. 597. The church is first mentioned in an account of a pilgrimage made by a lady Aetheria in A.D. 394. Six tombs have been found hollowed from the natural rock beneath the mosaic-covered floor of the church. In the modern chapel presbytery, built to protect the site and provide worship space, you can see remnants of mosaic floors from different periods. The earliest of these is a panel with a braided cross presently placed on the east end of the south wall. ... Recent History: On March 20, 2000, Pope John Paul II visited the site during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Mount Nebo being one of the most important Christian sites in Jordan). During his visit he planted an olive tree beside the Byzantine chapel as a symbol of peace. Pope Benedict XVI visited the site on May 9, 2009, gave a speech, and looked out from the top of the mountain in the direction of Jerusalem. The serpentine cross sculpture (the Brazen Serpent Monument) atop Mount Nebo was created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni. It is symbolic of the bronze serpent created by Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9) and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified (John 3:14). [article link]

DebbieSchlussel.com: Happy New Year (Rosh HaShanah) - To all of my Jewish readers and friends, Shanah Tovah u'Metukah KeTapuach B'Dvash-May You Have a Good New Year, As Sweet as an Apple with Honey - Ktivah v'Chatimah Tovah-May You Be Inscribed and Sealed for a Good Year - Thanks to all of my readers-Gentile and Jew-who sent me e-mails and i- and e-cards wishing me a Happy New Year - Right Back at Ya! I hope you have a happy and healthy new year
Tonight, at sundown, Rosh HaShanah-the Jewish New Year-begins. One of the two most important Jewish holidays (the other is Yom Kippur), it marks the beginning of the Jewish "Ten Days of Repentance," during which we Jews repent for our sins and pray for a good new year. We believe that on Rosh HaShanah, G-d inscribes our fate for the year, and that at the end of Yom Kippur, that fate is sealed. It is one of the holidays that unites Jews around the world because most Jews-no matter how non-religious-celebrate at least part of this holiday in some way. [article link]

Jews, Muslims approach holy celebrations; Rosh Hashana starts tonight; Eid-il-Fitr likely will begin Friday
By ELAINE ROSE - The appearance of the new moon tonight will mark the start of holiday celebrations for southern New Jersey's Jews and Muslims. The Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashana, starts at sunset tonight. It is the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance, which culminate with the fast of Yom Kippur. Area Muslims will most likely celebrate Eid-il-Fitr beginning Friday morning, a three-day feast to mark the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan. Both the Jewish and Islamic calendars are lunar, based on the cycles of the moon. But there are two differences in the way the calendars work. The lunar year is 11 days shorter than the solar year. The Jewish calendar adds a leap month seven times every 19 years to keep in sync with the solar year. So Rosh Hashana always occurs in the early fall. But the Muslim calendar makes no such adjustment, and the holidays fall back 11 days every year. ... The Jewish Rosh Hashana celebration is a bit more somber, as Jews spend a large part of the day in synagogue as they begin repenting for their sins. The shofar, or ram's horn, is blown as a *wake-up [Psalms 3:5] call to come back to the right path. In the afternoon, communities go to a body of water - usually the beach in southern New Jersey - to symbolically cast their sins into the sea [Psalms 55:22, Psalms 103:12]. At a festive meal, it is a custom to eat apples dipped in honey as a symbol for a sweet year. [article link]

Rosh Hashanah 2010 [Jewish New Year 5711] - Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on Wednesday, September 8, 2010 - It is celebrated on Thursday, September 9 and Friday, September 10 {Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) - the 6th of the 8 Levitical Feast Days begins tonight at Sundown it is the next Feast in order after Pentecost to be prophetically initiated/fulfilled and is thought to signify the calling of the Church (rapture) into Heaven and the assembling (uniting) of the Nation of Israel on earth.}
What is Rosh Hashanah? Rosh Hashanah celebrates the Jewish new year. It takes place on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. Rosh Hashanah also marks the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance, which finish at the end of Yom Kippur. [article link]

Rosh Hashanah 2010 [Jewish New Year 5711] - Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on Wednesday, September 8, 2010 - It is celebrated on Thursday, September 9 and Friday, September 10 {Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) - the 6th of the 8 Levitical Feast Days begins tonight at Sundown it is the next Feast in order after Pentecost to be prophetically initiated/fulfilled and is thought to signify the calling of the Church (rapture) into Heaven and the assembling (uniting) of the Nation of Israel on earth.}
What is Rosh Hashanah? Rosh Hashanah celebrates the Jewish new year. It takes place on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. Rosh Hashanah also marks the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance, which finish at the end of Yom Kippur. [article link]

Update: Coming in the next weeks the study of the "Fall Feasts of Israel" - The first of three Feasts is Rosh Hashanah [Feast of Trumpets] Thursday 9 September 2010 (not 9/11 as was previously posted in error) - It also looks like in the coming study we might divert again into some more End Time scenarios
Also: There should be several postings to upcoming Audio and Mp3 postings from other various Ministries. -- Then there are a couple more topics that I want to suggest before we begin our actual 8 Kingdoms study that is coming soon. It has been on my heart to go over some material regarding "original sin" and the error of "infant salvation" two topics that generally seem to be getting further and further apart from standard Biblical precepts. [Hint: Sin originated with Adam and Eve and is (physically) passed down through the human bloodline to each generation - presumable each person inherits the sin background and potential from the previous two or three generations.] -- Looking forward to the coming studies and material postings ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

[3 Fall Feasts 2010] Rosh Hashanah in 2010 is Sundown Wednesday, the 8th of September and will continue for 2 days until Sundown Friday, the 10th of September 2010 - Then Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement] is on Saturday, the 18th of September 2010 - Sukkot [Feast of Booths] in 2010 will start on Sunset Wednesday, the 22nd of September and will continue for 7 days [1 week] until Wednesday, the 29th of September 2010. {Jerusalem time is +7 hours (later) than NY time and +10 hours (later) than West Coast time.}
Rosh Hashanah in 2011 will start on Thursday, the 29th of September and will continue for 2 days until Friday, the 30th of September. *Note that in the Jewish calander, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day, so observing Jews will celebrate Rosh HaShanah on the **Sunset of Wednesday, the 28th of September until Friday, the 30th of September 2011. [article link]

Another remarkable mathematical Bible prophecy - The Return of Israel ... May 14, 1948
You are about to read one of the most fascinating and remarkable prophecies in the Bible. What makes it even more remarkable is what it implies. For when we realize how precisely this prophecy has been fulfilled after 2,500 years, we must realize all the Bible prophecies concerning Israel and the world including the coming 'Apocalypse,' the Battle of Armageddon, Messiah's Return, and the many promises and warnings concerning both Heaven and Hell will be fulfilled just as accurately and literally as the amazing prophecy presented here ... The Prophecy ... Ezekiel 4:4-6 ... Israel Back in Her Land as a Nation . . . in 1948! Judah (Israel) was taken into captivity by the Babylonians in 606 B.C. They were released from captivity 70 years later by the Persians in 536 A.D., exactly as the prophet Jeremiah had prophesied, but their land was still under the control of the Persians. The Persians were later conquered by the Greeks, and the land of Israel remained under Greek control. The Greeks were then conquered by Rome and the land of Israel remained under Roman control. After failed rebellions against Rome around 70 A.D. and another around 100 years later, the Romans removed the Jews from the land of Israel, dispersed them around the world and then renamed the land 'Palestine' after the enemies of Israel. Then, after 2,500 years, and for the first time since the Babylonian captivity in 606 B.C., the world watched as Israel once again appeared on the world map as a sovereign nation, on May 14, 1948 ... exactly when the Bible said it would! [article link]

Wikipedia: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks -- The Prophecy of Seventy Septets or literally 'seventy times seven' appears in the angel Gabriel's reply to Daniel, beginning with verse 22 and ending with verse 27 in the ninth chapter of the Book of Daniel, a work included in both the Jewish Tanakh and the Christian Bible; as well as the Septuagint - The prophecy is part of both the Jewish account of history and Christian (last things - end times) eschatology - There have been objections raised to some of Anderson's calculations [April 6, 32 A.D., which he offered as the date of the (Palm Sunday) Triumphal Entry] - For instance, later calculations have confirmed that Anderson was off by one day [originally making the Sabbath (Palm Saturday) the more correct date as Anderson was thought to have added 1 too many correction i.e. leap year days - though now Monday (adding even 1 more day) is considered a possibility by some] {Note: The Daniel 70 Weeks prophecy and several other numerical prophecies [i.e. Ezekiel 4:4-6] are interesting and very helpful however the dating and timing of each prophecy is extremely difficult, just in dealing with lunar calendars, leap years and the 0 year [B.C to A.D.] for each prophecy. The important aspect for the Christian Church is that Jesus had a 3½ year earthly ministry starting when He was 'about' thirty years old (Luke 3:23) - Jesus' events of Holy Week are generally considered to be the events of Passover 32 A.D. [counting the zero year] putting Jesus at 33½ years old at the time - though I'm not certain of these dates and I'm still looking for more information and conformation and posting this material as a work in progress.}
Sir Robert Anderson used lunar data to fix the date of the first day of the first month of the twentieth year of Artaxerxes (the day implied in Nehemiah) to March 14, 445 BC. He showed that, based on various apparent references to the Great Tribulation both as three and a half years and also as 1260 days, 360 days could be fixed as the length of what he called a "prophetic year". He fixed the end date to April 6, 32, which he offered as the date of the Triumphal Entry. Alva McClain and others have since concurred with this viewpoint. There have been objections raised to some of Anderson's calculations. For instance, later calculations have confirmed that Anderson was off by one day, as the opening date was a Friday, but the closing date a Sunday, something that could not happen in a whole number of seven-time periods (keeping in mind that in any given whole seven-time period, the closing date will always be shifted by one day from the opening date [for example, counting seven complete days from Noon on a Tuesday will end on Noon on a Wednesday]). Also, Babylonian records appear to show a leap month in 445 BC (so Nisan 1, the date of the decree, should be one month later on April 13). Moreover, Sunday, April 6 was almost certainly not Nisan 10, and more likely Nisan 6, with Passover eight days later on Monday the 14th. Furthermore, even if we took Anderson's start and end day to be correct, it has been proven that his calculations are incorrect by 3 days due to his lack of understanding in regards to Julian and Gregorian dates. Harold Hoehner set forth revisions to Anderson and gave an opening date of March 4, 444 BC (the one year shift being due to a different accession date of Artaxerxes) with the end of the 69 weeks on March 30, 33. The same errors with Anderson's calculations also plague Hoehner's, for he miscalculated the length of a year. The leap month means that Nisan 1 probably occurred on April 3 or 4. Ron Bigalke Jr. set forth revisions to Anderson and Hoehner based on the year of Artaxerxes succession as August 465 BC which Hoehner timed as December 465 BC. According to Bigalke, the end of the 69 weeks may be March 26, 33. However, this event loses its significance as the Triumphal Entry, for it does not occur on Sunday as church tradition dictates, nor on Monday as some new interpretations report. Bigalke did indicate the problem of a 26 March date since it would be too soon before Jesus' arrival in Bethany and the Passover. He stated that Hoehner did admit the possibility that Artaxerxes may have given permission to Nehemiah later than 1 Nisan. Bigalke's conclusion was if the starting date was 5 Nisan (which Hoehner left possible) then the number of days would be an exact 173,880 days. The 19th century theologian Nathaniel West offered a completely different Christian solution and utilized internal biblical evidence to begin the prophecy with the decree of Cyrus (see Isa. 44:28, 45:13) and end the 69th week with the birth of Jesus' rather than with Jesus' Triumphal Entry. This solution has recently been further developed and defended by T.T. Schlegel. [article link]

THE FIRST 69 WEEKS [Global Gentile Kingdoms] OF THE 70 WEEKS OF DANIEL - "Calculation of the 69 Weeks" - PALM SUNDAY [actually Saturday], DAY 173,880 MARKS THE TERMINUS OF THE 69 WEEKS - This then, is that all important number that Scotland Yard Inspector *Sir Robert Anderson (29 May 1841 - 15 November 1918) arrived at for the 69 weeks - He did this work in the late 19th century [1800's] and wrote the book, "The Coming Prince" outlining his discoveries - For a fuller outlining of the calculations involved for the first 69 weeks see article #8 in this series or click on the chart below - These are calculations you can verify yourself [I have to confirm it but apparently Robert Anderson's 69th Week calculation ended on Saturday but he felt 1 day was missing from his (modern - Gregorian based calendar) timeline adjustments so he added 1 day to conclude on Palm Sunday (in keeping with the modern tradition) instead of on the actual Saturday [Sabbath Day] Triumphal Entry of the Bible.] {Note: The 69th Week of Daniel concluded on Saturday the Triumphal Entry day of Jesus into Jerusalem fulfilling the 1st of the 8 Feast Days of Leviticus 23. While the [2,000 year] gap exists between the 69th and 70th (Revelation - Tribulation Week - final 7 years) is waiting to be fulfilled many of the 8 Feasts [at least 6 of the 8] are being fulfilled. Also Note: Apparently any way that the math is done the 69th Week ends about Passover 32 A.D. within 25 or so days without taking into account any necessary calendar adjustments that bring the calculation to the day of (Palm Saturday) or within a day of traditional Palm Sunday. -- Jesus being 33½ years old at His death and resurrection. John the Baptist began his Levitical ministry at the priestly age of 30 and then Jesus six months younger than John the Baptist began His (reconciliation) Melchizedek Priesthood duties also at 'about' the age of 30 (Luke 3:23). Jesus' birth is marked as the year 0 then at 29 A.D. or 30 A.D. began to minster on earth for 3½ years concluding in about 32 A.D. [during Passover in Jerusalem 32 A.D. - counting the zero year for Daniels 70 Week Prophecy] in the 33rd year of Jesus' physical life on earth. -- "Daniel 9:26 And *after (the 69th week - 483 years) threescore and two weeks (60 + 2 + previous 7 = 69) shall Messiah (Christ) be cut off (lit. execution, crucifixion), but not for Himself (for the sins of the people)"}
THE 70 WEEKS BEGINS WITH THE EDICT OF ARTAXERXES LONGINUS [King of Persia (Iran) - 4th Global Gentile Kingdom]. THE AUTHORITY TO RESTORE THE POLITICAL SOVEREIGNTY OF JERUSALEM WAS GIVEN TO NEHEMIAH. And how would the 70 weeks begin? On a certain special day in holy history a king would issue a royal edict. The story is told in Nehemiah chapter 2. And as the new moon of Nisan came up that year Nehemiah, his cup-bearer, laid out the burden of a scattered people to the supreme ruler of Persia. Nehemiah had been sad as he had remembered Israel's former Passovers in happier times. Now the holy city was under the sovereignty of the Medo-Persians, the superpower of that time. And in spite of a rebuilt temple and the return of many from Judah the city was still in ruins. It was a day of high drama. In fear of his very life Nehemiah had asked the king for something of a very sensitive nature. He was asking Artaxerxes for permission to restore the city of Jerusalem, its walls and its gates. He was, in effect, asking for a royal edict allowing the Jewish House of Judah to return with supplies, money, and royal authority to restore the sovereignty of the Holy City as a self-governing city-state. This was a very tense moment. He could have been executed for this. But Nehemiah found favor in the eyes of the king. And the Medo-Persian ruler Artaxerxes Longimanus issued that all important decree. It was a stupendous day in holy history. The edict given by Artaxerxes in his 20th year was highly significant. It gave permission for the political restoration of the city of Jerusalem. -- Medo-Persia was the world superpower of the time. This edict would give authority for returning Jews to do something they had not been able to do before. They were being given this edict in the peace, security, and and superpower protection of Artaxerxes to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. The City of Shalom, the city of the coming Prince of Peace was to be restored. Soon its walls and gates would be rebuilt. And it would function as a sovereign city-state. The key to all this was the stipulating of restoration of "gates and walls". The "city gates" were the entrance to the city. This was more than just a portal for entry. The city gate was an enclosed structure, the place where the town elders sat and judged in all sorts of governmental matters. This edict, would set in motion the restoration of the integrity and sovereignty of Jerusalem as a self-governing city-state. King Cyrus is often mentioned in this context of the 70 weeks prophecy. But this earliest edict was given nearly 90 years earlier in 537 B.C.. The edict of Cyrus is outlined in Ezra chapter 1. The edict given by Cyrus was a proclamation of emancipation for the captives of Judah. It had its religious side to it as well. Cyrus had given them a grant and every encouragement the returning Jews to rebuild the Temple. But the political side to the equation was missing. Because in the Cyrus decree (and also the decree of Artaxerxes given to Ezra 80 years later in 457 B.C.), there was no mention of any permission being given to attend to the restoration of gates and walls of the city of Jerusalem. Cyrus had not given this critical permission for restoration of political sovereignty. That would come in the century to follow and only with the grant given to Nehemiah in 445 B.C.. This is an extremely important point overlooked by many Bible teachers. -- These earlier edicts allowed the Jews to return to the land of Israel and to rebuild the Hebrew Temple in Jerusalem. And they did return, initially experiencing some delays due to opposition in the land. Finally, in the time period 520 B.C. to 516 B.C. and after the exhortations of Habakkuk the rebuilding program got under way under the able leadership of Zerubbabel. The following century would see another significant event, the decree of Artaxerxes in his 7th year in 457 B.C.. This came about by a revival among the Jews who remained in Persia. That revival began like all revivals. The Word of God was shared with the people. The discovery of the scrolls was followed by a public reading of the Torah by the scribe Ezra. This is what sparked the revival of interest by the Jewish exiles. Suddenly, they remembered their destiny. Soon after the edict was issued large numbers of former captives began returning back to Jerusalem. It was Ezra who prepared the hearts of the people, not only for another Aliyah to the Land but also for the civic responsibilities that would come later on under Nehemiah. But it was only after the later edict given to Nehemiah that the city of Jerusalem would be restored to political sovereignty. We know for a certainty that neither Zerubbabel or Ezra had rebuilt the walls and gates. Because when Nehemiah came along, (and this was eight years after Ezra in the spring of 445 B.C.), Nehemiah had received sad news. We read (in Nehemiah 2) that he had been told that the walls of Jerusalem were still in ruins. And the gates were burned with fire. There were some sad social consequences to this. The city walls were a broken shell. and offered no had no civic protection. And so the people camped out within these broken down walls were being oppressed by marauders. It was still a wild Persian territory without the law and order that brings peace and security. This is what prompted Nehemiah to petition the king. As the king's cup-bearer he was in a privileged position to take the bull by the horns and to pop the big question. As he did so he was trembling. In this act he was actually taking his life in his hands. If the king did not give his scepter and his favor Nehemiah was a dead man. His request would be regarded as a rebellious act against the Persian realms. He could have been charges with treason and executed speedily. But Nehemiah, as the king's cup-bearer was energized by the God of Israel. And so he asked the king to allow the Jewish returnees to rebuild the city walls and gates. This was no light matter. This act of rebuilding and restoration was not just a beautification program. This rebuilding of city infrastructure would restore the city of Jerusalem as an independent sovereign city-state. -- And so it was, that in 445 B.C., in the month of Nisan, the Persian King Artaxerxes Longimanus in his 20th year would receive a petition from his Jewish butler. And Artaxerxes would issue a royal edict to allow the restoration of Jerusalem, God's holy city. (Neh.1-2) This was not an obscure event. It was a highly significant event and it was recorded in the pages of holy history. This edict we see showcased in Nehemiah 2 would set the clock ticking for the seventy weeks of Daniel. 173,880 days later, the people of God, and the city of Jerusalem, would come to a pivotal and epic moment in holy history. In all of His three and a half year earthly ministry this particular day would be a time like no other. On this specific and momentous day, in the springtime of 32 A.D., in the month of Nisan, and on the 10th day of the moon, they would see their coming Prince! On this special day He would enter into His holy city! [article link]

Re: Rapture on the feast of trumpets - The 2 Witnesses are really the key to understanding the timing of [not] the 1st Resurrection [but the] and Rapture! {Ok, so the Feast of Trumpets is a Two Day Feast, both in the days of Jesus and also in our modern day. The two days are necessary to 1. Establish and confirm the New Moon event by two witnesses (usually on a darkened hill in the country outside the lights and distractions of the city of Jerusalem) 2. To relay the news of the New Moon and the start of a New Year to Jerusalem and also to other cities throughout Israel. Though the primary focus is on the Two Witnesses and of an accurate and reliable New Moon [Lunar Calendar] sighting. -- With the 8 Feasts of Leviticus 23 being fulfilled in order [Sabbath - Triumphal Entry being the first fulfilled] and Pentecost [5th of the 8 Feasts] being the last initiated/ fulfilled Feast and the Feast of Trumpets [the 6th Feast] is the next Feast in order to be initiated/fulfilled. Since all the Feasts are initiated in Jerusalem the question then becomes are the Two Witnesses of Revelation (Revelation 11:3-12) the Two Witnesses that will Witness the lunar New Moon and bring in the Tribulation Period? - The Two Witnesses of Revelation prophesy for 1,260 days or 3½ years but their 3½ years seems to start prior to the revealing of the Antichrist and during the reign (or at the start) of the reign of Antichrist the False Prophet (Revelation 11:7) is going to make war with and kill the Two Witnesses in Jerusalem.}
The 2 Witnesses are really the key to understanding the timing of [not] the 1st Resurrection and Rapture! Let me explain... In Matt 24:36 & Mark 13:32 when Jesus' disciples asked him when will these things be fulfilled, he answered them "On the day and the hour no one knows, not even the angels, but the Father in Heaven." Jesus was actually pointing to the Feast of Trumpets by using the Jewish idiom describing this feast. Of the 7 Feasts of the Lord, it is the only one that begins on the 1st day of the month so no one knows the exact day or hour... until the New Moon comes out. You see in the Hebrew lunar calendar a month can either be 29 or 30 days, so the custom is to wait for at least 2 witnesses to see the New Moon, then the start of the feast is declared. In Rev 11:7-12 is the prophecy of the 2 Witnesses. At the end of their 3.5 yrs of testimony (end of GT) they were killed by the Beast and their bodies left in the street of Jerusalem, 3.5 days later they came back to life and a voice from heaven called them "COME UP HITHER!" and they rise up to the sky. Do you see the parallel meaning of this event? Their resurrection marks the momentous fulfillment of the prophecy of The Feast of Trumpets! The 2 Witnesses are actually declaring the start of the Feast in the tradition of Ancient Israel when at least 2 witnesses must see the New Moon for "the day and the hour." The 2 Witnesses ARE [NOT] the first of the First-Fruits leading the Resurrection of the saints and then the Rapture of the elect! [article link]

Revelation 11 - The 3rd Temple in Jerusalem is measured and described - At the time that the Disciple John was writing this in about 95 A.D. the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem had already been destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Legions of forces of Rome -- 'Revelation 11:1-2 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the Angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the Temple of God [3rd Temple], and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the Temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city [Jerusalem] shall they tread under foot forty and two months [3½ years].' - Note: There are several 3½ year segments in the Tribulation time period however they are not all a part of the same 7 year period. This 42 month period could be well under way before the Rapture then the 3½ years of the Two Witnesses could occur right after the Rapture and at the start of the 7 years of Tribulation. Just keep in mind that there are multiple 3½ year periods with different starting times and different completion times.
Revelation 11:3-13 And I [God] will give power unto my Two Witnesses [Two Prophets - possibly Moses and Elijah], and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days [1,260 days, 3½ years - 360 days in a Biblical prophetic year], clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth (Zechariah 4:3). And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them [the Two Witnesses], he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city [Jerusalem], which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations *shall see [via global television] their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood [resurrection] upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: **and *the *remnant were affrighted, and **gave glory to the God of heaven. The *second *woe [demonic infestation - demons from the bottomless pit] is past; and, behold, the third woe [Satan himself - Antichrist] cometh quickly. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign [the 8th Kingdom] for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the Nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His Temple the Ark of His Testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. - Note: The 7th global Kingdom of mankind gives way to the Kingdom of God, the 8th Kingdom, the eternal Righteous Kingdom of Jesus Christ. [article link]

THE RAPTURE ON ROSH HASHANA [Feast of Trumpets] - In the Christian world, Rosh Hashanah is known as The Feast of Trumpets - Many Christians observe this festival for its Christian prophetic application the Rapture of the [Christian] Church - All the Spring Feasts were fulfilled at Christ's first coming - All the Fall Feasts picture the Second Advent, and the Feast of Trumpets is the first of the fall feasts, picturing the Rapture - Now there are more feasts to be fulfilled with the second coming -- Yom Teruah (Rosh HaShanah) / Feast of Trumpets [possibly] The Church Rapture; the last trump; wedding of the Messiah [to the Church bride]; New Moon; Open Door [Church goes into Heaven] -- Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement -- Sukkot / Feast of Tabernacles (Booths - structures - dwelling places - homes for individuals)
In the Christian world, Rosh Hashanah is known as The Feast of Trumpets. Many Christians observe this festival for its Christian prophetic application - the Rapture of the Church. "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." (1 Corinthians 15:51-53) "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) All the Spring Feasts were fulfilled at Christ's first coming. All the Fall Feasts picture the Second Advent, and the Feast of Trumpets is the first of the fall feasts, picturing the Rapture. ... A special season known as 'Teshuvah' which in Hebrew means "to return or repent", begins on the first day of the month of Elul and continues 40 days, ending with Yom Kippur. Thirty days into Teshuvah, on Tishrei 1, comes Rosh HaShanah. This begins a final ten-day period beginning on Rosh HaShanah and ending on Yom Kippur. These are known as the High Holy Days and as the Awesome Days. The sabbath that falls within this ten-day period is called 'Shabbat Shuvah', the Sabbath of Return. Five days after Yom Kippur is 'Sukkot', the Feast of Tabernacles. Teshuvah begins on Elul 1 and concludes on Tishrei 10, Yom Kippur. Each morning during the 30 days of the month of Elul, the trumpet (shofar) or ram's horn is blown to warn the people to repent and return to God. Rosh HaShanah is also referred to as 'Yom Teruah', the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar, or the Day of the Awakening Blast. On Yom Teruah, the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar, it is imperative for every person to hear the shofar. Yom Teruah is the only festival that no man knows when exactly it will occur. This is due to the fact that it begins on the new moon. The new moon was sanctified when two witnesses see the new moon and attest to it before the Sanhedrin in the Temple. This sanctification could happen during either of two days, depending on when the witnesses come. Since no one knew when the witnesses would come, no one knew when the Feast of Trumpets would start. On the 30th of each month, the members of the High Court assembled in a courtyard in Jerusalem, where they waited to receive the testimony of two reliable witnesses. They then sanctified the new moon. The new moon is very difficult to see on the first day because it can be seen only about sunset, close to the sun, when the sun is traveling north. So, looking for a very slim faint crescent moon, which is very close to the sun, is a very difficult thing to do. If the moon's crescent was not seen on the 30th day, the new moon was automatically celebrated on the 31st day. For this reason, Yom Teruah is always celebrated for two days. These two days are celebrated as though it is just one long day of forty-eight hours. The reason that it is celebrated for two days is because if they waited to start the celebration until after the new moon had been sanctified, they would have missed half the celebration because the new moon can only be sanctified during daylight hours. The command seems to be that we know the season, but not the day or the hour (Matthew 24:32-36). Yom Teruah, or the Feast of Trumpets, is the only feast that we do not know the day in which to keep it. Therefore, we have to be on the alert and watch for it. Teruah means "an awakening blast". A theme associated with Rosh. HaShanah is the theme "to awake". Teruah is also translated as "shout". [article link]

Rapture! Pentecost or Feast of Trumpets? - The Feast of Trumpets [an 'observed' Feast Day only after the New Moon event first appears and is apparent to the eye - not a calculated Feast Day i.e. Pentecost [always 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits] or The Lord's Passover always on the 14th of Nisan] is the best fit for the rapture of the bride and is consistent with Jewish marriage customs
We see a pattern emerging in the Feasts that shadows [foreshadows - prophecy] the steps of the Messiah. There is really no denying the accuracy of the life of Jesus Christ to that of these first three feasts. The gift of the Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of Pentecost the 4th feast. What I've noticed is that many anticipate the rapture to be on Pentecost because of the two loaves presented at Pentecost as a wave offering. But if we kept with the pattern of the Feasts with the eyes of a bride prepared for her wedding we will keep the order of the feast. ... The Feast of Trumpets is the best fit for the rapture of the bride and is consistent with Jewish marriage customs. We need to look at the Feast with Jewish eyes. The Jews had several idioms for the Feast of Trumpets that are significant in identifying the nature of this feast. The feast was referred as "No one knows the day or hour". It was referred to this because it was celebrated by the first appearing of the moon. This could be difficult if there was any overcast, therefore, the feast could be delayed. No one literally knew the day or hour it would be celebrated. If after two days the new moon could not be detected then it was celebrated. The two days were considered one. ... Here are the signs to look for. Just when the bride of Christ is recognized she will be gone. The Feast was celebrated at the first appearing of the moon, which is not its on reflection but that of the suns. When we see the bride emerge from all the others she will be reflecting the glory of the Lord. As of now the true meaning of Jesus' bride has not been understood even by those who are called by His name. The Shulammite in the Song of Songs is the epitome of the bride of Christ she says, "Before I realized it, my desire set me over the royal chariots of my people (Song 6:12). She was caught up above her people and her desire was that of intimacy. Desire here in this verse is the Hebrew word "yada". Her people, i.e. Church says, "Come back, come back, O Shulammite; come back, come back, that we may gaze on you" (Song 6:12)! Once the bride is taken out from among her people there will be a cry to know more about her and to be with her as well. But Jesus reply's, "Why would you gaze on the Shulammite as on the dance of Mahanaim" (Song 6:13). The dance of the Mahanaim was a dance where the young virgins would go out and dance. As they danced, men would come and steal them to be their bride's. His reply to them is why do you look for the bride she has been stolen by me! Number two the rapture can't be this year 2009! For one, the day's in-between the Feast of Trumpets 2009 and the Feast of Yom Kippur 2016, the Day of Atonement is 2,580 days. This is 30 days more than what Daniel says the number of days for the 7year covenant will last and 60 days longer than what Revelation allows. So this year can not be the rapture scripturally. Look for the rapture on the Feast of Trumpets in the month of September and October of each year where there is 86 moon duration like the year 2011 and you will be closer to what Scripture has revealed about the 7 year covenant and rapture lengths. [article link]

DebbieSchlussel.com: Happy New Year (Rosh Hashanah 2009) - Tonight, at sundown, Rosh HaShanah-the Jewish New Year-begins - One of the two most important Jewish holidays the other is Yom Kippur, it marks the beginning of the Jewish "Ten Days of Repentance" [10 Days of Awe] during which we repent for our sins and pray for a good new year - On the holiday, we traditionally eat apples with honey (and other items with honey) to signify that we seek a new year that is as sweet as that uber-sweet combination - Thanks to all of my readers who sent me e-mails and i- and e-cards wishing me a Happy New Year - Right Back at Ya! [Note: Regarding all 8 Jewish Feast Days of Leviticus 23 - a good summary is that - only Jesus fulfills each Feast in His accomplishments alone [1 Corinthians 5:7] - while the Jews 'Proclaim' each Feast in its appointed season (time) [Leviticus 23:4] - yet the Christians simply acknowledge each Feast [Acts 18:21, Acts 20:6], not observing it as the Jews do, but receiving [i.e. Sabbath Rest (Hebrews 4:3)] from it the accomplished works of Jesus Christ. -- "Acts 18:18-21 And [Apostle] Paul after this tarried there [at Corinth with Priscilla and Aquila] yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; [Paul] having shorn [shaved] his head in Cenchrea: for he had a [Nazarite] vow. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. When they [Christians] desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not; But bade them farewell, saying, **I must by all means {as a personal choice} keep [G4160 - to declare (commemorate), to do, do well, to carry out, to celebrate] this Feast [Passover - Holy Week] that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus."]
Tonight, at sundown, Rosh HaShanah-the Jewish New Year-begins. One of the two most important Jewish holidays (the other is Yom Kippur), it marks the beginning of the Jewish "Ten Days of Repentance," during which we repent for our sins and pray for a good new year. We believe that on Rosh HaShanah, G-d inscribes our fate for the year, and that at the end of Yom Kippur, that fate is sealed. ... On the holiday, we traditionally eat apples with honey (and other items with honey) to signify that we seek a new year that is as sweet as that uber-sweet combination. (My favorite apples, BTW, are McIntosh.) The holiday ends at nightfall on Sunday Night. During two days of intense prayer at synagogue, we hear the blowing of a ram's horn (called a "shofar"), which makes several different kinds of sounds we are required to hear. A little bit more about the Jewish New Year excerpted from my post on this in a previous year. ... To all of my Jewish readers and friends, Shanah Tovah u'Metukah KeTapuach B'Dvash-May You Have a Good New Year, As Sweet as an Apple with Honey. Thanks to all of my readers who sent me e-mails and i- and e-cards wishing me a Happy New Year. Right Back at Ya! I hope you have a happy and healthy new year. [article link]

Judaism 101: Rosh Hashanah - The Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year - More on this concept at Days of Awe (The ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement] are commonly known [in Judiasm] as the Days of Awe) - No work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah - Much of the day is spent in synagogue, where the regular daily liturgy is somewhat expanded - In fact, there is a special prayerbook called the machzor used for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur because of the extensive liturgical changes for these holidays - Religious services for the holiday focus on the concept of G-d's (God's) sovereignty
Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year" or "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. This name is somewhat deceptive, because there is little similarity between Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the year, and the American midnight drinking bash and daytime football game. There is, however, one important similarity between the Jewish New Year and the American one: Many Americans use the New Year as a time to plan a better life, making "resolutions." Likewise, the Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year. More on this concept at Days of Awe. The name "Rosh Hashanah" is not used in the Bible to discuss this holiday. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the shofar). The holiday is instituted in Leviticus 23:24-25. The shofar is a ram's horn which is blown somewhat like a trumpet. One of the most important observances of this holiday is hearing the sounding of the shofar in the synagogue. A total of 100 notes are sounded each day. There are four different types of shofar notes: tekiah, a 3 second sustained note; shevarim, three 1-second notes rising in tone, teruah, a series of short, staccato notes extending over a period of about 3 seconds; and tekiah gedolah (literally, "big tekiah"), the final blast in a set, which lasts (I think) 10 seconds minimum. Click the shofar above to hear an approximation of the sound of Tekiah Shevarim-Teruah Tekiah. The Bible gives no specific reason for this practice. One that has been suggested is that the shofar's sound is a call to repentance. The shofar is not blown if the holiday falls on Shabbat. No work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah. Much of the day is spent in synagogue, where the regular daily liturgy is somewhat expanded. In fact, there is a special prayerbook called the machzor used for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur because of the extensive liturgical changes for these holidays. Another popular observance during this holiday is eating apples dipped in honey, a symbol of our wish for a sweet new year. This was the second Jewish religious practice I was ever exposed to (the first one: lighting Chanukkah candles), and I highly recommend it. It's yummy. We also dip bread in honey (instead of the usual practice of sprinkling salt on it) at this time of year for the same reason. Another popular practice of the holiday is Tashlikh ("casting off"). We walk to flowing water, such as a creek or river, on the afternoon of the first day and empty our pockets into the river, symbolically casting off our sins. Small pieces of bread are commonly put in the pocket to cast off. This practice is not discussed in the Bible, but is a long-standing custom. Tashlikh is normally observed on the afternoon of the first day, before afternoon services. When the first day occurs on Shabbat, many synagogues observe Tashlikh on Sunday afternoon, to avoid carrying (the bread) on Shabbat. Religious services for the holiday focus on the concept of G-d's sovereignty. The common greeting at this time is L'shanah tovah ("for a good year"). This is a shortening of "L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem" (or to women, "L'shanah tovah tikatevi v'taihatemi"), which means "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." More on that concept at Days of Awe. [article link]

[The Three Fall Feasts of Israel (Second Coming of Jesus Christ) - Rosh Hashanna/Feast of Trumpets starting at Sundown Sept. 8 - Sundown Sept. 9, 2010 (two days are Traditional in that it took time, two days for a messenger from the Temple in Jerusalem to spread the news of the New Moon sighting to all the ancient Nation of Israel i.e. the traditional Jewish celebration will be Sundown Sept. 8 - 10, 2010)] - Summary of reasons why Christians expect to see the rapture happen on the Feast of Trumpets / Rosh Hashanna - Feast of Trumpets "At the instant that the Jewish workers heard the trumpet sound, all would immediately stop harvesting, even if they were not finished (think about that!) and go to the Temple for worship! [Christians at the Rapture will go to the Temple in Heaven and Worship Jesus/God] - Rapture parallels with the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShana) - The New Moon is "born again" at the Feast of Trumpets while Believers are "born again" at [belief/identity in Jesus] baptism - Since the Feast of Trumpets is the only Feast of the Lord that falls on a new moon, we should take particular note
Summary of reasons why Christians expect to see the rapture happen on the Feast of Trumpets / Rosh Hashanna: 1. All the Spring Feasts were fulfilled at Christ's first coming, and on the exact day of the feast. All the Fall Feasts picture the second advent, and the Feast of Trumpets is the first of the fall feasts, picturing the rapture. 2. The Feast of Trumpets is when the "last trump" of the rapture of 1 Cor 15 is blown. 3. The Feast of Trumpets is known as the Wedding of the Messiah, and the Church is the Bride of Christ, and the rapture is when the Church is caught up to heaven to be wed with Christ. 4. The Feast of Trumpets happens on the "new moon", which is 29.5 days after the last one, meaning it might occur on the 29th or 30th day, nobody knows for sure. "Of that day or hour no man knows" is an expression referring to this feast, and thus, the rapture. 5. "Of that day or hour no man knows, but my Father only" is an expression used by a groom when asked when his wedding will be. He says this because it is his Father that will tell him when his preparations on the bridal chamber are completed and it is time. Again, the wedding pictures the rapture. 6. The "Open Door" of the rapture in Matt 25, and Rev 3, & Rev 4:1 is a symbol of the Feast of Trumpets. [Ezek 46:1] "Thus says the Lord GOD: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days; but on the sabbath day it shall be opened and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened. 7. We are told that the new moon and the Feasts of the Lord are a shadow of things to come in Col 2:16,17. *Since the Feast of Trumpets is the only Feast of the Lord that falls on a new moon, we should take particular note. 8. There are seven days of awe in between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. These picture the seven years of tribulation. Atonement pictures Satan being defeated and cast away at the end of tribulaion. If you add the two day Trumpets feast, and the day of atonement, the 7 days of awe are "ten days of tribulation" which might be referred to in Rev. 2:10. 9. In the Jewish Wedding [For seven consecutive evenings following the wedding, it is customary that friends or relatives host festive meals in their honor. The act of feasting recalls the "seven-day celebration" after the marriage of Jacob to Leah -- 1) During the week before the wedding, it is customary for the groom and bride not to see each other, even during the day. - Source: http://www.jewish-history.com/minhag.htm], a marriage takes place over a period of time known as the "bridal week". During the bridal week, the groom and bride have sex [Intimacy] in the bridal chamber. At the end {beginning} of the week, there is a marriage supper [21) During the week of rejoicing following the wedding, the groom or bride should try not to go alone, even in each other's company - They should always be escorted by another person - Source: http://www.jewish-history.com/minhag.htm]. Compare Judges 14, Rev. 19, and Gen. Genesis 29:22-28 This bridal week will be the tribulation week on earth, while the bride of Christ is in heaven. 10. In the Jewish Wedding, the groom comes for his bride "like a thief in the night" [at an unannounced/unknown time] to take (size / rapture) her away and into the bridal chamber for the bridal week at his father's house. 11. The Feast of Trumpets is also known as the coronation of the Messiah, when he will start reigning as king, thus the beginning of the "Day of the Lord", which includes the tribulation. 12. It is also time for the bema judgment, or the judgement of the works of the righteous, and judgement must begin at the house of the Lord. -- [2Cor 11:2] For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. [article link]

Acts 15 - The 1st Church Council takes place about 52 A.D. at the Church in Jerusalem - The 1st Church Council was specifically in regard to the major number of Gentiles that were now joining the Christian Church daily [predominantly through Missionary efforts] and whether or not the Gentiles would have to be circumcised and observe any of the Jewish customs or take part in any of the established laws of Moses -- 'Acts 15:6 And the Apostles and [Church] Elders [including James the ½ brother of Jesus] came together for to consider of this matter.'
Acts 15:6-22 And the Apostles and Elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing [arguing], [Apostle] Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago [Cornelius and his household at Caesarea] God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, *giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, **purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke [law of Moses] upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? **But we believe that through the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we [Jews who are Redeemed] shall be Saved, even as they [Gentiles who are now being Saved - Salvation]. Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. And after they had held their peace, James [the ½ brother of Jesus - Church leader in Jerusalem] answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon [Apostle Peter] hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, ***to take out of them a [Christian] people for His Name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After [Gentile Christian Church] this I [Messiah] will return [2nd Coming], and will build again the Tabernacle [House - Dwelling] of [the Throne of King] David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That [during the Christian Church Age] the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom My Name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. ***Known unto God are all His works ***from the beginning of the world. Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God [those who have the Holy Spirit]: But that we write unto them, *that they abstain from pollutions of [Gentile] idols, and from [Gentile] fornication, and from things strangled [Jewish law], and from blood [Jewish law]. **For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him [abstain from idols and fornication because it is un-Christian, abstain from unclean food and blood only if it offends the local Jewish population], being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day. Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole Church [in Jerusalem], to send chosen men of their own company to [the Church in] Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren … - Note: The early Church recognized that God was active in calling Gentiles into His Christian Church and they also recognized that the Gentiles would have to conduct their new life in a manner consistent with Biblical Christianity and finally they concluded that it is important for Christians not to openly offend those that have remained Jewish. Also Note: All food including blood is now clean because the eternal blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed the world. Eating animal blood and probably human blood if it were obtained in a legal manner does not make a person unclean. Satan has devised a scheme that the world is unclean however it is not. It is unprofitable to do questionable things and germs and disease might be involved but if someone for example drank pig blood thinking it is an evil act the act itself is not but the intentions of their heart might be. - Some cultures eat blood foods and if the Jews are simply notified that it is a custom and not a slight on Moses then they are free to eat their blood food of course not offering any of it to a devout Jewish person because that would be terribly offensive. The 1st Church council was saying to the Gentiles to have our Christian Gentile liberties but also to be mindful and respectful of the [Redeemed] Jews who do still follow the laws of Moses. [article link]

Matthew 21 - Jesus and His Disciples are now near Jerusalem - Jesus sends two of His Disciples to a Donkey with its young offspring - The Disciples bring the Lord [ultimate owner] His Donkey [the guy probably didn't redeem His donkey according to the law (Exodus 13:13) and as a first born colt it did belong to God] - Jesus then enters into Jerusalem riding upon an untamed colt [untamed to man but tame to God] -- 'Psalm 118:23-29 This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day [Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem] which the LORD hath made; we (Kingdom Disciples) will rejoice and be glad in it. Save [Salvation] now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity [healing]. Blessed be He (Jesus) that cometh in the Name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the House [Temple worship] of the LORD. *God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice [Jesus] with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. Thou art My God, and I will praise thee [while Jesus is enduring His suffering He will praise His Father in Heaven]: thou art My God {My Father}, I will exalt [honor] thee. O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever.' {Note: The 70 Weeks of Daniel are counting the days of Gentile Kingdoms starting at "the commandment [by king Artaxerxes to Nehemiah to rebuild the Jerusalem wall about 445 B.C. (source: http://www.bereanwatchmen.com/j.r.lawendowski/daniels-70-weeks.html) - following the earlier King Cyrus 538 B.C. command for the Jews to return back to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity - both commands were given during the Gentile Persian empire of the 4th Global Gentile Kingdom] to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah" -- The 69th Week concluded on Saturday [not Sunday but (Palm Saturday)] the day of the [Jewish] Triumphal Entry [fulfillment of the Feast of Sabbath] of Jesus into Jerusalem [ending Global Gentile Kingdom reign (the beginning of the end of 1 Nation Gentile Global Reign until the 7th Kingdom, the Global Kingdom of Antichrist)]. Also Note: The 70th and final week of Daniels' 70 Weeks is in the Book of Revelation during the Gentile Antichrist Global Reign while the time period between the Triumphal Entry of Jesus (completed in Resurrection Sunday) is the Christian Church Age (Acts 15:14-18) until the empowerment of the 1 Antichrist Global Kingdom.}
A Day foretold by the Prophets and the Scriptures: The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was foretold throughout the Hebrew Old Testament. The Psalms particularly Psalm 118, the Prophets Daniel and Ezekiel and in fact all of Heaven and all of creation desired to see the Day that the LORD had made the day that God came and established His Holy, just and righteous Kingdom among all mankind. - 'Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass [donkey], and upon a colt the foal [baby donkey] of an ass.' - 'Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass [donkey], and upon a colt the foal [baby donkey] of an ass.' - **'Daniel 9:24-27 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people [Jews] and upon thy Holy City [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision [Law] and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy (Jesus). Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah (Jesus) the Prince shall be seven weeks [seven Jewish decades 49 years - these weeks were the Jewish decade of seven years the Levitical decade seventh year of release], and threescore and two weeks [62 Jewish decades 434 years]: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks [the 434 years] shall Messiah be cut off [crucifixion], but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And He [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [the 70th and final week regarding Jerusalem]: and in the midst of the week at [3½ years] he [Antichrist] shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation [in the rebuilt 3rd Temple] to cease, and for the overspreading [saturation] of abominations [evil] he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation [end of the Book of Revelation], and that determined shall be poured [bowl judgments of Revelation 16:1] upon the desolate.' [article link]

Introduction: The Book of Daniel - The Prophet Daniel [from the Tribe of Judah] is the Old Testament counterpart to the New Testament "beloved" Disciple John - The prophet Daniel is the only person in the Old Testament to be directly called "beloved" Daniel is called "greatly beloved" three times - At a young age Daniel was removed from his native Israel and taken captive to the distant Nation of Babylon (Iraq) - Daniel will perform his entire ministry in captivity outside of Israel - The Prophet Daniel will interpret dreams and have visions and dreams that are the most sweeping, global and broad based of any Prophet in the Bible - Daniel will mainly prophesy in three areas 1. Regarding Nations [and their fallen angelic guides] the 5 remaining Gentile world Nation Kingdoms [4 empires and the final emergent Antichrist kingdom] - The coming 1,000 year Messiah Kingdom - 2. The reestablishment of Nation of Israel [the Archangel Michael] as an angelic assistant for the Nation of Israel and the rebuilding of the 2nd Jewish Temple in Jerusalem - 3. The bringing in of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, into the world and among mankind the entry of the Messiah assisted and foretold [in the ministry of the Archangel Gabriel] - *Daniel's "70 Weeks" prophecy is perhaps the most famous prophecy in the Old Testament
Daniel 9:23-24 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. **Seventy weeks [Jewish decades - 7 years each] are determined upon thy people [Jews] and upon thy holy city [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins [cross], and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness [resurrection], and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and (for the Nation of Israel in Jerusalem) to ***anoint [at the 2nd Coming] the most Holy [Jesus Christ - starting the 1,000 Millennial Reign]. - John 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples [the Disciple John], whom Jesus loved. -- Both the Prophet Daniel and the Disciple John are referenced as 'beloved' of God. Daniel will have and write all of his prophecies outside of Israel. The Disciple John like Daniel will be sent away captive, the Disciple John being imprisoned on the Island of Patmos when he has his end time Revelation of Jesus Christ [Daniel 10:7-11 - Revelation 1:13-15]. Daniel was miraculously saved from the den of lions, Church tradition has the Disciple John miraculously saved from Roman martyrdom [immersed in boiling oil]. The Prophet Daniel will prophecy the rebuilding of the 2nd Temple (Sanctuary) in Jerusalem [Daniel 9:26]. The Disciple John will prophecy the rebuilding of the 3rd Temple (used by the Antichrist) in Jerusalem [Revelation 11:1-2]. [article link]

Leviticus 1-5 - The Laws for the offerings of the Levitical Priesthood - {There are multiple parts to the Old Testament Levitical Atonement 'Kaphar' (3722) Covering Sin Offering: 1. The sacrifice has to have a cost to the sinner, a precious useful animal was to be sacrificed. 2. The laying on of hands onto the animal's head then the confession and transfer of sins from the sinner to the innocent sacrifice. 3. The sacrifice dies with your sins, death of the sins. 4. The blood [life] of the animal is poured out providing a New Life opportunity (for a season, often one year) from the blood of the sacrifice for the sinner.}
1. The Burnt Offering Sacrifice: Giving totally to God, the entire sacrifice is consumed in fire and given to God. [Note: humans can and should concentrate themselves to God for a time, a season or even just an event. Where the animal offering was burnt and given to God it is the human service, fellowship that is consecrate to God. - The pagan practice is to burn a human in the fire but if a Christian person died in a fire that would end their consecration not start it and there is no such alter of God that would ever accept a human offering, a human is never ever to enter a physical fire as a sacrifice in Judaism/Christianity. The pagan practice of human sacrifice is strictly forbidden and prohibited in worshiping the true God of Israel.] 2. The Grain Offering: A sweat smelling (savor) freewill offer given to God. Bread flower covered with oil and sprinkled with Frankincense aroma is burnt in the fire with the smell of baking bread ascending up into heaven. No human induced ingredients are allowed no leaven [sin] and no honey [mans accomplishments] are allowed in the offering. 3. The Peace (Fellowship) Offering: An animal to be roasted as a celebration meal. The animal had to be without spot [inherited birth defect] or blemish [acquired defect]. The animal was to be roasted the fat [worry] was to be removed and burned separately and given to God the people couldn't eat the fat [worry]. The blood [life] was also to be poured out as at no time could they eat any blood [life of the animal]. 4. Sin Offering for Unintentional Sin (weaknesses): A young bull for the sins of individual people. A mature bull for the sins of a Priest. A [goat] that the leader was to lay hands on it for the sins of the nation. 5. Trespass Offering for Intentional Sin: A sin offering plus a grain (flour) offering withholding the oil and the Frankincense aroma. -- Having sacrificed to God and their sins now covered for a year the O.T. Saints could then live in the presence of God to commune and interact with God however the O.T. animal sacrifices did not provide the individual direct access to God. The individual people did not live in the perceivable presence of God, did not have direct access to God and did not experience God the way individual N.T. saints often do. [article link]

(Part 1) Note: Before we begin to look at "The Fall Feasts of Israel" (Second Coming events of Jesus Christ) study starting about Sept. 1, 2010 we need a little more background on the "Covenants of Israel" (1st Moses [Mt. Sinai, in the desert] - 2nd Jesus [Mt. Zion, Jerusalem]) and of the "Promises of Israel" (Ephesians 2:12-13)
Israel began with a promise from God to Abraham (Genesis 12:3, Galatians 3:18) - Then [430 years later (Galatians 3:17)] the 1st Covenant [Law - instruction] was enacted from God to the Nation of Israel through Moses for the purpose of temporary instruction (Galatians 3:24) regarding the coming permanent [eternal - salvation] Covenant of Jesus Christ - The Promises of God and the Laws (1st Covenat) of Moses provided an unregenerated (Redemption) relationship between God and mankind. The Promises of God and the (2nd Covenat) accomplished events (works) of Jesus Christ and the accompanying giving of the Holy Spirit provide a regenerated (Salvation) 'born again' relationship between God and mankind. Where the Promises of God [starting in Genesis 1:26] came before any of the Covenants [Noah, Abraham, Moses] and all the covenants facilitate the promises of God, the "Feasts of Israel" [the individual Feasts (Leviticus 23:1-2) primarily being observed as "a statute for ever (eternally)" Leviticus 23:41] arch between the two Covenants of Israel and facilitate both the Promises of God and the Covenants of God by helping to reveal and provide the structure of God's unfolding and ongoing reconciliation plan regarding mankind. [article link]

(Part 2 - Transition from Law to Grace) Jesus continued to transition the people from Law [Mt. Sinai] to Grace [Mt. Zion] - First it is important to understand, as the early Jewish Christians did, that Jesus is the physical manifestation of the voice that spoke from the burning bush (Exodus 3:2, Exodus 3:14 - John 8:24) and that also spoke from the Mountain top at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:11-25) -- "Hebrews 12:26 (Jesus) Whose voice then shook the earth [at Mt. Sinai]: but now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." {Note: The Levitical Priesthood was primarily an earthly Priesthood while Jesus' Melchizedek Priesthood [encompasses] has authority both on the earth and also in heaven.}
"Exodus 19:11 And [followers of God] be ready against [on] the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai." -- "Matthew 5:1-3 And seeing the multitudes, He (Jesus) went up into a (Biblical, Government) Mountain [Jesus is starting His 2nd Covenant Ministry - where He left off His previous 1st Covenant Ministry - on a Mountain]: and when He was set, His disciples {only - Peter, Matthew, John, etc.} came unto Him: And He opened His mouth [naturally - no occult activity], and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." ... "Matthew 7:28-29 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these [Sermon on the Mount] sayings, *the people [Jesus had transitioned from Law to Grace and also from just disciples being the audience to everyone being the audience] were astonished at His doctrine: For He [Jesus] taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." [article link]

(Part 2) Mount of Beatitudes Location of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount - a small hill or eminence in the vicinity of Capernaum (Photo)
What is known as Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7; Luke 6:20-49) is believed to have been given near the top of the ridge in the above photo (where you see part of a church). Although called the Mount of Beatitudes, Jesus did not speak from an actual mountain but [a Biblical Mountain (Government)] from a small hill or eminence in the vicinity of Capernaum. Scriptural References: Matthew 5-7; Luke 6 (KJV Bible) Sources Used: Easton's Bible Dictionary; Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible. [article link]

(Part 3 - The Nation of Israel) The Nation of Israel, separate and distinct from the Christian Church, is comprised [Redemption - Salvation] of the Promises of God (Genesis 12:3, Galatians 3:18) and of the accomplishments of God, not just the Laws of God - The Law [apart from the Promises of God, combined with the Actions of God and an individual's faith in God] in itself the 1st Covenant (Law) does not offer Salvation [then or now] or even Redemption for that matter - Therefore the removal of the Law the 1st Covenant and the accompanying Temple sacrifices and ordinances did not remove Redemption (Isaiah 43:1) from Israel [the Jews] in that the Promises of God to the Jews remains eternal [Numbers 18:19, Psalms 89:34-37]
The Promises of God to the Jews are embodied in five primary instances. 1. Male circumcision on the 8th day. 2. The keeping of the Jewish Sabbath on the 7th day [sundown Friday to sundown Saturday] of each week. 3. The keeping of the of the 10 Commandments [Exodus 20:3-17]. 4. The keeping of the 8 Levitical Feasts [Leviticus chapter 23]. 5. Identity with the Nation of Israel (Jacob) as a Jew (i.e. Jewish customs, traditions, dietary and food laws, etc.) [Isaiah 2:3]. -- "Genesis 17:9-10 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep My covenant [promise] therefore, thou, and thy seed [children] after thee in their generations. This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised." - "Leviticus 12:3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised." -- "Exodus 20:9-11 [10 Commandments] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." - "Leviticus 23:1-3 [8 Levitical Feasts of Israel] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the Children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the Feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be Holy Convocations, even these are My Feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an Holy Convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings." -- "Isaiah 56:4-8 For thus saith the LORD [even] unto the eunuchs [and foreigners] that keep My Sabbaths, and choose the things that please Me, and take hold of My Covenant [promise of Redemption/Salvation]; Even unto them will I give in Mine House and within My walls a place and a name better than of [earthly royalty] sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD [Jesus Christ], to serve Him, and to love the Name of the LORD, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath [rest - trust in God, the finished works of Jesus Christ] from polluting it, and taketh hold of My Covenant; Even them will I bring to My Holy Mountain [Government], and make them joyful in My House of Prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for [only in Jesus Christ] Mine house shall be called an House of Prayer for all people. The Lord GOD which gathereth the [Jewish] outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others [Gentiles] to Him (Jesus), beside those [Jews] that are gathered unto Him." -- Jewish Redemption: "Exodus 12:14 And this [Passover] day shall be unto you for a [Redemption] memorial; and ye shall keep it a Feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a Feast by an ordinance for ever." -- "Exodus 15:11-13 11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in Holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out Thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in Thy mercy hast led forth the [Jewish] people which *Thou hast redeemed [the Passover in Egypt]: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto Thy Holy habitation." -- "Isaiah 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee [at the Passover in Egypt], I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine." [article link]

AGES [EONS] OR ETERNITY AND THE KING JAMES VERSION (List of Bible Verses)
Let us examine the English word AGE as used in the Old and New Testaments of the King James Version. The English word AGE is a true single word translation of the Hebrew word OLAM and the Greek noun AION. These words have a common meaning and are used interchangeably as the scriptures well note. Check Psalms 45:6 and Hebrews 1:8. Although the word AGE is a direct translation of the words OLAM and AION, it must quickly be added that AGE will not imply the same meaning to everyone. Now our only course of action, in order to form a most correct definition of this word AGE as was in the mind of the inspired writers, is to observe the way it is used in the scriptures. Let us proceed to observe the use of the Hebrew word CLAM, and the English noun AION, its plural AIONS, and their adjective AIONION, to ascertain their common meaning. -- "2 Timothy 4:10. For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world (Eon, Age - G165, Aion), and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia." - "Romans 1:25 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever (G165, Aions - all Eons, Ages). Amen." [article link]

(Part 4 - Transition from physical to Spiritual) The ultimate transition from physical to Spiritual, from Nations, Jew and Gentile and into both eternal Redemption and Salvation occurs after the completion of the earthy [eon, age] (Matthew 28:20) - after the 1,000 year (Revelation 20:6) Millennial [Eon, Age] Reign of Jesus Christ
"Romans 8:23 And not only they [creation], but ourselves also, which have [Salvation] the Firstfruits ('born again' - Easter, Firstfruits Feast Day) of the [Holy] Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the [Spiritual] *redemption of our [physical] body." -- "Matthew 28:16-20 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a Mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world [lit. Eon (Age), end of the earth, world - G165, Aion (Eon - Eternity)]. Amen." - "Revelation 20:1-8 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years [Reign of Jesus Christ] should be fulfilled: and after that he [Satan] must be loosed a little season (Time - G5550). And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them [Martyred Saints of Revelation] that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the [condemned] dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection [Holy]. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death [Judgment] hath no power, **but they shall be [Melchizedek] Priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters [all reaches] of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of [unfaithful] whom is as the sand of the sea." - "Revelation 21:1-3 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God." - "Revelation 21:4-7 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said, ***Behold, I make all things new [completed bodily Spiritual Redemption and soul Spiritual Salvation]. And He said unto me, Write: for these Words are True and Faithful. And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son." [article link]

(Part 5 - Conclusion: Transitions and Unifications in Progress) The Transition from the Old Covenant [Physical] to the New Covenant [Spiritual] was completed almost 2,000 years ago in Jesus Christ [the Word was made {transitioned to} flesh (John 1:14), Last Supper, Cross and Resurrection] yet the resulting transitions [physical to Spiritual, time to eternity] and Unifications [heaven - earth, ages (Adam, Eve, Abel, Seth) - ages (Noah, Job, Abraham, Jews, Church, Martyred Saints of Revelation, 144,000, etc.), Jews - Gentiles, Angels - humans] have yet to be completed -- See Also: The Three Fall Feasts
"Ephesians 4:4-10 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace [individuality] according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore He saith, When He [Jesus united Heaven and earth the past, present and the future] ascended up on high [Heaven], he led [the O.T. saved Saints from captivity (hades) into Heaven] captivity captive, and gave gifts [to the newly formed Christian Church] unto men. Now that He [Jesus] ascended [into Heaven], what is it but that He also descended [went down into 'hades' - for three days and three nights after the cross] first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended [and reconciled the past O.T. Saints] is the same also that ascended [and reconciled Heaven - God to man] up far above all [visible] heavens, that He might fill [reconcile] all things [Heaven, earth, past, present and future]." - "Revelation 10:5-7 And the Angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to Heaven, And sware by Him [God] that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time [completing] no longer [separation between God and mankind]: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the *Mystery of God should be finished [final revealing begins], as He hath declared to His servants the prophets [and is recorded in the Holy Bible]." [article link]

The Three Fall Feasts: of Leviticus Chapter 23 seem to be the Transition Phase out of the approximately 2,000 years of individuals serving and fellowshipping with God in the Christian Church Age - Into the 1,000 year Millennial Kingdom of Messiah the reign of Jesus Christ among the Nations on the Earth
The whole concept of the 8 Kingdom Study has been that there is a major transition in the Kingdom of God that is to take place and that is the Kingdom of God being shifted from the individual perspective (Church Age) to the National perspective (Kingdom Age). The shift from the individual (remnant) worship of God to the (corporate) National worship of God is continued and completed during the transition of the Antichrist Kingdom. In short throughout human history and particularly while going through the Book of Revelation there are two separate [parallel] Kingdoms at work in the Kingdom of Antichrist and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. In the Book of Revelation while the Antichrist Kingdom is attempting to unify (666 - fallen angels, fallen humans, demons) and is unable to do so the Kingdom of God [888 (in a sense) - Holy God, holy Angels, redeemed mankind] does unify. The Kingdom of God starts out in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:10-18) with Jesus walking among the 7 Churches of the earth and holding the stars of Heaven in His hand as Jesus is in the process of reconciling the earth back to Heaven to make the two separate Kingdoms of Heaven and earth back into one Kingdom. Jesus writes seven letters to His Church in each letter identifying Himself with each Church. Then in Revelation (Revelation 5:6) Jesus is seen as The Lamb Slain as Jesus identifies Himself with all of His Martyred Saints from all of the Children of God from throughout all human history. During the events of Revelation the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ becomes so identified with and intermingled with the Saints on earth and the holy Angels of Heaven in bonding and closeness that as an Angel appears (Revelation 10:1-7) it is difficult to tell if it is an Angel speaking and acting or if it is Jesus Himself speaking and acting. Note: In concluding this 8 Kingdom summary by reading the events of the Bible's Book of Revelation the Kingdom of God becomes identified with the Christian Saints, the Martyrs and even the holy Angels of Heaven at the very same time that the Kingdom of Antichrist is attempting to unify with fallen mankind, fallen angels and the demons but the Kingdom of Antichrist is falling apart and coming apart at such a rapid pace and in reality is never anywhere close to mixing into a unified Kingdom as the "iron does not mix with the clay" of Daniel. While in complete success the Kingdom of God is unified, united and completly identifiable with both mankind and with the holy Angels of Heaven all through the accomplishments and achievements of God the Son Jesus Christ. -- Ephesians 1:10-14 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times [ages] He [God] might gather together in one all things in Christ, *both which are in Heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: In whom also we [Christians] have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: That we [Apostles] should be to the {Anointing} Praise of His Glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye [individuals] also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: in whom also after that ye [individuals] believed, ye [individuals] were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our [individual] inheritance until the redemption {Kingdom Age} of the purchased possession, unto the {Anointing} Praise of His Glory. [article link]

{Looking Back - The Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God - How long has God existed? There is a dimension in which time does not exist, timelessness/eternity - God has existed from eternity - Before God created the physical universe He thought about you and provided for your redemption - Jesus was crucified for us before the foundation of the world [Revelation 13:8] - In John 1:1 we also read "In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word [Jesus] was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God"
Note: In the beginning God ... God is upfront and open about His existence, about who He is, about His availability to us and about why He has created us [for His pleasure - Revelation 4:11]. The Bible is about God, the Bible is about mankind and the Bible is about God's special, ordained and unique relationship He has with all of mankind. It is therefore the opportunity and the ability of each individual human to acknowledge God and to enter into that special childlike relationship that mankind is intended to have with God. A relationship that God has thoughtfully and diligently provided for each of us in a relationship that is recorded for us in the scripture verses on the pages of His Holy Bible. [article link]

Bible verse: John 8:12-19 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I Am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life ... {The complete Bible is available at ChristianFaithDownloads.com}
John 8:12-19 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I Am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The Pharisees therefore said unto Him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of Myself, yet My record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man [physically]. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true [spiritual]: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I Am one that bear witness of Myself, and the Father that sent Me beareth witness of Me. Then said they unto Him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know Me, nor My Father: if ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also. -- Holy Bible [article link]

Exodus 1-2 - Exodus is a continuation of the accounts of Genesis - In the New Testament [Mark 12:26] Jesus quotes from Exodus and calls it the book of Moses - about {200} years later after the death of Jacob and Joseph the Israelites now number about 600,000 military age men twenty years old and older with about 2.2 million Israelites total including women and children - the newest Pharaoh [possibly - Thutmose III the pharaoh of the Oppression and Amenhotep II the pharaoh of the Exodus] feared that the Israelites would take their skills and their labor and depart back to Canaan - Pharaoh suppressed the Israelites to keep them in the Egypt - Though trying to keep the Children of God down they prospered all the more - Under the edict of Pharaoh, Moses as a child was to be put to death - His mother placed him in a basket and Pharaoh's daughter found Moses and took him as her own - God tells Moses that He has seen their afflictions - Exodus 3:7-8 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I Am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey
Note: The Egyptian midwives had some knowledge of the God of the Israelites and feared God. The midwives didn't tell a complete lie 'Exodus 1:19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere (before) the midwives come in unto them' in that God is life and the midwives were interceding on behalf of God for life, though they didn't tell the complete truth. We can only tell the amount of truth based on the amount of faith and knowledge we have in God 'John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.' Jesus said He is the truth - The Egyptian midwives had a little knowledge of God and were able to tell a little of the truth but they also had some of their preconceived excuses mixed in with the truth they had. God did bless them for acting on the amount of truth that they had. - Also Note: Stephen in the book of Acts [Acts 7:25] quotes that Moses was aware that he was the chosen deliverer. Moses knowing he was the deliver attempted to deliver a child of God from the whip of an Egyptian however Moses was unable to redeem even one Israelite and in fact the entire Jewish nation at first rejected Moses as their leader. Later when Moses was under the guidance of God, then God did successfully deliver the children of Israel from Egypt the strongest nation on the earth at that time. [article link]

Who Was The Pharaoh Of The Exodus? - Assuming the pharaohs mentioned in Exodus 1:8, 22 and 2:23 are all the same person, he would have had to reign for over forty years - Amenhotep's predecessor, Thutmose III, is the only pharaoh within the time specified in I Kings 6:1 who reigned long enough (54 years) to have been on the throne at the time of Moses' flight and to die shortly before his return to Egypt - This would make Thutmose III the pharaoh of the Oppression and Amenhotep II the pharaoh of the Exodus
The Bible nowhere mentions the name of the pharaoh of the Exodus, but Bible students have always been curious as to who he was. No doubt, some Christians will be wary of trying to discover something the Bible has not clearly revealed; but in studying this question one can come away with his faith increased in the Bible as the unerring word of God. Although the Bible does not specifically name the pharaoh of the Exodus, enough data is supplied for us to be relatively sure who he was. Admittedly, there are two schools of thought concerning the date of the Exodus (i.e., the early date and late date theories). Proponents of the late date theory (1290 B.C.) are clearly in the majority, but they reject clear Biblical statements with reference to the date of the Exodus. Therefore their arguments in favor of a particular pharaoh will not be considered in this article. In I Kings 6:1 the Scriptures say: "And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Zif, which is the second month that he began to build the house of the Lord." One can readily see that the times for both the Exodus and the beginning of the Temple have been specifically stated in God's Word. Scholars have identified the fourth year of Solomon's reign as 966 B.C. (Gleason, A Survey of Old Testamsnt Introduction, 1974, p. 223). Using this 966 B.C. date, we find that the Exodus took place in 1445 B.C. Now, if this information is correct, the Exodus occurred in the third year of the reign of the pharaoh Amenhotep II. Before concluding that Amenhotep II was, indeed, the pharaoh of the Exodus, we will need to study further other evidence that can be presented. For instance, when comparing Exodus 7:7 with Acts 7:23, we learn that Moses was in Midian approximately forty years. Assuming the pharaohs mentioned in Exodus 1:8, 22 and 2:23 are all the same person, he would have had to reign for over forty years. Amenhotep's predecessor, Thutmose III, is the only pharaoh within the time specified in I Kings 6:1 who reigned long enough (54 years) to have been on the throne at the time of Moses' flight and to die shortly before his return to Egypt. This would make Thutmose III the pharaoh of the Oppression and Amenhotep II the pharaoh of the Exodus. History tells us that for several years after 1445 B.C. Amenhotep II was unable to carry out any invasions or extensive military operations. This would seem like very strange behavior for a pharaoh who hoped to equal his father's record of no less than seventeen military campaigns in nineteen years. But this is exactly what one would expect from a pharaoh who had lost almost all his cavalry, chariotry, and army at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:23, 27-30). Furthermore, we learn from the Dream Stela of Thutmose IV, son of Amenhotep II, that he was not the legitimate successor to the throne (J.B. Pritchard (ed.), Ancient Near-Eastern Texts, p. 449). This means that Thutmose IV was not the firstborn son, who would have been the legitimate heir. The firstborn son of Amenhotep II had evidently died prior to taking the throne of Egypt. This would agree with Exodus 12:29 which says the pharaoh's first-born son was killed during the Passover. If the Exodus did take place in 1445 B.C., forty years of wilderness wandering would bring us to 1405 B.C. for the destruction of Jericho. Interestingly enough, John Garstang, who excavated the site of ancient Jericho (city "D" in his survey), came to the conclusion that the destruction of the city took place around 1400 B.C. (Garstang, The Story of Jericho, 1948, p. 122). He also concluded that the walls of the city toppled outward, which would compare favorably with Joshua 6:20. Scholars have been fascinated by a revolutionary religious doctrine which developed shortly after 1445 B.C. that threatened to sweep away the theological dogmas of centuries. These scholars have credited Amenhotep IV, great grandson of Amenhotep II, with founding the religious concept of Monotheism (the idea that there is only one God). The cult of Aton set forth this idea to the Egyptian people and scholars have mistakenly credited this idea to the Egyptians. But it does not seem unusual to me that a people who had been so influenced by the one God of Moses would try to worship the God that had so convincingly defeated their gods. A continually increasing body of evidence indicates that this cult of Aton had its beginning in the reign of Thutmose IV, son of Amenhotep II, pharaoh of the Exodus. Although the final verdict is not yet in, we can be reasonably sure that Amenhotep II was the pharaoh of the Exodus. [article link]

Deuteronomy 32-34 - Moses prepares himself for his death - The Song of Moses -- 'Deuteronomy 32:1-4 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: Because I will publish the Name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He'
Death Outside the Promise Land: Moses the Lawgiver was only allowed to go to the border of the Promise Land, he was only allowed to glimpse the Promise Land from a distance but he was not allowed to enter into the Promise Land. Moses the Lawgiver had broken the law when Moses had unlawfully struck the Rock a second time. In actuality striking the Rock a second time was not the only law that Moses broke it was just one of the more obvious laws that Moses broke. Moses like all the rest of us he was unable to keep the law because the law can't be kept it can only be observed just as Moses observed the Promise Land from a distance, observing but not entering. - The Law does not take us into the presence of God but only to a boundary that actually keeps us apart from God. The original law in the Garden of Eden was a boundary, a boundary between mankind and the experience and knowledge of evil. Mankind crossed God's Law boundary and went into the knowledge of evil [God continued to give mankind the knowledge of good]. With mankind now knowledgeable of evil the Law is not just a boundary from evil but out of necessity the Law has now also become a boundary between mankind and the Holiness of God. - The Law is the Image and Holiness of God and therefore the Law now reveals God to a separated mankind and once seeing God in His Holy Law mankind can easily recognize the need for mankind to be separated from the presence and Glory of the Holy God. Separated from God that is only until a remedy can be provided to fix man's sinful predicament and remove the boundary of sin and of the Law. The remedy for our predicament and separation from God has been provided but not in our life only in a new life in the Resurrection Life provided by God's Son Jesus Christ. The Son of God, Jesus Christ will safely take us into Heaven, His Promise Land, just as certainly as Joshua the son of Nun led the Children of Israel into their Promise Land a place that the law at best could only glimpse from a distance and could not enter into but a place where the Son could not be kept out of as the Son will enter in and place his foot upon the Promise Land. -- 'Deuteronomy 31:23 And He gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the Children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.' - 'Deuteronomy 32:52 Yet thou [Moses, Lawgiver] shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the Children of Israel.' [article link]

Revelation 15-16 - The Martyred Saints of Revelation continue to assemble in Heaven - The 7 Vial (Measured) Judgments, the final judgments of Revelation are revealed -- 'Revelation 15:1-4 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven Angels having the Seven *last plagues [the 7 Measured Bowl judgments]; for in them is filled up the wrath [lit. passion for justice and righteousness] of God. And I saw as it were a Sea of Glass {now} mingled with fire {the earlier view while the Christian Church was present (Revelation 4:6) was without the Great Tribulation Wrath fire}: and them [Martyred Saints of Revelation] that had gotten the victory over the beast [Antichrist, Satan], and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number [666, incomplete, a trinity of emptiness] of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they [Martyred Saints of Revelation - having not yet experienced the "Feast of Firstfruits" the being 'born again' by the Holy Spirit from 'above' within the Promise Land - Heaven] sing the (Redemption/Salvation) **Song of Moses (Exodus 15:1-18) the servant of God, and the Song of the Lamb [Jesus Christ], saying, Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and True are Thy ways, Thou **King of Saints [Martyred Saints]. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy Name? for Thou only art Holy: for all Nations shall come and Worship (give thanks for eternal life) before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest [visible].' - Note: The Martyred Saints of Revelation [Gentiles] coming through the Tribulation Period [with redemption (Revelation 6:11) but not yet salvation] have more in common with Moses and the Children of Israel [Jews] then they do with the Christian Church that did possess Salvation while upon the earth (before the rapture).
The 7 Vial Judgments of Revelation are poured out primarily on the Demonic realm however the Demonic realm, the earth and the human realm have all intermingled at this point in time regarding human events: Revelation 16:1-21 And I heard a great voice out of the Temple [in Heaven] saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials [measured bowels] of the Wrath wrath [lit. passion for justice and righteousness] of God upon the earth. And the first [Angel] went, and poured out his vial upon the earth [demonic infestation]; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark [demonic mating] of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea [demonic habitation]; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers [demonic streams] and fountains [demonic teachings] of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun [demonic astrology]; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give Him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat (earth) [throne] of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. *And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon [Mystery Babylon], and out of the mouth of the beast [Antichrist], and out of the mouth of the false prophet [the all Satanic unholy trinity - see also: Zechariah 11:8]. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world [7th Kingdom], to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. **Blessed is he [Saints] that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he [Antichrist] gathered them [armies of the world, also the 6th Trumpet judgment] together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air [Satan's realm (Ephesians 2:2)]; and [after the 7th Vial, then the 6th Seal, an earthquake (Revelation 6:12)] there came a great voice out of the Temple of Heaven, from the Throne, saying, ***It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake (6th Seal), such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the Nations fell: ***and great Babylon [Satanic mystery system] came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every island [far away place] fled away, and the mountains [governments] were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail [rocks, stones]; for the plague [stoning of blasphomey (Leviticus 24:16)] thereof was exceeding great. [article link]

Note: A Basic Christian Update - The purpose of the Fall 2010 Series of Bible Studies
The purpose of the Basic Christian Fall 2010 Series of Bible Studies is to present the individual Christian Walk to individual Christians. As Christians we are "saved" out of sin and out of this present world system but then the question is often asked, since we are not saved into an empty void what exactly are we saved into? Being saved is having entered into the realm and Kingdom of God, a realm that has a very definite meaning and purpose for each of us in the present here and now. -- Becoming a Christian is having received a new 'born again' Spirit of God inside of each of us. The Spirit of God, along with giving Spiritual life to each of us, is also comprised of the properties of God (love, patience, longsuffering, endurance, etc. - Galatians 5:22-25), the offices of God (prophet, priest and king) and also some of the authority of God. Instead of studying at this time all of the attributes, characteristics, offices and authority of God that are now within each Christian, the Fall 2010 Bible Studies are going to lead into an eventual (Summer 2011) focus and study of primarily our own individual Priesthood (offerings) to God - and at a later date studying more of the other offices and characteristics of the Holy Spirit of God within each Christian. -- Of the three offices [prophet, priest, king] that each Christian is currently taking part in it is the Office of Priest [eternal, righteous, Melchizedek Priesthood] our offering to God, comprised of our own present and current individual offerings [lifestyle] to God that is the most direct, continuous and most relevant for each of us as New Testament Christians. A Christian in rare instances might prophecy and in even more rare occasions might exercise kingdom authority over an evil spirit but it is the individual Priesthood [a major portion of the moment by moment] relationship with God that is most important to us in the shaping and defining in the eternal Kingdom life of each Christian. -- "Romans 12:1 I urge you brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual [priestly] service of worship." -- "1st Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." [article link]

Note: The Basic Christian Info Feed is going to begin to transition out of the Summer 2010 Discernment [events] postings and into the Fall 2010 Bible Studies: "The Fall Feasts of Israel" (Second Coming events of Jesus Christ), "Human accountability and the Three Biblical Judgments" [Water, Blood and Fire (Spirit)], "The Vagabond Priesthood," and "The 8 Kingdoms of the World" studies
Also Note: Throughout the remainder of August there are going to be a few more pauses and breaks to the postings and then by early September a new posting routine with the Bible Studies should be getting established. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

Preview: The Vagabond Priesthood [man's rogue, independent, unsanctioned priesthood] and The 8 Kingdoms of the world - The biblical concepts of Earthly Kingdoms does not regulate the kingdoms and governments of the world [or of hell] to Satan - Satan the eventual Antichrist will in all actuality have only one Kingdom, his coming [brief] Antichrist Kingdom - Satan does not currently have direct Kingdoms of his own yet he does have influence and persuasion [deceit, lies, manipulation] into the affairs of mankind
In Matthew 4:10 Jesus did not directly dispute the claims of Satan that he [Satan] had kingdoms of the world to seemingly offer to Jesus or to anyone else at Satan's desire. However, Jesus not refuting Satan's claim is only in line with a reasonable person (Jesus) not disputing with an unreasonable entity (Satan) and is not indicative of Satan actually possessing kingdoms to distribute at his will. "Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the Devil taketh Him (Jesus) up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto Him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me [Satan]. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him [God] only shalt thou serve [see also Hebrews 2:17-18]." -- In the same concept that Satan does not directly possess his own kingdoms Satan does not officiate as the head [high priest] of his own priesthood or of any [i.e. rouge "Vagabond"] priesthood - as even the "evil spirit" did not recognize the Vagabond Priesthood (Acts 19:15). The concept of mankind serving Satan (the "man of sin" 2 Thessalonians 2:3 - instigating and manipulating human sins) is in the context of man actually serving and being in the slavery of sin. "Romans 6:16-23 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience [to God] unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of [Christian - Apostolic] doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness [not in sin, not in a Vagabond (cult) priesthood, but only in the eternal Melchizedek Priesthood (Hebrews 6:19-20) - Jesus being the High Priest (Hebrews 3:1)]. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? **for the end of those [sin] things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. *For the wages of sin [rejecting Jesus] is death; but **the gift of God is eternal life [Hebrews 13:20-21] through Jesus Christ our Lord." [article link]

Preview: The Biblical triune (3 in 1) nature [testimony, salvation, judgment] of the water, blood and Spirit (also represented in breath, wind, fire) that are each freely offered and given from God to all of mankind globally as a witness of sin (and eventually as a judgment against sin), a testimony of the once physical presence of Jesus Christ and as an eternal remedy for our own individual Salvation
Where the Apostle Peter's significant life changing event during his time with Jesus seemed to be at the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:1-8, 2 Peter 1:16-18) the Apostle John's significant life changing event with Jesus seems to have been at the cross (John 19:34-35, 1 John 5:7-9) when Jesus was pierced by the Roman spear and the blood and water poured out from the wound in Jesus' side. The Apostle John then regards the presence of the Spirit and the separation of the blood and water coming out from Jesus as a witness, a judgment, and a testimony of salvation for all of mankind. When the Basic Christian blog History study returns in about a week we will Biblically look into the blood, water and fire (spirit), testimonies and judgments of the Bible from throughout the Old Testament starting in Genesis and continuing consistently throughout the entire Bible then concluding in book of Revelation [the sin of Adam and Eve and the shedding of blood, the flood of Noah, the Aaronic Priesthood, the Last Supper Communion, the atoning cross of Jesus Christ, the Resurrection of Jesus and birth (Alpha) of the Christian Church, the Pentecost global Spirit empowerment and witness, the calling home into heaven by Jesus the rapture (Omega) of the Christian Church, Revelation-Tribulation]. -- "John 19:34-35 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His [Jesus'] side, and forthwith came there out {the global Judgment, global Testimony and global Salvation of} *blood and *water. And he (Disciple John) *that saw it bare record [testimony], and his [testimony] record is true: **and he knoweth that he saith true, ***that ye [individuals] might believe [salvation]." -- "1 John 5:7-9 For there are *three (triune) that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear *witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, *the witness [Spirit, water, blood] of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son [Jesus Christ]." [article link]

Feast of Trumpets: The Feast of Trumpets is the first of the Fall Feasts [of Israel] - The interval of time between 'first coming of Jesus' [3 Spring Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits (Easter)) and] the last of the spring feasts [or middle Feast] (Pentecost [4th Feast] or Weeks) and the first of the [three] Fall Feasts {to be completed at the 'second coming of Jesus'} [a total of 7 Holy Feasts - 8 Feasts counting the weekly Feast of Sabbath that was also fulfilled on the first visit of Jesus - from Leviticus Chapter 23] (Trumpets) corresponds to the present Church Age - In other words, we are presently living between Israel's fourth and fifth feasts - {3 Fall Feasts} Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah) is on September 11, 2010 [in 2001 the Feast of Trumpets (a lunar calendar feast, not a solar 365 day year) was on September 18, 2001] - Day of Atonement (Yom Kippurim) September 20, 2010 - Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) September 25, 2010 - Source: escapeallthesethings.com/holy-day-calendar.htm
The Feast of Trumpets is the first of the fall feasts. The Jewish people call this feast Rosh Hashanah, which literally means "Head of the Year," and it is observed as the start of the civil year (in contrast with the religious year which starts with Passover) on the Jewish calendar. The Feast of Trumpets is so important in Jewish thinking that it stands alongside Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement") to comprise what Judaism calls "the high holy days" on the Jewish religious calendar. It begins the "ten days of awe" before the Day of Atonement. According to Leviticus 23:24-27, the celebration consisted of a time of rest, "an offering made by fire [only the normal acceptable Levitically prescribed Temple offerings not some made-up 'strange fire' offering]," and the blowing of the trumpets. Modern Rosh Hashanah (Ezekiel 40:1) is traced back to the Feast of Trumpets which is the sounding of the trumpets on the first day of the seventh month (Tishri) of the religious calendar year (Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1). The trumpet referred to here was the shofar, a ram's horn. It was distinctive from the silver trumpets blown on the other new moons. Silver trumpets were sounded at the daily burnt offering and at the beginning of each new month (Numbers 10:10), but the shofar specifically was blown on the beginning of the month Tishri. The interval of time between the last of the spring feasts (Pentecost or Weeks) and the first of the fall feasts (Trumpets) corresponds to the present Church Age. In other words, we are presently living between Israel's fourth and fifth feasts. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost started the Church Age [coming after the 40 day Christian Apostolic Age (the personal earthly fellowship of the Disciples with the resurrected Jesus)]; and Trumpets, which will signal Christ's second coming to rapture the Church and {begin Revelation to ultimatly} judge the wicked, will end the Church Age. [article link]

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- 8 Kingdoms [Revelation 17:10] Introduction: Some brief criteria for the 8 Global Kingdoms of the earth - Throughout human history there have been many glorious [in man's eyes] Empires, Kingdoms and Dominions but only 8 of the Kingdoms of mankind are the incredible (Revelation 17:10) Kingdoms of the earth {Note: The Basic Christian blog History Study is also going to include some of the additional great Kingdoms primarily Hammurabi (Saudi Arabia), Queen of Sheba (Ethiopia), Solomon (Israel), and Sennacherib (Assyria).}
8 Kingdoms Summary: The Seven incredible Global Gentile Kingdoms of Revelation 17:10 are Nimrod (Tower of Babel), Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and [revised Rome] the Antichrist Kingdom. While the 8th and final Kingdom is the eternal, righteous Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each of these 8 Kingdoms is going to share some remarkable similarities: Each Kingdom will have possessed all of or a majority of the world's wealth [gold, silver, precious gems] at one time. Each Kingdom has or will have knowledge [both public and secret knowledge] beyond that of their peers. The Kingdoms will also possess influence, military power and political prestige beyond the peers of their day. *Most importantly each of the 8 Kingdoms will also have exerted FAVORABLE influence over the Jews, over Jerusalem and over the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Nimrod [about two generations and 100 years after the flood of Noah] encompassed all of humanity including Abraham's forefather Arphaxad (Genesis 11:11), the Kingdom of Nimrod possessed all human wealth, knowledge and wisdom and the Kingdom of Nimrod built a Temple (the Tower of Babel). Egypt the 2nd Kingdom amassed much of the fortune of the world and much of the knowledge of the world and a great part of that fortune would be "favorably" given to the Jews at their Passover departure from Egypt (Exodus 3:21-22). The wealth of Egypt would then be used by the Jews in the building of the Tabernacle of God by Moses at Mt. Sinai (Saudi Arabia) and later the wealth of the Tabernacle would be transferred into the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The wealth of the Temple in Jerusalem would be given back to Egypt by the Jewish King Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:25-26). The 3rd Kingdom Babylon [initially very favorable to the Jews, Jerusalem and the Temple] captured the wealth of Egypt in Egypt and took it to their Palace in Babylon. The 4th Kingdom Persia [Iran] conquered Babylon [Iraq] and consolidated the wealth of the world into the Palace at Shushan (Esther 1:4) part of the wealth of Persia was given to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem (Isaiah 45:28, 2 Chronicles 36:23). The 5th Kingdom Greece and Alexander the Great [on either 10 or 11 June 323 B.C., Alexander the Great died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in Babylon at the age of 32 - wiki.com]. King Alexander the Great who immersed the world in Greek thought and philosophy and after sparing the Jews, Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple then "at the age of 32" died among the wealth of ancient Egypt, Babylon and Persia. The 6th Kingdom Rome oversaw an extensive expansion in the size of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem beginning with Julius Caesar [July, 47 B.C.] Caesar determines "That the Jews shall possess Jerusalem, and may encompass that city with walls; and that Hyrcanus, the son of Alexander, the high priest and ethnarch of the Jews, retain it in the manner he himself pleases ..." [Source: JewishEncyclopedia.com]. The 7th Kingdom the Kingdom of Antichrist is going to sign a favorable [7 year] covenant with the Jews and the Nation of Israel (Daniel 9:27) and will also in some way rebuild [and eventually occupy (Matthew 24:15)] the now destroyed Temple in Jerusalem. The 8th and final Kingdom the Eternal, Righteous Kingdom of Jesus Christ [Jesus being Jewish] will of course be very favorable to the Jews as Jesus will rule the entire world from the unprecedented Millennial Temple (Ezekiel 43:7) in Jerusalem. [article link]

Basic Christian: - The Basic Christian Bible Study: The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth - The 7 anointed Gentile Global Kings of the Earth (anointed from God) and the anointed 8th Kingdom the Eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ -- The Kingdoms: beginning with Nimrod (Tower of Babel - Genesis 10:8-10) --- Pharaoh Akhenaten (Egypt - Joseph's Pharaoh, the Dream Pharaoh - Genesis 41:1) --- Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon - Jeremiah 27:4-7, Daniel 2:37) --- Cyrus (Persia - Isaiah 45:1-7, Ezra 1:1-4) --- Alexander the Great (Greece - Daniel 8:21) --- Julius Caesar (Rome - Luke 2:1) --- The Revised [10 Kingdom] Roman Empire (Daniel 7:19) - Antichrist (Satan - Daniel 7:20) emerges from within the Revised Roman Empire --- The Messiah, Jesus Christ's Kingdom (Heaven and Earth - Daniel 2:35, Daniel 2:44-45)
Genesis 10:8-10 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty [occult] one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter {spiritual seeker, occult} before {anointed of} the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before {in the presence of} the LORD. *And the beginning of his [Nimrod's] Kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar [later Babylon - modern Iraq]. {Note: all 7 of the Gentile global Kings-Kingdoms are anointed, for a time, given by God even as the Gentile King might at times or throughout thier duration be at odd with God.} -- Genesis 41:1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed [a dream from God] {this is possibly or most probably the Pharaoh Akhenaten}: and, behold, he stood by the river. -- Jeremiah 27:4-7 ... Thus saith the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, **and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto Me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all Nations shall serve him, and his son [Nabonidus], and his son's son [Belshazzar], until the very time of his land come: and then many Nations and Great Kings shall serve themselves of him. -- Isaiah 45:1-7 Thus saith the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus [of Persia], whose right hand I have holden, to subdue Nations before him; and I will loose the loins of Kings, to open before him the two leaved gates [of Babylon]; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: *And I will give thee the Treasures of Darkness [Mystery Babylon - secret knowledge - the 7 Gentile Kingdoms 'beginning' with Nimrod and ending with Antichrist once manifested are aggregate and ongoing], *and hidden riches [wealth] of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. **For Jacob [the Nation of Israel] My servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I Am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. -- Ezra 1:1-4 Now in the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, that the Word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his Kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia, The LORD God of Heaven hath given me all the Kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him an House [Temple - 2nd Temple] at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all His people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the House [Temple] of the LORD God of Israel, He is the God, which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the House of God that is in Jerusalem. -- Daniel 8:16-27 And I heard a Man's [Jesus'] voice [standing on the water] between the banks of [the river] Ulai, which called, and said, [Angel] Gabriel, make this man [Daniel] to understand the vision. So he [Gabriel] came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man [Daniel]: for at the Time of the End shall be the vision [the four Gentile global governments after (Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon) - Persia, Greece, Rome and Antichrist]. Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for *at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou sawest having two horns are *the kings of Media and Persia [4th Kingdom]. And the rough goat is the King of Grecia [Greece - 5th Kingdom]: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first King [Alexander the Great]. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four Kingdoms [Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east, the kingdom of Pergamon in Asia Minor, and Macedon - wiki.com] shall stand up out of the Nation, but not in his power. And in the latter time of their [Roman] Kingdom {Rome annexed and acquired the Kingdom of Greece more by default (a weakened Greece) and through political contracts than through direct military conquest}, when the transgressors are come to the full, a King [Antichrist] of fierce countenance, and understanding dark [occult] sentences, shall stand up. And his [Antichrist] power shall be mighty, but not by his own power [by Satan's]: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft [occult - Satanism] to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and *by [false] peace shall destroy many: he [Antichrist] shall also stand up against the Prince of Princes [Jesus Christ]; but he [Antichrist] shall be broken [spiritually] without [physical] hand. And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's [Belshazzar - son of Nabonidus - grandson of Nebuchadnezzar] business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. -- Daniel 2:35 Then was the iron (Rome), the clay (Revised Rome - Antichrist), the brass (Greece), the silver (Persia), and the gold (Babylon), broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them [Kingdoms of the Earth]: and the Stone [Jesus Christ] that smote the image became a Great Mountain [single government], and filled the whole earth. Daniel 2:44-45 And in the days of these Kings [Kings of the Earth] shall *the God of Heaven set up a [eternal] Kingdom, **which shall never be destroyed: and the [eternal] Kingdom shall not be left to other [unbelieving] people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these [7 earthly] Kingdoms, and it [the Kingdom of Jesus Christ] shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the Stone was cut out of the Mountain [Divinely] without [physical] hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the Great God hath made known to the King [Nebuchadnezzar] what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. [article link]

Rapture - The Old Covenant [Old Testament] is considered an earthly covenant while the New Covenant [New Testament] is considered a Heavenly Covenant - causing the gathering of the Christian Congregation [the Rapture] to occur in Heaven - {Note: It seems to be that this is why Jesus did not write documents while He was on earth [as Moses did] because it would replicate the (O.T.) Old Covenant. Therefore Jesus speaks (writes) from Heaven as the N.T. is based in Heaven "Heavenly Jerusalem" and no earthly documents were from Jesus because that would have duplicated the O.T. Ministry of Moses. Also Note: The Book of Revelation in parts i.e. (Revelation 1:17-3:22) is a direct transcript from Jesus "Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God [the Father] gave unto Him [the Son], to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel [mesenger] unto His servant [Disciple] John:"}
Hebrews 12:18-29 For ye [Christians] are not come unto the [unapproachable] mount [Mt. Sinai "out of Egypt" (Exodus 18:1,5) in Saudi Arabia - where God came down] that might be [physically] touched [and the person who touched it died], and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of Words; which voice they [Congregation of Moses] that heard intreated that the Word should not be spoken to them any more (Exodus 20:18): For they [Congregation/Church of Moses] could not endure that which was commanded [by the voice of God], And if so much as a beast touch the mountain [Mt. Sinai], it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that *Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: But ye [Christians] are come unto [approachable] mount Sion [Mt. Zion in Jerusalem - cross and resurrection of Jesus], *and unto the city of the living God, the *Heavenly Jerusalem [Heaven - where God (Jesus) ascended up into], and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly [O.T. Saints] and [Christian] Church of the Firstborn [Jesus Christ], which are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect [complete in Jesus Christ], And to Jesus the mediator [for mankind to God] of the New Covenant, and to the [N.T.] blood of sprinkling (O.T. Exodus 24:4-8), that speaketh better things than that of Abel (Genesis 4:10). **See that ye [Christian] refuse not Him [Jesus] that speaketh [from Heaven]. For if they [Congregation of Moses] escaped not who refused Him [God revealed] that spake [O.T. Covenant] on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from ***Him [Jesus revealed] that speaketh from Heaven: [Jesus] Whose voice then shook the earth [at Mt. Sinai]: but now He [Jesus] hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this Word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made [man-made], that those things [of God] which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a [eternal] Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. [article link]

The Rapture [Just a reminder! - We didn't go down this road "Feast of Trumpets" possibly equals Christian Church Rapture last year, but let's do it this year, also on Sept. 11, 2010 this year - and for the record I don't think the rapture is this year - I have no idea of when the rapture is or if it actually exists but I suspect it does Biblically exist and will happen and happen sooner than later, whenever that is but only according to God's exact will and His exact timing -- still to come a few more rapture topic postings!] - The taking (Rapture) into Heaven the Church body [Ekklesia - G1577] of Jesus Christ {Note: The Rapture [speculated to possibly occur on a future Feast of Trumpets day] of the 'born again' Spirit Church by Jesus into Heaven is the conclusion of the giving of the 'born again' Spirit (John 20:22) by Jesus *that started on the Resurrection Day the Feast of Firstfruits (Easter) and continues [by Jesus] throughout the entire Church Age concluding at the Rapture. The rapture is not the conclusion to the later, separate and distinct work and giving of the Holy Spirit that occurred on the later Feast Day of Pentecost. The [witness and empowerment] work of the Holy Spirit that began at Pentecost continues on throughout the Tribulation period while the 'born again' working of the Feast of Firstfruits will be concluded with the Spiritually 'born again' Church being removed from the earth and brought into Heaven by the call "shout" of Jesus.}
The Church Rapture: "1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I would not have you [Christians] to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep [passed away], that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe [cross and resurrection] that Jesus died and rose again, **even so them also which sleep in Jesus [are already in Heaven with Jesus] will God [Jesus] bring [at the rapture] with Him. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we [Christians] which are alive and remain unto the [rapture] coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep [they are already in Heaven]. For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout [a bidding call - command - G2752], with the voice of the archangel, and with the Trump of God: and the dead in Christ [already in Heaven] shall rise first: Then we [Christians] which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air [the rapture precedes the 2nd coming where Jesus physically returns to earth - unto to His brethren the Jews]: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." - "Acts 3:19-21 Repent ye therefore, and be converted [become a Christian], that your sins may be blotted out [The O.T. didn't forgive 'blot out' sin as the N.T. does the O.T. only temporarily (yearly) covered sin], when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit]; And He shall send Jesus Christ [2nd coming], which before was preached unto you: **Whom the heaven must receive [Jesus will remain in Heaven - the rapture, uniting of the Church with Jesus will occur in the air (heaven) not on earth - Jesus returns to the earth to the Jews (not the Church) later in the 2nd coming (Zechariah 12:10, Revelation 14:1)] until the [2nd coming] times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began." -- The Spirit baptism of Jesus began on the feast of Firstfruits and continues throughout all of Church history until it concludes at the event of the Rapture of the Church. - "John 1:32 And John [the baptist] bare record, saying, I saw the [Holy] Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him [Jesus]. And I knew Him not: but He [God] that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see *the Spirit descending, *and remaining on Him, the same is **He [Jesus] which baptizeth with *the [Spirit] Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God." [article link]

Feast of Trumpets: The Feast of Trumpets is the first of the Fall Feasts [of Israel] - The interval of time between 'first coming of Jesus' [3 Spring Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits (Easter)) and] the last of the spring feasts [or middle Feast] (Pentecost [4th Feast] or Weeks) and the first of the [three] Fall Feasts {to be completed at the 'second coming of Jesus'} [a total of 7 Holy Feasts - 8 Feasts counting the weekly Feast of Sabbath that was also fulfilled on the first visit of Jesus - from Leviticus Chapter 23] (Trumpets) corresponds to the present Church Age - In other words, we are presently living between Israel's fourth and fifth feasts - {3 Fall Feasts} Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah) is on September 11, 2010 [in 2001 the Feast of Trumpets (a lunar calendar feast, not a solar 365 day year) was on September 18, 2001] - Day of Atonement (Yom Kippurim) September 20, 2010 - Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) September 25, 2010 - Source: escapeallthesethings.com/holy-day-calendar.htm
The Feast of Trumpets is the first of the fall feasts. The Jewish people call this feast Rosh Hashanah, which literally means "Head of the Year," and it is observed as the start of the civil year (in contrast with the religious year which starts with Passover) on the Jewish calendar. The Feast of Trumpets is so important in Jewish thinking that it stands alongside Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement") to comprise what Judaism calls "the high holy days" on the Jewish religious calendar. It begins the "ten days of awe" before the Day of Atonement. According to Leviticus 23:24-27, the celebration consisted of a time of rest, "an offering made by fire [only the normal acceptable Levitically prescribed Temple offerings not some made-up 'strange fire' offering]," and the blowing of the trumpets. Modern Rosh Hashanah (Ezekiel 40:1) is traced back to the Feast of Trumpets which is the sounding of the trumpets on the first day of the seventh month (Tishri) of the religious calendar year (Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1). The trumpet referred to here was the shofar, a ram's horn. It was distinctive from the silver trumpets blown on the other new moons. Silver trumpets were sounded at the daily burnt offering and at the beginning of each new month (Numbers 10:10), but the shofar specifically was blown on the beginning of the month Tishri. The interval of time between the last of the spring feasts (Pentecost or Weeks) and the first of the fall feasts (Trumpets) corresponds to the present Church Age. In other words, we are presently living between Israel's fourth and fifth feasts. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost started the Church Age [coming after the 40 day Christian Apostolic Age (the personal earthly fellowship of the Disciples with the resurrected Jesus)]; and Trumpets, which will signal Christ's second coming to rapture the Church and {begin Revelation to ultimatly} judge the wicked, will end the Church Age. [article link]

Feast of Trumpets: The Feast of Trumpets is the first of the Fall Feasts [of Israel] - The interval of time between 'first coming of Jesus' [3 Spring Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits (Easter)) and] the last of the spring feasts [or middle Feast] (Pentecost [4th Feast] or Weeks) and the first of the [three] Fall Feasts {to be completed at the 'second coming of Jesus'} [a total of 7 Holy Feasts - 8 Feasts counting the weekly Feast of Sabbath that was also fulfilled on the first visit of Jesus - from Leviticus Chapter 23] (Trumpets) corresponds to the present Church Age - In other words, we are presently living between Israel's fourth and fifth feasts - {3 Fall Feasts} Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah) is on September 11, 2010 [in 2001 the Feast of Trumpets (a lunar calendar feast, not a solar 365 day year) was on September 18, 2001] - Day of Atonement (Yom Kippurim) September 20, 2010 - Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) September 25, 2010 - Source: escapeallthesethings.com/holy-day-calendar.htm
The Feast of Trumpets is the first of the fall feasts. The Jewish people call this feast Rosh Hashanah, which literally means "Head of the Year," and it is observed as the start of the civil year (in contrast with the religious year which starts with Passover) on the Jewish calendar. The Feast of Trumpets is so important in Jewish thinking that it stands alongside Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement") to comprise what Judaism calls "the high holy days" on the Jewish religious calendar. It begins the "ten days of awe" before the Day of Atonement. According to Leviticus 23:24-27, the celebration consisted of a time of rest, "an offering made by fire [only the normal acceptable Levitically prescribed Temple offerings not some made-up 'strange fire' offering]," and the blowing of the trumpets. Modern Rosh Hashanah (Ezekiel 40:1) is traced back to the Feast of Trumpets which is the sounding of the trumpets on the first day of the seventh month (Tishri) of the religious calendar year (Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1). The trumpet referred to here was the shofar, a ram's horn. It was distinctive from the silver trumpets blown on the other new moons. Silver trumpets were sounded at the daily burnt offering and at the beginning of each new month (Numbers 10:10), but the shofar specifically was blown on the beginning of the month Tishri. The interval of time between the last of the spring feasts (Pentecost or Weeks) and the first of the fall feasts (Trumpets) corresponds to the present Church Age. In other words, we are presently living between Israel's fourth and fifth feasts. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost started the Church Age [coming after the 40 day Christian Apostolic Age (the personal earthly fellowship of the Disciples with the resurrected Jesus)]; and Trumpets, which will signal Christ's second coming to rapture the Church and {begin Revelation to ultimatly} judge the wicked, will end the Church Age. [article link]

The Blood Moon Scenario - tracking solar and lunar eclipses and comparing them with Levitical Feasts
In the spring of 2015 Israel's religious year will begin with a total solar eclipse, followed two weeks later a total lunar eclipse on Passover. And then six months later the sequence will repeat itself with a second solar eclipse on Rosh Hashanna followed two weeks after that by another total lunar eclipse on the Feast of Tabernacles, all in 2015. The last time anything like this happened was in 1967, when Jerusalem became an undivided Jewish city again, and before that there were several occurrences during the years of 1948-50, as Israel was becoming a nation. There were none at all in the 1800's, 1700's, or 1600's, and none in the 1500's that coincided with Feast Days. ... If these earlier Blood Moons did in fact announce the re-birth of the nation and the reunification of Jerusalem as it appears, then the next major step in Israels' journey toward the Kingdom is their national reunion with their Creator. This is the way Ezekiel saw it happening, and in my view is important enough to God to merit such a celestial announcement. After all He's been waiting to take them back for 2000 years. [article link]

Pentecost - Three different things were being accomplished on the one Feast Day of Pentecost - 1. The Apostles who were already Christians (Luke 24:45, John 20:22) became Holy Spirit empowered and emboldened in the Gospel of Jesus Christ - 2. Ordinary Citizens (those who had not witnessed the resurrection of Jesus as the Apostles had) began to respond to the teachings and preaching of the Apostles and became Christians [without receiving the miraculous wind, speaking in tongues or the flames of fire that the Apostles had just received] - 3. According to the Apostle Peter quoting the Prophet Joel the Holy Spirit was also poured out upon all people [the world having been cleansed by the blood of Jesus] as a witness [the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31) now globally doing the sanctifying and witness work that the (Tabernacle and later the) Temple in Jerusalem once did] witnessing (Colossians 1:6) to the world regarding the accomplished resurrection of Jesus Christ in order that all people [since Pentecost] will have the Spiritual opportunity to come to faith and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior
1. "Acts 2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they [Apostles] were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled [empowered] with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. -- 2. "Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:" - "Acts 41-42 Then they [new Christians] that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [to the Christian Church] unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." -- 3. "Act2:16-21 But this [Holy Spirit outpourning] is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit **upon all flesh [all people, Jews, Gentiles - saved, unsaved - as a witness to every one of the completed works of the Messiah Jesus Christ - note: it is the 'upon' witness of the Holy Spirit and is separate and different from the 'indwelling' presence of the Holy Spirit in the 'born again' Christian, a person who has responded to the 'upon' presence of the Holy Spirit receives God inside and becomes a 'born again' Christian]: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: {during Revelation} The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day [2nd Coming] of the Lord come: And it [through it all] shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord [Jesus Christ] shall be saved [eternal life]. [article link]

Biblical Election: The true Biblical Election Calling [for a task or a 'purpose' of God i.e. Jacob 'elected' over his brother Esau for the task of fathering the Tribes of Israel, the Nation of Israel] and is not to be confused with the Redemption/Salvation Calling also of God
The Bible uses the lives and events of the Old Testament in order to more easily explain New Testament doctrines and concepts to [us] Christian believers. "1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these [Old Testament] things happened unto them [O.T. people] for ensamples [examples]: and they are written for our [Christian] admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 1. First is the 'Called' invited into a redemption/salvation relationship with God i.e. Abraham. - "Acts 7:2-4 And he [Stephen] said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he [Abram] was in Mesopotamia [Babylon], before he dwelt in Charran, And [God] said [calling] unto him, Get thee out of thy country [Babylon], and from thy kindred, and come [answer the calling of God] into the land [Israel] which I shall shew thee. Then [answering the call-invitation of God] came he [Abram, later renamed to Abraham] out of the land of the Chaldaeans, ..." 2. The 'Chosen' are those who have answered the universal call from God (John 12:32 And I [Jesus], if I be lifted up (crucifixion & resurrection) from the earth, will draw (call/invite) all men to Me.) to enter into a relationship with God in Jesus Christ. Example: Isaac was chosen to receive the promises and blessings of his father Abraham over his older brother Ishmael. "Galatians 4:28 Now we [Christians], [Gentile] brethren, as [Jewish] Isaac was [chosen over Ishmael], are the children of promise [along with the Jews (Romans 9:4)]." 3. Election: Those who are chosen are then elected (called) to a specific task or calling to accomplish for God i.e. Jacob being elected over his older brother Esau to be the father of the Tribes of Israel. "Romans 9:10-13 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; For the [twins] children [Esau - Jacob] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the *purpose [task] of God according to *election might stand, not of works, but of Him [God] that calleth [for a purpose - election]; It was said unto her [Rebecca], The elder [Esau] shall serve the younger [Jacob]. As it is [later after they both lived their life and died] written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau [who sold his birthright (Hebrews 12:16)] have I hated." - "Hebrews 12:16-17 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he [Esau] would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." 4. Glorified: those who accomplish the task they have been called (elected) by God to preform are glorified 'accomplished' in God. "Acts 7:8-10 And He [God] gave him [Abraham] the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham [the example of: called] begat Isaac [the example of: chosen], and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob [the example of: election]; and Jacob [elected to the task] begat the twelve patriarchs [Tribes of Israel]. And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph [the example of: Glorification - (see also: 2 Samuel 13:18)] into Egypt: but God was with him [Joseph], And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh [Pharaoh Akhenaten] King of Egypt; and He [God] made him [Joseph - Glorified] Governor over Egypt and all his house." [article link]

The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth -- 8 Kingdoms [Revelation 17:10] Introduction: Some brief criteria for the 8 Global Kingdoms of the earth - Throughout human history there have been many glorious [in man's eyes] Empires, Kingdoms and Dominions but only 8 of the Kingdoms of mankind are the incredible (Revelation 17:10) Kingdoms of the earth {Note: The Basic Christian blog History Study is also going to include some of the additional great Kingdoms primarily Hammurabi (Saudi Arabia), Queen of Sheba (Ethiopia), Solomon (Israel), and Sennacherib (Assyria).}
8 Kingdoms Summary: The Seven incredible Global Gentile Kingdoms of Revelation 17:10 are Nimrod (Tower of Babel), Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and [revised Rome] the Antichrist Kingdom. While the 8th and final Kingdom is the eternal, righteous Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each of these 8 Kingdoms is going to share some remarkable similarities: Each Kingdom will have possessed all of or a majority of the world's wealth [gold, silver, precious gems] at one time. Each Kingdom has or will have knowledge [both public and secret knowledge] beyond that of their peers. The Kingdoms will also possess influence, military power and political prestige beyond the peers of their day. *Most importantly each of the 8 Kingdoms will also have exerted FAVORABLE influence over the Jews, over Jerusalem and over the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Nimrod [about two generations and 100 years after the flood of Noah] encompassed all of humanity including Abraham's forefather Arphaxad (Genesis 11:11), the Kingdom of Nimrod possessed all human wealth, knowledge and wisdom and the Kingdom of Nimrod built a Temple (the Tower of Babel). Egypt the 2nd Kingdom amassed much of the fortune of the world and much of the knowledge of the world and a great part of that fortune would be "favorably" given to the Jews at their Passover departure from Egypt (Exodus 3:21-22). The wealth of Egypt would then be used by the Jews in the building of the Tabernacle of God by Moses at Mt. Sinai (Saudi Arabia) and later the wealth of the Tabernacle would be transferred into the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The wealth of the Temple in Jerusalem would be given back to Egypt by the Jewish King Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:25-26). The 3rd Kingdom Babylon [initially very favorable to the Jews, Jerusalem and the Temple] captured the wealth of Egypt in Egypt and took it to their Palace in Babylon. The 4th Kingdom Persia [Iran] conquered Babylon [Iraq] and consolidated the wealth of the world into the Palace at Shushan (Esther 1:4) part of the wealth of Persia was given to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem (Isaiah 45:28, 2 Chronicles 36:23). The 5th Kingdom Greece and Alexander the Great [on either 10 or 11 June 323 B.C., Alexander the Great died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in Babylon at the age of 32 - wiki.com]. King Alexander the Great who immersed the world in Greek thought and philosophy and after sparing the Jews, Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple then "at the age of 32" died among the wealth of ancient Egypt, Babylon and Persia. The 6th Kingdom Rome oversaw an extensive expansion in the size of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem beginning with Julius Caesar [July, 47 B.C.] Caesar determines "That the Jews shall possess Jerusalem, and may encompass that city with walls; and that Hyrcanus, the son of Alexander, the high priest and ethnarch of the Jews, retain it in the manner he himself pleases ..." [Source: JewishEncyclopedia.com]. The 7th Kingdom the Kingdom of Antichrist is going to sign a favorable [7 year] covenant with the Jews and the Nation of Israel (Daniel 9:27) and will also in some way rebuild [and eventually occupy (Matthew 24:15)] the now destroyed Temple in Jerusalem. The 8th and final Kingdom the Eternal, Righteous Kingdom of Jesus Christ [Jesus being Jewish] will of course be very favorable to the Jews as Jesus will rule the entire world from the unprecedented Millennial Temple (Ezekiel 43:7) in Jerusalem. [article link]

Basic Christian: - The Basic Christian Bible Study: The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth - The 7 anointed Gentile Global Kings of the Earth (anointed from God) and the anointed 8th Kingdom the Eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ -- The Kingdoms: beginning with Nimrod (Tower of Babel - Genesis 10:8-10) --- Pharaoh Akhenaten (Egypt - Joseph's Pharaoh, the Dream Pharaoh - Genesis 41:1) --- Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon - Jeremiah 27:4-7, Daniel 2:37) --- Cyrus (Persia - Isaiah 45:1-7, Ezra 1:1-4) --- Alexander the Great (Greece - Daniel 8:21) --- Julius Caesar (Rome - Luke 2:1) --- The Revised [10 Kingdom] Roman Empire (Daniel 7:19) - Antichrist (Satan - Daniel 7:20) emerges from within the Revised Roman Empire --- The Messiah, Jesus Christ's Kingdom (Heaven and Earth - Daniel 2:35, Daniel 2:44-45)
Genesis 10:8-10 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty [occult] one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter {spiritual seeker, occult} before {anointed of} the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before {in the presence of} the LORD. *And the beginning of his [Nimrod's] Kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar [later Babylon - modern Iraq]. {Note: all 7 of the Gentile global Kings-Kingdoms are anointed, for a time, given by God even as the Gentile King might at times or throughout thier duration be at odd with God.} -- Genesis 41:1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed [a dream from God] {this is possibly or most probably the Pharaoh Akhenaten}: and, behold, he stood by the river. -- Jeremiah 27:4-7 ... Thus saith the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, **and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto Me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all Nations shall serve him, and his son [Nabonidus], and his son's son [Belshazzar], until the very time of his land come: and then many Nations and Great Kings shall serve themselves of him. -- Isaiah 45:1-7 Thus saith the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus [of Persia], whose right hand I have holden, to subdue Nations before him; and I will loose the loins of Kings, to open before him the two leaved gates [of Babylon]; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: *And I will give thee the Treasures of Darkness [Mystery Babylon - secret knowledge - the 7 Gentile Kingdoms 'beginning' with Nimrod and ending with Antichrist once manifested are aggregate and ongoing], *and hidden riches [wealth] of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. **For Jacob [the Nation of Israel] My servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I Am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. -- Ezra 1:1-4 Now in the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, that the Word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his Kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia, The LORD God of Heaven hath given me all the Kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him an House [Temple - 2nd Temple] at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all His people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the House [Temple] of the LORD God of Israel, He is the God, which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the House of God that is in Jerusalem. -- Daniel 8:16-27 And I heard a Man's [Jesus'] voice [standing on the water] between the banks of [the river] Ulai, which called, and said, [Angel] Gabriel, make this man [Daniel] to understand the vision. So he [Gabriel] came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man [Daniel]: for at the Time of the End shall be the vision [the four Gentile global governments after (Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon) - Persia, Greece, Rome and Antichrist]. Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for *at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou sawest having two horns are *the kings of Media and Persia [4th Kingdom]. And the rough goat is the King of Grecia [Greece - 5th Kingdom]: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first King [Alexander the Great]. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four Kingdoms [Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east, the kingdom of Pergamon in Asia Minor, and Macedon - wiki.com] shall stand up out of the Nation, but not in his power. And in the latter time of their [Roman] Kingdom {Rome annexed and acquired the Kingdom of Greece more by default (a weakened Greece) and through political contracts than through direct military conquest}, when the transgressors are come to the full, a King [Antichrist] of fierce countenance, and understanding dark [occult] sentences, shall stand up. And his [Antichrist] power shall be mighty, but not by his own power [by Satan's]: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft [occult - Satanism] to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and *by [false] peace shall destroy many: he [Antichrist] shall also stand up against the Prince of Princes [Jesus Christ]; but he [Antichrist] shall be broken [spiritually] without [physical] hand. And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's [Belshazzar - son of Nabonidus - grandson of Nebuchadnezzar] business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. -- Daniel 2:35 Then was the iron (Rome), the clay (Revised Rome - Antichrist), the brass (Greece), the silver (Persia), and the gold (Babylon), broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them [Kingdoms of the Earth]: and the Stone [Jesus Christ] that smote the image became a Great Mountain [single government], and filled the whole earth. Daniel 2:44-45 And in the days of these Kings [Kings of the Earth] shall *the God of Heaven set up a [eternal] Kingdom, **which shall never be destroyed: and the [eternal] Kingdom shall not be left to other [unbelieving] people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these [7 earthly] Kingdoms, and it [the Kingdom of Jesus Christ] shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the Stone was cut out of the Mountain [Divinely] without [physical] hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the Great God hath made known to the King [Nebuchadnezzar] what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. [article link]

Note: Jesus during His visitation went into the Synagogues in His area and into the Temple to teach and to serve and that is what we are to do in our day is to enter into the Church and participate, to serve and to fellowship with one another - "Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel (good news) of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people."
It's not always easy to attend Church and especially the more mature we become in Jesus the more difficult it is to get nourished and built up by the simple and often repeated messages that now routinely flow from the majority of pulpits [regardless of denomination] from most Christian Churches. However we do have our Salvation and having the knowledge of our own eternal Salvation we have Peace with God and having Peace with God we have Rest in ourselves [within our soul] and having Rest we can ultimately Trust in God. Trusting in God we are to go into the Churches and enjoy the fellowship and presence of other Christians where we can rejoice and serve and encourage one another in the love of Jesus all the while we work with one another to facilitate fellowship in the building up of the Kingdom of God while we seek to eliminate strife, division (1 Corinthians 3:3) and the increasingly ever present factions that are mindlessly turning Christian against Christian. The building up of the Christian Church universal is not an easy task but it is a necessary task, it is a meaningful task and ultimately it is an eternal task making it one of the most important tasks we can personally be involved in. Go to Church knowing that it is in fellowship with the Holy God that we gather together and praise the name of Jesus Christ! [article link]

Note: Tips for Church Attendance
1. Go to a Church close to your home - attend a local neighborhood Church. 2. Start out by attending a non-Sunday service. Attend a weeknight or early morning Bible study, event or retreat first before attending the Sunday service. 3. Don't donate any money for the first three months, this will give you an opportunity to access the fellowship based only on merit without the added difficulty of financial entanglement. Only contribute when financial statements are publically available and then only contribute a portion of your giving while also trying to give directly to Missionaries, Counseling Services, Support Groups, Internet Ministries, etc. - don't just give to a Church thinking that they will adequately fund other Ministries with your donation. 4. Attend more than one Church or fellowship at a time. Attend a small Church and also a larger Church and likewise attend a Church close to home and also one further away from home. Rotate Church attendance between Sunday services and weeknight Bible Studies and also be open to attending as a guest the Churches and fellowships of other friends, co-workers and family members. [article link]

Thomas Twitchell Blog: "Tim Guthrie Winning Truth? Surely You Jest" - If you've followed the Ergun Caner story this year, you no doubt have heard about the SBC pastors like Tim Guthrie, Tim Rogers, and Peter Lumpkins whose staunch defense of Ergun Caner rivals the Democratic spinsters who defended Clinton after the Lewinski affair - Thomas Twitchell has written an excellent blog comparing the Caner defenders to those of Clinton {Note: If we do step out of Church fellowship it should only be for a season while we continue to evaluate and grow in our own personal walk with Jesus. Just remember that whether we attend a Church or fellowship on our own God is always on the Throne and He is always accessible to each of us. The Kingdom of God is established [including on earth] and it is in existence and in authority over all mankind, thankfully regardless of our situation or status of fellowship.}
comments: Anonymous said...I am personally sick of this entire "Caner" story and situation. I know this is what some are hoping for that many will just give up and accept whatever defense has been made on behalf of Caner. But just the opposite seems to have happened. My reaction is, I am fed up with these self-promoting preachers (all that qualify as self-promoting), the millionaire boys club. The autocratic authority guys. Do as I say but not as I do. And don't question me as I am the preacher group... This is my opinion: I have no more time for these celebrity preachers, country club churches, no more money, not one dime, no more "faith" in any of them. I have "moved on" in life. I have actually drawn closer to the Lord. I have gotten my eyes off these people. They no longer occupy my thoughts or time. I read and understand my own Bible. The Holy Spirit leads my understanding. I don't need these self important authorities, that know less than I do, to tell me anything. Just like in the early days of the church, they try to make one believe that you can't understand your Bible and probably need them to be saved. You can't understand your Bible unless they tell you what it says. Baloney! My answer is "Who needs them"? They fight amongst themselves to keep the club going. All trying to be "big-shots". I don't need them, don't want them, not interested in them. God will take care of them one day. I am interested in the furtherance of the Gospel (self study) witnessing, and in people coming to Jesus by any means that is OF GOD. I also pray for Mr. Rich and family to prevail as they should never have been treated they way they were. Thus, this is why I read this blog. ... Anonymous said...And as more and more [people] read the blogs, they will move on [to the Bible] just like you to discovered the Holy Spirit is the Best Teacher. And Free except for the cost of the Bible. A hearty AMEN to you, friend! Welcome to the Body of Christ. Not the entertainment social club that expects you to pay dues so they can live well and build 'their' earthly kingdoms. ... X P M C MEMBER said...I used to wonder why people never went to a church. I used to wonder why there were NO traffic jams on Sunday mornings. Now I am one of them because of what religion has taught us in today's time which is......."B E W A R E OF THE W O L V E S" I quit listening to these decievers and am much happier with the "personal" relationship I now have with Christ. Now all you that follow these men, I hope you enjoy their ride...NOW I KNOW THE REAL MEANING OF BEING A " WISEMAN" ... Thy Peace said...An interesting sermon that relates to some of the comments that are disillusioned with church is from Pastor Wade Burleson, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Enid, OK. The sermon is titled "1 John - The Anointing of the Father", March 22, 2009 - Part 11 of series (1 Jn. 2:26-27). As their church is redoing their website, the audio mp3 is not yet available on their new website, but you can watch the video here. The sermon starts around 28:00. [article link]

The inherited 'born again' Christian gifts given to each Christian from God - Jesus Christ [Prophet, Priest, King] in us (Colossians 1:27) - each Christian [with the born again Spirit] prophecies to others according to our own individual faith - each Christian (as a part of Jesus' priesthood) offers gifts to God according to our own individual faith - each Christian exercises spiritual (Kingdom of Jesus) authority [over the Church realm and over the spiritual realm] according to our own individual Christian faith -- "Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified [made right with God] by [our] faith [in the works of Jesus Christ, His cross and His resurrection], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access [to God] by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
"Romans 14:17 For the Kingdom of God is not meat [food] and drink [socializing]; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth (serves) [Jesus] Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men." -- The individual Christian gift of prophecy (hearing from God): "Romans 12:5-6 So we [Christians], being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members [belongs with] one of another. Having then {inherited} gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;" --- The individual Christian gift of priesthood (offering individually to God): "Romans 12:1 I urge you brethren by the mercies of God to present [as your Christian priesthood] your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual [priestly] service of worship." -- "1st Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." -- "2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth [faith] in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful [faith based] giver." -- "Romans 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost." --- individual Christian gift of Kingdom authority (individual spiritual authority from God): "2 Corinthians 10:8-9 For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord [Jesus Christ] hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed: That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters." -- "Acts 13:47 For so hath the Lord [Jesus Christ] commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth." -- "Acts 16:18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee [evil spirit] in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he [evil spirit] came out [of her] the same hour." -- "Acts 17:30-31 And the times [past] of this [Gentile] ignorance God winked at; but now [God] commandeth all men every where to repent: Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Jesus Christ] whom He hath ordained; whereof He [God] hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised (eternal life) Him [Jesus Christ] from the dead. [article link]

The Old Testament Offices of Prophet, Priest and King combine in Jesus Christ [in Office] and are now not a New Testament [human] Office but are more of an Inheritance for every Christian believer in Jesus Christ {Note: The Higher Offices of the Old Testament (Prophet, Priest and King) are completed in Jesus and complimented within each Christian in the even Higher New Testament Office - the Office of Servant of Jesus Christ.}
"Matthew 12:17-21 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias (Isaiah) the prophet, saying, *Behold My servant (Jesus Christ), whom I have chosen; My beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased: I [Father God] will put My Spirit upon Him (Matthew 3:16), and He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice [protesting] in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto [resurrection] victory. And in His name shall the Gentiles trust." -- "Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them [Disciples] unto Him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief (first - G4413) among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." -- "Romans 1:1-2 Paul, *a Servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, Which He had promised afore [O.T. times] by His prophets in the [O.T.] Holy scriptures," -- "James 1:1 James, *a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the Twelve [Jewish] Tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting." -- "1 Peter 2:15-17 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness [wrong doing], but *as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king." -- "2 Peter 1:1-2 Simon Peter, *a servant and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:" -- "Jude 1:1-2 Jude, the *servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied." -- "Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His *servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His *servant [Disciple] John:" [article link]

The Three Offices of God; Prophet (receives from God on behalf of mankind), Priest (access to God - offers to God on behalf of mankind), and King (God's authority to mankind on earth) -- Prophet (O.T. books of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, etc.) - Priest (O.T. books of Exodus, Leviticus, etc.) -- King (O.T. books of 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, etc.) - Only in the one person of Jesus Christ are the Three Offices of God [deliberately separated among mankind] but combined into the one authority and office only in and for the one person of Jesus Christ
Office of Prophet: 1 Samuel 3:20-21 And all Israel from Dan [in the North] even to Beer-sheba [in the South] knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the Word of the LORD." - "1 Samuel 9:9 Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer." -- Office of Priest: "Exodus 27:21 In the Tabernacle of the congregation without (outside) the vail, which is before the [Ark of the] Testimony, Aaron [Levitical High Priest] and his sons [Levitical/Aaronic priests] shall order [officiate] it from evening to morning before the LORD [God]: it shall be a statute [observance] forever unto their generations *on the behalf of the Children of Israel." -- "Exodus 24:4-8 And Moses [an earthly prophet of Isreal (see also: Exodus 7:1-2, Numbers 11:27-29)] wrote all the Words of the LORD [King of Israel], and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he (Moses) sent young men [of each Tribe of Israel] of the Children of Israel, which offered [through the Levitical Priesthood for Israel] burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD [God]. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant [Old Covenant - Old Testament - established via Moses - N.T. established through Jesus Christ], and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant [Old Covenant - Old Testament], which the LORD [God - King of Israel] hath made with you concerning all these [O.T. Covenant] Words." -- Office of King: "2 Samuel 6:21 And [King] David said unto Michal, It was before [in the presence of] the LORD, which chose me before thy father [King Saul], and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before [in the presence of] the LORD." - "Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He [Christ] is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass [donkey], and upon a colt [baby] the foal of an ass [donkey]." [article link]

Basic Christian: Atonement - renewed [human] access into God's personal presence - The atonement between man and God is complete and completed (Hebrews 1:3); there is no current or future work of atonement - We have received the work that Jesus as our High Priest did for us on the cross - The relationship between man and God is [now] open and available - The atonement is a sacrifice that is offered from a priest [who has access] to God - We do not receive atonement from God [we receive knowledge of the repaired relationship] - God is not offering [a sacrifice] to us because He has not offended us (but Jesus did offer His sinless, eternal life for us on the cross because no one human can amend (atone) for the sins of the world) - Now that the relationship between God and man has been atoned (repaired by Jesus Christ) it is now the responsibility of each individual person to take advantage of the repaired relationship and to have a [personal] relationship with God -- "Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we [humans] have now received the atonement (repair)."
Atonement is an offering given by the offending party to the offended party. Offences separate and sever relationships. When the relationship is severed it requires a mending in order to repair and re-establish the broken relationship. The means to mend the broken relationship is called the atonement. Man has offended God. After all, all God did was to create us, give us life, bring us into existence and love us. All man does is to disobey and turn our backs and walk away from God. With this behavior it is necessary that the broken relationship between God and man be mended. In this case man is so separated from the knowledge of who God is that mankind is not even aware that we have so offended God and that the relationship is broken and needs to be repaired. When two parties are no longer communicating there is need for a third party to intercede. This third party is called the "mediator". In this case, it is man that is not talking to or seeking after God, so God sent Jesus as a mediator to get the attention of mankind and to tell mankind that we have broken the relationship with God {it is not uncommon for the offending party to be so clueless that they are completely unaware of their offending behavior}. Jesus has done much of this mediation by speaking to prophets and having the Bible written. The relationship is so broken that many people even deny the existence of God. The most shattered a relationship can become is to deny the existence of the other person. Jesus is mediating/talking to us on behalf of God, because Jesus is God and therefore He is capable of talking for God and representing God. -- When the broken relationship is identified as broken, it is then possible to determine a remedy (atonement). It is up to the offended party to declare what is suitable to repair the relationship and it is up to the offending party to desire to remedy the relationship otherwise the relationship will remain broken. -- God being the offended one has declared that a relationship in the current sinful physical state of man is not acceptable. God has determined that to repair the relationship it will be necessary to have a new birth, a new Spiritual Born Again birth. Now it would normally be up to the offending party to meet the needs of the offended one therefore restoring the relationship. In this case, man is not able to repair the breach, the brokenness is too broken for us to repair. In this case God, has sent Himself to repair (atone) the separation on man's behalf. -- The atonement is what the offending party is offering to the offended party. God has a special category of people that make offerings to Him. This group of people are called priests. A priest offers to God on behalf of man, where a prophet receives from God and offers it to man. Because God is not upset with Himself and God is not in a broken relationship with Himself, God has no need to make atonement with Himself. For this reason God had to become a man. God had to become a man and serve as a priest to offer atonement (repair) for the broken relationship between man and God. ... After the offending party offers the repair (atonement) it is up to the offended party to determine if the offering is acceptable and if acceptable, therefore repairing and restoring the relationship. We know beyond any doubt that Jesus and what Jesus did as a Priest in offering atonement to God is acceptable to God and has repaired the relationship between man and God. The reason that we know this is that God resurrected Jesus from death and gave Him a new Spiritual [resurrection] body. "Romans 1:3 Concerning His (Father's) Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." It is the resurrection of Jesus that shows us that Jesus is the Son of God. "Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (repair)." The atonement between man and God is complete and completed; there is no current or future work of atonement. We have received the work that Jesus as our High Priest did for us on the cross. The relationship between man and God is open and available. The atonement is a sacrifice that is offered from a priest to God. We do not receive atonement from God. God is not offering to us because He has not offended us. Now that the relationship between God and man has been atoned (repaired) it is now the responsibility of each individual person to take advantage of the repaired relationship and to have a relationship with God. - {Note: The Limited Atonement doctrine confuses the Office of Priest (offering on behalf of man to God) with the Office of King (Divine authority and rule of God). Atonement is not just a Divine decree from God but is primarily a work (of the cross), a sacrifice, an offering to God from man [Jesus Christ].} [article link]

Note: a main reason that modern 'Reformed' (modern Calvinism) doctrine [once saved, always saved] does not resonate with people and is unaccepted by a majority of people today is that it might (as a teaching) just be out of sync with God and His current last Church Era and Dispensation
Jesus instructed Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) His last Church [emphasizing His last Church age and dispensation] that it is important for Christians to know and to understand that if people are not living their life for and with God that He will ultimately reject them. The prescribed teaching of Jesus for His Church today is not 'once saved, always saved' but the knowledge and reality that God can and will reject Christians who have found their comfort not in God but in this present world. There are several crucial teachings and corrections given to the Church of Laodicea notably. 1. The earth and the world [cosmos - world system] have both been created by God not evolution. 2. God can and will reject those who do not whole heartedly accept God. 3. The personal experience of trials and difficulties are personally beneficial to the believer who is being conformed into the image of Jesus through them. -- "Revelation 3:14-22 And unto the angel of the Church of the [last Church] Laodiceans write; These things saith [Jesus] the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the beginning (Arche - G746 i.e. highest ruler, Chief Priest, Chief Shepherd 1 Peter 5:4) of the *creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, **I will spue [reject] thee out of My mouth. **Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art [spiritually] wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: *I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. *As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and *repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup [nourish] with him, and he with Me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My [Kingly] Throne [on earth - 8th Kingdom, Millennial Reign], even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His Throne [in Heaven]. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the [Holy] Spirit saith unto the Churches." [article link]

Also Coming Soon: Basic Christian Dispensation Theology - End Time Dispensation Theology without the 'Hyper'
Although the Basic Christian Ministry is posting Christian material that is often grouped, categorized and segmented into common themes and occurrences (dispensations) the Basic Christian Ministry is in no way advocating a Hyper-Dispensation Theology. Mankind as individuals we are born into our own unique location and time period [dispensation]. For instance if we wanted to experience with the Children of God their ancient bondage and slavery in Egypt with Moses, the deliverance, wilderness wandering and then with Joshua the conquest of the Promise Land, we would have to have been born about 5,800 years ago in Egypt. Though mankind is bound by dispensations (if we are alive today we cannot then later be born 5,800 years ago in a past dispensation) God is not bound by dispensations. Hyper-Dispensationalism might seek to limit God's abilities to certain timeframes and locations though Biblically God is anything but limited. Regular Dispensation Theology only seeks to group and coordinate events, times, seasons and conditions that are Biblically linked and bound together but does not in any way try to limit God or His actions to certain timeframes, locations or dispensations. Three quick examples of Biblical occurrences outside of man's dispensation but completely within God's limitless Dispensation are 1. The Apostle Paul called by God to be an Apostle after the close of the 40 Day Apostle Dispensation (1 Corinthians 15:8 - "as of one born out of due time" - out of dispensation) 2. The Disciple John being brought into the future and the End Time Tribulation Dispensation (Revelation 4:1) in order to view firsthand the events of Revelation. 3. The crucifixion offering of Jesus Christ outside of human time and existence "Revelation 13:8 And all [End Time humans] that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [Antichrist], whose names are not written in the Book of Life **of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world [eternity past]. See Also: Matthew 13:35, Matthew 25:34, John 17:24, Ephesians 1:4, 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 4:3, 1 Peter 1:19-20. [article link]

Heart of the Matter - Live One Hour Call-in Show - Shows Aired in 2010 - Grace parts 1 & 2 (Mp3 - Mp4)
About Heart of the Matter: Started in early 2006, Heart of the Matter is a TV show produced in the Mecca of Mormonism, Salt Lake City. It's where Mormonism meets Biblical Christianity face to face! Shawn McCraney, the host of Heart of the Matter, provides great entertainment value and valuable knowledge of Mormonism and what it means to be a Born-Again Christian. Shawn is the author of "I Was a Born-Again Mormon" and the pastor of Calvary Campus. [article link]

Christian Movie: Faith Like Potatoes (2006) - BASED ON THE INSPIRING TRUE STORY OF ANGUS BUCHAN {Note: An Excellent movie! Extremely well-acted and produced! - Also Note: The movie (like most Christian message movies) is an emotional rollercoaster, be prepared and have the people watching it with you prepared for an excellent, emotional, true movie that is also very moving, touching and most of all faith promoting.} (DVD)
Based on the novel Faith Like Potatoes, this inspiring film tells the story of Angus Buchan, a South African farmer who suffers a series of seemingly insurmountable losses, but through an unlikely friendship with his Zulu farmhand and divine interventions, discovers the key to healing himself and learning to accept others lies in his unwavering belief in the power of faith. This powerful DVD includes a gripping 54 minute documentary on the real life Angus Buchan, the making of Faith Like Potatoes, director and cast commentary, deleted scenes and more. [article link]

Coming Soon: The Vagabond Priesthood - Sons of Sceva - a Bible Study by David Anson Brown
Acts 19:11-20 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of [the Apostle] Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. *Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you [evil spirit] by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the [vagabond] priests {not Levitical priests}, which did so [exorcisms]. And the evil spirit answered and said, *Jesus I know, and Paul [a servant] I know; **but who are ye [vagabond]? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the Name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and [publically] confessed, and shewed their deeds [Christian characteristics]. Many of them also which used curious arts [witchcraft] brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed. -- Wiki.com Vagabond: A vagabond or "drifter" is an itinerant person. Such people may be called drifters, tramps, rogues, or hobos. A vagabond is characterized by almost continuous traveling, lacking a fixed home, temporary abode, or permanent residence. Vagabonds are not bums, as bums are not known for traveling, preferring to stay in one location. Historically, "vagabond" was a British legal term similar to vagrant, deriving from the Latin for 'purposeless wandering'. Following the Peasants' Revolt, British constables were authorized under a 1383 statute to collar vagabonds and force them to show their means of support; if they could not, they were jailed. By the 19th century the vagabond was associated more closely with Bohemianism. The critic Arthur Compton-Rickett compiled a review of the type, in which he defined it as men "with a vagrant strain in the blood, a natural inquisitiveness about the world beyond their doors." Examples included Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Leo Tolstoy, William Hazlitt, and Thomas de Quincey. [article link]

Prophet, Seer, Apostle, 144,000 Witnesses [the coming Dispensation of Revelation Tribulation with the 144,000 Jewish witnesses (i.e. announcers, forerunners - Prophets, Seers, Apostles) for the 1,000 year Kingdom Reign on earth of Jesus Christ] -- 'Matthew 11:13 For all the [O.T.] prophets and the law prophesied [of the coming Messiah - Jesus Christ] until John [the Baptist - the last O.T. prophet]. And if ye [Spiritual Church] will receive it, this [John the Baptist] is [Spiritual] Elias (Elijah) [Elijah - "Elohim is my God"], which was [announcer, forerunner - of Christ] for to come. -- '1 Corinthians 15:8 And last of all He [resurrected Jesus Christ] was seen of me [last N.T. Apostle - Apostle Paul] also, as of one born out of due time.' -- 'Ephesians 2:19-22 Now therefore ye [Gentiles] are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the [Jewish] Saints, and of the Household of God; And are built upon *the foundation of the [N.T.] Apostles and [O.T.] Prophets, **Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief [foundation] Corner Stone; In [Jesus Christ] whom all the [Temple] building fitly framed together groweth unto an Holy Temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation [living place] of God through the [Holy] Spirit.' - {Note: The Prophets prophesied of the coming Messiah (Christ) and wrote the Old Testament of the Bible with the words of their prophecies. Then with the actual arrival of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) the O.T. prophecy was completed (in John the Baptist) and scripture authority was then given to the Apostles who were in the actual presence of Jesus Christ and it was the Apostles [not Prophets] who wrote the Kingdom of God instructions in Righteousness of Jesus Christ - the New Testament. Also Note: This is Not replacement theology - the 'Spiritual Church' (seperate from physical [redeemed] Israel) began at the giving of the Spirit of Jesus after His resurrection on Resurrection Sunday [Easter Sunday] and continues until the 'Rapture' taking of the Spiritual Church into heaven. Then with the Spiritual Church removed from the earth the events of Revelation revert almost exclusively to physical events and physical [redeemed] Israel -- the only or primarily 'spiritual' events of Revelation Tribulation are the counterfeit spiritual events of the Antichrist. Also Note: We are currently in the 'Church Age' [not the Prophet, Apostle or 144,000 Dispensation or Age] the Church Age started after the Apostles [Disciples of Jesus] with the Church Fathers [disciples of the Apostles] i.e. Polycarp of Smyrna, Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch.}
Seer: The Seer was part of a short distinct time period in the history of Israel and came from the office of the Prophets. The office of Seer took place during the unique time period of Israel when God was their King. With God in the midst of Israel He was no longer Prophesied about but was seen by the Seer. This time period began after the Passover and upon leaving Egypt. Exodus 13:17 "God led them" He could be Seen leading the new Nation of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promise Land. In those days everyone in Israel could See God as He appeared in a pillar of Cloud by day and in a pillar of Fire by night. The Seer time period lasted from the Egypt Exodus throughout the wilderness into the Promise Land including the time period of the Judges and until the regretful moment when Israel as a Nation rejected the leadership of God and chose for themselves an earthly king named Saul ('asked for') so they could be like all of the other nations around them and like all of the other nations they could no longer see God in their midst. With the anointing and placing of Saul into the office of King the brief Seer period of Israel reverted back to the prophet period and remains the prophet period for Israel until this day. "1 Samuel 10:17-19 And ye have this day rejected your God." As that day they were anointing Saul King. The Church however has God as King and is at times in a position of a Seer. "Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." As the "Born Again" "Pure in Heart" Church we at times do get to glimpse and to see God at work as He leads and directs our path into His righteousness. There are times that are just too Compassionate, to Divine and to Miraculous to be anything but the occurrence of God. It is only the Christian that is equipped and able to be a Seer into these very special moments in life [with God].... [article link]

Criteria for Christian Communion
Criteria for Christian Communion: 1. First the 'body' (of Jesus Christ) bread [wafer] is to be unleavened (sinless), unsweetened (reality), made with salt (preserved), holes (pierced) and browned (bruised). 2. Second the 'blood' (of Jesus Christ) cup [grape juice, wine] is to be mingled (combined) 1/3 water with 2/3 grape. Use three separate glasses or containers, 1 with water, 1 with grape, 1 empty. Then pour [mingle] at the same time both the grape and the water into the empty cup creating the cup of 2/3 grape mingled with 1/3 water. 3. Reading a Bible verse or passage provides the 3rd element of Communion the element of the Word of God being the Spirit of God. - Note: When the Communion bread is lifted up blessed, exalted and broken it represents the physical body of Jesus Christ on the cross then when the bread is eaten (consumed, eternalized) it represents the Spiritual [resurrection] body of Jesus Christ. Likewise when the Communion blood is mingled [grape, water] it represents the physical blood and water of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross [after His death - by the spear wound (John 19:34-35)] for the remission of our sins and then when the blood is drink (consumed, eternalized) it represents the resurrection eternal life Spiritual blood of Jesus Christ. Both [the one body] the physical (earthly) body of Jesus Christ and His eternal Spiritual Resurrection [bodily resurrection] of Jesus Christ [along with our new eternal spiritual body in Jesus Christ] are represented in the one Communion of bread and wine (grape). [article link]

Criteria for Christian Baptism
Criteria for Christian Baptism: 1. The person being baptized confesses a personal individual faith in Jesus Christ [the Apostles' Creed, a Psalm or a Bible verse can be read or recited]. Acknowledging the sinless Divine life, sacrificial atoning death on the cross and three days later the resurrection [eternal life] of Jesus Christ. 2. The person administering the baptism is to baptize in the Name of God the Father, the Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit [not in the name of any individual, group or denomination] i.e. (Matthew 28:18-20) "I baptize you in the Name of God the Father, the beloved Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit." 3. The water baptism event [submerging into water] signifies our (dying) death and burial to this world (sin and death) while then [emerging from the water] signifies our own personal resurrection with eternal life in Jesus Christ entering into a new life in the eternal Kingdom of God. - Note: The water baptism [and accompanying confession of faith] is the Biblical public confession of faith for each individual Christian and is not to be confused with an alter call that although being a public stand it is not in its entirety the Biblical confession of faith. [article link]

The Biblical triune (3 in 1) nature [testimony, salvation, judgment] of the water, blood and Spirit (also represented in breath, wind, fire) that are each freely offered and given from God to all of mankind globally as a witness of sin (and eventually as a judgment against sin), a testimony of the once physical presence of Jesus Christ and as an eternal remedy for our own individual Salvation
Where the Apostle Peter's significant life changing event during his time with Jesus seemed to be at the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:1-8, 2 Peter 1:16-18) the Apostle John's significant life changing event with Jesus seems to have been at the cross (John 19:34-35, 1 John 5:7-9) when Jesus was pierced by the Roman spear and the blood and water poured out from the wound in Jesus' side. The Apostle John then regards the presence of the Spirit and the separation of the blood and water coming out from Jesus as a witness, a judgment, and a testimony of salvation for all of mankind. When the Basic Christian blog History study returns in about a week we will Biblically look into the blood, water and fire (spirit), testimonies and judgments of the Bible from throughout the Old Testament starting in Genesis and continuing consistently throughout the entire Bible then concluding in book of Revelation [the sin of Adam and Eve and the shedding of blood, the Aaronic Priesthood, the Last Supper Communion, the atoning cross of Jesus Christ, the Resurrection of Jesus and birth (Alpha) of the Christian Church, the Pentecost global Spirit empowerment and witness, the calling home into heaven by Jesus the rapture (Omega) of the Christian Church, Revelation-Tribulation]. -- "John 19:34-35 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His [Jesus'] side, and forthwith came there out {the global Judgment, global Testimony and global Salvation of} *blood and *water. And he (Disciple John) *that saw it bare record [testimony], and his [testimony] record is true: **and he knoweth that he saith true, ***that ye [individuals] might believe [salvation]." -- "1 John 5:7-9 For there are *three (triune) that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear *witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, *the witness [Spirit, water, blood] of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son [Jesus Christ]." [article link]

Bible verse: 1 John 5:1-21 ... For whatsoever is [Spiritually] born [again] of God overcometh the world: and *this is the victory that overcometh the world, even **our faith ... {Note: it is 'our faith' in the completed and accomplished works of Jesus Christ, His works, His sinless life, His cross and His everlasting resurrection life that overcomes this fallen and sinful world. Our faith in Jesus overcomes the fallen world because Jesus overcame the sin and death of the world and it is not our works (good, bad or otherwise) that overcome the world but exclusively our faith in Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished for us to freely receive of from His eternal life. - Also Note: some new teachings now insist that God as assigned evil works or necessary evil in works of death and destruction for some [chosen or appointed] people to carry out i.e. 'messengers of destruction and death' or 'death angels' and it's simply another deception (Romans 3:8) and lie from Satan as the True God [the Holy God of Israel] is the God of everlasting life in Jesus Christ. The Holy God is not the god of human schemes of murder and mayhem. God is the God of forgiveness of sins, reconciliation for mankind and eternal life all in Jesus Christ.} The complete Bible is available at ChristianFaithDownloads.com
1 John 5:1-21 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ (having and giving eternal life) is [Spiritually] born [again] of God: and every one that loveth Him [God the Father] that begat [sent Jesus into the world] loveth Him [Jesus] also that is begotten [was physically manifested in the world] of [in the exact Spiritual image of] Him [God the Father]. By this we know that we love the Children of God [Christians], when we love God, and keep His commandments [Love God, love your neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39)]. For this is the love of God, that we keep His Commandments: and His Commandments [of Love] are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and *this is the victory that overcometh the world, even **our faith [in love for God]. Who is he [worshiper] that overcometh the world, but he [Christian] that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is He [Jesus] that came by water [womb] and blood [cross], even Jesus Christ; not by water [O.T. judgment upon the entire earth (Genesis 6:7, Numbers 31:23)] only, but by water and {now also} blood [N.T. judgment upon the entire earth (Matthew 26:28)]. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness [of the global judgments of water (O.T.), blood of Jesus (N.T.), the judgment of fire (2 Peter 3:12) yet to come and of the only Eternal Life through Jesus Christ], because the [Holy] Spirit is Truth. **For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. **And there are three that bear [judgment and eternal life] witness in earth, the Spirit [of Jesus Christ (Luke 23:46)], and the water [from the cross of Jesus Christ (John 19:34-35)], and the blood [from the cross of Jesus Christ (John 19:34-35)]: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son [Jesus Christ]. He [person] that believeth on the Son of God hath the [Holy Spirit] witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him [God] a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is [only] in His Son [Jesus Christ]. He that hath the Son hath [eternal] life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not [reconciled to God] life. These things have I written unto you that believe [faith] on the Name [Jesus] of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. If any man see his brother sin a sin [mistakes] which is not [unbelief] unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin [unbelief] unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All [mistakes] unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin [of mistakes] not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not [by not denying that Jesus is God]; but he that is begotten of God (born again) keepeth himself, and that wicked [Satan] one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come [personally], and hath given us an [Holy Spirit] understanding, that we may know Him [God] that is True, and we are in Him that is True, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the True God, and eternal life. Little children [Christians - not yet adopted as Sons of God], keep yourselves from idols [unholy desires]. Amen. -- Holy Bible [article link]

Apprising Ministries: The Emerging church - Three voices from the "emergent church" will explore this capacity of postmodern Christianity *to embrace and redefine tradition, ... Who should attend: Any futurist who feels that everything must change about [traditional Christian] religion and is curious about how progressive [New Age] Christianity is a leading indicator of change - What you'll learn: Attendees will learn how to ground [embed and saturate] their leadership and foresight in the concerns of tomorrow's [New World Order] spiritualities and relate religious concepts to futures thinking through a theology of (false and deceptive) hope - How can this *new knowledge be applied: Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how postmodern spiritualities are **reshaping conservative theologies and communities
Back in November of 2005 the online apologetics and discernment work Apprising Ministries warned you about what is now a full blown cult of neo-liberalism operating within mainstream evangelicalism, the sinfully ecumenical Emerging Church. These past few years this EC has been busy forging together its new form of postmodern liberal theology, a Liberalism 2.0 many call Emergence Christianity, which Emergent Church guru Brian McLaren begins laying out in his latest book A New Kind of Christianity. ... Three voices from the "emergent church" will explore this capacity of postmodern Christianity to embrace and redefine tradition, ... Who should attend: Any futurist who feels that everything must change about religion and is curious about how progressive Christianity is a leading indicator of change. What you'll learn: Attendees will learn how to ground their leadership and foresight in the concerns of tomorrow's spiritualities and relate religious concepts to futures thinking through a theology of hope. How can this new knowledge be applied: Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how postmodern spiritualities are reshaping conservative theologies and communities. [article link]

Apprising Ministries: MYSTICISM PART 5 - Pietism [personal rightiousness] & Subjective [my version of self-rightiousness] Christianity - Where Did Pietism Go Wrong? Of course that is a loaded question and presupposes that Pietism did go wrong - Given the fact that Pietism, to some degree, lives on in church related groups as diverse as Amish, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal and the Amana Society it is hard to be precise - But, wherever experience and subjectivity reigns supreme over Scripture in the lives and churches of twenty-first century believers there is something wrong {Note: The Basic Christian ministry at its core is really a remnant of the Anabaptist - Pietism movement. In about 2001 the Basic Christian: Statement of Faith was re-written and expanded including the phrase "while to the *righteous He [Jesus Christ] will give of His life, His gifts, and His glory" this was added with much consideration and what it means is that the purpose of the Basic Christian ministry at its core is a Ministry of Righteousness in Jesus Christ. Righteousness is an extremely loaded word and it should be but it is so loaded that after that one small phrase [and a few more words] were added to the Basic Christian: Statement of Faith that article went from among the most popular articles on the website to one of the least popular articles on the site yet Righteousness (our righteousness only in Jesus Christ) is such an important Biblical concept that I decided to leave that phrase in the Statement of Faith just to help us keep our goals and ambitions on track and in a proper order. - The coming Millennial 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth is going to be His Kingdom of Righteousness [Isaiah 5:16, Isaiah 26:9, Isaiah 45:8, 19, Romans 1:17, 1 Corinthians 15:34, 2 Corinthians 3:9, 5:21, Galatians 5:5, Revelation 22:11] and in order for us as individuals to be able to inhabit properly within the Kingdom of God we need to have a concept of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ in our own lives. - Starting in about 2012 the Basic Christian Ministry is hoping to transition into more Biblical exploration of just what is the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and how does it apply to each Christian in our own personal life and really the Righteousness of Jesus Christ functions and is displayed through the Holy Spirit and in the eternal Melchizedek, Righteous High Priesthood of Jesus Christ.}
Although Pietists adhered to the inspiration of the Bible, they advocated individual feeling as being of primary importance. That may have been an adequate method for avoiding cold orthodoxy of "Protestant scholasticism," it opened the door for the equally dangerous enemy of "subjective experientialism." The first generation of Pietists could recall and reflect on its grounding in Scripture while validly advocating the need for individual experience. A second generation would stress the need for individual experience, but often without a proper Biblical or catechetical basis. This would leave a third generation that would question individual experience with no Biblical or doctrinal "standard" to serve as an objective criterion. In turn, their unanswered questions would tend to demand an authority. When Scriptures were neglected, human reason or subjective experience would fill the need as the required "standard." Thus while not causing other movements Pietism gave impetus to three other movements in the post-Reformation church: deism [reason and logic used apart from the Bible to get to know God], skepticism [doubting Biblical passages that don't seem to relate to the physical realm] and rationalism [placing personal human physical reasoning and understanding as a higher authority than the scriptures of the Holy Bible]. ... The great-grandchildren of Pietism live on in modern evangelicalism. On the positive side, much like original Pietists there is a great hunger today for spirituality. People want a spirituality that works in the trenches of life. They want a faith that is relevant, provides answers and draws them closer to God. There is little interest in "dead orthodoxy." People want to feel something - experience something. George Gallup documents this spiritual hunger in his book, The Next American Spirituality. Unfortunately much of the spirituality that he observes is without biblical foundation leading him to warn, "Contemporary spirituality can resemble a grab bag of random experiences that does little more than promise to make our eyes mist up or our heart warm. We need perspective to separate the junk food from the wholesome, the faddish from the truly transforming." But perspective is hard to come by due to the massive level of biblical illiteracy, not only in America but among Christians as well. Half, he says, "Of those describing themselves as Christians are unable to name who delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Many Americans cannot name the reason for celebrating Easter or what the Ten Commandments are. People think the name of Noah's wife was Joan, as in Joan of Ark." Then there is what some have called "the great disconnect." That is, there is a wide chasm between what Americans in general, and self-proclaimed Christians in particular, claim to believe and how they live. While the general populace claim to have a great interest in spirituality, and Christians claim to be followers of Christ, our societies, homes and churches are inundated with corruption, violence, substance abuse, racism, divorce and materialism. This "cluster of moral and theological shortcomings seemingly throws into question the transforming power of religious beliefs," Gallup admits, leading him to state, "Just because Americans claim they are more spiritual does not make them so." That leans into an excellent question, "Is the church really rediscovering its spiritual moorings - or just engaging in retreat from seemingly insoluble problems?" ... Such [emotional self-experience] "piety" is changing every facet of Christian and church life. Take worship for example. Monte E. Wilson has noted, "For the modern evangelical, worship is defined exclusively in terms of the individual's experience. Worship, then, is not about adoring God but about being nourished with religious feelings, so much so that the worshiper has become the object of worship." The cause for this type of worship, Wilson believes, is the loss of devotion to Scriptures. He writes in pejorative terms, "Others-probably the majority in modern American evangelicalism-have utterly neglected any commitment to the content of the Word and have ended with narcissistic 'worship' services where everyone drowns in a sea of subjectivism and calls it 'being bathed in the presence of the Holy Spirit.' These people come to church exclusively to 'feel' God." Pietistic leanings, of course, are not limited to worship and the gathered church. Where they are most evident, and most concerning is in the area of "God's leading." How does God speak to and lead His people according to Scripture? And how has Pietistic understanding of these things affected the way we interpret both Scripture and our subject feelings? This will be the topic of our next paper. [article link]

[Modern] Pietism - Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later - It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to begin the Brethren movement - The Pietist movement combined the Lutheranism of the time with the Reformed, and especially Puritan, emphasis on individual piety, and a vigorous Christian life
History: Although pietism surely had roots prior to the Reformation and to some extent the cause of it, as a distinct movement within Protestantism pietism became identifiable in the 17th century. The Lutheran Church had continued Philipp Melanchthon's attempt to construct an intellectual backbone for the Evangelical Lutheran faith. By the 17th century the denomination remained a confessional theological and sacramental institution, influenced by orthodox Lutheran theologians such as Johann Gerhard of Jena (d. 1637), and keeping with the liturgical traditions of the Roman Catholicism of which it saw itself as a reformed variation. In the Reformed Church, on the other hand, John Calvin had not only influenced doctrine, but for a particular formation of Christian life. The Presbyterian constitution gave the people a share in church life which the Lutherans lacked, but it appeared to some to degenerate into a dogmatic legalism which, the Lutherans believed, imperiled Christian freedom and fostered self-righteousness. However, in the pietist view, ritualistic elements which Luther wanted to remove were captivating the mainstream of the Lutheran church, squeezing the pietists into fellowships with which they were comfortable. ... In Pia desideria "Pious Desires" (1675), Spener made six proposals as the best means of restoring the life of the Church: 1. The earnest and thorough study of the Bible in private meetings, ecclesiolae in ecclesia ("little churches within the church"). 2. The Christian priesthood being universal, the laity [people] should share in the spiritual government of the Church. 3. A knowledge of Christianity must be attended by the practice of it as its indispensable sign and supplement. 4. Instead of merely didactic, and often bitter, attacks on the heterodox [variant views] and unbelievers, a sympathetic and kindly treatment of them. 5. A reorganization of the theological training of the universities, giving more prominence to the devotional life. 6. A different style of preaching, namely, in the place of pleasing rhetoric [examples directed from news, events and stories], the implanting of [Biblical] Christianity in the inner or new man [spiritual man], the soul of which is faith, and its effects the fruits of life. - This work produced a great impression throughout Germany, and although large numbers of the orthodox Lutheran theologians and pastors were deeply offended by Spener's book, its complaints and its demands were both too well justified to admit of their being point-blank denied. A large number of pastors immediately adopted Spener's proposals. ... In modern societies where Pietism has had a profound impact its religious foundations are no longer apparent. Atheistic pietism is a term used by Asgeir Helgason to describe a pietistic (moralistic) approach to life without religion. "We have denied the existence of God but kept the pietistic rules". Atheistic pietism has been suggested to be one of the characteristics (traits) of the modern day Swedish national spirit. The term is first known to have been used by W.H. Mallock in 1879. [article link]

[Modern] Anabaptist - Anabaptists "re-baptizers" or "adult baptism" [believer's baptism - credobaptism (reciting the well-known "Apostles' Creed" or a personal Bible verse or a Psalm at baptism)] are Christians of the Radical Reformation - Puritans of England and their Baptist branch arose independently, but were influenced by the Anabaptist movement - Where men believe in the freedom of religion, supported by a guarantee of separation of church and state [government], they have entered into that [Anabaptist] heritage - Where men have caught the Anabaptist vision of [N.T.] discipleship, they have become worthy of that heritage - Where corporate discipleship submits itself to the New Testament pattern of the church, the heir has then entered full possession of his [N.T. - Anabaptist] legacy
[Some] Anabaptists rejected *conventional [common and Biblically acceptable] Christian practices such as wearing wedding rings, taking oaths, and participating in civil government. They adhered to a literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount and Believer's baptism. The name Anabaptist is derived from this, because credobaptism ('Believer's baptism' - adult baptism) was considered heresy by all other major Christian denominations at the time of the reformation period (specifically, all major Christian denominations saw [infant] baptism as necessary for salvation and necessary for infants, and held that it was wrong to delay baptism until the child had reached a certain age; they did, however, require that those who converted later in life should confess a baptismal creed [the Apostles' Creed] at baptism (credobaptism). Anabaptists required that candidates be able to make their own confessions of faith and so refused baptism to infants). As a result, Anabaptists were heavily persecuted during the 16th century and into the 17th by both Roman Catholics and other Protestants. ... Somewhat related to this is the theory that the Anabaptists are of Waldensian origin. Some hold the idea that the Waldenses are part of the apostolic succession, while others simply believe they were an independent group out of whom the Anabaptists arose. Estep asserts "the Waldenses disappeared in Switzerland a century before the rise of the Anabaptist movement." Ludwig Keller, Thomas M. Lindsay, H. C. Vedder, Delbert Grätz, and Thieleman J. van Braght all held, in varying degrees, the position that the Anabaptists were of Waldensian origin. ... The Anabaptists were early promoters of a free church and freedom of religion (sometimes associated with separation of church and state). When it was introduced by the Anabaptists in the 15th and 16th centuries, religious freedom independent of the state was unthinkable to both clerical and governmental leaders. Religious liberty was equated with anarchy; Kropotkin traces the birth of anarchist thought in Europe to these early Anabaptist communities. According to Estep: Where men believe in the freedom of religion, supported by a guarantee of separation of church and state, they have entered into that heritage. Where men have caught the Anabaptist vision of discipleship, they have become worthy of that heritage. Where corporate discipleship submits itself to the New Testament pattern of the church, the heir has then entered full possession of his legacy. [article link]

Apologetics Training Videos - Shepherd's Fellowship of Greensboro - In part I of our series on apologetic and evangelistic methods, Dustin S. Segers defines the problems inherent in modern evangelistic and apologetic methods and then goes on to discuss biblical methods of apologetics and evangelism {Apologetics Training from a Reformed, Calvinistic Theology - Good material but with the patented Reformed biased view. Charles Finney (1792 -1875) one of the greatest men of the Christian faith is referenced in the teaching as a heretic but it's not true. [Finney was a primary influence on the "revival" style of theology which emerged in the 19th century (1800's). Though coming from a Calvinistic background, Finney rejected (Shepherding) tenets of "Old Divinity" Calvinism which he felt were unbiblical and counter to evangelism and Christian mission. - Wiki.com]. Many of the Reformed theologies and Apologetics teachings in this series are excellent it is just that a heavily biased Reformed Only (Shepherding) view is never that excellent of a way to share, teach or preach the Holy Bible to fellow Christians.} (YouTube)
Why Do We Exist? - 5. Restoring (Shepherding) Biblical Pastoral Oversight [vs. body of Jesus Christ fellowship, individuality (grace), freedom, ability and equality in Jesus Christ]. Many church leaders have neglected the duties of overseeing the spiritual welfare of individuals and families. Programs, facilities, and finances are managed and promoted by many pastors. If pastors and elders fail to care for souls, they fail to obey God to the great detriment of the church (1Pet. 5:1-2; Acts 20:28). We desire to see each individual in Shepherd's Fellowship mature to the glory of God so that each life produces a great harvest in the kingdom of God. While we want to purpose to be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3), we wish to see continually good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ (Col. 2:5). Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. (Heb 13:17) In conclusion, our desire is to glorify God in all that we do through proper preaching, teaching, ministering and evangelizing (Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Cor. 12:31). We pray that God will cause His gospel to spread quickly through our local area to bring honor and glory to Christ and to seek and save those who are lost (Eph. 3:21). [article link]

The Nicene Creed (325 A.D.): ... And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And I believe in one holy catholic [universal] and **[A]postolic Church [based on the foundation of the Apostles] - I acknowledge one Baptism [personal - individual identity (cross and resurrection) with Jesus Christ] for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come - Amen
The Three Ecumenical or Universal Creeds -- The Apostles' Creed [The title, Symbolum Apostolicum (Symbol or Creed of the Apostles), appears for the first time in a letter from a Council in Milan (probably written by Ambrose himself) to Pope Siricius in about 390 A.D. - Wiki.com]: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic [universal] Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. -- The Nicene Creed [adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first (second) ecumenical council (Jerusalem Acts 15:6 was the first ecumenical Church council), which met there in 325 A.D. - Wiki.com]: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And I believe in one holy catholic [universal] and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. -- The Athanasian Creed [The use of the Creed in a sermon by Caesarius of Arles, as well as a theological resemblance to works by Vincent of Lérins, point to Southern Gaul as its origin. The most likely time frame is in the late fifth or early sixth century A.D. (475-525 A.D.) at least 100 years after Athanasius (293 A.D. - May 2, 373 A.D.) - Wiki.com]: Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic [universal] faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic [universal] faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy Ghost uncreate. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three Eternals, but one Eternal. As there are not three Uncreated nor three Incomprehensibles, but one Uncreated and one Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Ghost almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords, but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, So are we forbidden by the catholic [universal] religion to say, There be three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none: neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before or after other; none is greater or less than another; But the whole three Persons are coeternal together, and coequal: so that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped. He, therefore, that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity. Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is, that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world; Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood; Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but one Christ: One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God; One altogether; not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead; He ascended into heaven; He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give an account of their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic [universal] faith; which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved. [article link]

1689 Baptist Confession of Faith - "The Baptist Confession of Faith adopted by the ministers and messengers of the General Assembly which met in London in 1689" the Second London Confession, originally composed in 1677, has ever since been called "The 1689 Confession"
This became the most popular confession of Calvinistic Baptists in the English speaking world. It enjoyed editions in Britain in 1693, 1699, 1719, 1720, 1791, 1809. In 1855 C. H. Spurgeon issued a new edition. It was only the second year of his ministry at the New Park Street Chapel. Spurgeon wrote, "I have thought it right to reprint in a cheap form this excellent list of doctrines, which were subscribed to by the Baptist Ministers in the year 1689. We need a banner because of the truth; it may be that this small volume may aid the cause of the glorious gospel by testifying plainly what are its leading doctrines ... May the Lord soon restore unto Zion a pure language, and may her watchmen see eye to eye." He addressed these remarks to "all the Household of Faith, who rejoice in the glorious doctrines of Free Grace." Other British editions have appeared in 1958, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1972, 1974. -- In the later 1600's Benjamin Keach and another minister of London published the 1689 Confession with two articles added, one on "the laying on of hands" and another''the singing of psalms". When Elias Keach, son of Benjamin, became a Baptist minister in America in 1688, he became a part of the Calvinistic Baptists who formed the Philadelphia Baptist Association in 1707. Through him the Second London Confession with his father's addenda was adopted by the Philadelphia Association. For years the association appealed to the confession, formally adopting it in 1742. The first edition of the "Philadelphia Confession of Faith" was printed by Benjamin Franklin in 1743. Under this name the 1689 confession became the definitive doctrinal statement of Calvinistic Baptists throughout the colonial and early United States periods. Associations in Virginia (1766) Rhode Island (1767), South Carolina (1767), Kentucky (1785), and Tennessee (1788) adopted the confession. It came to be known in America 85 "The Baptist Confession". Familiarity with the Confession and its doctrines declined in the latter half of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. But since God has remarkably revived Biblical Calvinism among Baptists in recent days, interest in this historic confession has been renewed. [article link]

Historic Baptist Documents - Confessions, Catechisms, Creeds
Many contemporaries have a deep-seated suspicion of catechisms. In our own Baptist denomination, many would consider the words "Baptist catechism" as mutually exclusive. A popular misconception is that catechisms are used in times and places where inadequate views of conversion predominate or the fires of evangelism have long since turned to white ash. If the Bible is preached, they continue, no catechism is necessary; catechisms tend to produce mere intellectual assent where true heart religion is absent. This concern reflects a healthy interest for the experiential side of true Christianity. Concern for conversion and fervor, however, should never diminish one's commitment to the individual truths of Christianity nor the necessity of teaching them in a full and coherent manner. An Encouragement to Use Catechisms, Tom Nettles -- I am persuaded that the use of a good Catechism in all our families will be a great safeguard against the increasing errors of the times, and therefore I have compiled this little manual from the Westminster Assembly's and Baptist Catechisms, for the use of my own church and congregation. Those who use it in their families or classes must labour to explain the sense; but the words should be carefully learned by heart, for they will be understood better as years pass. ~ C. H. Spurgeon -- "There never was a man in the world without a creed. What is a creed? A creed is what you believe. What is a confession? It is a declaration of what you believe. That declaration may be oral or it may be committed to writing, but the creed is there either expressed or implied." ~ B.H. Carroll [article link]

***Highly Recommended - (PID) VFTB 048: Sarah Leslie - False Christs and False Prophets - The *New Apostolic Reformation is lifting up a generation of self-appointed, self-anointed apostles who believe they're on a mission from God to take over the world {Note: Back in the day (mid-90's) I read several of the books and bought a few [especially books on prayer by Cindy Jacobs] proposing a modern apostolic movement based on 'globally' impacting ministries. The modern definition of a modern apostle being a global ministry and at the time this seemed reasonable to me however after more Bible study it's easy to see that the modern term for apostle has been redefined. A Biblical Apostle is strictly one of the people [the Apostle Paul being the last Apostle (1 Corinthians 15:8)] who personally witnessed the resurrection of Jesus Christ and who primarily wrote the New Testament scriptures based on the teachings of Jesus from their personal time spent with Jesus. Also Note: A Christian ministry was always intended to have a global impact and regular Christian ministry is mentioned in the Bible apart from any reference to any local apostolic authority or mandate. - Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your [regular Christian] faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. -- *No global apostolic mandate is mentioned or referenced here by the Apostle Paul.} (Mp3)
We're watching prophecy unfold before our very eyes. The New Apostolic Reformation is lifting up a generation of self-appointed, self-anointed apostles who believe they're on a mission from God to take over the world. Sarah Leslie of Discernment Ministries, publisher of the excellent Herescope blog, joined us to talk about this movement-its history, its beliefs, and the links between these new apostles, mainstream evangelicals, New Agers, and political power brokers. It doesn't take a prophecy scholar to see this leading to the one-world church of the Apocalypse. [article link]

Apprising Ministries: PID RADIO WITH SARAH LESLIE - FALSE CHRISTS AND FALSE PROPHETS - The New Apostolic Reformation is lifting up a generation of self-appointed, self-anointed apostles who believe they're on a mission from God to take over the world (Mp3 links)
Apprising Ministries is pleased to point you to this program where my friend Derek Gilbert interviews another person I'm blessed to call a friend: Sarah Leslie of Discernment Ministries, publisher of the excellent Herescope blog, joined us to talk about this movement-its history, its beliefs, and the links between these new apostles, mainstream evangelicals, New Agers, and political power brokers. It doesn't take a prophecy scholar to see this leading to the one-world church of the Apocalypse… We're watching prophecy unfold before our very eyes. The New Apostolic Reformation is lifting up a generation of self-appointed, self-anointed apostles who believe they're on a mission from God to take over the world. Recommended reading: Joel's Army by Jewel Grewe - The Coalescing of the Christian Right with Apostolic Dominionism by Dr. Orrel Steinkamp - The Tea Party's Strange Bedfellows and What They Believe by Dr. Orrel Steinkamp - May Day Prayers by the Discernment Research Group - You can download and/or listen to this important program right here. In addition, over at the fine website Slaughter of the Sheep Chrystal tells us in her post New Apostolic Reformation: Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries did a one hour program on the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) with guest Mike Oppenheimer of Let Us Reason Ministries on Saturday, May 15, on her Understanding the Times radio program which is one of my favorite radio programs. It covers pertinent information as it relates to the New Apostolic Reformation and C. Peter Wagner's International Coalition of Apostles… Ingrid Schlueter of the Crosstalk America radio program did a program on May 3rd with guest Sarah Leslie of Discernment-Ministries, Inc., which covered the same topic… Both programs will inform and educate you on the key players of the NAR, as well as the dangerous doctrines they teach. You will find the links to listen to both of these programs right here. [article link]

[Modern] Apostles, Prophets & The {Legitimate} International Fellowship of Christians & Jews - David Cannistraci wrote "Apostles and the Emerging Apostolic Movement" in 1996 - It is stated that it is, "A Biblical look at Apostleship and how God is blessing His church today" - Bill Bright, David Yonggi Cho, Ted Haggard and Cindy Jacobs are some of the many [modern apostolic movement] endorsers - Cannistraci's close friend and mentor, C. Peter Wagner, has declared this book to be required reading for all his "Fuller" students - Wagner wrote in the forward of the book of the Postdenominational Movement, that being a world-wide movement that is recognizing the reinstatement of the new apostles as authoritative leadership
David Cannistraci wrote "Apostles and the Emerging Apostolic Movement" in 1996. It is stated that it is, "A Biblical look at Apostleship and how God is blessing His church today." Bill Bright, David Yonggi Cho, Ted Haggard and Cindy Jacobs are some of the many endorsers. Cannistraci's close friend and mentor, C. Peter Wagner, has declared this book to be required reading for all his "Fuller" students. Wagner wrote in the forward of the book of the Postdenominational Movement, that being a world-wide movement that is recognizing the reinstatement of the new apostles as authoritative leadership. 'Inherent in today's postdenominational churches...are "apostolic networks,' in which both the gift and office of apostle are recognized and accepted." ... The definition of [modern] apostle within the book is "...one who is called and sent by Christ to have the spiritual authority, character, gifts and abilities to successfully reach and establish people in Kingdom truth and order, especially through founding and overseeing local churches...Apostolic people are Christians who support and participate in apostolic ministry, but are not actual apostles...people work with apostles to reach the lost through dynamic outreach, church planting and nurturing. Apostolic churches...recognize and relate to modern-day apostles...The apostolic movement is the Holy Spirit's worldwide activation of apostles and apostolic people to come together as a part of a great revival on earth....a restored function of New Testament apostles is not only important it is critical...' Excusing the failure of people like William Branham, "who appears to have become deluded near the end of his life..." Cannistraci states "apostles are primary in the Body of Christ, they are only human and as such they will be imperfect and fallible..." That is no different than Rick Joyner declaring God's prophets to have the normal acceptable error in predictions anywhere from 10-90%. Not unlike the Catholic church and "fathers", the author presents the concept of apostles taking on a fatherly role. ... Since people like Rick Joyner and others like him are considered by many to be Apostles, are we now to call him our spiritual father? In 1986, the ever ecumenical Oral Roberts, considered the apostle of healing, formed the International Charismatic Bible Ministries (ICBM.) ICBM advertises last years Conference audio and videotape which shows speakers/video workshops to have included "Bill Basansky & Rodney Howard-Browne" teaching, "Church Growth/Home Cell Ministries" and Oral Roberts & Benny Hinn working together. Their new conference is slated for June20-22, 2000. Their slogan has been "Love and Unity through Signs and Wonders." The ICBM conducts "leadership conferences," and is a "coalition of charismatic leaders," many of whom are dominionists. While noting that the names change occasionally Al Dager cited an Ad for Charismatic Bible Ministries, in Charisma, May 1987 showing that the original officers and trustees were: Oral Roberts* - Chairman; Ken Copeland* - Secretary; Jack Hayford* - Vice Chariman; Billy Joe Dougherty* - Treasurer; Paul Yonggi Cho-International Honorary Chairman; Executive Committee Members: Charles Green, Marilyn Hickey, Karl Strader. [article link]

Update Summer 2010: The Majesty and Glory of King Jesus Christ! "All Blessings, Honor, Glory, Majesty and Praise to the King and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ" - The Basic Christian Ministry is currently undergoing the series "The 8 Kingdoms of the World" regarding the Majesty and Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ
Basic Christian has recently completed the 'blog Bible Study' and is currently in the process of the 'blog History Study' including the '8 Kingdoms of the World' study. The current plan is to study at a slower pace than the fast paced blog Bible Study and also to insert a couple of Topical Studies before the 8 Kingdom Study really gets back on track. Ideally the plan is to really get into the 8 Kingdom Study this Fall and then conclude the 8 Kingdoms (Kings) study just before we celebrate Christmas 2010 and the birth of the King the Lord Jesus Christ (Isaiah 6:5, Matthew 2:2). Then to spend the time from Christmas to Resurrection Day Easter (2011) studying Christian Church History as we prepare for Resurrection Day 2011 and the birth of the Christian Church - the Christian Church having started on the Resurrection Day of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. [article link]

Westminster Seminary: Christ, Kingdom & Culture Conference [January 2010] - This conference addressed the sovereignty of God as it relates to His Kingdom (7 Free Video Downloads)
What is the Christian's relationship to culture? This conference addressed the sovereignty of God as it relates to his kingdom, to our role as Christians in God's world, in the state, at work, at school, and in the church. [article link]

Heart of the Matter with Shawn McCraney - Show #211 David's Sin (Mp3, Video)
Started in early 2006, Heart of the Matter is a TV show produced in the Mecca of Mormonism, Salt Lake City. It's where Mormonism meets Biblical Christianity face to face! Shawn McCraney, the host of Heart of the Matter, provides great entertainment value and valuable knowledge of Mormonism and what it means to be a Born-Again Christian. Shawn is the author of "I Was a Born-Again Mormon" and the pastor of Calvary Campus. Live One Hour Call-in Show Airs Tuesdays 8pm MST, Rebroadcasts Tuesdays 11am MST, Salt Lake City Channel 20, KTMW Boise, Idaho Channel 18 KCLP. [article link]

Revelations Radio Network - The Frank & Chris Show: Episode 103 (Mp3)
The Revelations Radio Network is an online family of Christian Podcasts and Talk Shows. Together we cover a wide range of topics including Bible Study, End Times Bible Prophecy, Spiritual Deception, Apostasy Within the Church, The New World Order, and Conspiracy "Theory". If you've ever felt like world is spiraling out of control and you're looking for Scripturally sound answers as to the how and the why, RRN is for you. The comment section is restricted to members only. [article link]

The Threshing Floor with Randy Maugans - The Plummet is Laid (Mp3)
There is now a division in the Spirit. Those who live as predators, hunter-gathers, and merchandisers of souls…have passed their "point of no return." Grace, which became the licence for lawlessness is disappeared for such. This is the "quickening," it is the time of the plummet laid to the line of judgment. [article link]

Dr. Scott Johnson - End Time Current Events: 4-25-10 Parts 1 & 2 (Mp3s)
Dr. Scott Johnson, 04/25/2010 -- Part of the Current Events & Bible Study series, preached at a Sunday Morning service Iceland's Volcano Simply Explodes! President Obama is pushing Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to carve up Jerusalem Study Confirms Link Between Autism and Use of Cells From Abortions in Vaccines Aborted Babies & Vaccines Deadly airborne fungus in Oregon set to spread--The new, rare strain has killed 1 in 4 infected, researchers say The "Emergent" Church Movement Exposed Max Lucado Joins "Covenant for Civility" Amazing Quotes From Heretics You Shouldn't Forget About Keeping it Under Wraps: Giants, Mummies and Megalithic Mysteries More Lies from Old Splitfoot's "Pride and Joy": Devil Betraya [article link]

Impact Ministries - Free Audio - The Gospel of Peace - The 4 Most Important Messages (Mp3s)
I've got great news for you: God is madly in love with you! That's right! Sure you've got problems; maybe your life isn't what you want it to be, but that doesn't matter... God is for you and never against you! He doesn't find fault in you and He's not looking for fault in you! He just wants to give you the most incredible life you could imagine... and more! God never meant for the world to be so messed up, corrupt and full of pain. But He gave us the freedom to make our own choices... and it seems we've habitually made the wrong choices, you know, the ones that end in pain and suffering! Religion has probably convinced you that God is angry at you for all the bad choices and destructive things you've done! They've probably convinced you that all the pain in your life is God's punishment for your shortcomings! But I assure you, nothing is farther from the truth! Years ago, I became totally disgusted with religion. And, you'll be glad to know God hates religion too, so I committed myself to helping people experience God without getting caught in all the religious traps. I started this ministry called Impact Ministries. I believe that experiencing the love of God will make the most powerful impact on your life that you could ever experience. We've been around since back in the seventies. It exists to help people like you find wholeness through the love of God. You may be asking, "What do you mean by, people like me?" Simple! People who are searching for the real God of the Bible, people who have been worn out by religion, people who want God but don't want to spend their life jumping through religious hoops, being controlled and playing games, people who want a real relationship with God without all the useless religious stuff. You see, I found out a long time ago that religion has made the world afraid and angry! Religion starts wars. Religion despises man. But God loves man. He makes peace. He is the giver of life not the giver of death! He never wants you to be afraid of Him. He never wants you to suffer. If what you've heard about God makes you afraid, you just haven't heard the truth! In fact, the Bible says it is what legalistic, controlling leaders have said about God that causes His name to be hated and blasphemed. The same prophet goes on to say that a day will come when people will see God as He is and in that day they will turn to Him. Maybe today is your day to see God as He really is. Everything in this website is dedicated to just that: showing you who God really is! As you read and listen to the information on this site I promise you this: I will never use fear - I will never use manipulation - Everything I tell you will be based on the finished work of Jesus - Everything God offers you is a free gift - Because of Jesus you are qualified for everything God offers - God will never hurt you! [article link]

It is only by FAITH in Jesus Christ (His sinless life, His atoning cross, His eternal life resurrection) that a person becomes a Christian - NOT by any kind of personal WORKS, good, bad or otherwise (Holy Bible)
"John 3:16-21 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ), that whosoever believeth [faith] in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the Name [Person] of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light [Jesus Christ] is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their [works] deeds were evil [selfish]. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light [God], neither cometh to the [True] light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth [Biblical] Truth cometh to the light [God], that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought [made - relationship] in God." -- "Ephesians 2:4-10 But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins {the sins of Adam and Eve}, hath quickened us together with [Jesus] Christ, by grace ye are saved; And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. **For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: *Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto [God's] good works, *which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." [article link]

The works of God are different from the works of man - The Good Works of God are embodied in the works of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (Holy Bible)
"Matthew 16:24-28 Then said Jesus unto His Disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and **take up his cross, and follow Me. *For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life [die to this world] for My sake shall find it [eternal life]. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole [fallen] world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For [Jesus Christ] the Son of Man shall come in the Glory of [God] His Father with His [holy] angels; and **then He shall reward every man according to his [godly - Jesus centered] works [after taking up the cross]. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man [glorified - Mt. of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9)] coming in [displaying] His [righteous] Kingdom." -- "Hebrews 12:2-8 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our [Christian] faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." -- "Hebrews 12:12-17 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame [human good works] be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed [relationship with God]. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently [to God] lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." -- "Hebrews 12:22-25 But ye [disciples] are come unto Mount Sion [Zion - the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ], and unto the city of the living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of [holy] angels, To the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn [covered by the blood of Jesus], which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect [complete], And to Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not Him [Jesus] that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him [Moses] that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him [Jesus] that speaketh from heaven:" -- "Hebrews 12:28-29 Wherefore we [Christians] receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved [shaken down], let us have grace [individuality], whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire [removing unrighteousness]." [article link]

The Dalai Lama is wrong - There is "one truth" behind the "many faiths" and that core truth, he argues, is compassion [good works - i.e. Pastor Rick Warren's 'purpose driven' agenda] - Followers of the Dalai Lama revere him as a reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion - So it should not be surprising that he sees compassion at the heart of all religions - Jesus came, according to most Christian thinkers, to stamp out sin and pave the path to [eternal] salvation (humans reconciled back into a (family) *relationship and *fellowship with Holy God) - religion is an immensely powerful force both personally and politically
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN - I am a big fan of the Dalai Lama. I love his trademark smile and I hate the fact that I missed his talks this week in New York City. But I cannot say either "Amen" or "Om" to the shopworn clichés that he trots out in the New York Times in "Many Faiths, One Truth." Recalling the Apostle Paul-"When I was a child, I spoke like a child"-the Dalai Lama begins by copping to youthful naivete. "When I was a boy in Tibet, I felt that my own Buddhist religion must be the best," he writes, "and that other faiths were somehow inferior." However, just as Paul, upon becoming a man, "put away childish things," the Dalai Lama now sees his youthful exclusivism as both naïve and dangerous. There is "one truth" behind the "many faiths," and that core truth, he argues, is compassion. Like the Dalai Lama, who writes of how he was influenced by Thomas Merton, I believe we can learn greatly from other religions. I too hope for tolerance and harmony in our interreligious interactions. I am convinced, however, that true tolerance and lasting harmony must be built on reality, not fantasy. Religious exclusivism is dangerous and naïve. But so too is pretend pluralism. The cause of religious harmony is not advanced in the least by the shibboleth that all religions are different paths up the same mountain. If you ask religious universalists what lies at the top of the mountain, the answers they will give you are not one but many ... As I argue in my new book, "God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World-and Why Their Differences Matter," religion is an immensely powerful force both personally and politically. So if we want to understand the world we must understand the world's religions. This includes reckoning with both similarities and differences, and with the capacity of each of the great religions to do both good and evil. I know that when it comes to the Dalai Lama we are all supposed to bow and scrape. So I am happy to applaud his project to find "common ground" across the world's religions. But I also know that the Buddha said to worship no man. And I cannot agree with the Dalai Lama's claim that "the essential message of all religions is very much the same." The Dalai Lama was doubtless naïve when, as a boy, and before learning about other religions, he arrived at the conclusion that only his religion was true. But it is no advance out of innocence to make the equally fantastic claim that all the religions are at heart vehicles for compassion. If we are to build a world of interreligious harmony, or even a world of interreligious détente, it will have to be constructed on a foundation of adult experience rather than youthful naivete. [article link]

Oprah and Julia Roberts Make Push for New Age 'Eat, Pray, Love' Summer 2010 Movie - the message in Gilbert's book 'Eat, Pray, Love' is a New Age one that encourages eastern meditation [contemplating that all is one and all is well in this world without the cross and reconciliation of Jesus Christ (no sin) vs. fellowshipping with God in a right relationship of sinful human and loving, Holy God (Isaiah 1:18)] as a way to find peace and fulfillment in life - According to Time magazine, the following people are among the 2008 (100 most) influential people in the world - The ones we have listed all have some connection to promoting the New Age movement: #81 - Rupert Murdoch
On May 24th, on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Julia Roberts joined Oprah to promote the upcoming film, Eat, Pray, Love, based on Elizabeth Gilbert's New York Times Best Selling book with the same name. The movie will be released this summer and will most likely be a box office hit with Roberts starring in the film and Brad Pitt producing. Sadly, the message in Gilbert's book is a New Age one that encourages eastern meditation as a way to find peace and fulfillment in life. ... According to Time magazine, the following people are among the 2008 100 most influential people in the world. The ones we have listed all have some connection to promoting the New Age movement: #1 - Dalai Lama, #3 - Barack Obama, #4 - Hilary Clinton, #22 - Oprah Winfrey, #67 - Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love), #81 - Rupert Murdoch. [article link]

Calvary Chapel Senior Pastor Chuck Smith now supports Rick Warren [Rick Warren's good friend (and Saddleback Church attendee) Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox News also owns and distributes the Satanic bible, is a leading promoter of evolution and abortion and is also one of the leading distributors of pornographic material throughout the world] - {Note: Chuck Smith seems to think that 'anything' he does is a move of the Holy Spirit or is endorsed 'blessed' by the Holy Spirit simply because he does it and that is complete blasphemy! Pastor Chuck Smith needs to continually submit himself to the Holy Spirit in the same way and manner as everyone else. There are no special circumstances or special people, even in these End Times [or especially in these End Times], everyone is to be submitted to God at all times and there are no exceptions. Honestly, Pastor Chuck Smith and Pastor Rick Warren seem to think that they have some special anointed 'secret agent' End Time calling on their life and are to define and complete the Church and to personally above everyone else 'deliver the Church personally to God' as some super servant at the 2nd Coming appearance and return of Jesus and it is certainly not the case. - The Apostle Paul had the calling of Apostle on his life and the Apostle Paul openly and publically declared to everyone his calling [1 Corinthians 1:1] and his intentions within the Church. We now live in days where Church leaders and pseudo Church leaders like Smith and Warren seem to be enacting out a secret fantasy of an End Time calling [that does not exist] with their secret intentions and hidden agendas and it's not Biblically correct. Secrecy is a deception that is being imposed upon the Christian Church by the leaders of the Church and the Church doesn't need it or want it. - Also Note: Chuck Smith is always overselling his Calvary Chapel agenda and Rick Warren is always overly aggressive in demanding his agenda and both approaches towards people and audiences are unbiblical.} (YouTube)
This video shows the many compromises that Chuck Smith has made, on this one I fear he has gone beyond the pale. [article link]

Church Discipline: The Guest Teachers Series - DOES THE TRUTH MATTER ANYMORE? by John MacArthur $64.95 (5 Parts DVD) - entire series $203.72 (CrossTv.com) {Note: Christianity involves two parts, the death of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus. We follow Jesus in our own death (dying - self discipline) to self, sin and this world and in our own personal resurrection in living to God and His Holy Spiritual realm. Much of what the Emergent (New Age) Church is trying to do is to live the spiritual resurrection (grace, peace, holiness, wellbeing, sharing, joy) without first experiencing the death to self, sin and this world. Christianity is grounded and based in both parts, both dying to self (discipline) and resurrection (joy) living to God - these videos are more about the dying to self (self discipline) part but don't forget to also live the holy spiritual (grace, peace, holiness, wellbeing, sharing, joy) resurrection part. (Philippians 1:20-21, 1 Corinthians 10:31)} (DVDs)
Everywhere is apathy. Nobody cares whether that which is preached is true or false. A sermon is a sermon whatever the subject; only, the shorter it is the better." Those words were written by Charles Spurgeon MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO! Yet, he might have just as easily been describing the state of the church at the beginning of the 21st Century. Well, in this "tell-it-like-it-is" indictment of the attitudes, methods and approaches of much of the modern church, Pastor John MacArthur picks up where Charles Spurgeon left off. This is 'MUST VIEWING" for the modern Christian. Presented by: John MacArthur [article link]

Washington Post: Obama names Cook religious freedom ambassador - The White House just announced that they're filling the long awaited position of ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom - The appointee is Rev. Suzan Johnson Cook, whose experience includes pastoring a New York City church and founding a group called Wisdom Worldwide Center She has also been a chaplain for NYPD
UPDATE: Cook's name had been out there for months (as we reported in January), so there has been plenty of time for the self-described international religious freedom community to react. Reaction has been pretty uniform -- respect for Cook's work in building a New York City-based mega-ministry and in her interest in public service, but concern for the lack of any expertise in international religious freedom and human rights work, or foreign policy work in general. And this at a time when President Obama has beefed up the staffing and role of religion in embassies worldwide. International religious freedom advocates have also been upset that the position remained empty for so long and that Cook -- unlike other ambassadors-at-large within the State Department -- and her staff will have less access to the Secretary of State than they believe the law creating her position envisioned. [article link]

LighthouseTrailsResearch.com: Obama Names Suzan Johnson Cook Ambassador For International Religious Freedom - According to a Washington DC press release in 2009, Johnson Cook is "dubbed Billy Graham and Oprah rolled into one" i.e., a new spirituality "Christian" - According to Johnson Cook's website, she is also a member of Renaissance Weekend, an interfaith **think tank [NWO 'think tank' religion i.e. Rick Warren] that "seeks to build bridges across traditional divides of professions and politics, geography and generations, religions and philosophies"
According to a Washington DC press release in 2009, Johnson Cook is "dubbed Billy Graham and Oprah rolled into one" (i.e., a new spirituality "Christian). Since aggressively stepping up to the "spiritual" plate during the 911 attacks in 2001 [Ergun and Emir Caner also arose out of the ashes of 9-11-2001], serving as the only NYPD Chaplain's until now, Dr. Sujay has been called, "America's Chaplain". She firmly believes that, "We are mind, body and spirit which means it's time to put the stress of the current economic decline aside and get back to the basics of life - which is simply getting back in touch with your God, His wonderful promises and purpose for our lives." According to Johnson Cook's website, she is also a member of Renaissance Weekend, an interfaith think tank that "seeks to build bridges across traditional divides of professions and politics, geography and generations, religions and philosophies." [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Mike MacIntosh "a Ground Zero Chaplain" - the senior pastor of Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego, California a Calvary Chapel affiliate - [Book] (2002) When Your World Falls Apart: Life Lessons from a Ground Zero Chaplain by Mike MacIntosh, Foreward by Anne Graham Lotz {Wow! 9-11 books and bracelets - some Calvary Chapel pastors seemed to see 9-11 as an opportunity to make some quick money. No wonder Calvary Chapel Pastors don't investigate [or even publically talk about] the possible NYC 9-11-2001 events because it seems in their best interest (best income opportunities) to go along with the official 9-11 version of events.}
Mike MacIntosh (born 1944) is the senior pastor of Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego, California, and is a Christian leader in the United States. MacIntosh left the hippie scene of the 1960s and got involved with Calvary Chapel. He then went on to pastor Horizon Christian Fellowship, a Calvary Chapel affiliate, beginning in 1974. He is also the organizer of Festival of Life, an international evangelical outreach program. MacIntosh has also served as a chaplain for the San Diego Police Department, and has been involved in post-9/11 rescue efforts in New York City, as documented in his book When Your World Falls Apart. [When Your World Falls Apart (2002): Life Lessons from a Ground Zero Chaplain by Mike MacIntosh, Foreward by Anne Graham Lotz - Amazon.com] -- An Unofficial Associate Pastor: An example of this is Calvary of Albuquerque [pastor Skip Hietzig] where Skip's wife, Lenya, functioned almost as a pastor for women. Her "9-11 bracelet" idea [was it her idea alone or was it a 'think tank' religion idea being passed along through Lenya Hietzig?] ended up costing the church hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory write-offs. - Source: http://calvarychapel.pbworks.com/pastors-wife [article link]

Calvary Chapel (Skip Heitzig) Albuquerque States: Leonard Sweet Will Not Be Speaking at Conference - Lighthouse Trails Calls For Answers - Questions Arise: Is New Age Sympathizer Leonard Sweet Speaking at Calvary Chapel Albuquerque or Not? - the National Worship Leader Conference website still maintains that Leonard Sweet will indeed be speaking at Calvary Chapel Albuquerque {Note: Because of deceptive and non-Christian practices emanating from various Calvary Chapel pastors the website links from Basic Christan to Skip Heitzig and several other Calvary Chapel (Costa Mesa) resources, Churches and pastors have recently been removed by the Basic Christian Ministry.}
This is an update regarding the Lighthouse Trails report that New Age sympathizer Leonard Sweet is scheduled to speak at Calvary Chapel Albuquerque for the National Worship Leader Conference this June. Conflicting reports are occurring as to whether Sweet's speaking engagement has been cancelled. Please refer to our recent posting, Questions Arise: Is New Age Sympathizer Leonard Sweet Speaking at Calvary Chapel Albuquerque or Not? where we write on some of these conflicting reports. A number of Lighthouse Trails' readers contacted us over the last couple days sending us copies of an email they each received from an undisclosed personnel at Calvary Chapel Albuquerque. **The form letter states: Thank you for contacting us here at The Connection and thanks for writing to Pastor Skip. We always love to hear from you. The conference is not a Calvary conference. The conference is being put on by Worship Leader Magazine using our facility - just like CAPE, Home school graduation, funerals, etc. Therefore, Leonard Sweet is not speaking at "Skip's Church". [LT: Heitzig is one of the speakers at this event.] He is part of a conference using Calvary's facilities. Leonard Sweet will attend the conference but WILL NOT BE SPEAKING. It is our prayer that God will continue to reveal Himself to you through His Word as you seek to know Him. Love in Christ, Connection Communications -- Because the National Worship Leader Conference website still maintains that Leonard Sweet will indeed be speaking at Calvary Chapel Albuquerque, an official public notice from CCA stating that Leonard Sweet will not be speaking there could help clear up the present confusion. Just as important, a statement explaining to the body of Christ why they have decided to remove him from the platform would be important. In a day and age when so many Christian leaders are sending out mixed messages to the Church regarding spiritual deception, those wanting to maintain biblical integrity need to be forthright and clear in what they believe and stand for. And regardless of what denomination or movement this confusion is occurring in, those particular leaders do have a biblical obligation to the entire body of Jesus Christ. This is not Lighthouse Trails saying this - this is what the Bible requests of leaders and pastors. [article link]

Note: There has been a change to the referencing for each of the Basic Christian blog Bible Study postings - Each posting will now contain the Bible's book and chapter and will no longer provide a reference to an alternate past study by Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa - The change is being made out of necessity in that the teachings of the Basic Christian blog Bible Study are too divergent from the alternate material of Calvary Chapel and therefore providing Chuck Smith or Calvary Chapel as an alternate reference in the blog Bible Study has been causing too much confusion within the current blog Bible Study - The re-referencing of each post will be completed as soon as possible - My sincere apologies for any inconvenience that this has caused or might cause for anyone studying the Bible - God bless you, David Anson Brown
Originally the postings to the Basic Christian blog Bible Study were listed with an alternate past study of the Calvary Chapel C3000 series by Chuck Smith however the teachings and material of Chuck Smith have become to inconsistent and run to counter to the current [in progress] teachings given in the Basic Christian blog Bible Study and therefore there is no reason to [continue to] provide a listing to an alternate Chuck Smith resource. Sadly, it has also recently [in part through the faithful and diligent ministry of Randy Maugans at The Threshing Floor] come to the attention of the Basic Christian ministry that there are now several serious allegations that Chuck Smith does not have his own material but often plagiarizes much of his material from other sources [including now New Age material i.e. his 2006 book "When Storms Come" by Chuck Smith with (later removed) portions plagiarized from two New Age authors] and that Chuck Smith had then put his name on the material of others as though it was his own material. In Short there was an attempt to provide a reference to some past material as an alternate counterbalance to the Basic Christian material however it quickly became evident that the material of the alternate teaching of Chuck Smith is filled with too many personal antecedents has too many inconsistencies [biblical names, dates and locations] (probably from his use of too many external sources i.e. other commentaries) and even outright biblical misrepresentations [i.e. Kingdom - eternal rewards] to the point that the past study of Chuck Smith is incompatible with the current Basic Christian blog Bible Study and therefore for clarity all references to any Calvary Chapel or Chuck Smith material will be removed from all of the Basic Christian material. [article link]

Dr. Norman Geisler On Ergun Caner by Peter Lumpkins [Apparently it's not a hoax and Dr. Norman Geisler did author that incoherent rant.] {Note: We live in crucial times and as such it is now time that we REJECT the current Christian pastors, teachers and leaders that are unable or unwilling to accurately evaluate and assess the post 9-11-2001 era of danger, beguile and betrayal that we now exist in. Too many Pastors are still more interested in their own personal agendas, comfort and finances than in spreading the gospel message of Jesus Christ. -- Past pastors, teachers and leaders like Chuck Smith Sr. of Calvary Chapel, Rick Warren, John Hagee, Greg Laurie, Skip Heitzig, James Dobson, Norman Geisler, Jerry Falwell Jr., John MacArthur, Rick Joyner, Mark Demoss, Tony Perkins, David Brody, Lee Strobel, R.C. Sproul, Max Lucado and a host of others who consider themselves to be apostles, prophets, teachers and leaders need no longer be taken seriously or even be considered to be viable as a Christian Church authority by those within or without the true Christian Church. It is time to call into question their motives, abilities, agendas and desires that make them unwilling to accurately or faithfully proclaim the trusted Gospel of Jesus Christ!}
COMMENTS: Peter, With all due respect to Dr. Geisler's acomplishments of years past, I fear this is another of a group of recent statements showing how out of touch he is with present [since 9-11-2001] reality. What have we come to in the evangelical community when fabrications, exaggerations and lies are dismissed and those who expose such things are called "libelous"? I'm sorry, but relying solely on the assessments of men like Elmer Towns and Norm Geisler in a postmodern, digital age is not altogether sound. It would be safe to say that these men spend little or no time on the internet, much less reading blogs, web sites, twitter feeds, etc. The abundance of information today can be overwhelming for those of previous generations. This is not to say that the present environment is better, just VERY different. Moreover, Dr. Geisler is not a completely unbiased source in this matter. Caner is a regular speaker at apologetics conferences held at Southern Evangelical Seminary, founded by Geisler. Futhermore, how is it possible that he able to render summary judgement on this matter by only talking to "Dr. Caner and other principal parties at Liberty"? How can one make a final judgement on a matter by only talking to one side of the matter? What if we applied this same standard in our legal system? What if judges rendered judgement on a case after only speaking with the defendent? This seems grossly biased to me. Lastly, I agree we all should "pray for and encourage our brother". We should PRAY that DR. Caner will repent of his fabrications and falsehoods. We should ENCOURAGE Dr. Caner to start telling his TRUE testimony: that of a child from a broken him divided between Islamic and secularistic values whom God miraculously and graciously brought to salvation. {Amen!} [article link]

The Threshing Floor Radio Show-June 27, 2010-Randy Maugans - The End of Religion (Mp3)
"The tendency to turn human judgments into divine commands makes religion one of the most dangerous forces in the world." Georgia Harkness -- We have got to deal with this: Many religious doctrines are of men, not God. Religion is a tool of control that drives blind allegiances to falsehoods, stifles growth, and limits our capacity to be both critical and embracing of new information. Religion substitutes rigid rules and narrow interpretation for genuine seeking of TRUTH. Even worse, religion is conformity to a world-view that streams into the goals of the elites…easily aroused to passions of fervor, the religious become unwitting pawns in a game of social control, genocide, and war. This is about you…your quest…your battle for truth regardless of cost…heedless of risk. Faith begins at the point of not knowing, it ends at the moment you think you "know." [article link]

The Zeph Report - "Z Live" on WWCR - June 26, 2010 - Guest Randy Maugans - An extended transmission of the live shortwave feed (Mp3)
"And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Isaiah 40:5" - A word is spoken in the show: REJECT FEAR! Additionally, I would say embrace love-AGAPE. The gulf oil spill is a shadow of the wounds that are in each of us…places that bleed, are broken, and need healing. Empty out yourself from yourself and get real before the Lord. The off-air segment finds us discussing music, along with summarizing the themes brought out in the broadcast. Nothing planned…no agendas…the Spirit heals in the places of our wounds. [article link]

PREEMPTION BROADCAST with Russ Dizdar - Prophecy Prayer, the Past Present and Future (Mp3s)
Prophecy Prayer, the Past Present and Future the Book of Daniel chapter 9. [article link]

Bible verse: 1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we [Christians] have received, not the spirit of the world, but the [Holy] Spirit which is of God; that we might know *the things that are freely given to us of God. {Note: As Christians if we were to try to go the 'works' route in attempting to facilitate a relationship with God our own works would continually keep us from experiencing the fullness of God, all that God has for us at any one moment. Works imply receiving something later, a later payment that is missing but a personal relationship facilitates fullness in God and with God at all times regardless of our own works or of our own abilities.}
'1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we [Christians] have received, not the spirit of the world, but the [Holy] Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.' -- 'Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.' -- 'Romans 5:17 For if by one man's [Adam's] offence death reigned by one; much more they [Saints - Christians] which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.' -- 'Romans 8:15-17 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the [born again] Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, *that we are the Children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.' -- 'Philippians 1:11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.' [article link]

Ernie Harwell [May 04, 2010], Detroit Baseball Fans Say Farewell To Harwell - Fans lined the sidewalk outside Comerica Park in downtown Detroit on Thursday to pay their final respects to cherished broadcaster Ernie Harwell, who was considered by many Tigers fans to be the voice of summer - "In my almost 92 years on this Earth, the good Lord has blessed me with a great journey," [devout Christian] Harwell [had previously] said at a microphone behind home plate
Westland resident Tyler Amaro said he was focusing not on the sadness of Harwell's passing, but on the joy he brought to people. "He was my hero not for necessarily what he did behind the microphone, but what he did as a person when he wasn't behind the microphone," he said. "When he would meet somebody, he would genuinely be appreciative that the person wanted to meet him. Dozens of postings also are being left on Facebook fan pages, while several videos announcing Harwell's death Tuesday have been posted on YouTube. There's even a Facebook campaign to change Comerica Park to "Harwell Field at Comerica Park." Across the street, the marquee of the Fox Theatre read: "Thanks for the memories Ernie." Other venues also had similar public messages. He said last September he had inoperable cancer, a month after surgery for an obstructed bile duct. Shortly after Harwell's announcement, the Tigers honored him during the third inning of a game against Kansas City on Sept. 16, showing a video tribute and giving him a chance to address the crowd at Comerica Park. "In my almost 92 years on this Earth, the good Lord has blessed me with a great journey," Harwell said at a microphone behind home plate. "The blessed part of that journey is that it's going to end here in the great state of Michigan." Harwell spent 42 of his 55 years in broadcasting with the Tigers. He was their play-by-play radio voice from 1960-1991 and 1993-2002. [article link]

Max Palevsky, who died on Wednesday [May 05, 2010] aged 85, was one of the early pioneers of the electronics industry in America's "Silicon Valley"; he helped to found Intel, the world's largest maker of computer chips, and became one of the country's richest men - in 1971, [Intel] produced the first microprocessor the "computer on a chip" that made possible hand-held calculators and personal computers - The son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, Max Palevsky was born on July 24 1924 in Chicago - His father, a house painter, spoke little English, owned no car and hauled his equipment around the city on trams
As a venture capitalist in his own right, Palevsky became a founder investor and director of the semi-conductor giant Intel Corp, launched in 1968. It led the world in the development of memory chips and, in 1971, produced the first microprocessor - the "computer on a chip" that made possible hand-held calculators and personal computers. Today more than 80 per cent of the world's PCs contain Intel microprocessors. ... Although he played a key role in fostering the modern obsession with computers, Palevsky latterly became a critic of the revolution he had helped to create, complaining that computers and the internet had become "substitutes for interaction with the real world". "I haven't touched a computer, watched TV or used a credit card in 15 years," he told a reporter in 2001. "I am a Luddite." The son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, Max Palevsky was born on July 24 1924 in Chicago. His father, a house painter, spoke little English, owned no car and hauled his equipment around the city on trams. Max graduated from a local high school and during the Second World War served in the US Army Air Corps as a weatherman. Having studied Science and Mathematics at the University of Chicago, and Electronics at Yale, he was posted to the USAF's main electronics base in the South Pacific. After the war he returned to Chicago University, graduating in Mathematics and Philosophy. It was while he was working as a teaching assistant at UCLA that Palevsky attended a lecture about the arrival of computer technology. He realised the implications, and resigned to join an aircraft company developing the last, and most sophisticated, of a postwar generation of differential analysers which, in the early 1950s, were superseded by electronic computers. In 1957 he moved to Packard Bell and persuaded the company to enter the computer business, working on the development of the first silicon computer, the Packard Bell PB250. In 1961 - with an initial $60,000 investment of his own, and having raised $1 million in venture capital - Palevsky set up SDS with a view to penetrating the market for small and medium-sized computers. After some modest early successes, the company made the critical breakthrough in 1966 with the introduction of the Sigma 7, the machine that propelled the company into business data processing. In little more than three years, he had sold SDS to the Xerox Corporation for $920 million. ... His interests were eclectic: he rescued Rolling Stone magazine from bankruptcy in 1970 by buying a substantial shareholding and becoming chairman of the board. He also moved into independent film production, in a joint venture with the former vice-president of Paramount Pictures, Peter Bart. [article link]

Continuing with our Holy Week 2010 preview - The 8 Kingdoms [Kings - Nimrod, Pharaoh Akhenaten, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Antichrist (Satan), Messiah (Jesus Christ)] of the earth - The Kingdom of Jesus Christ [specifically starting with His Triumphal Entry (as King of all creation - Luke 19:38-40) into Jerusalem] when His eternal Kingdom was initially established during His events of the original Holy Week in Jerusalem approximately 2,000 years ago
After Holy Week the Basic Christian info feed is going to post a Bible Study regarding the 8 Global Kingdoms of the earth however since the events of Holy Week are when Jesus was ushering in His Global Kingdom for us it would be a good time to look at both an introduction and a brief summary regarding the 8 Kingdoms before the events of Holy Week 2010 to help us put the events of Jesus Christ and Holy Week into a Global Kingdom perspective then shortly after Easter we can do the actual 8 Kingdom study in its entirety.

Continuing to examine the Thursday and Friday of the ancient Holy week Timeline - The original Holy Week days of Thursday and Friday having been meshed together into the one Friday of the modern Holy Week [a Friday crucifixion - because Saturday is the Sabbath Day] excludes the purchasing of additional oils and ointments to further anoint the body of Jesus while it lay lifeless in the tomb -- 'Mark 16:1 And when the [Thursday] (evening) Sabbath [from the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread] was past, [on Friday - a normal working day] Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, **had bought (purchased) sweet spices, that they might come [on Friday] and anoint Him (Jesus).' {Note: it appears that by the time of their arrival to the tomb on Friday, with the oils and spices to anoint the body of Jesus, the tomb had just been sealed by Roman guards and they would have to come back on Sunday [at the end of three days] when the seal was to be removed by the Romans intending that the un-resurrected body of Jesus would still be in the tomb on Sunday but early Sunday morning Jesus resurrected.}
The Gospel of Luke tells us that the newly purchased oils and spices were prepared in order to further anoint the body of Jesus. "Luke 23:55-56 And the women also, which came with Him [Jesus] from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre (tomb), and how His body was laid. And they returned, and [Friday] prepared [labored] spices and ointments; and rested the [Saturday] **Sabbath day according to the Commandment [4th of the 10 Commandments - Exodus 20:9-10]." -- On Thursday [15th of Nisan] the Feast Day [Feast of Unleavened Bread] the Jewish leaders stayed outside of the presence of the Romans in order to observe the Feast day. "John 18:28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas [the Jewish High Priest] unto the [Roman] Hall of Judgment: and it was early [Thursday]; and they [Jewish leaders] themselves went not into the [Roman] Judgment Hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the [Unleavened Bread] Passover." while on the next day [Friday] the day when the Jewish elders requested that the tomb of Jesus be sealed the Jewish leaders did not remain outside of the presence of the Romans because Friday being a normal day the Jewish leaders were able to enter into the presence of the Romans. "Matthew 27:62 Now [Friday] the next day, that followed the [Thursday] day of the preparation [Feast of Unleavened Bread], the [Jewish] Chief Priests and Pharisees *came together **unto Pilate," -- Noting again that the ancient events that took place over two days [Thursday and Friday] are combined into the one Friday of the modern Holy Week timeline of events. Also Note: "Luke 23:56 … and rested the Sabbath day according to the [4th] Commandment" Luke now references the Sabbath [the week] after the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as the Sabbath of the Commandments. Luke might be saying that the Sabbath of the Levitical Feasts was previously fulfilled and completed on the previous week with the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and that what was taking place now was a Commandment Sabbath and not a Feast Sabbath. - The 4th of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and the first of the Eight Feasts of Leviticus chapter 23 are both the weekly Sabbath day.

A Preview and look at some of the aspects of Holy Week and of the 10 Day Jesus Walk 2010 Easter Timeline Devotion - 1.) The events that Jesus Christ participated in and completed or initiated for us to receive from are primarily distributed throughout the 8 Levitical Feasts [Leviticus Chapter 23] the Jewish Feasts days that were in occurrence during the Holy Week Events - {Note: It is important to know that Leviticus stipulates that the Feasts themselves are to be Observed and Fulfilled in their proper order beginning with the Feast of Sabbath. In other words there would not be a proper observance of either the Passover or Pentecost feasts without first having properly observed and having entered into the Feast of Sabbath Rest as fulfilled and offered to us in Jesus Christ.}
Leviticus 23:4 These are the [8] Feasts of the LORD, even Holy Convocations [gatherings], which ye shall proclaim *in their Seasons [in their proper order and at their proper time]. - The Jesus Walk 10 Day Easter Timeline Devotion originally started out [in 1994] as a Bible study simply attempting to following Jesus through the events of Holy Week. The original study-devotion did not start out as a devotion focusing on the 8 Levitical Feasts as the devotion has primarily become since 2000. The essence of the Jesus Walk devotion is fellowshipping with Jesus by following along with Jesus during His origional Holy Week events, events that happen to be foretold and previously explained by Moses in the 8 Feasts of Leviticus Chapter 23. The original Jesus Walk Easter Timeline Devotion started as a Bible study project in 1994 however I was completely unable to fit the 10 days of Biblical events [Anointing Friday - Resurrection Sunday] into the eight days [Palm Sunday - Easter Sunday] observed in the current modern Holy Week format. Frustrated with trying to fit the Biblical events into the modern timeline I twice [in 1997 and later in 1999] gave up on the Jesus Walk project but in 1998 with the verse "1 Corinthians 5:7 ... For even Christ our Passover (the week of Passover - Holy Week) is sacrificed for us" ringing in my head I also read some of a book [Armageddon: Appointment with Destiny] by Grant R. Jeffery and he pointed out that Easter Sunday was actually the Feast of First Fruits and also that the crucifixion was on the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Previously most of the preaching that I had heard only referenced The Feast of Passover and it was usually wrongly associated with the crucifixion day of Jesus while 1 Corinthians 11:23 says that the Last Supper "Passover" was on the night Jesus was betrayed not on the day he was crucified so clearly the events of Holy Week had been enacted on specific days in accordance with the 8 Feasts of Leviticus Chapter 23 where the Holy Week events had originally been embedded for our later understanding. After another major effort during Easter 1999 the Jesus Walk project was again given up in failure until previous to Easter 2000 when some really horrible teaching [by Dave Hunt - saying that Jesus never even kept the Passover] put me right back into the Jesus Walk project and in 2000 I thought I had a word of discernment from the Holy Spirit that the project would come together that year and as Easter 2000 came and went I still felt encouraged to continue the study and at the end of May 2000 the devotional timeline days were shifted in my study notes [because they just didn't fit in the modern timeline] and Palm Sunday was backed up to [Palm Saturday] and I couldn't believe it Sunday had become a Saturday fulfilling the First Feast Day but I immediately thought that there was a verse in the Bible that proclaimed the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to be on a Sunday but there was no such verse and after some careful examination in the Greek I realized that [not Sunday] but Saturday is the day Biblically supported as the Day of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem and then finally with the day of the Triumphal Entry established the Jesus Walk Holy Week Study Devotion became the completed 10 Day Holy Week Timeline Devotion. ~ David Anson Brown

2.) Examining the Dave Hunt Heresy [John 18:28] where Hunt incorrectly contends that Jesus intended to celebrate the Passover but was unable to do so - Hunt's theory is only speculation and confusion on Dave Hunt's part - Hunt confuses the later Feast of Unleavened Bread [15th of Nisan - Leviticus 23:6] for the earlier Feast of the Lord's Passover [14th of Nisan - Leviticus 23:5]
It is easy enough to prove that Jesus and the 12 Apostles did observe the Lord's Passover Feast: Luke 22:7-16 Then came the day [14th of Nisan - Feast of the Lord's Passover] of unleavened bread, when the Passover (lamb) must be killed. And He (Jesus) sent Peter and John, saying, **Go and prepare us the Passover, that we may eat. And they said unto Him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And He said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city [Jerusalem], there shall a man [thought to be Mark] meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the Passover. **And when the [evening] hour was come, He sat down, and the Twelve Apostles with Him. And He [Jesus] said unto them, ***With desire I have desired to eat [fulfill] this Passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it [Feast Days] be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. - Dave Hunt's Heresy contends that based on [John 18:28] Jesus was unable to fulfill the Passover. - "John 18:28 Then [the next day the 15th of Nisan (Thursday, crucifixion day) - the Feast of Unleavened Bread] led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they [Jewish leaders] themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the [Unleavened Bread] Passover." -- {This verse proves that the crucifixion took place on the 15th of Nisan the day after the Lord's Passover because the Lord's Passover [14th of Nisan] is not a Sabbath Rest Feast but the next day [15th of Nisan] the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is (at sundown) a Sabbath Rest.} "John 19:31-35 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the [Unleavened Bread] Sabbath day, *for that Sabbath day was an high day [not the regular Saturday Sabbath], besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they brake not His legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he [Disciple John] that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. - Note: The Feast of the Lord's Passover [14th Nisan] is not a Sabbath (rest) feast [that is why Jesus and the 11 Apostles were able to go out to the Garden of Gethsemane that night - had the Lord's Passover been a Sabbath (evening rest) Feast, by Jewish (Torah) Law they would have had to remain inside resting] (the original Lord's Passover [Exodus 12:11] was not a day of rest it was the [busy] day "in haste" when the children of God busily prepared to leave Egypt) the accompanying Feast the Feast of Unleavened Bread [starting the 15th of Nisan] is a seven day feast and the first day [15th Nisan] and the seventh day [21st of Nisan] are both (evening rest) Sabbath rest days. Leviticus 23:6-8 And on the fifteenth day of the same month [Nisan] is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day [15th of Nisan] ye shall have an *holy convocation [evening Sabbath]: ye shall do no servile work therein (after sunset). But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD [for] seven days: in the seventh day [21st of Nisan] is [also] an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. -- The Dave Hunt Heresy is so easily wrong in so many ways and in so many obvious aspects that it can almost be concluded that Dave Hunt is deliberately, intentionally and systematically propagating disinformation within the Christian Church, regarding the life, ministry and accomplishments of Jesus Christ.

3.) Continuing with the Hunt Heresy - Dave Hunt after deliberately offending Protestants by wrongly claiming that Jesus did not observe the Passover Feast - Hunt then goes on to deliberately and to systematically offend the Catholics by haphazardly pointing out that the crucifixion was on Thursday rather than on the common Friday [Good Friday] of modern Catholic tradition - {Note: Roman Catholicism is a Christian sect [the main Christian sect] it is also highly built upon traditions and as a part of their traditions they seemingly [a very long time ago] shortened Holy Week by one day so that for convenience Holy Week [Palm Sunday - Easter Sunday] would encompass two Sundays (for convenient Church attendance) instead of the Saturday [Triumphal Entry] to Sunday of the Biblical events. The Catholic Church is not engaging in deceit because they have never said that Jesus didn't fulfill His three days and three nights prophecy the way Dave Hunt is saying that Jesus never observed Passover even though Jesus Himself had said [Luke 22:7-16] that He had highly "desired" to eat the Passover with His 12 Apostles.}
The error in a Friday crucifixion is that clearly only two days and two nights are fulfilled in Jesus' own prophecy. [Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas (Jonah) was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.] Jesus prophesied that He would spend three days and three nights in the center (heart) of the earth. With Dave Hunt previously stating that Jesus did not observe the Passover and with the common teaching of the Friday crucifixion opening the door to yet another 'seemingly' unfulfilled prophecy then it does clearly open the way for a usurper an Antichrist to enter in and to pretend to fulfill prophesies, prophesies that are already fulfilled and completed by Jesus Christ it is just that modern teachers (pastors), teachings and modern interpretations have readily and systematically edited Jesus out of His own fulfillments and out of His own accomplishments. Dave Hunt does offer Thursday as the crucifixion day however in his already greatly confused and highly truncated timeline of events Hunt offers the Thursday crucifixion seemingly more as a momentary opportunity to deride Catholicism than as a fundamental opportunity to express fulfillment of Messianic Prophecy. All the while Dave Hunt continues to attempt to lead the Christian Church into confusion and with confusion into factions [Protestant, Roman Catholicism] and with factions then comes unwanted strife and division within the Christian Church.

Christmas 2010: SolaSisters - God Came Near - Christmas became the most wondrous time of year to me because it was TRUE......God did step into humanity, piercing the veil between the natural and the supernatural
God Came Near - Christmas was always my guilty pleasure every year as a New Ager. My wiccan-pagan-hindu friends would give me a hard time for putting up a tree and decorating, and not having the "strength of my convictions." But I just always loved the gaiety of the season: the parties, the food, the sparkle, the fun, the decorating. And it seemed so hopeful at heart, this idea that God could have actually come into the world. Impossible, of course, but hopeful. Once I was born again, of course, Christmas became the most wondrous time of year to me because it was TRUE......God did step into humanity, piercing the veil between the natural and the supernatural, but even more than that, He did it so that wretched men and women could be reconciled to a high and holy God. Amazing. Soli Deo Gloria! [article link]

Christmas 2010: Handel - Hallelujah - Messiah (YouTube)
Comments: There are very few pieces of music that continually inspire hope and rejoicing in the wonder of God's love, and this is one of them. Sincere presenters of this work seem to be blessed to rise to the very peak of their talent whenever and wherever it is sung/played. [article link]

Christmas 2010: Handel - Hallelujah - Messiah (DVD) - Andrea Bocelli - Sacred Arias [Special Edition CD with Bonus DVD] (Amazon - $24.63)
Review: The DVD is the full 77 minute concert with two featurettes previously released alone. The CD is the full 72 minute concert previously released alone, except that two bonus tracks have been added. The audio quality of each one is quite good. (If you have a Dolby Digital stereo, then you must go into the setup menu on the DVD to select Dolby Digital sound. The default music track is the stereo 2.0 sound.) The video quality of the DVD is astonishing. The DVD gives the feeling that you are in the church with the other worshippers. It literally sends chills up and down my spine. I highly recommend this CD/DVD combination Special Edition while it is still available. [article link]

Christmas 2010: Christmas Day "Savior Day" - Celebrating the Arrival-Birth of Jesus Christ the Savior of Mankind - Giving 'Glory to God in the Highest' this is the very basis of our human relationship to the Holy, loving, kind, compassionate and tender God!
Christmas Day - "Savior Day" The Day Jesus Christ the Savior of the world entered into the world! Celebrating the Arrival (Birth) of Jesus Christ the Savior of Mankind. Christmas time is a wonderful time it is a time of reassurance of God's love and of God's commitment for all mankind throughout all time. Enjoy the Christmas holiday season knowing that there is indeed a Savior-Redeemer for mankind and that Jesus Christ is the Savior-Redeemer. ... "Luke 2:8-12 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." [article link]

Christmas 2010: Cradle to Grave - Nativity by John Vermilya - The Life of Jesus Christ (Mp3s)
About Us: The Tabernacle's purpose is to change lives! We do this by loving God, loving people and by teaching people how to follow Jesus and how to labor for His Kingdom. [article link]

Christmas 2010: The Day the Lord Came by Kelly McGinley - The Berean Chronicles (Archived - Mp3s)
The day the Lord Jesus entered into the world was a blessing for all mankind. The Lord God revealed the birth of His Son to the humble and not to the proud. Many try to discredit the birth of Jesus Christ to advance their own agenda. Kelly answers listeners letters about the birth of Jesus Christ and comments on recent news. Daily Scripture Reading: Matt 2:1-15. [article link]

Christmas 2010: Born in a Barn (Stable)? - Misconception: Jesus was born among the animals in the stable because there was no room for Joseph and Mary at the inn - The probable answer is that Joseph and Mary did not attempt to stay at an inn [in Bethlehem] - The Bible states that there was no room for them in the 'kataluma', which would be better translated as "guest room" {Note: The Gospel of Matthew indicates "the house" and it is in context with Jesus being born in the house - not being born in a barn and certainly not in a cave and later moving to a house but remaining at "the house" the entire time while in Bethlehem. -- "Matthew 2:1-2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him." . "Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into **the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."}
A few points must be made as we compare the modern retelling of the birth of Jesus with the truth of Scripture. First, the Bible does not tell us that Joseph and Mary made it to Bethlehem just in time for Mary to deliver. In fact, this scenario is highly unlikely since it is doubtful that the two would attempt to make the arduous 70 mile trip from Nazareth in the final stages of her pregnancy. Also, Luke 2:6 implies that they were in Bethlehem for a while before Jesus was born ("while they were there, the days were completed"). -- Second, the Bible makes no mention of any innkeeper who told them that the inn was full for the night. The reason we imagine this scenario is because the translators of most English versions have chosen the word "inn" to translate the Greek word (kataluma), which gives modern readers the wrong impression. Jesus used this same Greek word in Luke 22:11 to refer to a "guest room." This room is now known as the Upper Room-the scene of the Last Supper, the meal that Jesus ate with His disciples the night before His Crucifixion. -- That may not sound convincing to most people who are familiar the traditional telling of the Christmas account. But consider that the Greek language has a word for hotel or inn. In fact, Luke used it in Luke 10:34, when he wrote about the Good Samaritan who took the beaten man to the "inn" (pandocheion) and paid the "innkeeper" (pandochei, v. 35) to care for the man. Since Luke was quite familiar with the proper term for inn, why didn't he use it in the account of the birth of Jesus? The probable answer is that Joseph and Mary did not attempt to stay at an inn. The Bible states that there was no room for them in the kataluma, which would be better translated as "guest room." Joseph and Mary returned to Joseph's ancestral home of Bethlehem because of the census (Luke 2:1-4).1 As the census was proclaimed throughout the Roman Empire, many Jewish families would have needed to travel to Bethlehem during this time and lodged with relatives who lived in the town. Joseph and Mary probably stayed with Joseph's relatives in Bethlehem, but because of the large influx of people, the house would have been crowded and the kataluma (guest room) was full. Consequently, Joseph and Mary would have been relegated to living in the lower level of the house. It is hard to believe that pregnant Mary would have been turned away from a relative's home in a society that greatly valued familial ties. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Wikipedia.org: Nativity of Jesus - The Church of the Nativity (327 A.D.) inside the town, built by St. Helena (246-330 A.D.) [the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine I], contains the cave-manger site traditionally venerated as the birthplace of Jesus, which may have originally been a site of the cult of the god Tammuz
Although in Western art the manger is usually depicted as being in a man-made free standing structure, many biblical scholars conjecture that, as in Byzantine art, the manger was probably positioned in a cave carved in the side of a hill.[citation needed] In the second century, Justin Martyr stated that Jesus had been born in a cave outside the town, while the Protoevangelium of James described a legendary birth in a cave nearby. The Church of the Nativity inside the town, built by St. Helena, contains the cave-manger site traditionally venerated as the birthplace of Jesus, which may have originally been a site of the cult of the god Tammuz.[47] - [47. ^ Taylor, Joan E. (1993). Christians and the Holy Places: The Myth of Jewish-Christian Origins. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 99-100. ISBN 0-19-814785-6.] -- Church of the Nativity - History: The first basilica on this site was begun by Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine I. Under the supervision of Bishop Makarios of Jerusalem, the construction started in 327 and was completed in 333. That structure was burnt down in the Samaritan Revolt of 529. The current basilica was rebuilt in its present form in 565 by the Emperor Justinian I. When the Persians under Chosroes II invaded in 614, they unexpectedly did not destroy the structure. According to legend, their commander Shahrbaraz was moved by the depiction inside the church of the Three Magi wearing Persian clothing, and commanded that the building be spared. The Crusaders made further repairs and additions to the building during the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem with permission and help given by the Byzantine Emperor, and the first King of Jerusalem was crowned in the church. Over the years, the compound has been expanded, and today it covers approximately 12,000 square meters. The church was one of the direct causes for French involvement in the Crimean War against Russia. The church is administered jointly by Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic authorities. All three traditions maintain monastic communities on the site. - Source Wiki.com [article link]

The Pierre Statement on Biblical Doctrines - #22 Melchizedek is an O.T. Epiphany of God - Did Abraham when he paid his onetime tithe to King Melchizedek pay his tithe to God or simply to another man? The book of Hebrews tells us that the man that Abraham Tithed to is eternal -- "Hebrews 7:8 And here men [Levitical Priests] that die (mortal) receive tithes; but there [with Abraham] He [Melchizedek] receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed [by God to Abraham - by God to Moses when Moses wrote the book of Genesis and also later by God to King David in Psalms 110:4] that He [Melchizedek] liveth (immortal - eternal life)." (PDF)
Note: in the Greek (O.T.) Septuagint "LXX" manuscript in v. 18 the word [of] is not present for Melchizedek as it is for all the other kings of the world, it is simply "Melchizedek King Salem" and it is the "Melchizedek King Salem" that the Apostle Paul references' in Hebrews 7:2 "first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace" the name "Melchizedek King Salem" is first to be interpreted [not having the 'of' that the other kings have] as a title because there was and is no earthly city of "Salem" (Peace). -- "Genesis 14:1-6 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king (of) Shinar, Arioch king (of) Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king (of) Elam, and Tidal king (of) nations; That these made war with Bera king (of) Sodom, and with Birsha king (of) Gomorrah, Shinab king (of) Admah, and Shemeber king (of) Zeboiim, and the king (of) Bela, which is Zoar. All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea. Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness. ... Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek King [of] Salem brought forth bread and wine: and He was the Priest of the most high God." [article link]

The Pierre Statement on Biblical Doctrines by confessing Christians - Contact: David - david.anson.brown@gmail.com
Note: once the current article 'Areas and Doctrines' is adequately summarized with about 25 Areas and Doctrines that are central and relevant to the Christian faith - The article is going to be made open to participation from others and for group (roundtable) discussion - Then a more finalized version of the article will be published similar to 'The Chicago Statement on Biblical Application' though with the working title of 'The Pierre Statement on Biblical Doctrines' by confessing Christians - The publishing of the document 'The Pierre Statement on Biblical Doctrines' by confessing Christians should be able to be accomplished sometime within 2011 - I'll update the post with an email that people can contact me with regarding the Pierre Statement on Biblical Doctrines - All the best, God bless everyone ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

Note: once the current article 'Areas and Doctrines' is adequately summarized with about 25 Areas and Doctrines that are central and relevant to the Christian faith - The article is going to be made open to participation from others and for group (roundtable) discussion - Then a more finalized version of the article will be published similar to 'The Chicago Statement on Biblical Application' though with the working title of 'The Pierre Statement on Biblical Doctrines' by confessing Christians
The publishing of the document 'The Pierre Statement on Biblical Doctrines' by confessing Christians should be able to be accomplished sometime within 2011. -- On Monday the new Facebook email addresses are supposed to become available and I'll update the post with a Facebook email that people can contact me with regarding the Pierre Statement on Biblical Doctrines. [article link]

[via Apostasy Watch] "THIS I BELIEVE" by The Abalonekid (YouTube)
Free MP3s Praise and Worship Songs & Spoken Words. "HE IS COMING" CD - www.theabalonekid.com/id15.html [article link]

ApostasyWatch.org: To Tithe or Not to Tithe {An Excellent Teaching!!} (Mp3)
A law versus grace issue. [article link]

Basic Christian: blog History Study - The 8 Kingdoms of the World (PDF)
Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, [Revised Rome - NWO] Antichrist, Millennial (1,000 year) Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ. [article link]

Basic Christian: blog Bible Study - Genesis - Revelation (PDF)
The complete Basic Christian blog Bible Study covering Genesis to Revelation in PDF format. [article link]

The blog Bible Study has concluded the Bible study portion! - Sometime after Holy Week and Resurrection Day (Easter) the study will continue with some ancient history and Church history segments - Thanks to everyone for your participation and especially for your prayers!
The blog Bible Study concluded fairly quickly - I had looked at the website visitor logs a couple of weeks ago and saw that people were scattered all throughout the study though primarily in the New Testament while the study was blogging O.T. studies at the time and that's a good thing because the material is designed to be a self-help service but with people so scattered [though many people were current] I decided to move along and if at all possible conclude the study and the study has been concluded. The material is now available as a complete resource for the convenience of anyone who wants to use it. The study really turned into an amazing, fascinating study! I learned a lot during the study and I mostly learned that I need to spend more time reading the Bible and being in prayer, and in fellowship and just in general being in a Christian life. We serve a Great God!!! Thanks to everyone especially for your prayers - the study truly encountered the heights of Heaven and the depths of other things unmentionable and through it all it was the prayers of the Saints in fellowship that gave us a tremendous victory! After Holy Week we will continue with the history portion of the study but in the time before Holy Week it seems like a good opportunity to look at some areas and aspects of the events of Holy Week as we prepare ourselves for Holy Week 2010. Then after Holy Week and some history segments the blog will continue with some basic Topical Bible studies and devotions. -- God bless everyone! ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

Update Summer 2010: The Majesty and Glory of King Jesus Christ! "All Blessings, Honor, Glory, Majesty and Praise to the King and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ" - The Basic Christian Ministry is currently undergoing the series "The 8 Kingdoms of the World" regarding the Majesty and Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ
Basic Christian has recently completed the 'blog Bible Study' and is currently in the process of the 'blog History Study' including the '8 Kingdoms of the World' study. The current plan is to study at a slower pace than the fast paced blog Bible Study and also to insert a couple of Topical Studies before the 8 Kingdom Study really gets back on track. Ideally the plan is to really get into the 8 Kingdom Study this Fall and then conclude the 8 Kingdoms (Kings) study just before we celebrate Christmas 2010 and the birth of the King the Lord Jesus Christ (Isaiah 6:5, Matthew 2:2). Then to spend the time from Christmas to Resurrection Day Easter (2011) studying Christian Church History as we prepare for Resurrection Day 2011 and the birth of the Christian Church - the Christian Church having started on the Resurrection Day of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. [article link]

A Basic Christian Study: The Christian Apostles {Note: To say that the Christian Church only started at Pentecost [50 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ] and not on the Resurrection Sunday of Jesus (Luke 24:45, John 20:22) is to say that the Apostles were not Christians [the entire 40 days that Jesus met with them after His resurrection and before His ascension] it wipes out the [True] Christian Apostolic dispensation [lasting only 40 days] and with it a great part of the foundation that the Christian Church is founded and based upon.}
Matthew 10:2-4 Now the names of the Twelve Apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. -- Matthew 28:18-20 And [40 days after the resurrection] Jesus came and spake unto them [Apostles], saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all Nations [the Christian Apostles' doctrine], baptizing them [converts to Christianity] in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them [fellow Christians] to observe all things whatsoever I [Jesus Christ] have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you [Disciples] alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. -- Acts 2:42 And they [Pentecost converts to Christianity] continued stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. -- 1 Corinthians 15:7-9 After that [first resurrection days of Jesus - being seen by Peter and the {remaining} 12 Apostles {at that time only 11 Apostles} and then over 500 resurrection witnesses at one time], He [resurrected Jesus] was seen of James [Gospel of James - son of Joseph and half-brother of Jesus]; then of all the Apostles [who witnessed the resurrection of Jesus Christ]. **And last of all He [Jesus] was seen of me [Apostle Paul - The 12th Apostle, Judas' replacement - chosen by God (Romans 1:1, 1 Corinthians 1:1, etc.) not by the casting of lots (Acts 1:26)] also, *as of one born out of due time [missing the 40 days of the Apostle dispensation]. For I [Apostle Paul/Saul] am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. -- Ephesians 2:19-22 Now therefore ye [Gentiles] are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the [Jewish] Saints, and of the Household of God; And are built upon *the foundation of the [N.T.] Apostles and [O.T.] Prophets, **Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief [foundation] Corner Stone; In [Jesus Christ] whom all the [Temple] building fitly framed together groweth unto an Holy Temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation [living place] of God through the [Holy] Spirit. [article link]

How Good is Good Enough? (YouTube)
This is the Christian message of how sinful man is graciously and mercifully reconciled to God. How well does this line up with the messages presented last weekend at the LDS General Conference? -- "From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ [in person] according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be [our] sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 [article link]

Coming Soon: blog History Study - Church History (RSS)
A.D. 0 - 100 A.D., A.D. 100 - 200 A.D., A.D. 200 - 300 A.D., A.D. 300 - 400 A.D., etc. [article link]

Church History - This study is crucial for understanding what God is doing in our day - A Church Lecture Series - 13 Lectures {This is an excellent intro into Church history. It is very informative, there are a few misquotes though so some fact checking, as always, is in order.} (Free Mp3's)
"Someone once noted that history was 'simply one thing after another.' However, for the Christian history represents an amazing story of the redemption of mankind in which our sovereign Lord is seen to be advancing His purposes towards His pre-ordained and pre-determined end. For the modern day believer, this study is crucial for understanding what God is doing in our day." [article link]

Church History - 35 messages on church history by Pastor Phillips - Pastor Phillips takes us on a tour of some of the early Christians after the death of the Apostle Paul (Free Mp3's - Note: Church History **John Bunyan 1628 - Save the "Play!" Version, open it in a player and save it that way - the Mp3 download version has an Error.)
"WOW - what a great series!!" A couple years ago I followed the journey of the early church by a comprehensive study of the Acts of the Apostles, etc., and have wanted to fill in the gap of church history from that time to present, but don't have much time to read. I like to listen to sermons on the treadmill and in the tractor, so I searched for a series on church history. I found the first 3 and did extra time on the treadmill today so I could keep listening! Pastor Phillips has a way of telling the facts in a very interesting way and then finishes with application and lessons for today. After the 3rd sermon (on Augustine) I really wanted to hear more so I searched again. I was THRILLED to find 39 messages on church history by Pastor Phillips!! I plan to download all of them since spring seeding is coming up and I will be spending many hours in the tractor, and now I am looking forward to that! In the meantime, I'll keep at the treadmill. Thanks for posting all those great sermons! [article link]

The blog Bible Study has concluded the Bible study portion! - Sometime after Holy Week and Resurrection Day (Easter) the study will continue with some ancient history and Church history segments - Thanks to everyone for your participation and especially for your prayers!
The blog Bible Study concluded fairly quickly - I had looked at the website visitor logs a couple of weeks ago and saw that people were scattered all throughout the study though primarily in the New Testament while the study was blogging O.T. studies at the time and that's a good thing because the material is designed to be a self-help service but with people so scattered [though many people were current] I decided to move along and if at all possible conclude the study and the study has been concluded. The material is now available as a complete resource for the convenience of anyone who wants to use it. The study really turned into an amazing, fascinating study! I learned a lot during the study and I mostly learned that I need to spend more time reading the Bible and being in prayer, and in fellowship and just in general being in a Christian life. We serve a Great God!!! Thanks to everyone especially for your prayers - the study truly encountered the heights of Heaven and the depths of other things unmentionable and through it all it was the prayers of the Saints in fellowship that gave us a tremendous victory! After Holy Week we will continue with the history portion of the study but in the time before Holy Week it seems like a good opportunity to look at some areas and aspects of the events of Holy Week as we prepare ourselves for Holy Week 2010. Then after Holy Week and some history segments the blog will continue with some basic Topical Bible studies and devotions. -- God bless everyone! ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

BasicChristian.org

0 A.D. - 312 A.D. - Birth of Jesus and the Early Church Age

-- The 'blog History Study' is dedicated to the Glory of God, the Son, the Savior Jesus Christ!
Heavenly Father, I pray for Your blessing upon this study that we might better know You through Your tremendous, faithful and historical works that You have accomplished and in what You continue to accomplish throughout Your Glorious Christian Church Age, the one True Church, the Church of God on earth and in Heaven, Jesus Christ being the foundation the beginning and the eventual conclusion of His Church. - Amen! [article link]

Basic Christian: blog History Study - Christian Church History - The 8 Kingdoms of the World (PDF)
Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, [Revised Rome - NWO] Antichrist, Millennial (1,000 year) Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ and the complete Christian Church History. [article link]

Basic Christian: blog Church History Study
0 A.D. - 312 A.D. -- Birth of Jesus and the Early Church Age
313 A.D. - 1521 A.D. -- Birth of Revised Rome and the Holy Roman Empire
1522 A.D. - 1880 A.D. -- Indigenous Bible Translations and Doctrines Era - The Reformation - Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, etc.
1881 - Present (2011) -- Corrupt modern bible translations and compromised Seminaries and Universities - The modern Emergent [return to occult/paganism] Era - Westcott and Hort (1881), NIV (1972) Zondervan, NKJV (1979) Thomas Nelson Inc., ESV (2001) Crossway, etc. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} The O.T. Book of Malachi - As the final Book of the Old Testament closes, the pronouncement of God's justice and the promise of His restoration through the coming Messiah is ringing in the ears of the Israelites - Four hundred years of [Scriptual] silence ensues [the 400 years are very active years, i.e. the Kingdoms of Persia, Greece and Rome], ending with a similar message from God's next prophet, John the Baptist, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 3:2) - Malachi 3:1-6 is a prophecy concerning John the Baptist - He was the Messenger of the Lord sent to prepare the way (Matthew 11:10) for the Messiah, Jesus Christ
Purpose of Writing: The Book of Malachi is an oracle: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi (1:1). This was God's warning through Malachi to tell the people to turn back to God. As the final book of the Old Testament closes, the pronouncement of God's just and the promise of His restoration through the coming Messiah is ringing in the ears of the Israelites. Four hundred years of silence ensues, ending with a similar message from God's next prophet, John the Baptist, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 3:2). Key Verses: Malachi 1:6, "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the Lord Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name." Malachi 3:6-7, "I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty." Brief Summary: Malachi wrote the words of the Lord to God's chosen people who had gone astray, especially the priests who had turned from the Lord. Priests were not treating the sacrifices they were to make to God seriously. Animals with blemishes were being sacrificed even though the law demanded animals without defect (Deuteronomy 15:21). The men of Judah were dealing with the wives of their youth treacherously and wondering why God would not accept their sacrifices. Also, people were not tithing as they should have been (Leviticus 27:30, 32). But in spite of the people's sin and turning away from God, Malachi reiterates God's love for His people (Malachi 1:1-5) and His promises of a coming Messenger (Malachi 2:17-3:5). Foreshadowings: Malachi 3:1-6 is a prophecy concerning John the Baptist. He was the Messenger of the Lord sent to prepare the way (Matthew 11:10) for the Messiah, Jesus Christ. John preached repentance and baptized in the name of the Lord, thus preparing the way for Jesus' first advent. But the Messenger who comes "suddenly to the Temple" is Christ Himself in His second advent when He comes in power and might (Matthew 24). At that time, He will "purify the sons of Levi" (v. 3), meaning that those who exemplified the Mosaic Law would themselves need purification from sin through the blood of the Savior. Only then will they be able to offer "an offering in righteousness" because it will be the righteousness of Christ imputed to them through faith (2 Corinthians 5:21). [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Malachi 1-2 - The Prophet Malachi begins to Prophesy about 400 B.C. - Malachi will also prophesy regarding the then coming Messiah [Jesus Christ] and will also prophesy of the forerunner the coming John the Baptist's ministry previous to the ministry of Jesus Christ - The prophesies of Malachi will 'seal' the Old Testament Scriptures concluding the Old Testament Bible but not concluding prophesy in Israel as many will continue to prophesy and write texts primarily as local encouragement and not the office of inherency and global encouragement of the Holy Scriptures that comprise the Jewish and Christian Bible -- 'Malachi 1:1-5 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you [Israel], saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's [physical, blood] brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved [godly] Jacob, And I hated [worldly] Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Whereas Edom [Esau's descendants] saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They [Esau's descendants] shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever. And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border [all] of Israel.'
The Prophet Malachi prophesies of the continuing problem of an uncooperative Priesthood. A Priesthood that is doing much more to further the corruption of mankind than it is doing in proclaiming the Blessedness, Holiness and Truth of God: Malachi 2:1-9 And now, O ye Priests, this Commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto My Name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. And ye shall know that I have sent this Commandment unto you, that My Covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The Law of Truth [image of God] was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: *he walked with me in peace and equity, **and did turn many away from iniquity. *For the Priest's lips should keep [holy] knowledge, and they [people] should seek the law at his mouth: for he [Priest] is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of Hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial [biased, incomplete] in the law [representation of God]. ... Malachi 2:17 Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied Him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} RayStedman.org: ADVENTURING THROUGH THE BIBLE by Ray C. Stedman - #40 The 400 Years between the Old and New Testaments (Mp3)
Sunday evening services at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California, were the setting for a series of 67 messages on the entire Bible preached by Ray C. Stedman. One book of the Bible was covered per message, with an additional message inserted to cover the history of the "400 Silent Years" between the close of the Old Testament canon (Malachi) and the First Gospel (Matthew). This series commenced June 28, 1964 and was completed on August 4, 1968. These sermons constitute Discovery Papers #201-267 inclusive. The book version, "Adventuring Through the Bible," was released in late 1997 and is currently in print. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Ray Stedman - Adventuring Through the Bible - The Message of Matthew: BEHOLD YOUR KING! - People often wonder why we have four Gospels - There is a very good reason for this - It is interesting to note that each of these Gospels is a development of an exclamatory statement that is found in the Old Testament - Four different times -- and only four times -- in the Old Testament there was an exclamatory statement made concerning the Messiah, introduced always by the word ***behold - In one of the prophets (Zechariah 9:9) we read, "Behold thy King, O Israel!" In another place (Zechariah 6:12) we read, "Behold the man!" In a third place (Isaiah 42:1) we read, "Behold my servant!" In still a fourth place (Isaiah 35:3, Amos 4:12) we read, "Behold thy God!" These four statements are amplified and developed in the four Gospels -- Matthew, the Gospel of the King; Mark, the Gospel of the Servant; Luke, the Gospel of the Son of man; and John, the Gospel of God, the presentation of the Son of God (Mp3s)
Beginning in the New Testament we move from the realm of shadow, type, and prophecy, into the full sunshine of the presentation of the Son of God. The Old Testament speaks of him on every page, but speaks in shadows, in types, in symbols, and in prophecies -- all looking forward to the coming of Someone. You cannot read the Old Testament without being aware of that constant promise running through every page -- Someone is coming! Someone is coming! Now, when we open the Gospels, that Someone steps forth in the fullness of his glory. As John says, "We have beheld his glory...as of the only Son from the Father," (John 1:14 (RSV). I love the Gospels. They are to me one of the most perennially fascinating sections of the Bible. There you see Christ as He is. Remember that what He was is what He is; and what He is is what you have, if you are a Christian. All the fullness of His character and being and life is available to us, and we only learn what those resources are as we see Him as He was and is. That is why the Gospel records are so important to us. People often wonder why we have four Gospels. There is a very good reason for this. It is interesting to note that each of these Gospels is a development of an exclamatory statement that is found in the Old Testament. Four different times -- and only four times -- in the Old Testament there was an exclamatory statement made concerning the Messiah, introduced always by the word behold. In one of the prophets we read, "Behold thy king, O Israel!" In another place we read, "Behold the man!" In a third place we read, "Behold my servant!" In still a fourth place we read, "Behold thy God!" These four statements are amplified and developed in the four Gospels -- Matthew, the Gospel of the King; Mark, the Gospel of the Servant; Luke, the Gospel of the Son of man; and John, the Gospel of God, the presentation of the Son of God. These four Gospels give us four aspects of our Lord's character and person. They are not, strictly speaking, biographies. They are really sketches about the Person of Christ -- eyewitness accounts by those who knew him personally, or those immediately associated with them. Therefore, they have the ring of authenticity, and they carry to our hearts that first and marvelous impression that our Lord made upon his own disciples, and then upon the multitudes that followed him. No more amazing character has ever walked among men. As you read the Gospel accounts, I hope something of this fascination breaks upon your own heart as you see him stepping forth from these pages, revealed to you by the Spirit, when you see Him as He is. The first book of the New Testament is Matthew, and this is the place where most people start reading the Bible. I think more people begin reading in the New Testament than the Old, therefore, that would make Matthew the most widely read book in all the world. In fact, Renan, the French skeptic, said of this book, "This is the most important book of all Christendom." He also said, "The most important book that has ever been written is the Gospel of Matthew." But it has its critics, too. There are those who claim that this book contains nothing but the early legends of the church which grew up around Jesus, that these accounts are not historical, and that this book was not actually written until the fourth century A.D. Therefore, they say, we are uncertain as to how much is really true. Other critics make the claim that this is only one of many gospels that were circulated. Now, it is true that there are other gospels besides the four in the New Testament. There is the Gospel of Barnabas, for instance, and the Gospel of Peter, and yet other gospels. They can be found in a book called "The New Testament Apocrypha" if you would like to read them. The critics say that it is mere chance that these four Gospels survived. There is a legend that began with a German theologian named Pappas in about the 16th century who said that the Gospels were selected at the Council of Nice in 325 A.D. by gathering together all the many gospels that were circulating at that time, throwing them all under a table, and then reaching in and pulling out four which happened to be Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The foolishness of such a claim is evident to anyone who reads the Gospels with thoughtfulness. They are stamped with the fingerprints of God. The very pattern of these books reflects the divine imprint, and you cannot read them or compare them with the Old Testament without seeing that they come from an inspired source. Furthermore, you have merely to compare them with the Apocryphal gospels to see how foolish such a claim is. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Matthew 2 - The birth of Jesus - The arrival of the Messiah (Christ) - Balaam's prophesied Christmas Star appears - Wise Men from the East journey to Jerusalem - King Herod the area's Roman appointed gentile King then also inquires about the newborn King - Herod a builder of stone and a destroyer of men sought the death of the newborn King - Joseph, Mary and Jesus flee Israel to live in Egypt until the death of Herod when they can safely return to Israel -- 'Matthew 2:1-2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea [Judah] in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him [the Messiah]'
Three Wise Gifts: Wise Men of the East journeyed a long distance to find the newborn King of the Jews and to 'Worship Him' upon being led to the young Jesus [about one year old by the time the Wise Men arrived] the Wise Men presented Jesus with three Worship gifts to honor His unique standing among mankind. 1. Gold - the gift and possession for a King and the covering on the Ark of the Covenant [Exodus 25:11] for the Tabernacle and the Temple. 2. Frankincense - the gift of the Priesthood used by priests in an aroma sacrifice offering to God and as an incense [Exodus 31:34] in offering a sweet smoke aroma to God within the Holy place of both the Tabernacle and later the Temple. 3. Myrrh - the gift of an anointing oil for anointing a Prophet [particularly the 'man of sorrows,' 'acquainted with grief' Prophet [Isaiah 53:3] - 'the oil of joy for mourning' Isaiah 61:3] and as oil to anoint the Holy objects of the Tabernacle and later also for the Temple 'oil of holy ointment ' [Exodus 30:25]. - 'Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.' [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Matthew 3-4 - Jesus begins His earthly ministry by being baptized [washed - public testimony] by John the Baptist - Jesus was Baptized not unto repentance but as a Testimony [Exodus 29:4] to the people that His ministry had begun - Jesus is then led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for forty days of fasting and to be tempted by Satan - 'Matthew 3:16-17 And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him (John the Baptist), and he saw [Testimony] the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I Am well pleased'
Matthew 4:1-3 Then was Jesus led up of the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter (Devil) came to Him, he said, If [Since, lit. Greek] thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.' - Satan unsuccessfully tempted Jesus three times and all three times Jesus replied to Satan with a quote from the Bible. 1. Turning stones to bread: Satan encourages Jesus to immediately satisfy His hunger by turning rocks to bread. Jesus had been led by the Holy Spirit to go into the desert to fast [and pray] - this was simply who is Jesus going to follow God for eternity or Satan for a moment. [Deut 8:3] Jesus did not even hesitate and would not even consider the suggestion of the Devil. 2. Satan wanted Jesus to test God's loyalty to Jesus by having Jesus jump from the top of the Temple building forcing God to react to the situation in saving Jesus from bodily harm. Jesus said "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord they God" [Deut 6:16]. Again Jesus did not even consider Satan's proposal. Finally Satan told Jesus that if Jesus would "fall down" and worship Satan that Satan would give Jesus all the Kingdoms of the world. Note: 'Revelation 17:10 And there are seven kings [kingdoms of the world]: five are fallen [Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon (Iraq), Persia (Iran), Greece], and one is [Rome], and the other [Antichrist] is not yet come; and when he [Antichrist] cometh, he must continue a short space [3 ½ years].' Jesus again [Deut 6:13] declined to submit to Satan and Satan immediately departed from the presence of Jesus. - 'Matthew 4:11 Then the Devil (Satan) leaveth Him (Jesus), and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.' [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Matthew 5 - Jesus begins His 'Sermon on the Mount' teachings - it's been about one year since the baptism of Jesus the Gospel of John covers the first year's events with Jesus more fully than the other three Gospels - The 'Sermon on the Mount' teachings are to orientate mankind away from human induced customs, rituals and fables and into a meaningful relationship with God in Jesus Christ -- 'Matthew 5:2-12 And He (Jesus) opened His mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you'
'Matthew 5:17-19 Think not that I (Jesus) am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle [strokes of the pen] shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.' - The law has been compared to a blueprint that you have to follow in order to build a life pleasing to God. However the law is more of a painting and an illustration (drawing) than a blueprint. The Laws of God and the Prophecies of God are the Image [painting] of the true God that has always existed [John 1:14 And the Word [Law and the Prophets] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth] not a blueprint or a ritual that Jesus needed to conform Himself into. The Law [Leviticus 19:34] says to 'Love your neighbor' "and thou shalt love him (neighbor/stranger) as thyself" because God is Love. Jesus didn't come to learn how to love one another Jesus came to teach us how to love one another. Also Note: Jesus then instructs that the law is external that it is words and ideas written down on paper and that what mankind needs is both the living example in Jesus Himself and mankind also needs a step further than the example of Jesus Christ mankind needs to be enabled internally, in the human spirit, to be like Jesus has always been and for mankind to become the Law unto themselves [obeying and following the law on their own] to actually become in the image, the ability, of God in Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit newly residing inside of the regenerated individual human enabling a human to now become pleasing to God and capable of having an intimate individual relationship with the Holy God. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} John 7 - Jesus continues to teach and to make that point that what mankind has is temporary and is passing away but what He has to offer is eternal -- 'John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast [Feast of Tabernacles, shelters - temporary homes], Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly [inner-life] shall flow rivers of living water [eternal Tabernacle]. But this spake He of the [Holy] Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet Glorified [Resurrection].' - 'John 7:52-53 They [Pharisees] answered and said unto Him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no Prophet. And every man went unto his own [tabernacle] house.'
'John 7:2-10 Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brethren (brothers; James, Jude, etc.) therefore said unto Him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. *For neither did his brethren believe in him [James and Jude are known to have become believers after His resurrection]. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this feast: *I go not up yet unto this feast; *for My time is not yet full come. When He had said these words unto them, He abode still in Galilee. But when His brethren were gone up, then went He also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret [in Resurrection Spirit].' - The time of Jesus to fulfill the Feast of Tabernacles has not yet com in full that is why Jesus went in part in secret. The Feast of Tabernacles is a 'Fall feast' a 'Second Coming' Feast that has begun now with the giving of the Holy Spirit but we do not yet have our permanent bodies we still 'tabernacle' in our physical bodies while on earth. Jesus went to the Feast of Tabernacles 'secretly' to give the Living Water to those who would believe in Him and receive it but the rest of the Feast the tabernacle becoming a temple will be completed at the Second Coming of Jesus. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Matthew 24 - Jesus having just permanently departed from the Temple and after telling of the coming destruction of the Temple to His Disciples - Jesus then went and sat by Himself at His favorite location a hillside of olive orchards called the Mount of Olives (Mt. Olivet) - The Disciples having just seen Jesus depart from the Temple [His Father's House] for the last time and having just heard Jesus tell them of the coming destruction of the Temple came to Jesus and asked Him when and where He intended to rule His Kingdom from since the Temple was going to be destroyed - Jesus told His Disciples to be careful that no one deceived them about His Kingdom - That initially His Kingdom is not of this world but that after a long time and a long series of events many of them supernatural that His Kingdom would then be ushered into this world
The coming Generation and the fulfillment of all the events of the Book of Revelation: 'Matthew 24:34 Verily I (Jesus) say unto you, This [End Time] generation shall not pass, till all these things [mainly the book of Revelation] be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.' - Jesus has already said that the Temple was to be destroyed "There shall not be left here one (Temple) stone upon another" and that later the Antichrist (abomination of desolation) was to sit in the Temple "holy place" [rebuilt Temple] 'Matthew 24:15 When ye {presumably the End Time readers} therefore shall *see the abomination of desolation (Antichrist), spoken of by Daniel the prophet [Daniel 9:27], stand in the holy place [inside the 3rd veil in the rebuilt Temple], whoso *readeth, let him understand' Note: The event of the Antichrist is possibly going to be a televised type of event 'When ye therefore shall *see the abomination.' Events inside the Temple were not to be seen by the outside world and are enclosed y walls and curtains however Jesus seems to be alluding that this Temple event will be seen by everyone either in some televised format or possibly even in some demonic projection capabilities or possibly some massive demonic telepathic hallucinogenic type of event. Jesus began His discussion with His Disciples in warning them to not be deceived and Jesus reiterated several times that deception and demonic activity would increase around the time of the Antichrist. - The majority of the last generation End Time events of the book of Revelation are to be centered around the Jews and in the city of Jerusalem including a rebuilt Temple. 'Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people [Jews] and upon thy holy city (Jerusalem) …' It seems that Jesus is summarizing all of the Jerusalem End Time Antichrist events into a Parable about a Fig Tree [Matthew 24:32-35]. The original Fig Tree was in Genesis 3:7 and was used by Adam and Eve in an attempt to cover their own sin. The Fig Tree in the Parable of Jesus is most probably the rebuilding of the 3rd Temple in Jerusalem because the type of Temple worship that is trying to be recreate has become obsolete by the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ so in a sense the 3rd Temple is a recreation of the Fig Tree because like the Fig Tree of Genesis the 3rd Temple in Jerusalem is going to be stitched together by human hands and it will absolutely not cover or remove any sin. However the Antichrist will invade the 3rd Temple and enter into the holy place and attempt to proclaim himself to be God from within the Temple as everyone alive and on the earth at that time will probably witness and *see somehow either by televised technology or a type of demonically spiritual activity. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Matthew 24 - Jesus continues His Mount Olivet discussion "Mount Olivet discourse" End Time teachings with His Disciples -- 'Matthew 24:3-6 And as He (Jesus) sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming [Kingdom reign], and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My Name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet'
The Elect of God: All the people throughout time who like Abraham have answered the call of God become the elect of God. 'Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those [End Time - war and famine - seven seal judgments - the book of Revelation] days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven [seven trumpet judgments - the book of Revelation], and the [Satanic] powers of the heavens shall be shaken [seven bowl judgments - the book of Revelation]: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming [Second Coming] in the clouds of heaven with Power and Great Glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His *elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.' --- There are actually two groups of *elect people and this stems from the 'Firstborn' inheritance that Jesus Christ is to receive. - 'Deuteronomy 21:17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated {divorced wife} for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; *the right of the firstborn is his.' - 'Colossians 1:18 And He (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the *firstborn [Resurrection] from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.' The Biblical inheritance of the firstborn is a double portion and as an inheritance Jesus is to receive both the Jews and the Nations (Gentiles) two inheritances and therefore two groups of called and two groups of those who answer the call of God and become the chosen, elect, justified, predestined and glorified by God. Note: Jesus is to inherit the Jews and the Gentiles this does include all of those who have ever existed it includes the Righteous Gentiles of Lot's day before Abraham, all the time up until the Christian [mostly Gentile] Church and the future Gentile Martyred Saints of Revelation. Also Note: The inheritance of Jesus does include the earth, all creation and all possessions, the earth will pass away and there will be a new earth so primarily The Kingdom of Jesus is uniquely about people and about God's love for people. Jesus came to save the people and His plan for eternity is centered and oriented only around the people of His creation. --- Israel is one portion of inheritance for the firstborn Jesus Christ: 'Isaiah 19:25.. and Israel my Inheritance.' - 'Zechariah 2:12 And the LORD shall inherit Judah (Jewish nation) His portion in the holy land and shall choose [to reign from] Jerusalem again.' - 'Psalms 78:70-71 He chose David (king David) also His servant and took him from the sheepfolds [David was a shepherd]: From following the ewes (female sheep) great with young he brought him to feed Jacob His people [Jews] and Israel His (God's) inheritance. {Jacob and Israel are both mentioned both referring to the Jewish nation, this is a poetic way of emphasizing the Jewish nation.} --- Israel is the Elect of God: 'Isaiah 45:4 For Jacob My servant's sake, and Israel Mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me.' --- The Gentiles are the second [double portion] of inheritance for the firstborn Jesus Christ: 'Psalms 82:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.' - 'Psalms 2:7,8 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto Me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee [both physical birth of Jesus in the manger and Resurrection day of Jesus] Ask of Me (Father) and I shall give thee the heathen (Gentiles) for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.' - 'Isaiah 54:3 For thou shall break forth on the right hand and on the left [the Jewish nation is not going to get wiped out but is going have a great population]; And thy seed (Jesus) shall inherit the Gentiles and make the desolate to be inhabited.' --- The [Gentile in nature] Christian Church is also the elect of God: 'Titus 1:1-2 [Apostle] Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began ...' [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Matthew 24 (Part 2) - Jesus concludes His "Mount Olivet discourse" by telling His Disciples some more parables about the End Times and about His eternal Kingdom - Jesus began His Mount Olivet discourse talking about deception and the End Times and Jesus ends His final Mount Olivet words by talking about eternal judgment and eternal life -- 'Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal'
The Second Coming of the Lord: Matthew 24:44-51 Therefore be ye [Disciples] also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh [Second Coming]. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom His Lord hath made ruler over His household [Church], to give them meat [Bible study] in due season [every day]? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That He shall make him ruler over all His [Heavenly] goods. But and if that evil servant [backslider] shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth His [2nd] coming; And shall begin to smite [abuse] his fellowservants [Disciples], and to eat and drink with the drunken; The Lord of that servant shall come [Second Coming] in a day when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion [eternal damnation] with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. - The teaching of Jesus Christ is about Heaven and the open opportunity for people to spend eternity in heaven and His teaching is also about hell and the very real possibility of people spending eternity in hell. God created mankind for a purpose and God came to a separated mankind with His purpose to reunite mankind back together with Himself in Heaven where it has always been intended for mankind to be in fellowship and in communion with the Holy God. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Matthew 25-26 - Jesus has concluded His Mount Olivet teachings and discourse with His Disciples - Jesus now completely sets His mind on the events of the coming Feasts of the Passover Week - Events that will include initiating and instituting the New Testament with His Communion Bread and Wine offering to the Disciples - His self sacrifice on the cross and three days later His Glorious Eternal Life Resurrection
'Matthew 26:17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread [The Passover is an unleavened bread feast and the unleavened part starts on the 14the day of Nisan (the selection of the lamb is on the 10th) then the feast continues with the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened bread starting on the 15th of Nisan for a total of eight straight days of unleaded bread] the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto Him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passover? And He said, Go into the city (Jerusalem) to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with My disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover. Now when the even was come, He (Jesus) sat down with the twelve (Apostles). And as they did eat [the Passover], He said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you [Judas] shall betray Me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto Him, Lord, is it I? And He answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, the same shall betray Me. The Son of Man goeth [to the cross] as it is written of Him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed Him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto Him, Thou hast said. And as they were eating, Jesus took Bread, and Blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the Disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My Body. And He took the Cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many [all] for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit [grape] of the vine, until that day when I drink it New with you in [Heaven] My Father's Kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives.' - The Communion of Jesus Christ: The sacrifice offering of Jesus Christ was His physical body, His mind (soul) and His Spirit [Jesus was separated from the Father while on the cross]. The Communion Bread and the Communion Cup that Jesus is offering His disciples to partake in references both the physical sacrifice offering of Jesus on and the cross and it also represents the Resurrected Eternal Spiritual Body and Spiritual Life Blood of the Resurrected Jesus. When we take and break the Unleavened Bread of Communion we are referencing the physical body of Jesus Christ and when we take the Wine of the Communion of Jesus Christ and mingle it with the water we are referencing the physical blood of Jesus Christ. When we eat the bread of the body of Jesus Christ we are internalizing the Resurrection and the eternal Spiritual body of Jesus and likewise when we drink of the Wine of Jesus we are drinking and internalizing the Resurrection and the eternal Spiritual life blood of Jesus. In a sense we are breaking the physical and taking on the Spiritual. -- '1 Corinthians 11:23-28 For I [Apostle Paul] have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night [Passover] in which He was betrayed [by Judas] took [physical] bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the Cup, when He had supped, saying, This Cup is the [Resurrection] New Testament in My Blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this Bread, and drink this Cup, ye do shew the Lord's [physical] death till He come [2nd coming]. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the [physical and Spiritual resurrection] Body and Blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself [Melchizedek Priesthood], and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.' -- 'Deuteronomy 32:9-14 For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance ... and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.' [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} John 12 - The Gospel of John now takes us into Holy Week that last week of Jesus' Ministry physically among mankind on earth - "Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany" with the day of Passover plus the three days and three nights in the Tomb this places Jesus' and the Disciples arrival at Bethany on the Friday 10 days before the Sunday Resurrection with the actual Triumphal Entry "On the next day" occurring on the next day the Saturday Sabbath Day -- 'John 12:1-2 Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him.' - 'John 12:12-15 On the next day [10th of Nisan - selection of the Passover lamb] much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion (Zion): behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.'
John 12:20-32 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the [Passover] feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of Man should be glorified. ... And I, if I be lifted up [crucifixion and resurrection] from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.' - The Gentiles were not allowed to seek Jesus until after His death and resurrection as only then will He "draw all men" unto Himself. - Note: It's hard for a Gentile to understand but actually both the O.T. and the N.T. Covenants of God are with the Jews [Jeremiah 31:31] and belong to the Jews [Hebrews 8:8]. There was no Gentile representation at the Passover when the N.T. was initiated apart from the Promise of God given to Abraham [Genesis 12:3] that in Jesus all Nations would be blessed. Everyone involved with and seated at the Passover Table was Jewish including Jesus and none of them became a Christian by eating the Passover. The Jewish Disciples of Jesus became Christian followers of Jesus the same way everyone else does by acknowledging His sinless death on the cross and by acknowledging His resurrection of eternal life. The New Testament that was instituted the evening of the Passover and went into effect with the death and resurrection of Jesus and is for the 'House of Israel'. The New Testament was not finalized at the Passover it was finalized and institutionalized with the giving of the Holy Spirit an event that happened after the Resurrection of Jesus [and after the betrayal and rejection of Jesus] then when He ascended into Heaven briefly the Day of His Resurrection and He was received by His Father in Heaven as the acceptable Atonement offering for mankind to God the Father then that same Resurrection day sent the Comforter the Holy Spirit to mankind in the Baptism of Jesus Christ. As Gentile Christians we have entered into the Jewish New Testament Covenant by the Promises of God not by the Covent of God. The New Testament Covenant belongs to the Jews and through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ we are invited and welcomed into their Covenant to be partakers of their promises and of the blessings that have been given to the Jews from God. Having received an invitation to join in on their eternal Heavenly blessings we need to be certain that we do not, even accidently, take away from the Jews what already belongs to the Jews and we also need to make certain that we are grateful to God and to the Jews for the free gift we have been given and to receive it with gratitude and thankfulness so we don't accidently give a false impression of taking from the Jews something that is not ours and of being guilty of appearing to take and enter the Kingdom of God by force when in fact it has been freely given to us in the promises of God. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} John 14 - Judas having left before the conclusion of the Passover Feast - Jesus and remaining eleven Disciples conclude the Feast of Passover by singing a Psalm - Then the Passover Feast not being a curfew feast Jesus and His eleven Disciples depart the upper room and go to the Garden of Gethsemane, on Mount Olivet - Along the way to the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus explains that unless He departs the earth and goes back into Heaven that the Holy Spirit cannot be given or sent to mankind [mankind would still be in sin and cannot receive the Holy Spirit] -- 'John 14:1-4 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions: *if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go [to Heaven] and prepare a place for you, I will come again [Second Coming], and receive you unto Myself; that where I Am, there ye may be also. And whither I go [Heaven] ye know, and the way [through Jesus Christ] ye know.'
John 14:15-21 If ye love Me (Jesus), keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter [Holy Spirit], that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; *for He dwelleth with you, and *shall be in you [born again]. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye (Disciples) see Me: because I live [Resurrection], ye shall [resurrection] live also. At that day ye shall know that I Am in My Father, and ye in Me, and *I in you [Resurrection Day]. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and *I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him (believer-follower). [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} John 16 - Jesus explains that the life of a Disciple without the physical presence of Jesus is going to be difficult -- 'John 16:1-3 These things have I (Jesus) spoken unto you, that ye (Disciples) should not be offended. They [religious and political leaders] shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me.'
'John 16:7-16 Nevertheless I (Jesus) tell you the Truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: *for if I go not away, the Comforter [Holy Spirit] will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, *He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on Me; Of righteousness, because I [Righteousness] go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; Of judgment, because the prince [Satan] of this world [system] is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all Truth: *for He [Holy Spirit] shall not speak [referencing] of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear [be in agreement with], that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify Me: *for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall shew it unto you. *A little while, and ye shall not see Me [Crucifixion death]: and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me [Resurrection Life], because I go to the Father.' [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} John 17 - The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus - Jesus Prays for His disciples and all of this future followers His 'High Priestly Prayer' -- 'John 17:1-3 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given Him power over all flesh, *that He should give Eternal Life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And *this is Life Eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.' - 'John 17:20-21 Neither pray I for these (Disciples) alone [only], but for them [future Disciples] also which shall believe on Me through their word [Ministry]; that they all may be one [Church]; as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in thee, that they also may be one [body] in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me.
John 17:1-26 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to Heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify Thee: As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, *that He (Jesus) should give Eternal Life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And *this is Life Eternal, that they (humans) might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou Me with thine own self with *the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. I have manifested Thy Name unto the men which thou gavest Me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them Me; and *they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given Me are of Thee. *For I have given unto them (Disciples) the Words which thou gavest Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send Me. I pray for them (Disciples): *I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given Me; for they are Thine. And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I Am Glorified in them (Disciples). And now I Am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, *keep through Thine own Name those whom thou hast given Me, that they [Disciples] may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy Name: those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition [Judas by his own freewill]; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and *these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Thy Word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I Am not of the world. I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil. *They are not of the world, even as I Am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy Truth: Thy Word is Truth. As thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I Sanctify [go to Heaven] Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the Truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but *for them [future Disciples] also which shall Believe on Me through their word [Ministry]; That they all may be one [Church]; as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in thee, that they also may be one [body] in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me. And the Glory which thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, *and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me. Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am [in Heavena and while on earth]; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee: but I have known Thee, and these have known that Thou hast sent Me. And I have declared unto them Thy Name, and will declare it: that the Love wherewith Thou hast Loved Me may be in them, and I in them.' The High Preistly Prayer of Jesus to His Father in Heaven revealing to His Disciples His heart towards His father and His heart towards all His Disciples. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} John 19 - The rejection, death and burial of Jesus Christ is completed - The Crucifixion day is the [15th of Nisan] on the Feast of Unleavened Bread day the day after the [14th of Nisan] and the Passover Day - It is the same day [Exodus 12:17] that the Children of God left Egypt after the original death of the firstborn Passover in Egypt - {The Apostle Paul explains that the Passover was the night Jesus was betrayed [1 Corinthians 11:23 - "That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread"] the day before His Crucifixion.} -- John 19:4-5 [Pontius] Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring Him (Jesus) forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in Him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! - 'Zechariah 6:11-12 Then take silver and gold, and make Crowns [silver - High Priest crown, gold - Kings crown], and set them upon the head of Joshua (Jesus) the son of Josedech, the High Priest; and speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, 'Behold the man' whose name is the Branch (Nazarene), and He shall grow up out of His place and He shall build the [Heavenly] Temple of the LORD:'
John 19:25-27 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the Disciple [John] standing by, whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son [Christian fellowship]! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother [Christian fellowship]! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. - The name Mary in Hebrew means bitter so it was a 'bitter,' 'bitter,' 'bitter,' day, event and place to be at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ for the followers of Jesus. Note: Jesus on the cross united His Mother Mary and His Disciple John in Christian fellowship not in some form of worldly adoption. Biblically had Mary adopted the Disciple John then he would have gone to her house because that is what the adoption is it is rights and privileges of the house or estate. Apparently Joseph was clearly deceased not being available for any of the events of the adult life of Jesus and also apparently none of the brothers and sisters were followers of Him either, until after the resurrection so Jesus sent His mother to be with John and the soon to be forming Christian Church. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} John 20 - Resurrection Day - The first Jewish converts to Christianity through belief in the eternal life Resurrection of Jesus Christ - The Spirit Baptism of Jesus Christ begins - With the receiving of the Spirit of Jesus Christ a person [Jew or Gentile] becomes a Christian - The Christian Church begins! -- 'John 20:14 And when she [Mary Magdalene] had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and *knew not that it was Jesus.' [Note: Only Christians can recognize Jesus while Mary and the other Jewish Disciples and followers all had to become Christians like the Gentiles have to as well to then recognize Jesus] - 'Colossians 1:27 ... [the Resurrected Jesus] Christ in you, the hope of glory'
John 20:19-23 Then the same day [Resurrection Day] at evening, being [Sunday] the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when He had so said, He shewed unto them his hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father [in Heaven] hath sent Me [Jesus has been back to Heaven], even so send I you. And when He had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost [Having been to Heaven and received by the Father as the acceptable Atonement the Holy Spirit is now given and available to all mankind]: Whose soever sins ye remit [discernment via the Holy Spirit], they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain [discernment via the Holy Spirit], they are retained. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} John 21 - After His crucifixion and Glorious resurrection Jesus spends 40 more days with His Disciples instructing them in His eternal Kingdom - The Kingdom that that they are to present to all mankind -- 'John 21:1 After these [crucifixion and resurrection] things Jesus shewed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (aka the Sea of Galilee and Lake Gennesaret); and on this wise shewed He Himself.'
'John 21:24-25 This is the disciple [John] which Testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we [Apostles] know that His Testimony [Jesus Christ] is True. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.' - The beloved Disciple and Apostle of Jesus Christ closes his Gospel to the Christian Church with his personal Testimony that what he has written and recorded for mankind is based in fact and actually did happen and occurred as he has written. [article link]

Wikipedia: Saint Peter - Saint Peter or Simon Peter [aka Cephas] was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle. Simon Peter is venerated in multiple churches and is regarded as the first Pope by the Roman Catholic Church. After working to establish the church of Antioch for seven years presiding as the city's bishop and preaching to scattered communities of believers (Jews, Hebrew Christians and the gentiles), in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia Minor and Bithynia, Peter went to Rome. In the second year of Claudius, it is claimed, he overthrew Simon Magus and held the Sacerdotal Chair for 25 years. He is said to have been put to death at the hand of Emperor Nero. Saint Peter wrote two Catholic (whole church) epistles. The Gospel of Mark is also ascribed to him as Mark was his disciple and interpreter. ... Upon his death, he is said to have been martyred by Emperor Nero and crucified upside down on an inverted cross, as he saw himself unworthy to be crucified the same way like Jesus Christ. Today, Catholic tradition holds that Saint Peter's mortal bones and remains are contained in the underground Confessio of the St. Peter's Basilica, where Pope Paul VI announced the excavation discovery of a First-century A.D. Roman cemetery in 1968. Since 1969, a life-size statue of Saint Peter is crowned every year in St. Peter's Basilica with a Papal Tiara, Ring of the Fisherman, and papal vestments every June 29th, commemorating the Holy Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Background to the Book of Acts - The book of Acts has traditionally been called the Acts of the Apostles and this can be a bit confusing because the contents is not about all the apostles, but primarily on the life of Peter (Chapters 1-12) and Paul (Chapters 13-28) - Rather than a history book it is more in line with a biography - Luke gives a record of the life [of Jesus] and events of the early Church for a period of about sixty to sixty five years {About 35 years of Early Church History: The Ascension of Jesus Christ from Mount Olivet, Jerusalem in about 33 A.D. - The Jerusalem Council [1st Church Council] in about 50 A.D. (Acts 15) - until just before the Martyrdom of the Apostle Paul in Rome in about 67 A.D.}
The gospels end with the great commission. (Matthew 28:19-20). "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age." The book of Acts opens with instructions to the Disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. These instructions become the theme of the book of Acts and give us a clue to how the spread of Christianity would take place. The purpose of Acts is to show the spread of the Gospel throughout the then known world. 'But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem , and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.' (Acts 1:1-8). The disciples were to be witnesses. In the first twelve chapters the focus is on the Gospel going forth under Peters direction in Jerusalem. There the ministry was directed mainly among the Jews in Jerusalem. Then the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul is stressed in his missionary activities outside of the boarders of Israel. He is known as the Apostle to the Gentiles. -- Jerusalem: Chapter 1-7: Jewish Christian Church which covers about the first fifteen years. Peter is the central character during this period which centres around Jerusalem. -- Judea and Samaria: Chapter 8-12: Gentile Christian Church takes in the next twenty-five years. Paul is the central character during this period which centres around Antioch. Paul takes the gospel to the Gentiles. Ends of the Earth: Chapter 13-28: Consolidation of the Church covers the last thirty years to the close of this period. John is the central character during this period which centres around Ephesus {though not really mentioned in the Book of Acts}. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 1 - Luke a Gentile Physician-Doctor [a Greek background], historian, companion to the Apostle Paul, eyewitness and early Christian Church recorder/reporter continues his Ministry to the Christian Church with his follow up to the Gospel of Luke in his second and final Book of the Bible the Book of Acts -- 'Acts 1:1-3 The former treatise [Gospel of Luke] {A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject. - Wiki.com} have I [Luke] made [written], O Theophilus, *of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which He [Jesus] was taken up [Ascension at Mount Olivet, Jerusalem], after that **He [Jesus] through the Holy Ghost had given Commandments [Directions] unto the Apostles whom He had chosen: To whom also He [Jesus] shewed Himself alive [Resurrection] after His Passion [Passion to reunite God and mankind - Cross and Resurrection] **by many infallible [irrefutable] proofs, being seen [eyewitness] of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God ...'
Acts 1:4-14 And, [Jesus] being assembled together with them [on the Mount of Olives - at the Ascension of Jesus], Commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for **the promise of the Father [to send the Comforter - the Holy Spirit as a companion], which, saith He, ye have heard of Me [John 14:6]. For John [the Baptist] truly baptized with water; but ye [already baptized by Jesus, with the Firstfruits of the Spirit (John 20:22) - Christians] shall be baptized [by the Father] with the Holy Ghost [for comfort, wisdom, truth, empowerment, etc. to be a witness of Jesus Christ to the world] not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, *wilt thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel [from Rome]? And He said unto them, It is not for you (Christians) [before Pentecost] to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power. ***But ye [Christians] shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. **And when He [Jesus] had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their [visible] sight. **And while they looked stedfastly [for His return] toward Heaven as He went up, behold, two men [Angels] stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, **why stand ye gazing up into Heaven [at this spot on Mount Olivet]? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven {but when Jesus visibly returns to Mount Olivet it will be to the Jews not the Church - the Church will already be in Heaven}. Then [departed Mount Olivet] returned they unto Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room [in the upper room - where the Passover, Last Supper was eaten], where abode [lived] both [Apostles and Disciples (brethren)] {Apostles} Peter, and James [brother of John], and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James [son of Alphaeus]. These all continued with one accord [combined purpose] *in prayer and supplication, with the women, *and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His {Disciples} brethren [Christians]. The Promise of the Father is to send the Comforter and the empower [the Holy Spirit] to those who acknowledge Jesus [John 14:16]. The Promise of Jesus is to give eternal life [John 14:6] to all that come to Him. - John 14:6-21 Jesus saith unto him [Apostle - Thomas], ***I [Jesus] Am *the Way, *the Truth, and *the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. ... If ye love Me, keep My Commandments [instructions]. And I will pray the Father, and He [Father] shall give you another (along with Jesus) Comforter [Holy Spirit], that He [Holy Spirit] may abide with you [eternally] for ever; Even the [Holy] Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him [Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit] not, neither knoweth Him [God]: but ye know Him; for He [God] dwelleth with you, ***and shall be in you [Firstfruits - Resurrection Day - birth of the Christian Church]. I [Jesus] will not leave you comfortless: I [Jesus] will come to you [Resurrection]. Yet a little while [death on the cross], and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me [Resurrection]: **because I live, ye shall live also. At that [Resurrection] day ye shall know that I Am in My Father, and ye in Me, **and I [Firstfruits] in you. He that hath My Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father [who will baptize with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit], and I will love him, and **will manifest [show] Myself [Jesus] to him [Christian]. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 2 - The Christian Church already individually (Luke 24:31) [by faith in the cross and resurrection of Jesus] having the 'born again' Firstfruits of the Spirit of Jesus - The Church corporately (all in one group) receives the 'experience' the promised Baptism of the Father the Comfort and empowerment of the Holy Spirit - Note: At Pentecost The Holy Spirit is poured out upon the entire world [John 16:8] - With Pentecost [empowerment for the Church, conviction for the world] comes the Baptism of Persecution (Fire) for the Church -- 'Acts 2:1-5 And when the Day of Pentecost [lit. 50 days - after the Feast of Firstfruits] [5th levitical Feast - Leviticus 23:16] was fully come, they [Christians] were all with one accord in one place [in the upper room]. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire [refinement, trials, persecution], and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled [empowered] with the Holy Ghost, and [experientially] began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, ***out of [representing] every Nation under Heaven.' - 'John 16:7 Nevertheless I [Jesus] tell you the Truth; It is expedient for you that I go away [back to Heaven]: for if I go not away, the Comforter [Holy Spirit] will not come unto you [at Pentecost]; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He [Holy Spirit] is come, ***He will reprove the *world [Pentecost is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the entire world] of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on Me [Jesus]; Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more [after the Ascension]; Of judgment, because the prince of this world [Satan - Devil] is judged.'
Acts 2:14-21 But Peter, standing up with the Eleven [Apostles - Judas has committed suicide], lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, *be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour [9:00 A.M.] of the day. **But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel [Joel 2:28-32]; And it shall come to pass in the Last Days [days since - The Triumphal Entry of Jesus in to Jerusalem], saith God, I will pour out of My [Holy] Spirit *upon all flesh [the entire world]: and your [Jewish, Christian and Gentile - *the entire world] sons and your daughters shall prophesy [at times everyone (inside and outside of the Church) speaks for a prophetic truth about God, however (outside of the Church) it is often a corrupted message i.e. New Age message (Acts 16:17-18)], and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on My servants [Christians] and on My handmaidens [men and women] I will pour out in those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy: [including all days - even the days of Tribulation and Great Tribulation] And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke [Tribulation]: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood [Great Tribulation], *before that Great and Notable Day of the Lord come [2nd Coming of Jesus]: ***And it shall come to pass [at any day, at any time, at any moment, Last Days, Church Age, Tribulation, Great Tribulation], that *whosoever [any person] shall call [at any time] on the Name [Jesus] of the Lord [that person] shall be Saved. - Pentecost, empowerment, witness and persecution: In the few days before Pentecost the Christian Church gathered in the Jewish Temple and worshiped Jesus [Luke 24:53] without any incidents because the Church was without the [external upon] witness of the Holy Spirit. With Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit upon the entire world, upon every individual and with the empowerment of the Christian Church by the Holy Spirit and now all of mankind with the increased presence of God among mankind the conflict between man and God has dramatically increased and the Christian Church is at the forefront of man's conflict with God. With Pentecost the desire for mankind to either accept or reject the Ministry of Jesus Christ has been heightened and those who reject God do so in a more violent manner. - Note: The Baptism of Fire (persecution) upon the Christian is a baptism directly enacted by Jesus [Matthew 3:11] therefore Jesus controls all aspects and intensities of the persecution (Baptism of Fire) in the life of each Christian. To receive the Baptism of Fire from Jesus is to be given the opportunity to grow in faith and trust in Jesus and it is to be trusted enough by Jesus to be able to endure in the Christian faith while continuing to be a witness of Jesus. - Also Note: With Pentecost and the global outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all mankind [since the blood, cross and death of Jesus - the blood of Jesus has cleansed the entire world (Acts 10:15) - the world [system] is now a clean - however [unclean from within] unsaved mankind is working overtime to corrupt what Jesus has cleansed upon] with the Holy Spirit upon all mankind Christianity and the resurrection life of Jesus Christ that Christianity represents is not a philosophy nor just an idea of a select few but Christianity is the living Spirit, Blood and Word - Testimony of God and therefore because Christianity is a living Spirit that unsaved mankind then physically reacts out of proportion [sometimes in strong denial, rejection, even dangerously, etc.] to the Spiritual calling on their life by God in Jesus Christ. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 3 - The early Christian Church continually Worshiped and Served Jesus Christ even after His bodily Ascension back into Heaven - As a part of their Christian Devotion to Jesus their lives and the lives of those around them were dramatically altered being transformed by the Holy Spirit to conform within the Kingdom of God -- 'Acts 3:1-9 Now Peter and John went up together into the Temple at the hour of prayer [Christians went to the Temple only to pray and perform certain services but no longer to sacrifice (a lamb) as Jesus is our eternal sacrifice], being the ninth hour [3:00 P.M.]. And a certain man lame [unable to walk] from his mother's womb [physical birth] was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the Temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms (gifts) of them that entered into the Temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the Temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us [make eye contact]. And he gave heed unto them [looked them in the eye], expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said [worldly wealth], Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have [Heavenly wealth] give I thee: *In the Name [at Jesus' bidding] of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he [Peter] took him by the right hand [Christian fellowship], and lifted him up [cross and resurrection of Jesus]: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood [new life - resurrection], and walked [Christian walk], and entered with them [into fellowship] into the Temple [to pray to God], walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God ...'
Acts 3:10-26 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the Temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering. And when Peter saw it, he *answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? ***The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied Him in the presence of [Pontius] Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer [Barabbas] to be granted unto you; And killed [Jesus] **the Prince of life, whom God hath raised [resurrection] from the dead; **whereof we are witnesses. And His Name [Jesus] *through faith [cross and resurrection] in His Name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by Him [Jesus] hath given him [lame man] this perfect [complete] soundness [health] in the presence of you all. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it [crucified Jesus], as did also your rulers. *But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth *of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath so fulfilled. ***Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And He [Father] shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: [Jesus] *Whom the heaven must receive [remain] {this is where the concept of the Church Rapture emerges as Jesus is to remain in Heaven and not to come physically to the earth until the end of the Book of Revelation and His 2nd Coming to the Jews, Jesus will have gathered His Christian Church together unto Himself in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17) avoiding coming to earth until later} until the times of restitution [end of the Book of Revelation] of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His Holy Prophets since the world began. **For Moses truly said (Deuteronomy 18:15) unto the fathers, A Prophet [who is God] shall the Lord your God raise up [resurrection] unto you of your brethren, [a leader of the people of Israel] like unto me [Moses]; Him [Jesus] shall ye hear in all things whatsoever He shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that Prophet [Jesus], shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the Prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. *Ye [redeemed of God] are the Children of the Prophets, and of the Covenant which God made with our fathers, **saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed [Jesus] shall all the Kindreds [Ethnicity] of the earth be Blessed. Unto you [Jews] first(,) God, having raised up [resurrection] His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you [Jews, first], in turning away every one of you from his iniquities [inability to have a real meaningful relationship with God]. - The Apostles Peter and John demonstrate to the people both in their life and in their preaching that the Spiritual nature of the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ though it has only partially arrived [Firstfruits] for mankind the partial Kingdom of Jesus Christ fully Triumphs over and supersedes the current fallen physical realm and predicament of mankind. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 4 - The Gospel of God in Jesus Christ has begun to be Preached (Proclaimed) to mankind first to the Jews in Jerusalem then to the mixed multitude [Jews and gentiles] in Samaria [the ancient (O.T.) Kingdom of Northern Israel] and ultimately to all the Gentiles of the world -- 'Acts 4:1-4 And as they [Apostles] spake unto the people, the Priests, and the Captain [of the guard] of the Temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, *Being grieved [since Pentecost Christianity is a perceivable Spirit that men either rejoice in or are grieved by] that they taught the people, *and preached through Jesus *the resurrection [of just humans] from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide [lit. close of a regular day - G2703]. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men [converts to Christianity] was about five thousand.'
Acts 4:5-31 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, And Annas the High Priest [the Jewish appointed High Priest], and Caiaphas [the Roman appointed High Priest], and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred [Levitical Tribe] of the High Priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? *Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost [the continuing empowerment and witness of Pentecost], said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole [lit. Salvation]; **Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised [resurrection] from the dead, even *by Him [Jesus] doth this man stand here before you whole. *This [Jesus] is the stone which was set at nought of you builders (Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 118:22), which is become the head of the corner. *Neither is there Salvation in any other: ***for there is none other Name under Heaven ***given among men, ***whereby we must be Saved [eternal resurrection life in Jesus]. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned [unschooled in ministry] and ignorant men [tradesmen], they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this Name [Jesus]. And they called them, *and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the Name of Jesus. **But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. *For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. For the man [who was healed] was above forty years old [an adult], on whom this miracle of healing was shewed. And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they [Christians] heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, **and said, *Lord, thou art God, *which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For of a truth against thy Holy Child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the Name of thy Holy Child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, *and they [Christians] spake the word of God with boldness. - Now the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ has been removed from the religious institutions and the Gospel News is to be brought directly to the people of the world directly from the Children of God. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 5 - With the presence and assistance of the Holy Spirit people are able to Trust and discern the Truth of Christianity and as a result the Christian Church realizes an enormous, explosive, unprecedented exponential growth in numbers of participants -- 'Acts 5:14 And [Christian] believers were the more added to the Lord [Jesus Christ], multitudes both of men and women.'
Acts 5:17-42 Then the High Priest [Annas] rose up, and all they that were with him, which is the sect of the Sadducees [liberal sect of Judaism (Democrats) - Pharisees are the conservative sect (Republicans)], and were filled with indignation, And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. *But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, **and said, Go, stand and speak *in the Temple [speak to the inner spirit of man] to the people all the words of this [eternal resurrection] life. And when they heard that, they entered into the Temple early in the morning, and taught. But the High Priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council [Sanhedrin - Jewish Supreme Court] together, and all the senate of the children of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the [Jewish] officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. Now when the High Priest and the Captain [of the guard] of the Temple and the Chief Priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the Temple, and Teaching the people. Then went the Captain with the Officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the Council: and the High Priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this [Jesus] Name? and, ***behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your *doctrine, and intend to bring this man's [Jesus'] blood upon us. **Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, **We ought to obey God [Jesus] rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince [Son] and a Saviour, *for to give repentance to Israel, **and forgiveness of sins. ***And we are His witnesses of these things; ***and so is also ***the Holy Ghost, *whom God hath given [in comfort, wisdom and empowerment] to them that obey Him. *When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, *and took counsel to slay [kill] them. Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named *Gamaliel [the Apostle Paul's teacher - Paul was a Pharisee], a doctor [teacher] of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the Apostles forth a little space [in another room]; And said unto them [Jewish Council], Ye men of Israel, *take heed [from God - pray first] to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. For before these days rose up Theudas [a false christ], boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, *and [God] brought [it] to nought. After this man rose up Judas [false christ] of Galilee in the days of the taxing [about the time of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem], and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed [by God]. *And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: *for if this counsel or this work [of the Apostles] be of men [acting in the Name of God], it will come to nought: **But if it [ministry of the Apostles] be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. And to him *they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and *beaten them, *they commanded that they should not speak in the Name of Jesus, and let them go {they somewhat agreed}. And they [Apostles] departed from the presence of the Council, *rejoicing that they were counted worthy [by Jesus] to suffer shame for His Name. And daily in the Temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. - Note: The famous teacher Gamaliel [who's writings are still with us today - quoted in the Talmud] is who the Apostle Paul as a boy and as a young man received his instruction in the Torah (Bible) from before Paul (Saul) became a Christian. - [Gamaliel, also called Gamaliel I or Gamaliel the Elder was a first century authority on Jewish law who appears in the Acts of the Apostles. In Christian tradition, he was later considered to be a Christian saint (Saint Gamaliel). In Judaism he is a respected authority quoted in the Talmud referred to as Rabban Gamliel. - Wiki.com] (The title "Rabban," was borne only by presidents of the highest religious council, first prefixed to the name of Gamaliel - www.jewishencyclopedia.com). [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} The Apostle Paul - When Paul became a Christian, his very thorough [Jewish] education was enormously helpful - He was able to assimilate Christian doctrines rapidly and relate them accurately to the Scripture teaching he had received - From his education, both from Gamaliel and in the desert [Saudi Arabia] from the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul developed a divine viewpoint attitude toward human history - *Paul knew that the existence of God [by the Holy Spirit since Pentecost] can easily be perceived by anyone, *that man can become aware of God, *but that many men's deliberate sin halted this good beginning [after becoming aware of God] by [continued] immoral activities which accompanied their [past] idolatry
The Apostle Paul - The apostle Paul was one of the most famous citizens of the Roman Empire and without question one of the most influential individuals in history. He was used by the Lord in his missionary and evangelistic activities to set in motion a great deal of the organization known as the Christian Church, the Body of Christ on earth, to the extent that billions of human beings have been directly or indirectly affected by his ministry. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote the foundation documents for the Christian way of life, the Word of God which has changed the lives of millions. -- Paul's Education: Paul was educated by his mother until the age of five. From age five to ten he studied with his father in the Hebrew scriptures and traditional writings. At the same time, being a Roman citizen and living in a Greek and Roman environment, he received a thorough education in the Greek language, history, and culture. He was sent to Jerusalem at about the age of ten to attend the rabbinical school of Gamaliel, who was the son of Simeon the son of Hillel. Gamaliel was a most eminent rabbi who was mentioned both in the Talmud and in the New Testament (Acts 5:24-40; 22:3). Gamaliel was called Rabban - one of only seven teachers so called. He was a Pharisee, but he rose above party prejudice. He composed a prayer against the Christian "heretics". He lived and died a Jew. At this time, Herod was dead, and the Romans had complete control of Judea, hence, there was Roman money, language, and culture. The Jews, therefore, were inclined to cling more closely to their religion as the center of unity. [Refer to the topic: Judean History] There were two great rabbinical schools, those of Hillel and Schammai. Hillel, the grandfather of Gamaliel, held that tradition was superior to the Law. The school of Schammai despised traditionalists, especially when there teachings clashed with the writings of Moses. The religious school of Gamaliel (Hillel) was chiefly oral and usually had a prejudice against any book but Scripture. They used a system of Scriptural exegesis, and Josephus in his writings expressed the wish to have such a power of exegesis. When school was in session, learned men met and discussed scriptures, gave various interpretations, suggested illustrations, and quoted precedents. The students were encouraged to question, doubt, even contradict. -- When Paul became a Christian, his very thorough education was enormously helpful. He was able to assimilate Christian doctrines rapidly and relate them accurately to the Scripture teaching he had received. From his education, both from Gamaliel and in the desert from the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul developed a divine viewpoint attitude toward human history. Paul knew that the existence of God can easily be perceived by anyone, that man can become aware of God, but that many men's deliberate sin halted this good beginning by immoral activities which accompanied their idolatry. Therefore, Paul had an intense hatred of idolatry of any kind. Paul's teaching shows that the only reality is God. Idolatry distorts man's conception of the world and external nature. Idolatry is the enemy of mankind. Paul knew the law of growth of human nature. As a Roman, Tarsian, Hebrew, and culturally Greek, he knew of the many distortions of the life of his society. As a nation becomes unhealthy, development is halted. Societies errors as to the nature of God and the true relation of God to man prevented nations from getting rid of their besetting evil. The books of Acts is the chief authoritative record for the ministries of Paul and the other apostles. For a brief outline of Paul's ministry, see the Chronological Table of Paul's Ministry. The most thorough, accurate, and interesting secular work on Paul is The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, by Conybeare and Howson. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 6 - The early Christian Church and Church leaders in Jerusalem learn to handle the continual controversies and conflicts that arise both from within the Christian Church and from outside the Church -- 'Acts 6:1-7 And in those [early Church in Jerusalem] days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians [Greek Jews] against the Hebrews [Israel Jews], because their widows were neglected [not on the list] in the daily [food giving] ministration. Then the Twelve [the Eleven plus Matthias the (temporary) replacement for Judas - Paul in all likeliness became the Twelfth Apostle permanently replacing Judas] called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the [study and preaching] word of God, and serve tables [distribute food]. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this [charity] business. But we [leaders] will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word [Bible]. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a [Greek - Jewish convert] proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the Apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the [Levitical Temple] Priests were obedient [converts] to the [Christian] faith. - Note: The Grecian Christians issued the complaint and the early Church (primarily Hebrew) responded not in a compromise but by selecting all seven of the appointed charity workers from the Grecian group. The Greek [Greece the 5th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10] nation ruled over Israel for about 200 years [336 B.C. - 149 B.C.] before Rome began to rule over Israel and the Greek culture was deeply implanted into Jewish society in Israel.'
Acts 6:8-15 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain [Greek - Helenistic Jews] of the Synagogue, which is called the Synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the [Holy] Spirit by which he spake. Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him [Stephen], and brought him to the council, And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this Holy place [Temple], and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place [Temple], and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. And all that sat in the council, *looking stedfastly on him, saw [observed] his face [with the presence of the Holy Spirit upon him] as it had been the face of an angel [in the very presence of God]. - Stephen living enough in the presence of God to become loving enough to witness to the people around him becomes bold enough to die for the Christian faith and becomes the first Christian martyr. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 7 - Stephen under arrest for blasphemy and on trial for his life in Jerusalem - Stephen uses as his defense the known fact that nearly every single prophet of importance to Israel throughout the history of Israel the people of Israel have first rejected the true Prophet before they ultimately accepted them and their ministry as being of God - Stephen is saying that Jesus was obviously God in the flesh though many people refused to believe it but then rejecting the true Prophets of God is the track record of mankind when it comes to interactions between man and God - Mankind has a propensity to reject the true interaction with God while at the same time embrace the false prophets of the world -- 'Acts 7:52-53 Which of the [true] Prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them [true Prophets] which shewed before [prophesied] of the coming of the Just One [Jesus Christ]; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers [their Jewish forefathers put to death the true prophets but they managed to go a step further and put to death the Messiah, Jesus the one prophesied about]: Who have received the law [the image of Jesus] by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it [because the law revealed the nature of Jesus].'
Acts 7:52-60 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One [Messiah]; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law [Divinely] by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart [enraged in their soul], and they gnashed on him with their teeth. *But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, *looked up stedfastly *into heaven, *and saw the glory of God, *and Jesus *standing [Jesus is standing as the Melchizedek High Priest ready to receive into Heaven the acceptable offering of the sacrifice and life of Stephen] on the right hand of God, And said, **Behold, I see the Heavens opened, and the Son of Man [Jesus] standing on the right hand of God [Father]. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city [outside the city limits, probably at the dump], and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul [later the Apostle Paul] {Note: Saul (the Apostle Paul) although perfectly within his rights did not throw a stone himself - Paul was not the violent aggressor that the secular world wants to portray}. And they [not Saul] stoned Stephen, ***calling upon God, and **saying [as Jesus said from His cross (Luke 23:46)], Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. *And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge [as Jesus had said from His cross (Luke 23:34)]. And when he had said this, he fell asleep [to the Christian death is as harmless as sleep and often in the Bible death is referred to simply as a [harmless] sleep for those who are saved and will awake in Heaven]. - Note: Normally in the Bible Jesus is represented as seated [enthroned]at the right hand of the Father Matthew 26:64)however Stephen describes Jesus as standing - standing is a part of the office of the High Priest - sitting is a part of the office of the King. Jesus preforms all three offices of God as King of the Universe, High Priest [Melchizedek] and True Prophet. The Christian Stephen lived his life with Jesus as his example, he preached his life with Jesus as his example and in his death (sleep) he departed with Jesus as his example and as such Stephen saw Jesus standing in Heaven and was received directly into Heaven receiving what the Apostle Paul would call the martyrs death the "better resurrection" (Hebrews 11:35). [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} wikipedia.org - St. Stephen's Day [December 26th]: Commemorates Saint Stephen, the first [Common] Christian martyr
St. Stephen's Day, or the Feast of St. Stephen, is a Christian Saint's day celebrated on 26 December in the Western Church and 27 December in the Eastern Church. Many Eastern Orthodox churches adhere to the Julian calendar and mark St. Stephen's Day on 27 December according to that calendar, which places it on January 9 according to the Gregorian calendar used in secular (and Western) contexts. It commemorates St Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr. -- Protomartyr (Greek "first" + "martyr") is a term for the first Christian martyr in a country. Alternatively, the phrase the Protomartyr (with no other qualification of country or region) can mean Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian church. -- See also: Boxing Day [day after Christiams] - The name derives from the English tradition giving seasonal gifts (in the form of a "Christmas box") to less wealthy people. In the United Kingdom this was later extended to various workpeople such as labourers, servants, tradespeople and postal workers. ... Boxing Day is traditionally celebrated on 26 December, St. Stephen's Day, the day after Christmas Day. Unlike St. Stephen's Day, Boxing Day is a secular holiday and is not always on 26 December: the public holiday is generally moved to the following Monday if 26 December is a Saturday. If 25 December is a Saturday then both the Monday and Tuesday may be public holidays. However the date of observance of Boxing Day varies between countries. In Ireland - when it was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland - the UK's Bank Holidays Act 1871 established the feast day of St Stephen as a non-moveable public holiday on 26 December. Since Partition, the name "Boxing Day" is used only by the authorities in Northern Ireland (which remained part of the United Kingdom). Their Boxing Day is a moveable public holiday in line with the rest of the United Kingdom. The Banking and Financial Dealings Act of 1971 established "Boxing Day" as a public holiday in Scotland. In the Australian state of South Australia, 26 December is a public holiday known as Proclamation Day. -- Calendar: In the countries that observe this holiday, 26 December is commonly referred to both as Boxing Day and as St. Stephen's Day, no matter what day of the week it occurs. However, in some countries, holidays falling on Saturday or Sunday are observed on the next weekday. Boxing Day cannot be on a Sunday, that day being the officially recognised day of worship, so traditionally it was the next working day of the week following Christmas Day, (i.e. any day from Monday to Saturday). In recent times this tradition has been either forgotten or ignored. Most people consider 26 December to be Boxing Day even when it falls on a Sunday. The last year 26 December was called Christmas Sunday in the United Kingdom and Canada was 1993. The next time the date fell on a Sunday (1999), it was known as Boxing Day. If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, then Monday 28 December is declared a bank or public holiday. In the United Kingdom and some other countries, this is accomplished by Royal Proclamation. In some Canadian provinces, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday that is always celebrated on 26 December. As with most statutory holidays in Canada, if it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, compensation days are given in the following week. If Boxing Day falls on a Sunday then Christmas Day would be on a Saturday, so in countries where these are both bank or public holiday, the Statutory Holiday for Christmas is moved to Monday December 27 and the Statutory Holiday for Boxing Day is moved to Tuesday December 28. If Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, then Boxing Day is on Monday 26 December, and no Royal Proclamation is required. In such a circumstance, a 'substitute bank holiday in the place of Christmas Day' is declared for Tuesday 27 December, so the Boxing Day holiday occurs before the substitute Christmas holiday. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 8 - The early Christian Church begins to experience wide scale opposition and persecution -- 'Acts 8:1-3 And Saul [later the Apostle Paul] was consenting unto his [Stephen's] death. *And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they [Christians - Disciples] were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, *except the Apostles [Apostle means 'sent out' at this point in the Church the Disciples basically fled while the Apostles remained calm]. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to *prison [early Christians in Jerusalem were primarily sent to prison for a short time].'
Acts 8:4-25 Therefore they [Christian - Disciples] that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the [Gospel] Word. Then Philip [one of the seven servants as was Stephen] went down to the city of Samaria [ancient capital of Northern Israel], and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man, called Simon [the Sourcer - Warlock], which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. *But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God, and the Name of Jesus Christ, *they were baptized, both men and women. *Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the Apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God [but not yet the actual Kingdom of God], they sent unto them *Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost [Jesus instructed that the Christian Church would expand orderly and with the participation of Peter (Matthew 16:17-19) the leading Apostle]: For as yet He [Holy Spirit] was fallen upon none of them [Pentecost empowerment]: only they were baptized [Firstfruits] in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they [Peter, John] their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost [i.e. the 2nd Pentecost of the Church "Samaritans" - with the 3rd Pentecost household of Cornelius (Acts 10) Romans-Gentiles yet to come]. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the Apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given {actually a new mission field was opened up}, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. **But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee [Peter did not consider Simon the Sourcer to be saved], because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. *Thou [unsaved] hast neither part nor lot in this matter: *for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. *Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. *For I perceive [discern] that thou art in the gall of bitterness [against Jews and Christians], and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon [unwilling to go to God himself], and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. And they, when they had testified and preached the Word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Gospel in many villages [in the now open mission field] of the Samaritans. - The spread of Christianity being a work of God ordained in the Holy Spirit was spread only through the opening of opportunities by the Holy Spirit. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 10 - Acts Chapter 10 - The birth of the Gentile Christian Church -- 'Acts 10:1-7 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a Centurion [soldier - company commander] of the band [unit] called the Italian band, A devout [Gentile] man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the [Jewish and Gentile] people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour [3:00 pm] of the day an Angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he [Angel] said unto him, *Thy prayers and thine alms [giving] are come up for a memorial [eternal remembrance] before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is [Apostle] Peter He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he [Peter] shall [open the doors for the Christian Church to now receive Gentile members] tell thee what thou oughtest to do. ...'
Acts 10:7-48 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa. On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour ... And the voice [of God] spake unto him [Peter] again the second time, *What God hath cleansed [with His blood on the cross], that call not thou common [unclean]. ... Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate, And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. ... Now therefore are we all here present [back at the house of Cornelious in Caesarea] before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee [Peter] of God. Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons [Jew or Gentile]: But **in every Nation he that feareth Him [God], and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him. The word which God sent unto the Children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all: That Word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea [Israel], and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; *How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him. **And we are witnesses of all things which He [Jesus] did both in the land of the Jews, and in [Holy Week] Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly [visibly]; ***Not to all the people [only Christians (Firstfruits) those haven received the born again' Spirit of Jesus witnessed the Resurrection of Jesus], but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us [Apostles], who did eat and drink [feasting] with Him after He rose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick [living] and dead. To Him give all the prophets witness, that *through His Name *whosoever believeth in Him *shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, ***the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word [the 3rd and final ethnic Pentecost globally opening the Christian Church to Gentiles]. And they of the circumcision [Jewish Christians] which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid [Baptism] water, that these should not be Baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? *And he commanded them to be Baptized in the Name of the Lord [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit]. Then *prayed [communicated] they him to tarry certain days. - Note: By this time in history with the move of the Holy Spirit to allow Gentiles into the Christian this is about 48 A.D. with the cross, resurrection and Pentecost occurring in about 33 A.D. the Christian Church has been firmly established and is about 15 years old when Gentiles are brought into Christian Fellowship with God. The as a result of Gentiles coming directly into the Christian Church in about 51 A.D. the Christian Church will have its first council the Council of Jerusalem to decide the validity and positioning of Gentiles in the already well established Christian Church. The decision will be that Gentiles who have also been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ are to be welcomed into the Christian Church as full and equal members in the one universal Church body of the resurrected Jesus Christ. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 12 - The Apostle James the representative of [and Apostle to] the redeemed group of Martyred Saints of Revelation is himself Martyred -- 'Acts 12:1-2 Now about that time Herod [Antipas] the king [the son of King Herod the Great of Matthew 2:1] stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.' Note: Jesus only allowed the Disciples Peter, John and James [each representing a distinct group of redeemed - saved people] to witness and participate at the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1) and in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33) while the other disciples were excluded.' - Peter the Apostle representing the Jews (Galatians 2:7), the Disciple John representing the Christian Church (Revelation 4:1) and James the Apostle representing the Martyred Saints of Revelation (Acts 12:2) - John and James were brothers as the Christian Church and the future [primarily Gentile] Martyred Saints of Revelation (Revelation 6:9) are brothers (Revelation 13:7) but are not the same group - The 144,000 (Revelation 7:4) Jewish witnesses of Revelation are also Martyred (Revelation 14:1) during the tribulation period.
The death of Herod Antipas (who put John the Baptist to death) - Herod the Tetrarch (Matthew 14:1): Acts 12:20 And Herod was highly displeased with them [the cities] of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration [speech] unto them. *And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. *And immediately the angel of the Lord smote [stricken] him [Herod], **because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and [five days later] gave up the ghost. *But the Word of God grew and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul [Apostle Paul] returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry [delivering contributions], and took with them John [Mark John - writer of the Gospel of Mark - nephew of Barnabas], whose surname was Mark. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 13 - The Missionary efforts of the Christian Church primarily to Gentiles begins with Saul [Apostle Paul] and Barnabas being sent out (Apostle) by the Holy Spirit on the first of three Missionary trips undertaken by the Apostle Paul and recorded in the book of Acts -- 'Acts 13:1-4 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen [a childhood friend of Herod], which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul [Apostle Paul]. ***As they ministered to the Lord [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit], and fasted, *the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the [Missionary] work whereunto I have called them. And when they [Church fellowship] had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, *being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia [in modern Syria]; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.' - Note: Where Jesus is the head and authority of the Christian Church it is primarily the work of the Holy Spirit that is in charge of gathering, assembling and orchestrating the Christian Church into becoming the one assembled Bride of Jesus Christ.
Acts 13:43-52 Now when the [Jewish synagogue] (redeemed - Jewish redemption) congregation was [concluded for the Saturday] broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And the next Sabbath day [Saturday] came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the Word of God [for salvation] should first have been spoken to you [Jews the redeemed of God]: but seeing ye put it [Salvation] from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life [here and now], lo, *we turn to the Gentiles. *For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for *salvation [eternal life] unto the ends of the earth. *And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them [evicted] out of their coasts. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. - Note: What is being offered to the Jews is salvation. The [observant obedient - Synagogue] Jews are already redeemed (in the presence of God) and for the redeemed Jews salvation comes *after death. Jesus is offering Salvation [eternal life] here and now. The Gentiles [us]do not have redemption as the observant Jews do, some Gentiles are (saved) in that their conscience was a witness to them that there is a God but they were saved (also after death) not directly knowing God and not being in the presence of God as the redeemed Jews are. Gentiles who become Christians receive instantly both the Redemption (without sin in the presence of God) and Salvation (eternal life). Where the Jews have Jewish redemption and eventually (after death) eternal life (Salvation) a redeemed Jew can become a Christian and then also receive Salvation already having redemption but the Gentiles coming into the Christian Church only have the option of Salvation and with Christian Salvation comes redemption. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} PAUL [the Apostle] has been called the greatest Christian who ever lived
PAUL has been called the greatest Christian who ever lived. He also suffered greatly for the name of Jesus Christ. When Paul defended his calling to the Church, he defined suffering as a major proof of his spiritual office. 'I have worked much harder,' he insisted, 'been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again' (2 Corinthians 11:23). Strength in Weakness: But Paul's many trials did not deter him from living the Christian life. Neither did they restrict his preaching the gospel. To the contrary, suffering seemed to impel Paul to even greater spiritual service. The apostle Paul said something remarkable about his adversities: 'For Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong' (2 Corinthians 12:10). We shouldn't, however, think of Paul as bigger than life or an indestructible superman. There were times when the tremendous hardships he confronted were far beyond his human endurance. After suffering one rather malicious incident of persecution, Paul admitted he and his companions 'despaired even of life' (2 Corinthians 1:8). But Paul had faith in the living God to see him trough his trial. 'On him we have set our hope,' wrote Paul, 'that he will continue to deliver us' (verse 10). But as Paul's life demonstrates, God usually delivers us out of troubles we are already in, not necessarily from troubles before they begin. Yet, as we must, Paul was able to rise above all his many afflictions. How did he do it? And how can we surmount our trials and troubles? Paul certainly didn't overcome by his own strength or will. He never took personal credit for being able to bear his painfully heavy cross. He attributed his spiritual muscle to its true source - Jesus Christ. Paul said: 'I can do everything through him who gives me strength' (Philippians 4:13). He exulted, not in his own will and courage, but in the power of Christ in him. By his example we know that we, too, have access to the same spiritual power and courage. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 15 - The 1st Church Council takes place about 52 A.D. at the Church in Jerusalem - The 1st Church Council was specifically in regard to the major number of Gentiles that were now joining the Christian Church daily [predominantly through Missionary efforts] and whether or not the Gentiles would have to be circumcised and observe any of the Jewish customs or take part in any of the established laws of Moses -- 'Acts 15:6 And the Apostles and [Church] Elders [including James the ½ brother of Jesus] came together for to consider of this matter.'
Acts 15:6-22 And the Apostles and Elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing [arguing], [Apostle] Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago [Cornelius and his household at Caesarea] God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, *giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, **purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke [law of Moses] upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? **But we believe that through the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we [Jews who are Redeemed] shall be Saved, even as they [Gentiles who are now being Saved - Salvation]. Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. And after they had held their peace, James [the ½ brother of Jesus - Church leader in Jerusalem] answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon [Apostle Peter] hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, ***to take out of them a [Christian] people for His Name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After [Gentile Christian Church] this I [Messiah] will return [2nd Coming], and will build again the Tabernacle [House - Dwelling] of [the Throne of King] David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That [during the Christian Church Age] the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom My Name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. ***Known unto God are all His works ***from the beginning of the world. Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God [those who have the Holy Spirit]: But that we write unto them, *that they abstain from pollutions of [Gentile] idols, and from [Gentile] fornication, and from things strangled [Jewish law], and from blood [Jewish law]. **For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him [abstain from idols and fornication because it is un-Christian, abstain from unclean food and blood only if it offends the local Jewish population], being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day. Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole Church [in Jerusalem], to send chosen men of their own company to [the Church in] Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren … - Note: The early Church recognized that God was active in calling Gentiles into His Christian Church and they also recognized that the Gentiles would have to conduct their new life in a manner consistent with Biblical Christianity and finally they concluded that it is important for Christians not to openly offend those that have remained Jewish. Also Note: All food including blood is now clean because the eternal blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed the world. Eating animal blood and probably human blood if it were obtained in a legal manner does not make a person unclean. Satan has devised a scheme that the world is unclean however it is not. It is unprofitable to do questionable things and germs and disease might be involved but if someone for example drank pig blood thinking it is an evil act the act itself is not but the intentions of their heart might be. - Some cultures eat blood foods and if the Jews are simply notified that it is a custom and not a slight on Moses then they are free to eat their blood food of course not offering any of it to a devout Jewish person because that would be terribly offensive. The 1st Church council was saying to the Gentiles to have our Christian Gentile liberties but also to be mindful and respectful of the [Redeemed] Jews who do still follow the laws of Moses. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Acts 15 (Part 2) - Christian Church Councils - All of the Church Councils throughout history have dealt specifically with the issues of God's Redemptive and Salvation plan for mankind and in light of God's plan for mankind the councils have also attempt to explain who God is to mankind - A Note of Encouragement: Participation in the blog Bible Study has been going extraordinarily well since the start of the study and it continues as one of the most active projects on the Basic Christian website. I'm encouraged and blessed daily by the numbers of people who are so actively studying the Bible and seeking a direct relationship with God in Jesus Christ. Continue with prayer, study and fellowship! Continue the good work in Jesus Christ!
A brief background note on the blog Bible Study and a summary of Redemption and Salvation: The Bible is about the Redemption and Salvation plan of God for mankind therefore the blog Bible Study is attempting to be about the Redemption and Salvation of mankind in examining the predetermined plan of God in Jesus Christ for mankind. - Summary: Adam and his wife [later named Eve] were both a part of the original creation of God and were both created possessing Redemption [in the visible, perceivable presence of God] and Salvation [eternal life]. With the fall of Adam and Eve by disobedience to God that directly resulted in sin against God then Adam and Eve lost their Redemption and Salvation and as a result of not having Redemption and Salvation they were then unable to pass along Redemption and Salvation to any of their descendants including us at our present day. The very children of Adam and Eve were without God in any form except in the brief [redemptive] knowledge of God that their parents Adam and Eve were able tell them about from their experiences and for a few corrective and punitive [redemptive] measures from God. It seems we fail to realize how complete the sin separation was for mankind and how devastating the results were. Adam and Eve were a part of the original creation of God and then their immediate children [Cain, Abel, Seth, etc.] composed a group of individuals separated from God but were able through the instructions of their parents to follow substitutional sacrificial practices. This group highly separated from God consisting of individuals and families were known as the 'sacrificing righteous Gentiles' a group of disorganized individuals that encompassed the highly personally [self] esteemed Job and it finally the system spun completely out of control and came to an end in the folly of Balaam the last of the sacrificing Gentiles. God chose the man Abram (Abraham) and his wife Sarai (Sarah) from among the sacrificing Gentiles to become the father of the Jewish Nation of further redeemed of God. Jewish Redemption was to bring mankind through the laws, customs and representation of God into a more direct and more Redeemed presence of God [as an example for all of mankind] than any of mankind had previously been since the fall of mankind. God Redeemed the Jewish Nation of Israel through Covenants (Promises), Laws (Society), Kings (representation of God), Priests (access for the people to God), Prophets (access from God to the people) all a direct representation of the one coming Jesus Christ the Messiah of all mankind. With the now accomplished Redemption and Salvation for all mankind in the Messiah Jesus Christ the finalized Christian Salvation and Redemption provided in the Virgin birth, atoning Redemption blood and eternal Salvation resurrection life of Jesus Christ is the completed work of God among mankind however not everyone is yet at the completed Christian work of God in mankind. The work of God in convicting Gentiles [in remote areas who have not heard the Gospel] through their conscience about the Holy God and through the enormity and splendor of God's creation continues. Also the Redemption of the Jewish people and Nation of Israel continues and soon another group of Redeemed the End Time Martyred Saints of Revelation will be established and quickly joined by the Redeemed 144,000 [Jewish Firstfruits (Revelation 14:4), Jews who acknowledge Jesus and remain Jewish] Jewish Witnesses of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Then after the return of Jesus Christ and during His 1,000 year Righteous Kingdom reign here on earth there will be another group of Redeemed 'Millennial Saints' to continue to fulfill and establish the Redemption and Salvation plan of God in Jesus Christ existing for all of mankind throughout every age and into all of eternity. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} The Council of Jerusalem Acts 15:6-31 (Approx. 52 A.D.): where we read of the first General Church Council - A serious question of doctrine arose, and "the apostles and the presbyters came together to consider this matter" - The decree of the Council of Jerusalem went on, then, to establish a binding obligation upon all Christians in the local churches of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: "that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality" (Acts 15:29) - Did the local churches bristle at this imposition of doctrine and practice from the ecclesiastical leadership of the whole Church? Not at all, but rather they "rejoiced over its encouragement" (Acts 15:31) {The 50 A.D. Jerusalem Council decision was yes, Gentiles can become Christians and then simple directions and reminders were given so that the new Gentile Christians would not offend God. The food (abstain from eating blood) decision was given so that Christians would not offend the Jews. Christians can eat any food however God is still protecting the Jews and He does not want them offended by others even Christians. Acts 15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them (Jews) that preach (law) him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.}
The Council of Jerusalem: We may prove this quite readily by turning to Acts 15:6-31, where we read of the first General Church Council. A serious question of doctrine arose, and "the apostles and the presbyters came together to consider this matter" (Acts 15:6). After hearing the arguments and testimony of Peter, Paul and Barnabas, the leader of the Council, James [half brother of Jesus, writer of the book of James], then passed a decree with the words, "Therefore I judge" (Acts 15:19, 'dio ego krino'). This passage describes no truly democratic process, but rather it describes submission to the judgment of a central ecclesiastical authority [an authority completely submitted to Jesus Christ]. -- After receiving the judgment of James, "it pleased the apostles and presbyters together with the whole Church" (Acts 15:22: 'apostolois kai tois presbyterois syn hole ekklesia') to dispatch delegates with a letter promulgating the decree of the Council. The council then drafted a letter in the name of "the apostles and the brother-presbyters" (Acts 15:23: 'hoi apostoloi kai hoi presbyteroi adelphoi'). This phrasing, and especially the apposition of 'presbyteroi' and 'adelphoi', is quite precise in establishing the authority of the decision of the Council in the office of the ministers who serve and lead the Church, as opposed to a democratic process. -- Does the phrase "whole Church" here refer to the universal Church, or merely to the entirety of the congregation at Jerusalem. Recalling that the leadership of the Council was comprised of the apostles who were planting local churches in the Hellenistic world, delegates of the Hellenistic churches, and the presbyters of the church at Jerusalem, we can only rightly conclude that they spoke in the name of the universal Church. Indeed, the letter explicitly states that the authors speak in the authority of the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:28); since Paul tells us that it is by one Spirit that we were baptized into one body (1 Cor. 12:13) which is Christ (1 Cor. 12:27) and over which Christ is the head (1 Eph. 1:22-23), when Luke writes in Acts 15:22 of the leadership of the whole Church assenting to the decree of James which is binding on all Gentile Christians, he is necessarily speaking of the Church in its universal or catholic sense. -- The Council then sent the letter to the local churches in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. This letter remarks that the false doctrine which the council repudiated was in fact discernibly false because "we gave no such commandments" (Acts 15:24). Hence, the Bible tells us that right doctrine is subject to the discernment of the leadership of the whole Church. The decree of the Council of Jerusalem went on, then, to establish a binding obligation upon all Christians in the local churches of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: "that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality" (Acts 15:29). Did the local churches bristle at this imposition of doctrine and practice from the ecclesiastical leadership of the whole Church? Not at all, but rather they "rejoiced over its encouragement" (Acts 15:31). Clearly, the Bible itself sets a precedent for the government of the universal Church by means of General Councils. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} 4 Great Church Councils Part 1 & 2 (Mp3s) {Note: The Council of Jerusalem Acts 15:6-31 (Approx. 52 A.D.) is the original and first Christian Church Council. All of the later Church Councils are modeled after the first Jerusalem Council.}
[article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} The Bible and The Creeds - Sermon Series: An Introduction to the Creeds (Mp3s)
Brian Borgman is the founding pastor of Grace Community Church. He earned a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Biola University (La Mirada, CA), a Master of Divinity from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary (Portland, OR) and a Doctor of Ministry from Westminster Seminary (Escondido, CA). [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Historic Baptist Documents - Confessions, Catechisms, Creeds
Many contemporaries have a deep-seated suspicion of catechisms. In our own Baptist denomination, many would consider the words "Baptist catechism" as mutually exclusive. A popular misconception is that catechisms are used in times and places where inadequate views of conversion predominate or the fires of evangelism have long since turned to white ash. If the Bible is preached, they continue, no catechism is necessary; catechisms tend to produce mere intellectual assent where true heart religion is absent. This concern reflects a healthy interest for the experiential side of true Christianity. Concern for conversion and fervor, however, should never diminish one's commitment to the individual truths of Christianity nor the necessity of teaching them in a full and coherent manner.~An Encouragement to Use Catechisms, Tom Nettles. [article link]

{Basic Christian: The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth} Summary: The Apostle Paul's Journey to Rome - The Four Dispensations of the Times since the 1st Coming of Jesus Christ seem to have been mapped out and enacted throughout Paul's Journey to Rome -- 1. The Apostles Dispensation (Acts 27:1-5) -- 2. The Common Christian Church Age (Acts 27:6-44) -- 3. The Martyred Saints of Revelation Tribulation (Acts 28:1-15) -- 4. The 1,000 year Millennial Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ on earth (Acts 28:16-31)
1. The Apostles Dispensation (Acts 27:1-5): Paul and the other Apostles [eyewitnesses] of Jesus Christ go into the world preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ. "Acts 27:3-5 And [representing the Apostolic Missionary Journey Age] the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave *him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself. And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the **winds were contrary. And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia." {Note: Luke and the Apostle Paul seem to be recording two primary things. 1. Looking back on all of Paul's Missionary Journeys that Paul felt that they had gone well and that on the whole the Gospel was being well received "him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself" that Paul had made a lot of friends on his Missionary Trips and was refreshed by the fellowship he had with the Gentile Christians. 2. Also noting that "the [spiritual] winds were contrary" seeming to imply that there was a great deal of spiritual (demonic) opposition to the Gospel Message going forward.} -- 2. The Common Christian Church Age (Acts 27:6-44): "Acts 27:6 And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein." {Note: The ship of the Apostolic Age has ended and the ship of the Common Christian Church Age has launched - carrying the nourishing wheat (Bible) and the four anchors (4 Gospels). The [Christian] ship spends a great deal of time in the port of "Fair Havens" and then departs into adversity to the extent that the storms of life strand and tear the ship apart. Noteworthy, the Church [ship] has the four anchors [4 Gospels] and correctly uses them to stabilize the ship in dangerous waters however also note how the cargo of wheat [Bible] is considered too big of a burden and is cast overboard (Acts 27:38) away from the Church. -- 3. The Martyred Saints of Revelation Tribulation (Acts 28:1-15): After the Christian Church Age has come to an end the Revelation Tribulation Age begins. {Note: The Saints of Revelation are washed ashore into a strange society and economy where they are refuges; destitute and in peril. Though working hard and trying to get along they are Bitten by the Beast and transported to fellowship with their fellow Martyrs. -- 4. The 1,000 year Millennial Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ on earth (Acts 27:16-31): Having finally arrived in Rome the Throne of the King the Millennial Rein of Jesus Christ is now being depicted. {Note: As a type of a citizen of the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ, Paul is sent not to jail but to his own house to live [for two years]. Once in his Millennial House the Apostle Paul immediately begins to fellowship with the Jews of the Millennial Age.} -- Paul's Journey to Rome and the book of Acts concludes "Acts 28:30-31 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, **Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." [article link]

{Basic Christian: The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth} [Part 1 of 3] Introduction: Paul's Journey to Rome - Church History Outline: Ceasrea to Malta - End Times (Antichrist) Outline: Malta to Rome
The Apostle Paul's "Journey to Rome" covered in Acts chapters 27 and 28 is a unique set of passages of scripture and seems to tell a parallel story to the main story of Paul's journey and shipwreck while in route to Rome. The first part of Paul's journey from Caesarea, Israel to the shipwreck off of the shores of the island of Malta seems to tell the parallel story of what has been much of Church history up until today. The second main segment of Paul's journey beginning with Malta then the departure and the sailing to Italy, seems to tell the parallel story of the End Times, the Antichrist and the Book of Revelation. - In looking at these events one primary set of verses in each segment is going to be crucial to the study. In the first portion the Church History outline the verses Acts 27:41 and Acts 27:44 [the actual shipwreck and making it to shore] are going to be the crucial verses for the first segment. - The second segment the End Times outline the island of Malta to Rome the main verses are going to be Acts 28:13-15, Paul's arrival in Italy but at first not in Rome. [article link]

{Basic Christian: The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth} [Part 2 of 3] Church History Outline: Ceasrea to Malta - In Paul's Journey to eventually stand at the feat of [the King] Caesar (Acts 26:32) the Christian Church with the Gospel departs from Israel [where Christianity originated] at the port of city of Caesarea (Acts 27:1-2) to go to the Rome and the Gentile world
Christian Church Age: After making some [missionary] stops along the way Paul and company (Acts 27:6) transfer to a ship [carrying nourishing wheat] that can take them to Rome. While sailing "many days" on their voyage to Rome the ship [Christian Church] encounters the alternating "contrary winds" of persecution and also the favorable port of "Fair Havens" entailing that "much time had been spent" on the Journey. - The first real hint of trouble for the Christian Church comes in the form of the Apostle Paul admonishing the Church that the Jewish Feast day [the fast] of Yom Kippur had passed and that the primarily Gentile Church was no longer marking or paying attention to the Jewish Feast Days putting the Christian Church in peril of not knowing the Times or the Seasons in which it sailed (Acts 27:9-12). The Church (ship) now unable to chart and follow its own course was caught in the winds of the days and the crew now instead of directing the ship the events of the day carried the ship (Church) along on its own course while the ship (Church) was mostly unable to affect, alter or counter any of the blowing winds (Acts 27:15). The ship (Church) tossed in the storms of life brought their sails down and just attempted to weather out the storm and at least they had four anchors to cast out into the water and help steady and protect (from hitting bottom) the Ship. The Apostle Paul then informs everyone that unless they remain aboard the one ship (of Christian faith) they cannot be saved (Acts 27:31). The one ship representing Christianity (the one true Church) then partakes in the act of Christian Communion (Acts 27:35). A distant land (Heaven) is sighted and the passengers (Christians) are not martyred but are able to reach the land (Heaven) alive as each person clings to some wood (cross of Jesus) from the one ship. The ship (Church) itself is finally caught in enough turmoil that it runs aground and breaks up [amazingly at a place were two sea's meet (Acts 27:41) - where the Eastern sea of Mysticism and the Western sea of Rationalism meet the Christian boat as one Catholic body gets stuck in the sand and breaks apart - into many denominations] though the individuals make it ashore (to Heaven) by clinging to wood (the cross of Jesus Christ), the one requirement to get a sinner into Heaven is to know that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on His cross. With the Church (ship) stuck and broken apart and ALL the passengers (Christians) from the one ship of Christianity safely ashore (in Heaven) the Christian Church Age comes to an end (Acts 27:44). -- "Acts 27:44 And the rest [of the Christians], some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship [all clinging to the cross of Jesus]. **And so it came to pass, **that they escaped [sin-death] **all safe to [Heaven] land." [article link]

{Basic Christian: The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth} Wikipedia.org: Saint Publius (Acts 28:7) - Saint Publius [a Church Apostolic Father] is venerated as the first Bishop of Malta - Publius' conversion led to Malta being the first Christian nation in the West, and one of the first in the world - He was martyred in 125 A.D., during the persecution of Emperor Hadrian
It was the same Publius who received the Apostle Paul during his shipwreck on the island as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. According to the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul cured Publius' dysentery-afflicted father. -- Book: by Rev. Alban Butler (1711-1773 A.D.). Volume I: January. "The Lives of the Saints" last published 1866. - St. Publius, Bishop and Martyr [died January 21, 125 A.D. in Athens, Greece] HE succeeded St. Dionysius the Areopagite in the see of Athens, as we are assured by St. Dionysius of Corinth, quoted by Eusebius. 1 He went to God by martyrdom, and Saint Quadratus was chosen third bishop of that city. See Le Quien, Or. Christ. t. 2. p. 169. Note 1. Euseb. l. 4. c. 23. [article link]

{Basic Christian: The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth} [Part 3 of 3] End Time Outline: Malta to Rome - End Times - Martyred Saints of Revelation: The refugees come ashore upon a foreign island (Malta) with "barbarous people" [barbarous only means not Romans (not citizens of the Kingdom) and not Jewish]
Paul and the other castaways find themselves on an unfamiliar island (Malta), a society of unfamiliar people with unfamiliar customs. In the entire narration of their time on Malta only one person is identified by name (and also by title) and it is the intriguing person of Publius (Public) [Publius a Latin (Roman) name - definition of Public: of or pertaining to the people; belonging to the people; relating to, or affecting, a nation, state, or community - ardictionary.com]. The intriguing person Publius is the "chief" or first [G4413 - Protos] person of the Island of Malta and though Publius is not a Roman citizen he has a Roman name and connections to Rome. - In this scenario, in what we are trying to read between the lines that Luke wrote for us in his book of Acts Chapters 27 and 28 we have the scenario that the Church Age has ended (Acts 27:44), the one ship of Christianity has broken apart and ALL the Christians are in Heaven. Here upon Malta (Acts 28:1) we seem to have the dispensation after Christianity [after the Church Age] - the dispensation of the End Times and the Martyred Saints of Revelation. In this intriguing scenario one person is in charge [of buying and selling] for an entire society and also that person is not a part of the 6th Kingdom in Rome. Publius is not a Roman citizen, instead this very public and in charge figure is first in his own system (the 7th Kingdom Revised Rome). Publius {before he becomes a Christian} is a type of the Antichrist and the Island society of Malta is a type of the 7th Kingdom (Revised Roman Empire). Further establishing that Luke intends for Malta to represent the Martyred Saints of End Times is that Luke tells of Paul being bitten by a viper (Acts28:3) but then Luke chooses to call the poisonous viper a "beast" (Acts 28:4,5) using the same word "beast" (G2342 - Therion) that John would later use in his Book of Revelation [Revelation 13:18 - the Mark of the Beast] to describe the Antichrist - Paul "he shook off the beast into the fire" (Acts 28:5) refusing to take the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 19:20). Luke is determined to present the spirit of Antichrist at the Island of Malta. - Note: The End Time events that Luke portrays on Malta is not quite like the End Times often portrayed today in common media, where saints are on the run for their lives. In this End Time depiction by Luke the Saints are busy, working, helpful and briefly an integrated part of the society of Malta. But the Saints have a determined destination and a departure date and depart the island society of Malta not out of anger or desperation but out of a necessity. It seems that Luke is portraying Malta [Revised Rome] as a society that is vastly different than today (there might not be any private property - everything might be 'public' in name only) a tightly controlled and managed society with each person knowing where they rank in society and one person Publius is first. Further after departing the island of Malta and continuing their Journey [a journey that is no longer given in great detail - because technically the Saints departed Malta as Martyrs]. The End Time martyrs of Malta continue on to their desired destination to the feet of the King [Caesar] but like the Book of Revelation the Martyrs of Malta do not go directly to Rome they depart the ship outside of Rome and fellowship with other believers for a while. In the Book of Revelation the 5th Seal "Revelation 6:9 And when He [Jesus] had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain (Martyrs) for [faith in] the Word of God, and for the Testimony [faith in Jesus] which they held:" The Martyred Saints of Revelation do not go directly (individually) to the Throne of Jesus but instead gather outside the Temple at the altar and fellowship until their numbers (dispensation) are complete. Then at the end of the End Times all the Martyred Saints of Revelation join (Revelation 7:9) in with the Christian Church also in Heaven worshiping at the feet of the King Jesus Christ. -- "Acts 28:14-15 Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome. And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum, and The Three Taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage." [article link]

{Basic Christian: The 8 Global Kingdoms of the Earth} Conclusion: The Apostle Paul's journey to Rome - Once in Rome the Apostle Paul continues to prophetically enact out End Time Biblical events - Amazingly the Apostle Paul does not go to jail with the other prisoners (unbelievers) instead Paul safely goes and lives in his own house - Enacting out the forth part of the End Times - The Millennial Reign 1,000 year Kingdom of Jesus Christ [the 8th Kingdom] on earth - (Acts Chapters 27 and 28)
In the last two chapters of the Book of Acts in chapters 27 and 28 there are three distinct portions of the Apostle Paul's journey to Rome [to stand before Caesar]. The First Portion, departing Israel with the Christian Gospel Message until the shipwreck and safely coming ashore at the island of Malta correlates with what has been the Christian Church Age. The second portion of Paul's journey, being stranded at Malta and then quickly getting to Italy but not Rome itself correlates with what is written in the Book of Revelation regarding the future End Times and the Martyred Saints of Revelation. Then the Third and final portion of Paul's journey to Rome correlates with what is written in the Bible regarding the Millennial Reign upon the earth of the Messiah [Jesus Christ] after the events of the Book of Revelation have occurred and been fulfilled. - Once arriving in Rome (Acts 28:16) Paul [a Christian] is allowed to go live by himself in his own house while the other prisoners (unbelievers) are sent to jail (John 12:31). Living in one's own house and dwelling safely is an unmistakable euphemism for the Millennial Kingdom of the Messiah (1 Kings 4:25, Jeremiah 23:6). The Apostle Paul's recorded journey to Rome is concluded along with the Bible's Book of Acts in the last two verses of Acts. -- "Acts 28:30-31 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house [i.e. the Millennial Reign of Christ], and [free to] received all that came in unto him, Preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Revelation 19 - The Great eternal Congregation of Saints in Heaven all Worship and Praise God at the same time and in the same place -- 'Revelation 19:1-5 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For True and Righteous are His judgments: for He hath judged the great [unfaithful] whore, **which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the Throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the Throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both small and great.'
The Lord Jesus Christ begins to take physical possession of the earth to reign and rule on the earth for His Millennial (1,000 year)Kingdom on earth: Revelation 19:6-21 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent [all powerful] reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: *for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife [the Christian Church] hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [in Jesus Christ] of Saints. And he saith unto me, **Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb {probably occurring shortly after Revelation 4:1 and before the first Seal is broken}. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him [Angel]. And he [Angel] said unto me, See thou *do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the Testimony of Jesus: ***worship [only] God: **for the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse [the true conquering King Jesus]; and He [Jesus Christ] that sat upon Him was called Faithful and True, and in *righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were [judgment] as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns [authorities]; and He [also] had a [personal] Name written, **that no man knew, but [only] He himself {this unknown Name is a reference to God's creation (mankind) being at war with God, even after the cross of Jesus and no man can possibly know the agony of the experience of having to eternally judge mankind that God loves so much}. And He was clothed with a vesture [garment] dipped in [human] blood {we are offered to wear Jesus' shed blood for our eternal life covering but those who reject it God will shed their blood}: and His Name [Jesus] is called The Word of God. And the armies [various dispensations] which were in Heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword [word of God], that with it He should smite the Nations: and He shall rule [8th Kingdom] them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture [garment] and on His thigh a Name [we will all know] written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. **And the beast [Antichrist] was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. **These both [two parts of the unholy trinity ] were cast alive [directly] into a lake of fire burning with brimstone [skipping the Great White Throne judgment (Revelation 20:11)]. And the [unholy] remnant were slain with the sword [Word] of Him [Jesus Christ] that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Revelation 20 - Satan is to be incarcerated for the entire 1,000 year Kingdom reign of Jesus Christ on earth -- 'Revelation 20:1-3 And I saw an Angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit (Revelation 9:1) and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, *and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the Nations no more, till the thousand years [Kingdom reign of Jesus Christ on earth, 8th Kingdom] should be fulfilled: and after that he [Satan] must be loosed a little season. - Note: The human elements of Satan's 7th Kingdom the human Antichrist and the human false prophet have at this point already been sentenced to the eternal lake of fire. Satan is held in chains for the 1,000 years and then he is released for a brief final temptation on mankind.'
Revelation 20:4-15 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and *which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; **and they [saints Martyred during the Tribulation period] lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. *But the rest of the dead [all the unsaved] lived [manifested] not again until the thousand years were finished. **This is the first resurrection [the resurrection of the Holy Saints of Jesus Christ]. **Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: **on such the second death [judgment] hath no power, but they shall be [Righteous, Melchizedek] Priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, *Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the Nations [the new nations established or re-established during the 1,000 reign of Jesus Christ] which are in the four quarters of the earth, *Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38:1-23), to gather them [sinners from the 1,000 Kingdom] together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed [encircled] the Camp of the Saints about, and the beloved city [Jerusalem]: and fire came down from God out of Heaven, and devoured them. And the devil [Satan] that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. ***And [later the 1,00 years] 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. {Note: during the Great White Throne judgment there is no earth and no sky, and the people being judged are naked disembodied spirits - so apparently if they want to contend with God [and smirk and insult] during their judgment it will be more than a bit awkward for them having no body and even no planet to stand on.} And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the [judgment] 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 [demons] which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the [spiritual] dead [fallen angels] which were in them: and they were judged every man {human, demon and fallen angel} 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. - Note: After the Church age and after the Revelation [Martyred Saints, 144,000] Tribulation age there is then the 1,000 year Kingdom age. The testing by Satan after the 1,000 year Kingdom age is only for the people of the 1,000 year Kingdom age. The resurrected Saints are not judged again (Hebrews 9:27) not judged continually. A Saint that was with Moses in the desert and once resurrected that Old Testament Saint is not judged during the Church era and the Church is not judged in the Martyred Saints of Revelation era and only the people physically alive in the 1,000 year Kingdom reign are in a position to receive or reject their eternal salvation. Once a Saint receives resurrection [adoption as a Son of God] then it is eternal and being eternal it is secure. It is not even the remotest possibility [no longer even having a sin nature] that resurrected Christian Saints or resurrected Old Testament Saints could even rebel against God and then hypothetically need to be judged and removed from God's eternal Kingdom at any given point in time in the Kingdom. Once a Saint [we are born with a sin nature and die with our sin nature but we are resurrected without a sin nature] is in the resurrected Kingdom of God and God being faithful and love God does not ever turn against His own people (and again resurrected Saints will not even have a sin nature) so the eternal Kingdom of God is in all actuality, and in all reality, and for all purposes - eternity - and eternity with God is security and that is eternal. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Revelation 21 - The earth and sky are going to pass away as humanity enters into a new earth and a new sky in the eternal state with God -- 'Revelation 21:1-5 And I [St. John] saw a new heaven (sky) and a new earth: for the first heaven (sky) and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her Husband. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the Tabernacle [dwelling] of God [the Father] is with men, and He [the Father] will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God [Jesus] Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: **for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: **for these Words [being from God] are True and Faithful.'
The New Jerusalem, the new Holy City on the new earth is revealed and the gates of the Holy City are permanently open inviting all the eternal Saints to freely enter into the eternal city to bring in their glory and honor in worship and praise to God: Revelation 21:6-8 And He [God] said unto me [Disciple John], It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, *the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, ***and he shall be My [adopted] Son. *But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. ... Revelation 21:22-27 And [in the New Jerusalem, the new Holy City on earth] I saw no Temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the Glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. **And the Nations of *them *which *are *saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings [mighty] of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the Nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but [only] they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. - Note: There appears to remain a societal structure for mankind (Saints) complete with individual Nations, cities and towns even out into the eternal state. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Revelation 22 - The Disciple John is shown the Eternal State of the Saints with the New Jerusalem containing the Eternal Throne of God [Father, Son Jesus (Lamb), Holy Spirit] on earth - The beloved Disciple John closes the great Revelation of the beloved Jesus Christ by sealing (the 8th Seal) it with a promise, this final Seal is an unbreakable promise from Jesus Christ Himself to return quickly, when it is time (opened) and when the 8th Seal is opened Jesus will return according to all of His promises - The Disciple John then prays in agreement with Jesus Christ and requests the return of Jesus Christ - The Disciple John then finalizes all Holy Bible Scripture with a blessing from Jesus Christ to all the beloved Saints in Jesus Christ -- 'Revelation 22:1-6 And he [Angel] shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb [in the New Jerusalem]. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there *the Tree of Life (Genesis 2:9), which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and **the leaves of the tree were for the healing [wellbeing] of the Nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the Throne of God and of the Lamb [Jesus Christ] shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. And he said unto me, These sayings are Faithful and True: **and the Lord God of the holy prophets **sent His Angel [messenger] **to shew unto His servants [Christians - Saints] the things which must shortly be done [accomplished].'
The Bible's book of Revelation concludes completing the Holy Bible: Revelation 22:7-21 Behold, I [Jesus Christ] come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I [Jesus Christ] come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His Commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine Angel [messenger] to testify unto you these things in the Churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the [Holy] Spirit and the Bride [Christian Church] say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the Words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this book. He [Jesus Christ] which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. [article link]

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} The Region of Ephesus - Ephesus [in modern Turkey] maintained its importance during the [early] period of Christianity; the Apostle St. Paul arrived there during the years of 50 A.D., and [the Disciple] St. John was buried on the hill of Ayasuluk (Selcuk, near Izmir) at the beginning of the 2nd century [about 100 A.D.] - On Bulbul Dag (Nightingale mountain) there is the House of the Virgin [Mary] where it's believed that she passed last years of her life and passed away - She [Mary - the mother of Jesus] came to Ephesus together with St. John and taken up to Panaghia Kapulu mountain to survive the Roman persecutions
Ephesus: The findings obtained in this region where the native people, namely the Lelegs and the Carians have lived since the beginning, indicate that the city is dated back to 2000 years B.C. As far as the years of 1000 are concerned, it is assumed that the Ions came to this region, lead by Androckles. Ephesus was captured by the Kimmers (Cimmerians) in the 7th century B.C., by the Lydians in 560, and later in 546 B.C. by the Persians; and was rescued from the Persian domination when Alexander the Great defeated the Persians in 334 B.C. -- Lysimachos, a commander of Alexander's, had the settlement removed from the whereabouts of the Temple of Artemis to the location between the Mount of Panayir and the Mount of Bülbül, and had a wall built around the city. The city was taken by the Kingdom of Pergamon after 190 B.C., by Rome in 133 B.C., and later by Byzantium. Ephesus maintained its importance during the period of Christianity; the apostle St. Paul arrived there during the years of 50 A.D., and St. John was buried on the hill of Ayasuluk (Selcuk, near Izmir) at the beginning of the 2nd century. Ephesus lived through its third glorious period during the reign of Justinian in the middle of the 6th century A.D. At this time, the Church of St. John was built by the Byzantine emperor. -- The ruins of Ephesus, situated near Selçuk town at 70 kilometers (44 miles) south of Izmir, is a main center of archaeological interest owing to the ancient remains that still exist. When you enter through the Magnesia Gate (south gate or upper gate), you can see the State Agora (or Upper Agora). The Temple of Isis is situated at the center of the Agora, and Stoa is placed on the North side of it. The Odeion (Bouletarion or Parliament) with a capacity of 1,400 persons is placed behind it and the Prytaneion (Town Hall) where the sacred fire used to burn, is on its flank. The Baths of Varius are placed on the east side of Odeion. On the west of the Agora, the Monument of Memmius built in the 1st century BC., the fountain of Sextilius Pollio built in the year 93 A.D., and the Temple of Domitian (81-93 A.D) are placed. On the south of the Agora, the fountain of Laecanius Bassus is situated. The Curetes street starts downwards from the Temple of Memmius. The Gate of Heracles (Hercules) is placed on this avenue. After passing through this part, the fountain of Trajan built in the years 102-114 is seen on the right hand side and after this, the Temple of Hadrian appears in front of us, in all its splendid beauty (117-138 A.D). The Scholastica Baths, built in the 4th century A.D., are situated behind the Temple of Hadrian. The houses of the rich people of Ephesus which were in front of it, have been restored and opened for visits at present with special permits. -- At the corner formed by the Curetes street and the Marble Road, the House of Love (Pornaion or Brothel) is placed and the Library of Celsus, restored and reestablished in recent years, stands right in front of this. The library which had been built in the name of proconsul Gaius Celsus completed in the year 135 A.D. by his son Tiberius Giulius Aquila, is entered by way of a stairway, 21 meters (69 feet) in width and having 9 steps. The southeastern gate of the Trade Agora opens to the Library of Celsus. Emperor Augustus' slaves, Mazaeus and Mithridates, liberated by him had this gate built in the year 1st century A.D.; it comprises three sections and has been restored today. The Corinthian columns of the Stoa encircling the Trade Agora with the dimensions 110 x 110 meters (361 x 361 feet), are standing erect today. The Temple of Serapes built in the period of Antony (138-192 A.D.) is placed behind the Trade Agora. -- One of the magnificent buildings of Ephesus is the Great Theater, largest in Asia Minor, which had a capacity of more than 24.000 people and is in a rather well preserved condition. The construction had started during the Hellenistic period but it could only be completed during the time of Trajan (98-117 A.D.). St. Paul was dragged into this theater to face the crowed because of his famous letter to Ephesians, but rescued by the security corps of the city. Festivals are celebrated in this theater today. -- All the streets of Ephesus were illuminated at night with oil lamps, this shows us the richness of the city. The Port Avenue extends in front of the theater. The avenue is 11 meters (36 feet) wide and 600 meters (1970 feet) long, and it has been called Arcadian Street because it was renewed during the time of Arcadius. On the whole north side of the avenue, there are the Harbor Gymnasium, baths and the Theater Gymnasium. The avenue that passes along the front of the theater, extends towards the Stadium built during the Nero period (54-68 A.D.) and towards the Vedius Gymnasium. The Church of the Virgin Mary built at the beginning of the 4th century A.D. is situated behind the Port Gymnasium just before the exit from the lower gate (north gate). **This was also the meeting place of the 3rd Ecumenical Council [The Council of Ephesus may refer to: The First Council of Ephesus of 431 AD. The Second Council of Ephesus of 449 AD. The Third Council of Ephesus of 475 AD. - Wiki.com]. ... The House of Virgin Mary: On Bulbul Dag (Nightingale mountain) there is the House of the Virgin where it's believed that she passed last years of her life and passed away. She came to Ephesus together with St. John and taken up to Panaghia Kapulu mountain to survive the Roman persecutions. The House was destroyed by many earthquakes and not discovered until 1951 thanks to a German nun, Catherine Emmerich, who saw its location in her visions. The site is recognized as a shrine by Vatican and visited by the Popes. Today, the House of Virgin Mary is renovated by George Quatman Foundation from Ohio and serves as a small church which attracts many Christians as well as Muslims coming to pray for Her. The Mass is held here every Sunday. On the 15th August 2000 there was a great ceremony for the Assumption of the Virgin, the year which marked the two thousand years of the birth of Jesus. [article link]

Basic Christian: blog Bible Study - Genesis - Revelation (PDF)
The complete Through the Bible blog Bible Study in PDF format. [article link]

Welcome! Greetings and Blessings to everyone! The Basic Christian: blog History Study - Christian Church History Study portion has begun and is well underway! - The Timeline of the study is now at the point where the last Apostle, the Beloved Disciple John, has passed away at about the year 100 A.D. near the town of Ephesus in Asia -- The Church History Study is now going to continue with the early Church History Era studying material and Church History from the close of the Apostolic Era in about 100 A.D. up until 312 A.D. and the takeover of the Christian Church by the Roman Government specifically by the tactics of the Roman Emperor Constantine in 313 A.D. with his governmental edicts and his personal preferences corrupting and even replacing the Teachings of Jesus Christ and the Doctrines of the Apostles by a secular (worldly) government beginning to directly dictate to and over the Christian Church
The foundation of the study has been laid and it consists of beginning in the Old Testament by showing the prophesies of the book of Malachi in about 400 B.C. and of the continued revelation of the coming Messiah Jesus Christ. Revealing that the much prophesied Messiah (Jesus Christ) and the existence of His Christian Church is exactly the foretold works, accomplishments, plans, directions and ownership of the Lord Jesus Christ. -- The foundation of the study begins with some Old Testament prophecies of the Coming Messiah Jesus Christ then enters the New Testament Gospels at the birth in the year 0 A.D. of the Messiah Jesus Christ then highlights the Sermon on the Mount in 31 A.D. given by Jesus to His Disciples, more teachings of Jesus, then His Mount Olivet Sermon given in 33 A.D. to a few of His Disciples, then following through Holy Week in 33 A.D. with the Triumphal entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, the rejection followed by His crucifixion and resurrection then 40 days later His bodily ascent back into Heaven. Then the empowering of the Christian Church by the Holy Spirit at the Day of Pentecost followed by the Church building Ministries and Missions of the Apostles of Jesus Christ, notably Peter, John and Paul, including the first Church Council the Council of Jerusalem in about 47 A.D. then concluding the introduction to the study with Jesus' promises of His Eternal Kingdom found at the Bible's conclusion at the end of the Book of Revelation. [article link]

The Apostolic Age of the Christian Church closes in about the year 100 A.D. with the complete Bible Scriptures now written, confirmed and in the presence of a still young Christian Church. -- "Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once [completely] delivered unto the saints [Christians]."
With the close of the Apostolic Age [the actual original Disciples of Jesus Christ] four main things happened to the Christian Church. 1. The greater [catholic] Church had the Bible Epistles (letters) in their possession and with the teachings, doctrines, known customs of Jesus and the Apostles [i.e. love, grace, fellowship, teaching, baptism, communion, etc.], along with the scriptures of the Holy Bible and the presence and direction of the Holy Spirit the Christian Church grew exponentially even though several obstacles existed that opposed the Christian Church. 2. Physical opposition and persecution against the Christian Church continued to grow in intensity. 3. Spiritual opposition primarily in the form of Gnosticism along with attacks on the Bible's authenticity and canonicity also grew and intensified against the Christian Church. 4. With the original Apostles no longer alive and among the Christian Church then Social opposition; the subtle deceit, compromises, worldly gain, financial benefit and common deceptions of the world began to enter into and infiltrate the Christian Church in a much more unprecedented and less restricted way. [article link]

Marcionism was an Early Christian dualist belief system that originated in the teachings of Marcion of Sinope at Rome around the year 144 A.D. -- Marcion believed Jesus Christ was the savior sent by God and Paul of Tarsus was his chief apostle, **but he rejected the Hebrew Bible and the God of Israel (YHWH Elohim) - Marcionists believed that the wrathful Hebrew God was a separate and lower entity than the all-forgiving God of the New Testament - This belief was in some ways similar to Gnostic Christian theology; notably, both are dualistic -- Marcionite canon: Tertullian claimed Marcion was the first to separate the New Testament from the Old Testament - Marcion is said to have gathered scriptures from Jewish tradition, and juxtaposed these against the sayings and teachings of Jesus in a work entitled the Antithesis - Marcion produced the first Christian canon, or list of the books of the Bible that he considered authoritative - His list [11 books], however, was much smaller than that currently recognised [66 books] as valid by most Christians - Marcion omitted Paul's pastoral epistles, addressed to Timothy and Titus and he completely rejected the Old Testament, believing and teaching that it should not be part of the Christian Bible and was of no value to Christians (source: religionfacts.com) -- The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913 characterized Marcion as "perhaps the most dangerous foe Christianity has ever known." {Note: Marcion in 144 A.D. and later Muratorian's Cannon [a list from an unknown author - found in the library of Aurelius Ambrosius (St. Ambrose)] of about 155 A.D. were both attempting to hinder, limit and restrict the already general (catholic) canon of Scripture [66 books] that existed within the true Christian Church. -- Muratorian's discovered list is from a contemporary of Marcion and though the unknown author refutes Marcionism he goes on and attempts to hinder and restrict known standard Biblical texts while at the same time attempting to promote extra biblical materials that were known to be heretical at that time i.e. 'The Shepherd of Hermas' both Marcion and the unknown author of Muratorian's Cannon were in effect creating a two pronged assault against the known and trusted Scriptures of the Christian Church.}
Marcionism, similar to Gnosticism, depicted the Hebrew God of the Old Testament as a tyrant or demiurge (see also God as the Devil). Marcion was labeled as gnostic by Eusebius. **Marcion's canon consisted of [only] eleven [NT] books: A gospel consisting of ten sections from the Gospel of Luke edited by Marcion; and ten of Paul's epistles. All other epistles and gospels of the 27 book New Testament canon were rejected. Paul's epistles enjoy a prominent position in the Marcionite canon, since Paul is credited with correctly transmitting the universality of Jesus' message. Other authors' epistles [Notably: Peter, James, Jude, Matthew and John] were rejected since they seemed to suggest that Jesus had simply come to found a new sect within broader Judaism. Religious tribalism of this sort seemed to echo Yahwism, and was thus regarded as a corruption of the "Heavenly Father"'s teaching. ***Marcionism was denounced by its opponents as heresy, and written against, notably by Tertullian, in a five-book treatise Adversus Marcionem, written about 208 A.D. Marcion's writings are lost, though they were widely read and numerous manuscripts must have existed. Even so, many scholars (including Henry Wace) claim it is possible to reconstruct and deduce a large part of ancient Marcionism through what later critics, especially Tertullian, said concerning Marcion. [article link]

The Muratorian Canon Fragment (about A.D. 155) - It is called a fragment because the beginning of it is missing - The Muratorian Fragment is [among] the oldest known list of New Testament books - the list itself is dated to about 170 A.D. because its author refers to the episcopate of Pius I of Rome (died 157 A.D.) as recent - The Apocalypse of Peter [2nd Peter] is mentioned as a book which "some of us will not allow to be read in church"
The Muratorian Fragment is the oldest known list of New Testament books. It was discovered by Ludovico Antonio Muratori in a manuscript in the Ambrosian Library in Milan, and published by him in 1740. It is called a fragment because the beginning of it is missing. Although the manuscript in which it appears was copied during the seventh century, the list itself is dated to about 170 because its author refers to the episcopate of Pius I of Rome (died 157) as recent. He mentions only two epistles of John, without describing them. The Apocalypse of Peter is mentioned as a book which "some of us will not allow to be read in church." A very helpful and detailed discussion of this document is to be found in Bruce Metzger's The Canon of the New Testament (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1987), pp. 191-201. [article link]

ReligionFacts.com: Marcion (110 A.D. - 160 A.D.) - Marcion of Sinope was an early Christian teacher whose teachings were condemned by the catholic Church as heresy
Life of Marcion: Marcion was a native of Sinope (modern Sinop, Turkey), in Pontus, Asia Minor. He was a wealthy shipowner. According to St Hippolytus, he was the son of a bishop who excommunicated him on grounds of immorality. He eventually found his way to Rome (140 A.D.) and became a major financial supporter [infiltrator] of the Church there. In the next few years after his arrival in Rome, he worked out his theological system and began to organize his followers into a separate community. He was excommunicated by the Church at Rome in 144 A.D. From then on, he apparently used Rome as a base of operations, devoting his gift for organization and considerable wealth to the propagation of his teachings and the establishment of compact communities throughout the Roman Empire, making converts of every age, rank and background. A story told by Tertullian and St Irenæus of Lyons says that Marcion attempted to use his money to influence the Church to endorse his teaching; they refused. His numerous critics throughout the Church include the aforementioned, along with St Justin Martyr, St Ephraim of Syria, Dionysius of Corinth, Theophilus of Antioch, Philip of Gortyna, St Hippolytus and Rhodo in Rome, Bardesanes at Edessa, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen. [article link]

Wikipedia: Development of the New Testament canon - The Canon of the New Testament is the set of books Christians regard as divinely inspired and constituting the New Testament of the Christian Bible - For most, it is an agreed-upon list of twenty-seven books that includes the Canonical Gospels, Acts, letters of the Apostles, and Revelation - The books of the Canon of the New Testament were written mostly in the first century and finished by the year 150 AD. [actually about 100 A.D.]
Writings attributed to the Apostles circulated among the earliest Christian communities. The Pauline epistles were circulating, perhaps in collected forms, by the end of the 1st century A.D. - Justin Martyr (103 A.D - 165 A.D.) in the mid 2nd century, mentions "memoirs of the apostles" [New Testament] as being read on Sunday alongside the "writings of the prophets" [Old Testament]. A four gospel canon (the Tetramorph) was asserted by Irenaeus, c. 180 A.D., who refers to it directly. -- By the early 200s A.D., **Origen may have been using the same twenty-seven books as in the Catholic New Testament canon, though there were still disputes over the canonicity of the Letter to the Hebrews, James, II Peter, II and III John, and Revelation, known as the Antilegomena. Likewise, the Muratorian fragment is evidence that, perhaps as early as 200 A.D., there existed a set of Christian writings somewhat similar to the twenty-seven-book NT canon, which included four gospels and argued against objections to them. Thus, while there was a good measure of debate in the Early Church over the New Testament canon, the major writings are claimed to have been accepted by almost all Christians by the middle of the 3rd century. -- In his Easter letter of 367 A.D., Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, gave a list of the books that would become the twenty-seven-book NT canon, and he used the word "canonized" (kanonizomena) in regards to them. The first council that accepted the present canon of the New Testament may have been the Synod of Hippo Regius in North Africa (AD 393); the acts of this council, however, are lost. A brief summary of the acts was read at and accepted by the Councils of Carthage in 397 A.D. and 419 A.D. These councils were under the authority of St. Augustine, who regarded the canon as already closed. Pope Damasus I's Council of Rome in 382 A.D., if the Decretum Gelasianum is correctly associated with it, issued a biblical canon identical to that mentioned above, or, if not, the list is at least a 6th-century compilation. Likewise, Damasus' commissioning of the Latin Vulgate edition of the Bible, c. 383 A.D., was instrumental in the fixation of the canon in the West. In c. 405 A.D., Pope Innocent I sent a list of the sacred books to a Gallic bishop, Exsuperius of Toulouse. Christian scholars assert that, when these bishops and councils spoke on the matter, however, they were not defining something new but instead "were ratifying what had already become the mind of the Church." -- For the Orthodox, the recognition of these writings as authoritative was formalized in the Second Council of Trullan of 692 A.D., although it was nearly universally accepted in the mid 300's A.D. The Canon of Scripture was the result of debate and research, reaching its final term for Catholics at the dogmatic definition of the Council of Trent when the Old Testament Canon was finalized in the Catholic Church as well. -- Thus, some claim that, from the 4th century, there existed unanimity in the West concerning the New Testament canon (as it is today), and that, by the 5th century, the Eastern Church, with a few exceptions, had come to accept the Book of Revelation and thus had come into harmony on the matter of the canon. Nonetheless, full dogmatic articulations of the canon were not made until the Canon of Trent of 1546 A.D. for Roman Catholicism, the Thirty-Nine Articles of 1563 A.D. for the Church of England, the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647 A.D. for Calvinism, and the Synod of Jerusalem of 1672 A.D. for the Greek Orthodox. [article link]

The Ten Major Persecutions of the Early Church 54 A.D. - 304 A.D.
1st Under Caesar Nero A.D. 54-68 {the last Caesar} The Apostle Paul was beheaded during this persecution. -- 2nd Under Emperor Domition A.D. 81- 96 The Apostle John was [said to have been] boiled in oil and survived through a miracle of God. Later he [John] was banished to [the island of] Patmos (Revelation 1:9). -- 3rd Under Emperor Trajan A.D. 98-117 Ignatius was martyred. -- 4th Under Emperors Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius Antoninus A.D. 138-180 Polycarp (a disciple of the Apostle John) of Smyrna was martyred (Saturday, February 23 in about either 156 A.D. or 166 A.D.). -- 5th Under Emperor Severus A.D. 193-211 Irenaeus (a disciple of Polycarp), Bishop of Lyons, was beheaded in 202 A.D. The two women Perpetua and Felicitas were martyred in the city of Carthage, North Africa in the year 203 A.D. -- 6th Under Emperor Maximus A.D. 235-238 In some provinces everything was done to exterminate all Christians. -- 7th Under Emperor Decius A.D. 249-251 This persecution was brought on because of Decius's hatred for his predecessor Emperor Phillip [from Syria - Reigned 244-249 A.D.] a Christian, and partly by his jealously concerning the amazing increase of Christianity. Heathen temples began to be forsaken, and the Christian churches grew. -- 8th Under Emperor Valerian A.D. 253-260 The martyrs that fell during this time period were innumerable and their tortures were various and painful. Neither rank, gender, nor age were regarded. The Edict of 257 A.D. and 258 A.D. ordered all Christian leaders to be put to death that did not take part in sacrificing to the gods. -- 9th Under Emperor Aurelian A.D. 274-287 He had the whole legion [of Christian soldiers] butchered by the other soldiers. This event took place on 09/22/286 A.D. -- 10th Under Emperor Diocletian A.D. 292-304 During this persecution, the emperor ordered 4 edicts against the Christians. [article link]

Wikipedia: Nero - He is infamously known as the Emperor who "fiddled while Rome burned" and as an early persecutor of Christians - The Great Fire of Rome erupted on the night of 18 July to 19 July 64 A.D. - It was said by Suetonius and Cassius Dio that Nero sang the "Sack of Ilium" in stage costume while the city burned
He is infamously known as the Emperor who "fiddled while Rome burned", although this is now considered an inaccurate rumor, and as an early persecutor of Christians. He was known for having captured Christians burned in his garden at night for a source of light. This view is based on the writings of Tacitus, Suetonius, and Cassius Dio, the main surviving sources for Nero's reign. Few surviving sources paint Nero in a favorable light. Some sources, though, including some mentioned above, portray him as an emperor who was popular with the common Roman people, especially in the East. The study of Nero is problematic as some modern historians question the reliability of ancient sources when reporting on Nero's tyrannical acts. ... According to Tacitus, the population searched for a scapegoat [for the fire] and rumors held Nero responsible. To deflect blame, Nero targeted Christians. He ordered Christians to be thrown to dogs, while others were crucified and burned. [article link]

SAINTS PERPETUA, FELICITAS, AND COMPANIONS - MARTYRS 203 A.D. - Feast Day: March 6 - The record of the Passion of St. Perpetua, St. Felicitas, and their Companions is one of the great treasures of martyr literature, an authentic document preserved for us in the actual words of the martyrs and their friends - It was in the great African city of Carthage, in the year 203 A.D. during the persecutions ordered by the Emperor Severus, that five catechumens [undergoing catechism studies] were arrested for their faith - The group consisted of a slave Revocatus, his fellow slave Felicitas, who was expecting the birth of a child, two free men, Saturninus and Secundulus, and a matron of twenty-two, Vivia Perpetua, wife of a man in good position and mother of a small infant
Perpetua's father was a pagan, her mother and two brothers Christians, one of the brothers being a catechumen. These five prisoners were soon joined by one Saturus, who seems to have been their instructor in the faith and who now chose to share their punishment. At first they were all kept under strong guard in a private house. Perpetua wrote a vivid account of what happened. ... [article link]

Wikipedia: Emperor Philip [the Arab] of Syria - Roman Emperor from 244 A.D. to 249 A.D. - Among early Christian writers Philip had the reputation of being sympathetic to the Christian faith - It was even claimed that he converted to Christianity, becoming the first Christian Emperor - Philip and his wife received letters from [Christian writer and theologian] Origen - Origen 184-253 A.D. was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian - Philip was overthrown and killed following a rebellion led by his successor [Emperor] Decius
Philip the Arab (Latin: Marcus Julius Philippus Augustus; c. 204 - 249), also known as Philip or Philippus Arabs, was Roman Emperor from 244 to 249 A.D. He came from Syria, and rose to become a major figure in the Roman Empire. He achieved power after the death of Gordian III, quickly negotiating peace with the Sassanid Empire. During his reign, Rome celebrated its millennium. Among early Christian writers Philip had the reputation of being sympathetic to the Christian faith. It was even claimed that he converted to Christianity, becoming the first Christian emperor, but this is disputed. He supposedly tried to celebrate Easter with Christians in Antioch, but the bishop Babylas made him stand with the penitents. Philip and his wife received letters from Origen. Philip was overthrown and killed following a rebellion led by his successor Decius. -- Religious beliefs: Some later traditions, first mentioned in the historian Eusebius [Eusebius of Caesarea (c. AD 263 - 339) also called Eusebius Pamphili, was a Roman historian, exegete and Christian] in his Ecclesiastical History, held that Philip was the first Christian Roman Emperor. According to Eusebius (Ecc. Hist. VI.34), Philip was a Christian, but was not allowed to enter Easter vigil services until he confessed his sins and sat among the penitents, which he did so willingly. Later versions located this event in Antioch. However, [modern] historians generally identify the later Emperor Constantine, baptised on his deathbed, as the first Christian emperor, and generally describe Philip's adherence to Christianity as dubious, because non-Christian writers do not mention the fact, and because throughout his reign, Philip to all appearances (coinage, etc.) continued to follow the state religion. Critics ascribe Eusebius' claim as probably due to the tolerance Philip showed towards Christians. Saint Quirinus of Rome was, according to a legendary account, the son of Philip the Arab. [article link]

Wikipedia: Council of Jerusalem, the 1st Church Council - The Council of Jerusalem is generally dated to around the year 49 A.D., roughly twenty years after the death of Jesus of Nazareth, which is dated about 33 A.D.
At the time, most followers of Jesus (which historians refer to as Jewish Christians) were Jewish by birth and even converts would have considered the early Christians as a part of Judaism. According to Alister McGrath, the Jewish Christians affirmed every aspect of then contemporary (Second Temple) Judaism with the addition of the belief that Jesus was the Messiah. Unless males were circumcised, they could not be God's People. Genesis 17:14 said "No uncircumcised man will be one of my people." The meeting was called because, according to the NRSV translation of Acts 15:1-2, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." However, this command is given considerably before Moses' time, stemming from the time of Abraham (see also Abrahamic covenant), but it is cited as 'the custom of Moses' because Moses is the traditional giver of the Law as a whole. And then the circumcision mandate was made more official and binding in the Mosaic Law Covenant. Jesus himself also says in John 7:22 that Moses gave the people circumcision. It was hard for Gentile Christians to keep up with all the laws listed in the Jewish Scriptures, which many Christians came to generally call the "Old Testament", a term linked with Supersessionism. [article link]

Wikipedia: Ancient church councils (Pre-ecumenical) -- Pre-ecumenical councils (also known as synods) were conferences of ecclesiastical dignitaries and theological experts of the early Christian Church that were convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice - They were held when Christianity was still illegal in the Roman Empire - Until the Edict of Milan, councils did not have a civil, legal status - They must be distinguished from [later] Ecumenical Councils which are seen as traditional and as a continuation of previous councils or synods
Such councils include the *Council of Jerusalem (50 AD) [Acts 15:6], the Council of Rome (155 AD), the Second Council of Rome (193 AD), the Council of Ephesus (193 AD), the Council of Carthage (251 AD), the Council of Iconium (258 AD), the *Council of Antioch (264 AD), the Councils of Arabia (246-247 AD), the Council of Elvira (306 AD), the Council of Carthage (311 AD), the Synod of Neo-Caesarea (314 AD), the Council of Ancyra (314 AD) and the Council of Arles (314 AD). -- and later the **Council in Nicaea, Bithynia (Turkey) in 325 A.D. [article link]

Regarding our further blog studies - The First Three major Church Councils - Jerusalem in about 49 A.D. (Acts 15:6) attended by the Apostles and Supervised by James [a brother of Jude and half-brother to Jesus] - The Councils of Antioch [Christological (is Jesus really God) controversies] in 264-268 A.D. -- and later the Nicaea Council in Nicaea, Bithynia (Turkey) in 325 A.D. attended by the Church Bishops [Constantine had invited all 1800 bishops of the Christian church, about 1000 from the Roman Eastern Empire and 800 from the Roman Western Empire - Wiki.com] *supervised (incognito) by Roman Emperor Constantine I aka Constantine the Great
The first Church Council in Jerusalem [about 49 A.D.] was to determine the important issue of allowing Gentiles access into the Jewish Christian Church (i.e. Genesis 12:3). The second Church Council the Councils of Antioch [in Turkey] where in regard to the important issue of letting Jesus have access back into His own Church (Revelation 3:20) [i.e. as the heritics, desert fathers (desert monasticism), etc. had attempted to remove Jesus from His Church -- Losing in the verdicts of the Councils at Antioch the heretics went out into the desert of Egypt and became the desert (monks) monastics]. The third Church Council Nicaea 325 A.D. was in regard to allowing the Roman Government access into and over the Christian Church (i.e. Romans 13:1). Constantine in a sense attempted to prevail for the Roman Government [in false doctrine] where the earlier heretic monks had failed to gain influence over the Christian Church at Antioch. Don't be misled the Arian heresy [Jesus as Son was not God] and the few other topics [The date of celebration of the Paschal (Passover)/Easter observation. The Meletian schism. The validity of baptism by heretics. The status of the lapse in the (Christian) persecution under co-Emperor Licinius. - Wiki.com] were not about a healthy Church and doctrine but were about setting a secular Roman Government up as arbitrator and mediator over the affairs of the Christian Church. When we study Church History much of the study is going to be in regards to the give and take between Church Authority (i.e. Bishop Ambrose 339-397 A.D.) and Government (State) Authority (i.e. King James I of England 1566-1625 A.D.) -- Note: the Nicaea Council is often considered the first Church Council because it was the first Church/State Council and because it was the biggest and most impacting of the time. [article link]

{Basic Christian: The 8 Kingdoms study} Alpha & Omega Ministries Apologetics Blog - I have been downright encouraged to note the response that has appeared to the amazing statements of James McDonald of "Vertical Church" wherein he basically throws Nicene orthodoxy under the proverbial bus - Now I know that "emergent" folks have an odd relationship with history---they love to drag stuff out of history, without its attendant context, as if it is "new" but when it comes to accepting that [we] stand on the shoulders of giants and that there are things that have simply been settled in the past, they rebel and want to put everything "back on the table" -- {Note: The Jerusalem Creed [1st Church Council about 49 A.D. in Jerusalem] has 4 Cornerstones the fourth one being not to offend traditional Jews. The Church Creeds [Jerusalem, Nicene, etc.] are important and relevant to all of Christianity. Since one of the Cornerstones of the 1st Church Council is to support Jews and Traditional Judaism it is an original and longstanding tenant that true Christianity acknowledges its debt and emergence from (God ordained) Mosaic Judaism. "Acts 1:20-21 [The Jerusalem Creed - 1st Church Council about 49 A.D. in Jerusalem] But that we [Apostles] write unto them [Gentile Christians], (1.) that they abstain from [occult] pollutions of idols, (2.) and from [immorality] fornication, (3.) and from things [cruelty] strangled, (4.) and from [Levitical] blood. **For Moses of old time hath [traditional Jews] in every city them that preach him (Moses), being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day."}
But even more importantly than the tweaking of Modalism so that it gets a place at the table is the attitude McDonald has displayed toward the Nicene definition. He says he does not trace his beliefs to credal statements. Really? If by that he means creeds are always subject to the higher authority of Scripture, of course. But this is where you fall off the other side of the narrow path and rather than believing in sola scriptura, you end up with something much less, and in fact, much different. Nicea's authority comes from its fidelity to Scripture. It does not stand alone as a new revelation, and it survived simply because it is, despite all the arguments to the contrary, the consistent, harmonious testimony of divine writ. To throw its authority into the dustbin of history in the service of some kind of "emergent" attitude is not only to display an astoundingly arrogant hubris, it is to show deep disrespect to those who fought, and some who died, in defense of its truth. And for what? For some kind of post-modern feel-goodism that cannot even recognize modalism when it is standing right in front of you. A truly educational example of just how far the emergent movement is willing to go in pursuit of its ultimately destructive goals. -- Recently Jamin Hubner has raised issues relating to a simple question: is the modern secular state of Israel religiously and theologically significant? Is it "Israel" as in the Israel of Scripture, or Romans 11? And if it is not, is it open to criticism? He is concerned about the strength of the movement, mainly amongst American evangelicals, that has granted to Israel not only a theological position it does not actually hold, but which precludes even the slightest mention of criticism of a secular state. Now, I am not going to re-hash everything here, but he has even been accused of being a "shill for Hamas" due to sources he has cited and issues he has raised (which seems to me to provide strong evidence of the need to raise such issues and challenge the knee-jerk reactions of many in the Evangelical community as a whole). While he has sought fair and non-emotional responses to questions he has raised, his requests have, in the main, fallen upon deaf ears, for I see no evidence that his critics really want to have a give-and-take. [article link]

{Basic Christian: The 8 Kingdoms study} Note: Regarding the previous "Decoding the Apostles" blog series that was recently partially posted at BasicChristian.org - One of the more interesting aspects of looking at the lives of the Apostles is just how much each of their individual lives changed - The change among each individual Apostle seems to have been huge as it encompassed their personalities, individual behavior and individual outlook on life - Therefore the majority of the Biblical writings of the Apostles is directed at a certain amount of expected godly behavior modification ... in the lives of each new Christian convert - But by the time the Christian Church matured into the later Church Councils the majority of the entire Church Council was no longer about individual Christian behavior modification but instead became vested, almost exclusively, in individual Christian though, knowledge and doctrine - Though now Pastor Rick Warren and many others are dramatically shifting the current Christian Church away from thought, creeds and doctrines and are again shifting the Christian Church back into the realm of behavior modification but disastrously it is not a return to the original behavior modification and godly accountability the Church Apostles sought for each Christian convert - It is instead a behavior modification that is directing each individual away from Christianity and back into the abyss of the world -- In the following six posts are several examples all from the last week or two of current Christian events
One of the more interesting aspects of looking at the lives of the Apostles is just how much each of their individual lives changed and it changed primarily from their outlook from being socially [worldly, societally] aware to becoming Kingdom aware and eternally aware in Jesus Christ. The change among each individual Apostle seems to have been huge as it encompassed their personalities, individual behavior and individual outlook on life and in fact the very meaning of life itself for each of them. Therefore the majority of the Biblical writings of the Apostles is directed at a certain amount of expected godly behavior modification, in a good way i.e. removing doubt, uncertainty and fear, in the lives of each new Christian convert. The first Church Council in Jerusalem offered four behavior modification agendas to the new Christians. - But by the time the Christian Church matured into the later Church Councils (i.e. Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.) the majority of the entire Church Council was no longer about individual Christian behavior modification but instead became vested, almost exclusively, in individual Christian though, knowledge and doctrine. This later Christian Pastoral emphasis on individual Christian thought (i.e. think as I do) has continued on until the present modern Church day. Though now Pastor Rick Warren and many others are dramatically shifting the current Christian Church away from thought, creeds and doctrines and are again shifting the Christian Church back into the realm of behavior modification but disastrously it is not a return to the original behavior modification and godly accountability the Church Apostles sought for each Christian convert it is instead a behavior modification that is directing each individual away from Christianity and back into the abyss of the world specifically the very spiritually dangerous occult and pagan world. [article link]

Desert Fathers - The Desert Fathers were hermits, ascetics, monks, and nuns (Desert Mothers) who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt {in the area of Sinai Peninsula, Egypt - not the Mt. Sinai area of Saudi Arabia} beginning around the third century [200's] AD - The most well known was Anthony the Great, who moved to the desert in 270-271 A.D. and became known as both the father and founder of desert monasticism - By the time Anthony died in 356 A.D., thousands of monks and nuns had been drawn to living in the desert following Anthony's example his biographer, Athanasius of Alexandria, wrote that "the desert had become a city" [the mostly heretical community of pseudo-christians were moving away from the cities where they were being exposed as heretics to the desert much as a result of the Church Councils of Antioch in 264-268 A.D.]
Development of monastic communities: The small communities forming around the Desert Fathers were the beginning of Christian monasticism. Initially Anthony and others lived as hermits, sometimes forming groups of two or three. Small informal communities began developing, until the monk Pachomius, seeing the need for a more formal structure, established a monastery with rules and organization. His regulations included discipline, obedience, manual labor, silence, fasting, and long periods of prayer - some historians view the rules as being inspired by Pachomius' experiences as a soldier. -- The first fully organized monastery under Pachomius included men and women living in separate quarters, up to three in a room. They supported themselves by weaving cloth and baskets, along with other tasks. Each new monk or nun had a three year probationary period, concluding with admittance in full standing to the monastery. All property was held communally, meals were eaten together and in silence, twice a week they fasted, and they wore simple peasant clothing with a hood. Several times a day they came together for prayer and readings, and each person was expected to spend time alone meditating on the scriptures. Programs were created for educating those who came to the monastery unable to read. -- Pachomius also formalized the establishment of an abba (father) or amma (mother) in charge of the spiritual welfare of their monks and nuns, with the implication that those joining the monastery were also joining a new family. Members also formed smaller groups, with different tasks in the community and the responsibility of looking after each other's welfare. The new approach grew to the point that there were tens of thousands of monks and nuns in these organized communities within decades of Pachomius' death. One of the early pilgrims to the desert was Basil of Caesarea, who took the Rule of Pachomius into the eastern church. Basil expanded the idea of community by integrating the monks and nuns into the wider public community, with the monks and nuns under the authority of a bishop and serving the poor and needy. -- As more pilgrims began visiting the monks in the desert, the early literature coming from the monastic communities began spreading. Latin versions of the original Greek stories and sayings of the Desert Fathers, along with the earliest monastic rules coming out of the desert, guided the early monastic development in the Byzantine world and eventually in the western Christian world. The Rule of Saint Benedict was strongly influenced by the Desert Fathers, with Saint Benedict urging his monks to read the writings of John Cassian on the Desert Fathers. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers was also widely read in the early Benedictine monasteries. -- Withdrawal from society: The legalization of Christianity by the Roman Empire in 313 A.D. actually gave Anthony a greater resolve to go out into the desert. Anthony, who was nostalgic for the tradition of martyrdom, saw withdrawal and asceticism as an alternative. **When members of the {desert monastic} Church began finding ways to work with the Roman state, {a few of} the Desert Fathers saw that as a compromise between "the things of God and the things of Caesar." **The monastic communities were essentially **an alternate [heretical] Christian society. The {few early} hermits doubted that religion and politics could ever produce a truly Christian society. For them, the only Christian society was spiritual and not mundane. -- {Note: Where the early (heretics) Desert Monks failed to influence the early Christian Church via their false doctrine the Roman Government via Constantine would succeed in exerting a secular influence over the Christian Church. Then with a Roman secular influence over the Christian Church [starting from about 313 A.D - 325 A.D. the Desert Heretics were then able to leave behind the desert and [under the guise of the 313 A.D. edict of religious tolerance] once again entered the cities to work as scholars, faculty, administrators, and priests for avenues to continue to influence the true Christian Church with their destructive and very unchristian heresies.} [article link]

{Basic Christian: The 8 Kingdoms study} Pietism Timeline - "Hebrews 10:18-25 Now where remission (forgiveness) of these (sins) is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, **boldness to enter into the Holiest [presence of God] by the blood of Jesus, By a new [the New Testament] and living way, which He (Jesus) hath consecrated for us, through the veil [closed partition], that is to say, His flesh [physical appearance]; And having [Jesus] an High Priest [in the order of Melchizedek] over the House of God; **Let us draw near with a true heart **in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water [credo-baptism]. Let us hold fast the profession of our [Christian] faith without wavering; for He (Jesus) is faithful that promised; And let us consider one another to provoke [encourage] unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day [2nd Coming] approaching."
Pietism Timeline: The Cross and Resurrection birth of Christianity (about 33 A.D.) - 1st Church Council [Acts 15:2] in Jerusalem (about 47 A.D.) regarding Gentile Christian piety [holiness] - *Until about 313 A.D. the N.T. Epistles (Scriptures) and the O.T of the Holy Bible were being translated from the Greek and Hebrew into the common languages of the day i.e. Syrian, Egyptian, Arabic, etc. - Following the 313 A.D. Edict of Milan by Roman Emperor Constantine the Great which proclaimed religious tolerance the Bible in any language other than Roman [Latin] was not tolerated and all other versions of the Bible were deemed illegal by Rome. Latin was the only Bible Translation until the era of the Protestant Reformation Bible translators [John Wycliffe 1328-1384, Desiderius Erasmus 1466-1536, William Tyndale 1492-1536, Martin Luther 1483-1546, etc.] resulting in 1611 with the English language King James Bible [KJV 1611]. With the English Bible in the possession of the common person in England and accompanying Bibles [i.e. German, Dutch, French, etc.] in the possession of other common European citizens the people began to read the Bible and understand that Salvation [eternal life] in Jesus Christ is a free gift from God and is not to be confused with the works, tithes, customs, statutes and traditions of ordinary men and women. Then in about the mid 1650's to the late 1880's as the common person reading the Bible began to realize the assured nature of their own individual Salvation in Jesus Christ the Piety movement began as an answer of how then do we with eternal Salvation live and conduct our life here on earth. {Note: The modern (intentionally confused - not by Roman Catholicism but by occultists) bible versions [i.e. NIV, NKJV, NET, NASB, Message, etc.] are in a sense a return to the Latin Bible where the only Bible translations of the time were in a version that could not be easily understood by the average citizen.} [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Saint Publius 33 A.D. - 125 A.D. (Acts 28:7) -- Saint Publius [a Church Apostolic Father] is venerated as the first Bishop of Malta - Publius' conversion led to Malta being the first Christian nation in the West, and one of the first in the world - He was martyred in 125 A.D., during the persecution of Emperor Hadrian
It was the same Publius who received the Apostle Paul during his shipwreck on the island as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. According to the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul cured Publius' dysentery-afflicted father. -- Book: by Rev. Alban Butler (1711-1773 A.D.). Volume I: January. "The Lives of the Saints" last published 1866. - St. Publius, Bishop and Martyr [died January 21, 125 A.D. in Athens, Greece] HE succeeded St. Dionysius the Areopagite in the see of Athens, as we are assured by St. Dionysius of Corinth, quoted by Eusebius. 1 He went to God by martyrdom, and Saint Quadratus was chosen third bishop of that city. See Le Quien, Or. Christ. t. 2. p. 169. Note 1. Euseb. l. 4. c. 23. [article link]

Justin Martyr (100-167 A.D.), Philosopher, Apologist, and Martyr (1 June 167 A.D.) - Justin was born around 100 A.D. (both his birth and death dates are approximate) at Flavia Neapolis (ancient Shechem, modern Nablus) in Samaria (the middle portion of Israel, between Galilee and Judea) of pagan Greek parents - He was brought up with a good education in rhetoric, poetry, and history - He studied various schools of philosophy in Alexandria [Egypt] and Ephesus, joining himself first to Stoicism, then Pythagoreanism, then Platonism, looking for answers to his questions - While at Ephesus, he was impressed by the steadfastness of the Christian martyrs, and by the personality of an aged Christian man whom he met by chance while walking on the seashore - This man spoke to him about Jesus as the fulfilment of the promises made through the Jewish prophets - Justin was overwhelmed - "Straightway a flame was kindled in my soul" he writes, "and a love of the prophets and those who are friends of Christ possessed me" Justin became a Christian
Justin became a Christian, but he continued to wear the cloak that was the characteristic uniform of the professional teacher of philosophy. His position was that pagan philosophy, especially Platonism, is not simply wrong, but is a partial grasp of the truth, and serves as "a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ." He engaged in debates and disputations with non-Christians of all varieties, pagans, Jews, and heretics. He opened a school of Christian philosophy and accepted students, first at Ephesus and then later at Rome. There he engaged the Cynic philosopher Crescens in debate, and soon after was arrested on the charge of practicing an anauthorized religion. (It is suggested that Crescens lost the debate and denounced Justin to the authorities out of spite.) He was tried before the Roman prefect Rusticus, refused to renounce Christianity, and was put to death by beheading along with six of his students, one of them a woman. A record of the trial, probably authentic, is preserved, known as The Acts of Justin the Martyr. ... Justin's works are found in the multi-volumed set called The Ante-nicene Fathers [Church leaders before the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D.], and in various other collections of early Christian writings. [article link]

Dionysius (about 120-200 A.D.) - Bishop of Corinth (about 165-195 A.D.) - Our father among the saints Dionysius of Corinth was the Bishop of Corinth during the last half of the second century - The dates of his tenure as Bishop of Corinth is not known, but part of it overlapped that of Soter of Rome (about 167 to 175 A.D.) - His feast day is April 8
Life: Little is known of the life of Dionysius, and what is known is from Eusebius Pamphilius and text fragments from his letters. It is clear Dionysius was held in high esteem as a writer of letters by the second century churches, not only from Eusebius' statement, but also from the fact that heretics thought it worthwhile to circulate interpolated and mutilated copies of his letters. That he wrote epistles to churches so widely scattered shows that he possessed a widely held reputation. Most of these letter are no longer extant. -- Dionysius can be dated to the second half of the second century from the dating of his letters to noted Christians of the time, such as to the Bishop of Rome Soter who served from about 167 to 175, a period of service overlapping that of Dionysius. -- Eusebius knew of a collection of seven Catholic Epistles by Dionysius, a letter to him from Bishop Pinytus of Knossus, a private letter of spiritual advice to a lady named Chrysophora, who had written to him, and his letter to Bp. Soter. In his letter to Bp. Soter, Dionysius lauds the practice of the Church of Rome for its practice of sending alms and gifts for the needy to churches in many cities. In a letter to Nicomedia, Bp. Dionysius praises the Nicomedians for their standing fast in the truth and condemnation of the heresy of Maricion of Sinope that was active in his day. The date and cause of Dionysius' death is unknown. He reposed [retired] before the year 199 A.D. While traditionally Dionysius has been held by some in the Eastern Church to be a martyr, there is no historical foundation for his martyrdom. [article link]

St. Irenaeus of Lyons, France (120-203 A.D.) - As a boy he had, as he delighted to point out, listened to the sermons of the great bishop and martyr, Polycarp of Smyrna, who was regarded as a disciple of the Apostles [John and possibly Paul] themselves - Later he went as a missionary to southern Gaul [Europe], where he became a presbyter at Lyons, France - The era in which Irenaeus lived was a time of expansion and inner tensions in the church - In many cases Irenaeus acted as mediator between various contending factions - Irenaeus adopted a totally negative and unresponsive attitude, however, toward Marcion, a schismatic leader in Rome, and toward the Valentinians, a fashionable intellectual Gnostic movement in the rapidly expanding church that espoused dualism - Against such statements Irenaeus maintains that the bishops in different cities are known as far back as the Apostles and none of them was a Gnostic
Relatively little is known of the life of Irenaeus. As a boy he had, as he delighted to point out, listened to the sermons of the great bishop and martyr, Polycarp of Smyrna, who was regarded as a disciple of the apostles themselves. Here he came to know, 'the genuine unadulterated gospel', to which he remained faithful throughout his life. Perhaps he also accompanied Polycarp on his journey to Rome in connection with the controversy over the date of celebrating Easter (154 CE). Later he went as a missionary to southern Gaul, where he became a presbyter at Lyons. A Catholic Encyclopedia article is online at St. Irenaeus. Irenaeus was absent from the city when the persecution there reached its zenith. It seems that he had been sent to Rome by the Gallican churches in order to confer with Pope Eleutherus, perhaps as a mediator in the Montanist disputes. Evidently Irenaeus stayed in Rome for just a short time, and soon after the end of the persecution we find him again in Lyons as the successor to Bishop Pothinus (178). When and how he died is unknown to us. Jerome and others state that he died as a martyr in the persecution under the Emperor Septimus Severus (202), but there is no certainty about this tradition. In short, we know Irenaeus almost solely from his writings, and these have not been preserved in their entirety. ... The era in which Irenaeus lived was a time of expansion and inner tensions in the church. In many cases Irenaeus acted as mediator between various contending factions. The churches of Asia Minor (where he was probably born) continued to celebrate Easter on the same date (the 14th of Nisan) as the Jews celebrated Passover, whereas the Roman Church maintained that Easter should always be celebrated on a Sunday (the day of the Resurrection). Mediating between the parties, Irenaeus stated that differences in external factors, such as dates of festivals, need not be so serious as to destroy church unity. Irenaeus adopted a totally negative and unresponsive attitude, however, toward Marcion, a schismatic leader in Rome, and toward the Valentinians, a fashionable intellectual Gnostic movement in the rapidly expanding church that espoused dualism. Because Gnosticism was overcome by the Orthodox Church, Gnostic writings were largely obliterated. In reconstructing Gnostic doctrines, therefore, modern scholars relied to a great extent on the writings of Irenaeus, who summarized the Gnostic views before attacking them. After the discovery of the Gnostic library near Nag Hammadi in Egypt in the 1940s (see Robinson), respect for Irenaeus increased. He was proved to have been extremely precise in his report of the doctrines he rejected. The oldest lists of bishops also were countermeasures against the Gnostics, who said that they possessed a secret oral tradition from Jesus himself. Against such statements Irenaeus maintains that the bishops in different cities are known as far back as the Apostles - and none of them was a Gnostic - and that the bishops provided the only safe guide to the interpretation of the Scriptures. With these lists of bishops the later doctrine of "the apostolic succession" of the bishops could be linked. [article link]

Hippolytus of Rome (170-235 A.D.) - Photios I of Constantinople describes him in his Bibliotheca (cod. 121) as a disciple of Irenaeus, who was said to be a disciple of Polycarp a disciple of the Apostle John
Hippolytus of Rome (170 - 235) was the most important 3rd-century theologian in the Christian Church in Rome, where he was probably born. Photios I of Constantinople describes him in his Bibliotheca (cod. 121) as a disciple of Irenaeus, who was said to be a disciple of Polycarp, and from the context of this passage it is supposed that he suggested that Hippolytus himself so styled himself. However, this assertion is doubtful. He came into conflict with the popes of his time and seems to have headed a schismatic group as a rival bishop of Rome. For that reason he is sometimes considered the first Antipope. He opposed the Roman bishops who softened the penitential system to accommodate the large number of new pagan converts. However, he was very probably reconciled to the Church when he died as a martyr. He is the person usually understood to be meant by Saint Hippolytus. Starting in the 4th century, various legends arose about him, identifying him as a priest of the Novatianist Schism or as a soldier converted by Saint Laurence. He has also been confused with another martyr of the same name. [article link]

Tertullian.org: The 'Noddy' guide to Tertullian - Tertullian lived in the ancient city of Carthage [North Africa] in what is now Tunisia, sometime around 200 A.D. - Tertullian was the first Christian writer to write in Latin - He was deeply conscious of his own failings, and had a burning desire for truth and integrity - His most important work is the Apologeticum, in defense of the Christians - Running it close must be Adversus Praxean, in which the doctrine of the Trinity comes into clear focus for the first time, in response to a heretic who was twisting the biblical balance between the persons of the Godhead - In this work, he created most of the terminology with which this doctrine was to be referred and is still, such as Trinitas (Trinity), etc. - Tertullian had grown angry at what looked like compromise creeping into the church - unwillingness to be martyred, willingness to forgive more serious public sins - and aligned himself with the Montanists - It is unclear whether this involved actually leaving the church - As such he was not recognised as a Saint, despite his orthodoxy, and his works were all marked as condemned in the 6th Century Decretum Gelasianum
Tertullian lived in the ancient city of Carthage in what is now Tunisia, sometime around 200 AD. Very little is known about his life - that little comes either from writers two centuries later, or from the scanty personal notes in his works. Much of it has been asserted to be untrue anyway by some modern writers. He was born a member of the educated classes, and clearly gained a good education. Life in his times wasn't very different in some ways to the modern day - he indulged his passions as he saw fit, including sex, and like everyone else attended the games where gladiators killed each other and criminals were eaten alive, for the enjoyment of the spectators. But among the sights he saw, was that of Christians being executed this way. He was struck with the courage with which stupid and contemptible slave men and little slave girls faced a hideous death, against all nature; and after investigating, became a Christian himself, and turned his budding talents to writing in defense of this despised and victimised group. Tertullian was the first Christian writer to write in Latin, and was described three centuries later as writing 'first, and best, and incomparably', of all the writers to do so. (by the unknown author of 'Praedestinatus'). His writing is aggressive, sarcastic and brilliant, and at points very funny even after 2000 years. He was deeply conscious of his own failings, and had a burning desire for truth and integrity. He was described by Jerome as celebrated in all the churches as a speaker; and his works bear the marks of the need to keep an audience awake! His erudition was immense. Much of what he read is lost, but what remains gives a picture of wide reading, which was celebrated even in antiquity. He wrote a great number of works - how many is unknown. Thirty-one are extant; lists of known lost works are elsewhere on this site; but we have no reason to suppose this to be anything like an exhaustive list. Most of those extant have come down to us by the slenderest of threads, and the very nature of Tertullian's terse and ironic style, means that copyists made many errors, and in some cases his text is beyond certain restoration. Not all of his works were ever completed. His most important work is the Apologeticum, in defense of the Christians. Running it close must be Adversus Praxean, in which the doctrine of the Trinity comes into clear focus for the first time, in response to a heretic who was twisting the biblical balance between the persons of the Godhead. In this work, he created most of the terminology with which this doctrine was to be referred (and is still), such as Trinitas, etc. His discussion of how heretical arguments are in general to be handled in De praescriptio haereticorum also deserves wider recognition. Tertullian wrote no systematic theology; all of his works are brought forth by a local event, a persecution, or a heretic. In his time, the church finally decided to reject a movement calling itself 'The New Prophecy', and known later as Montanism. The New Prophecy made no doctrinal innovations, but said that the Holy Spirit was calling Christians to a more ascetic position. But obeying the prophets inevitably meant a problem, if the bishop did not recognise their authority. Tertullian had grown angry at what looked like compromise creeping into the church - unwillingness to be martyred, willingness to forgive more serious public sins - and aligned himself with the Montanists [it was a prophetic movement that called for a reliance on the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit and a more conservative personal ethic. Parallels have been drawn between Montanism and modern day movements such as Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement - wiki.com]. It is unclear whether this involved actually leaving the church, but his later works are avowedly Montanist, and one or two explictly attack the mainstream church on these points. As such he was not recognised as a Saint, despite his orthodoxy, and his works were all marked as condemned in the 6th Century Decretum Gelasianum. His later life is unknown, and we do not know if he was martyred or died of old age as Jerome says. [article link]

Clement of Alexandria (150-211 A.D.) - Clement of Alexandria was one of the major Greek-speaking thinkers of the early church - He came from a pagan background at Athens and his Christian theology was strongly influenced by Greek philosophy - Clement taught at the catechetical school in Alexandria, Egypt, where he was succeeded by another great teacher, Origen of Alexandria - Clement's best-known work is a set of three treatises entitled Protrepticus, Paedagogus, and Stromata - According to a tradition cited by Eusebius, St. Mark [writer of the Gospel of Mark] is the founder of the Church of Alexandria -- Between St. Mark and Bishop Demetrius, who governed that church in 221 A.D., Julius Africanus counts ten bishops - {The heretics} Valentine [the Valentinians], Carpocrates, and Basilides went out from Alexandria to establish their dissident sects, a circumstance which alone implies that, already in the middle of the second century (150 A.D.), the intellectual activity there was intense
Clement was born probably c. 150 A.D. of heathen parentage at Athens. The circumstances of his conversion are not known. It is supposed that he was troubled, like Justin, by the problem of God and, like him, was attracted to Christianity by the nobility and purity of the evangelical doctrines and morals. His conversion, if it had not yet taken place, was at least imminent when he undertook the journeys spoken of in his writings. He set out from Greece and travelled through southern Italy, Palestine, and finally Egypt, seeking everywhere the society of Christian teachers. -- Towards 180 A.D., he met Pantaenus at Alexandria, and took up his permanent residence in that city. There he was ordained a presbyter and, from being a disciple of Pantaenus, became, in 190, his associate and fellow-teacher. In 202 A.D. or 203 A.D., he was forced to suspend his lessons on account of the persecution of Septimius Severus, which closed the Christian school of Alexandria. He withdrew into Cappadocia, residing there with his former disciple, Bishop Alexander. We meet him again in 211 A.D., carrying to the Christians of Antioch a letter from Alexander, in which are mentioned the services he, Clement, had rendered in Cappadocia.-- In 215 A.D. or 216 A.D.the same Alexander, now bishop of Jerusalem, writes to Origen and speaks of Clement as having gone to his rest. Clement must therefore have died between 211 A.D. and 216 A.D. Ancient authors speak of him as St. Clement, but his name was not admitted to the Roman Martyrology by Benedict XIV. [article link]

Origen Adamantius of Alexandria (184-254 A.D.) - Origen was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church - As early as the fourth century, his orthodoxy was suspect, in part because he believed in the pre-existence of souls - Today he is regarded as one of the Church Fathers
Origen was probaby born in Alexandria, to Christian parents. Origen was educated by his father, St. Leonides, who gave him a standard Hellenistic education, but also had him study the Christian Scriptures. In 202, Origen's father was martyred in the outbreak of the persecution during the reign of Septimius Severus. A story reported by Eusebius has it that Origen wished to follow him in martyrdom, but was prevented only by his mother hiding his clothes. The death of Leonides left the family of nine impoverished when their property was confiscated. Origen, however, was taken under the protection of a woman of wealth and standing; but as her household already included a heretic named Paul, the strictly orthodox Origen seems to have remained with her only a short time. -- Eusebius of Caesarea, our chief witness to Origen's life, says that in 203 Origen revived the Catechetical School of Alexandria where Clement of Alexandria had once taught but had apparently been driven out during the persecution under Severus. Many modern scholars, however, doubt that Clement's school had been an official ecclesiastical institution as Origen's was and thus deny continuity between the two. But the persecution still raged, and the young teacher visited imprisoned Christians, attended the courts, and comforted the condemned, himself preserved from persecution because the persecution was probably limited only to converts to Christianity. His fame and the number of his pupils increased rapidly, so that Bishop Demetrius of Alexandria, made him restrict himself to instruction in Christian doctrine alone. -- His own interests became more and more centered in exegesis, and he accordingly studied Hebrew, though there is no certain knowledge concerning his instructor in that language. From about this period (212-213) dates Origen's acquaintance with Ambrose of Alexandria, whom he was instrumental in converting from Valentinianism to orthodoxy. Later (about 218 A.D.) Ambrose of Alexandria {not to be confused with Saint Ambrose (337 - 4 April 397 A.D.) Bishop of Milan}, a man of wealth, made a formal agreement with Origen to promulgate his writings, and all the subsequent works of Origen (except his sermons, which were not expressly prepared for publication) were dedicated to Ambrose. In 213 or 214, Origen visited Arabia at the request of the prefect, who wished to have an interview with him; and Origen accordingly spent a brief time in Petra, after which he returned to Alexandria. In the following year, a popular uprising at Alexandria caused Caracalla to let his soldiers plunder the city, shut the schools, and expel all foreigners. The latter measure caused Ambrose to take refuge in Caesarea, where he seems to have made his permanent home; and Origen left Egypt, apparently going with Ambrose to Caesarea, where he spent some time. Here, in conformity with local usage based on Jewish custom, Origen, though not ordained, preached and interpreted the Scriptures at the request of the bishops Alexander of Jerusalem and Theoctistus of Caesarea. When, however, the confusion in Alexandria subsided, Demetrius recalled Origen, probably in 216 A.D. -- Origen excelled in multiple branches of theological scholarship, including textual criticism, biblical interpretation, philosophical theology, preaching, and spirituality. Some of his teachings, however, quickly became controversial. Notably, he frequently referred to his hypothesis of the pre-existence of souls. As in the beginning all intelligent beings were united to God, Origen also held out the possibility, though he did not assert so definitively, that in the end all beings, perhaps even the arch-fiend Satan, would be reconciled to God in what is called the apokatastasis ("restitution"). Origen's views on the Trinity, in which he saw the Son of God as subordinate to God the Father, became controversial during the Arian controversy of the fourth century, though a subordinationist view was common among the ante-Nicene Fathers. A group who came to be known as Origenists, and who firmly believed in the preexistence of souls and the apokatastasis, were declared anathema in the 6th century. This condemnation is attributed to the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople, though it does not appear in the council's official minutes. Few scholars today believe that Origen should be blamed, as he commonly was in the past, for tentatively putting forward hypotheses, later judged heretical, on certain philosophical problems during a time when Christian doctrine was somewhat unclear on said problems. [article link]

Eusebius of Caesarea (263 - 339 A.D.) also called Eusebius Pamphili - a Roman historian, exegete and Christian polemicist - He became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine [Israel] about the year 314 A.D. - Together with Pamphilus, he was a scholar of the Biblical canon
Eusebius of Caesarea (c. AD 263 - 339) also called Eusebius Pamphili, was a Roman historian, exegete and Christian polemicist. He became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine about the year 314. Together with Pamphilus, he was a scholar of the Biblical canon. He wrote Demonstrations of the Gospel, Preparations for the Gospel, and On Discrepancies between the Gospels, studies of the Biblical text. As "Father of Church History" he produced the Ecclesiastical History, On the Life of Pamphilus, the Chronicle and On the Martyrs. ... Little is known about the life of Eusebius. His successor at the see of Caesarea, Acacius, wrote a Life of Eusebius, but this work has been lost. Eusebius' own surviving works probably only represent a small portion of his total output. Since he was on the losing side of the long 4th-century contest between the allies and enemies of Arianism (Eusebius was an early and vocal supporter of *Arius), posterity did not have much respect for Eusebius' person and was neglectful in the preservation of his writings. Beyond notices in his extant writings, the major sources are the 5th-century ecclesiastical historians Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret, and the 4th-century Christian author Jerome. There are assorted notices of his activities in the writings of his contemporaries Athanasius, Arius (Arianism heresy), Eusebius of Nicomedia, and Alexander of Alexandria. Eusebius' pupil, Eusebius of Emesa, provides some incidental information. -- By the 3rd century, Caesarea had a population of about 100,000. It had been a pagan city since Pompey had given control of the city to the gentiles during his command of the eastern provinces in the 60s BC. The gentiles retained control of the city in the three centuries since that date, despite Jewish petitions for joint governorship. Gentile government was strengthened by the city's refoundation under Herod the Great (r. 37-4 BC), when it had taken on the name of Augustus Caesar. In addition to the gentile settlers, Caesarea had large Jewish and Samaritan minorities. Eusebius was probably born into the Christian contingent of the city. Caesarea's Christian community presumably had a history reaching back to apostolic times, but it is a common claim that no bishops are attested for the town before about AD 190, even though the Apostolic Constitutions 7.46 states that Zacchaeus was the first bishop. -- Through the activities of the theologian Origen (185/6-254) and the school of his follower Pamphilus (later 3rd century - 309 AD), Caesarea became a center of Christian learning. Origen was largely responsible for the collection of usage information regarding the texts which became the New Testament. The information used to create the late-fourth-century Easter Letter, which declared accepted Christian writings, was probably based on the Ecclesiastical History [HE] of Eusebius of Caesarea, wherein he uses the information passed on to him by Origen to create both his list at HE 3:25 and Origen's list at HE 6:25. Eusebius got his information about what texts were accepted by the third-century churches throughout the known world, a great deal of which Origen knew of firsthand from his extensive travels, from the library and writings of Origen. In fact, Origen would have possibly included in his list of "inspired writings" other texts which were kept out by the likes of Eusebius, including the Epistle of Barnabas, Shepherd of Hermas, and 1 Clement. On his deathbed, Origen had made a bequest of his private library to the Christian community in the city. Together with the books of his patron Ambrosius, Origen's library (including the original manuscripts of his works formed the core of the collection that Pamphilus established. Pamphilus also managed a school that was similar to (or perhaps a re-establishment of) that of Origen. Pamphilus was compared to Demetrius of Phalerum and Pisistratus, for he had gathered Bibles "from all parts of the world". Like his model Origen, Pamphilus maintained close contact with his students. Eusebius, in his history of the persecutions, alludes to the fact that many of the Caesarean martyrs lived together, presumably under Pamphilus. [article link]

{Conclusion} Early Christianity: A Brief Overview of the (before 325 A.D.) Ante-Nicene Era - The Council of Nicea in A.D. 325 is a natural time to end "early Christianity" the post-Apostolic period (100 AD. - 325 AD) - Almost every history book will refer to the period from A.D. 100, which is about the time of John the Apostle's death, to A.D. 325 as the "Pre-Nicene" or "Ante-Nicene" era -- Nicea (325 AD) serves as a [Church History] dividing line because the [occult leader] Emperor Constantine, though never becoming a Christian until his deathbed, greatly [pretended to] favor Christianity during his reign - As a result, the number of Christians increased from about 10% of the Roman Empire to about 90% - *Most of these converts were simply following the emperor, not submitting themselves to Jesus - The effect on early Christianity [after 325 A.D.] was dramatic {Note: the New Testament era is 0 A.D. to 33 A.D. -- The Apostolic era is 33 A.D. to 100 A.D. -- The Ante-Nicene era is 100 A.D. to 325 A.D. -- The Emergent Holy Roman Empire era is 313 A.D. to about 1521 A.D. -- The Protestant Reformation era is about 1522 A.D. to 1880 A.D. and the current epoch of time is the Modern Emergent return to occult/paganism era of 1881 A.D. to the Present Time (2012)}
Unity and Apostolic Truth in the Early Christianity: If I have to pick the outstanding feature of this era, then I choose the independence of the churches. People like to say that a hierarchy began to form before Nicea. It began in the 3rd century, but not in the 2nd. The ante-Nicene churches were simple and free. They found their unity in wholehearted devotion to Christ, not in a systematic theology or set of doctrines. ... Holiness in the Early Churches: The other notable thing about this era was the holiness of the early churches. Christians were still subject to intermittent persecution in the early Christianity. As a result, those who chose to follow Christ were those willing to commit everything to the kingdom of God. It could cost them their lives! Holiness and perseverance lessened as the 3rd century wore on; however, the remarkable lives of Christians during the 2nd century-their deep love for one another and their endurance during persecution-were powerful testimonies to the Romans around them. -- By the 3rd century, Christianity was becoming popular: The result was that there were Christians who were not so separated from the world as others before them. Tracts can be found calling Christians to separate from Roman entertainment and other worldly pursuits. ... Evangelism in Early Christianity: It is worth noting that unlike the apostolic era, Ante-Nicene Christianity had no famous evangelists or apostles. When Justin Martyr describes those converted to Christianity in the mid-2nd century, he says it was caused by: • The consistency they witnessed in their neighbors' lives, • the extraordinary forbearance they saw in fellow travelers when defrauded, • and the honesty of those with whom they conducted business. (First Apology 16) [article link]

OrthodoxWiki.org: Timeline of Church History: Ante-Nicene Era 100 A.D. - 325 A.D.
The History of the Church is a vital part of the Orthodox Christian faith. Orthodox Christians are defined significantly by their continuity with all those who have gone before, those who first received and preached the truth of Jesus Christ to the world, those who helped to formulate the expression and worship of our faith, and those who continue to move forward in the unchanging yet ever-dynamic Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church. [article link]

*** Basic Christian 2011 Extended Version - News-Info Feed (RSS)
The 2011 Extended Basic Christian info-news feed - a longer list of past Info and RSS postings. [article link]

Basic Christian Wiki: The Basic Christian Wiki 'Common Christian Faith' (CCF)
Preview: The Basic Christian Wiki 'Common Christian Faith' wiki website. [article link]

Basic Christian: Select Internet Mp3s - The Christmas 2011 Download and Share Project - FREE Downloads (Mp3s)
The Basic Christian list of select Mp3 downloads from various internet websites. -- Selected as a part of the original 2003 Tract-CD Project the Basic Christian Ministry was asked to share two PDF resources [Basic Christian: Theology, Biblical Proof Jesus is God] with the Tract-CD project and in return a CD of Mp3's was mailed to the Ministry. -- These are some of those original Mp3s plus many more new mp3s have been added for download. [article link]

Mp3 Links (Part 2) - The Christmas 2011 Download and Share Project - FREE Downloads (Mp3s)
Basic Christian: Links to Free Mp3s. [article link]

Update: 12-06-2011 - Back home for a few days but the blog postings won't resume until January - Have a Blessed Christmas Holiday Season in Jesus Christ! ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown
The current Christmas blog postings are intended to be the only postings until after the end of the year. It seems important to be really focused on Jesus Christ during this 2011 Christmas Season so there won't be any other postings, posts that could get us off topic and get in the way of our Christian Worship of Jesus Christ during the Christmas Holiday Season. -- Currently I'm working on a few projects, mostly regarding the coming Church History blog Study and getting ready to resume the blog postings in January. I'll be out of town again during the Holidays so the blog will be on a break until January. [article link]

Coming Soon: blog History Study - Church History (RSS)
A.D. 0 - 100 A.D., A.D. 100 - 200 A.D., A.D. 200 - 300 A.D., A.D. 300 - 400 A.D., etc. [article link]

Church History - This study is crucial for understanding what God is doing in our day - A Church Lecture Series - 13 Lectures {This is an excellent intro into Church history. It is very informative, there are a few misquotes though so some fact checking, as always, is in order.} (Free Mp3's)
"Someone once noted that history was 'simply one thing after another.' However, for the Christian history represents an amazing story of the redemption of mankind in which our sovereign Lord is seen to be advancing His purposes towards His pre-ordained and pre-determined end. For the modern day believer, this study is crucial for understanding what God is doing in our day." [article link]

Church History - 35 messages on church history by Pastor Phillips - Pastor Phillips takes us on a tour of some of the early Christians after the death of the Apostle Paul (Free Mp3's - Note: Church History **John Bunyan 1628 - Save the "Play!" Version, open it in a player and save it that way - the Mp3 download version has an Error.)
"WOW - what a great series!!" A couple years ago I followed the journey of the early church by a comprehensive study of the Acts of the Apostles, etc., and have wanted to fill in the gap of church history from that time to present, but don't have much time to read. I like to listen to sermons on the treadmill and in the tractor, so I searched for a series on church history. I found the first 3 and did extra time on the treadmill today so I could keep listening! Pastor Phillips has a way of telling the facts in a very interesting way and then finishes with application and lessons for today. After the 3rd sermon (on Augustine) I really wanted to hear more so I searched again. I was THRILLED to find 39 messages on church history by Pastor Phillips!! I plan to download all of them since spring seeding is coming up and I will be spending many hours in the tractor, and now I am looking forward to that! In the meantime, I'll keep at the treadmill. Thanks for posting all those great sermons! [article link]

The blog Bible Study has concluded the Bible study portion! - Sometime after Holy Week and Resurrection Day (Easter) the study will continue with some ancient history and Church history segments - Thanks to everyone for your participation and especially for your prayers!
The blog Bible Study concluded fairly quickly - I had looked at the website visitor logs a couple of weeks ago and saw that people were scattered all throughout the study though primarily in the New Testament while the study was blogging O.T. studies at the time and that's a good thing because the material is designed to be a self-help service but with people so scattered [though many people were current] I decided to move along and if at all possible conclude the study and the study has been concluded. The material is now available as a complete resource for the convenience of anyone who wants to use it. The study really turned into an amazing, fascinating study! I learned a lot during the study and I mostly learned that I need to spend more time reading the Bible and being in prayer, and in fellowship and just in general being in a Christian life. We serve a Great God!!! Thanks to everyone especially for your prayers - the study truly encountered the heights of Heaven and the depths of other things unmentionable and through it all it was the prayers of the Saints in fellowship that gave us a tremendous victory! After Holy Week we will continue with the history portion of the study but in the time before Holy Week it seems like a good opportunity to look at some areas and aspects of the events of Holy Week as we prepare ourselves for Holy Week 2010. Then after Holy Week and some history segments the blog will continue with some basic Topical Bible studies and devotions. -- God bless everyone! ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

313 A.D. - 1521 A.D. - Birth of Revised Rome and the Holy Roman Empire

Basic Christian: blog Church History Study
0 A.D. - 312 A.D. -- Birth of Jesus and the Early Church Age
313 A.D. - 1521 A.D. -- Birth of Revised Rome and the Holy Roman Empire
1522 A.D. - 1880 A.D. -- Indigenous Bible Translations and Doctrines Era - The Reformation - Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, etc.
1881 - Present (2011) -- Corrupt modern bible translations and compromised Seminaries and Universities - The modern Emergent [return to occult/paganism] Era - Westcott and Hort (1881), NIV (1972) Zondervan, NKJV (1979) Thomas Nelson Inc., ESV (2001) Crossway, etc. [article link]

Introduction [1 of 2]: 313 A.D. - 1521 A.D. The Birth of Revised Rome [the 7th Global Gentile Kingdom] and the Emergence of the Holy Roman Empire -- As we have already noticed the Anti-Nicene (Church Fathers) era wasn't all doctrinally good and likewise the doctrines of the Holy Roman Empire won't be universally all bad and in fact with the many Church Councils and tight oversight of Rome the Church was able to Biblically smooth out and remove some of the wrinkles and the rough edges of Anti-Nicene doctrines to the extent that the early doctrines of the Holy Roman Empire would correctly guide and direct the Christian Church for the next nearly two millennium up until today and on into the future
Background: As the Christian Church was closing in on its first 300 years of existence the Church itself was mostly a tightknit community but its ideology and practices were a bit of a loose collection of fellowships, doctrines and theologies. The independence, uniqueness and vast dispersion of the Church fellowships left a power vacuum that the Roman Empire, seeing the gaining popularity of Christianity, would soon be very willing to exploit and take advantage of as Rome itself in just a few moves would swoop in and overcome Christianity as the new Church master for the majority of the Christian world. Rome would accomplish their secular takeover of the Christian Church in a relatively short period of time and with just a few simple steps. First by heavily opposing and persecuting the Church the government of Rome was creating the very oppression, confusion and vacuum within the Church structure that Roman leaders intended to fill for themselves. Next in 313 A.D. Rome [Emperor Constantine] issued an Edict of Toleration [the Edict of Milan] providing some relief to the persecuted Church but only if the Church would in a sense submit to Roman secular authority. Finally once in authority and starting with the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. then Rome could and did easily infiltrated the Church at the top positions with their own secular scholars, secular leaders, secular priests, secular monks and even some secular popes. Secular Rome would create a dual system [the two headed eagle] of Church and State that exists to this present day. [article link]

Introduction [2of 2]: 313 A.D. - 1521 A.D. The Birth of Revised Rome [the 7th Global Gentile Kingdom] and the Emergence of the Holy Roman Empire -- The extended 325 A.D. Constantinian system of dual Church and State set up a system of both cooperation and tensions between the Church religion and the State governments - A dual system that would last almost unhindered until the Protestant Reformation of the late 1400's and early 1500's
History: The three Church synods of Antioch convened between 264 A.D. and 269 A.D. had so accurately confirmed the Divinity of Jesus Christ among the minds of the common man that the heretics of the day admitted an almost complete defeat and had no alternative but to take their heretical doctrines out, away from civilization and into the deserts of Egypt [becoming the desert monks - desert fathers] in a desperate attempt to revise, retool, re-spin and readapt their heresies into a format that someday could become acceptable to the common people. Emperor Constantine realizing that the Roman agents of disinformation had been regulated to the desert region of Egypt acted quickly and in 313 A.D. issued the Edict of Milan legalizing [though without mentioning Christianity by name] all sects of Christianity with a primary emphasis on protecting, fostering and furthering the heretical sects of christianity while continuing to misrepresent and oppress true Christianity. With Emperor Constantine's 313 A.D. Edict of Milan and the success of his oversight of the Nicene Council in 325 A.D. the heretics of the desert had found their day and were quickly able to return to the cities but by this time with the protection of the Roman government the heretics of the desert not only returned to the cities but began to fill the seats of power and authority both within the city governments and also within the true Christian Church. [article link]

Wikipedia: Constantinian shift [Government presiding over Christianity] - The Constantinian shift is a term used by Anabaptist and Post-Christendom theologians to describe the political and theological aspects of the 4th-century (325 A.D.) process of Constantine's legalization [and secular takeover] of Christianity - The term was popularized by the Mennonite theologian John H. Yoder
Historical context: According to Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic tradition, [Emperor] Constantine I adopted Christianity as his system of belief after the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 A.D. His legions, who were victorious, fought under the "labarum", a standard (flag) with the first two Greek letters of Christ's name [XP - the first two (capital) letters chi (X) and rho (P) of the Greek word Christ] {Note: Constantine replaced the cross of Christianity with the letters X and P - the letters probably had a dual occult meaning}. -- In 313 A.D., the Edict of Milan legalized Christianity {Note: without mentioning Christianity by name} **alongside other religions {specifically heretical sects of Christianity} allowed in the Roman Empire. In 325 A.D., the First Council of Nicaea signaled consolidation of Christianity under an orthodoxy endorsed by Constantine, and though this did not make other Christian groups outside the adopted definition illegal, the dissenting Arian bishops [who were in all probability occult agents working for Constantine] were initially exiled. **But Constantine reinstated Arius {the heretic} before his death ***and exiled Orthodox {Christian} Athanasius of Alexandria. In 380 A.D. Emperor Theodosius I made Christianity the Roman Empire's official religion (see State church of the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire and the Goths) and did enforce the edict. In 392 he [Emperor Theodosius I] passed legislation prohibiting all pagan cultic worship. During the 4th century, however, there was no real unity between church and state: In the course of the Arian controversy, leading Trinitarian bishops, such as Athanasius, Hilary of Poitiers, and Gregory of Nyssa, were exiled by Arian emperors, as were leading Arian and Anomoean theologians such as Aëtius. Towards the end of the century [during the ongoing Church and State power struggle], **Bishop Ambrose of Milan made the powerful Emperor Theodosius do penance for several months after the massacre of Thessalonica before admitting him again to the Eucharist [Communion Supper]. On the other hand, only a few years later, Chrysostom, who as bishop of Constantinople criticized the excesses of the royal court [the Government], and was eventually banished and died while traveling to his place of exile. -- Theological Implications: Theologians critical of the Constantinian shift [Government presiding over Christianity] also see it as the point at which membership in the Christian church became associated with citizenship (in the country) rather than a personal decision (with Jesus). American theologian Stanley Hauerwas names the shift as the foundation for the expression of Christianity in the United States today that is closely associated with patriotism and civil religion. [article link]

Wikipedia: Constantine the Great - Roman Emperor from 306 A.D. to 337 A.D. - The foremost general of his time, Constantine defeated the emperors Maxentius and Licinius during civil wars - He also fought successfully against the Franks, Alamanni, Visigoths, and Sarmatians - Constantine built a new imperial residence in place of Byzantium, naming it Constantinople, which would later be the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire for over one thousand years - He is thought of as the founder of the Eastern Roman Empire - The reign of Constantine established a precedent for the position of the emperor as having some influence within the religious discussions going on within the Catholic Church of that time, e.g., the dispute over Arianism -- Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius (AD 250-336), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the persons of the Trinity ('God the Father', 'God the Son' and 'God the Holy Spirit') and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a [created] subordinate entity to God the Father - Deemed a heretic by the First Council of Nicaea of 325 A.D., Arius was later exonerated in 335 at the First Synod of Tyre, and then, after his death, pronounced a heretic again at the First Council of Constantinople of 381 -- The Roman Emperors Constantius II (337-361) and Valens (364-378) were Arians or Semi-Arians
Religious policy: Constantine is perhaps best known for being the first Christian Roman emperor; his reign was certainly a turning point for the Church. In February 313, Constantine met with Licinius in Milan where they developed the Edict of Milan. The edict stated that Christians should be allowed to follow the faith of their choosing. This removed penalties for professing Christianity (under which many had been martyred in previous persecutions of Christians) and returned confiscated Church property. The edict protected from religious persecution not only Christians but all religions, allowing anyone to worship whichever deity they chose. A similar edict had been issued in 311 by Galerius, then senior emperor of the Tetrarchy; Galerius' edict granted Christians the right to practice their religion but did not restore any property to them. The Edict of Milan included several clauses which stated that all confiscated churches would be returned as well as other provisions for previously persecuted Christians. ... Constantine did not patronize Christianity alone, however. After gaining victory in the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (312), a triumphal arch-the Arch of Constantine-was built (315) to celebrate it; the arch is decorated with images of Victoria and sacrifices to gods like Apollo, Diana, and Hercules, but contains no Christian symbolism. In 321, Constantine instructed that Christians and non-Christians should be united in observing the venerable day of the sun, referencing the esoteric eastern sun-worship which Aurelian had helped introduce, and his coinage still carried the symbols of the sun cult until 324. Even after the pagan gods had disappeared from the coinage, Christian symbols appeared only as Constantine's personal attributes: the chi rho between his hands or on his labarum, but never on the coin itself. Even when Constantine dedicated the new capital of Constantinople, which became the seat of Byzantine Christianity for a millennium, he did so wearing the Apollonian sun-rayed Diadem. -- The reign of Constantine established a precedent for the position of the emperor as having some influence within the religious discussions going on within the Catholic Church of that time, e.g., the dispute over Arianism. Constantine himself disliked the risks to societal stability that religious disputes and controversies brought with them, preferring where possible to establish an orthodoxy. The emperor saw it as his duty to ensure that God was properly worshiped in his empire, and that what proper worship consisted would be determined by the Church. In 316, Constantine acted as a judge in a North African dispute concerning the validity of Donatism. After deciding against the Donatists, Constantine led an army of Christians against the Donatist Christians. More significantly, in 325 he summoned the Council of Nicaea, effectively the first Ecumenical Council (unless the Council of Jerusalem is so classified). Nicaea was dealt mostly with Arianism. Constantine also enforced the prohibition of the First Council of Nicaea against celebrating the Lord's Supper on the day before the Jewish Passover (14th of Nisan) (see Quartodecimanism and Easter controversy). Constantine made new laws regarding the Jews. They were forbidden to own Christian slaves or to circumcise their slaves. [article link]

The Revised Roman Empire - Saint Helena - the mother of Emperor Constantine I - She is traditionally credited with finding the relics of the True Cross, with which she is invariably represented in Christian iconography - Constantine appointed his mother Helen as Augusta Imperatrix, and gave her unlimited access to the imperial treasury in order to locate the relics of Judeo-Christian tradition - In 326-28 A.D. Helena undertook a trip to the Holy Places in Palestine [Israel] - The chapel at St. Catherine's Monastery [in Sinai Egypt - including Helen's Chapel of the Burning Bush] often referred to as the Chapel of Saint Helen-is dated to the year AD 330 {Note: every 'discovery' of Helena the mother of Emperor Constantine I is considered to be discredited - especially her [confirming] Mt. Sinai in Egypt [the Chapel of the Burning Bush - Source: SacredSites.com] when the Bible proclaims that the real Mt. Sinai was 'outside' (Exodus 18:1,5) of Egypt (Galatians 4:25) [in Arabia - Saudi Arabia]. Also Note: **it is one of the most blasphemous concepts [Mt. Sinai in Egypt] to locate God in Egypt - God is not in Egypt, He is outside of Egypt [human slavery and human bondage] - the whole concept of the Bible is to leave Egypt [the world system] and for worshipers go outside of Egypt (the world) to have a true relationship [fellowship] with God - **pastors who preach that one corner of Egypt [Sinai Peninsula - St. Catherine's Monastery] is acceptable to God have missed much of the entirety of the Bible - The Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus was even crucified outside the city of Jerusalem so we would know to look outside the [world system] city for a true relationship with Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:12-14).} -- Note: A sustainable relationship with God is generally not to be found in this worldly system though minor glimpses and interactions with God can be experienced. The worldly system saturated with misconceptions and false premises from deceived and misinformed individuals like Richard Dawkins is a system designed and maintained simply to hinder a person's true relationship with God. Therefore leaving the misinformed worldly system and entering the Promises of the Biblical realm is an important part of a sustainable relationship with God.}
Family life: The bishop and historian Eusebius of Caesarea states that she was about 80 [years old] on her return from Palestine (Israel). Since that journey has been dated to 326-28, Helena was probably born in 248 or 250. Little is known of her early life. Fourth-century sources, following Eutropius' "Breviarium," record that she came from a low background. Saint Ambrose was the first to call her a stabularia, a term translated as "stable-maid" or "inn-keeper". He makes this fact a virtue, calling Helena a bona stabularia, a "good stable-maid". Other sources, especially those written after Constantine's proclamation as emperor, gloss over or ignore her background. ... Relic discoveries: Constantine appointed his mother Helen as Augusta Imperatrix, and gave her unlimited access to the imperial treasury in order to locate the relics of Judeo-Christian tradition. In 326-28 Helena undertook a trip to the Holy Places in Palestine. According to Eusebius of Caesarea she was responsible for the construction or beautification of two churches, the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, and the Church on the Mount of Olives, sites of Christ's birth and ascension. Local founding legend attributes to Helena's orders the construction of a church in Egypt to identify the Burning Bush of Sinai. The chapel at St. Catherine's Monastery--often referred to as the Chapel of Saint Helen-is dated to the year AD 330. -- Jerusalem was still rebuilding from the destruction of Emperor Hadrian, who had built a temple dedicated, according to conflicting accounts, to Venus or Jupiter over the site of Jesus's tomb near Calvary and renamed the city Aelia Capitolina. According to tradition, Helena ordered the temple torn down and, according to the legend that arose at the end of the fourth century, in Ambrose, On the Death of Theodosius (died 395) and at length in Rufinus' chapters appended to his translation into Latin of Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, which does not mention the event, chose a site to begin excavating, which led to the recovery of three different crosses. Then, Rufinus relates, refusing to be swayed by anything but solid proof, the empress (perhaps through Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem) had a woman who was already at the point of death brought from Jerusalem. When the woman touched the first and second crosses, her condition did not change, but when she touched the third and final cross she suddenly recovered, and Helena declared the cross with which the woman had been touched to be the True Cross. On the site of discovery, Constantine ordered built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as well as those on other sites detected by Helena. -- She also found the nails of the crucifixion. To use their miraculous power to aid her son, Helena allegedly had one placed in Constantine's helmet, and another in the bridle of his horse. Helena left Jerusalem and the eastern provinces in 327 to return to Rome, bringing with her large parts of the True Cross and other relics, which were then stored in her palace's private chapel, where they can be still seen today. Her palace was later converted into the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. This has been maintained by Cistercian monks in the monastery which has been attached to the church for centuries. Tradition says that the site of the Vatican Gardens was spread with earth brought from Golgotha by Helena to symbolically unite the blood of Christ with that shed by thousands of early Christians, who died in the persecutions of Nero. -- According to one tradition, Helena acquired the Holy Tunic on her trip to Jerusalem and sent it to Trier. Several of Saint Helena's treasures are now in Cyprus, where she spent some time. Some of them are a part of Jesus Christ's tunic, pieces of the holy cross and the world's only pieces of the rope to which Jesus was tied with on the Cross. The latter has been held at the Stavrovouni Monastery, which was also founded by Saint Helena. [article link]

Wikipedia: Athanasius (296 - 2 May 373) - In June 328, at the age of 30, three years after Nicaea and upon the repose of Bishop Alexander, he became archbishop of Alexandria - He continued to lead the conflict against the Arians for the rest of his life and was engaged in theological and political struggles against the Emperors Constantine and Constantius and powerful and influential Arian churchmen, led by Arian Bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia and others - He was known as "Athanasius Contra Mundum" - Within few years of his departure, St. Gregory of Nazianzus called him the "Pillar of the Church" - His writings were well regarded by all Church fathers who followed, in both the West and the East - His writings show a rich devotion to the Word-become-man, great pastoral concern, and profound interest in monasticism -- The so-called Athanasian Creed dates from well after Athanasius's death and draws upon the phraseology of Augustine's De trinitate {Note: The Athanasian Creed, was probably written by Vincent of Lérins in about (475-525 A.D.) as a summary of Athanasius' works and writings in the same way that the Apostles' Creed was earlier written by Ambrose in about 390 A.D. as a summary of the Apostles (N.T) works and writings.}
Athanasius is counted as one of the Great Doctors of the Church in Eastern Orthodoxy where he is also labeled the "Father of Orthodoxy". He is also one of the four Great Doctors of the Church from the East in the Roman Catholic Church. He is renowned in the Protestant churches, who label him "Father of The Canon". Athanasius is venerated as a Christian saint, whose feast day is 2 May in Western Christianity, 15 May in the Coptic Orthodox Church, and 18 January in the other Eastern Orthodox churches. He is venerated by the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox, the Roman Catholics, the Lutherans, and the Anglican Communion. ... Athanasius' letters include one "Letter Concerning the Decrees of the Council of Nicaea" (De Decretis), which is an account of the proceedings of that council, and another letter in the year 367 which was the first known listing of the New Testament including all those books now accepted everywhere as the New Testament. (earlier similar lists vary by the omission or addition of a few books, see Development of the New Testament canon). Several of his letters also survive. In one of these, to Epictetus of Corinth, Athanasius anticipates future controversies in his defense of the humanity of Christ. Another of his letters, to Dracontius, urges that monk to leave the desert for the more active duties of a bishop. There are several other works ascribed to him, although not necessarily generally accepted as being his own work. These include the Athanasian creed, which is today generally seen as being of 5th-century Galician origin. Athanasius was not what would be called a speculative theologian. As he stated in his First Letters to Serapion, he held on to "the tradition, teaching, and faith proclaimed by the apostles and guarded by the fathers." In some cases, this led to his taking the position that faith should take priority over reason. He held that not only was the Son of God consubstantial with the Father, but so was the Holy Spirit, which had a great deal of influence in the development of later doctrines regarding the Trinity. [article link]

Wikipedia: Ambrose - Aurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose (337 - 4 April 397), was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century - He was one of the four original doctors (of particular importance) of the Roman Catholic Church - In spite of Imperial opposition, Bishop Ambrose declared: "If you demand my person, I am ready to submit: carry me to prison or to death, I will not resist; but I will never betray the Church of Christ. I will not call upon the people to succour me; I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it. The tumult of the people I will not encourage: but God alone can appease it." - Soon after acquiring the undisputed possession of the Roman empire, Theodosius died at Milan in 395, and two years later (April 4, 397) Ambrose also died - He was succeeded as bishop of Milan by Simplician - Ambrose's body may still be viewed in the church of S. Ambrogio in Milan, where it has been continuously venerated - along with the bodies identified in his time as being those of St. Gervase and St. Protase - and is one of the oldest extant bodies of historical personages known outside Egypt
Bishop of Milan: In the late 4th century there was a deep conflict in the diocese of Milan between the Catholics and Arians. In 374 the bishop of Milan, Auxentius, an Arian, died, and the Arians challenged the succession. Ambrose went to the church where the election was to take place, to prevent an uproar, which was probable in this crisis. His address was interrupted by a call "Ambrose, bishop!", which was taken up by the whole assembly. Ambrose was known to be Catholic in belief, but also acceptable to Arians due to the charity shown in theological matters in this regard. At first he energetically refused the office, for which he was in no way prepared: Ambrose was neither baptized nor formally trained in theology. Upon his appointment, St. Ambrose fled to a colleague's home seeking to hide. Upon receiving a letter from the Emperor Gratian praising the appropriateness of Rome appointing individuals evidently worthy of holy positions, St. Ambrose's host gave Ambrose up. Within a week, Ambrose was baptized, ordained and duly consecrated bishop of Milan. As bishop, he immediately adopted an ascetic lifestyle, apportioned his money to the poor, donating all of his land, making only provision for his sister Marcellina (who later became a nun), and committed the care of his family to his brother. Ambrose also wrote a treatise by the name of "The Goodness Of Death". -- Ambrose and Arians: According to legend, Ambrose immediately and forcefully stopped Arianism in Milan. He studied theology with Simplician, a presbyter of Rome. Using his excellent knowledge of Greek, which was then rare in the West, to his advantage, he studied the Hebrew Bible and Greek authors like Philo, Origen, Athanasius, and Basil of Caesarea, with whom he was also exchanging letters. He applied this knowledge as preacher, concentrating especially on exegesis of the Old Testament, and his rhetorical abilities impressed Augustine of Hippo, who hitherto had thought poorly of Christian preachers. In the confrontation with Arians, Ambrose sought to theologically refute their propositions, which were heretical. The Arians appealed to many high level leaders and clergy in both the Western and Eastern empires. Although the western Emperor Gratian held orthodox belief in the Nicene creed, the younger Valentinian II, who became his colleague in the Empire, adhered to the Arian creed. Ambrose did not sway the young prince's position. In the East, Emperor Theodosius I likewise professed the Nicene creed; but there were many adherents of Arianism throughout his dominions, especially among the higher clergy. In this contested state of religious opinion, two leaders of the Arians, bishops Palladius of Ratiaria and Secundianus of Singidunum, confident of numbers, prevailed upon Gratian to call a general council from all parts of the empire. This request appeared so equitable that he complied without hesitation. However, Ambrose feared the consequences and prevailed upon the emperor to have the matter determined by a council of the Western bishops. Accordingly, a synod composed of thirty-two bishops was held at Aquileia in the year 381 A.D. Ambrose was elected president and Palladius, being called upon to defend his opinions, declined. A vote was then taken, when Palladius and his associate Secundianus were deposed from the episcopal office. Nevertheless, the increasing strength of the Arians proved a formidable task for Ambrose. In 385 or 386 the emperor and his mother Justina, along with a considerable number of clergy and laity, especially military, professed Arianism. They demanded two churches in Milan, one in the city (the basilica of the Apostles), the other in the suburbs (St Victor's), to the Arians. Ambrose refused and was required to answer for his conduct before the council. He went, his eloquence in defense of the Church reportedly overawed the ministers of Emperor Valentinian, so he was permitted to retire without making the surrender of the churches. The day following, when he was performing divine service in the basilica, the prefect of the city came to persuade him to give up at least the Portian basilica in the suburbs. As he still continued obstinate, the court proceeded to violent measures: the officers of the household were commanded to prepare the Basilica and the Portian churches to celebrate divine service upon the arrival of the emperor and his mother at the ensuing festival of Easter. -- In spite of Imperial opposition, Bishop Ambrose declared: "If you demand my person, I am ready to submit: carry me to prison or to death, I will not resist; but I will never betray the church of Christ. I will not call upon the people to succour me; I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it. The tumult of the people I will not encourage: but God alone can appease it." [article link]

Creeds: The Apostles' Creed, written by Ambrose -- The Nicene Creed 325 A.D. -- The Athanasian Creed, possibly by Vincent of Lérins
The Three Ecumenical or Universal Creeds -- The Apostles' Creed [The title, Symbolum Apostolicum (Symbol or Creed of the Apostles), appears for the first time in a letter from a Council in Milan (probably written by Ambrose himself) to Pope Siricius in about 390 A.D. - Wiki.com]: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic [universal] Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. -- The Nicene Creed [adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first (second) ecumenical council (Jerusalem Acts 15:6 was the first ecumenical Church council), which met there in 325 A.D. - Wiki.com]: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And I believe in one holy catholic [universal] and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. -- The Athanasian Creed [The use of the Creed in a sermon by Caesarius of Arles, as well as a theological resemblance to works by Vincent of Lérins, point to Southern Gaul as its origin. The most likely time frame is in the late fifth or early sixth century A.D. (475-525 A.D.) at least 100 years after Athanasius (293 A.D. - May 2, 373 A.D.) - Wiki.com]: Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic [universal] faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic [universal] faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy Ghost uncreate. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three Eternals, but one Eternal. As there are not three Uncreated nor three Incomprehensibles, but one Uncreated and one Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Ghost almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords, but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, So are we forbidden by the catholic [universal] religion to say, There be three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none: neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before or after other; none is greater or less than another; But the whole three Persons are coeternal together, and coequal: so that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped. He, therefore, that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity. Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is, that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world; Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood; Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but one Christ: One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God; One altogether; not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead; He ascended into heaven; He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give an account of their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic [universal] faith; which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved. [article link]

The Nicene Creed (325 A.D.) - The Nicene Creed "I believe in one holy catholic [universal] and ***[A]postolic Church" is the most widely accepted and used brief statements of the Christian Faith - In liturgical churches, it is said every Sunday as part of the Liturgy - It is Common Ground to East Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvinists, and many other Christian groups - Many groups that do not have a tradition of using it in their services nevertheless are committed to the doctrines it teaches
Someone may ask, "What about the Apostles' Creed?" Traditionally, in the West, the Apostles' Creed is used at Baptisms, and the Nicene Creed at the Eucharist [AKA the Mass, the Liturgy, the Lord's Supper, or the Holy Communion.] The East uses only the Nicene Creed. I here present the Nicene Creed in two English translations, The first is the traditional one, in use with minor variations since 1549, The second is a modern version, that of The Interdenominational Committee on Liturgical Texts. Notes and comment by [James E. Kiefer] follow. [article link]

Council of Seleucia 359 A.D. - In 358, the Roman Emperor Constantius II requested two councils, one of western bishops at Ariminum and the other of eastern bishops at Nicomedia, to resolve the controversy over Arianism regarding the nature of the divinity of Jesus Christ, a controversy that had divided the fourth-century church - Before the council was convened an earthquake struck Nicomedia, killing many people including the bishop, Cecropius of Nicomedia - As a result on September 27, 359 A.D. the eastern council (of about 160 bishops) met at Seleucia instead - The council was bitterly divided, and disorganized - The two parties met separately and reached opposing decisions - Later that year, Constantius called for a council in Constantinople to consider the decision at Ariminum and resolve the split at Seleucia - This council met in 360 A.D., which did not settle the disputes
Acacius' proposed creed: -- Preface: "We having yesterday assembled by the emperor's command at Seleucia, a city of Isauria, on the 27th day of September, exerted ourselves to the utmost, with all moderation, to preserve the peace of the church, and to determine doctrinal questions on prophetic and evangelical authority, so as to sanction nothing in the ecclesiastic confession of faith at variance with the sacred Scriptures, as our Emperor Constantius most beloved of God has ordered. But inasmuch as certain individuals in the Synod have acted injuriously toward several of us, preventing some from expressing their sentiments, and excluding others from the council against their wills; and at the same time have introduced such as have been deposed, and persons who were ordained contrary to the ecclesiastical canon, so that the Synod has presented a scene of tumult and disorder, of which the most illustrious Leonas, the Comes, and the most eminent Lauricius, governor of the province, have been eye-witnesses, we are therefore under the necessity of making this declaration. That we do not repudiate the faith which was ratified at the consecration of the church at Antioch; for we give it our decided preference, because it received the concurrence of our fathers who were assembled there to consider some controverted points. Since, however, the terms homoousion and homoiousion have in time past troubled the minds of many, and still continue to disquiet them; and moreover that a new term has recently been coined by some who assert the anomoion of the Son to the Father: we reject the first two, as expressions which are not found in the Scriptures; but we utterly anathematize the last, and regard such as countenance its use, as alienated from the church. We distinctly acknowledge the homoion of the Son to the Father, in accordance with what the apostle has declared concerning him, "Who is the image of the invisible God." -- Creed: "We confess then, and believe in one God the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and of things visible and invisible. We believe also in his Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who was begotten of him without passion before all ages, God the Word, the only-begotten of God, the Light, the Life, the Truth, the Wisdom: through whom all things were made which are in the heavens and upon the earth, whether visible or invisible. We believe that he took flesh of the holy Virgin Mary, at the end of the ages, in order to abolish sin; that he was made man, suffered for our sin, and rose again, and was taken up into the heavens, to sit at the right hand of the Father, whence he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. We believe also in the Holy Spirit, whom our Lord and Saviour has denominated the Comforter, and whom he sent to his disciples after his departure, according to his promise: by whom also he sanctifies all believers in the church, who are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Those who preach anything contrary to this creed, we regard as aliens from the catholic church." [article link]

Wikipedia: Gregory of Nazianzus - Gregory of Nazianzus (329 - January 25 390) - also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory Nazianzen was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople - He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the Patristic Age [generally reckoned as Church Fathers - A rough classification of these patristic writings is as: Apostolic Fathers and the 2nd century; 3rd century; 4th century; 5th century; and 6th century] - As a classically trained orator and philosopher he infused Hellenism into the early church, establishing the paradigm of Byzantine theologians and church officials - Gregory made a significant impact on the shape of Trinitarian theology among both Greek and Latin-speaking theologians, and he is remembered as the "Trinitarian Theologian" - Much of his theological work continues to influence modern theologians, especially in regard to the relationship among the three Persons of the Trinity [Father, Son, Holy Spirit] - Along with the two brothers Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, he is known as one of the Cappadocian Fathers - Gregory is a saint in both Eastern and Western Christianity - In the Roman Catholic Church he is numbered among the Doctors of the Church; in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches he is revered as one of the Three Holy Hierarchs, along with Basil the Great and John Chrysostom
Priesthood: In 361 Gregory returned to Nazianzus and was ordained a presbyter by his father, who wanted him to assist with caring for local Christians. The younger Gregory, who had been considering a monastic existence, resented his father's decision to force him to choose between priestly services and a solitary existence, calling it an "act of tyranny". Leaving home after a few days, he met his friend Basil at Annesoi, where the two lived as ascetics. However, Basil urged him to return home to assist his father, which he did for the next year. Arriving at Nazianzus, Gregory found the local Christian community split by theological differences and his father accused of heresy by local monks. Gregory helped to heal the division through a combination of personal diplomacy and oratory. By this time Emperor Julian had publicly declared himself in opposition to Christianity. In response to the emperor's rejection of the Christian faith, Gregory composed his Invectives Against Julian between 362 and 363. Invectives asserts that Christianity will overcome imperfect rulers such as Julian through love and patience. This process as described by Gregory is the public manifestation of the process of deification (theosis), which leads to a spiritual elevation and mystical union with God. Julian resolved, in late 362, to vigorously prosecute Gregory and his other Christian critics; however, the emperor perished the following year during a campaign against the Persians. With the death of the emperor, Gregory and the Eastern churches were no longer under the threat of persecution, as the new emperor Jovian was an avowed Christian and supporter of the church. Gregory spent the next few years combating Arianism, which threatened to divide the region of Cappadocia. In this tense environment, Gregory interceded on behalf of his friend Basil with Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (Maritima). The two friends then entered a period of close fraternal cooperation as they participated in a great rhetorical contest of the Caesarean church precipitated by the arrival of accomplished Arian theologians and rhetors. In the subsequent public debates, presided over by agents of the Emperor Valens, Gregory and Basil emerged triumphant. This success confirmed for both Gregory and Basil that their futures lay in administration of the Church. Basil, who had long displayed inclinations to the episcopacy, was elected bishop of the see of Caesarea in Cappadocia in 370. -- Gregory at Constantinople: Emperor Valens died in 378. The accession of Theodosius I, a steadfast supporter of Nicene orthodoxy, was good news to those who wished to purge Constantinople of Arian and Apollinarian domination. The exiled Nicene party gradually returned to the city. From his deathbed, Basil reminded them of Gregory's capabilities and likely recommended his friend to champion the trinitarian cause in Constantinople. In 379, the Antioch synod and its archbishop, Meletios, asked Gregory to go to Constantinople to lead a theological campaign to win over that city to Nicene orthodoxy. After much hesitation, Gregory agreed. His cousin Theodosia offered him a villa for his residence; Gregory immediately transformed much of it into a church, naming it Anastasia, "a scene for the resurrection of the faith". From this little chapel he delivered five powerful discourses on Nicene doctrine, explaining the nature of the Trinity and the unity of the Godhead. Refuting the Eunomion denial of the Holy Spirit's divinity, Gregory offered this argument: "Look at these facts: Christ is born, the Holy Spirit is His Forerunner. Christ is baptized, the Spirit bears witness to this… Christ works miracles, the Spirit accompanies them. Christ ascends, the Spirit takes His place. What great things are there in the idea of God which are not in His power? What titles appertaining to God do not apply also to Him, except for Unbegotten and Begotten? I tremble when I think of such an abundance of titles, and how many Names they blaspheme, those who revolt against the Spirit!" -- Gregory's homilies were well-received and attracted ever-growing crowds to Anastasia. Fearing his popularity, his opponents decided to strike. On the vigil of Easter in 379, an Arian mob burst into his church during worship services, wounding Gregory and killing another bishop. Escaping the mob, Gregory next found himself betrayed by his erstwhile friend, the philosopher Maximus the Cynic. Maximus, who was in secret alliance with Peter, bishop of Alexandria, attempted to seize Gregory's position and have himself ordained bishop of Constantinople. Shocked, Gregory decided to resign his office, but the faction faithful to him induced him to stay and ejected Maximus. However, the episode left him embarrassed and exposed him to criticism as a provincial simpleton unable to cope with intrigues of the imperial city. Affairs in Constantinople remained confused as Gregory's position was still unofficial and Arian priests occupied many important churches. The arrival of the emperor Theodosius in 380 settled matters in Gregory's favor. The emperor, determined to eliminate Arianism, expelled Bishop Demophilus. Gregory was subsequently enthroned as bishop of Constantinople at the Basilica of the Apostles, replacing Demophilus. [article link]

Wikipedia: Augustine of Hippo - Augustine of Hippo (November 13, 354 - August 28, 430), also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, - was Bishop of Hippo Regius (present-day Annaba, Algeria) - He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province - His writings were very influential in the development of Western Christianity
According to his contemporary, Jerome, Augustine "established anew the ancient Faith." In his early years he was heavily influenced by Manichaeism and afterward by the Neo-Platonism of Plotinus. After his conversion to Christianity and baptism in AD 387, Augustine developed his own approach to philosophy and theology, accommodating a variety of methods and different perspectives. He believed that the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom, and he framed the concepts of original sin and just war. -- When the Western Roman Empire was starting to disintegrate, Augustine developed the concept of the Catholic Church as a spiritual City of God (in a book of the same name), distinct from the material Earthly City. His thoughts profoundly influenced the medieval worldview. Augustine's City of God was closely identified with the Church, the community that worshipped God. In the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, he is a saint and pre-eminent Doctor of the Church, and the patron of the Augustinian religious order; his memorial is celebrated 28 August, the day of his death. ... Works: Augustine was one of the most prolific Latin authors in terms of surviving works, and the list of his works consists of more than one hundred separate titles. They include apologetic works against the heresies of the Arians, Donatists, Manichaeans and Pelagians, texts on Christian doctrine, notably De Doctrina Christiana (On Christian Doctrine), exegetical works such as commentaries on Book of Genesis, the Psalms and Paul's Letter to the Romans, many sermons and letters, and the Retractationes, a review of his earlier works which he wrote near the end of his life. Apart from those, Augustine is probably best known for his Confessiones (Confessions), which is a personal account of his earlier life, and for De civitate dei (Of the City of God, consisting of 22 books), which he wrote to restore the confidence of his fellow Christians, which was badly shaken by the sack of Rome by the Visigoths in 410. His De trinitate (On the Trinity), in which he developed what has become known as the 'psychological analogy' of the Trinity, is also among his masterpieces, and arguably one of the greatest theological works of all time. He also wrote On Free Choice Of The Will (De libero arbitrio), addressing why God gives humans free will that can be used for evil. ... Influence on St. Thomas Aquinas: For quotations of St. Augustine by St. Thomas Aquinas see Aquinas and the Sacraments and Thought of Thomas Aquinas. On the topic of original sin: Aquinas proposed a more optimistic view of man than that of Augustine in that his conception leaves to the reason, will, and passions of fallen man their natural powers even after the Fall. Influence on Protestant reformers: While in his pre-Pelagian writings Augustine taught that Adam's guilt as transmitted to his descendants much enfeebles, though does not destroy, the freedom of their will, Protestant reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin affirmed that Original Sin completely destroyed liberty (see total depravity). Abortion and ensoulment: Like other Church Fathers such as Athenagoras St Augustine "vigorously condemned the practice of induced abortion" as a crime, in any stage of pregnancy. [article link]

Wikipedia: Jerome - Saint Jerome (347 - 30 September 420) was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church - He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia - He is **best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate), and his list of writings is extensive - He is recognized by the Catholic Church as a saint and Doctor of the Church, and the Vulgate is still an important text in Catholicism - He is also recognized as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, where he is known as St. Jerome of Stridonium or Blessed Jerome {Note: That the discipline, of sticking strictly to the Bible of the earlier Church Fathers and Church Theologians has already began to diminish as the newer generations of Roman Theologians, no longer preoccupied with persecution, were able to speculate more widely about possible Biblical scenarios. -- Also Note: Already during the time of Jerome that Christian Theology was shifting into a primary focus of End Times. That the End Times were soon to unfold and unfold within the context of the events of their day.}
Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus was born at Stridon around 347. He was not baptized until about 360 or 366, when he had gone to Rome with his friend Bonosus (who may or may not have been the same Bonosus whom Jerome identifies as his friend who went to live as a hermit on an island in the Adriatic) to pursue rhetorical and philosophical studies. He studied under the grammarian Aelius Donatus. There Jerome learned Latin and at least some Greek, though probably not the familiarity with Greek literature he would later claim to have acquired as a schoolboy. As a student in Rome, he engaged in the superficial activities of students there, which he indulged in quite casually but suffered terrible bouts of repentance afterwards. To appease his conscience, he would visit on Sundays the sepulchers of the martyrs and the Apostles in the catacombs. This experience would remind him of the terrors of hell: Often I would find myself entering those crypts, deep dug in the earth, with their walls on either side lined with the bodies of the dead, where everything was so dark that almost it seemed as though the Psalmist's words were fulfilled, Let them go down quick into Hell. Here and there the light, not entering in through windows, but filtering down from above through shafts, relieved the horror of the darkness. But again, as soon as you found yourself cautiously moving forward, the black night closed around and there came to my mind the line of Vergil, "Horror unique animos, simul ipsa silentia terrent. Jerome used a quote from Vergil - "The horror and the silences terrified their souls" - to describe the horror of hell. Jerome initially used classical authors to describe Christian concepts such as hell that indicated both his classical education and his deep shame of their associated practices, such as pederasty. Although initially skeptical of Christianity, he was eventually converted. After several years in Rome, he travelled with Bonosus to Gaul and settled in Trier where he seems to have first taken up theological studies, and where he copied, for his friend Tyrannius Rufinus, Hilary of Poitiers' commentary on the Psalms and the treatise De synodis. Next came a stay of at least several months, or possibly years, with Rufinus at Aquileia, where he made many Christian friends. Some of these accompanied him when he set out about 373 on a journey through Thrace and Asia Minor into northern Syria. At Antioch, where he stayed the longest, two of his companions died and he himself was seriously ill more than once. During one of these illnesses (about the winter of 373-374), he had a vision that led him to lay aside his secular studies and devote himself to God. He seems to have abstained for a considerable time from the study of the classics and to have plunged deeply into that of the Bible, under the impulse of Apollinaris of Laodicea, then teaching in Antioch and not yet suspected of heresy. ... The works of Hippolytus of Rome and Irenaeus greatly influenced Jerome's interpretation of prophecy. He noted the distinction between the original Septuagint and Theodotion's later substitution. Jerome warned that those substituting false interpretations for the actual meaning of Scripture belonged to the "synagogue of the Antichrist". "He that is not of Christ is of Antichrist," he wrote to Pope Damasus I. **He believed that "the mystery of iniquity" written about by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 was already in action when "every one chatters about his views." To Jerome, the power restraining this mystery of iniquity was the Roman Empire, but as it fell this restraining force was removed. He warned a noble woman of Gaul: "He that letteth is taken out of the way, and yet we do not realize that Antichrist is near. Yes, Antichrist is near whom the Lord Jesus Christ "shall consume with the spirit of his mouth." "Woe unto them," he cries, "that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days."... Savage tribes in countless numbers have overrun all parts of Gaul. The whole country between the Alps and the Pyrenees, between the Rhine and the Ocean, has been laid waste by hordes of Quadi, Vandals, Sarmatians, Alans, Gepids, Herules, Saxons, Burgundians, Allemanni, and-alas! for the commonweal!-- even Pannonians. His Commentary on Daniel was expressly written to offset the criticisms of Porphyry, who taught that Daniel related entirely to the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes and was written by an unknown individual living in the 2nd century BC. Against Porphyry, Jerome identified Rome as the fourth kingdom of chapters two and seven, but his view of chapters eight and 11 was more complex. Jerome held that chapter eight describes the activity of Antiochus Epiphanes, who is understood as a "type" of a future antichrist; 11:24 onwards applies primarily to a future antichrist but was partially fulfilled by Antiochus. Instead, he advocated that the "little horn" was the Antichrist: We should therefore concur with the traditional interpretation of all the commentators of the Christian Church, that at the end of the world, when the Roman Empire is to be destroyed, there shall be ten kings who will partition the Roman world amongst themselves. Then an insignificant eleventh king will arise, who will overcome three of the ten kings... after they have been slain, the seven other kings also will bow their necks to the victor. In his Commentary on Daniel, he noted, "Let us not follow the opinion of some commentators and suppose him to be either the Devil or some demon, but rather, one of the human race, in whom Satan will wholly take up his residence in bodily form." In interpreting 2 Thessalonians's claim that the Antichrist will sit in God's temple, Jerome preferred the view that the "temple" should be interpreted as the Church, not as the Temple in Jerusalem. Jerome identified the four prophetic kingdoms symbolized in Daniel 2 as the Neo-Babylonian Empire, the Medes and Persians, Macedon, and Rome. Jerome identified the stone cut out without hands as "namely, the Lord and Savior". Jerome refuted Porphyry's application of the little horn of chapter seven to Antiochus. He expected that at the end of the world, Rome would be destroyed, and partitioned among ten kingdoms before the little horn appeared. Jerome believed that Cyrus of Persia is the higher of the two horns of the Medo-Persian ram of Daniel 8:3. The he-goat is Greece smiting Persia. Alexander [the Great] is the great horn, which is then succeeded by Alexander's half brother Philip and three of his generals. [article link]

Introduction: Already by the early 400's A.D. Christians had become so comfortable in their association with secular Rome that Jerome believed that the restraining force of "the mystery of iniquity" (sin) written about by Paul the Apostle in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 was in action via Rome - To Jerome, the power restraining this mystery of iniquity was the Roman Empire, but as Rome fell this restraining force was removed - {Note: Common Christianity has almost universally considered the "restrainer" (2 Thessalonians 2:7) from sin to be the work of the Holy Spirit and not the works of man alone or of human agencies.}
The Christian Church now well established and also well mingled as Roman Church and State would continue on unabated for the next one thousand years. With a status quo existing between Church and State neither institution sought change of any kind and as a result human history would enter into one of the most stagnant eras of mankind in bringing in and the establishing of the Middle Ages. An era so disastrous that it would be called many names among them the Medieval and Dark Ages. [article link]

The Sack of Rome 410 A.D. - "My voice sticks in my throat; and, as I dictate, sobs choke my utterance. The City which had taken the whole world was itself taken." Jerome, (412 A.D.) Letter CXXVII to Principia -- Emperor Theodosius I had decreed a ban on the native paganism, further enforcing Christianity as the official state religion - Just before his death in AD 395, Theodosius I divided the [Roman] Empire (for the third and last time) into East [Byzantium - still centred in the capital of Constantinople] and West [Rome], to be ruled by his two sons - Honorius was only ten years old at the time, and the west was governed in his stead by Flavius Stilicho, his guardian and commander (magister militum) of the army - The two halves of the empire were in contention, a situation exploited by Alaric, whose Visigoths had been used as allies (foederati) but now, with the death of Theodosius I, renounced their allegiance and rose in revolt
Alaric [the older son] died that same year 410 A.D. Two years later, his kinsman Athaulf led the Visigoths into southwestern Gaul, where, in AD 418, Honorius was obliged to recognize their kingdom at Toulouse. The Vandals and other Germanic tribes who had crossed over the frozen Rhine on the last day of AD 406 now were in Spain under their leader, Genseric. Honorius permitted them to stay, as well, although there was little he could have done otherwise. In AD 423 Honorius died and eventually was succeeded by Valentinian III, who was still a child at the time. The Vandals crossed into North Africa, defeated the Romans there, and, in AD 439, conquered Carthage, which Genseric made his capital. In AD 451, Attila and the Huns, who already had become so powerful that they were paid an annual tribute by Rome, invaded Gaul, in alliance with the Vandals. They were defeated at the Battle of Châlons by the Visigoths under the command of Flavius Aetius, magister militum of the west. In AD 455, the death of Valentinian III served as a pretext for the Vandals to enter an undefended Rome, which they plundered for two weeks, carrying away the treasures of the Temple of Peace and the gilded bronze tiles from the Temple of Jupiter. Temple of Vespasian. [article link]

Wikipedia: Pope Leo I (391 - 10 November 461 A.D.) was pope from 29 September 440 A.D. to his death - He was an Italian aristocrat, and is the first pope of the Catholic Church to have been called "the Great" - He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452 A.D. and persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy - He is also a Doctor of the Church - Leo was a significant contributor to the centralisation of spiritual authority within the Church and in reaffirming Papal authority - An uncompromising foe of heresy - {Note: With Pope Leo I the Church and State of Rome had become so intermixed that it was Pope Leo assuming the dual roles of General and Politician that went forward to meet with the invading forces of Attila the Hun and in persuading him not to attack Rome Pope Leo I saved Rome from being sacked again and possibly conquered.}
Papal authority: Decree of Valentinian - Leo was a significant contributor to the centralisation of spiritual authority within the Church and in reaffirming papal authority. While the bishop of Rome had always been viewed as the chief patriarch in the Western church, much of the pope's authority was delegated to local diocesan bishops. Not without serious opposition did he succeed in reasserting his authority in Gaul. Patroclus of Arles (d. 426) had received from Pope Zosimus the recognition of a subordinate primacy over the Gallican Church which was strongly asserted by his successor Hilary of Arles. An appeal from Chelidonius of Besançon gave Leo the opportunity to reassert the pope's authority over Hilary, who defended himself stoutly at Rome, refusing to recognize Leo's judicial status. Feeling that the primatial rights of the bishop of Rome were threatened, Leo appealed to the civil power for support, and obtained from Valentinian III the famous decree of June 6, 445, which recognized the primacy of the bishop of Rome based on the merits of Peter, the dignity of the city, and the Nicene Creed (in their interpolated form); ordained that any opposition to his rulings, which were to have the force of ecclesiastical law, should be treated as treason; and provided for the forcible extradition by provincial governors of anyone who refused to answer a summons to Rome. Faced with this decree, Hilary submitted to the pope, although under his successor, Ravennius, Leo divided the metropolitan rights between Arles and Vienne (450). -- Dispute with Dioscorus of Alexandria: In 445, Leo disputed with Pope Dioscorus, St. Cyril's successor as Pope of Alexandria, insisting that the ecclesiastical practice of his see should follow that of Rome on the basis that Mark the Evangelist, the disciple of Saint Peter and founder of the Alexandrian Church, could have had no other tradition than that of the prince of the apostles. This, of course, was not the position of the Copts, who saw the ancient patriarchates as equals. -- Council of Chalcedon: A favorable occasion for extending the authority of Rome in the East was offered in the renewal of the Christological controversy by Eutyches, who in the beginning of the conflict appealed to Leo and took refuge with him on his condemnation by Flavian. But on receiving full information from Flavian, Leo took his side decisively. In 451 at the Council of Chalcedon, after Leo's Tome on the two natures of Christ was read out, the bishops participating in the Council cried out: "This is the faith of the fathers ... Peter has spoken thus through Leo ..." -- Battling heresies: An uncompromising foe of heresy, Leo found that in the diocese of Aquileia, Pelagians were received into church communion without formal repudiation of their errors; he wrote to rebuke them, making accusations of culpable negligence, and required a solemn abjuration before a synod. Manicheans fleeing before the Vandals had come to Rome in 439 and secretly organized there; Leo learned of this around 443, and proceeded against them by holding a public debate with their representatives, burning their books, and warning the Roman Christians against them. Nor was his attitude less decided against the Priscillianists. Bishop Turrubius of Astorga, astonished at the spread of this sect in Spain, had addressed the other Spanish bishops on the subject, sending a copy of his letter to Leo, who took the opportunity to exercise Roman policy in Spain. He wrote an extended treatise (21 July 447), against the sect, examining its false teaching in detail, and calling for a Spanish general council to investigate whether it had any adherents in the episcopate, but this was prevented by the political circumstances of Spain. -- On Dignity and Equality: In his Nativitate Domini, in the Christmas Day sermon "Christian, Remember your Dignity" Leo appears to articulate a fundamental and inclusive human dignity and equality: The saint, the sinner, and the unbeliever are all equal as sinners, and none is excluded in the call to "happiness": "Our Saviour, dearly-beloved, was born today: let us be glad. For there is no proper place for sadness, when we keep the birthday of the Life, which destroys the fear of mortality and brings to us the joy of promised eternity. No one is kept from sharing in this happiness. There is for all one common measure of joy, because as our Lord the destroyer of sin and death finds none free from charge, so is He come to free us all. Let the saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to pardon. Let the gentile take courage in that he is called to life." [article link]

Medieval Sourcebook: [Pope] Leo I and [King] Attila [of the Huns] - The Prosper Account of the events recorded in 455 A.D.
Prosper: Account 1 - Prosper, a Christian chronicler, writing about 455, gives the following simple account of Leo's famous interview with the king of the Huns three years before: Now Attila, having once more collected his forces which had been scattered in Gaul [at the battle of Chalons], took his way through Pannonia into Italy. . . To the emperor and the senate and Roman people none of all the proposed plans to oppose the enemy seemed so practicable as to send legates to the most savage king and beg for peace. Our most blessed Pope Leo -trusting in the help of God, who never fails the righteous in their trials - undertook the task, accompanied by Avienus, a man of consular rank, and the prefect Trygetius. And the outcome was what his faith had foreseen; for when the king had received the embassy, he was so impressed by the presence of the high priest that he ordered his army to give up warfare and, after he had promised peace, he departed beyond the Danube. -- Anonyomus Later Account 1 [somewhat condensed] In a life of Leo the Great by some later author, whose name is unknown to us, the episode as told by Prosper has been developed into a miraculous tale calculated to meet the taste of the time Attila, the leader of the Huns, who was called the scourge of God, came into Italy, inflamed with fury, after he had laid waste with most savage frenzy Thrace and Illyricum, Macedonia and Moesia, Achaia and Greece, Pannonia and Germany. He was utterly cruel in inflicting torture, greedy in plundering, insolent in abuse. . . . He destroyed Aquileia from the foundations and razed to the ground those regal cities, Pavia and Milan; he laid waste many other towns, and was rushing down upon Rome. [This is, of course, an exaggeration. Attila does not seem to have destroyed the buildings, even in Milan and Pavia.] Then Leo had compassion on the calamity of Italy and Rome, and with one of the consuls and a lar,e part of the Roman senate he went to meet Attila. The old man of harmless simplicity, venerable in his gray hair and his majestic garb, ready of his own will to give himself entirely for the defense of his flock, went forth to meet the tyrant who was destroying all things. He met Attila, it is said, in the neighborhood of the river Mincio, and he spoke to the grim monarch, saying "The senate and the people of Rome, once conquerors of the world, now indeed vanquished, come before thee as suppliants. We pray for mercy and deliverance. O Attila, thou king of kings, thou couldst have no greater glory than to see suppliant at thy feet this people before whom once all peoples and kings lay suppliant. Thou hast subdued, O Attila, the whole circle of the lands which it was granted to the Romans, victors over all peoples, to conquer. Now we pray that thou, who hast conquered others, shouldst conquer thyself The people have felt thy scourge; now as suppliants they would feel thy mercy." As Leo said these things Attila stood looking upon his venerable garb and aspect, silent, as if thinking deeply. And lo, suddenly there were seen the apostles Peter and Paul, clad like bishops, standing by Leo, the one on the right hand, the other on the left. They held swords stretched out over his head, and threatened Attila with death if he did not obey the pope's command. Wherefore Attila was appeased he who had raged as one mad. He by Leo's intercession, straightway promised a lasting peace and withdrew beyond the Danube. From the accounts translated in J. H. Robinson, Readings in European History, (Boston: Ginn, 1905), pp. 49-51. [article link]

{Basic Christian: Gnosticism Exposed} Rise of Modern Islam - The Myth of Mecca (as the early center of Islam) - Let's face it . . . Islam began in the year 666 AD.
In her book, Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam, Dr. Crone demonstrates that Islam did not originate in Mecca. Mecca is located in the Hejaz region of what is today Saudi Arabia. It is portrayed by traditional belief as a wealthy trading center, full of merchants trading goods by caravan from Yemen in the south and Syria and the Byzantium empire in the north. Crone shows that Mecca was in fact way off the incense route from Yemen to Syria, which bypassed where Mecca is today by over 100 miles. Further, there is no mention whatever of Mecca in contemporary non-Moslem sources: ... While there may well have been a historical individual named Ubu'l Kassim who was later entitled Mohammed ("The Praised One"), who raised followers and participated in the initiation of the Arab Conquest, he likely came from northeast Arabia in what is now southern Jordan. The deity that Ubu'l Kassim chose to follow was Allah, a contraction of al-Lah, the ancient Arab God of the Moon [note: which is why the symbol of Islam to this day is the crescent moon]. Ubu'l Kassim died, however, some years before the Arab Conquest was fully underway (the traditional date is 632). Al-Rawandi summarizes what then happened: [article link]

{Basic Christian: Gnosticism Exposed} Muslim - British financing of "Da Vinci Code" Movie questioned
Mohammed Yusef, the founder of Invicta Capital in Great Britain, is using a government tax-incentive program to fund the movie version of the anti-Christian "Da Vinci Code" novel for Sony Pictures. According to the Times of London, the London-based Invicta is taking advantage of British tax rules to provide Sony with 100 million pounds of the 114 million pounds that the movie reportedly cost. The capital allows Sony to dramatically reduce its cost of borrowing money to produce and market the movie. [article link]

{Basic Christian: Gnosticism Exposed} Movie: Ron Howard Prepares to Unleash Angels & Demons (2009) - the follow-up to The Da Vinci Code [Angels & Demons is part 1 - The Da Vinci Code was actually part 2] - Tom Hanks reprising his role as Robert Langdon from The Da Vinci Code - Variety's report goes on to note that, although the Angels & Demons novel was written before and takes place before The Da Vinci Code, the film will be a sequel {The next Ron Howard movie "Angels & Demons" is a continuing part of the agenda to rise the evil fallen Nephilim [the occult considers Nephilim to be powerful, wise, illuminated (enlightened) and call themselves the followers "Illuminati"] and submit mankind to these fallen evil spirits. Note: Biblically fallen Angels and Demons are probably not the same thing though people often refer to them as being the same thing. Fallen Angels are Angels [that generally do not attempt to possess (indwell) people] while Demons [desire to possess and indwell people] may be offspring of the Nephilim (fallen Angels) & human intermixing that occurred in Geneses chapter 6 and that were all killed in the flood [the reason for the flood] of Noah's time. So saying Angels and Demons does not make one group good and the other bad both groups (angels and demons) would be bad if the Angels are fallen and in rebellion against God.}
One of the many high-profile productions being affected by the looming writers' strike is Angels & Demons, the follow-up to The Da Vinci Code -- but if director Ron Howard and his fellow filmmakers have anything to say about it, their sequel's progress will be unimpeded. Variety reports on the last-minute preparations behind the scenes of Angels & Demons, which will find Tom Hanks reprising his role as Robert Langdon from The Da Vinci Code, the $758 million-grossing adaptation of Dan Brown's bestselling book. Angels is scheduled to start filming in Europe next February, but with the writers' strike coming as early as November 1, Howard's team has to move quickly. ... Meanwhile, the "Angels" team have begun casting around Tom Hanks, who will reprise his role as Robert Langdon. Hanks' character, a Harvard-based expert on religious symbols, this time sleuths a mystery that involves a secret society and a conspiracy that leads to Vatican City and threatens the future of the Catholic Church. Variety's report goes on to note that, although the Angels & Demons novel was written before -- and takes place before -- The Da Vinci Code, the film will be a sequel. [article link]

King Charlemagne (742 - 814 A.D.) the "Father of Europe" - The greatest of medieval kings was born in 742 A.D., at a place unknown, he was of German blood and speech - To the medieval mind, only King Arthur vied with Charlemagne as the finest example of what a Christian king could be -- Charlemagne the King a biography from Will Durant's STORY OF CIVILIZATION 1950 A.D.
King Charlemagne: The greatest of medieval kings was born in 742, at a place unknown. He was of German blood and speech, and shared some characteristics of his people- strength of body, courage of spirit, pride of race, and a crude simplicity many centuries apart from the urbane polish of the modern French. He had little book learning; read only a few books- but good ones; tried in his old age to learn writing, but never quite succeeded; yet he could speak old Teutonic and literary Latin, and understood Greek. In 771 Carloman II died, and Charles at twenty-nine became sole king. Two years later he received from Pope Hadrian II an urgent appeal for aid against the Lombard Desiderius, who was invading the papal states. Charlemagne besieged and took Pavia, assumed the crown of Lombardy, confirmed the Donation of Pepin, and accepted the role of protector of the Church in all her temporal powers. -- Returning to his capital at Aachen, he began a series of fifty-three campaigns- nearly all led in person- designed to round out his empire by conquering and Christianizing Bavaria and Saxony, destroying the troublesome Avars, shielding Italy from the raiding Saracens, and strengthening the defenses of Francia against the expanding Moors of Spain. The Saxons on his eastern frontier were pagans; they had burned down a Christian church, and made occasional incursions into Gaul; these reasons sufficed Charlemagne for eighteen campaigns (772-804), waged with untiring ferocity on both sides. Charles gave the conquered Saxons a choice between baptism and death, and had 4500 Saxon rebels beheaded in one day; after which he proceeded to Thionville to celebrate the nativity of Christ. -- The empire [of Europe] was divided into counties, each governed in spiritual matters by a bishop or archbishop, and in secular affairs by a comes (companion- of the king) or count. A local assembly of landholders convened twice or thrice a year in each provincial capital to pass upon the government of the region, and serve as a provincial court of appeals. The dangerous frontier counties, or marches, had special governors- graf, margrave, or markherzog; Roland of Roncesvalles, for example, was governor of the Breton march. All local administration was subject to missi dominici- "emissaries of the master"- sent by Charlemagne to convey his wishes to local officials, to review their actions, judgments, and accounts; to check bribery, extortion, nepotism, and exploitation, to receive complaints and remedy wrongs, to protect "the Church, the poor, and wards and widows, and the whole people"from malfeasance or tyranny, and to report to the King the condition of the realm; the Capitulare missorum establishing these emissaries was a Magna Carta for the people, four centuries before England's Magna Carta for the aristocracy. That this capitulary meant what it said appears from the case of the duke of Istria, who, being accused by the missi of divers injustices and extortions, was forced by the King to restore his thievings, compensate every wronged man, publicly confess his crimes, and give security against their repetition. ... (Charlemagne) had four successive wives and five mistresses or concubines. His abounding vitality made him extremely sensitive to feminine charms; and his women preferred a share in him to the monopoly of any other man. His harem bore him some eighteen children, of whom eight were legitimate. -- The ecclesiastics [priests] of the court and of Rome winked leniently at the Moslem [Muslim] morals of so Christian a king. He was now head of an empire far greater than the Byzantine, surpassed, in the white man's world, only by the realm of the Abbasid caliphate. But every extended frontier of empire or knowledge opens up new problems. Western Europe had tried to protect itself from the Germans by taking them into its civilization; but now Germany had to be protected against the Norse and the Slavs. The Vikings had by 800 A.D. established a kingdom in Jutland, and were raiding the Frisian coast. Charles hastened up from Rome, built fleets and forts on shores and rivers, and stationed garrisons at danger points. In 810 the king of Jutland invaded Frisia and was repulsed; but shortly thereafter, if we may follow the chronicle of the Monk of St. Gall, Charlemagne, from his palace at Narbonne, was shocked to see Danish pirate vessels in the Gulf of Lyons. Perhaps because he foresaw, like Diocletian, that his overreaching empire needed quick defense at many points at once, he divided it in 806 among his three sons- Pepin, Louis, and Charles. But Pepin died in 810, Charles in 811; only Louis remained, so absorbed in piety as to seem unfit to govern a rough and treacherous world. Nevertheless, in 813, at a solemn ceremony, Louis was elevated from the rank of king to that of emperor, and the old monarch uttered his nunc dimittis: "Blessed be Thou, O Lord God, Who hast granted me the grace to see with my own eyes my son seated on my throne!" -- Death: Four months later, wintering at Aachen, he was seized with a high fever, and developed pleurisy. He tried to cure himself by taking only liquids; but after an illness of seven days he died, in the forty-seventh year of his reign and the seventy-second year of his life (814 A.D.). He was buried under the dome of the cathedral at Aachen, dressed in his imperial robes. Soon all the world called him Carolus Magnus, Karl der Grosse, Charlemagne; and in 1165 A.D., when time had washed away all memory of his mistresses, the Church which he had served so well enrolled him among the blessed. [article link]

Wikipedia: Charlemagne (742 - 28 January 814 A.D.), also known as Charles the Great - was King of the Franks [German Tribes] from 768 A.D. - The conquest of Italy brought Charlemagne in contact with the Saracens [Muslims] who, at the time (799 A.D.), controlled the Mediterranean - [With his victory over the Saracens] Charlemagne was declared Emperor of the Romans (Imperator Romanorum) from 800 A.D. to his death in 814 A.D. - He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe -- During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800 A.D.
Wars with the Moors [Muslims]: The conquest of Italy brought Charlemagne in contact with the Saracens who, at the time, controlled the Mediterranean. Pippin, his son, was much occupied with Saracens in Italy. Charlemagne conquered Corsica and Sardinia at an unknown date and in 799 the Balearic Islands. The islands were often attacked by Saracen pirates, but the counts of Genoa and Tuscany (Boniface) kept them at bay with large fleets until the end of Charlemagne's reign. Charlemagne even had contact with the caliphal court in Baghdad. In 797 (or possibly 801), the caliph of Baghdad, Harun al-Rashid, presented Charlemagne with an Asian elephant named Abul-Abbas and a clock. -- In Hispania [Spain], the struggle against the Moors continued unabated throughout the latter half of his reign. His son Louis was in charge of the Spanish border. In 785, his men captured Gerona permanently and extended Frankish control into the Catalan littoral for the duration of Charlemagne's reign (and much longer, it remained nominally Frankish until the Treaty of Corbeil in 1258). The Muslim chiefs in the northeast of Islamic Spain were constantly revolting against Córdoban authority, and they often turned to the Franks for help. The Frankish border was slowly extended until 795, when Gerona, Cardona, Ausona, and Urgel were united into the new Spanish March, within the old duchy of Septimania. -- In 797 Barcelona, the greatest city of the region, fell to the Franks when Zeid, its governor, rebelled against Córdoba and, failing, handed it to them. The Umayyad authority recaptured it in 799. However, Louis of Aquitaine marched the entire army of his kingdom over the Pyrenees and besieged it for two years, wintering there from 800 to 801, when it capitulated. The Franks continued to press forward against the emir. They took Tarragona in 809 and Tortosa in 811. The last conquest brought them to the mouth of the Ebro and gave them raiding access to Valencia, prompting the Emir al-Hakam I to recognize their conquests in 812 A.D. [article link]

Ancient Saracens - Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs - In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam - The expansion of the meaning occurred first among the Byzantine Greeks and then among the Latins - By the time of the Crusades, beginning in 1095, a "Saracen" had become synonymous with a "Muslim" in European chronicles
Early and medieval Christian literature: Eusebius and Epiphanius Scholasticus, in their Christian histories, place Saracens east of the Gulf of Aqaba but beyond the Roman province of Arabia and mention them as Ishmaelites through Kedar; thus, they are outside the promise given to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and also therefore, in Christian theology, beyond a privileged place in the family of nations or divine dispensation. The Jews viewed them as pagans and polytheists in ancient times and in later Christian times they became associated with cruel tyrants from early Christian history such as: Herod the Great, Herod Antipas and Agrippa I. Christian writings, such as those by Origen, viewed them as heretics who had to be brought into the orthodox fold. To the Christian Saint Jerome the Arabs, who were also considered in Christian theology as Ishmaelites, were also seen to fit the definition of Saracens; pagan tent-dwelling raiders of the lands on the eastern fringes of the Roman empire. -- The term Saracen carried the connotation of people living on the fringes of settled society, living off raids on towns and villages, and eventually became equated with both the "tent-dwelling" Bedouin as well as sedentary Arabs. Church writers of the period commonly describe Saracen raids on monasteries and their killing of monks. The term and the negative image of Saracens was in popular usage in both the Greek east as well as the Latin west throughout the Middle Ages. With the advent of Islam, in the Arabian peninsula, during the seventh century among the Arabs, the term's strong association with Arabs tied the term closely with not just race and culture, but also the religion. The rise of the Arab Empire and the ensuing hostility with the Byzantine Empire saw itself expressed as conflict between Islam and Christianity and the association of the term with Islam was further accentuated both during and after the Crusades. -- John of Damascus, in a polemical work typical of this attitude described the Saracens in the early 8th century thus: There is also the people-deceiving cult (threskeia) of the Ishmaelites, the forerunner of the Antichrist, which prevails until now. It derives from Ishmael, who was born to Abraham from Hagar, wherefore they are called Hagarenes and Ishmaelites. And they call them Saracens, inasmuch as they were sent away empty-handed by Sarah; for it was said to the angel by Hagar: "Sarah has sent me away empty-handed" (cf. Book of Genesis xxi. 10, 14). [article link]

The Dark Ages - Early Middle Ages (DVD $16.99) {In case you have ever wondered if Satan is raging a relentless war against the Christian Church and against mankind in general this History documentary will lay aside all doubts.}
Between the Fall of Rome and the dawn of the Renaissance, Europe plunged into a dark night of constant war, splintered sovereignties, marauding pagans, rabid crusaders and devastating plague. That anything of value arose from this chaotic muck - much less the Renaissance - is nothing short of miraculous. Through masterful cinematography and ground-breaking research, THE DARK AGES brings to life this amazing and mysterious time. Relive in striking detail critical turning points in the Early Middle Ages including the fall of Rome to the Visigoths, the horrors of Bubonic Plague, the rise of Charlemagne and the launching of the First Crusade. [article link]

Introduction [1 of 2] The High Middle Ages: The period of human history commonly referred to as the High Middle Ages (1000 A.D - 1300 A.D.) brings about two seemingly unrelated events, the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. and the Crusades of 1095 A.D. to 1270 A.D. - Events that have caused some of the most dramatic, functional, substantial and long standing changes known to mankind - And in all actuality the events of the aftermath of 1066 A.D. are the very rails that the train of human society currently rides upon and it is these same rails that are directing mankind into the very events of the End Times
Background: Going back one thousand years prior to 1066 A.D. brings us back to 66 A.D. and the very days of the foundation of the Christian Church especially among the Gentiles having just been laid by the Apostle Paul. With two notable exceptions [Roman Church and State - Charlemagne's designation of the Nations of Europe] not much had changed in the form of human history and human government but that was about to change in 1066 A.D. In the six global Gentile Kingdoms previous to 1066 A.D. all of the six Kingdoms [Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome] had similar rulers, venues and Characteristics yet the Bible (Daniel 7:23) tells of a 7th Kingdom the Kingdom of Antichrist a Kingdom that is vastly different from the 6 Kingdoms that preceded it. When and where these Satanically inspired changes would enter into human society would remain a secret that is until the events of 1066 A.D. unfolded. [article link]

Introduction [2 of 2] The High Middle Ages: The six Kingdoms prior to the coming Kingdom of Antichrist are all somewhat similar in that each King was head over their own society and also over the society of strangers. The six Kings were each stable functioning dignitaries, each married to at least on wife and each had at least one child to carry on their newly installed Dynasties. The unfortunate hallmark of each King's Dynasty is that what had started so wonderfully and had become so grandiose had in a relatively short time [usually within only a few generations or a few decades later] come crashing down into such a ruinous heap
For example what King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had so magnificently achieved in just a few decades his grandson Belshazzar quickly brought to ruins. What Alexander the Great had accomplished for Greece the later ruler Antiochus Epiphanies needlessly squandered. Likewise what Julius Caesar had accomplished for Rome the later Caesar Nero would bring to an almost complete disaster. - Being a citizen in each of the previous six Kingdoms (especially at the start) had many perks and benefits while it was the outsider that was alien and stranger to the benefits of the Kingdom and the outsider who endured the most risk. What was consistent for the previous six Kingdoms seems to be different (Daniel 11:37) for the last Kingdom, the Kingdom of Antichrist. The Kingdom of Antichrist apparently is going to be self-contained in that where previous Kingdoms disintegrated over time during the rule of multiple rulers the coming Kingdom of Antichrist will implode within itself within a very short period of time, out of necessity in that the ruler of the 7th Kingdom (Satan) is not out to benefit mankind. The seeds of the oppression and destruction of the 7th Kingdom have already been sown back in 1066 A.D. The drastic change that took place in 1066 A.D. was a shift in how the King saw his people, previous to 1066 A.D. the King sought in part to benefit the people but starting in 1066 A.D. the King universally began to seek primarily how the people could benefit the King. The English land census of 1086 A.D. was a complete change of how society would function, no longer would the people (citizens) have a meaningful place in society with the King at the top but the people all people (citizens and aliens) would be in question by the King and in fact as time would continue it would become better to be an alien to the Government rather than a citizen. [article link]

Wikipedia: Battle of Hastings 1066 A.D. - The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 A.D. during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II - It took place at Senlac Hill, approximately 10 km (61/4 miles) northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex, and was a decisive Norman victory - Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England - The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France - They were descended from Norse [Nordic - Scandinavia; Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland] Viking conquerors
King Harold II was killed in the battle-legend has it that he was shot through the eye with an arrow. He was the last English king to die in battle on English soil until Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field. The battle marked the last successful foreign invasion of the British Isles. Although there was further English resistance, this battle is seen as the point at which William gained control of England, becoming its first Norman ruler as King William I. The battle also established the superiority of the combined arms attack over an army predominately composed of infantry, demonstrating the effectiveness of archers, cavalry and infantry working cooperatively together. The dominance of cavalry forces over infantry would continue until the emergence of the longbow, and battles such as Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt in the Hundred Years War. The famous Bayeux Tapestry depicts the events before and during the battle. Battle Abbey marks the site where it is believed that the battle was fought. Founded by King William "the Conqueror" (as he became known), it serves as a memorial to the dead and may have been an act of penance for the bloodshed. The site is open to the public and is the location of annual re-enactments of the battle. -- The Battle of Hastings had a tremendous influence on the English language. The Normans were French-speaking, and as a result of their rule, they introduced many French words that started in the nobility and eventually became part of the English language itself. [article link]

Wikipedia: Normans - The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France - They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock - Their identity emerged initially in the first half of the 10th century, and gradually evolved over succeeding centuries
They played a major political, military, and cultural role in medieval Europe and even the Near East. They were famed for their martial spirit and eventually for their Christian piety. They quickly adopted the Romance language of the land they settled, their dialect becoming known as Norman or Norman-French, an important literary language. The Duchy of Normandy, which they formed by treaty with the French crown, was one of the great fiefs of medieval France. The Normans are famed both for their culture, such as their unique Romanesque architecture, and their musical traditions, as well as for their military accomplishments and innovations. Norman adventurers established a kingdom in Sicily and southern Italy by conquest, and a Norman expedition on behalf of their duke led to the Norman Conquest of England. Norman influence spread from these new centres to the Crusader States in the Near East, to Scotland and Wales in Great Britain, and to Ireland. ... In Byzantium: Soon after the Normans first began to enter Italy, they entered the Byzantine Empire, and then Armenia against the Pechenegs, Bulgars, and especially Seljuk Turks. The Norman mercenaries first encouraged to come to the south by the Lombards to act against the Byzantines soon fought in Byzantine service in Sicily. They were prominent alongside Varangian and Lombard contingents in the Sicilian campaign of George Maniaces of 1038-40. There is debate whether the Normans in Greek service were mostly or at all from Norman Italy, and it now seems likely only a few came from there. It is also unknown how many of the "Franks", as the Byzantines called them, were Normans and not other Frenchmen. One of the first Norman mercenaries to serve as a Byzantine general was Hervé in the 1050s. By then however, there were already Norman mercenaries serving as far away as Trebizond and Georgia. They were based at Malatya and Edessa, under the Byzantine duke of Antioch, Isaac Komnenos. In the 1060s, Robert Crispin led the Normans of Edessa against the Turks. Roussel de Bailleul even tried to carve out an independent state in Asia Minor with support from the local population, but he was stopped by the Byzantine general Alexius Komnenos. Some Normans joined Turkish forces to aid in the destruction of the Armenians vassal-states of Sassoun and Taron in far eastern Anatolia. Later, many took up service with the Armenian state further south in Cilicia and the Taurus Mountains. A Norman named Oursel led a force of "Franks" into the upper Euphrates valley in northern Syria. From 1073 to 1074, 8,000 of the 20,000 troops of the Armenian general Philaretus Brachamius were Normans - formerly of Oursel - led by Raimbaud. They even lent their ethnicity to the name of their castle: Afranji, meaning "Franks." The known trade between Amalfi and Antioch and between Bari and Tarsus may be related to the presence of Italo-Normans in those cities while Amalfi and Bari were under Norman rule in Italy. Several families of Byzantine Greece were of Norman mercenary origin during the period of the Comnenian Restoration, when Byzantine emperors were seeking out western European warriors. The Raoulii were descended from an Italo-Norman named Raoul, the Petraliphae were descended from a Pierre d'Aulps, and that group of Albanian clans known as the Maniakates were descended from Normans who served under George Maniaces in the Sicilian expedition of 1038 A.D. [article link]

Domesday Book - Important Facts about the Domesday Book of 1086 A.D. - What is the Domesday book? It was a survey, or census, commissioned by the Norman Conqueror King William I, of his newly conquered lands and possessions in England - It was intended to document "What, or how much, each man had, who was an occupier of land in England, either in land or in stock, and how much money it were worth" - This great survey enabled the Normans and William the Conqueror to administer England and levy taxes
The census and assessment proved of the highest importance to William the Conqueror and his successors. The people indeed said bitterly that the King kept the Doomsday, or Domesday book constantly by him, in order "that he might be able to see at any time of how much more wool the English flock would bear fleecing." The object of the Doomsday, or Domesday book, however, was not to extort money, but to present a full and exact report of the financial and military resources of the kingdom which might be directly available for revenue and defence. [article link]

Wikipedia: Domesday Book 1086 A.D. - The "Domesday Book" now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 - The survey was executed for William I of England (William the Conqueror): "While spending the Christmas of 1085 in Gloucester, William had deep speech with his counsellors and sent men all over England to each shire to find out what or how much each landholder had in land and livestock, and what it was worth" Anglo-Saxon Chronicle {Note: The required use of a family last name originates from the Norman King William I as a necessary part of the tracking and classification of the 1086 A.D. English land census for use in the accompanying Book of Doomsday. The census, system and cataloguing including a last name is in a sense the precursor of the modern census and SSN data system that we have today.}
One of the main purposes of the survey was to determine who held what and what taxes had been liable under Edward the Confessor; the judgment of the Domesday assessors was final-whatever the book said about who held the material wealth or what it was worth, was the law, and there was no appeal. It was written in Latin, although there were some vernacular words inserted for native terms with no previous Latin equivalent, and the text was highly abbreviated. Richard FitzNigel, writing around the year 1179, stated that the book was known by the English as "Domesday", that is the Day of Judgment "for as the sentence of that strict and terrible last account cannot be evaded by any skilful subterfuge, so when this book is appealed to ... its sentence cannot be put quashed or set aside with impunity. That is why we have called the book 'the Book of Judgment' ... because its decisions, like those of the Last Judgment, are unalterable." In August 2006 a limited online version of Domesday Book was made available by the United Kingdom's National Archives, charging users £2 per page to view the manuscript. In 2011, the Domesday Map site made the manuscript freely available for the first time. [article link]

Wikipedia: Family name, Last Name - In Ireland, the use of surnames have a very old history - Ireland was the first country in Europe to use fixed surnames - As noted in the Annals, the first recorded fixed surname was Ó Cleirigh which recorded the death of Tigherneach Ua Cleirigh, lord of Aidhne in Co. Galway in the year 916 A.D. - In England, the introduction of family names is generally attributed to the Normans and the Domesday Book of 1086 A.D.
In England, the introduction of family names is generally attributed to the Normans and the Domesday Book of 1086. Documents indicate that surnames were first adopted among the feudal nobility and gentry, and only slowly spread to the other parts of society. Some of the early Norman nobility arriving in England during the Norman Conquest differentiated themselves by affixing 'de' (of) in front of the name of their village in France. This is what is known as a territorial surname, a consequence of feudal landownership. In medieval times in France, such a name indicated lordship, or ownership, of the village. But some early Norman nobles in England chose to drop the French derivations and call themselves instead after their new English holdings. -- True surnames, in the sense of hereditary appellations, date in England from about the year 1000. Largely they were introduced from Normandy, although there are records of Saxon, surnames prior to the Norman Conquest. By the end of the twelfth century hereditary names had become common in England. But even as late as 1465 they were not universal. During the reign of Edward V (between April and June, 1483) a law was passed to compel certain Irish to adopt surnames as **a method to track and control them more: "They shall take unto them a Surname, either of some Town, or some Colour, as Black or Brown, or some Art or Science, as Smyth or Carpenter, or some Office, as Cooke or Butler." (ramsdale.org/surname.htm) [article link]

Wikipedia: The famous Bayeux Tapestry - The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth (not an actual tapestry) nearly 70 metres (230 ft) long, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings - The tapestry consists of some fifty scenes with Latin tituli (captions), embroidered on linen with coloured woollen yarns - It is likely that it was commissioned by Bishop Odo, William's half-brother, and made in England in the 1070s - In 1729 the hanging was rediscovered by scholars at a time when it was being displayed annually in Bayeux Cathedral - The tapestry is now exhibited at Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux in Bayeux, Normandy
Events depicted in the tapestry: The tapestry begins with a panel of Edward the Confessor sending Harold to Normandy. Later Norman sources say that the mission was for Harold to pledge loyalty to William but the tapestry does not suggest any specific purpose. By mischance, Harold arrives at the wrong location in France and is taken prisoner by Guy, Count of Ponthieu. After exchanges of messages borne by mounted messengers, Harold is released to William who then invites Harold to come on a campaign against Conan II, Duke of Brittany. On the way, just outside the monastery of Mont St. Michel, the army become mired in quicksand and Harold saves two Norman soldiers. William's army chases Conan from Dol de Bretagne to Rennes, and Conan finally surrenders at Dinan. William gives Harold arms and armour (possibly knighting him) and Harold takes an oath on saintly relics. Although the writing on the tapestry explicitly states an oath is taken there is no clue as to what is being promised. -- Harold leaves for home and meets again with the old king Edward, who appears to be remonstrating with him. Harold is in a somewhat submissive posture and seems to be in disgrace. However, possibly deliberately, the king's intentions are not made clear. The scene then shifts by about one year to when Edward has become mortally ill and the tapestry strongly suggests that, on his deathbed, he bequeaths the crown to Harold. What is probably the coronation ceremony is attended by Stigand, whose position as Archbishop of Canterbury was controversial. Stigand is performing a liturgical function, possibly not the crowning itself. The tapestry labels the celebrant as "Stigant Archieps" (Stigand the archbishop) although by that time he had been excommunicated by the papacy who considered his appointment unlawful. -- A star with a streaming tail then appears: Halley's Comet. Comets, in the beliefs of the Middle Ages, were a bad omen. At this point the lower border of the tapestry shows a fleet of ghost-like ships thus hinting at a future invasion. The news of Harold's coronation is taken to Normandy, whereupon we are told that William is ordering a fleet of ships to be built although it is Bishop Odo shown issuing the instructions. The invaders reach England, and land unopposed. William orders his men to find food, and a meal is cooked. A house is burnt, which may indicate some ravaging of the local countryside on the part of the invaders. News is brought to William. The Normans build a motte and bailey at Hastings to defend their position. Messengers are sent between the two armies, and William makes a speech to prepare his army for battle. -- The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 less than three weeks after the Battle of Stamford Bridge but the tapestry does not provide this context. The English fight on foot behind a shield wall, whilst the Normans are on horses. Two fallen knights are named as Leofwine and Gyrth, Harold's brothers, but both armies are shown fighting bravely. Bishop Odo brandishes his baton or mace and rallies the Norman troops in battle. To reassure his knights that he is still alive and well, William raises his helmet to show his face. The battle becomes very bloody with troops being slaughtered and dismembered corpses littering the ground. King Harold is killed. This scene can be interpreted in different ways, as the name "Harold" appears above a number of knights, making it difficult to identify which character is Harold. The final remaining scene shows unarmoured English troops fleeing the battlefield. The last part of the tapestry is missing but it is thought that story never continued for very much further. [article link]

Wikipedia: Robin Hood - Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore - A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor" assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men" - The idea of Robin Hood as a high-minded Saxon fighting Norman lords also originates in the 19th century - The 20th century grafted still further details on to the original legends. The 1938 film, The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, portrayed Robin as a hero on a national scale, leading the oppressed Saxons in revolt against their Norman overlords while Richard the Lionheart fought in the Crusades; this movie established itself so definitively that many studios resorted to movies about his son (invented for that purpose) rather than compete with the image of this one
There are a number of theories that attempt to identify a historical Robin Hood. A difficulty with any such historical search is that "Robert" was in medieval England a very common given name, and "Robin" (or Robyn), especially in the 13th century, was its very common diminutive. The surname "Hood" (or Hude or Hode etc.), referring ultimately to the head-covering, was also fairly common. Unsurprisingly, therefore, there are a number of people called "Robert Hood" or "Robin Hood" to be found in medieval records. Some of them are on record for having fallen afoul of the law, but this is not necessarily significant to the legend. The early ballads give a number of possible historical clues: notably, the Gest names the reigning king as "Edward", but the ballads cannot be assumed to be reliable in such details. For whatever it may be worth, however, King Edward I took the throne in 1272, and an Edward remained on the throne until the death of Edward III in 1377. On the other hand, what appears to be the first known example of "Robin Hood" as stock name for an outlaw dates to 1262 in Berkshire, where the surname "Robehod" was applied to a man after he had been outlawed, and apparently because he had been outlawed. This could suggest two main possibilities: either that an early form of the Robin Hood legend was already well established in the mid 13th century; or alternatively that the name "Robin Hood" preceded the outlaw hero that we know; so that the "Robin Hood" of legend was so called because that was seen as an appropriate name for an outlaw. It has long been suggested, notably by John Maddicott, that "Robin Hood" was a stock alias used by thieves. [article link]

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA - Crusades: The Crusades were expeditions undertaken, in fulfilment of a solemn vow, to deliver the Holy Places from Mohammedan tyranny - The idea of the crusade corresponds to a political conception which was realized in Christendom only from the eleventh to the fifteenth century - It has been customary to describe the (major) Crusades as eight in number
• the first, 1095-1101;
• the second, headed by Louis VII, 1145-47;
• the third, conducted by Philip Augustus and Richard Coeur-de-Lion, 1188-92;
• the fourth, during which Constantinople was taken, 1204;
• the fifth, which included the conquest of Damietta, 1217;
• the sixth, in which Frederick II took part (1228-29); also Thibaud de Champagne and Richard of Cornwall (1239);
• the seventh, led by St. Louis, 1249-52;
• the eighth, also under St. Louis, 1270.
[article link]

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA - Crusades: The origin of the Crusades is directly traceable to the moral and political condition of Western Christendom in the eleventh century
At that time Europe was divided into numerous states whose sovereigns were absorbed in tedious and petty territorial disputes while the emperor, in theory the temporal head of Christendom, was wasting his strength in the quarrel over Investitures. The popes alone had maintained a just estimate of Christian unity; they realized to what extent the interests of Europe were threatened by the Byzantine Empire and the Mohammedan tribes, and they alone had a foreign policy whose traditions were formed under Leo IX and Gregory VII. The reform effected in the Church and the papacy through the influence of the monks of Cluny had increased the prestige of the Roman pontiff in the eyes of all Christian nations; hence none but the pope could inaugurate the international movement that culminated in the Crusades. But despite his eminent authority the pope could never have persuaded the Western peoples to arm themselves for the conquest of the Holy Land had not the immemorial relations between Syria and the West favoured his design. Europeans listened to the voice of Urban II because their own inclination and historic traditions impelled them towards the Holy Sepulchre. -- From the end of the fifth century there had been no break in their intercourse with the Orient. In the early Christian period colonies of Syrians had introduced the religious ideas, art, and culture of the East into the large cities of Gaul and Italy. The Western Christians in turn journeyed in large numbers to Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, either to visit the Holy Places or to follow the ascetic life among the monks of the Thebaid or Sinai. There is still extant the itinerary of a pilgrimage from Bordeaux to Jerusalem, dated 333; in 385 St. Jerome and St. Paula founded the first Latin monasteries at Bethlehem. Even the Barbarian invasion did not seem to dampen the ardour for pilgrimages to the East. The Itinerary of St. Silvia (Etheria) shows the organization of these expeditions, which were directed by clerics and escorted by armed troops. In the year 600, St. Gregory the Great had a hospice erected in Jerusalem for the accommodation of pilgrims, sent alms to the monks of Mount Sinai ("Vita Gregorii" in "Acta SS.", March 11, 132), and, although the deplorable condition of Eastern Christendom after the Arab invasion rendered this intercourse more difficult, it did not by any means cease. [article link]

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA - Crusades: As early as the eighth century Anglo-Saxons underwent the greatest hardships to visit Jerusalem
The journey of St. Willibald, Bishop of Eichstädt, took seven years (722-29) and furnishes an idea of the varied and severe trials to which pilgrims were subject (Itiner. Latina, 1, 241-283). After their conquest of the West, the Carolingians endeavoured to improve the condition of the Latins settled in the East; in 762 Pepin the Short entered into negotiations with the Caliph of Bagdad. In Rome, on 30 November, 800, the very day on which Leo III invoked the arbitration of Charlemagne, ambassadors from Haroun al-Raschid delivered to the King of the Franks the keys of the Holy Sepulchre, the banner of Jersualem, and some precious relics (Einhard, "Annales", ad an. 800, in "Mon. Germ. Hist.: Script.", I, 187); this was an acknowledgment of the Frankish protectorate over the Christians of Jerusalem. That churches and monasteries were built at Charlemagne's expense is attested by a sort of a census of the monasteries of Jerusalem dated 808 ("Commemoratio de Casis Dei" in "Itiner. Hieros.", I, 209). In 870, at the time of the pilgrimage of Bernard the Monk (Itiner. Hierosol., I, 314), these institutions were still very prosperous, and it has been abundantly proved that alms were sent regularly from the West to the Holy Land. In the tenth century, just when the political and social order of Europe was most troubled, knights, bishops, and abbots, actuated by devotion and a taste for adventure, were wont to visit Jerusalem and pray at the Holy Sepulchre without being molested by the Mohammedans. Suddenly, in 1009, Hakem, the Fatimite Caliph of Egypt, in a fit of madness ordered the destruction of the Holy Sepulchre and all the Christian establishments in Jerusalem. For years thereafter Christians were cruelly persecuted. (See the recital of an eyewitness, Iahja of Antioch, in Schlumberger's "Epopée byzantine", II, 442.) In 1027 the Frankish protectorate was overthrown and replaced by that of the Byzantine emperors, to whose diplomacy was due the reconstruction of the Holy Sepulchre. The Christian quarter was even surrounded by a wall, and some Amalfi merchants, vassals of the Greek emperors, built hospices in Jerusalem for pilgrims, e.g. the Hospital of St. John, cradle of the Order of Hospitallers. -- Instead of diminishing, the enthusiasm of Western Christians for the pilgrimage to Jerusalem seemed rather to increase during the eleventh century. Not only princes, bishops, and knights, but even men and women of the humbler classes undertook the holy journey (Radulphus Glaber, IV, vi). Whole armies of pilgrims traversed Europe, and in the valley of the Danube hospices were established where they could replenish their provisions. In 1026 Richard, Abbot of Saint-Vannes, led 700 pilgrims into Palestine at the expense of Richard II, Duke of Normandy. In 1065 over 12,000 Germans who had crossed Europe under the command of Günther, Bishop of Bamberg, while on their way through Palestine had to seek shelter in a ruined fortress, where they defended themselves against a troop of Bedouins (Lambert of Hersfeld, in "Mon. Germ. Hist.: Script.", V, 168). Thus it is evident that at the close of the eleventh century the route to Palestine was familiar enough to Western Christians who looked upon the Holy Sepulchre as the most venerable of relics and were ready to brave any peril in order to visit it. The memory of Charlemagne's protectorate still lived, and a trace of it is to be found in the medieval legend of this emperor's journey to Palestine (Gaston Paris in "Romania", 1880, p. 23). -- The rise of the Seljukian Turks, however, compromised the safety of pilgrims and even threatened the independence of the Byzantine Empire and of all Christendom. [article link]

The Real History of the Crusades - The crusades are quite possibly the most misunderstood event in European history - Most of what passes for public knowledge about it is either misleading or just plain wrong -- Whether we admire the Crusaders or not, it is a fact that the world we know today would not exist without their efforts - The ancient faith of Christianity, with its respect for women and antipathy toward slavery, not only survived but flourished - Without the Crusades, it might well have followed Zoroastrianism, another of Islam's rivals, into extinction
When we think about the Middle Ages, it is easy to view Europe in light of what it became rather than what it was. The colossus of the medieval world was Islam, not Christendom. The Crusades are interesting largely because they were an attempt to counter that trend. But in five centuries of crusading, it was only the First Crusade that significantly rolled back the military progress of Islam. It was downhill from there. When the Crusader County of Edessa fell to the Turks and Kurds in 1144, there was an enormous groundswell of support for a new Crusade in Europe. It was led by two kings, Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany, and preached by St. Bernard himself. It failed miserably. Most of the Crusaders were killed along the way. Those who made it to Jerusalem only made things worse by attacking Muslim Damascus, which formerly had been a strong ally of the Christians. In the wake of such a disaster, Christians across Europe were forced to accept not only the continued growth of Muslim power but the certainty that God was punishing the West for its sins. Lay piety movements sprouted up throughout Europe, all rooted in the desire to purify Christian society so that it might be worthy of victory in the East. ... Yet, even while these close shaves were taking place, something else was brewing in Europe-something unprecedented in human history. The Renaissance, born from a strange mixture of Roman values, medieval piety, and a unique respect for commerce and entrepreneurialism, had led to other movements like humanism, the Scientific Revolution, and the Age of Exploration. Even while fighting for its life, Europe was preparing to expand on a global scale. The Protestant Reformation, which rejected the papacy and the doctrine of indulgence, made Crusades unthinkable for many Europeans, thus leaving the fighting to the Catholics. In 1571, a Holy League, which was itself a Crusade, defeated the Ottoman fleet at Lepanto. Yet military victories like that remained rare. The Muslim threat was neutralized economically. As Europe grew in wealth and power, the once awesome and sophisticated Turks began to seem backward and pathetic-no longer worth a Crusade. The "Sick Man of Europe" (the Ottoman Empire) limped along until the 20th century [WWI], when he finally expired, leaving behind the present mess of the modern Middle East. [article link]

Knights Templar (Modern Freemasonry) History - The Knights Templar History started with the crusades of the Middle Ages, a war between Christians and Moslems centered around the city of Jerusalem - In 1065 the Knights Templar were formed to ensure the safety of the pilgrims of the Middle Ages who flocked towards Jerusalem - Their original name was the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ - The Knights Templar History moved on and in 1128 the ecclesiastical Council of Troyes gave the Knights Templar official recognition and granted their rule of the order - In 1272 King Henry III of England died and the English Council met at the Temple in London and draft a letter to Prince Edward informing him of his accession to the throne - [later, after an extended time of abusing their positions of power and authority] They were charged with heresy - thousands of Knights Templar were arrested across Europe - Templar ships left La Rochelle, heading to Scotland [Rosslyn Chapel] - The Knights Templar leader Jacques de Molay and Geoffroi de Charney were burnt at the stake on March 18th 1314
In A.D. 637 Jerusalem was surrendered to the Saracens. The caliph of the Saracens called Omar gave guarantees for the safety of the Christian population and because of this pledge the number of pilgrimages to Jerusalem still continued to increase. In 1065 Jerusalem was taken by the Turks, who came from the kingdom of ancient Persia. 3000 Christians were massacred and the remaining Christians were treated so badly that throughout Christendom people were stirred to fight in crusades. The Knights Templar were formed to to ensure the safety of the pilgrims of the Middle Ages who flocked towards Jerusalem. Their original name was the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ. ... the Temple of Soloman At first the Knights Templar had no church and no particular place of to live. In 1118, nineteen years after the freeing of Jerusalem, King Baldwin II of Jerusalem, granted the Knights Templar a place to live within the sacred enclosure of the Temple on Mount Moriah. This place was amid the holy structures which were exhibited by the priests of Jerusalem as the Temple of Solomon. The "Poor Fellow-soldiers of Jesus Christ" became colloquially known as "the Knighthood of the Temple of Solomon" and subsequently the Knights Templars. ... They were received with great honour by Pope Honorius, who approved of the objects and designs of the holy fraternity. The Knights Templar History moved on and in 1128 the ecclesiastical Council of Troyes gave the Knights Templar official recognition and granted their rule of the order. The Council of Troyes was instigated by Bernard of Clairvaux and the Knights Templars were represented by Hugues de Payen and Andre de Montbard. The Papal approval at the Council of Troyes resulted in many new recruits joining the order - the Rules of the Knights Templar Order: In 1130, Bernard of Clairvaux drew up the rules for the new Knights Templar order. Bernard set up the order with two main classes of knighthood, the knights and sergeants or serving brethren. Sergeants or serving brothers wore a black or brown mantle to show their lower status, whilst the Knights wore a red cross granted by Pope Eugenius III. Married men who joined the order could only join as sergeants, their property coming into the possession of the Order rather than to their wives upon their death. - A Papal Bull was issued in 1139 by Pope Innocent II, a protege of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, stating that the Knights Templar should owe allegiance to no one other than the Pope himself. - The Knights Templar History saw 1146 as the year when the Knights Templar order adopted the splayed red cross as their emblem. The Battle cry of the Templars was "Beau-Séant!" which was the motto they bore on their banner. - The Knights Templar order supported the second crusade in 1148. The decision was made to attack Damascus and armies were assembled in Acre. ... The army of Jerusalem and Guy of Lusignan, the King of Jerusalem, was beaten by Turkish forces in 1184. All Knights Templar and Hospitallers who survived the battle were executed afterwards. This event prompted the Third Crusade headed by Richard the Lionheart who was supported by the Knights Templar order. The city of Acre is taken by the Crusaders in 1191. Richard the Lionheart dies in 1199 and is succeeded by his brother John. - The Knights Templar History goes on and in 1263 problems in England lead to the Baron's revolt led by Simon de Montford opposing Edward I. On the pretence of removing his mother's jewels, Edward I entered the Knights Templar Temple in London and ransacked the treasury, taking the proceeds to the Tower of London. In 1271 Edward leads another crusade and is attacked by an assassin with a poisoned knife. He survives the attack and his life was saved with drugs sent by the master of the Knights Templar, Thomas Bérard. In 1272 King Henry III of England died and the English Council met at the Temple in London and draft a letter to Prince Edward informing him of his accession to the throne, illustrating the political importance of the Knights Templar in England. - King Philip IV of France (1268-1314) who was already heavily in debt to the Knights Templar requested a further loan. The Knights Templar refused his request. King Philip IV subsequently ordered the arrest of all Knight Templars in France. The order to arrest the Templars was sent out several weeks before the date possibly giving the Templars time to hide their wealth. On 11 October, two days before the arrest of many Templar Knights, it is recorded in French Masonic history that Templar ships left La Rochelle, heading to Scotland. On Friday the 13th, in October 1307, Jacques de Molay, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and 60 of his senior knights were arrested in Paris. They were charged with heresy and accused of homosexual acts. Admissions of guilt were extracted due to the use of torture. Pope Clement V initiated enquiries into the order and thousands of Knights Templar were arrested across Europe. The Medieval order of the Knights Templar become extinct in 1312 when the order is dissolved by the Council of Vienne. Anyone found sheltering a Templar was under threat of excommunication. Much of the Templar property outside of France was transferred by the Pope to the Knights Hospitallers, and many surviving Templars were also accepted into the Hospitallers. - The Death of the last Medieval Master: The Knights Templar leader Jacques de Molay and Geoffroi de Charney were burnt at the stake on March 18th 1314 for rescinding their former admission of heresy under torture. Jacques de Molay cursed the Pope and King Philip and prophesied that they would soon die. Pope Clement V was dead within 40 days and King Philip died that year. Jacques de Molay was the last Master of the Knights Templar. [article link]

Rosslyn Chapel - the 12 great mysteries - What's the meaning of carvings of American plants that predate Columbus' 1492 A.D. discovery of America? - Exotic plants featured in the chapel's carving include maize (corn) and aloe vera - One theory is that some of the masons who carved the chapel were descended from Vikings who may have landed in America before Columbus but another says simply that they were added later -- Construction of the chapel began on 20 September 1456, although it is often been recorded as 1446 - The confusion over the building date comes from the chapel's receiving its founding charter to build a collegiate chapel in 1446 from Rome (wikipedia.com)
Rosslyn Chapel, just outside Edinburgh, has been a holy place for centuries. Its name means either "point of a waterfall" or "ancient knowledge down the line" depending on who you ask. -- What is the chapel's link with Freemasons? Apparently Sir William St Clair claimed patronage of the masons - a link passed and strengthened through the generations and evidenced in two seventeenth century charters. In 1736, Sir William Sinclair became the first Scottish Grand Master at the Grand Lodge of Scotland in Edinburgh. By the 1690s, the bond between the Sinclairs and the masons was commented in a celebrated letter. ... Who is the leering green man engraved more than 120 times in the chapel? Carvings of a bearded green man appear in many religious settings in much of the world, but few have as many as Rosslyn. There are many theories about who the green man was. Some say it was either John the Baptist or Hercules. He is depicted as a Robin Hood-type figure, sometimes alternatively named Jack-in-the-green or Jack-in-the-Tree. He also may have been Celtic fertility god or a tree spirit. ... Who is the man with the gash on his head? Rumour suggests that he might be the smited apprentice of pillar fame. However, he could also be Freemasonry's legendary figure, Hiram Abiff, the martyred architect of King Solomon's Temple. Academic symbologists say it could just as easily express a classic archetype of sacrifice and rebirth. ... What do the 213 mysterious cube carvings mean? The mystical symbols carved into the stone ceiling of the chapel have confused historians for generations. But recently music scientists who believe they are part of a musical notation system are making efforts to decode the signs. The series of lines and dots are thought to represent shapes created by sand on a musical instrument during the vibrations caused by sound. [article link]

Wikipedia: Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 7 March 1274), also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis - "Aquinas" is not a surname (hereditary surnames were not then in common use in Europe), but is a Latin adjective meaning "of Aquino", his place of birth - He was the foremost classical proponent of natural theology, and the father of Thomism - His influence on Western thought is considerable, and much of modern philosophy was conceived as a reaction against, or as an agreement with his ideas, particularly in the areas of ethics, natural law, metaphysics, and political theory
Thomas is held in the Catholic Church to be the model teacher for those studying for the priesthood. The works for which he is best-known are the Summa Theologica and the Summa Contra Gentiles. As one of the 33 Doctors of the Church, he is considered the Church's greatest theologian and philosopher. Pope Benedict XV declared: "This (Dominican) Order ... acquired new luster when the Church declared the teaching of Thomas to be her own and that Doctor, honored with the special praises of the Pontiffs, the master and patron of Catholic schools." [article link]

Wikipedia: Chapters and verses of the Bible - The Bible is a compilation of many shorter books written at different times and later assembled into the Biblical canon - By the time of the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, the New Testament had been divided into paragraphs, although the divisions were different from the modern Bible - All but the shortest of these books have been divided into chapters, generally a page or so in length, since the early 13th century - Since the mid-16th century, each chapter has been further divided into "verses" of a few short lines or sentences - As the chapter and verse divisions were not part of the original texts, they form part of the Bible's paratext
Cardinal Hugo de Sancto Caro is often given credit for first dividing the Latin Vulgate into chapters in the real sense, but it is the arrangement of his contemporary and fellow cardinal Stephen Langton who in 1205 A.D. created the chapter divisions which are used today. They were then inserted into Greek manuscripts of the New Testament in the 15th century. Robert Estienne (Robert Stephanus) was the first to number the verses within each chapter, his verse numbers entering printed editions in 1551 (New Testament) and 1571 (Old Testament - Hebrew Bible). The division of the Bible into chapters and verses has often elicited severe criticism from traditionalists and modern scholars alike. Critics charge that the text is often divided in an incoherent way, or at inappropriate rhetorical points [i.e. Isaiah chapter 53], and that it encourages citing passages out of context. Nevertheless, the chapter and verse numbers have become indispensable as technical references for Bible study. [article link]

Wikipedia: Johannes Gutenberg (1398 - February 3, 1468) was a blacksmith, goldsmith, printer and publisher who probably introduced movable type to Europe, and is likely to have developed the earliest European printing press - He is sometimes said to have started the Printing Revolution, regarded as the most important event of the modern period - It played a key role in the development of the Renaissance, Reformation, the Age of Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses - Martin Luther's 95 Theses were printed and circulated widely
Gutenberg's printing technology spread rapidly throughout Europe, and may well have been refined and perfected by others. The process quickly replaced most of the manuscript methods of book-production throughout the world. Woodblock printing and manuscript rubrication continued to be used to supplement Gutenberg's printing process. His first major work using his printing methods was the Gutenberg Bible. -- Legacy: Although Gutenberg was financially unsuccessful in his lifetime, the printing technologies spread quickly, and news and books began to travel across Europe much faster than before. It fed the growing Renaissance, and since it greatly facilitated scientific publishing, it was a major catalyst for the later scientific revolution. The capital of printing in Europe shifted to Venice, where visionary printers like Aldus Manutius ensured widespread availability of the major Greek and Latin texts. The claims of an Italian origin for movable type have also focused on this rapid rise of Italy in movable-type printing. This may perhaps be explained by the prior eminence of Italy in the paper and printing trade. Additionally, Italy's economy was growing rapidly at the time, facilitating the spread of literacy. Christopher Columbus had a geographical book (printed by movable types) bought by his father. That book is in a Spanish museum. Finally, the city of Mainz was sacked in 1462, driving many (including a number of printers and punch cutters) into exile. -- **Printing was also a factor in the Reformation. Martin Luther's 95 Theses were printed and circulated widely; subsequently he issued broadsheets outlining his anti-indulgences position (certificates of indulgences were one of the first items Gutenberg had printed). The broadsheet contributed to development of the newspaper. -- In the decades after Gutenberg, many conservative patrons looked down on cheap printed books; books produced by hand were considered more desirable. Today there is a large antique market for the earliest printed objects. Books printed prior to 1500 are known as incunabula. There are many statues of Gutenberg in Germany, including the famous one by Bertel Thorvaldsen (1837) in Mainz, home to the eponymous Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz and the Gutenberg Museum on the history of early printing. The later publishes the Gutenberg-Jahrbuch, the leading periodical in the field. Project Gutenberg [www.gutenberg.org], the oldest digital library [of FREE eBooks], commemorates Gutenberg's name. In 1961 the Canadian philosopher and scholar Marshall McLuhan entitled his pioneering study in the fields of print culture, cultural studies, and media ecology, The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man. Gutenberg remains a towering figure in the popular image. In 1999, the A&E Network ranked Gutenberg the No. 1 most influential person of the second millennium on their "Biographies of the Millennium" countdown. In 1997, Time-Life magazine picked Gutenberg's invention as the most important of the second millennium. In space, he is commemorated in the name of the asteroid 777 Gutemberga. A French opera on his life, by Philippe Manoury, was staged in Strasbourg in September 2011. [article link]

Johannes Gutenberg - His early training was in goldsmithing - Gutenberg had the idea of utilizing techniques of metalworking, such as casting, punch-cutting, and stamping, for the mass production of books. European books at this time were hand written by scribes in a gothic script with many flourishes and ligatures - The Bible of 42 lines (per page) [a single complete copy of the Gutenberg Bible has 1,272 pages], the oldest surviving printed book in the western world
Johannes Gutenberg was born into a noble family of the city of Mainz, Germany. His early training was in goldsmithing. In 1428, he moved to Strasbourg for political reasons, where he remained for over 20 years. It was in Strasbourg that he probably made his first experiments with moveable type. -- Gutenberg had the idea of utilizing techniques of metalworking, such as casting, punch-cutting, and stamping, for the mass production of books. European books at this time were hand written by scribes in a gothic script with many flourishes and ligatures (interconnected letter pairs). To reproduce this "look" Gutenberg fashioned a font of over 300 characters, far larger than the fonts of today. To make this possible, he invented the variable-width mold, and perfected the blend of lead, antimony, and tin used by type foundries up to the present century. -- Many years of Gutenberg's life are lost to history, but by 1450 he was back in Mainz at work on a printing press. Between 1450 and 1455, while preparing to produce a large folio Latin Bible, Gutenberg is thought to have printed a number of smaller books, a calendar, and a papal Letter of Indulgence. The Bible of 42 lines, the oldest surviving printed book in the western world, was completed by August 15, 1456, and while it is now credited to Gutenberg, he appears to have been relieved of his supervisory position, and his press, before the time of its publication. In fact, no printed material was ever credited to Gutenberg during his lifetime. -- Gutenberg is also believed to have worked on the Catholicon of Johannes de Janua, an enormous encyclopedia: 748 pages in two columns of 66 lines each. In later years, he received a position as a courtier to the archbishop of Mainz, and was buried in the town's Franciscan church. [article link]

Timeline of World History - The Middle Ages (476-1453 A.D.)
460 A.D. death of Saint Patrick (d. 461 or 493), Christian missionary and patron saint of Ireland -- 476 A.D. September 4, Fall of the Roman Empire, Emperor Romulus Augustulus deposed by Odoacer/Odovacar, leader of the Germanic Scirii and Heruli (tribes which at that time were foederati or allies of the Romans) -- 500 A.D. King Arthur, semi-legendary Celtic leader resisting Anglo-Saxon invasions of Britain [his existence is not historically attested] -- Clovis I, king of the Franks (r. 482-511), queen Clotilda (d. 548), Merovingian dynasty; Clovis became a Christian under the influence of Clotilda (also believing that a victory against the Alemanni was brought about by his invocation of Jesus) -- 520 A.D. Boethius (d. 524), philosopher and author of the Consolation of Philosophy, executed by Theodoric, Ostrogoth ruler of Rome (r. 493-526) -- 550 A.D. Saint Benedict (d. 550), "father of Western monasticism" and author of the Rule of Saint Benedict --- 1450 A.D. invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg -- 1453 capture of Constantinople by Ottoman Turks, flight of Greek Byzantine culture into western Europe -- end of the Hundred Years' War between France and England -- END OF THE MIDDLE AGES AND BEGINNING OF THE RENAISSANCE [article link]

Introduction: At the time of the death of printing press inventor Johannes Gutenberg in 1468 A.D. a young Desiderius Erasmus, publisher of the Textus Receptus (the early version of the KJV Bible) was already two years old - Throughout his life Erasmus would translate and publish the most complete and accurate Bible of his time, his works in use by others would continue to inspire generations of Christians even to the present day
Later on January 3, 1521 A.D. the great Martin Luther would be excommunicated. Excommunicated by the corrupt, occult, Illuminati Pope Leo X. A move by Pope Leo X that would finalize the Protestant Reformation and assure that Rome would never again be the sole Christian authority on earth. [article link]

Wikipedia: Desiderius Erasmus (October 28, 1466 - July 12, 1536) - Using humanist techniques for working on texts, he prepared important new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament - Erasmus lived through the Reformation period, but while he was critical of the Church, he could not bring himself to join the cause of the Reformers - In relation to clerical abuses in the Church, Erasmus remained committed to reforming the Church from within - He also held to Catholic doctrines such as that of free will, which some Reformers rejected in favor of the doctrine of predestination - His middle road approach disappointed and even angered scholars in both camps
Known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, early proponent of religious toleration, and theologian. Erasmus was a classical scholar who wrote in a pure Latin style and enjoyed the sobriquet "Prince of the Humanists." He has been called "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists." Using humanist techniques for working on texts, he prepared important new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament. These raised questions that would be influential in the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation. He also wrote The Praise of Folly, Handbook of a Christian Knight, On Civility in Children, Copia: Foundations of the Abundant Style, Julius Exclusus, and many other works. Erasmus lived through the Reformation period, but while he was critical of the Church, he could not bring himself to join the cause of the Reformers. In relation to clerical abuses in the Church, Erasmus remained committed to reforming the Church from within. He also held to Catholic doctrines such as that of free will, which some Reformers rejected in favor of the doctrine of predestination. His middle road approach disappointed and even angered scholars in both camps. He died in Basel in 1536 and was buried in the formerly Catholic cathedral there, which had been converted to a Reformed church in 1529. Erasmus was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. Desiderius was a self-adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The Roterodamus in his scholarly name is the Latinized adjectival form for the city of Rotterdam. -- Biography: Desiderius Erasmus was born in Holland on October 28th. The exact year of his birth is debated but some evidence confirming 1466 can be found in Erasmus's own words. Of twenty-three statements Erasmus made about his age, all but one of the first fifteen indicate 1466. He was christened "Erasmus" after the saint of that name. Although associated closely with Rotterdam, he lived there for only four years, never to return. Information on his family and early life comes mainly from vague references in his writings. His parents almost certainly were not legally married. His father, named Roger Gerard, later became a priest and afterwards curate in Gouda. Little is known of his mother other than that her name was Margaret and she was the daughter of a physician. Although he was born out of wedlock, Erasmus was cared for by his parents until their early deaths from the plague in 1483. He was then given the very best education available to a young man of his day, in a series of monastic or semi-monastic schools, most notably a Latin school in Deventer run by the Brethren of the Common Life (inspired by Geert Groote). During his stay here the curriculum was renewed by the principal of the school, Alexander Hegius. For the first time ever Greek was taught at a lower level than a university in Europe, and this is where he began learning it. He also gleaned there the importance of a personal relationship with God but eschewed the harsh rules and strict methods of the religious brothers and educators. [article link]

Chick.com: Was Erasmus, the editor of the Textus Receptus (Received Text - manuscript for the later King James Version, KJV 1611 Holy Bible), a "good" Roman Catholic? -- Erasmus, edited the Greek text which was later to be known as the Textus Receptus - The Roman Catholic Church criticized his works for his refusal to use Jerome's Latin translation, a translation that he said was inaccurate - It has been said that "Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched" There is probably far more truth to this statement than can be casually discerned - For the reformers were armed with Erasmus's Bible, his writings and his attitude of resistance to Roman Catholic intimidation - Of Luther he said, "I favor Luther as much as I can, even if my cause is everywhere linked with his" - He wrote several letters on Luther's behalf, and wholeheartedly agreed with him that salvation was entirely by grace, not works -- Erasmus was also the FIRST person to use the term "fundamental"
He opposed Jerome's translation in two vital areas. He detected that the Greek text [of the Egyptian manuscripts] had been corrupted as early as the fourth century [by the desert monks - desert fathers]. He knew that Jerome's translation had been based solely on the Alexandrian manuscript, Vaticanus, written itself early in the fourth century. He also differed with Jerome on the translation of certain passages which were vital to the claimed authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Jerome rendered Matthew 4:17 thus: "Do penance, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Erasmus differed with: "Be penitent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Erasmus was also a staunch defender of both Mark 16:9-21 and John 8:1-12. Zeal which our modern day scholars cannot seem to find. -- Possibly Erasmus's greatest gift to mankind was his attitude toward the common man. In the rigidly "classed" society in which he lived, he was an indefatigable advocate of putting the Scripture in the hands of the common man. While Jerome's Latin had been translated at the bidding of the Roman hierarchy, Erasmus translated his Latin with the express purpose of putting it into the hands of the common people of his day. A practice that the Roman Catholic Church knew could be dangerous to its plan to control the masses. Erasmus is quoted as saying, "Do you think that the Scriptures are fit only for the perfumed?" "I venture to think that anyone who reads my translation at home will profit thereby." He boldly stated that he longed to see the Bible in the hands of "the farmer, the tailor, the traveler and the Turk." Later, to the astonishment of his upper classed colleagues, he added "the masons, the prostitutes and the pimps" to that declaration. Knowing his desire to see the Bible in the hands of God's common people, it seems not so surprising that God was to use his Greek text for the basis of the English Bible that was translated with the common man in mind, the King James Bible. -- It has been said that "Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched." There is probably far more truth to this statement than can be casually discerned. For the reformers were armed with Erasmus's Bible, his writings and his attitude of resistance to Roman Catholic intimidation. Of Luther he said, "I favor Luther as much as I can, even if my cause is everywhere linked with his." He wrote several letters on Luther's behalf, and wholeheartedly agreed with him that salvation was entirely by grace, not works. He refused pressure by his Roman Catholic superiors to denounce Luther as a heretic. If Erasmus had turned the power of his pen on Luther, it would undoubtedly have caused far more damage than the powerless threats of the pope and his imps were able to do. As it is, only his disagreement with Luther's doctrine of predestination ever prompted him to criticize the Reformer with pen and ink. Erasmus's greatest point of dissension with the Roman Church was over its doctrine of salvation through works and the tenets of the church. He taught that salvation was a personal matter between the individual and God and was by faith alone. Of the Roman system of salvation he complained, "Aristotle is so in vogue that there is scarcely time in the churches to interpret the gospel." And what was "the gospel" to which Erasmus referred? We will let him speak for himself. "Our hope is in the mercy of God and the merits of Christ." Of Jesus Christ he stated, "He ... nailed our sins to the cross, sealed our redemption with his blood." He boldly stated that no rites of the Church were necessary for an individual's salvation. "The way to enter paradise," he said, "is the way of the penitent thief, say simply, Thy will be done. The world to me is crucified and I to the world." Concerning the most biblical sect of his time, the Anabaptists, he reserved a great deal of respect. He mentioned them as early as 1523 even though he himself was often called the "only Anabaptist of the 16th century." He stated that the Anabaptists that he was familiar with called themselves "Baptists." (Ironically, Erasmus was also the FIRST person to use the term "fundamental.") So we see that when Erasmus died on July 11, 1536, he had led a life that could hardly be construed to be an example of what could be considered a "good Catholic." But perhaps the greatest compliment, though veiled, that Erasmus's independent nature ever received came in 1559, twenty-three years after his death. That is when Pope Paul IV put Erasmus's writings on the "Index" of books, forbidden to be read by Roman Catholics. [article link]

Wikipedia: Codex Alexandrinus (an Egyptian manuscript) - The Codex (a book with pages vs. a parchment or a scroll) Alexandrinus is a [*corrupted] 5th century manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Septuagint and the New Testament - {All of the Egyptian manuscripts above are of poor quality with scribal errors of all sorts. They are poor copies with more than 5,000 changes compared to the Byzantine [Textus Receptus] manuscripts. Most of these changes are deletions, with verses and entire books missing. Many verses are modified and the reading does not make a complete thought or (use) simple logic. The only writing from the Apostle Paul is the book of Romans. There are more than 3,000 variants in the Gospels between the Codex Alexandrinus (A) and the Codex Vaticanus (B). Their lack of agreement reduces their reliability even further. One Bible text researcher has called this difference the 3,000 lies. (biblelife.org/word.htm)}
It derives its name from Alexandria where it resided for a number of years before it brought by the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Cyril Lucaris from Alexandria to Constantinople. Then it was given to Charles I of England in the 17th century. Until the later purchase of the Codex Sinaiticus, it was the best manuscript of the Greek Bible deposited in Britain. Today, it rests along with Codex Sinaiticus in one of the showcases in the Ritblat Gallery of the British Library. As the text came from several different traditions, different parts of the codex are not of equal textual value. The text has been edited several times since the 18th century. [article link]

The History of the New Testament Scriptures - Which Version of the Bible is Best? -- History proves that the Greek Textus Receptus or Received Text as edited by Desiderius Erasmus from the Holy Greek Byzantine Manuscripts is the inspired word of God - Only the King James Version [KJV 1611] and the New King James Version [NKJV] were translated into English from the Greek Textus Receptus [unfortunately the changes and modification in the NKJV are from Alexandrian texts - only the KJV 1611 is from th Textus Receptus] - This study will show that all other versions have been corrupted and should be rejected -- Byzantine New Testament Manuscripts - The major doctrines of the Bible were severely neglected and distorted during the Dark Ages (476 AD - 1100 AD), "600 years of degenerate, godless, inhuman behavior" - These doctrines are available today only because of the 5,000 Greek [Byzantine] manuscripts that survived
Vulgate: The Roman Catholic Church has preserved more than 8,000 copies of the Bible written in Latin and called the Vulgate which was originally translated from Greek and Hebrew to Latin by Saint Jerome. ... Jerome obtained his Alexandrian manuscripts (common in North Africa) from which he translated the New Testament portion of the Latin Vulgate. The Vulgate shows that Jerome did not use Byzantine manuscripts from the Eastern Church. -- The printing press had been invented no later that 1456 A.D. -- Textus Receptus: The rush was on to produce printed copies of the Scriptures for the populace. Printer John Froben of Basle contacted Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536) to prepare a Greek New Testament manuscript for printing. Erasmus was a Roman Catholic who was highly critical of his own Church. He wanted to change the Church from within and was in disagreement with the Reformers over their harsh methods. He was in a struggle between the two and at times at odds with both. Erasmus' theology was more in agreement with the Eastern Greek Church than either the Roman Catholic Church or the Reformers such as Martin Luther. ... Erasmus used approximately six copies of the Greek Byzantine manuscripts as his source for the new Bible, rejecting copies of the Alexandrian text available in the Roman Catholic Church. The first printing of the new Greek Bible was in February 1516 and contained Greek text parallel to his own Latin version. The work was a huge success and in great demand even though the hurried work left many typographical errors. The second edition was printed in 1519 and the third in 1522. This work became known as the Textus Receptus or Received Text. Erasmus' work came under criticism because of a few small differences not found in a majority of the Greek Byzantine manuscripts. The verse giving a good description of the Trinity (1 John 5:7 in the KJV and NKJV) was inserted in his third edition. However, this was not an addition by Erasmus, because the same text can be found in four of the older Greek manuscripts. Of the Greek manuscripts used by Erasmus only one is said to have contained the book of Revelation but was missing the last page. He is believed to have translated the last six verses from the Latin Vulgate into Greek. Even so, these verses translated today from other Greek manuscripts give the same English rendering. The critics of the Textus Receptus tend to focus on these minor occurrences in the work in order to divert the reader from the real status of the work. The Textus Receptus is the Holy Inspired Word of God. -- Egyptian New Testament Manuscripts: Codex Sinaiticus (Sin.) was discovered in the library at the Monastery of St. Catherine at the foot of Mt. Sinai in 1859 by German theologian and Biblical scholar Count Konstantin von Tischendorf (1815-1874). Some of the Old Testament is missing; however, the whole 4th-century New Testament is preserved, with the Letter of Barnabas and most of the Shepherd of Hermas at the end. It was taken to St. Petersburg (Leningrad, Russia) and in 1933 sold by the Soviet regime to the British Museum Library in London for only 100,000 British Pounds Sterling. It is a partial manuscript believed to be dated about 350 A.D. as shown in the table below. Later revisions representing attempts to alter the text to a different standard probably were made about the 6th or 7th century at Caesarea. - Codex Vaticanus (B) was discovered in the Vatican Library, where it remains and is believed to have been since before 1475 A.D. It is a partial manuscript believed to be dated about 300 A.D. as shown in the table below. The New Testament is missing Hebrews from Chapter 9, verse 14, Philemon, and Revelation. The text type is mostly of the Alexandrian group. - Codex Alexandrinus (A) was discovered in the patriarchal library at Alexandria in the seventeenth century and taken to the British Museum Library in London as well. It contains most of the New Testament but with lacunae (gaps) in Matthew, John and II Corinthians, and also contains the extracanonical books of I and II Clement. In the Gospels the text is of the Byzantine type, but in the rest of the New Testament it is Alexandrian. It is believed to be dated about 450 A.D. as shown in the table below. - Beatty Papyri (P) were made available in the period between 1930 and 1960 from two wealthy book collectors, Chester Beatty and Martin Bodmer. These fragments of papyri were mainly found preserved in the dry sands of Egypt. They are all Alexandrian text type. The various papyri fragments are now located in Dublin, Ireland; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Cologny, Switzerland; Vatican, Rome; and Vienna, Austria. These fragments are partial manuscripts with the Gospel of John 18:31-33 and 18:37-38 (manuscript P52) being the oldest, dating to about 130-140 A.D. P52 is now in the John Rylands Library in Manchester, England. The others are believed to be dated about 200 to 250 A.D. as shown in the table below. -- All of the Egyptian manuscripts above are of poor quality with scribal errors of all sorts. They are poor copies with more than 5,000 changes compared to the Byzantine manuscripts. Most of these changes are deletions, with verses and entire books missing. Many verses are modified and the reading does not make a complete thought or simple logic. The only writing from the Apostle Paul is the book of Romans. There are more than 3,000 variants in the Gospels between the Codex Alexandrinus (A) and the Codex Vaticanus (B). Their lack of agreement reduces their reliability even further. One Bible text researcher has called this difference the 3,000 lies. - These manuscripts are believed to have been saved because they were stored away or discarded by the Gnostics, who were later purged from the Roman Catholic Church in the 2nd century. The first anti-Gnostic writer was St. Justin Martyr (d. c. 165). The full purging took place over many centuries until the Roman Catholic Church declared Gnosticism as heresy. The older Egyptian manuscripts are not necessarily in agreement with the original Scriptures. Nobody knows. A manuscript cannot be declared more accurate simply because of its age. This is a common error made by student of Christian history. On the other hand, the Byzantine Greek manuscripts were in constant use as the early Christian church grew. Older Byzantine manuscripts were discarded because of wear and replaced with new copies. - Gnosticism was an esoteric religious movement that flourished and spread to Egypt during the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. It presented a major challenge to orthodox Christianity. Most Gnostic sects professed Christianity, but their belief sharply diverged from those of the majority of Christians in the early church. It is believed that the Gnostics butchered the Greek text with these 5,000 changes, which are mostly deletions. The Gnostics can be identified because the deletions match their [Gnostic] theology. [article link]

The Controversy Behind Modern [since 1881 A.D.] Bible Versions - Remember! All the modern versions [NIV, NKJV, The Message, ESV, etc.] are based on the [excessively corrupted] (1881) Westcott and Hort text - writings of men [Westcott and Hort] who boasted between themselves that they held doctrines that would be considered dangerous heresy
Remember! All the modern versions are based on the Westcott and Hort text, compiled by two men who both believed that the sacred text of Holy Scripture was to be approached and treated like any secular text of history. The English people, who felt secure in their trust that these two Cambridge scholars would take care of attacks on the Scripture, unknowingly accepted the public utterances and writings of men who boasted between themselves that they held doctrines that would be considered dangerous heresy. Nowhere in all literature can we find a more perfectly clear self-revelation of Fenton John Anthony Hort than in the Life and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort published in 1896 by his son, Author Fenton Hort. Hort was brought up by a well taught Bible-believing evangelical mother. She recognized the fact that her son had departed from the faith "once delivered to the saints" and was saddened thereby. -- Hort acknowledged his departure from the Evangelical faith when he wrote, "Further I agree with those who condemn many leading specific doctrines of the popular theology, as to say the least, containing much superstition and immorality of a very pernicious king... The positive doctrines even of the Evangelicals seem to me perverted rather than untrue. There are I fear, still more serious differences between us on the subject of authority, and especially the authority of the Bible," Life and Letters, Vol. I, p.400. Again Dr. Hort states, "Another idea has lately occurred to me: is not Mariolatry displacing much worship of scattered saints and so becoming a tendency towards unity of worship? I have been persuaded for many years that Mary-worship and Jesus worship have very much in common in their causes and their results" Vol. I, p.50-51 "Life and Letters." -- Hort was completely deceived by Darwin Vol. I, p.374 "Life and Letters." "Have you read Darwin?...in spite of difficulties, I am inclined to think it is unanswerable (page 416). "...another last word on Darwin...I shall not let the matter drop in a hurry, or, to speak more correctly, it will not let me drop...there is no getting rid of it any more than a part of oneself." Vol. I, pages 433-434. On the atonement Hort writes, "Certainly nothing can be more unscriptural than the modern limiting of Christ's bearing our sins and sufferings to His death; but indeed that is only one aspect of an almost universal heresy." Vol. I, page 430 "Life and Letters." -- Hort in writing to a friend, John Ellerton, Dec. 20, 1851 said: "I had no idea till the last few weeks of the importance of texts, having read so little Greek Testament, and dragged on the villainous Textus Receptus... Think of that vile Textus Receptus leaning entirely on late manuscripts. It is a blessing there are such early ones." Hort refers of course to the very corrupt Codex Vaticanus and the Codex Alexandrius in which its finder, Tischendorf, noted 12,000 alterations, Codex Sinaiticus. We ask, "From where did Hort get this great antipathy and hatred for the Textus Receptus so early in his career? How did he conceive his ingenious theories to do away with the fact that the Textus Receptus (the Greek text underlying the King James Version) and that which is representative of a very, very high percentage of all Greek Manuscripts?" -- Look at the hidden background for the modern spreading rejection of the King James Version. The followers of Westcott and Hort are following the lead of men who have departed from the faith and have given themselves over to a strictly forbidden prying into the occult. They had received from the world of spirits a hatred for the true Word of God. After we learn that Hort describes the sacred text as "being that vile Textus Receptus," we read Hort's words, "Westcott, Gorham, C.B. Scott, Benson, Bradshaw, Luard, and I have started a society for the investigation of ghosts, and all supernatural appearances, and effects, being all disposed to believe that such things really exist, and ought to be discriminated from hoaxes and mere subjective delusions; we shall be happy to obtain any good accounts well authenticated with names. Our own temporary name is the [occult] Ghostly Guild." Vol. I, page 211. [article link]

the expositor: The Message (MSG) "bible" [Author: Eugene H. Peterson] Inserts Earth Reverence, God of "Green" Hope - "Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!" (The Message, Romans 15:13) -- "The Message" text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses, without express written permission of the publisher, NavPress Publishing Group, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible and do not account for 25% or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. Notice of copyright must appear as follows on either the title page or the copyright page of the work in which The Message is quoted: "Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group." (www.biblegateway.com/versions/Message-MSG-Bible/) -- How can we understand God's Truth when Truth is no longer there to be read?
Huh? What God of "green" hope? Why does The Message do this? -- Before we examine what seems suggestive of earth reverence/earth worship, let us restate some of what has been covered elsewhere about The Message: A generation has been raised on this disturbing "paraphrase" of the Bible. This is the primary version so many now rely on, and nationally known preachers quote from it with regularity. Yet, as we have seen, The Message flat out omits the sin of homosexuality from several key passages. We see this in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, and also in 1 Timothy 1: 8-11 (read about that here). -- Does the acceptance and use of The Message explain why many Christians are lukewarm on the issue of homosexuality? Certainly The Message is not the only factor-we dwell in a pro-homosexual media/culture-but place this "Bible" in a person's hands and it can have, over time, significant influence. How can we understand God's Truth when Truth is no longer there to be read? - "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart." (Proverbs 4:20-21) The beloved author of The Message, Eugene Peterson, has now endorsed two heretical books: The Shack, and Rob Bell's sly ode to universalism, Love Wins. - The Message, bluntly stated, seems written to make Christians less knowledgeable about the Word of God. While that may seem a strong comment, please consider what Eugene Peterson himself said about the Bible: "Why do people spend so much time studying the Bible? How much do you need to know? We invest all this time in understanding the text which has a separate life of its own and we think we're being more pious and spiritual when we're doing it….[Christians] should be studying it less, not more. You need just enough to pay attention to God….I'm just not at all pleased with the emphasis on Bible study as if it's some kind of special thing that Christians do, and the more the better." I believe The Message is forerunner to a christless, sinless bible that will be used by the false church. There will be a "christ" mentioned, but not our Christ. Not the sinless Savior of humanity. Sin will be addressed, of course, but perhaps more in line with the Alcoholics Anonymous generic theology of "wrongs" and "making amends." [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} (Part 1 of 3) Pope Leo X: 11 December 1475 - 1 December 1521, born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, [made a Cardinal at the age of 13] was the Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest (only a deacon) to be elected Pope - He is known for granting indulgences [selling a type of sin tithe] for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 Theses - He was the second son of Lorenzo de' Medici, the most famous ruler of the Florentine Republic, and Clarice Orsini - His cousin, Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, would later succeed him as Pope Clement VII (1523-34) {As an Occult infiltrator [concerned with money, power and destroying Christianity] of the Roman Catholic Church Pope Leo X was primarily involved in stripping money from Churches and individuals affiliated with Rome and appropriating the money for his own use. Pope Leo X used four schemes to gain wealth 1. Starting an overpriced building project [reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica] by taxing other churches. 2. Began the selling of 'indulgences' [licenses to sin] to individuals. 3. Initiating finances for a military Crusade against the Middle-East. 4. The selling of church offices, positions and even the belongings for huge sums of money to unqualified an unworthy individuals.}
Spendthrift [primarily on things not directly benefiting or advancing the Christian message and Gospel of Jesus Christ]: Leo's lively interest in art and literature, to say nothing of his natural liberality, his alleged nepotism, his political ambitions and necessities, and his immoderate personal luxury, exhausted within two years the hard savings of [Pope] Julius II, and precipitated a financial crisis from which he never emerged and which was a direct cause of most of what, from a papal point of view, were calamities of his pontificate. -- He sold cardinals' hats. He sold membership in the "Knights of Peter". He borrowed large sums from bankers, curials, princes and Jews. The Venetian ambassador Gradenigo estimated the paying number of offices on Leo's death at 2,150, with a capital value of nearly 3,000,000 ducats (about 132 million dollars in 2010 dollars) and a yearly income of 328,000 ducats ($14,432,000.00). -- The ordinary income of the pope for the year 1517 had been reckoned at about 580,000 ducats ($2,552,000.00) [around $44 each ducat coin in 2010 dollars], of which 420,000 came from the States of the Church, 100,000 from annates, and 60,000 from the composition tax instituted by Sixtus IV. These sums, together with the *considerable amounts accruing from indulgences, jubilees, and special fees, *vanished as quickly as they were received. Then the pope resorted to pawning palace furniture, table plate, jewels, even statues of the apostles. Several banking firms and many individual creditors were ruined by the death of Leo. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} (Part 2 of 3) Pope Leo X: Plans for a [power grabbing] Crusade - A truce was to be proclaimed throughout Christendom; the pope was to be the arbiter of disputes; the emperor and the king of France were to lead the army; England, Spain and Portugal were to furnish the fleet; and the combined forces were to be directed against Constantinople - Papal diplomacy in the interests of peace failed
Plans for a Crusade: The war of Urbino was further marked by a crisis in the relations between pope and cardinals. The sacred college had allegedly grown especially worldly and troublesome since the time of Sixtus IV, and Leo took advantage of a plot of several of its members to poison him, not only to inflict exemplary punishments by executing one and imprisoning several others, but also to make a radical change in the college. -- On 3 July 1517 he published the names of thirty-one new cardinals, a number almost unprecedented in the history of the papacy. Among the nominations were such notable men such as Lorenzo Campeggio, Giambattista Pallavicini, Adrian of Utrecht, Thomas Cajetan, Cristoforo Numai and Egidio Canisio. The naming of seven members of prominent Roman families, however, reversed the policy of his predecessor which had kept the political factions of the city out of the Curia. Other promotions were for political or family considerations or to secure money for the war against Urbino. The pope was accused of having exaggerated the conspiracy of the cardinals for purposes of financial gain, but most of such accusations appear unsubstantiated. -- Leo, meanwhile, felt the need of staying the advance of the Ottoman sultan, Selim I, who was threatening western Europe, and made elaborate plans for a crusade. A truce was to be proclaimed throughout Christendom; the pope was to be the arbiter of disputes; the emperor and the king of France were to lead the army; England, Spain and Portugal were to furnish the fleet; and the combined forces were to be directed against Constantinople. Papal diplomacy in the interests of peace failed, however; Cardinal Wolsey made England, not the pope, the arbiter between France and the Empire; and much of the money collected for the crusade from tithes and indulgences was spent in other ways. -- In 1519 Hungary concluded a three years' truce with Selim I, but the succeeding sultan, Suleyman the Magnificent, renewed the war in June 1521 and on 28 August captured the citadel of Belgrade. The pope was greatly alarmed, and although he was then involved in war with France he sent about 30,000 ducats to the Hungarians. -- Leo treated the Uniate Greeks with great loyalty, and by bull of 18 May 1521 forbade Latin clergy to celebrate mass in Greek churches and Latin bishops to ordain Greek clergy. These provisions were later strengthened by Clement VII and Paul III and went far to settle the constant disputes between the Latins and Uniate Greeks. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} (Part 3 of 3) Pope Leo X: Protestant Reformation and last years - Leo was disturbed throughout his pontificate by schism, especially the Reformation sparked by Martin Luther - In response to concerns about [priest-pastor] misconduct from some servants of the church
In 1517 A.D. Martin Luther read his Ninety-Five Theses on the topic of indulgences in the church courtyard at Wittenberg. Students took the theses, translated them from Latin to German, and through the printing press they spread throughout Europe. Within two weeks, the theses had spread throughout Germany, and after two months they had spread throughout Europe. Leo failed to fully comprehend the importance of the movement, and in February 1518 he directed the vicar-general of the Augustinians to impose silence on his monks. -- On 30 May, Luther sent an explanation of his theses to the pope; on 7 August he was summoned to appear at Rome. An arrangement was effected, however, whereby that summons was cancelled, and Luther went instead to Augsburg in October 1518 to meet the papal legate, Cardinal Cajetan; but neither the arguments of the cardinal, nor Leo's dogmatic papal bull of 9 November requiring all Christians to believe in the pope's power to grant indulgences, moved Luther to retract. A year of fruitless negotiations followed, during which the controversy took popular root across the German States. -- A further papal bull of 15 June 1520, Exsurge Domine or Arise, O Lord, condemned forty-one propositions extracted from Luther's teachings, and was taken to Germany by Eck in his capacity as apostolic nuncio. Leo followed by formally excommunicating Luther by the bull Decet Romanum Pontificem or It Pleases the Roman Pontiff, on 3 January 1521. In a brief the Pope also directed Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor to take energetic measures against heresy. -- It was also under Leo that Lutheranism spread into Scandinavia. The pope had repeatedly used the rich northern benefices to reward members of the Roman curia, and towards the close of the year 1516 he sent the impolitic Arcimboldi as papal nuncio to Denmark to collect money for St Peter's. This led to the Reformation in Denmark-Norway and Holstein. King Christian II took advantage of the growing dissatisfaction of the native clergy toward the papal government, and of Arcimboldi's interference in the Swedish revolt, to expel the nuncio and summon Lutheran theologians to Copenhagen in 1520. Christian approved a plan by which a formal state church should be established in Denmark, all appeals to Rome should be abolished, and the king and diet should have final jurisdiction in ecclesiastical causes. Leo sent a new nuncio to Copenhagen (1521) in the person of the Minorite Francesco de Potentia, who readily absolved the king and received the rich bishopric of Skara. The pope or his legate, however, took no steps to remove abuses or otherwise reform the Scandinavian churches. --- Having fallen ill with malaria, Pope Leo X died on December 1, 1521, so suddenly that the last sacraments could not be administered; but the contemporary suspicions of poison were unfounded. He was buried in Santa Maria sopra Minerva. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} The Revised Roman Empire - The [two] Medici Popes - Pope Leo X [1513 - 1521] known for being the Pope that challenged Martin Luther's [1517 A.D.] 95 Theses -- Pope Clement VII [1523 - 1534] (Medici cousin of Pope Leo X) known for being Pope during the sacking of Rome in 1527 A.D. [The (Occult) Medici (family), led by (Pope) Clement, had tried to play everyone off against each other and had made everyone their enemy -- at least temporarily - source: mmdtkw.org/VSackRome.html]
Pope Leo X - Giovanni de'Medici, 1475 - 1513 - 1521: Giovanni de'Medici, second son of Lorenzo and younger brother of the fatuous Piero, became the first of the Medici Popes (Leo X - Leone Decimo) at the age of 38 on 11 March 1513. Prior to this his life had been a complete roller coaster. Brought up in Medici luxury alongside Michelangelo (who was included in the Medici household by Lorenzo), older brother Piero and cousin Giulio (who was adopted by Lorenzo after his father (who was Lorenzo's brother) was killed in the Pazzi Conspiracy in 1478), he had access to the incomes of several wealthy monasteries, including Badia a Passignano, and was made a Cardinal at the age of 13. All this came to an abrupt end in 1494 when, in the wake of Lorenzo's death, the incompetent surrender of his brother Piero the Fatuous to the French, and the ensuing Savanorola stirred turbulence, he had to sneak out of Florence dressed as a Franciscan Friar, and then live in hiding with his cousin for the next decade, latterly being protected by the Habsburg Emperor Maximilian (who ironically was to be a major cause of the collapse of the Bruges branch of the Medici Bank) and then by the dreadful Cesare Borgia and his father Pope Alessandro VI (1431 - 1492 - 1503 (72)) in Rome. ... Pope Clement VII Giulio de'Medici, 1478 - 1523 - 1534 (56) Illegitimate son of Lorenzo's (Pazzi murdered) brother Giuliano, adopted son of Lorenzo, and companion in exile to Lorenzo's son Giovanni (Leo X), who was three years his senior, Giulio de'Medici became Pope Clement VII (Clemente Settimo). He was good looking, intellectually sophisticated, a talented musician and a political disaster. In reality he also faced the legacy of the corrupt practices of his cousin Leo X, and the impossible task of operating in the emergent nation state Europe dominated by Charles V, Francis I, and Henry VIII (whom he excommunicated), and threatened by Suleiman the Magnificent, plus Martin Luther dealing the protestants into the game as well - see Insight Page. He lost England, and was humiliated by having to flee in disguise from Rome when it was barbarically sacked by Charles V's rabble army after Clement mistakenly got too close to flashy Francis I of France. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} The Revised Roman Empire - The Medici Family [generally considered the most Occult family of Medieval Europe] - Other Prominent Medici were *Pope Leo X (1475-1521); Pope Clement VII (1478-1534); Catherine (1519-1589), wife of [King] Henry II of France; and Marie (1573-1642), wife of [King] Henry IV of France and regent for their son [King] Louis XIII [Note: this is also the important and historic timeframe of the general discovery of America by the Italian born explorer Christopher Columbus in his 1492 voyage from Spain to America (Bahamas).]
Medici, an Italian family of merchants and bankers who ruled the republic of Florence through economic power and personal influence. By their patronage of the arts they made Florence the center of the Italian Renaissance. The Medici were created dukes of Florence by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1531, and grand dukes of Tuscany by Emperor Maximilian II in 1575. The last Medici grand duke was deposed by the Austrians in 1737. Important members of the Medici family included the following. Giovanni De' Medici: (1360-1429) established the family fortune and made himself ruler of Florence's merchant oligarchy. Cosimo De' Medici: (1389-1464), his son, used his banking business to gain political power and led Florence in a long period of prosperity and artistic achievement. Lorenzo the Magnificent: (1449-1492), grandson of Cosimo, gained fame as a statesman and patron of arts and letters. He was recognized as a poet himself and was largely responsible for the Tuscan dialect becoming the national speech of Italy. Cosimo (I) the Great: (1519-1574) succeeded to the dukedom in 1537 and ruled as a despot. He restored the duchy of Tuscany by conquering the other republics that had been part of it. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} The Revised Roman Empire - 'Occult' power: the politics of witchcraft and superstition in Renaissance Florence - In Florence, how did one family--the Medici--secure their power after over a century of struggle, and how did they come to construct a myth of their own legitimacy? (Book)
Lawrence's interpretation, however narrow and flawed, does highlight an indisputable element of Grazzini's tale of Dr. Manente: its cruelty and "monstrosity," traits that, I will argue, provide insight into the social structures of the mid-sixteenth century, particularly those that rely upon coersion and force. In Florence, how did one family--the Medici--secure their power after over a century of struggle, and how did they come to construct a myth of their own legitimacy? ... It is important to remember that, from 1494--when the friar himself gained widespread support and offered a major threat to the rule of the Medici family--until long after his execution in 1498, Savonarola bequeathed a powerful religious and political vision that was not dependent on his leadership for survival--a fact that fascinated the political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli. Savonarola's followers--called the Piagnoni first by their enemies and later, proudly, by themselves--remained politically active after his execution, through the Republic that lasted until 1513, when the first Medici pope, Leo X, used the considerable influence of this position to help his family and their allies to return to Florence, and again after the sack of Rome in 1527, which occurred during the pontificate of another Medici, Clement VII. The Piagnoni continued to be active even after the Medici, first Alessandro and then Cosimo I, openly turned Florence onto the path of absolutism [unlimited, centralized authority and absolute sovereignty] by accepting the [nobility] title of Duke. ... Lorenzo's manipulation of the Church comes into play in the next phase of the beffa. ... At this point, Grazzini emphasizes not only that many friars and priests were ignorant, but, more importantly, that the kind of people Lorenzo elevated to positions of power in the Florentine church hierarchy were either superstitious [occult] or corrupt, criticisms that Savonarola also often made of the Medici. [article link]

{Occult Infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church} The Revised Roman Empire - Christian and Rosicrucian Kabbalah [esoteric (hidden) teachings - the real NWO - New Age bible] - The origional Jewish [Witchcraft - King Solomon] Kabbalah --> Christian mystic, Raymon Lull (1232 - 1316 A.D.) originator of the Christian Kabbalah --> Renaissance Christian Kabbalah (Medici family) --> Rosicrucian (Illuminati - Freemason) Kabbalah --> Modern Occult Kabbalah - The beginning of Christian Kabbalah is to be found in the teachings of the Catalan philosopher and mystic, Raymon Lull - Lull had the idea of unifying all three religions [Judaism, Christianity, Islam] by developing a philosophy incoporating elements common to all - the way he intended to [unite] convert was through rational and mystical doctrine - Renaissance Christian Kabbalah was derived from a number of sources - Firstly, the christological [christ doctrine] speculations of a number of Jewish converts from the late 13th to the late fifteenth centuries - Secondly, the philosophical Christian and Renaissance speculation concerning the Kabbalah that developed around the Platonic Acadamy *founded by the **Medici family in Florence
Lull based his Art on the importance which Christian, Moslem [Islam], and Jew each attached to the Divine Names or Attributes, or, as he called them, Dignities. Lull mentioned nine Dignities (or Dignitaries): Bonitas (Goodness), Magnitudo (Greatness), Eternitas (Eternity), Potestas (Power), Sapientia (Wisdom), Voluntas (Will), Virtus (Virtue), Veritas (Truth), and Gloria (Glory). These are shown in the follwing diagram. ... In addition we also find the incorporation of the four elements [earth, water, air and fire] and the qualities, the seven planets and twelves [astrological] signs, medicine, alchemy, geometry, a letter notation, and so on. There is an elaborate system of correspondences, in that the nine Dignitaries have their correspondences in the celestial sphere, the human level, and the animal, plant, and material creation. In all this we see the influence, not only of Kabbalah, but also of Aristotlean categories, Augustinian Platonism (nearly all the Lullian Dignities can be found listed as Augustine's Divine Attributes), and the celestial hierarchies of angels of the Christian Neoplatonist Dionysius. [Frances A. Yates, The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age, pp.9-12]. -- Renaissance Kabbalah: Renaissance Christian Kabbalah was derived from a number of sources. Firstly, the christological speculations of a number of Jewish converts from the late 13th to the late fifteenth centuries. Secondly, the philosophical Christian and Renaissance speculation concerning the Kabbalah that developed around the Platonic Acadamy founded by the Medici family in Florence. Pico della Mirandola The Florentines, headed by the renowned Renaissance hermeticist Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-94) believed they had discovered in Kabbalah a lost divine revelation that could give the key to understanding both the teachings of Pythagoras, Plato, and the Orphics, and the inner secrets of Catholic Christianity. Pico himself had a considerable amount of Kabbalistic literature translated into Latin by the scholarly convert Samuel ben Nissim Abulfaraj. Among the 900 theses Pico presented for public debate in Rome was the claim that "no science can better convince us of the divinity of Jesus Christ than magic and the Kabbalah", and he believed he could prove the dogmas of the Trinity and the Incarnation through Kabbalistic axioms. All this caused a sensation in the intellectual Christian world, and the writings of Pico and his follower Johannes Reuchlin (1455-1522) led on the one hand to great interest in the doctrine of Divine Names and in practical (magical) Kabbalah (culminating in Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim's De Occult Philosophia (1531) and on the other to further attempts at a synthesis between Kabbalah and Christian theology. [Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah, pp.197-8] -- Rosicrucian Kabbalah: By the late 16th century Christian Kabbalah began to be permeated with alchemical symbolism; a trend that continued through the 17th and 18th century. Well known representatives are the Rosucrucian philosopher and alchemist Robert Fludd (1574-1637) and the alchemist Thomas Vaughan (1622-1666) among others. One of the works of Fludd presents an interpretation of the Sefirotic Tree which he illustrates as a Palm (left), whose ten spreading branches raying forth from the lowest world suggest that man on earth is a microcosm or reflection of the macrocosm or universe. In the second half of the 18th century this alchemical kabbalah was combined with Freemasonic numerology and occultism, from which was ultimately to develop the extraordinary occult/magickal revival of the late 19th century known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn illustration (left) from World Trees by Hazel Minot Kircher's Tree from Oedipus Aegyptiacus published in 1652 by Athanasius Kircher, a Jesuit priest and hermetic philosopher -- Occult Kabbalah: By the 19th century the occultists of the French magician revival, such as Eliphas Levi (Alphonse Louis Constant; 1810-1875) and Papus (Gerard Encausse; 1868-1916) had lost all understanding of the original Jewish meaning of Kabbalah, and brought in various extraneous elements such as Tarot. Levi was an influential figure both on the Theosophy of Blavatsky and even more so the Golden Dawn Order of Mathers and Westcott, with it's unique Kabbalistic (or Qabalistic, to use the prefered spelling) formulation of Sefirot and paths, through which Kabbalah established itself in the contemporary Western Occult Tradition. [article link]

Ulrich Zwingli (1484 - 1531 A.D.) -- A Swiss Protestant leader in the Reformation - Ulrich Zwingli is not as famous as the likes as Martin Luther or John Calvin but he did play his part in the 'Protestant' break with the Roman Catholic Church - Zwingli and Luther met at Marburg in 1529 in an attempt to unite the Protestant faiths - This meeting failed to do this - Both men could not reach an agreement on what Christ said at the Last Supper - Luther believed that 'this is my body' meant just that whereas Zwingli believed that 'my' meant signifies
Ulrich Zwingli was a Swiss Protestant leader in the Reformation. Ulrich Zwingli is not as famous as the likes as Martin Luther or John Calvin but he did play his part in the break with the Roman Catholic Church. Ulrich (sometimes spelt Huldreich) Zwingli was born in 1484. He attended universities at Basle and Vienna and served as a parish priest in Glarus, Switzerland. Zwingli went with soldiers from Glarus to fight in the Habsburg-Valois Wars and between 1516 and 1518 he started to question the whole issue of Catholicism as Humanism started to make an impression on him. It is possible that Zwingli did not read any Lutheran literature until he moved in 1518 to Zurich as a Common Preacher (Leutpriester) at the Great Minster. It was at the Great Minster that Zwingli stated what is called the Zurich Reformation with sermons that were based on the Bible. Zwingli soon converted the city's council to his points of view. The council pushed the city into becoming a stronghold of Protestantism and Zurich's lead was followed by Berne and Basle. -- Zwingli's '67 Articles' (1523 A.D.) were adopted by Zurich as the city's official doctrine and the city experienced rapid reform. Preaching and Bible readings - known as prophesyings - were made more frequent; images and relics were frowned on, clerical marriage was allowed, monks and nuns were encouraged to come out of their isolated existence, monasteries were dissolved and their wealth was used to fund education and poor relief. In 1525, Zurich broke with Rome and the Mass became a very simple ceremony using both bread and blood which merely represented the body and blood of Christ. The church of Zwingli attempted to control moral behaviour and strict supervision became common in Zurich. -- As with Martin Luther and John Calvin, the problem Zwingli faced was that some people were concerned that he had gone too far too soon while others, especially the Anabaptists, felt that he had not gone far enough. The Anabaptists were dealt with when Zwingli fell in with the city's magistrates and supported the move to exile the Anabaptists or if they refused to leave the city, deal with them in another way - drowning. -- Zwingli and Luther met at Marburg in 1529 in an attempt to unite the Protestant faiths. This meeting failed to do this. Both men could not reach an agreement on what Christ said at the Last Supper. Luther believed that 'this is my body' meant just that whereas Zwingli believed that 'my' meant signifies. Such disunity among the Protestant faiths only served to encourage the Catholic Church that the Counter-Reformation was having an impact. -- Though Zurich became a stronghold of Protestantism, the areas surrounding the city remained wary of a resurgent Catholic Church. They also feared that Zurich might become too powerful and assert its city powers within these regions. Also the area around Zurich was famed for the mercenaries it provided and such a 'profession' was frowned on by Zwingli. In 1529, these areas around Zurich formed the Christian Union and joined with the catholic Austrian monarchy. Zwingli preached a religious war against them and two campaigns were launched in 1529 and 1531. Zwingli was killed at the Battle of Keppel in October 1531. His work was continued by his son-in-law, Heinrich Bullinger. [article link]

John Calvin (1509 - 1564 A.D.) -- In 1536 the first edition of "Institutes of the Christian Religion" was published in Basle - It was revised on a number of occasions and the final edition was published in 1559 A.D. - This book was a clear explanation of his religious beliefs - The later versions expanded on how his church should be organised
Calvinism was based around the absolute power and supremacy of God. The world was created so that Mankind might get to know Him. Calvin believed that Man was sinful and could only approach God through faith in Christ - not through Mass and pilgrimages. Calvin believed that the New Testament and baptism and the Eucharist had been created to provide Man with continual divine guidance when seeking faith. In Calvin's view, Man, who is corrupt, is confronted by the omnipotent (all powerful) and omnipresent (present everywhere) God who before the world began predestined some for eternal salvation (the Elect) while the others would suffer everlasting damnation (the Reprobates). The chosen few were saved by the operation of divine grace which cannot be challenged and cannot be earned by Man's merits. You might have lead what you might have considered a perfectly good life that was true to God but if you were a reprobate you remained one because for all your qualities you were inherently corrupt and God would know this even if you did not. However, a reprobate by behaving decently could achieve an inner conviction of salvation. An Elect could never fall from grace. However, God remained the judge and lawgiver of men. Predestination remained a vital belief in Calvinism. [article link]

Wikipedia: Martin Luther (10 November 1483 - 18 February 1546) -- A German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation - He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money - He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his **Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 A.D. - His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor
Luther taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with Luther's teachings are called Lutherans. -- His (1522 A.D.) translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation into English of the King James Bible. His hymns influenced the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry. -- In his later years, while suffering from several illnesses and deteriorating health, Luther became increasingly antisemitic, writing that Jewish homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed. These statements have contributed to his controversial status. [article link]

Martin Luther Excommunicated, January 3, 1521 A.D. - The Church usually handed excommunicated persons over to civil authorities to be burned at the stake - However, circumstances prevailed that spared Martin Luther this fate and paved the way for Luther's stand at the Diet of Worms in April 1521 A.D.
On January 3, 1521 the Vatican published the bull Decet Romanum Pontificem ([It] Befits [the] Roman Pontiff), excommunicating Martin Luther for Luther's refusal to recant. The pope [Leo X] had issued a previous bull, Exsurge Domine (Arise, O Lord), giving Luther 60 days to recant and another 60 days to make his recantation known to Rome. Meanwhile, Luther's books were being burned for allegedly containing heresy. On December 10, 1520 Luther responded by publicly burning his copy of Exsurge Domine. -- The Church usually handed excommunicated persons over to civil authorities to be burned at the stake. However, circumstances prevailed that spared Martin Luther this fate and paved the way for Luther's stand at the Diet of Worms in April 1521. The pure teaching of Scripture would not be snuffed out by the flames. -- Luther wasn't looking to split the Church; he wanted the Church to institute reforms and took a more conciliatory tone at first in his writings. When it became clear that the pope cared not at all for Scripture and reason, only for Luther's recantation, Luther rose to the challenge and prepared to take his stand. The truth of God's Word, long muffled or distorted by the noise of human traditions, would find a voice in Martin Luther and others willing to risk everything on the authority and benevolence of Sola Scriptura. [article link]

Amazon: Empires Collection - The Dynasties - Egypt's Golden Empire / **The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance / Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire / The Roman Empire in the First Century / The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization) - Empires Collection: The Dynasties (5 Disc Gift Set) - Empires Collection: The Dynasties is a compilation of five outstanding stories of some of histories greatest dynasties (2000 - DVDs)
Egypt's Golden Empire: In 1570 B.C., when Rome was still a marsh and the Acropolis was an empty rock, Egypt was already 1000 years old. Although the period of the pyramid-builders was long over, Egypt lay on the threshold of its greatest age. The New Kingdom would be an empire forged by conquest, maintained by intimidation and diplomacy, and remembered long after its demise. Led by a dynasty of rich personalities, whose dramatic lives changed the course of civilization, Egypt's Golden Empire presents the most extraordinary period in Egyptian history: from 1570 B.C. to 1070 B.C., when the Egyptian Empire reached its zenith. -- The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance - From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. They would also ignite the most important cultural and artistic revolution in Western history- the European Renaissance. But the forces of change the Medici helped unleash would one day topple their ordered world. An epic drama played out in the courts, cathedrals and palaces of Europe, this series is both the tale of one family's powerful ambition and of Europe's tortured struggle to emerge from the ravages of the Dark Ages. -- Japan: Memoirs Of A Secret Empire - Commanding shoguns and samurai warriors, exotic geisha and exquisite artisans -- all were part of the Japanese "renaissance" -- a period between the 16th and 19th centuries when Japan went from chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace. But stability came at a price: for nearly 250 years, Japan was a land closed to the Western world, ruled by the Shogun under his absolute power and control. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire brings to life the unknown story of a mysterious empire, its relationship to the West, and the forging of a nation that would emerge as one of the most important countries in the world. -- The Roman Empire in the First Century: Two thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first century, the ancient world was ruled by Rome. Through the experiences, memories and writings of the people who lived it, this series tells the story of that time - the emperors and slaves, poets and plebeians, who wrested order from chaos, built the most cosmopolitan society the world had ever seen and shaped the Roman empire in the first century A.D. -- The Greeks: Crucible [melting pot] of Civilization - The Greeks - Classical Greece of the 4th and 5th centuries, B.C. was a magnificent civilization that laid the foundations for modern science, politics, warfare, and philosophy, and produced some of the most breathtaking art and architecture the world has ever known. Through the eyes and words of the great heroes of ancient Greece, this dazzling production charts the rise, triumph, and eventual decline of the world's first democracy. Now, through dramatic storytelling and state-of-the-art computer animation, you witness history, art, and government with giants like Pericles, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. [article link]

1522 A.D. - 1880 A.D. - Indigenous Bible Translations and Doctrines Era - The Reformation - Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, etc.

Basic Christian: blog Church History Study
0 A.D. - 312 A.D. -- Birth of Jesus and the Early Church Age
313 A.D. - 1521 A.D. -- Birth of Revised Rome and the Holy Roman Empire
1522 A.D. - 1880 A.D. -- Indigenous Bible Translations and Doctrines Era - The Reformation - Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, etc.
1881 - Present (2011) -- Corrupt modern bible translations and compromised Seminaries and Universities - The modern Emergent [return to occult/paganism] Era - Westcott and Hort (1881), NIV (1972) Zondervan, NKJV (1979) Thomas Nelson Inc., ESV (2001) Crossway, etc. [article link]

Introduction - The Reformation: 1522 A.D. to 1880 A.D. indigenous Bible translations and Church Doctrines era - The glorious Christian light of the Protestant Reformation that began so spectacularly with Wycliffe, Erasmus, Tyndale, Luther, Cranmer and others has unfortunately mostly faded and today it is just the flickering of a light left by Francis Schaeffer and a few others
Francis Schaeffer, the last spark from the glorious flame of the reformation fire that at one time swept Europe and the New World. Schaeffer was a true Christian intellect in the mold of all the famous reformers. Frances Schafer was truly a unique and gifted man as such he was a person with a blessed spirit, a living soul and an awake mind. A spirit, a soul and an intellect that he used mightily to help bring about change in the portion of the world that he occupied. With his departing the Christian Church continues to morn as it laments the loss of a past era. [article link]

The Spreading Flame, 5-DVD Set
The Protestant Reformation comes alive with this introduction to the key characters, turning points, and events of this dramatic time in church history. Travel to Switzerland, Germany, Scotland, and England and be inspired by the faith and determination of the Waldenses, the Huguenots, Wycliffe, Tyndale, Knox, Calvin, Zwingli, Luther, and other champions of the faith. Five DVDs, approx. 80 minutes each. DVDs Included: Comes the Dawn - Your heart will be thrilled a the mighty exploits of God's faithful people and how His providence has overruled in the affairs of men and nations, that the truth of the Gospel should never be extinguished. Story of the Bible - From Erasmus to John Wycliffe to William Tyndale, their diligence and perseverance laid the foundation for the Bible we have today Champions of Freedom - John Knox and Ulrich Zwingli wage fierce and courageous battles to bring spiritual freedom to their respective countries Winds of Change - Strange - and wonderful - how the winds of God's providence blow in favour of the truth. The Reformation Comes of Age - The precious saints of God endure many trials and tribulations. But through them all, freedom and truth burn like a spreading flame. [article link]

An epic film - Luther: The Movie (2003) - Martin Luther, the brilliant man of God whose defiant actions changed the world (sparked the Protestant reformation) {An excellent movie about God and mankind and the relationship between the two. It also well documents the horrors of when a valid movement (i.e. having a local Bible translation for the people to read like in English) goes to far. Keep in mind that Dr. Martin Luther also had many faults, he later became somewhat anti-Jewish and the Nazis' later used some of Luther's writings to persecute the Jews.} (DVD)
Luther: The Movie, DVD --> Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) stars as Martin Luther, the brilliant man of God whose defiant actions changed the world, in this epic film that traces Luther's extraordinary and exhilarating quest for the people's liberation. Regional princes and the powerful Church wield a fast, firm and merciless grip on 16th-centur Germany. But when Martin Luther issues a shocking challenge to their authority, the people declare him their new leader - and hero. Even when threatened with violent death, Luther refuses to back down, sparking a bloody revolution that shakes the entire continent to its core. Approx. 2 hours 4 minutes. [article link]

{Excellent!!} Church History - A Biography of William Tyndale (Mp3)
William Tyndale part 2 by Andy Davis | Mar 7, 2009 | Topic: Christian Biography [article link]

The Life of William Tyndale - "Oh Lord, open the King of England's eyes" - translated Erasmus' Enchiridion militis christiani (Handbook of the Christian Soldier, 1503) - Tyndale announced to a visiting clergyman that he meant to translate the Bible so that ploughboys should be more educated than the clergyman himself
William Tyndale was born about 1494 in Gloucestershire. He took his B.A. at Oxford in 1512 and his M.A. in 1515. He also apparently spent time in Cambridge. He was for some time tutor to a Gloucestershire family. He disturbed the local divines by routing them at the dinner table with chapter and verse of scripture, and by translating Erasmus' Enchiridion militis christiani (Handbook of the Christian Soldier, 1503). He was accused of heresy, but nothing was ever proved. John Foxe reports in his Acts and Monuments (1563) that one day at dinner, Tyndale announced to a visiting clergyman that he meant to translate the Bible so that ploughboys should be more educated than the clergyman himself. -- He travelled to London to ask the Bishop, Cuthbert Tunstall, for support in his work. Tunstall rebuffed him. At this time, king Henry VIII was still the defender of the Catholic faith. Realising he could not translate the Bible in England, Tyndale accepted the help of a London merchant and went to Germany in 1524. He never returned to England, but lived a hand-to-mouth existence, dodging the Roman Catholic authorities. In 1525, he and his secretary moved to Cologne, Germany and began printing the New Testament. But Tyndale was betrayed, and fled up the Rhine to Worms. Here he started printing again, and the first complete printed New Testament in English appeared in February 1526. Copies began to arrive in England about a month later. In October, Tunstall had all the copies he could trace gathered and burned at St Paul's Cross in London. Still they circulated. Tunstall arranged to buy them before they left the continent, so that they could be burned in bulk. Tyndale used the money this brought him for further translation and revision. At the same time, he wrote polemical treatises and expositions of the Bible. He began the Old Testament, apparently in Antwerp: Foxe tells how, sailing to Hamburg to print Deuteronomy, he was shipwrecked and lost everything, 'both money, his copies, and time', and started all over again, completing the Pentateuch between Easter and December. Back in Antwerp, Tyndale printed it in early January, 1530. Copies were in England by the summer. Revisions and shorter translations followed. -- Tyndale's writings were popular in England. Henry VIII, fearing Tyndale's influence, sent an ambassador to persuade him to return to England. In a secret, nighttime meeting outside Antwerp city walls, Tyndale agreed that he would return to England, if the king would print an English Bible. By the time Henry published his Great Bible, Tyndale was already dead. In 1535, the fanatical Englishman Henry Phillips betrayed him to the Antwerp authorities and had him kidnapped. He was imprisoned at Vilvoorde, near Brussels, for sixteen months. A letter from him, in Latin, has survived, asking for a lamp, a blanket, and Hebrew texts, grammar and dictionary, so that he could study. Even Thomas Cromwell, the most powerful man next to King Henry VIII, moved to get him released: but Phillips in Belgium, acting for the papal authorities, blocked all the moves. -- On the morning of 6 October 1536, now in the hands of the secular forces, he was taken to the place of execution, tied to the stake, strangled and burned. His last words reportedly were: "Oh Lord, open the King of England's eyes." [article link]

Who is William Tyndale? - William Tyndale holds the distinction of being the first man to ever print the New Testament in the English language
William Tyndale holds the distinction of being the first man to ever print the New Testament in the English language. Tyndale also went on to first translate much of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew into English, but he was executed in 1536 for the "crime" of printing the scriptures in English before he could personally complete the printing of an entire Bible. His friends Myles Coverdale, and John "Thomas Matthew" Rogers, managed to evade arrest and publish entire Bibles in the English language for the first time, and within one year of Tyndale's death. - These Bibles were primarily the work of William Tyndale. [article link]

Wikipedia: William Tyndale (1494 - 1536 A.D.) -- was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life - He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther
Tyndale was the first to translate considerable parts of the Bible from the original languages (Greek and Hebrew) into English. While a number of partial and complete translations had been made from the seventh century onward, particularly during the 14th century, Tyndale's was the first English translation to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek texts, and the first to take advantage of the new medium of print, which allowed for its wide distribution. This was taken to be a direct challenge to the hegemony of both the Roman Catholic Church and the English church and state. Tyndale also wrote, in 1530, The Practyse of Prelates, opposing Henry VIII's divorce on the grounds that it contravened scriptural law. -- In 1535, Tyndale was arrested and jailed in the castle of Vilvoorde outside Brussels for over a year. He was tried for heresy, choked, impaled and burnt on a stake in 1536. The Tyndale Bible, as it was known, continued to play a key role in spreading Reformation ideas across the English-speaking world. The fifty-four independent scholars who created the King James Version of the bible in 1611 drew significantly on Tyndale's translations. One estimation suggests the New Testament in the King James Version is 83% Tyndale's, and the Old Testament 76%. -- Printed works: Most well known for his translation of the Bible, Tyndale was an active writer and translator. Not only did Tyndale's works focus on the way in which religion should be carried out, but were also greatly keyed towards the political arena. "They have ordained that no man shall look on the Scripture, until he be noselled in heathen learning eight or nine years and armed with false principles, with which he is an clean shut out of the understanding of the Scripture." [article link]

400th Year Anniversary (May 1611 - May 2011) of the Authorized King James Version (KJV 1611) of the Bible - Erasmus' Textus Receptus was consulted during the translation of Reformation era Bibles including the Authorised Version (KJV) and represents readings found in the overwhelming majority of Greek texts available in the world today
The Authorised (British spelling) Version of the holy scriptures, commonly known as the Authorized King James Version or KJV, is the word of God and the glory of the English language. For almost 400 years it has led multitudes to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and a whole new life in him and his word. The King James Bible has spread across the world reaching mankind generation after generation. It has saved, comforted, exhorted, rebuked, admonished, warned, enlightened, and edified without ceasing. King James VI & I, founding monarch of Great Britain, not only commanded the translation of the Authorised Version but he actually took an active role in developing the rules for translators and encouraging the completion of the work. The King's College website states, The development of the Bible in English differs from that of other European vernacular translations. Only England has an "authorised version", issued under the auspices of a king who was also the head of the Church. The vernacular Bible was illegal in England long before the Reformation and so began its development at a great disadvantage, but once England became a Protestant country the translated Bible became a symbol of state. [article link]

Wesley Center: William Tyndale's Old English Bible Translation - {Old English} New Testament, 1526 A.D. William Tyndale, The newe Testament as it was written and caused to be written by them which herde yt - To whom also oure saveour Christ Jesus commaunded that they shulde preache it unto al creatures - 1526 A.D. (PDF)
To download the entire Tyndale Bible click here. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader for this file. To read a particular book, click on the appropriate link below: -- About the Wesley Center Online -- The Wesley Center Online web site is a collection of historical and scholarly resources about the Wesleyan Tradition, theology, Christianity, and the Nazarene church. Copyright © 1993-2011. Wesley Center for Applied Theology, c/o Northwest Nazarene University. All Rights Reserved. [article link]

Wikipedia: Oxford Martyrs (1555-1556 A.D.) -- The Oxford Martyrs were tried for heresy in 1555 A.D. and subsequently burnt at the stake in Oxford, England, for their religious beliefs and teachings - The three martyrs were the Anglican bishops Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley and Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury - A small area cobbled with stones forming a cross in the centre of the road outside the front of Balliol College marks the site - It is claimed that the scorch marks from the flames can still be seen on the doors of Balliol College
History: The three were tried at University Church of St Mary the Virgin, the official church of Oxford University on the High Street. The martyrs were imprisoned at the former Bocardo Prison near the still extant St Michael at the Northgate church (at the north gate of the city walls) in Cornmarket Street. The door of their cell is on display in the tower of the church. The martyrs were burnt at the stake just outside the city walls to the south, where Broad Street is now located. Latimer and Ridley were burnt on 16 October 1555. Cranmer was burnt five months later on 21 March 1556. A small area cobbled with stones forming a cross in the centre of the road outside the front of Balliol College marks the site. The Victorian spire-like Martyrs' Memorial, at the south end of St Giles' nearby, commemorates the events. It is claimed that the scorch marks from the flames can still be seen on the doors of Balliol College (now rehung between the Front Quadrangle and Garden Quadrangle). [article link]

Wikipedia: Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 - 21 March 1556 A.D.) -- was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I -- During Cranmer's tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury, he was responsible for establishing the first doctrinal and liturgical structures of the reformed Church of England - He wrote and compiled the first two editions of the "Book of Common Prayer" a complete liturgy for the English Church
Book of Common Prayer (1548-1549) -- The 1549 Book of Common Prayer: As the use of English in worship services spread, the need for a complete uniform liturgy for the Church became evident. Initial meetings to start what would eventually become the Book of Common Prayer were held in the former abbey of Chertsey and in Windsor Castle in September 1548. The list of participants can only be partially reconstructed, but it is known that the members were balanced between conservatives and reformers. These meetings were followed by a debate on the Eucharist in the House of Lords which took place between 14 and 19 December. Cranmer publicly revealed in this debate that he had abandoned the doctrine of the real presence and believed that the Eucharistic presence was only spiritual. Parliament backed the publication of the Prayer Book after Christmas by passing the Act of Uniformity 1549; it then legalised clerical marriage. -- It is difficult to ascertain how much of the Prayer Book is actually Cranmer's personal composition. Generations of liturgical scholars have been able to track down the sources that he used, including the Sarum Rite, writings from Hermann von Wied, and several Lutheran sources including Osiander and Justus Jonas. More problematic is determining how Cranmer worked on the book and with whom he worked. Despite the lack of knowledge of whom might have helped him, however, he is given the credit for the editorship and the overall structure of the book. -- The use of the new Prayer Book was made compulsory on 9 June 1549. This triggered a series of protests in Devon and Cornwall, the Prayer Book Rebellion. By early July, the uprising had spread to other parts in the east of England. Bucer had just taken up his duties in Cambridge when he found himself in the middle of the commotion and had to scurry to shelter. The rebels made a number of demands including the restoration of the Six Articles, the use of Latin for the mass with only the consecrated bread given to the laity, the restoration of prayers for souls in purgatory, and the rebuilding of abbeys. Cranmer wrote to the king a strong response to these demands in which he denounced the wickedness of the rebellion. On 21 July, Cranmer commandeered St Paul's Cathedral where he vigorously defended the official Church line. A draft of his sermon, the only extant written sample of his preaching from his entire career, shows that he collaborated with Peter Martyr on dealing with the rebellion. [article link]

Book of Common Prayer (1662 A.D. Version) - "I believe there is no Liturgy in the world, either in ancient or modern language, which breathes more of a solid, scriptural, rational piety than the Common Prayer of the Church of England" John Wesley (PDF)
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England (you can download it by clicking the picture to the left or the link below) is still technically the only "official" prayer book of the Church of England, the mother church (for the moment at least) of the Anglican Communion. It itself is the result of more than a century of liturgical development through a turbulent time in British history. Its literary and theological influence is immense; this alone makes it an important document. [article link]

Wikipedia: Westminster Confession of Faith - a Reformed confession of faith, in the Calvinist theological tradition. Although drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly, largely of the Church of England, it became and remains the 'subordinate standard' of doctrine in the Church of Scotland, and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide
In 1643, the English Parliament called upon "learned, godly and judicious Divines", to meet at Westminster Abbey in order to provide advice on issues of worship, doctrine, government and discipline of the Church of England. Their meetings, over a period of five years, produced the confession of faith, as well as a Larger Catechism and a Shorter Catechism. For more than three centuries, various churches around the world have adopted the confession and the catechisms as their standards of doctrine, subordinate to the Bible. -- The Westminster Confession of Faith was modified and adopted by Congregationalists in England in the form of the Savoy Declaration (1658). Likewise, the Baptists of England modified the Savoy Declaration to produce the Second London Baptist Confession (1689). English Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Baptists would together (with others) come to be known as Nonconformists, because they did not conform to the Act of Uniformity (1662) establishing the Church of England as the only legally approved church, though they were in many ways united by their common confessions, built on the Westminster Confession. -- Evangelical Presbyterian Church: The Evangelical Presbyterian Church, which broke from the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1981 in order to provide a conservative alternative to the older denomination, holds to the Westminster Confession of Faith composed of a combination of different editions, but based on the American version of the 1647 text.[4] The EPC holds to the Westminster Confession in light of a brief list of the essentials of the faith as drafted at its first General Assembly at Ward Church outside of Detroit, Michigan. [article link]

Westminster Confession of Faith (1647) - Downloadable Documents (Doc)
The Westminster Catechism was completed in 1647 by the Westminster Assembly and continues to serve as part of the doctrinal standards of many Presbyterian churches. [article link]

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647) - Downloadable Documents (PDF)
In 1643, during a period of civil war, the English "Long Parliament" (under the control of Presbyterian Puritans) convened an Assembly of Divines (mostly Puritan ministers, including a few influential Scottish commissioners) at Westminster Abbey in London. Their task was to advise Parliament on how to bring the Church of England into greater conformity with the Church of Scotland and the Continental Reformed churches. The Westminster Assembly produced documents on doctrine, church government, and worship that have largely defined Presbyterianism down to this day. These documents included a Confession of Faith (1646), a Larger Catechism (1647), and a Shorter Catechism (1647), often collectively called "the Westminster standards." Parliamentary efforts to reconstitute the established Church of England along Presbyterian lines were soon thwarted by the rise to power of Cromwell (who favored Independency) and the expulsion of Presbyterians from Parliament in 1648, and then the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, which quickly led to the reinstitution of Episcopacy and the suppression of Puritanism. -- But things were different in Scotland. The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland adopted the Confession of Faith in 1647 and the Catechisms in 1648. The Scottish Parliament ratified them in 1649 and again (after a time of political and religious strife) in 1690. The Presbyterian character of the Church of Scotland was safeguarded when Scotland and England were united under one crown in 1707. Numerous Presbyterian bodies have been formed since then, both in the United Kingdom and around the world, and they have always been constituted on the basis of the Westminster standards (although declension from them has sometimes followed). -- When the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America was formed in 1788, it adopted the Westminster standards, as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures. However, it revised chapters 20.4, 23.3, and 31.2 of the Confession, basically removing the civil magistrate (i.e., the state) from involvement in ecclesiastical matters. [article link]

Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) -- (Occult) philosopher and statesman, was the youngest son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper, by his second wife - In 1596 he was made a Queen's Counsel, but missed the appointment of Master of the Rolls, and in the next year (1597), he published the first edition of his Essays, ten in number, combined with Sarced Meditations and the Coulours of Good and Evil - In his great office Bacon showed a failure of character in striking contrast with the majesty of his intellect - He was corrupt alike politically and judicially - Thenceforth he devoted himself to study and writing (aka William Shakespeare) - In 1622 appeared his History of Henry VII, and the 3rd part of the Instauratio; in 1623, History of Life and Death, the De Augmentis Scientarum, a Latin translation of the Advancement, and in 1625 the 3rd edition of the Essays, now 58 in number - He also published Apophthegms, **and a translation [here we have the beginnings of what we have so much of today, modern occultists translating versions of the Bible] of some of the Psalms -- The intellect of Bacon was one of the most powerful and searching ever possessed by man, and his developments of the inductive philosophy revolutionised the future thought of the human race
Bacon, Francis, Lord Verulam, and Viscount St. Alban's, philosopher and statesman, was the youngest son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper, by his second wife, a daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke, whose sister married William Cecil, Lord Burghley, the great minister of Queen Elizabeth. He was born at York House in the Strand on Jan. 22, 1561, and in his 13th year was sent with his elder brother Anthony to Trinity College, Cambridge. Here he first met the Queen, who was impressed by his precocious intellect, and was accustomed to call him "the young Lord Keeper." Here also he became dissatisfied with the Aristotelian philosophy as being unfruitful and leading only to resultless disputation. -- In 1576 he entered Gray's Inn, and in the same year joined the embassy of Sir Amyas Paulet to France, where he remained until 1579. The death of his father in that year, before he had completed an intended provision for him, gave an adverse turn to his fortunes, and rendered it necessary that he should decide upon a profession. He accordingly returned to Gray's Inn, and, after an unsuccessful attempt to induce Burghley to give him a post at court, and thus enable him to devote himself to a life of learning, he gave himself seriously to the study of law, and was called to the Bar in 1582. He did not, however, desert philosophy, and published a Latin tract, Temporis Partus Maximus (the Greatest Birth of Time), the first rough draft of his own system. -- Two years later, in 1584, he entered the House of Commons as member for Melcombe, sitting subsequently for Taunton (1586), Liverpool (1589), Middlesex (1593), and Southampton (1597). In the Parliament of 1586 he took a prominent part in urging the execution of Mary Queen of Scots. About this time he seems again to have approached his powerful uncle, the result of which may possibly be traced in his rapid progress at the Bar, and in his receiving, in 1589, the reversion to the Clerkship of the Star Chamber, a valuable appointment, into the enjoyment of which, however, he did not enter until 1608. -- About 1591 he formed a friendship with the Earl of Essex, from whom he received many tokens of kindness ill requited. In 1593 the offices of Attorney-general, and subsequently of Solicitor-general became vacant, and Essex used his influence on Bacon's behalf, but unsuccessfully, the former being given to Coke, the famous lawyer. These disappointments may have been owing to a speech made by Bacon on a question of subsidies. To console him for them Essex presented him with a property at Twickenham, which he subsequently sold for £1800, equivalent to a much larger sum now. -- In 1596 he was made a Queen's Counsel, but missed the appointment of Master of the Rolls, and in the next year (1597), he published the first edition of his Essays, ten in number, combined with Sarced Meditations and the Coulours of Good and Evil. By 1601 Essex had lost the Queen's favour, and had raised his rebellion, and Bacon was one of those appointed to investigate the charges against him, and examine witnesess, in connection with which he showed an ungrateful and indecent eagerness in pressing the case against his former friend and benefactor, who was executed on Feb. 25, 1601. This act Bacon endeavoured to justify in A Declaration of the Practices and Treasons, etc., of...the Earl of Essex, etc. His circumstances had for some time been bad, and he had been arrested for debt: he had, however, received a gift of a fine of £1200 on one of Essex's accomplices. -- The accession of James VI in 1603 gave a favourable turn to his fortunes: he was knighted, and endeavoured to set himself right with the new powers by writing his Apologie (defence) of his proceedings in the case of Essex, who had favoured the succession of James. In the first Parliament of the new king he sat for St. Alban's, and was appointed a Commissioner for Union with Scotland. In 1605 he published The Advancement of Learning, dedicated, with fulsome flattery, to the king. The following year he married Alice Barnham, the daughter of a London merchant, and in 1607 he was made Solicitor-General, and wrote Cogita et Visa, a first sketch of the Novum Organum, followed in 1609 by The Wisdom of the Ancients. -- Meanwhile (in 1608), he had entered upon the Clerkship of the Star Chamber, and was in the enjoyment of a large income; but old debts and present extravagance kept him embarrassed, and he endeavoured to obtain further promotion and wealth by supporting the king in his arbitrary policy. In 1613 he became Attorney-General, and in this capacity prosecuted Somerset in 1616. The year 1618 saw him Lord Keeper, and the next Lord Chancellor and Baron Verulam, a title which, in 1621, he exchanged for that of Viscount St. Albans. Meanwhile he had written the New Atlantis, a political romance, and in 1620 he presented to the king the Novum Organum, on which he had been engaged for 30 years, and which ultimately formed the main part of the Instauratio Magna. -- In his great office Bacon showed a failure of character in striking contrast with the majesty of his intellect. He was corrupt alike politically and judicially, and now the hour of retribution arrived. In 1621 a Parliamentary Committee on the administration of the law charged him with corruption under 23 counts; and so clear was the evidence that he made no attempt at defence. To the lords, who sent a committee to inquire whether the confession was really his, he replied, "My lords, it is my act, my hand, and my heart; I beseech your lordships to be merciful to a broken reed." He was sentenced to a fine of £40,000, remitted by the king, to be committed to the Tower during the king's pleasure (which was that he should be released in a few days), and to be incapable of holding office or sitting in parliament. He narrowly escaped being deprived of his titles. -- Thenceforth he devoted himself to study and writing. In 1622 appeared his History of Henry VII, and the 3rd part of the Instauratio; in 1623, History of Life and Death, the De Augmentis Scientarum, a Latin translation of the Advancement, and in 1625 the 3rd edition of the Essays, now 58 in number. He also published Apophthegms, and a translation of some of the Psalms. -- His life was now approaching its close. In March, 1626, he came to London, and shortly after, when driving on a snowy day, the idea struck him of making an experiment as to the antiseptic properties of snow, in consequence of which he caught a chill, which ended in his death on 9th April 1626. He left debts to the amount of £22,000. At the time of his death he was engaged upon Sylva Sylvarum. -- The intellect of Bacon was one of the most powerful and searching ever possessed by man, and his developments of the inductive philosophy revolutionised the future thought of the human race. [article link]

Sir Francis Bacon (aka William Shakespeare) - Program to Chaos - in Hebrew V=6, therefore (vv) or W=66 in kabbalism (Jewish occultism) is the number of the fallen angels or qlippoth - making a third v therefore equaling 666 the number of the beast {In the Bible 6 = incomplete and 6 equals man as man without God is incomplete. In short 6 = fallen man without God, 66 = fallen angels and 666 = the most incomplete Antichrist. Occultist like Sir Francis Bacon (William Shakespeare) - William Shakespeare is the pen name of Sir Francis Bacon he is the actual Shakespeare. Bacon used the W composed of two v's (VV) equating himself as a fallen Angel (Nephilim) [William = conquer and Shakespeare = "Spear Shaker" one angry and at war with God (Nimrod Genesis 10:9 - mighty spear shaker "hunter" against God). George W. Bush uses his W in the same way to equate himself as a fallen evil Nephilim.}
I had recognized that, in Hebrew, V=6, therefore, W=66. 66 in kabbalism is the number of the fallen angels or qlippoth. Hitler was a kabbalist, as well, and incorporated the VV(66) of the fallen angels into the Volks-Wagon symbol; two V's interlaced, making a third, therefore equaling 666, the number of the beast. Can you spot the number of the beast in this photo? The beast, "W", had arrived, and I knew they would wait no longer. I felt they needed 2 weeks for public reaction, therefore something would need to happen in mid-September. I picked the date 9/11 because it was the date that HW(H stands for the Emperor) stated, "there will be a New World Order." Had I known that both the Pentagon, and the "Twin Towers" had begun construction on 9/11, I would have predicted the targets, as well. I did not feel prophetic, I felt that everything was going according to plan. But, who's plan? [article link]

Sir Francis Bacon aka William Shakespeare - More than twenty thousand books and articles have been written about the "identity problem" regarding William Shakespeare - So lets start by looking at the actor from Stratford: All the known autographs of the Stratford actor read "William Shakspere" not "William Shakespeare" - His parents were illiterate - Shakspere's daughter Judith was an illiterate - No record exists of William Shakspere as having ever played a leading role in the famous dramas he is supposed to have written - None of his heirs were involved in the printing of the First Folio after his death, nor did they benefit financially from it - his will mentions no literary productions whatsoever It does however mention his second-best bed and his "broad silver gilt bowl"
Let's look at Sir Francis Bacon: The content in the Shakespearian dramas are politically recognized viewpoints of Sir Francis Bacon (His "enemies" are frequently caricatured in the plays.) The religious, philosophic, and educational messages all reflect his personal opinions. Similarities in style and terminology exist in Bacon's writings and the Shakespearian plays. Certain historical and philosophical inaccuracies are common to both (such as identical misquotations from Aristotle.) Sir Francis Bacon possessed the range of general and philosophical knowledge necessary to write the Shakespearian plays. Sir Francis Bacon was a linguist and a composer. (Necessary to write the sonnets.) He was a lawyer, an able barrister and a polished courtier and possessed the intimate knowledge of parliamentary law and the etiquette of the royal court revealed in the Shakespearian plays. Bacon furthermore visited many of the foreign countries forming the background for the plays (Necessary to create the authentic local atmosphere. There is no record of William Shakspere's ever having travelled outside of England). ... Why the secrecy? Manly Palmer Hall writes: "Sir Francis Bacon knew the true secret of Masonic origin and there is reason to suspect that he concealed this knowledge in cipher and cryptogram. Bacon is not to be regarded solely as a man but rather as the focal point between an invisible institution and a world which was never able to distinguish between the messenger and the message which he promulgated. This secret society, having rediscovered the lost wisdom of the ages and fearing that the knowledge might be lost again, perpetuated it in two ways: (1) by an organization (Freemasonry) to the initiates of which it revealed its wisdom in the form of symbols; (2) by embodying its arcana in the literature of the day by means of cunningly contrived ciphers and enigmas." [article link]

Wikipedia: New Atlantis [North America - the discovery of America was known to the Crusaders before the 1492 A.D. voyage of Christopher Columbus] by Sir Francis Bacon, published in 1624 A.D. - New Atlantis is a utopian [Illuminati] novel by Sir Francis Bacon, published in Latin (as Nova Atlantis) in 1624 and in English in 1627 - In this work, Bacon portrayed a [secular - occult] vision of the future of human discovery and knowledge, expressing his aspirations and ideals for humankind - The novel depicts the creation of a [secular] utopian land [North America] where "generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendour, [false] piety and public spirit" are the commonly held qualities of the inhabitants of "Bensalem" (lit. son of Salem) - The plan and organization of his ideal college, "Salomon's House" (or Solomon's House) envisioned the modern research university in both applied and pure sciences {Note: New Atlantis by Sir Francis Bacon, (an unfinished book) is a primer, an instruction booklet, setting out a plan in how to colonize the New World (North America) as a secular occult [non-Christian] society. The outline of Sir Francis Bacon's plan was for a secular society to dominate by gaining and controlling all aspects of society; land, resources, knowledge, wealth, power, science, technology, etc. and to do it primarily by introducing a [non-Christian] population greater in numbers and more privileged than the common Christian community. -- A plan that has been carefully followed and has been by most accounts a complete success in America and throughout all reaches of the New World.}
Plot summary: The novel depicts a mythical island, Bensalem, which is discovered by the crew of a European ship after they are lost in the Pacific Ocean somewhere west of Peru. The minimal plot serves the gradual unfolding of the island, its customs, but most importantly, its state-sponsored scientific institution, Salomon's House, "which house or college ... is the very eye of this kingdom." On arriving to Bensalem, the travellers are initially instructed to leave without landing, but are successively quarantined to "the House of Strangers", then given greater leave to explore the island, and finally granted an explanation of Salomon's House. Their conversations with the inhabitants disclose how they in such isolation came to be Christian, how they came to know so much of the outside world (without themselves being known), the history and origin of the island's government and the establishment of Salomon's House by King Solamona, the Bensalemite customs regarding marriage and family, and purpose, properties, and activities of Salomon's House. The interlocutors include the governor of the House of Strangers, Joabin the Jew, and the Father of Salomon's House. -- Only the best and brightest of Bensalem's citizens are selected to join Salomon's House, in which scientific experiments are conducted in Baconian method in order to understand and conquer nature, and to apply the collected knowledge to the betterment of society. Near the end of the work, the Father of Salomon's House catalogues the activities of the institution's members: "For the several employments and offices of our fellows, we have twelve that sail into foreign countries under the names of other nations (for our own we conceal), who bring us the books and abstracts, and patterns of experiments of all other parts. These we call merchants of light. "We have three that collect the experiments which are in all books. These we call depredators. "We have three that collect the experiments of all mechanical arts, and also of liberal sciences, and also of practices which are not brought into arts. These we call mystery-men. "We have three that try new experiments, such as themselves think good. These we call pioneers or miners. "We have three that draw the experiments of the former four into titles and tables, to give the better light for the drawing of observations and axioms out of them. These we call compilers. "We have three that bend themselves, looking into the experiments of their fellows, and cast about how to draw out of them things of use and practice for man's life and knowledge, as well for works as for plain demonstration of causes, means of natural divinations, and the easy and clear discovery of the virtues and parts of bodies. These we call dowry-men or benefactors. "Then after divers meetings and consults of our whole number, to consider of the former labours and collections, we have three that take care out of them to direct new experiments, of a higher light, more penetrating into nature than the former. These we call lamps. "We have three others that do execute the experiments so directed, and report them. These we call inoculators. "Lastly, we have three that raise the former discoveries by experiments into greater observations, axioms, and aphorisms. These we call interpreters of nature." Even this short excerpt demonstrates that Bacon understood that science requires analysis and not just the accumulation of observations. Bacon also foresaw that the design of experiments could be improved. [article link]

Wikipedia: "The Pilgrim's Progress" written by John Bunyan (1678 A.D.) - The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan and published in February, 1678 - It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been out of print
Bunyan began his work while in the Bedfordshire county gaol [jail] for violations of the Conventicle Act, which prohibited the holding of religious services outside the auspices of the established Church of England. Early Bunyan scholars like John Brown believed The Pilgrim's Progress was begun in Bunyan's second shorter imprisonment for six months in 1675, but more recent scholars like Roger Sharrock believe that it was begun during Bunyan's initial, more lengthy imprisonment from 1660-1672 right after he had written his spiritual autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. -- The English text comprises 108,260 words and is divided into two parts, each reading as a continuous narrative with no chapter divisions. The first part was completed in 1677 and entered into the stationers' register on December 22, 1677. It was licensed and entered in the "Term Catalogue" on February 18, 1678, which is looked upon as the date of first publication. After the first edition of the first part in 1678, an expanded edition, with additions written after Bunyan was freed, appeared in 1679. The Second Part appeared in 1684. There were eleven editions of the first part in John Bunyan's lifetime, published in successive years from 1678 to 1685 and in 1688, and there were two editions of the second part, published in 1684 and 1686. [article link]

Wikipedia: John Bunyan (1628 - 31 August 1688 A.D.) -- an English Christian writer and preacher, famous for writing The Pilgrim's Progress, he was a Reformed Baptist, in the Church of England - 1644 was an eventful year for the Bunyan family: in June, John lost his mother and, in July, his sister Margaret died - Following this, his father married (for the third time) to Anne Pinney (or Purney) and a stepbrother, Charles, was born - It may have been the arrival of his stepmother that, following his 16th birthday, led John to leave the family home and enlist in the Parliamentary army - From 1644 to 1647 John served at Newport Pagnell garrison - The English Civil War (1642-1651) was then nearing the end of the first stage - John was probably saved from death one day when a fellow soldier volunteered to go into battle in his place and was killed while walking sentry duty - After the civil war was won by the Parliamentarians, Bunyan returned to his former trade -- In his autobiography, "Grace Abounding" Bunyan wrote that he led an abandoned life in his youth and was morally reprehensible as a result - The increasing awareness of his (in his view) un-Biblical life led him to contemplate acts of impiety and profanity; in particular, he was harassed by a curiosity in regard to the "unpardonable sin" and a prepossession that he had already committed it - He continually heard voices urging him to "sell Christ" and was tortured by fearful visions - While playing a game of Tip-cat on Elstow village green, Bunyan claimed to have heard a voice that asked: "Wilt thou leave thy sins and go to heaven or have thy sins and go to hell?"
Imprisonments: As his popularity and notoriety grew, Bunyan increasingly became a target for slander and libel; he was described as "a witch, a Jesuit, a highwayman" and was said to have mistresses and multiple wives. In 1658, aged 30, he was arrested for preaching at Eaton Socon and indicted for preaching without a licence. That same year his wife died leaving him with 4 children, one of which was blind. He continued preaching, however, and did not suffer imprisonment until November 1660, when he was taken to the County gaol in Silver Street, Bedford. In that same year, Bunyan married again, Elizabeth, by whom he had two more children, Sarah and Joseph. The Restoration of the monarchy by Charles II of England began Bunyan's persecution as England returned to Anglicanism. Meeting-houses were quickly closed and all citizens were required to attend their Anglican parish church. It became punishable by law to "conduct divine service except in accordance with the ritual of the church, or for one not in Episcopal orders to address a congregation." Thus, John Bunyan no longer had that freedom to preach which he had enjoyed under the Puritan Commonwealth. He was arrested on 12 November 1660, whilst preaching privately in Lower Samsell by Harlington, Bedfordshire, 10 miles south of Bedford. -- John was brought before the magistrate John Wingate at Harlington House and refused to desist from preaching. Wingate sent him to Bedford County Gaol, to consider his situation. After a month, Bunyan reports (in his own account of his imprisonment) that Wingate's clerk visited him, seeking to get him to change his mind. The clerk said that all the authorities wanted was for Bunyan to undertake not to preach at private gatherings, as it was suspected that these non-conformist meetings were in fact being used by people plotting against the king. In answer to the clerk, John argued that God's law obliged him to preach at any and every opportunity, and refused to consider the suggested compromise. -- In January 1661, Bunyan was brought before the quarter sessions in the Chapel of Herne, Bedford. His prosecutor, Mr. Justice Wingate, despite Bunyan's clear breaches of the Religion Act of 1592, was not inclined to incarcerate Bunyan. But John's stark statement "If you release me today, I will preach tomorrow" left the magistrates - Sir John Kelynge of Southill, Sir Henry Chester of Lidlington, Sir George Blundell of Cardington, Sir Wllm Beecher of Howbury and Thomas Snagg of Milbrook - with no choice but to imprison him. So Bunyan was incarcerated for 3 months for the crimes of "pertinaciously abstaining" from attending mandatory Anglican church services and preaching at "unlawful meetings". -- Strenuous efforts were made by Bunyan's wife to get his case re-heard at the spring assizes but Bunyan's continued assertions that he would, if freed, preach to his awaiting congregation meant that the magistrates would not consider any new hearing. Similar efforts were made in the following year but, again, to no avail. In early 1664, an Act of Parliament the Conventicles Act made it illegal to hold religious meetings of five or more people outside of the auspices of the Church of England. -- It was during his time in Bedford County Gaol that John Bunyan conceived his allegorical novel: The Pilgrim's Progress. (Many scholars however believe that he commenced this work during the second and shorter imprisonment of 1675, referred to below.) Bunyan's incarceration was punctuated with periods of relative freedom - lax gaolers allowing him out to attend church meetings and to minister to his congregation. -- In 1666, John was briefly released for a few weeks before being re-arrested for preaching and sent back to Bedford's County gaol, where he remained for a further six years. During that time, he wove shoelaces to support his family and preached to his fellow prisoners - a congregation of about sixty. In his possession were two books, John Foxe's Book of Martyrs, the Bible, a violin he had made out of tin, a flute he'd made from a chair leg and a supply of pen and paper. Both music and writing were integral to John's Puritan faith. John Bunyan was released in January 1672, when Charles II issued the Declaration of Religious Indulgence. [article link]

Church History - 35 messages on church history by Pastor Phillips - Pastor Phillips takes us on a tour of some of the early Christians after the death of the Apostle Paul -- Note: Church History **John Bunyan 1628 - Save the "Play!" Version, open it in a player and save it that way, the Mp3 download version link might have an Error (Mp3s)
"WOW - what a great series!!" A couple years ago I followed the journey of the early church by a comprehensive study of the Acts of the Apostles, etc., and have wanted to fill in the gap of church history from that time to present, but don't have much time to read. I like to listen to sermons on the treadmill and in the tractor, so I searched for a series on church history. I found the first 3 and did extra time on the treadmill today so I could keep listening! Pastor Phillips has a way of telling the facts in a very interesting way and then finishes with application and lessons for today. After the 3rd sermon (on Augustine) I really wanted to hear more so I searched again. I was THRILLED to find 39 messages on church history by Pastor Phillips!! I plan to download all of them since spring seeding is coming up and I will be spending many hours in the tractor, and now I am looking forward to that! In the meantime, I'll keep at the treadmill. Thanks for posting all those great sermons! [article link]

ccel.org: "Grace Abounding To the Chief of Sinners" by John Bunyan published in 1666 A.D. - John Bunyan's spiritual autobiography (PDF)
Grace Abounding To the Chief of Sinners is John Bunyan's spiritual autobiography. In it he tells of his conversion and struggle with faith. He wrote it while he was imprisoned for preaching without a license. His main issue was a kind of "spiritual obsessive compulsive disorder" as one reviewer puts it. Bunyan was constantly concerned about the state of his salvation and whether God deemed him worthy enough for eternal life. This story communicates the author's anguish over his sin, his confession, and the life-changing impact of God's saving grace. Bunyan's spiritual struggles will remind readers that even the great minds of faith had issues with belief, and his personal testimony will encourage anyone who is doubting the status of their salvation. [article link]

Wikipedia: George Frideric Handel (23 February 1685 - 14 April 1759) -- was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos - After his success with Messiah (1742 A.D.) he never performed an Italian opera again - Messiah (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 A.D. by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible, and from the Psalms included with the Book of Common Prayer -- Messiah eventually becoming one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music - Almost blind, and having lived in England for almost fifty years, he died a respected and rich man
After his success with Messiah in 1742 A.D. he never performed an Italian opera again. Handel was only partly successful with his performances of English Oratorio on mythical or biblical themes, but when he arranged a performance of Messiah to benefit the Foundling Hospital (1750) the critique ended. The pathos of Handel's oratorio is an ethical one, they are hallowed not by liturgical dignity but by the moral ideals of humanity. Almost blind, and having lived in England for almost fifty years, he died a respected and rich man. -- Handel is regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time, not only because of his Water Music, and Music for the Royal Fireworks. But since the late 1960s, with the revival of baroque music and original instrument interest in Handel's opera seria has revived too. Handel composed forty operas in about thirty years; some are considered as masterpieces, with many sweeping arias and much admired improvisations. His operas contain remarkable human characterization, by a composer not known for his love affairs. -- Messiah: (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible, and from the Psalms included with the Book of Common Prayer (which are worded slightly differently than their King James counterparts). It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later. After an initially modest public reception the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music. [article link]

Johann Sebastian Bach - Later in life Bach became blind - Bach died in Lepzig, Germany, July 28, 1750 A.D. - Bach was buried in an unmarked grave, for an unknown reason, in the churchyard of St. John's {Note: It was also common at that time for famous and religious people to request to be buried in an unmarked grave. John Bunyan (1806-1841) author of "Pilgrim's Progress" requested to be buried in an unmarked grave. Desiring that their tomb would not become a monument to themselves but that their life's work would be a monument to Jesus Christ.}
At age 15 Bach joined the choir at St. Michael's church. At age 19 Bach left St. Michael's and became a professional organist at St. Boniface. Bach studied music until 1703. In 1707, when Bach was 22 he married his cousin Maria Barbara. Maria had 7 children with Bach. Three of them died. In 1716, when Bach was thirty-one, he was put in jail for thirty-one days because people didn't believe that he shouldn't be writing that kind of music at that time. In those 31 days, Bach wrote five to ten musicals. Those five to ten musicals he wrote when he was in jail turned into two hundred musicals. In 1717 Bach became the court conductor at Anhalt-Cothen. 14 years later in 1721 Maria died leaving Bach to take care of four children. Bach was thirty-six at this time. One year later when Bach was thirty-seven in 1722 he married another woman. This woman's name was Anna Magdalina. Anna had thirteen children. ... Bach wrote 300 religious and nonreligious pieces called cantatas. Some people think that bach was the best composer of all time. Bach was a very religious man. Bach showed his religions in his music. Bach joined an orchestra at Weimar as a violinist. His home town was famous for music. One time when Bach was young, he walked thirty-five miles to a town named Hamburg to hear a concert. [article link]

Wikipedia: John Newton (July 24, 1725 - December 21, 1807) -- a British sailor and Anglican clergyman - Starting his career at sea, at a young age, he became involved with the slave trade for a few years - After experiencing a religious conversion, he became a minister, hymn-writer, and later a prominent supporter of the abolition of slavery - He was the author of many hymns, including "Amazing Grace" and "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken"
Early life: John Newton was born in Wapping, London, in 1725, the son of John Newton Sr., a shipmaster in the Mediterranean service, and Elizabeth Newton (née Seatclife), a Nonconformist Christian. His mother died of tuberculosis in July, 1732, about two weeks before his seventh birthday. Two years later, he went to live in Aveley, the home of his father's new wife. Newton spent two years at boarding school. At age eleven he went to sea with his father. Newton sailed six voyages before his father retired in 1742. Newton's father made plans for him to work at a sugar plantation in Jamaica. Instead, Newton signed on with a merchant ship sailing to the Mediterranean Sea. In 1743, while on the way to visit some friends, Newton was captured and pressed into the naval service by the Royal Navy. He became a midshipman aboard HMS Harwich. At one point, Newton attempted to desert and was punished in front of the crew of 350. Stripped to the waist, tied to the grating, he received a flogging of one dozen lashes, and was reduced to the rank of a common seaman. Following that disgrace and humiliation, Newton initially contemplated suicide. He recovered, both physically and mentally. Later, while Harwich was on route to India, he transferred to Pegasus, a slave ship bound for West Africa. The ship carried goods to Africa, and traded them for slaves to be shipped to England and other countries. Newton proved to be a continual problem for the crew of Pegasus. They left him in West Africa with Amos Clowe, a slave dealer. Clowe took Newton to the coast, and gave him to his wife Princess Peye, an African duchess. Newton was abused and mistreated along with her other slaves. It was this period that Newton later remembered as the time he was "once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in West Africa." Early in 1748 he was rescued by a sea captain who had been asked by Newton's father to search for him. And he made it to freedom. In 1750 he married his childhood sweetheart in St. Margaret's Church, Rochester. -- Spiritual conversion: He sailed back to England in 1748 aboard the merchant ship Greyhound, which was carrying beeswax and dyer's wood, now referred to as camwood. During this voyage, he experienced a spiritual conversion. The ship encountered a severe storm off the coast of Donegal and almost sank. Newton awoke in the middle of the night and finally called out to God as the ship filled with water. After he called out, the cargo came out and stopped up the hole, and the ship was able to drift to safety. It was this experience which he later marked as the beginnings of his conversion to evangelical Christianity. As the ship sailed home, Newton began to read the Bible and other religious literature. By the time he reached Britain, he had accepted the doctrines of evangelical Christianity. The date was March 10, 1748, an anniversary he marked for the rest of his life. From that point on, he avoided profanity, gambling, and drinking. Although he continued to work in the slave trade, he had gained a considerable amount of sympathy for the slaves. He later said that his true conversion did not happen until some time later: "I cannot consider myself to have been a believer in the full sense of the word, until a considerable time afterwards." Newton returned to Liverpool, England and, partly due to the influence of his father's friend Joseph Manesty, obtained a position as first mate aboard the slave ship Brownlow, bound for the West Indies via the coast of Guinea. During the first leg of this voyage, while in west Africa (1748-1749), Newton acknowledged the inadequacy of his spiritual life. While he was sick with a fever, he professed his full belief in Christ and asked God to take control of his destiny. He later said that this experience was his true conversion and the turning point in his spiritual life. He claimed it was the first time he felt totally at peace with God. Still, he did not renounce the slave trade until later in his life. After his return to England in 1750, he made three further voyages as captain of the slave-trading ships Duke of Argyle (1750) and African (1752-1753 and 1753-1754). He only gave up seafaring and his active slave-trading activities in 1754, after suffering a severe stroke, but continued to invest his savings in Manesty's slaving operations." -- Anglican priest: In 1755 Newton became tide surveyor (a tax collector) of the port of Liverpool, again through the influence of Manesty. In his spare time, he was able to study Greek, Hebrew, and Syriac. He became well known as an evangelical lay minister. In 1757, he applied to be ordained as a priest in the Church of England, but it was more than seven years before he was eventually accepted. Such was his frustration during this period of rejection that he also applied to the Methodists, Independents and Presbyterians, and applications were even mailed directly to the Bishops of Chester and Lincoln and the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. -- Writer and hymnist: The vicarage in Olney where Newton wrote the hymn that would become "Amazing Grace". In 1767 William Cowper, the poet, moved to Olney. He worshipped in the church, and collaborated with Newton on a volume of hymns, which was eventually published as Olney Hymns in 1779. This work had a great influence on English hymnology. The volume included Newton's well-known hymns "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken", "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds!", "Let Us Love, and Sing, and Wonder", "Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare", "Approach, My Soul, the Mercy-seat", and "Faith's Review and Expectation", which has come to be known by its opening phrase, "Amazing Grace". Many of Newton's (as well as Cowper's) hymns are preserved in the Sacred Harp. He also contributed to the Cheap Repository Tracts. [article link]

Wikipedia: George Müller (27 September 1805 - 10 March 1898) -- a Christian evangelist and Director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England, cared for 10,024 orphans in his life - He was well-known for providing an education to the children under his care, to the point where he was accused of raising the poor above their natural station in life - He also established 117 schools which offered Christian education to over 120,000 children, many of them being orphans - The theology that guided George Müller's work is not widely known, but was shaped by an experience in his mid twenties when he "came to prize the Bible alone as his standard of judgement"
Youth: Müller was born in Kroppenstaedt (now Kroppenstedt), a village near Halberstadt in the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1810, the Müller family moved to nearby Heimersleben, where Müller's father was appointed a collector of taxes. He had an older brother, Friedrich Johann Wilhelm (1803 - 7 Oct 1838) and, after his widowed father remarried, a half-brother, Franz (b 1822). His early life was not marked by righteousness - on the contrary, he was a thief, a liar and a gambler. By the age of 10, Müller was stealing government money from his father. While his mother was dying, he, at 14 years of age, was playing cards with friends and drinking. Müller's father hoped to provide him with a religious education that would allow him to take a lucrative position as a clergyman in the state church. He studied divinity in the University of Halle, and there met a fellow student (Beta) who invited him to a Christian prayer meeting. There he was welcomed, and he began regularly reading the Bible and discussing Christianity with the others who attended the meetings. After seeing a man praying to God on his knees, he was convinced of his need for salvation. As soon as he got home he went to his bed where he knelt and prayed. He asked God to help him in his life and to bless him wherever he went and to forgive him of his sins. He immediately stopped drinking, stealing and lying, and began hoping to become a missionary. He began preaching regularly in nearby churches and continued meeting with the other churches. -- Early work: In 1828, Müller offered to work with Jews in England through the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews, but upon arriving in 1829, he fell ill, and did not think that he would survive. He was sent to Teignmouth to recuperate and, whilst there, met Henry Craik, who became his life-long friend. When he recovered, however, he dedicated himself to doing the will of God. He soon left the London Society, convinced that God would provide for his needs as he did Christian work. Craik invited him to become a minister with him in Teignmouth and he became the pastor of Ebenezer Chapel in Devon and soon after, married Mary Groves, the sister of Anthony Norris Groves. During his time as the pastor of the church, he refused a regular salary, believing that the practice could lead to church members giving out of duty, not desire. He also eliminated the renting of church pews, arguing that it gave unfair prestige to the rich (based primarily on James 2:1-9). -- Theology: The theology that guided George Müller's work is not widely known, but was shaped by an experience in his mid twenties when he "came to prize the Bible alone as [his] standard of judgement". He records in his Narratives that "That the word of God alone is our standard of judgment in spiritual things; that it can be explained only by the Holy Spirit; and that in our day, as well as in former times, he is the teacher of his people. The office of the Holy Spirit I had not experimentally understood before that time. Indeed, of the office of each of the blessed persons, in what is commonly called the Trinity, I had no experimental apprehension. I had not before seen from the Scriptures that the Father chose us before the foundation of the world; that in him that wonderful plan of our redemption originated, and that he also appointed all the means by which it was to be brought about. Further, that the Son, to save us, had fulfilled the law, to satisfy its demands, and with it also the holiness of God; that he had borne the punishment due to our sins, and had thus satisfied the justice of God. And, further, that the Holy Spirit alone can teach us about our state by nature, show us the need of a Saviour, enable us to believe in Christ, explain to us the Scriptures, help us in preaching, etc. It was my beginning to understand this latter point in particular which had a great effect on me; for the Lord enabled me to put it to the test of experience, by laying aside commentaries, and almost every other book, and simply reading the word of God and studying it. The result of this was, that the first evening that I shut myself into my room, to give myself to prayer and meditation over the Scriptures, I learned more in a few hours than I had done during a period of several months previously. But the particular difference was, that I received real strength for my soul in doing so. I now began to try by the test of the Scriptures the things which I had learned and seen, and found that only those principles which stood the test were really of value." [article link]

George Müller - Robber Of The Cruel Streets (DVD)
George Müller (1805-1898) was a German playboy who found Christ and gave his life to serve Christ unreservedly. His mission was to rescue orphans from the wretched street life that enslaved so many children in England during the time of Charles Dickens and Oliver Twist. Müller did rescue, care for, feed, and educate such children by the thousands. The costs were enormous for such a great work. Yet, amazingly, he never asked anyone for money. Instead he prayed, and his children never missed a meal. This docu-drama presents his life story and shows how God answered prayer and met their needs. It is a story that raises foundational questions regarding faith and finances. Also included are two special documentaries on Müller and some of the lives affected by his work. [article link]

George Muller Audio Books as read by Peter-John Parisis (Mp3s)
Here you will find articles by or about George Muller, the man of faith, to encourage you to trust God for great things and to deepen your walk with God. We trust you will be encouraged to trust in the prayer-answering God for your needs. The Bible says "For all the promises of God in Him (Christ) are yea, and in Him (Christ) Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (2 Cor. 1:20) and "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). [article link]

My Utmost For His Highest - Oswald Chambers (1847-1917) Chambers was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1874, the youngest son of a Baptist minister - A gifted artist and musician, Chambers trained at London's Royal Academy of Art, sensing God's direction to be an ambassador for Christ in the world of art and aesthetics - While studying at the University of Edinburgh (1895-96), he decided, after an agonizing internal battle, to study for the ministry - He died in Cairo on November 15, 1917, of complications following an emergency appendectomy - The complete story of his life is told in Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God (1993)
Oswald Chambers sometimes startled audiences with his vigorous thinking and his vivid expression. Even those who disagreed with what he said found his teachings difficult to dismiss and all but impossible to ignore. Often his humor drove home a sensitive point: "Have we ever got into the way of letting God work, or are we so amazingly important that we really wonder in our nerves and ways what the Almighty does before we are up in the morning!" Oswald Chambers was not famous during his lifetime. At the time of his death in 1917 at the age of forty-three, only three books bearing his name had been published. Among a relatively small circle of Christians in Britain and the U.S., Chambers was much appreciated as a teacher of rare insight and expression, but he was not widely known. Chambers was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1874, the youngest son of a Baptist minister. He spent his boyhood years in Perth; then his family moved to London when Oswald was fifteen. Shortly after the move to London, Oswald made his public profession of faith in Christ and became a member of Rye Lane Baptist Church. This marked a period of rapid spiritual growth, along with an intense struggle to find God's will and way for his life. -- A gifted artist and musician, Chambers trained at London's Royal Academy of Art, sensing God's direction to be an ambassador for Christ in the world of art and aesthetics. While studying at the University of Edinburgh (1895-96), he decided, after an agonizing internal battle, to study for the ministry. He left the university and entered Dunoon College, near Glasgow, where he remained as a student, then a tutor for nine years. In 1906 he traveled to the United States, spending six months teaching at God's Bible School in Cincinnati, Ohio. From there, he went to Japan, visiting the Tokyo Bible School, founded by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cowman. This journey around the world in 1906-1907 marked his transition from Dunoon College to fulltime work with the Pentecostal League of Prayer. During the last decade of his life, Chambers served as: • traveling speaker and representative of the League of Prayer, 1907-10 • principal and main teacher of the Bible Training College, London, 1911-15 • YMCA chaplain to British Commonwealth soldiers in Egypt, 1915-17. He died in Cairo on November 15, 1917, of complications following an emergency appendectomy. The complete story of his life is told in Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God (1993). [article link]

Abandoned to God: The Oswald Chambers Story (DVD)
Abandoned to God: Oswald Chambers Story DVD - From locations in England and Scotland, David McCasland shows you some of the places and describes key events and people that influenced the young Scottish preacher. Also includes an interview with Chambers' daughter Kathleen who shares memories of her father. Come away with a better understanding of this influential man of God. [article link]

Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984) - At one time an agnostic, Francis Schaeffer later became a Presbyterian minister with an ability to see how the questions of meaning, morals, and value being dealt with by philosophy, were the same questions that the Bible dealt with
Francis Schaeffer was a Presbyterian minister with an ability to see how the questions of meaning, morals, and value being dealt with by philosophy, were the same questions that the Bible dealt with, only in different language. Once an agnostic, Schaeffer came to the conclusion that Biblical Christianity not only gave sufficient answers to the big questions, but that they were the only answers that were both self-consistent and livable. With this conviction he became a man of conversation. Schaeffer taught that God is really there and He is not silent. He had spoken to man in the Bible as and a result we could have "true truth" about God and man. Knowing the dignity of man created in God's image, he placed a high value on creativity as an expression of that image. He opened his Swiss home to travelers to discuss these things. Later he began lecturing in universities and writing a number of books. Perhaps no other Christian thinker of the twentieth century, besides C.S. Lewis, has had more influence on thinking people. [article link]

Francis A. Schaeffer: The Early Years - MP3 Lectures & Resource List (Free - Mp3's)
Identification of the biblical emphasis in the thought and life of Francis and Edith Schaeffer, with a focus on the development of their early ministry in the United States and Europe and the founding of L'Abri. The course considers issues related to spiritual growth, the Christian family, the unity of the church, Christians and the arts, and various aspects of Christian ministry. [article link]

Francis A. Schaeffer: The Later Years - MP3 Lectures & Resource List (Free - Mp3's)
Continuation of material in Francis Schaeffer: The Early Years. An examination of the biblical emphasis in the thought and life of Francis and Edith Schaeffer, with focus on the developments in Schaeffer's theological, cultural, and social concerns from the time of L'Abri's founding until his death in 1984. [article link]

Watershed of the Evangelical World by Francis Schaefer (Mp3)
Francis Schaefer shares how the society of North America has succumbed to the humanistic values and ideals. Christian values and standards according to Scripture has all become irrelevant in this type of society. There is a need more then ever to believe and live the standards of the Scriptures. [article link]

Church History Francis Schaeffer 1912-1984 - Francis Schaeffer, the missionary to thinking people, shows us how to combine truth and love in reaching the lost for Christ (Mp3)
"Great Sermon!" I've enjoyed the whole series of the lectures on church history by Rev Michael Phillips. these are all very well presented, not only very educational but also interesting and edifying. I recommend this series highly. [article link]

Dr. Francis Schaeffer -- How Should We Then Live? The Christian Worldview Mankind's Hope for a Future -- (DVD)
Wondering what the past teaches us about the present? Francis Schaeffer's sweeping series on the rise and decline of Western thought and culture surveys history -- from the Roman Empire through the 20th century -- and offers biblical answers to modern problems. Features an interview with the late Dr. Schaeffer and his wife, Edith. Includes study guide. Set includes 10 episodes on two DVDs with a total running time of approximately 6 hours. [article link]

1881 A.D. - Present (2011) - Corrupt modern bible translations and compromised Seminaries and Universities - The modern Emergent [return to occult/paganism] Era - Westcott and Hort (1881), NIV (1972) Zondervan, NKJV (1979) Thomas Nelson Inc., ESV (2001) Crossway, etc.

Basic Christian: blog Church History Study
0 A.D. - 312 A.D. -- Birth of Jesus and the Early Church Age
313 A.D. - 1521 A.D. -- Birth of Revised Rome and the Holy Roman Empire
1522 A.D. - 1880 A.D. -- Indigenous Bible Translations and Doctrines Era - The Reformation - Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, etc.
1881 - Present (2011) -- Corrupt modern bible translations and compromised Seminaries and Universities - The modern Emergent [return to occult/paganism] Era - Westcott and Hort (1881), NIV (1972) Zondervan, NKJV (1979) Thomas Nelson Inc., ESV (2001) Crossway, etc. [article link]

Update: 1881 A.D. to Present (2012) - Corrupt modern bible translations and compromised Seminaries and Universities - The fourth and final section of this Church History Study isn't going to be quite as straight forward as the previous three sections where - It's going to take a little longer to bring material together for this part of the project - This last section isn't something that I have researched out the way that I had the previous sections - I have an idea or two of where to go in this study but I'm not exactly sure of the information that is needed or of how available it is to form the postings that are going to need to come together for this last section - This last section is still a Church History section and not a current events section and therefore the intention of this last section is to research and examine how we as a Church have gotten to where we are at today, but thankfully, not really to examine the events of today - In examining this last section it's possible, though not intended, that a couple of toes could get stepped on along the way - If your favorite pastor, teacher, or denomination gets dinged in this section and only a few will because we are only going to look at a couple of almost generic case studies and any toes that are stepped on is an unintended byproduct of the study - If your favorite pastor or teacher does get dinged a little in this study section it's probably because they deserve it -- God bless everyone ~ David Anson Brown
The concept of this section is going to be to look at the phenomenon of the rise [and fall] of the Christian Church Denominations, a practice that is almost exclusive to this period of Church history. Most Denominations if not all originally started with the best of intentions but what is it that has continually and systematically gone so wrong with the Church Denominational system? The following posts are going to be a look at a system, a flawed system, that quite possibly might have been more of an intentionally designed faulty system. A system where the flaws are built in and perpetuated simply in order to benefit one class of people at the expense and discomfort of the majority of the others. A system though where in actuality the desires and designs of a few greedy men have actually outpaced the built in flaws of the system itself. The problem with Denominations is that though they might start out well not a single one has been able to finish well. -- Colossians 4:17 And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it [finish well]. [article link]

Holiness Movement at a Crossroads - By the late 19th century, the Wesleyan-Holiness Movement floundered at the edge of a sectarian snakepit, divided by race, region, and national boundaries - Yet from this doubtful setting, the Church of the Nazarene arose -- Nazarenes Reflect On Their Past: They Shared a Dream by Stan Ingersol, Denominational Archivist
Early in the 19th century, Sarah Lankford combined the women's prayer groups of two Methodist in New York City to create the Tuesday Meeting for the Promotion of Holiness. That action, coupled with the publication of Boston pastor Timothy Merritt's Guide to Christian Perfection, marked the Holiness Movement's advent. ... John Inskip, J.A. Wood, and other Methodist clergy initiated a new phase of the movement after the Civil War. The National Camp Meeting Association for the Promotion of Holiness fostered specialized meetings throughout the United States. But Inskip was dead by 1890, while Wood had retired to California and preached occasionally from Phineas Bresee's pulpit. A democratic spirit pervaded the Holiness Movement. Bishops could control Methodist clergy but not the laity who led many local, county, and state Holiness associations. Some were headed by women excluded from leadership in other areas. Independent-minded evangelicals defied the Methodist Discipline and used a local preacher's license as authority to conduct revivals, even competing with local pastors. By century's end, the Wesleyan-Holiness Movement included sectarian "come-outers," "put-outers" dismissed from their churches, and Methodist loyalists. The fragmenting Holiness revival posed daunting questions: would anyone--could anyone--gather the pieces? [article link]

Did the Denominational name begin on shaky ground? - He goes on to write that the naming of the (Nazarene) Church was the work of Joseph Widney - "For Widney, the name "Church of the Nazarene" **conveyed nothing explicit about the Methodist doctrine or the experiences of conversion and entire sanctification - It was much more an expression of late-nineteenth-century "Jesus of history" theology, which preferred the name "Jesus" to the more exalted name "Jesus Christ" - The "Jesus of history" [Jesus of Nazareth] was not so much the eternal Second Person of the Trinity who on the Cross made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world" as He was the human Person remembered for words and deeds whom Christians were to follow as Teacher and Example - Widney's subsequent religious pilgrimage bears out the connoation of low Christology, and also low ecclesiology, that the term suggested" -- 'Concerned Nazarenes' Facebook Page
Did the Denominational name begin on shaky ground? At the beginning of TCotN [The Church of the Nazarene] both Phineas Bresee and Joseph Widney were made general superintendent "for life". This info is from the book by Carl Bangs "Phineas F. Bresee", 1995, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. p. 196-197; He goes on to write that the naming of the Church was the work of Joseph Widney. "For Widney, the name "Church of the Nazarene" conveyed nothing explicit about the Methodist doctrine or the experiences of conversion and entire sanctification. It was much more an expression of late-nineteenth-century "Jesus of history" theology, which preferred the name "Jesus" to the more exalted name "Jesus Christ." The "Jesus of history" was not so much the eternal Second Person of the Trinity who on the Cross made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world," as He was the human Person remembered for words and deeds whom Christians were to follow as Teacher and Example. Widney's subsequent religious pilgrimage bears out the connoation of low Christology, and also low ecclesiology, that the term suggested." It is suggested that Bresee accepted the Name because he did not know Widney's true theology. To Bresee the name "Nazarene" represented Jesus association with the common man. So what was the outcome with Widney? He became increasing seperated from the Nazarenes and eventually started his own church. "He wrote a number of books on the borderline of politics, history, and culture. These were laced with mysticism and with a core theme of Aryan racial theory (Q. Nazism?). He developed a syncetistic religion followed by relatives and friends in his privately built "Beth-El", A Chapel and Manse of the Church of the All-Father" (or "All Fader")." (P. 214). Notice that this was not someone outside the Naz. throwing mud. This was published by Beacon Hill. Are we seeing sowing and reaping? It is amazing to me how quickly things seemed to change. Yet as we see from the origins our name, one of our first Generals began on shaky ground. -- posted by Robert Bruce Fruehling at 'Concerned Nazarenes' Facebook Page [article link]

The CalvaryChapelAbuse.com website - Sue says -- January 4, 2012 at 7:48 pm, 4 years ago I read "Pagan Christianity" by Frank Viola and it was a very freeing book - Also another book that's really helped me heal is "The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse" by Dave Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen
Reaching4Truth says: January 3, 2012 at 3:01 pm -- Hanna, you said: "I still keep my hopes up that we will find a church, but as I have said before..in our town it is all about who can have the biggest church, who can draw the largest crowd, who can own more hotels and claim more territory on the monopoly board. People have no idea what the Pastor is purchasing in terms of real estate and investments, and they don't really even care because they trust him completely." -- This is not just a phenomenon in your town, but is widespread everywhere. Because in this era, pastors have been given celebrity status and encouraged to build their kingdoms, their resume, on ideas borrowed from the business realm. Over time they've been seduced by numerous voices from without and within the evangelical world, to produce measurably "effective" and "successful" ministries.. Pursuing and inculcating worldly business values and methodologies and wrongly applying them to the church and the realm of ministry. And basically it turns out to be an abandonment of their allegiance to the Lord in exchange for the approval of men and the respect of men, both in the church and in the world. -- Pastors and ministry leaders have been seduced by things appealing to their pride to pursue accomplishments and a measure of renown - respectability - for themselves. To be someone that others in the community (church and beyond) look up to and speak well of. -- Through many avenues and means, Christian pastors and ministry leaders have received worldly advice dressed up in acceptable Christian language, and coming from trusted "christian" sources. I employ the quotes because to look at the nature of what has come to be accepted as wise Christian insight and counsel, through resources such as Leadership Journal and Christianity Today, just to name two among a plethora of resources with a large readership among pastors, is to find, if one compares the "wisdom" offered from such sources, they wander quite a distance from sound spiritual wisdom or true compatibility with the word of God. -- Our pastors have been drinking from poisoned wells, even from what have been in the past trusted Christian sources. But, minus the requisite discretion and discernment that is expected of those we trust, a scourge has set upon the churches. Having listened to and consulted the voices of so many Pied Pipers in the business realm, there is very little left now of truly Holy Spirit-inspired leadership. We have been in the business of exchanging the truth of God for a lie for so long that we can barely distinguish the difference. Church and ministry leaders, in their efforts to win the worldly (yes I mean "worldly") to Christ through clever means, have drunk deeply from the wells of "vain philosophy and empty deceit". And we are sadly observing the results of that exchange. -- Clever wolves have entered in, and/or risen up from our midst, and had their effect upon the churches. I have observed with great sadness and sobriety the Christian establishment being given over to a host of clever lies and the spirit of the world. -- And hero worship has had a lot to do with it. A WHOLE lot to do with it. I think it's for lack of (or for need of) a hero in our lives that we (pastors and their flocks) have become worshippers of admired Christian men, inclined to enshrine them in a sort of "holy glow" - a sort of spiritual 'static' where we assume they will always and forever continue in a faithful path, as if they can do no wrong and, like their Lord, were immaculately conceived of the Holy Spirit. -- We have been, the whole lot of us - pastors and others alike - led onto deceptive paths because of having given our unquestioning trust to men with feet of clay. I believe we have entered a time of the Lord cleaning house, and waking His people up from a long slumber, a longer slumber than we would guess, wherein the enemy has now effectively infiltrated the mustard tree and overspread the churches. -- Jesus was careful to warn us that these days would come, and tremendous deception all around us was given as a key sign of the nearness of His return. He led with "See to it THAT NO MAN DECEIVES YOU." It was much more a matter of having our eyes/hearts exercised to recognize cleverly cloaked deception and delusion than it was ever a call to make an idol of earthly Jerusalem, for instance. JESUS is to be our focus; ALWAYS JESUS. We were instructed not to put our trust in man, but only IN HIM. -- So… pastors are to blame, for having wandered from the scriptures as their sole source of spiritual light, life and guidance, and succumbing to spiritual blindness… but so are we. We are living in a time of strong hero worship, leading to strong delusion, with sobering effect. The sooner we return our affection to the LORD and away from faulty leaders, the better for all of us. -- Chuck Smith is simply one example of what hero worship - the desire to elevate a hero in our midst (besides Jesus) can lead to. By giving our indiscriminate trust to men we admire, we forget that they can be just as prone to sin and error as the rest of us. The mercy of God is a great need in all of our lives, and our relationship with Him is to be first and foremost. I need these reminders as much as the next person. --- Lord, I'm thankful for your MERCY and your GREAT, GREAT kindness to us. Help us wind our way out of this mess we find ourselves in and into singlehearted allegiance to You and affection for your word. Clean us up and restore the broken places? and rekindle our love for YOU. [article link]

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse By David Johnson and Jeff Vanvonderen (Bethany House, 1991, 2005) 235 pages -- The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse discusses unhealthy spiritual patterns in a constructive and helpful way - There are many books that attempt to address various unhealthy spiritual patterns, but often with the goal of stigmatizing them and promoting the churches or belief systems of the authors - I have read a number of these type of books and found these more interested in putting down people of different beliefs than anything else - That's nothing new in religious literature-the "I'm right and you're a heretic" approach has been around for nearly 2000 years, the 21st century version is "I'm right, you're a cult" - Some of these books may help people identify with some troubling practices and discuss recovery strategies, but the over-generalizing, demonizing, building of composite stories (which make things look much worse) and theological biases get in the way of making the books really helpful towards solving any problems
But this book by Johnson and Vanvonderen is different. Drawing upon years of ministry experience as pastor and counselor (respectively), they examine the fine line between Biblical leadership and abuse. Without mentioning groups or demonizing those involved, they discuss how well-intentioned leadership can have abusive effects. This "high road" approach is highly helpful in identifying some of the critical factors that have led to harsh and harmful leadership in churches. -- Marks of a Spiritually Unhealthy Environment: For example, the authors identify the marks of a spiritually unhealthy system. I'd like to include these here as a sample of how the authors address these issues. (The following consists of verbatim citations of copyrighted material from Chapter 5,6 of "The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.") -- 1. Power-Posturing: Power-posturing simply means leaders spend a lot of time focused on their own authority and reminding others of it, as well. They spend a lot of energy posturing about how much authority they have and how much everyone else is supposed to submit to it. The fact that they are eager to place people under them-- under their word, under their "authority"-- is one easy-to-spot clue that they are operating in their own authority. -- 2. Performance Preoccupation: In abusive spiritual systems, power is postured and authority is legislated. Therefore, these systems are preoccupied with the performance of their members. Obedience and submission are two important words often used. The way to tell if someone is doing the right thing for the wrong reason is if they are keeping track of it. Let's say that another way. If obedience and service is flowing out of you as a result of your own dependence on God alone, you won't keep track of it with an eye toward reward, you'll just do it. But if you're preoccupied with whether you've done enough to please God, then you're not looking at Him, you're looking at your own works. And you're also concerned about who else might be looking at you, evaluating you. What would anyone keep track of their godly behavior unless they were trying to earn spiritual points because of it? For many reasons, followers sometimes obey or follow orders to avoid being shamed, to gain someone's approval, or to keep their spiritual status or position intact. This is not true obedience or submission, it is compliant self-seeking. When behavior is simply legislated from the outside, instead of coming from a heart that loves God, it cannot be called obedience. It is merely weak compliance to some form of external pressure. -- 3. Unspoken Rules: In abusive spiritual systems, people's lives are controlled from the outside in by rules, spoken and unspoken. Unspoken rules are those that govern unhealthy churches or families but are not said out loud. Because they are not said out loud, you don't find out that they're there until you break them. The most powerful of all unspoken rules in the abusive system is what we have already termed the "can't talk" rule. The "can't talk" [rule] has this thinking behind it: "The real problem cannot be exposed because then it would have to be dealt with and things would have to change; so it must be protected behind walls of silence (neglect) or by assault (legalistic attack). If you speak about the problem, you are the problem. -- 4. Lack of Balance: The fourth characteristic of a spiritual abusive system is an unbalanced approach to living out the truth of the Christian life. This shows itself in two extremes: Extreme Objectivism - The first extreme is an empirical approach to life, which elevates objective truth to the exclusion of valid subjective experience. This approach to spirituality creates a system in which authority is based upon the level of education and intellectual capacity alone, rather than on intimacy with God, obedience and sensitivity to His Spirit. Extreme Subjectivism - The other manifestation of lack of balance is seen in an extremely subjective approach to the Christian life. What is true is decided on the basis of feelings and experiences, giving more weight to them than what the Bible declares. In this system, people can't know or understand truths (even if they really do understand or know them) until the leaders "receive them by spiritual revelation from the Lord" and "impart" them to the people. In such systems, it is more important to act according to the word of a leader who has "a word" for you than to act according to what you know to be true from Scripture, or simply from your spiritual growth-history. As with the extreme objective approach, Christians who are highly subjective also have a view of education-- most often, that education is bad or unnecessary. There is almost a pride in not being educated, and a disdain for those who are. Everything that is needed is taught through the Holy Spirit. ("After all, Peter and Timothy didn't go to college or seminary...") -- 5. Paranoia: In the church that is spiritually abusive, there is a sense, spoken or unspoken, that "others will not understand what we're all about, so let's not let them know-- that way they won't be able to ridicule or persecute us." There is an assumption that (1) what we say, know, or do is a result of our being more enlightened that others; (2) others will not understand unless they become one of us; and (3) others will respond negatively. In a place where authority is grasped and legislated, not simply demonstrated, persecution sensitivity builds a case for keeping everything within the system. Why? Because of the evil, dangerous, or unspiritual people outside of the system who are trying to weaken or destroy "us." This mentality builds a strong wall or bunker around the abusive system, isolates the abusers from scrutiny and accountability, and makes it more difficult for people to leave-- because they will then be outsiders too. While it is true that there is a world of evil outside of the system, there is also good out there. But people are misled into thinking that the only safety is in the system. Ironically, Jesus and Paul both warned that one of the worst dangers to the flock was from wolves in the house (Matthew 10:16, Acts 20:29-30). -- 6. Misplaced Loyalty: The next characteristic of spiritually abusive systems is that a misplaced sense of loyalty is fostered and even demanded. We're not talking about loyalty to Christ, but about loyalty to a given organization, church, or leader. Once again, because authority is assumed or legislated (and therefore not real), following must be legislated as well. A common way this is accomplished is by setting up a system where disloyalty to or disagreement with the leadership is construed as the same thing as disobeying God. Questioning leaders is equal to questioning God. "We Alone Are Right" There are three factors that come into place here, adding up to a misplaced loyalty. First, leadership projects a "we alone are right" mentality, which permeates the system. Members must remain in the system if they want to be "safe," or to stay "on good terms" with God, or not be viewed as wrong or "backslidden." - Scare Tactics - The second factor that brings about misplaced loyalty is the use of "scare tactics." We're already seen this in some of the paranoia described in the last section. Scare tactics are more serious. This is more than just the risk of being polluted by the world. We have counseled many Christians who, after deciding to leave their church, were told horrifying things. "God is going to withdraw His Spirit from you and your family." "God will destroy your business." "Without our protection, Satan will get your children." "You and your family will come under a curse." This is spiritual blackmail and it's abuse. And it does cause people to stay in abusive places. - Humiliation - The third method of calling forth misplaced loyalty is the threat of humiliation. This is done by publicly shaming, exposing, or threatening to remove people from the group. Unquestionably, there is a place for appropriate church discipline. In the abusive system, it is the fear of being exposed, humiliated or removed that insures your proper allegiance, and insulates those in authority. You can be "exposed" for asking too many questions, for disobeying the unspoken rules, or for disagreeing with authority. People are made public examples in order to send a message to those who remain. Others have phone campaigns launched against them, to warn their friends and others in the group about how "dangerous" they are. -- 7. Secretive: When you see people in a religious system being secretive-- watch out. People don't hide what is appropriate; they hide what is inappropriate. One reason spiritual abusive families and churches are secretive is because they are so image conscious. People in these systems can't even live up to their own performance standards, so they have to hide what is real. Some believe they must do this to protect God's good name. So how things look and what others think becomes more important than what's real. They become God's "public relations agents." The truth is, He's not hiring anyone for this position. Another reason for secrecy in a church is that the leadership has a condescending, negative view of the laity. This results in conspiracies on the leadership level. They tell themselves, "People are not mature enough to handle truth." This is patronizing at best. Conspiracies also develop among the lay people. Since it is not all right [sic] to notice or talk about problems, people form conspiracies behind closed doors and over the telephone as they try to solve things informally. But since they have no authority, they solve, and solve, and solve-- but nothing really gets solved. And all the while, building God's true kingdom is put on hold. -- Conclusion: I hope that what I have cited gets your attention and motivates you to read this book. The subtle patterns of unhealthy characteristics are discussed in a way that actually helps people identify them, resist them, and recover from them. Copyright © 2000 John Engler. All rights reserved. The Barnabas Ministry [article link]

Pagan Christianity (by Frank Viola and George Barna) Reviewed - Like most reformers, Viola manages to express some valid issues that need attention - He well states the clergy-laity distinction - He is clear about the disastrous domination of clergymen, the official function of "pastors" who enforce denominational creed and tradition, and even speaks with validity against the Charismatic movement and its' impact in modern worship "styles" - I believe there is veneration of religious architecture that can cripple us both spiritually and financially, though Viola goes way beyond questioning an expediency
I understand the "excessive and pathological dependence on the clergy," but I'm not willing to classify all preaching within that condemnation. (This is the same old stuff - human abuse is cited as the reason to cast out something legitimate when used properly.) When we tell people what the Word of God says and challenge the right response, there is no excess or pathology in that! Let's expose and condemn the real problem, without throwing out the legitimate. -- And I'm wondering about something. Frank Viola has written a book. What is it that lifts his book out of the condemned category? What if someone read his book to a group of people (he does affirm his book to be needed truth)? Would the reading of his book stifle spiritual health and create a pathological dependence on his writings or books in general? Nonsense. -- Don't overlook, Viola is a high school teacher. When he speaks to a class in a building with attention focused on him, does he consider that to be an exercise that is passive, tradition bound and pagan? Likewise, he "speaks at church-life conferences!" Apparently the kind of speaking he does he values in some way. Yet he reacts with outrage when someone stands before an audience and directs their attention to the text of Scripture in an orderly form without interruption. This is the excess and decoration of a militant reformer, who is in bondage to his system while attacking another. It is gimmickry and passion born in the contention of a reformers narrow mentality, not based on the content of Scripture. -- Behind the charm and sophistry of these reformers there is an arrogant spirit. Mr. Viola wants us to know that "the NT is not a manual for church practice." Yet, he wants us to be led by "the light that is within you!" When all of that has been said, the footnote on the last page of the book is truly the bottom line. He says in this small print entry: "If you plan to leave the institutional church, I strongly recommend that you read the next volume in this series: So You Want To Start A House Church? First-Century Styled Church Planting For Today. It will give you the next step." -- Unbelievable! He steers us away from the New Testament, then recommends his next book as our next step. Now here is my recommendation. Don't let any man dictate "the next step." Not Viola, Berkley or any man. Open the Bible. Read what it says, and let God direct your steps (Psa. 37:23; 119:133). --- Good Recently Published Resources To Study The House Church Movement: "The House Church Movement," Harry Osborne; in The Renewing Of Your Mind, 2004 Truth Magazine Lectures, GOT Foundation, 2004. "The House Church Movement," Jim Deason; True Worship, 2205 FC Lectures. By Warren E. Berkley The Front Page From Expository Files 13.1 January 2006. [article link]

What is a Protestant [Pro-Witness Christianity] and why the protest - The English word 'Protestant' comes from the Latin and is made up from two words, pro-for, and testari-witness - And it has come to mean to write or speak strongly against - The three fundamental [Pro-Witness] doctrines are: The Protestant goes directly to the word of God for instructions, and to the throne of grace in his/her devotion; while the pious Roman Catholic consults the teachings of his/her church, and prefers to offer prayers through the mediums of the virgin Mary and Saints, (note here that the bible teaches that the dead know not anything and Necromancy, the talking or praying to the dead, is an abomination Ps.106:28; Col.2:8) --- ***From this general principle of evangelical [Biblical Truth] freedom, and direct individual relationship [Believers' Priesthood] of the believer to (Jesus) Christ, comes the three fundamental [Pro-Witness] doctrines of Protestantism: 1.) The Bible only 2.) by Grace only 3.) the general Priesthood of believers -- {Note: Jesus told both the Pharisees and His Disciples (Luke 16:26) that there is a divided dimension "a great gulf" between the living and the dead and that the two groups cannot communicate or interact in any way with each other, because God has a division between the living and the dead. Any interaction with the living that feints interaction as from the dead should be highly suspect as being deceptive in nature and possibly even of demonic origin.}
By the Bible only, is meant that we do not need extra revelations nor dogmas that contradict the 'Holy Word of God'. When the Bishop of Rome was elevated to the throne of Caesar in 538 A.D. as head of the Empire, he continued the same persecution against the Christian Church that Caesar began. See Revelation 17:6 "I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints." (Note here that a woman symbolizes a church and every bible believer is called a saint by virtue of Christ's righteousness being credited to them). Sainthood is not conferred onto the persecutors. [article link]

WHY BAPTISTS ARE NOT PROTESTANTS by Dr. Vernon C. Lyons - The 'Protestant' Reformation is usually dated from October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany - However, this was only one of a series of acts that led to the open rupture with Rome - Protestants date from the sixteenth century (1517) - They are the Lutherans, the Reformed, and others who were once Roman Catholics and left the Roman Catholic faith to start denominations of their own - The Baptists never left the Roman Catholic church as did Luther, Calvin and Zwingli -- **They (Baptists) never left because they were never in -- They did not begin their existence at the time of the Reformation, but hundreds of years prior to the Reformation
Baptists make no effort to trace a historical succession back to the age of the Apesties. Their only claim is that at every age in church history there have been groups that have held to the same doctrines that Baptists hold today. These groups may or may not have been connected and they have been known by various names. There were the Montanists (150 A.D.), the Novatians (240 A.D.), Donatists (305 A.D.), Albigenses (1022 A.D.), Waldensians (1170 A.D.), and the name Anabaptists came into prominence just before the time of the Protestant Reformation. Full historical data immediately refutes the view that there was only one religious group -- the Roman Catholic church -until the time of Martin Luther. Anyone who claims this simply has not done his homework. ... It is also evident that the Baptists were not Protestants because they were fiercely persecuted by the Protestant Reformers and their followers. Uncounted thousands of them lost their goods, their lands, and their lives in these persecutions. Konred Grebel died in prison in 1526. Felix Manz was drowned by the authorities at Zurich in 1527. Noted Baptist leader Baithauser Hubmaier was burned alive at the stake in Vienna March 10, 1528. Three days later his wife was drowned by being thrown over the Danube bridge with a stone tied to her neck. The facts abundantly attest that historically Baptists are not Protestants. [article link]

Methodist [Method Christianity] Beginnings - John Wesley was a priest in the Church of England, but did not have a personally moving experience of the forgiveness of his own sins until May 24, 1738 - He then embarked on a career of bringing others to this experience through preaching, and the organization of small groups for spiritual encouragement - After his death, his followers formed a new Protestant denomination, known as the Methodists [Method Christianity] - Wesley began sending preachers to the American colonies in 1771.As in England, he had a team of lay preachers who rode from society to society, monitoring the beliefs and efforts at holiness of each society member - Because of the hostility of many Americans toward the Church of England following the Revolutionary War, and because of the great distance from England, Wesley allowed Methodists in America to form a separate denomination - At the "Christmas Conference" in Baltimore in 1784-85 Dr. Thomas Coke (who had been ordained as a superintendent or bishop by Wesley) and Francis Asbury formed the Methodist Episcopal Church and began to ordain ministers who could offer the sacraments [Communion] as well as preach
Wesley agreed with the great Protestant Reformers Martin Luther (1483-1546), Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531), and John Calvin (1509-1564) that people were saved by the free grace of God's forgiveness of sin, and that there was nothing one could do to merit such forgiveness-it was simply a gift.This is the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone. -- Wesley's theology was distinctive in that he argued that this justifying grace was preceded by a grace that prepared individuals and allowed them to accept or reject justifying grace freely ("prevenient grace"), and that, in addition to justifying grace, they are given additional grace that leads them on toward a life of sinless perfection ("sustaining grace").Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin had argued that individuals are not free to accept or reject God's grace-if offered, it is an offer that cannot be refused.Further, they argued that though one could not lose this grace, sinless perfection was not possible-though their sins are forgiven Christians always remain sinners. -- Wesley saw his movement as an effort to revitalize the Church of England.He required his followers to attend church services at their local parishes, and he did not allow his lay preachers to administer sacraments.While his use of lay preachers, his willingness to preach not just from pulpits but on street corners and in fields, and his eventual willingness to allow women leadership roles in his movement caused tension with some in the Church of England, Methodism remained part of the Church of England in England for as long as Wesley was alive. [article link]

Primitive Methodist Church - Primitive Methodism began in England, in the early 1800's, as an attempt to restore the Methodist Revival begun under the ministry of John Wesley - In America, Methodist preachers invented a new form of Evangelism, **the Camp Meeting [aka Revival Meetings, Tent Meetings, Evangelism Outreach, Crusades] - On May 31, 1807, these two leaders called for and aggressively promoted [in England] an American style Camp Meeting, an all day prayer, song, and preaching event - Many people were converted to Christ at that meeting, now called: "Mow Cop" - John Wesley [had] won many to Christ preaching outdoors, but the leaders of the [English] Wesleyan church of that day found this [American] innovation unbearable - They firmly refused to allow any of the Mow Cop converts to join their churches - They dismissed Hugh Bourne and William Clowes for their innovation without permission - For two years, these enthusiastic converts waited in vain for acceptance by the established Church - Finally, they decided to form their own society - They named it "The Society of Primitive Methodists" because they desired to return to the Roots of the Methodist movement
OUR BEGINNINGS: Primitive Methodism began in England, in the early 1800's, as an attempt to restore the Methodist Revival begun under the ministry of John Wesley. In America, Methodist preachers invented a new form of Evangelism, the Camp Meeting. Such a preacher, Lorenzo Dow, visited England. He told of many converts being won to the Lord in these outdoor meetings. He spoke of John Wesley, and his Field preaching. Hugh Bourne and William Clowes listened. On May 31, 1807, these two leaders called for and aggressively promoted an American style Camp Meeting, an all day prayer, song, and preaching event. Many people were converted to Christ at that meeting, now called: "Mow Cop". -- At the left is an artist rendition of a rock outcropping of the remains of a castle that is located on the top of a hill that is known as Mow Cop. The artist is Carol Kropp. Her husband is Rev. George Kropp and he is the pastor of the Laurel Run Primitive Methodist Church. You may click on the following link to go to a web site with much information about the hill and castle known as "Mow Cop", as well as information pertaining to early Primitive Methodism. -- John Wesley won many to Christ preaching outdoors, but the leaders of the Wesleyan church of that day found this innovation unbearable. They firmly refused to allow any of the Mow Cop converts to join their churches. They dismissed Hugh Bourne and William Clowes for their innovation without permission. For two years, these enthusiastic converts waited in vain for acceptance by the established Church. Finally, they decided to form their own society. They named it "The Society of Primitive Methodists" because they desired to return to the Roots of the Methodist movement. In 1829, a group of missionaries arrived in America to minister to English and Welsh Immigrants living in the industrial and mining areas. Their ministries thrived and their Churches grew. On September 16, 1840, the "American Primitive Methodist Church" was established. [article link]

George Whitefield (1714-1770) -- George Whitefield was a renowned English preacher, considered to be much more eloquent that John Wesley - He persuaded John Wesley to preach in the fields - George Whitefield [Calvinism] and John Wesley [Arminianism] did not see eye-to-eye on a theology of grace however - They parted ways but managed, in the end, to maintain a respect for each other in that their hearts were the same in terms of unity in Jesus Christ
George Whitefield and John Wesley did not see eye-to-eye on a theology of grace however. In 1740 Wesley published "Free Grace," saying that God's grace was extended to all. Wesley rejected the concept of divine election. Whitefield was a Calvinist. He once wrote, "God, himself, I find, teaches my friends the doctrine of election. If I mistake not, my dear and honored Mr. Wesley will hereafter be convinced of it also." -- The two men were never to agree on divine election. Whitefield thought Wesley's was preaching universal redemption whereas Wesley thought Whitefield's preaching implied Christians need not take moral responsibility. They parted ways but managed, in the end, to maintain a respect for each other in that their hearts were the same in terms of unity in Jesus Christ. After Whitefield's death, John Wesley preached a memorial sermon. -- Wesley said: "Let my last end be like his!" How many of you join in this wish? Perhaps there are few of you who do not, even in this numerous congregation! And O that this wish may rest upon your minds! - that it may not die away till your souls also are lodged "where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the weary are at rest!" [article link]

John Wesley (1707-1788) -- English preacher, Theologian and Founder of the Methodist Church
The Wesley family was made famous by the two brothers, John and Charles, who worked together in the rise of Methodism in the British Isles during the 18th century. They were among the ten children surviving infancy born to Samuel Wesley (1662 - 1735), Anglican rector of Epworth, Lincolnshire, and Susanna Annesley Wesley, daughter of Samuel Annesley, a dissenting minister. -- John Wesley was born June 28, 1703, died Mar. 2, 1791, and was the principal founder of the Methodist movement. His mother was important in his emotional and educational development. John's education continued at Charterhouse School and at Oxford, where he studied at Christ Church and was elected (1726) fellow of Lincoln College. He was ordained in 1728. -- After a brief absence (1727 - 29) to help his father at Epworth, John returned to Oxford to discover that his brother Charles had founded a Holy Club composed of young men interested in spiritual growth. John quickly became a leading participant of this group, which was dubbed the Methodists. His Oxford days introduced him not only to the rich tradition of classical literature and philosophy but also to spiritual classics like Thomas a Kempis's Imitation of Christ, Jeremy Taylor's Holy Living and Dying, and William Law's Serious Call. -- In 1735 both Wesleys accompanied James Oglethorpe to the new colony of Georgia, where John's attempts to apply his then high-church views aroused hostility. Discouraged, he returned (1737) to England; he was rescued from this discouragement by the influence of the Moravian preacher Peter Boehler. At a small religious meeting in Aldersgate Street, London, on May 24, 1738, John Wesley had an experience in which his "heart was strangely warmed." After this spiritual conversion, which centered on the realization of salvation by faith in Christ alone, he devoted his life to evangelism. Beginning in 1739 he established Methodist societies throughout the country. He traveled and preached constantly, especially in the London-Bristol-Newcastle triangle, with frequent forays into Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. He encountered much opposition and persecution, which later subsided. -- Late in life Wesley married Mary Vazeille, a widow. He continued throughout his life a regimen of personal discipline and ordered living. He died at 88, still preaching, still traveling, and still a clergyman of the Church of England. In 1784, however, he had given the Methodist societies a legal constitution, and in the same year he ordained Thomas Coke for ministry in the United States; this action signaled an independent course for Methodism. [article link]

Wikipedia: John Wesley (June 28, 1703 - March 2, 1791) -- A Church of England cleric and Christian theologian - Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield - In contrast to George Whitefield's Calvinism, Wesley embraced the Arminian doctrines that were dominant in the 18th-century Church of England - Methodism in both forms was a highly successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom, which encouraged people to experience Jesus Christ personally -- Wesley's teachings, known as Wesleyanism, provided the seeds for both the modern Methodist movement, **the Holiness movement, Pentecostalism, the Charismatic Movement, and Neo-charismatic churches, which encompass numerous denominations across the world -- In addition, he refined Arminianism with a strong evangelical emphasis on the Reformed doctrine of justification by faith
Doctrines and theology: The 20th century Wesley scholar Albert Outler argued in his introduction to the 1964 collection John Wesley that Wesley developed his theology by using a method that Outler termed the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. In this method, Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture; and the Bible was the sole foundational source of theological or doctrinal development. The centrality of Scripture was so important for Wesley that he called himself "a man of one book"-meaning the Bible-although he was well-read for his day. However, he believed that doctrine had to be in keeping with Christian orthodox tradition. So, tradition was considered the second aspect of the Quadrilateral. -- Wesley contended that a part of the theological method would involve experiential faith. In other words, truth would be vivified in personal experience of Christians (overall, not individually), if it were really truth. And every doctrine must be able to be defended rationally. He did not divorce faith from reason. Tradition, experience and reason, however, were subject always to Scripture, Wesley argued, because only there is the Word of God revealed "so far as it is necessary for our salvation." -- The doctrines which Wesley emphasised in his sermons and writings are prevenient grace, present personal salvation by faith, the witness of the Spirit, and sanctification. Prevenient grace was the theological underpinning of his belief that all persons were capable of being saved by faith in Christ. Unlike the Calvinists of his day, Wesley did not believe in predestination, that is, that some persons had been elected by God for salvation and others for damnation. He understood that Christian orthodoxy insisted that salvation was only possible by the sovereign grace of God. He expressed his understanding of humanity's relationship to God as utter dependence upon God's grace. God was at work to enable all people to be capable of coming to faith by empowering humans to have actual existential freedom of response to God. -- Wesley defined the witness of the Spirit as: "an inward impression on the soul of believers, whereby the Spirit of God directly testifies to their spirit that they are the children of God." He based this doctrine upon certain Biblical passages (see Romans 8:15-16 as an example). This doctrine was closely related to his belief that salvation had to be "personal." In his view, a person must ultimately believe the Good News for himself or herself; no one could be in relation to God for another. -- Sanctification he described in 1790 as the "grand depositum which God has lodged with the people called `Methodists'." Wesley taught that sanctification was obtainable after justification by faith, between justification and death. He did not contend for "sinless perfection"; rather, he contended that a Christian could be made "perfect in love". (Wesley studied Eastern Orthodoxy and particularly the doctrine of Theosis). This love would mean, first of all, that a believer's motives, rather than being self-centred, would be guided by the deep desire to please God. One would be able to keep from committing what Wesley called, "sin rightly so-called." By this he meant a conscious or intentional breach of God's will or laws. A person could still be able to sin, but intentional or wilful sin could be avoided. -- Secondly, to be made perfect in love meant, for Wesley, that a Christian could live with a primary guiding regard for others and their welfare. He based this on Christ's quote that the second great command is "to love your neighbour as you love yourself." In his view, this orientation would cause a person to avoid any number of sins against his neighbour. This love, plus the love for God that could be the central focus of a person's faith, would be what Wesley referred to as "a fulfilment of the law of Christ." Wesley believed that this doctrine should be constantly preached, especially among the people called Methodists. In fact, he contended that the purpose of the Methodist movement was to "spread scriptural holiness across England." -- Advocacy of Arminianism: Wesley entered controversies as he tried to enlarge church practice. The most notable of his controversies was that on Calvinism. His father was of the Arminian school in the church. Wesley came to his own conclusions while in college and expressed himself strongly against the doctrines of Calvinistic election and reprobation. -- Whitefield inclined to Calvinism. In his first tour in America, he embraced the views of the New England School of Calvinism. When in 1739 Wesley preached a sermon on Freedom of Grace, attacking the Calvinistic understanding of predestination as blasphemous, as it represented "God as worse than the devil," Whitefield asked him not to repeat or publish the discourse, as he did not want a dispute. Wesley published his sermon anyway. Whitefield was one of many who responded. The two men separated their practice in 1741. Wesley wrote that those who held to unlimited atonement did not desire separation, but "those who held 'particular redemption' would not hear of any accommodation." -- Whitefield, Harris, Cennick, and others, became the founders of Calvinistic Methodism. Whitefield and Wesley, however, were soon back on friendly terms, and their friendship remained unbroken although they travelled different paths. In 1770 the controversy broke out anew with violence and bitterness, as people's view of God related to their views of men and their possibilities. Augustus Montague Toplady, Rowland, Richard Hill, and others were engaged on the one side, and Wesley and Fletcher on the other. Toplady was editor of The Gospel Magazine, which had articles covering the controversy. In 1778 Wesley began the publication of The Arminian Magazine, not, he said, to convince Calvinists, but to preserve Methodists. He wanted to teach the truth that "God willeth all men to be saved." A "lasting peace" could be secured in no other way. His system of thought has become known as Wesleyan Arminianism, the foundations of which were laid by Wesley and Fletcher. [article link]

Wikipedia: Jonathan Edwards (1703-1778) -- An American preacher, theologian, and missionary to Native Americans. Edwards "is widely acknowledged to be America's most important and original philosophical theologian," and one of America's greatest intellectuals - Edwards's theological work is very broad in scope, but he is often associated with his defense of Reformed theology/Calvinism - Edwards played a critical role in shaping the First Great Awakening, and oversaw some of the first fires of revival in 1733-1735 at his church - First Church in Northampton, Massachusetts - Edwards delivered the **sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", preached at Enfield, July 8, 1741, a classic of early American literature {Note: the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is considered to be the best sermon ever given by an American Preacher.}
Great Awakening: On July 7, 1731, Edwards preached in Boston the "Public Lecture" afterwards published under the title "God Glorified - in Man's Dependence," which was his first public attack on Arminianism. The emphasis of the lecture was on God's absolute sovereignty in the work of salvation: that while it behooved God to create man pure and without sin, it was of his "good pleasure" and "mere and arbitrary grace" for him to grant any person the faith necessary to incline him or her toward holiness; and that God might deny this grace without any disparagement to any of his character. -- In 1733, a religious revival began in Northampton and reached such intensity in the winter of 1734 and the following spring as to threaten the business of the town. In six months, nearly three hundred were admitted to the church. The revival gave Edwards an opportunity for studying the process of conversion in all its phases and varieties, and he recorded his observations with psychological minuteness and discrimination in A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls in Northampton (1737). A year later, he published Discourses on Various Important Subjects, the five sermons which had proved most effective in the revival, and of these, none, he tells us, was so immediately effective as that on the Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners, from the text, "That every mouth may be stopped." Another sermon, published in 1734, A Divine and Supernatural Light, Immediately Imparted to the Soul by the Spirit of God set forth what he regarded as the inner, moving principle of the revival, the doctrine of a special grace in the immediate, and supernatural divine illumination of the soul. -- By 1735, the revival had spread-and popped up independently-across the Connecticut River Valley, and perhaps as far as New Jersey. However, criticism of the revival began, and many New Englanders feared that Edwards had led his flock into fanaticism. Over the summer of 1735, religious fervor took a dark turn. A number of New Englanders were shaken by the revivals but not converted, and became convinced of their inexorable damnation. Edwards wrote that "multitudes" felt urged-presumably by Satan-to take their own lives. At least two people committed suicide in the depths of their spiritual duress, one from Edwards's own congregation-his uncle, Joseph Hawley II. It is not known if any others took their own lives, but the suicide craze effectively ended the first wave of revival, except in some parts of Connecticut. -- However, despite these setbacks and the cooling of religious fervor, word of the Northampton revival and Edwards's leadership role had spread as far as England and Scotland. It was at this time that Edwards was acquainted with George Whitefield, who was traveling the Thirteen Colonies on a revival tour in 1739-1740. The two men may not have seen eye to eye on every detail-Whitefield was far more comfortable with the strongly emotional elements of revival than Edwards was-but they were both passionate about preaching the Gospel.They worked together to orchestrate Whitefield's trip, first through Boston, and then to Northampton. When Whitefield preached at Edwards's church in Northampton, he reminded them of the revival they had experienced just a few years before. This deeply touched Edwards, who wept throughout the entire service, and much of the congregation too was moved. Revival began to spring up again, and it was at this time that Edwards preached his most famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" in Enfield, Connecticut in 1741. This sermon has been widely reprinted as an example of "fire and brimstone" preaching in the colonial revivals, though the majority of Edwards's sermons were not this dramatic. Indeed, he used this style deliberately. As historian George Marsden put it, "Edwards could take for granted...that a New England audience knew well the Gospel remedy. The problem was getting them to seek it." -- **Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God, A Sermon Preached at Enfield, July 8, 1741, by Rev. Jonathan Edwards. Published at Boston, 1741 -- The movement met with opposition from conservative Congregationalist ministers. In 1741, Edwards published in its defense The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God, dealing particularly with the phenomena most criticized: the swoonings, outcries and convulsions. These "bodily effects," he insisted, were not distinguishing marks of the work of the Spirit of God one way or another; but so bitter was the feeling against the revival in the more strictly Puritan churches that, in 1742, he was forced to write a second apology, Thoughts on the Revival in New England, his main argument being the great moral improvement of the country. In the same pamphlet, he defends an appeal to the emotions, and advocates preaching terror when necessary, even to children, who in God's sight "are young vipers… if not Christ's." He considers "bodily effects" incidental to the real work of God, but his own mystic devotion and the experiences of his wife during the Awakening (which he gives in detail) make him think that the divine visitation usually overpowers the body, a view in support of which he quotes Scripture. In reply to Edwards, Charles Chauncy wrote Seasonable Thoughts on the State of Religion in New England in 1743 and anonymously penned The Late Religious Commotions in New England Considered in the same year. In these works he urged conduct as the sole test of conversion; and the general convention of Congregational ministers in the Province of Massachusetts Bay protested "against disorders in practice which have of late obtained in various parts of the land." -- In spite of Edwards's able pamphlet, the impression had become widespread that "bodily effects" were recognized by the promoters of the Great Awakening as the true tests of conversion. To offset this feeling, Edwards preached at Northampton, during the years 1742 and 1743, a series of sermons published under the title of Religious Affections (1746), a restatement in a more philosophical and general tone of his ideas as to "distinguishing marks." In 1747, he joined the movement started in Scotland called the "concert in prayer," and in the same year published An Humble Attempt to Promote Explicit Agreement and Visible Union of God's People in Extraordinary Prayer for the Revival of Religion and the Advancement of Christ's Kingdom on Earth. In 1749, he published a memoir of David Brainerd who had lived with his family for several months and had died at Northampton in 1747. Brainerd had been constantly attended by Edwards's daughter Jerusha, to whom he was rumored to have been engaged to be married, though there is no surviving evidence for this. In the course of elaborating his theories of conversion Edwards used Brainerd and his ministry as a case study, making extensive notes of his conversions and confessions. [article link]

SermonAudio: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (Mp3)
"Great Sermon!" This particular reading of the "greatest sermon ever preached on American soil", scared the hell out of me. Even as a regenerated Christian, I was trembling throughout the entire sermon. The actor who performed the reading of this certainly outdid himself. I would recommend this particular reading (produced by cloudaudio.com) over all the others. [article link]

Wikipedia: Charles Finney (Finney (August 29, 1792 - August 16, 1875) -- An American preacher and leader in the Second Great [American] Awakening - He has been called The Father of Modern Revivalism [Alter calls and the 'sinners prayer'] - Finney was best known as an innovative revivalist, an opponent of Old School Presbyterian theology, an advocate of Christian perfectionism, a pioneer in social reforms in favor of women and blacks, a religious writer, and president at Oberlin College -- {Note: Charles Finney (1792 -1875) was one of the greatest men of the Christian faith. -- Finney was a primary influence on the "revival" style of theology which emerged in the 19th century (1800's). Though coming from a Calvinistic background, Finney rejected (Shepherding) tenets of "Old Divinity" Calvinism "Old School Presbyterian theology" which he felt were unbiblical and counter to evangelism and the Christian mission. - Wiki.com}
Theology: Finney was a primary influence on the "revival" style of theology which emerged in the 19th century. Though coming from a Calvinistic background, Finney rejected tenets of "Old Divinity" Calvinism which he felt were unbiblical and counter to evangelism and Christian mission. -- Finney's theology is difficult to classify, as can be observed in his masterwork, Religious Revivals. In this work, he emphasizes the involvement of a person's will in salvation. Whether he believed the will was free to repent or not repent, or whether he viewed God as inclining the will irresistibly (as in Calvinist doctrine, where the will of an elect individual is changed by God so that they now desire to repent, thus repenting with their will and not against it, but not being free in whether they choose repentance since they must choose what their will is inclined towards), is not made clear. Finney, like most Protestants, affirmed salvation by grace through faith alone, not by works or by obedience. Finney also affirmed that works were the evidence of faith. The presence of unrepentant sin thus evidenced that a person had not received salvation. -- In his Systematic Theology, Finney remarks that "I have felt greater hesitancy in forming and expressing my views upon this Perseverance of the saints, than upon almost any other question in theology." At the same time, he took the presence of unrepented sin in the life of a professing Christian as evidence that they must immediately repent or be lost. Finney draws support for this position from Peter's treatment of the baptized Simon (see Acts 8) and Paul's instruction of discipline to the Corinthian church (see 1 Corinthians 5). This type of teaching underscores the strong emphasis on personal holiness found in Finney's writings. -- Finney's understanding of the atonement was that it satisfied "public justice" and that it opened up the way for God to pardon people of their sin. This was the so-called New Divinity which was popular at that time period. In this view, Christ's death satisfied public justice rather than retributive justice. As Finney put it, it was not a "commercial transaction." This view of the atonement is typically known as the governmental view or government view. -- Princeton Theological Seminary Professor Albert Baldwin Dod reviewed Finney's 1835 book Lectures on Revivals of Religion and rejected it as theologically unsound from a Calvinistic perspective, not necessarily from a Christian perspective. Dod was a defender of Old School Calvinist orthodoxy (see Princeton theologians) and was especially critical of Finney's view of the doctrine of total depravity. [article link]

Charles Finney Revivals - Charles Finney Messages - Sermons From The Penny Pulpit (Resources)
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE: LECTURES TO PROFESSING CHRISTIANS (1836-37). DELIVERED IN THE CITY OF NEW-YORK, 1836 AND 1837. BY CHARLES G. FINNEY - What is the gospel, and what is Christianity? Are there false converts in the church? What is the real difference between true and false converts? Why do Christians struggle to live a life of obedience, and to win the lost to Christ? Does salvation really produce holiness? Does Christ actually make us holy so that we can enter heaven? Is this the message of the gospel? And how can we ourselves become HOLY? [article link]

Christian and Missionary Alliance: TOZER DEVOTIONAL, THOUGHTS ON COMMUNION - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - What a sweet comfort to us that our Lord Jesus Christ was once known in the breaking of the bread - In earlier Christian times, believers called the Communion "the medicine of immortality," and God gave them the desire to pray - But do not then depart; Savior, abide with us and spread Thy table **in our heart [not just in our mind]
THOUGHTS ON COMMUNION: What a sweet comfort to us that our Lord Jesus Christ was once known in the breaking of the bread. In earlier Christian times, believers called the Communion "the medicine of immortality," and God gave them the desire to pray: Be known to us in breaking bread, But do not then depart; Savior, abide with us and spread Thy table **in our heart [not just in our mind]. Some churches have a teaching that you will find God only at their table-and that you leave God there when you leave. I am so glad that God has given us light. We may take the Presence of the table with us. We may take the Bread of life with us as we go. Then sup with us in love divine, Thy body and Thy blood; That living bread and heavenly wine Be our immortal food! In approaching the table of our Lord, we dare not forget the cost to our elder Brother, the Man who was from heaven. He is our Savior; He is our Passover! [article link]

Revival Hymn a Call to Action (Video & Mp3 Downloads)
Have We No Tears for Revival? "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." (Ps. 126:5). This is the divine edict. This is more than preaching with zeal. This is more than scholarly exposition. This is more than delivering sermons of exegetical exactitude and homiletic perfection. Such a man, whether preacher or pew dweller, is appalled at the shrinking authority of the Church in the present drama of cruelty in the world. And he cringes with sorrow that men turn a deaf ear to the Gospel and willingly risk eternal hell in the process. Under this complex burden, his heart is crushed to tears. The true man of God is heartsick, grieved at the worldliness of the Church, grieved at the blindness of the Church, grieved at the corruption in the Church, grieved at the toleration of sin in the Church, grieved at the prayerlessness in the Church. He is disturbed that the corporate prayer of the Church no longer pulls down the strongholds of the devil. He is embarrassed that the Church folks no longer cry in their despair before a devil-ridden, sin-mad society, "Why could we not cast him out?" (Matt. 17:19). [article link]

Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) - Erasmus' Bible Version the 'Textus Receptus' meaning the 'Received Texts' - In considering the experiences of Linacre and Colet, the great scholar Erasmus was so moved to correct the corrupt Latin Vulgate, that in 1516 A.D., with the help of printer John Froben, he published a Greek-Latin Parallel New Testament - The Latin part was not the corrupt Vulgate, but his own fresh rendering of the text from the more accurate and reliable Greek, which he had managed to collate from a half-dozen partial old Greek New Testament manuscripts he had acquired - This milestone was the first non-Latin Vulgate text of the scripture to be produced in a millennium… and the first ever to come off a printing press - The 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament of Erasmus further focused attention on just how corrupt and inaccurate the Latin Vulgate had become, and how important it was to go back and use the original Greek (New Testament) and original Hebrew (Old Testament) languages to maintain accuracy {Note: The King James Version Bible published in 1611 A.D. is an English TRANSLATION from the Greek New Testament and Hebrew Old Testament texts assembled by Erasmus that he published in 1516 A.D. as the Textus Receptus. The 1611 KJV Bible is for the most part a word for word Translation and not a paraphrase so the accuracy of the 1611 KJV translation can easily be checked for errors or corruptions by simply comparing it to the Greek and Hebrew of the previously published (1516 A.D.) Textus Receptus. The scholarship of the KJV translation was the very best the world had to offer at that time, or possibly of any time since the time of the Apostles and as the best scholars they didn't write the Bible or even re-write the Bible they only TRANSLATED the already written Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew into the English of our day and Nationality.}
Writings of Erasmus: His more serious writings begin early with the Enchiridion Militis Christiani, the "Manual (or Dagger) of the Christian Gentleman" (1503). In this little volume Erasmus outlines the views of the normal Christian life which he was to spend the rest of his days in elaborating. The key-note of it all is sincerity. The chief evil of the day, he says, is formalism, a respect for traditions, a regard for what other people think essential, but never a thought of what the true teaching of Christ may be. Another of Erasmus's books worthy of mention was, Praise of Folly, dedicated to his friend Sir Thomas More. -- While in England Erasmus began the systematic examination of manuscripts of the New Testament to prepare for a new edition and Latin translation. This edition was published by Froben of Basel in 1516 and was the basis of most of the scientific study of the Bible during the Reformation period. It was the first attempt on the part of a competent and liberal-minded scholar to ascertain what the writers of the New Testament had actually said. The Greek text produced by Erasmus is known as textus receptus and was the basis for the King James Version of the New Testament. Erasmus dedicated his work ironically, to Pope Leo X., and he justly regarded this work as his chief service to the cause of a sound Christianity. Immediately after he began the publication of his Paraphrases of the New Testament, a popular presentation of the contents of the several books. These, like all the writings of Erasmus, were in Latin, but they were at once translated into the common languages of the European peoples, a process which received the hearty approval of Erasmus himself. [article link]

Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) -- (Occult) philosopher and statesman, was the youngest son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper, by his second wife - In 1596 he was made a Queen's Counsel, but missed the appointment of Master of the Rolls, and in the next year (1597), he published the first edition of his Essays, ten in number, combined with Sarced Meditations and the Coulours of Good and Evil - In his great office Bacon showed a failure of character in striking contrast with the majesty of his intellect - He was corrupt alike politically and judicially - Thenceforth he devoted himself to study and writing (aka William Shakespeare) - In 1622 appeared his History of Henry VII, and the 3rd part of the Instauratio; in 1623, History of Life and Death, the De Augmentis Scientarum, a Latin translation of the Advancement, and in 1625 the 3rd edition of the Essays, now 58 in number - He also published Apophthegms, **and a translation [here we have the beginnings of what we have so much of today, modern occultists translating versions of the Bible] of some of the Psalms -- The intellect of Bacon was one of the most powerful and searching ever possessed by man, and his developments of the inductive philosophy revolutionised the future thought of the human race
Bacon, Francis, Lord Verulam, and Viscount St. Alban's, philosopher and statesman, was the youngest son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper, by his second wife, a daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke, whose sister married William Cecil, Lord Burghley, the great minister of Queen Elizabeth. He was born at York House in the Strand on Jan. 22, 1561, and in his 13th year was sent with his elder brother Anthony to Trinity College, Cambridge. Here he first met the Queen, who was impressed by his precocious intellect, and was accustomed to call him "the young Lord Keeper." Here also he became dissatisfied with the Aristotelian philosophy as being unfruitful and leading only to resultless disputation. -- In 1576 he entered Gray's Inn, and in the same year joined the embassy of Sir Amyas Paulet to France, where he remained until 1579. The death of his father in that year, before he had completed an intended provision for him, gave an adverse turn to his fortunes, and rendered it necessary that he should decide upon a profession. He accordingly returned to Gray's Inn, and, after an unsuccessful attempt to induce Burghley to give him a post at court, and thus enable him to devote himself to a life of learning, he gave himself seriously to the study of law, and was called to the Bar in 1582. He did not, however, desert philosophy, and published a Latin tract, Temporis Partus Maximus (the Greatest Birth of Time), the first rough draft of his own system. -- Two years later, in 1584, he entered the House of Commons as member for Melcombe, sitting subsequently for Taunton (1586), Liverpool (1589), Middlesex (1593), and Southampton (1597). In the Parliament of 1586 he took a prominent part in urging the execution of Mary Queen of Scots. About this time he seems again to have approached his powerful uncle, the result of which may possibly be traced in his rapid progress at the Bar, and in his receiving, in 1589, the reversion to the Clerkship of the Star Chamber, a valuable appointment, into the enjoyment of which, however, he did not enter until 1608. -- About 1591 he formed a friendship with the Earl of Essex, from whom he received many tokens of kindness ill requited. In 1593 the offices of Attorney-general, and subsequently of Solicitor-general became vacant, and Essex used his influence on Bacon's behalf, but unsuccessfully, the former being given to Coke, the famous lawyer. These disappointments may have been owing to a speech made by Bacon on a question of subsidies. To console him for them Essex presented him with a property at Twickenham, which he subsequently sold for £1800, equivalent to a much larger sum now. -- In 1596 he was made a Queen's Counsel, but missed the appointment of Master of the Rolls, and in the next year (1597), he published the first edition of his Essays, ten in number, combined with Sarced Meditations and the Coulours of Good and Evil. By 1601 Essex had lost the Queen's favour, and had raised his rebellion, and Bacon was one of those appointed to investigate the charges against him, and examine witnesess, in connection with which he showed an ungrateful and indecent eagerness in pressing the case against his former friend and benefactor, who was executed on Feb. 25, 1601. This act Bacon endeavoured to justify in A Declaration of the Practices and Treasons, etc., of...the Earl of Essex, etc. His circumstances had for some time been bad, and he had been arrested for debt: he had, however, received a gift of a fine of £1200 on one of Essex's accomplices. -- The accession of James VI in 1603 gave a favourable turn to his fortunes: he was knighted, and endeavoured to set himself right with the new powers by writing his Apologie (defence) of his proceedings in the case of Essex, who had favoured the succession of James. In the first Parliament of the new king he sat for St. Alban's, and was appointed a Commissioner for Union with Scotland. In 1605 he published The Advancement of Learning, dedicated, with fulsome flattery, to the king. The following year he married Alice Barnham, the daughter of a London merchant, and in 1607 he was made Solicitor-General, and wrote Cogita et Visa, a first sketch of the Novum Organum, followed in 1609 by The Wisdom of the Ancients. -- Meanwhile (in 1608), he had entered upon the Clerkship of the Star Chamber, and was in the enjoyment of a large income; but old debts and present extravagance kept him embarrassed, and he endeavoured to obtain further promotion and wealth by supporting the king in his arbitrary policy. In 1613 he became Attorney-General, and in this capacity prosecuted Somerset in 1616. The year 1618 saw him Lord Keeper, and the next Lord Chancellor and Baron Verulam, a title which, in 1621, he exchanged for that of Viscount St. Albans. Meanwhile he had written the New Atlantis, a political romance, and in 1620 he presented to the king the Novum Organum, on which he had been engaged for 30 years, and which ultimately formed the main part of the Instauratio Magna. -- In his great office Bacon showed a failure of character in striking contrast with the majesty of his intellect. He was corrupt alike politically and judicially, and now the hour of retribution arrived. In 1621 a Parliamentary Committee on the administration of the law charged him with corruption under 23 counts; and so clear was the evidence that he made no attempt at defence. To the lords, who sent a committee to inquire whether the confession was really his, he replied, "My lords, it is my act, my hand, and my heart; I beseech your lordships to be merciful to a broken reed." He was sentenced to a fine of £40,000, remitted by the king, to be committed to the Tower during the king's pleasure (which was that he should be released in a few days), and to be incapable of holding office or sitting in parliament. He narrowly escaped being deprived of his titles. -- Thenceforth he devoted himself to study and writing. In 1622 appeared his History of Henry VII, and the 3rd part of the Instauratio; in 1623, History of Life and Death, the De Augmentis Scientarum, a Latin translation of the Advancement, and in 1625 the 3rd edition of the Essays, now 58 in number. He also published Apophthegms, and a translation of some of the Psalms. -- His life was now approaching its close. In March, 1626, he came to London, and shortly after, when driving on a snowy day, the idea struck him of making an experiment as to the antiseptic properties of snow, in consequence of which he caught a chill, which ended in his death on 9th April 1626. He left debts to the amount of £22,000. At the time of his death he was engaged upon Sylva Sylvarum. -- The intellect of Bacon was one of the most powerful and searching ever possessed by man, and his developments of the inductive philosophy revolutionised the future thought of the human race. [article link]

Who wrote the Bible that you are reading? - Satan, Demons, necromancers, drunks, occult and Bible Translators writing modern Bibles - The two main perpetrators of the crime of mutilating the Word of God are Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort who lived in the 1880's and their work has caused a virtual death blow to the pure Word of God - John R. Kohlenberger of Zondervan which published the NASB, Living Bible, Amplified Bible, NIV, and RSV said that all versions that have come after the King James Version from the RSV to the present versions have come from the text [of Westcott and Hort] that was developed by these two snakes who feign themselves translators of the pure Word of God - Wilbur Pickering, author of The Identity of the New Testament Text states, "The W-H (Westcott-Hort) critical theory is erroneous at every point" {Note: Where Erasmus compiled the Textus Receptus from known reliable Byzantium [the region of Galatia where the Apostles traveled, preached and wrote some of their epistles] sources in 1516 A.D. later in 1881 A.D. Westcott and Hort would fashion together a counterfeit Greek N.T. version designed to supplant Erasmus' famous Textus Receptus. The 'Siniaticus' text of Westcott-Hort is supposedly based on Greek texts from Mt. Sinai in Egypt [the other Mt. Sinai] though the Siniaticus is clearly an Alexandrian Gnostic text.}
I have just finished reading a fantastic book by G.A. Riplinger entitled, "New Age Bible Versions." Among other things, it details who the writers were of the Greek Text used to translate the NIV, NASB, NKJV, NRSV, NAB, REB, RSV, CEV, TEV, GNB LIVING, PHILLIPS, NEW JERUSALEM, and NEW CENTURY versions of the Bible. If you own one of these, you probably bought them because they supposedly come from the most ancient manuscripts and they are more accurate and authentic than the old standard King James Version of the Bible. WRONG!!!!! If you are reading one of these versions, it is a compilation of the work of Satan, Demons, drunks, necromancers, channelers, ghost followers, Nazi staff members, Lucifer worshipers, Plato, Origin, Philo, and many other NEW AGE (demon inspired) thinkers who want nothing more than to bring in a One World Government under a New World Order, with the Anti-Christ as the ruler of the world, and Marxism as the world political system. What angers me the most is that supposedly God fearing ministers of the Gospel have, like the Pied Piper, led their congregations by a passive attitude that will open up the door to the religion of the Anti-Christ one day. -- I just wrote an email to a good friend of mine, a minister, who sent me an email with a quote from one of these OCCULT translations of the bible. He is a good man and a soul-winner. I then realized that the Bible is true when it says that in the last days deceivers will come that will deceive, "if it were possible," the very elect. I then knew that it is happening right before our very eyes. People purchase Bibles thinking that there are godly men that have made these new translations with much care along with prayer and that they are delivering what is the most accurate copy of the Word of God in existence today. THAT IS NOT THE CASE. Since the book that I cited above gives more evidence than I can possibly give here, I want to tell you about the men that did the translations of the revised Greek text and some of their friends and acquaintances. Once you have read this, if you can continue using one of these OCCULT versions of the Bible, God help your soul. [article link]

Lighthouse Trails Publishing - Looking Back at 2011 and Looking Ahead at 2012 - "HarperCollins Buys Thomas Nelson, Will Control 50% of Christian Publishing Market" - And many of the more established Christian publishers have been bought out by huge secular corporations giving their marketing budgets even more clout
As Lighthouse Trails Publishing (the publishing arm of Lighthouse Trails Research Project) soon nears the end of our 10th year (10 years this coming March), we'd like to take a moment to ponder 2011, which was a busy year for us. It's not easy being a small publisher in today's western society where book reading is being slowly squeezed out of many people's lives by the Internet, television, radio, and a host of other technological inventions. Not only that, small publishing houses must compete with the large houses that seem to have marketing budgets that keep them selling thousands, if not millions, of books. And many of the more established Christian publishers have been bought out by huge secular corporations giving their marketing budgets even more clout. An article in Christianity Today this past fall titled "HarperCollins Buys Thomas Nelson, Will Control 50% of Christian Publishing Market" is a case in point. HarperCollins bought Zondervan in 1988. Thomas Nelson and Zondervan are Christian publishing's two largest publishing house. -- But in spite of the huge challenge it is for small publishers to stay in business, Lighthouse Trails is still here after nearly a decade. We believe that God has continued to provide for us; and we thank Him for giving us the wisdom to keep our overhead small, live and work as simply and frugally as we can, and never lower our standards from what we believe they should be just so we can sell more books. We'll never be a Thomas Nelson or Zondervan (we think that might be a good thing considering their move toward contemplative and emerging), but we hope and pray we can be around another ten years and represent even more authors than we already have who have biblical and personal integrity. [article link]

Firestorm grows over 'Christian heresy' book - "A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived" was heading towards universalism (i.e. everyone goes to their own version of heaven regardless of their acceptance of the cross, works and sacrifice of Jesus Christ) - The book was scheduled to be released March 29, 2011 but Harper One [HarperCollins] pushed the release up to March 15 [Ides of March] - next Tuesday {Possibly intentionally being released on the 15th of March to commemorate yet another NWO accomplished agenda and stab in the back to traditional Christianity.}
He said the controversy swirling is unlike anything else he has seen in this category of books. "I'm not sure I've ever seen this amount of anticipation," he said. "Love Wins" is Bell's first book since his break from Zondervan, the Christian publisher based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that published Bell's first four books and also publishes the New International Version [NIV] of the Bible, one of the most popular translations of the Bible among evangelicals. Bell's split from Zondervan came in part over this new book. "The break with Zondervan was amicable," Tauber said. "In the end the president of Zondervan made the decision. The proposal came in and they said, 'This proposal doesn't fit in with our mission.'" Zondervan would not discuss its relationship with Bell but released a statement: Zondervan has published four books by Rob Bell, as well as numerous Nooma videos in which Rob was featured. We published these titles because we believed they were consistent with Zondervan's [fooling of Christians - occult] mission statement and publishing philosophy. We still believe these titles are impactful with their message and positive contribution and intend to continue to publish them. Tauber said when he got the call that Bell's new book was up for bid, HarperOne jumped at the chance. "There were at least four or five major publishers that were involved in bidding for this book," he said. *When pressed for financial figures of the deal, he said, "We're talking a six-figure deal for the advance, but I can't say more than that." Tauber said HarperOne had been "keeping an eye on him" since Bell's first [ghost authored - actually written by an anonymous, interested, agenda driven, vested 3rd party] book, "Velvet Elvis," came in as a proposal. That book went on to sell 500,000 copies. Bell skyrocketed to prominence with the the Nooma series, which were short teachings by Bell, away from the pulpit and with indie film sensibilities. The high production values and quick releases of the short films made them a hit in [easily deceived] evangelical circles. In them Bell honed his trademark style of asking tough traditional questions about faith and exploring them from angles other than traditional answers. [article link]

Satanic Bible by Anton La Vey (called "The Black Pope") -- from HarperCollins Publishers owend by Fox News Channel owner Rupert Murdoch
Called "The Black Pope" by many of his followers, Anton La Vey began the road to High Priesthood of the (lurch of Satan when he was only 16 years old and an organ player in a carnival: ... From that time early in his life his path was clear. Finally, on the last night of April, 1966 -- Walpurgisnacht, the most important festival of the believers in witchcraft -- LaVey shaved his head in the tradition of Ancient executioners and announced the formation of The Church Of Satan. He had seen the need for a church that would recapture man's body and his carnal desires as objects of celebration. [article link]

More Than A Wizard: L. Frank Baum by Cat Rambo Published May 2009 -- Politically, Baum was a flaming liberal - His wife was the daughter of suffrage leader Matilda Joslyn Gage, ** [Theosophist - occult] author of The Women's Bible and companion to Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Lyman Frank Baum, author of Ozma of Oz, didn't just write one of the most popular children's books in history. He also produced thirteen other Oz books as well as over 40 other novels, 82 short stories, hundreds of poems, and an unknown number of scripts. -- As a young man, Baum was a printer, producing several amateur newspapers, a poultry breeder specializing in the Hamburg chicken, and a theater lover. Despite working as a clerk in his brother-in-law's dry goods store, he found time to perform in plays until eventually his father, who owned numerous opera houses and theaters, built him a theater on his 24th birthday. Baum wrote plays, including the highly successful musical "The Maid of Arran," and composed music for them as well. Two years later he married Maud Gage, and moved with her a few years later to Aberdeen in the Dakota Territory, where he operated a store called "Baum's Bazaar." In 1890 the store failed, and Baum turned to newspaper writing and working as a traveling salesman. -- He believed deeply in the power of children's literature, saying "Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities. So I believe that dreams - day dreams with your eyes wide open - are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent, and therefore to foster civilization." -- Politically, Baum was a flaming liberal. His wife was the daughter of suffrage leader Matilda Joslyn Gage, author of The Women's Bible and companion to Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Baum wrote editorials trying to convince the public to vote for women's suffrage and served as secretary of Aberdeen's Women Suffrage Club. [article link]

Wikipedia: Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826 - 1898) -- Gage was considered to be more radical than either Susan B. Anthony or Elizabeth Cady Stanton (with whom she wrote History of Woman Suffrage) - Along with Stanton, she was a vocal critic of the Christian Church, which put her at odds with conservative suffragists such as Frances Willard and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union - Despite her opposition to the Church, Gage was in her own way deeply religious [occult - the Theosophical Society], and **she joined Stanton's Revising Committee to write 'The Woman's Bible' - She became a Theosophist and encouraged her children and their spouses to do so, some of whom did
Family: A daughter of the early abolitionist Hezekiah Joslyn, Gage was the wife of Henry Hill Gage, with whom she had five children: Charles Henry (who died in infancy), Helen Leslie, Thomas Clarkson, Julia Louise, and Maud. Gage maintained residence in Fayetteville, New York for the majority of her life. Though Gage was cremated, there is a memorial stone at Fayetteville Cemetery that bears her slogan "There is a word sweeter than Mother, Home or Heaven. That word is Liberty." -- Maud, who was ten years younger than Julia, initially horrified her mother when she chose to marry The Wonderful Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum at a time when he was a struggling actor with only a handful of plays (of which only The Maid of Arran survives) to his writing credit. However, a few minutes after the initial announcement, Gage started laughing, apparently realizing that her emphasis on all individuals making up their own minds was not lost on her headstrong daughter, who gave up a chance at a law career when the opportunity for women was rare. Gage spent six months of every year with Maud and Frank, and died in the Baum home in Chicago, Illinois in 1898. -- Gage's son Thomas Clarkson Gage and his wife Sophia had a daughter named Dorothy Louise Gage, who was born in Bloomington, IL, on June 11, 1898 and died just five months later on November 11, 1898. The death so upset the child's aunt Maud, who had always longed for a daughter, that she required medical attention. Thomas Clarkson Gage's child was the namesake of her uncle Frank Baum's famed fictional character, Dorothy Gale. In 1996, Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner, a biographer of Matilda Joslyn Gage, located young Dorothy's grave in Bloomington. A memorial was erected in the child's memory at her gravesite on May 21, 1997. This child is often mistaken for her cousin of the same name, Dorothy Louise Gage (1883-1889), Helen Leslie (Gage) Gage's child. As theosophists, both the Baums and the Gages believed in reincarnation, and thought this child might have been Matilda Joslyn Gage, whose personal spark is apparently written into the character. -- In The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story, Gage was played by Rue McClanahan, whose relationship with Frank was wrongly portrayed as antagonistic, and falsely presented Gage as the inspiration for the Wicked Witch of the West. Annette O'Toole played Maud, and Nancy Morgan and Pat Skipper played Helen and Charles, respectively. [article link]

Wikipedia: The Woman's Bible - The Woman's Bible is a two-part book, written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and a committee of 26 women, and published in 1895 and 1898 to challenge the traditional position of religious orthodoxy that woman should be subservient to man - By producing the book, Stanton wished to promote a radical liberating theology, one that stressed self-development - The book attracted a great deal of controversy and antagonism at its introduction - Although it was never accepted by Bible scholars as a major work, it became a popular best-seller
Many women's rights activists who worked with Stanton were opposed to the publication of The Woman's Bible; they felt it would harm the drive for women's suffrage. Although it was never accepted by Bible scholars as a major work, it became a popular best-seller, much to the dismay of suffragists who worked alongside Stanton within the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Susan B. Anthony tried to calm the younger suffragists, but they issued a formal denunciation of the book, and worked to distance the suffrage movement from Stanton's broader scope which included attacks on traditional religion. Because of the widespread negative reaction, including suffragists who had been close to her, publication of the book effectively ended Stanton's influence in the suffrage movement. -- In 1881, 1885 and 1894, the Church of England published a Revised Version of the Bible, the first new English version in over two centuries. Stanton was dissatisfied with the Revised Version's failure to include recent scholarship from Bible expert Julia Smith. ... Stanton assembled a "Revising Committee" to draft commentary on the new Bible version. Many of those she approached in person and by letter refused to take part, especially scholars who would be risking their professional reputations. Some 26 people agreed to help. Sharing Stanton's determination, the committee wished to correct biblical interpretation which was biased against women, and to bring attention to the small fraction of the Bible which discussed women. They intended to demonstrate that it was not divine will that humiliated women, but human desire for domination. The committee was made up of women who were not Bible scholars, but who were interested in biblical interpretation and were active in women's rights. Among the more famous members of the international committee were Augusta Jane Chapin, Lillie Devereux Blake, Matilda Joslyn Gage, Olympia Brown, Alexandra Gripenberg, Ursula Mellor Bright and Irma von Troll-Borostyáni. -- Reaction: At its introduction, The Woman's Bible was widely criticized in editorials and from the pulpit. Stanton wrote that "the clergy denounced it as the work of Satan ..." Some were put off just by its prejudicial, sacrilegious title, especially those who did not take the time to read the book. Others countered the book's more extreme conclusions one by one in public fora such as letters to the editor. One female reader of The New York Times wrote to decry The Woman's Bible for its radical statements that the Trinity was composed of "a Heavenly Mother, Father, and Son", and that prayers should be addressed to an "ideal Heavenly Mother". Mary Seymour Howell, a member of the Revising Committee, wrote to The New York Times in defense of the book, saying that its title could be better understood as "The Woman's Commentary on the Women of the Bible". Stanton countered attacks by women readers, writing "the only difference between us is, we say that these degrading ideas of woman emanated from the brain of man, while the church says that they came from God." -- Susan B. Anthony, Stanton's best and most faithful collaborator, concluded after years of working for women's rights that the concentration on one issue-votes for women-was the key to bringing success to the movement. The women's organizations had too varied a membership to agree on anything more complex. Stanton insisted, however, that the women's rights conventions were too narrowly focused; she brought forward a variety of challenging concepts in the form of essays for Anthony to read to the audiences. When Stanton made known her interest in completing The Woman's Bible, Anthony was unhappy at the futility of the effort, a harmful digression from the focused path which led to woman suffrage. Anthony wrote to Clara Colby to say of Stanton "of all her great speeches, I am always proud-but of her Bible commentaries, I am not proud-either of their spirit or letter ... But I shall love and honor her to the end-whether her Bible please me or not. So I hope she will do for me." -- At the NAWSA convention January 23-28, 1896, Corresponding Secretary Rachel Foster Avery led the battle to distance the organization from The Woman's Bible. After Susan B. Anthony opened the convention on January 23, Avery surprised Anthony by stating to the more than 100 members of the audience: During the latter part of the year the work has been in several directions much hindered by the general misconception of the relation of the so-called "Woman's Bible" to our association. As an organization we have been held responsible for the action of an individual ... in issuing a volume with a pretentious title, covering a jumble of comment ... without either scholarship or literary value, set forth in a spirit which is neither reverent nor inquiring. Avery called for a resolution: "That this Association is non-sectarian, being composed of persons of all shades of religious opinion, and that it has no connection with the so-called 'Woman's Bible', or any theological publication." The motion was tabled until later, and motions were made to strike Avery's comments from the official record. A complete account of Avery's remarks were reported the next day in The New York Times. The opinion of NAWSA delegate Laura Clay, expressed in her Southern Committee report on January 27 that "the South is ready for woman suffrage, but it must be woman suffrage and nothing else," was typical of responses to The Woman's Bible conflict. Most suffragists wanted only to work on the right to vote, "without attaching it to dress reform, or bicycling, or anything else ..." On the afternoon of January 28, a list of Resolutions was put to a vote. The first seven were passed without comment. The eighth was Avery's proposed dissociation with The Woman's Bible, and its presence caused an active debate. Anna Howard Shaw, Alice Stone Blackwell, Henry Browne Blackwell, Carrie Chapman Catt and others spoke in favor, while Lillie Devereux Blake, Clara B. Colby, and more spoke against it. Anthony left her chair to join the debate against the resolution, and spoke at length, saying "Lucretia Mott at first thought Mrs. Stanton had injured the cause of woman's rights by insisting on the demand for woman suffrage, but she had sense enough not to pass a resolution about it ..." A majority of 53 to 41 delegates approved the resolution, an action which was seen as a censure of Stanton, and one which was never repealed. Avery's opening report of January 23 was adopted with the part about The Woman's Bible expunged. -- Legacy: Stanton wished for a greater degree of scholarship in The Woman's Bible, but was unable to convince Bible scholars of her day to take part in what was expected to be a controversial project. Scholars continued to avoid addressing the subject of sexism in the Bible until 1964 when Margaret Brackenbury Crook published Women and Religion, a study of the status of women in Judaism and Christianity. Subsequent works by Letty Russell and Phyllis Trible furthered the connection between feminism and the Bible. Today, biblical scholarship by women has come into maturity, with women posing new questions about the Bible, and challenging the very basis of biblical studies. Stanton herself was marginalized in the women's suffrage movement after publication of The Woman's Bible. From that time forward, Susan B. Anthony took the place of honor among the majority of suffragettes. Stanton was never again invited to sit in a place of honor on stage at the NAWSA convention. [article link]

Wikipedia: L. Frank Baum (1856 - 1919) -- was an [occult] American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - He wrote thirteen novel sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and a host of other works (55 novels in total, plus four "lost" novels, 82 short stories, over 200 poems, an unknown number of scripts, and many miscellaneous writings), and made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen - His works predicted such century-later commonplaces as television, laptop computers (The Master Key), wireless telephones (Tik-Tok of Oz), women in high risk, action-heavy occupations (Mary Louise in the Country), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing (Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: In 1900, Baum and Denslow (with whom he shared the copyright) published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to much critical acclaim and financial success. The book was the best-selling children's book for two years after its initial publication. Baum went on to write thirteen more novels based on the places and people of the Land of Oz. ... His final Oz book, Glinda of Oz was published on July 10, 1920, a year after his death. The Oz series was continued long after his death by other authors, notably Ruth Plumly Thompson, who wrote an additional nineteen Oz books. ... Baum also anonymously wrote The Last Egyptian: A Romance of the Nile. -- Baum continued theatrical work with Harry Marston Haldeman's men's social group, The Uplifters, for which he wrote several plays for various celebrations. He also wrote the group's parodic by-laws. The group, which also included Will Rogers, was proud to have had Baum as a member and posthumously revived many of his works despite their ephemeral intent. Although many of these play's titles are known, only The Uplift of Lucifer is known to survive (it was published in a limited edition in the 1960s). Prior to that, his last produced play was The Tik-Tok Man of Oz (based on Ozma of Oz and the basis for Tik-Tok of Oz), a modest success in Hollywood that producer Oliver Morosco decided did not do well enough to take to Broadway. Morosco, incidentally, quickly turned to film production, as would Baum. -- In 1914, having moved to Hollywood years earlier, Baum started his own film production company, The Oz Film Manufacturing Company, which came as an outgrowth of the Uplifters. He served as its president, and principal producer and screenwriter. The rest of the board consisted of Louis F. Gottschalk, Harry Marston Haldeman, and Clarence R. Rundel. The films were directed by J. Farrell MacDonald, with casts that included Violet MacMillan, Vivian Reed, Mildred Harris, Juanita Hansen, Pierre Couderc, Mai Welles, Louise Emmons, J. Charles Haydon, and early appearances by Harold Lloyd and Hal Roach. Silent film actor Richard Rosson appeared in one of the films, whose younger brother Harold Rosson photographed The Wizard of Oz (1939). After little success probing the unrealized children's film market, Baum came clean about who wrote The Last Egyptian and made a film of it (portions of which are included in Decasia), but the Oz name had, for the time being, become box office poison and even a name change to Dramatic Feature Films and transfer of ownership to Frank Joslyn Baum did not help. Unlike with The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays, Baum invested none of his own money in the venture, but the stress probably took its toll on his health. -- On May 5, 1919, Baum suffered from a stroke. He died quietly the next day, nine days short of his 63rd birthday. At the end he mumbled in his sleep, then said, "Now we can cross the Shifting Sands." He was buried in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery. ... Political: Women's suffrage advocate - Sally Roesch Wagner of The Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation has published a pamphlet titled The Wonderful Mother of Oz describing how Matilda Gage's radical feminist politics were sympathetically channeled by Baum into his Oz books. Much of the politics in the Republican Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer dealt with trying to convince the populace to vote for women's suffrage. Baum was the secretary of Aberdeen's Woman's Suffrage Club. When Susan B. Anthony visited Aberdeen, she stayed with the Baums. Nancy Tystad Koupal notes an apparent loss of interest in editorializing after Aberdeen failed to pass the bill for women's enfranchisement. Some of Baum's contacts with suffragists of his day seem to have inspired much of his second Oz story, The Marvelous Land of Oz. In this story, General Jinjur leads the girls and women of Oz in a revolt by knitting needles, take over, and make the men do the household chores. Jinjur proves to be an incompetent ruler, but a female advocating gender equality is ultimately placed on the throne. His Edith Van Dyne stories, including the Aunt Jane's Nieces, The Flying Girl and its sequel, and his girl sleuth Josie O'Gorman from The Bluebird Books, depict girls and young women engaging in traditionally masculine activities. ... Religion: Originally a Methodist (albeit a skeptical one), Baum joined the Episcopal Church in Aberdeen to participate in community theatricals. Later, he and his wife, encouraged by Matilda Joslyn Gage, became Theosophists, in 1897. Baum's beliefs are often reflected in his writing. The only mention of a church in his Oz books is the porcelain one which the Cowardly Lion breaks in the Dainty China Country in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Baums believed that religious decisions should be made by mature minds and sent their older sons to "Ethical Culture Sunday School" in Chicago, which taught morality, not religion. [article link]

Introduction: In this part of the study we are going to examine the modern day phenomenon of the Church Denomination and specifically the characteristics of the personality preacher (male or female) - Where the ministries are oriented to where one individual molds and shapes the ministry after their own particular desires usually with the unspoken goal of increasing their own personal financial gain - It is in part a study of the misuse and collapse of the modern Church system, a system that has neglected righteousness and instead favors abuse, neglect and lies all cleverly wrapped and delivered in a container of arrogance, fraud and deceit - In other words this is simply the perils that exist in the present day modern Church
Note: even with the many problems that these and all the Denominations have both now and historically have had - each of these churches (Pentecostal, Foursquare, SBC, Calvary Chapel, etc.) are still for the most part a valid place to worship and the reason is because God is not a respecter of persons. Even though the person in the pulpit is less than honorable and possibly even a scoundrel at heart their limitations have not limited in any way the ability or desires of God to meet with a person desirous of having a personal, Biblical relationship with God. -- Romans 2:1-13 "But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: *For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." [article link]

Wilipedia: 1906 Azusa Street Revival - The Azusa Street Revival was a historic Pentecostal revival meeting that took place in Los Angeles, California and is the origin of the Pentecostal movement - it was led by William J. Seymour, an African American preacher - It began with a meeting on April 14, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915 - The revival was characterized by ecstatic spiritual experiences accompanied by miracles, dramatic worship services, speaking in tongues, and inter-racial mingling - The participants were criticized by the secular media and Christian theologians for behaviors considered to be outrageous and unorthodox, especially at the time - Today, the revival is considered by historians to be the primary catalyst for the spread of Pentecostalism in the 20th century - The Apostolic Faith Mission on 312 Azusa Street, now considered to be the birthplace of Pentecostalism -- Every Church Member that is Charismatic or Pentecostal has roots that stem from The 1906 Azusa Street Revival! (TheAzusaStreetRevival.com)
Background: Welsh Revival - In 1904, the Welsh Revival took place, during which approximately 100,000 people in Wales joined the movement. Internationally, evangelical Christians took this event to be a sign that a fulfillment of the prophecy in the Bible's book of Joel, chapter 2:23-29 was about to take place. Joseph Smale, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Los Angeles, went to Wales personally in order to witness the revival. Upon his return to Los Angeles, he attempted to ignite a similar event in his own congregation. His attempts were short-lived, and he eventually left First Baptist Church to found First New Testament Church, where he continued his efforts. During this time, other small-scale revivals were taking place in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Texas. By 1905, reports of speaking in tongues, supernatural healings, and significant lifestyle changes accompanied these revivals. As news spread, evangelicals across the United States began to pray for similar revivals in their own congregations. -- Los Angeles: In 1905, William J. Seymour, the one-eyed 34 year old son of former slaves, was a student of well-known Pentecostal preacher Charles Parham and an interim pastor for a small holiness church in Houston, Texas. Neely Terry, an African American woman who attended a small holiness church pastored by Julia Hutchins in Los Angeles, made a trip to visit family in Houston late in 1905. While in Houston, she visited Seymour's church, where he preached the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, and though he had not experienced this personally, Terry was impressed with his character and message. Once home in California, Terry suggested that Seymour be invited to speak at the local church. Seymour received and accepted the invitation in February 1906, and he received financial help and a blessing from Parham for his planned one-month visit. -- Seymour arrived in Los Angeles on February 22, 1906, and within two days was preaching at Julia Hutchins' church at the corner of Ninth Street and Santa Fe Avenue. During his first sermon, he preached that speaking in tongues was the first biblical evidence of the inevitable baptism in the Holy Spirit. On the following Sunday, March 4, he returned to the church and found that Hutchins had padlocked the door. Elders of the church rejected Seymour's teaching, primarily because he had not yet experienced the blessing about which he was preaching. Condemnation of his message also came from the Holiness Church Association of Southern California with which the church had affiliation. However, not all members of Hutchins' church rejected Seymour's preaching. He was invited to stay in the home of congregation member Edward S. Lee, and he began to hold Bible studies and prayer meetings there. -- Seymour and his small group of new followers soon relocated to the home of Richard and Ruth Asberry at 214 North Bonnie Brae Street. White families from local holiness churches began to attend as well. The group would get together regularly and pray to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. On April 9, 1906, after five weeks of Seymour's preaching and prayer, and three days into an intended 10-day fast, Edward S. Lee spoke in tongues for the first time. At the next meeting, Seymour shared Lee's testimony and preached a sermon on Acts 2:4 and soon six others began to speak in tongues as well, including Jennie Moore, who would later become Seymour's wife. A few days later, on April 12, Seymour spoke in tongues for the first time after praying all night long. -- News of the events at North Bonnie Brae St. quickly circulated among the African American, Latino and White residents of the city, and for several nights, various speakers would preach to the crowds of curious and interested onlookers from the front porch of the Asberry home. Members of the audience included people from a broad spectrum of income levels and religious backgrounds. Hutchins eventually spoke in tongues as her whole congregation began to attend the meetings. Soon the crowds became very large and were full of people speaking in tongues, shouting, singing and moaning. Finally, the front porch collapsed, forcing the group to begin looking for a new meeting place. A resident of the neighborhood described the happenings at 214 North Bonnie Brae with the following words: They shouted three days and three nights. It was Easter season. The people came from everywhere. By the next morning there was no way of getting near the house. As people came in they would fall under God's power; and the whole city was stirred. They shouted until the foundation of the house gave way, but no one was hurt. -- Azusa Street: Conditions - The group from Bonnie Brae Street eventually discovered an available building at 312 Azusa Street in downtown Los Angeles, which had originally been constructed as an African Methodist Episcopal Church in what was then a black ghetto part of town. The rent was $8.00 per month. A newspaper referred to the downtown Los Angeles building as a "tumble down shack". Since the church had moved out, the building had served as a wholesale house, a warehouse, a lumberyard, stockyards, a tombstone shop, and had most recently been used as a stable with rooms for rent upstairs. It was a small, rectangular, flat-roofed building, approximately 60 feet (18 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) wide, totaling 4,800 square feet (450 m2), sided with weathered whitewashed clapboards. The only sign that it had once been a house of God was a single gothic-style window over the main entrance. -- Discarded lumber and plaster littered the large, barn-like room on the ground floor. Nonetheless, it was secured and cleaned in preparation for services. They held their first meeting on April 14, 1906. Church services were held on the first floor where the benches were placed in a rectangular pattern. Some of the benches were simply planks put on top of empty nail kegs. There was no elevated platform, as the ceiling was only eight feet high. Initially there was no pulpit. Frank Bartleman, an early participant in the revival, recalled that "Brother Seymour generally sat behind two empty shoe boxes, one on top of the other. He usually kept his head inside the top one during the meeting, in prayer. There was no pride there.... In that old building, with its low rafters and bare floors..." -- The second floor at the now-named Apostolic Faith Mission housed an office and rooms for several residents including Seymour and his new wife, Jennie. It also had a large prayer room to handle the overflow from the altar services below. The prayer room was furnished with chairs and benches made from California Redwood planks, laid end to end on backless chairs. -- The Apostolic Faith Mission on Azusa Street, now considered to be the birthplace of Pentecostalism. -- By mid-May 1906, anywhere from 300 to 1,500 people would attempt to fit into the building. Since horses had very recently been the residents of the building, flies constantly bothered the attendees. People from a diversity of backgrounds came together to worship: men, women, children, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, rich, poor, illiterate, and educated. People of all ages flocked to Los Angeles with both skepticism and a desire to participate. The intermingling of races and the group's encouragement of women in leadership was remarkable, as 1906 was the height of the "Jim Crow" era of racial segregation, and fourteen years prior to women receiving suffrage in the United States. -- Birth of Pentecostal movement: By the end of 1906, most leaders from Azusa Street had spun off to form other congregations, such as the 51st Street Apostolic Faith Mission, the Spanish AFM, and the Italian Pentecostal Mission. These missions were largely composed of immigrant or ethnic groups. The Southeast United States was a particularly prolific area of growth for the movement, since Seymour's approach gave a useful explanation for a charismatic spiritual climate that had already been taking root in those areas. Other new missions were based on preachers who had charisma and energy. Nearly all of these new churches were founded among immigrants and the poor. -- Many existing Wesleyan-holiness denominations adopted the Pentecostal message, such as the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), the Church of God in Christ, and the Pentecostal Holiness Church. The formation of new denominations also occurred, motivated by doctrinal differences between Wesleyan Pentecostals and their Finished Work counterparts, such as the Assemblies of God formed in 1914 and the Pentecostal Church of God formed in 1919. An early doctrinal controversy led to a split between Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostals, the latter founded the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World in 1916. -- Today, there are more than 500 million Pentecostal and charismatic believers across the globe and is the fastest-growing form of Christianity today. The Azusa Street Revival is commonly regarded as the beginning of the modern-day Pentecostal Movement. [article link]

Wikipedia: Aimee Semple McPherson (1890 - 1944) -- also known as Sister Aimee, was a Canadian-American Los Angeles, California evangelist and media celebrity in the 1920s and 1930s - In 1913, McPherson embarked upon a preaching career - McPherson [infiltrated the Christian Church and pretended to support fundamental values] sought to eradicate modernism and secularism in homes, churches, schools and communities and developed a strong following in what McPherson termed "the Foursquare Gospel" **by blending contemporary culture with religious teachings - She founded the Foursquare Church in 1927 - McPherson has been noted as a pioneer in the use of modern media, especially radio, which she drew upon through the growing appeal of popular entertainment in North America - "McPherson found no contradiction between her rejection of Hollywood values for her use of show business techniques - She would not hesitate to use the devil's tools to tear down the devil's house" - Collections were taken at every meeting, often with the admonishment, "no coins, please" - On September 13, 1931, McPherson married again ... The marriage also caused an uproar within the church: The tenets of Foursquare Gospel, as put forth by McPherson herself, held that one should not remarry while their previous spouse was still alive, as McPherson's second husband still was - On September 26, 1944, McPherson went to Oakland, California, for a series of revivals, planning to preach her popular "Story of My Life" sermon - When McPherson's son went to her hotel room at 10:00 the next morning, he found her unconscious with pills and a half-empty bottle of capsules nearby - She had been taking sleeping pills following numerous health problems-including "tropical fever" - Among the pills found in the hotel room was the drug Seconal, a strong sedative which had not been prescribed for her - It was unknown how she obtained them - The actual cause of death still officially listed as unknown - There was some conjecture of suicide but most sources generally agree the overdose was accidental as put forth in the coroner's report
Early Life: The battle between fundamentalists and modernists escalated after World War I, with many modernists seeking less conservative religious faiths. Fundamentalists generally believed their religious faith should influence every aspect of their lives. McPherson [infiltrated the Christian Church and pretended to support fundamental values] sought to eradicate modernism and secularism in homes, churches, schools and communities and developed a strong following in what McPherson termed "the Foursquare Gospel" by blending contemporary culture with religious teachings. -- International Church of the Foursquare Gospel: Wearied by constant traveling and having nowhere to raise a family, McPherson had settled in Los Angeles, where she maintained both a home and a church. McPherson believed that by creating a church in Los Angeles, her audience would come to her from all over the country. This, she felt, would allow her to plant seeds of Gospel and tourists would take it home to their communities, still reaching the masses. For several years she continued to travel and raise money for the construction of a large, domed church building in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles. The church would be named Angelus Temple. Raising more money than she had hoped, McPherson altered the original plans, and built a "megachurch" that would draw many followers throughout the years. The church was dedicated on January 1, 1923. The auditorium had a seating capacity of 5,300 people and was filled three times each day, seven days a week. At first, McPherson preached every service, often in a dramatic scene she put together to attract audiences. Eventually, the church evolved into its own denomination and became known as the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. The new denomination focused on the nature of Christ's character, that he was Savior, baptizer with the Holy Spirit, healer and coming King. There were four main beliefs: the first being Christ's ability to transform individuals' lives through the act of salvation; the second focused on a holy baptism; the third was divine healing; and the fourth was gospel-oriented heed to the premillennial return of Jesus Christ. -- In August 1925 and away from Los Angeles, McPherson decided to charter a plane so she would not miss giving her Sunday sermon. Aware of the opportunity for publicity, she arranged for at least two thousand followers and members of the press to be present at the airport. The plane failed after takeoff and the landing gear collapsed, sending the nose of the plane into the ground. McPherson boarded another plane and used the experience as the narrative of an illustrated Sunday sermon called "The Heavenly Airplane." The stage in Angelus Temple was set up with two miniature planes and a skyline that looked like Los Angeles. In this sermon, McPherson described how the first plane had the devil for the pilot, sin for the engine and temptation as the propeller. The other plane, however, was piloted by Jesus and would lead one to the Holy City (the skyline shown on stage). The temple was filled beyond capacity. On one occasion, she described being pulled over by a police officer, calling the sermon "Arrested for Speeding." McPherson employed a small group of artists, electricians, decorators and carpenters who built the sets for each Sunday's service. Religious music was played by an orchestra. Biographer Matthew Avery Sutton wrote, "McPherson found no contradiction between her rejection of Hollywood values for her use of show business techniques. She would not hesitate to use the devil's tools to tear down the devil's house." Collections were taken at every meeting, often with the admonishment, "no coins, please." -- Because Pentecostalism was not popular in the U.S. during the 1920s, McPherson avoided the label. She did, however, make demonstrations of speaking-in-tongues and faith healing in sermons. She kept a museum of crutches, wheelchairs and other paraphernalia. As evidence of her early influence by the Salvation Army, McPherson adopted a theme of "lighthouses" for the satellite churches, referring to the parent church as the "Salvation Navy." This was the beginning of McPherson working to plant Foursquare Gospel churches around the country. McPherson published the weekly Foursquare Crusader along with her monthly magazine Bridal Call. She began broadcasting on radio in the early 1920s. McPherson was one of the first women to preach a radio sermon; and with the opening of Foursquare Gospel-owned KFSG on February 6, 1924, she became the second woman granted a broadcast license by the Department of Commerce, the agency that supervised broadcasting in the early 1920s. [article link]

Wikipedia: Kathryn Kuhlman (1907 - 1976) -- Was an American faith healer and evangelist - Kuhlman [modeling her career in the mold of her idol Aimee Semple McPherson] traveled extensively around the United States and in many other countries holding "healing crusades" between the 1940s and 1970s - She had a weekly TV program in the 1960s and 1970s called I Believe In Miracles that was aired nationally The foundation was established in 1954, and its Canadian branch in 1970 - After she died, her will led to controversy - She left $267,500, the bulk of her estate, to three family members and twenty employees - Smaller bequests were given to 19 other employees - According to the Independent Press-Telegram , her employees were disappointed that "she did not leave most of her estate to the foundation as she had done under a previous 1974 will - Many accounts of healings were published in her books, which were "ghost-written" by author Jamie Buckingham of Florida, including her autobiography, which was dictated at a hotel in Las Vegas - Buckingham also wrote his own Kuhlman biography that presented an unvarnished account of her life - Many other faith healers, including Benny Hinn, who have been inspired by Kathryn Kuhlman have faced similar suspicions about their methods and practices - Kathryn Kuhlman is interred [near Aimee Semple McPherson] in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
Early life: Kathryn Johanna Kuhlmun was born in Concordia, Missouri, to German-American parents. She was born-again at the age of 13 in the Methodist Church of Concordia, and began preaching in the West at the age of sixteen in primarily Baptist Churches. -- Career: Kuhlman traveled extensively around the United States and in many other countries holding "healing crusades" between the 1940s and 1970s. She had a weekly TV program in the 1960s and 1970s called I Believe In Miracles that was aired nationally. The foundation was established in 1954, and its Canadian branch in 1970. Following a 1967 fellowship in Philadelphia, Dr. William A. Nolen conducted a case study of 23 people who claimed to have been cured during her services. Nolen's long term follow-ups concluded there were no cures in those cases. Furthermore, one woman who was said to have been cured of spinal cancer took off her brace and ran across the stage at Kuhlman's command; her spine collapsed the following day and she died four months later. -- By 1970 she moved to Los Angeles conducting faith healing for thousands of people each day as an heir to Aimee Semple McPherson. She became well-known despite, as she told reporters, having no theological training. In 1935, Kathryn met Burroughs Waltrip, an extremely handsome Texas evangelist who was eight years her senior. Despite the fact that he was married with two small boys, they soon found themselves attracted to each other. Shortly after his visit to Denver, Waltrip divorced his wife, left his family and moved to Mason City, Iowa, where he began a revival center called Radio Chapel. Kathryn and her friend and pianist Helen Gulliford came into town to help him raise funds for his ministry. It was shortly after their arrival that the romance between Burroughs and Kathryn became publicly known. -- Burroughs and Kathryn decided to wed. While discussing the matter with some friends, Kathryn had said that she could not "find the will of God in the matter." These and other friends encouraged her not to go through with the marriage, but Kathryn justified it to herself and others by believing that Waltrip's wife had left him, not the other way around. On October 18th, 1938, Kathryn secretly married "Mister," as she liked to call Waltrip, in Mason City. The wedding did not give her new peace about their union, however. After they checked into their hotel that night, Kathryn left and drove over to the hotel where Helen was staying with another friend. She sat with them weeping and admitted that the marriage was a mistake. She decided to get an annulment. -- In 1975, Kuhlman was sued by Paul Bartholomew, her personal administrator, who claimed she kept $1 million in jewelry and $1 million in fine art hidden away and sued her for $430,500 for breach of contract. Two former associates accused her in the lawsuit of diverting funds and illegally removing records, which she denied and said the records were not private. According to Kuhlman, the lawsuit was settled prior to trial. -- Death and legacy: In July 1975 her doctor diagnosed her with a minor heart flareup and she had a relapse in November while in Los Angeles. As a result, she had open heart surgery in Tulsa, Oklahoma from which she died in February 1976. Kathryn Kuhlman is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. A plaque in her honor is located in the main city park in Concordia, Missouri, a town located in central Missouri on Interstate Highway 70. -- After she died, her will led to controversy. She left $267,500, the bulk of her estate, to three family members and twenty employees. Smaller bequests were given to 19 other employees. According to the Independent Press-Telegram , her employees were disappointed that "she did not leave most of her estate to the foundation as she had done under a previous 1974 will." The Kathryn Kuhlman Foundation has continued, but in 1982 it terminated its nationwide radio broadcasting. She influenced faith healers Benny Hinn and Billy Burke. Hinn has adopted some of her techniques and wrote a book about her. -- Healing: Many accounts of healings were published in her books, which were "ghost-written" by author Jamie Buckingham of Florida, including her autobiography, which was dictated at a hotel in Las Vegas. Buckingham also wrote his own Kuhlman biography that presented an unvarnished account of her life. Many other faith healers, including Benny Hinn, who have been inspired by Kathryn Kuhlman have faced similar suspicions about their methods and practices. [article link]

Kathryn Kuhlman Medallion Coin Keychain Medal - KATHRYN KUHLMAN MEDALLION KEYCHAIN WHICH WAS GIVEN OUT TO SPECIAL GUESTS IN 1972 TO COMMEMORATE HER 25 YEARS OF SERVICE IN PITTSBURG -- Click on the coin photo then click on the right side arrow to view a photo of the back side of the coin -- {Note: There is quite a controversy regarding this coin in that in 1972 Kathryn Kuhlman had this coin designed and minted - the coin's face (heads side) features Kathryn Kuhlman on it in her healing pose - while regulated to the backside (tails side) of the coin is Jesus Christ also in a healing pose, no doubt conducting His healing in a pose and from lessons that Jesus learned from Kathryn Kuhlman at least that's what Kathryn Kuhlman seems to be portraying in that she is the Master and Jesus her student.}
The sculpting was done by E. Frudakis (the Uncle of Dino Kartsonakis, her pianist). Condition = The medallion and keychain are both in great condition with no damage or other issues. The medallion is made of solid bronze or brass. SEE PICS [article link]

Kathryn Kuhlman with Duane Pederson, Lonnie Frisbee and Chuck Smith Sr. of Calvary Chapel (YouTube)
Description: Take a trip back in time to 1971 with the kids from Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa as they meet on the set with Kathyrn Kuhlman. Includes rare footage of Chuck Smith, Duane Pederson, Lonnie Frisbee and early performances by Children of the Day, Love Song, Debby Kerner, Country Faith and all the Jesus People. (1971) [article link]

Chuck Smith Sr. Autobiography: A Memoir of Grace by (Authors) Chuck Smith Sr. and Chuck Smith Jr. published in 2009 - "I am pleased to invite you to pull up a chair and listen as my Pastor Chuck tells the story of his life." - {Chuck Smith Sr. just like Aimee Semple McPherson with her "Story of My Life" sermon and Kathryn Kuhlman with her "Kuhlman and Jesus coin" now preaches the story of his life and fortunately for us he published it in a book and it's available for sale (with the unspoken admonishment of "no coins, just dollars please") and just like Kathryn Kuhlman the self-promoting Mr. Smith manages to put himself both on the cover of his book and also in the driver seat of his favorite car but what that has to do with Jesus Christ and Ministry is a bit unclear.} (book)
In times of trouble, trial, pain or loss, we often can t see the value in what we re experiencing. We don t realize what God is doing, or why He has allowed us to struggle. But there comes a day when we look back over the road map of our lives and we understand, finally. We see the dots laid out along the path, and the events God permitted in order to move us to our destination. I am pleased to invite you to pull up a chair and listen as my Pastor Chuck tells the story of his life. This book is presented to you with the prayer that what you read will help you see how God s grace is at work in your own life. Everything you have experienced in the past, everything you re going through now, and everything that awaits you on the path ahead is all part of God s plan. His will for you is perfect, and He knows just how to prepare you for your life s purpose. Everything is preparation for something else. [article link]

Kathryn Kuhlman - The Interfaith Faith Healer - I thought I would just give a brief history of this diabolical woman - Please read this, it's very important you know who this woman was and how she has influenced hundreds of pastors over the years -- Bennt Hinn Praying at Kuhiman's grave - The secret to Hinn's power is his peculiar anointing, which he connects with Kathryn Kuhlman and Aimee McPherson, founder of the Foursquare Gospel Church - He first felt the "full power of the Holy Spirit" on him at a Kuhlman healing service in 1973 - and her mantle has presumably fallen upon Hinn - He conducts his meetings almost exactly like hers - though it takes Hinn much longer to get his audience into the expectant mood that seems to generate psychosomatic "miracles" - In an April 7, 1991 sermon, Hinn revealed that he periodically visits Kuhiman's grave and that he is one of the few with a key to gain access to it. He also visits Aimee's grave, where he says: "I felt a terrific anointing ... I was shaking all over ... trembling under the power of God ... 'Dear God,' I said, **'I feel the [demonic] anointing.' ... I believe the anointing has lingered over Aimee's body." - (Dave Hunt, "Signs of the Times," CIB Bulletin, Jan. 1992)
The Life And Death Of Kathryn Kuhlman: "Her life was a mystery. Many events of her life were shadowed with half-truths, deception, confusion and misrepresentation. If the righteous or wicked die as they live, then her death was a proof of her disobedience and bondage by false spirits. In fact, of all the mysteries about her, her death was the most mysterious." - "On February 20, 1976, in a strange hospital, in a strange city, surrounded by people she hardly knew, with a man she once disdained standing in the wings ready to preach her funeral. The woman whom Time magazine called a 'veritable one-woman Shrine of Lourdes' was dead at the age of sixty-eight." (Daughter Of Destiny, Jamie Buckingham, pp. 1-2.) -- "In the second paragraph above he mentioned a statement by Time magazine in which she was called a "veritable one-woman Shrine of Lourdes." A second biography, written by Wayne E. Warner, entitled The Woman Behind The Miracles, stated that people often used monies saved to visit an apparition of Mary and instead visited a crusade being conducted by Kathryn Kuhlman. It was very apparent that her healing services were on the exact same level as a so-called mystical apparition of Mary." -- ""Although she had not mentioned marriage, everyone seemed to know. A ghastly hush fell over the congregation. All the rumors they had been hearing about Waltrip divorcing his wife in order to marry Kathryn - it was all true. Women began to sob. Several got up from the choir and walked out. Men sat stony faced in their pews, looking at Kathryn in disbelief. How could she do it? This woman, who had preached such dynamic messages about purity and holiness. This woman who had been such a model of decency and divine compassion." (Daughter Of Destiny, pp. 82-83.) -- Kathryn Kuhlman And "The One World Religion" -- Kahryn Kuhlman was apparently the first minister within the Evangelical/Pentecostal world that laid a foundation for the new unity movement of religions. It was said by her official biographer, Buckingham, that Miss Kuhlman did not like to conduct her services without Catholic priests on her platform. He stated, "She had a special love for doctors, and wanted them either on the stage or on the front rows of the auditorium. The same was true of priests and nuns - especially if they were 'in uniform'. Nothing thrilled Kathryn more than to have thirty or forty Catholic clergymen, especially if they wore clerical collars or, better yet, cassocks, sitting behind her while she ministered. Somehow it seemed to lend authenticity to what she was doing - and helped create the proper climate of a trust and understanding which was so necessary for a miracle service." (Daughter Of Destiny, p. 221.) -- She had a special affinity for the Catholic style of high church grandeur. When Kathryn went to Las Vegas for her crusade, the following was reported, "Kathryn had but one pass through Las Vegas, and she would deliver the gospel with power! Hundreds of people in Las Vegas as well as the faithful in Youngstown, Pittsburgh, and Franklin had agreed to pray that the Holy Spirit would stir the city. Not far away a Roman Catholic priest said a Mass for the meeting the day before." (The Woman Behind The Miracles, pp. 229-230.) -- Please remember that a Catholic Mass is believed to be a time when the very bread and wine becomes the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ. Millions of Protestants died as martyrs because they rejected this blasphemous assertion. Did her affinity for Catholic dogmas help start the declension within the Pentecostal circles that has now become a watershed of deception and compromise? I certainly believe so! "Kathryn Kuhlman was an ecumenist without portfolio." (Ibid, p. 15.) Jamie Buckingham further stated, "In 1948 while ecumenists designed programs for denominational unity, Kathryn Kuhlman threw open the heavy old doors of north Pittsburgh's Carnegie Music Hall. Streaming through the doors and scurrying for chairs came Protestants, Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Jewish, and other groups, most related to churches but others not. And they were back the next week and the next." (Ibid, p. 15.) -- This certainly would have been acceptable if they were led out of these cold-dead churches to embrace a life of separation and New Testament lifestyle. That's certainly what Jesus did. On October 11, 1972, Pope Paul gave her a private audience at the Vatican. Mr. Warner stated, "Complimenting her on her 'admirable work,' he admonished her to 'do it well!' and gave her a gold, handmade engraved medallion bearing a dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit." (Ibid, p. 172.) -- Kathryn Kuhlman And Her Spirit Guides: I am personally convinced that Miss Kuhlman was controlled by a spirit guide masquerading as the Holy Spirit. There appears to be no other possible answer. Coming to this conclusion has been a very tough and heart-rending experience. The following quote from Benny Hinn's book, Good Morning, Holy Spirit, will give you a glance at her attachment to either the Holy Spirit or a spirit. "I looked up to see Kathryn burying her head in her hands as she began to sob. She sobbed and sobbed so loudly that everything came to a standstill. The music stopped. The ushers froze in their positions. "Everyone had their eyes on her. And for the life of me I had no idea why she was sobbing. I'd never seen a minister do that before. What was she crying about? It was told later that she had never done anything like that before, and members of her staff remember it to this day. "It continued for what seemed like two minutes. Then she thrust back her head. There she was, just a few feet in front of me. Her eyes were aflame. She was alive. "In that instant she took on a boldness I had never seen in any person. She pointed her finger straight out with enormous power and emotion - even pain. If the devil himself had been there, she would have flicked him aside with just a tap. "It was a moment of incredible dimension. Still sobbing, she looked out at the audience and said with such agony, 'Please.' She seemed to stretch out the word, 'Plee-ease, don't grieve the Holy Spirit.' "She was begging. If you can imagine a mother pleading with a killer not to shoot her baby, it was like that. She begged and pleaded. "'Please,' she sobbed, 'don't grieve the Holy Spirit.' "Even now I can see her eyes. It was as if they were looking straight at me. "And when she said it, you could have dropped a pin and heard it. I was afraid to breathe. I didn't move a muscle. I was holding on to the pew in front of me wondering what would happen next. "Then she said, 'Don't you understand? He's all I've got!' "I thought, 'What's she talking about?' "Then she continued her impassioned plea saying, 'Please! Don't wound Him. He's all I've got. Don't wound the One I love!'" (Good Morning, Holy Spirit, Benny Hinn, pp. 8-9.) -- Her words reveal a view of this spirit that is extremely unusual. She said, "Don't you understand? He's all I've got." Again, she said, "Please don't wound Him, He's all I've got. Don't wound the One I love." The Holy Spirit absolutely never speaks of Himself. He glorifies Jesus Christ in His church and in you and Jesus Christ alone. Jesus said, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (John 16:13-14). She was enamored with this "spirit" that came upon her. Often she spoke of her fear that he would leave her. She would wait behind the stage, even at times while the service languished for this "spirit person" to manifest himself. When he came she was electric and performed as the greatest of actors. Hinn continued in his description of Kuhlman's emphasis on this spirit whom she called the Holy Spirit. He said, "In my church, the pastor talked about the Holy Spirit. But not like this. His references had to do with the gifts or tongues or prophecy - not "He's my closest, most personal, most intimate, most beloved friend." Kathryn Kuhlman was telling me about a person that was more real than you or I." (Ibid, p. 9.) Source: www.pawcreek.org/articles/endtimes/KathrynKuhlmanandHerSpiritGuide.htm [article link]

Another Jesuit for Another Gospel - The "Evangelical" Non-Denomination movement was and is funded by Socialists, Nazi-Sympathizers, Anti-Communists, Jesuits, and all in all evil people - What do Bill Bright (Campus Crusade for Christ), Billy Graham (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association), Tim LaHaye (CNP founder, Left Behind co-author), and Chuck Smith Sr. (Calvary Chapel) have in common?
What do Bill Bright (Campus Crusade for Christ), Billy Graham (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association), Tim LaHaye (CNP founder, Left Behind co-author), and Chuck Smith Sr. (Calvary Chapel) have in common? They have all benefited financially from Nelson Bunker Hunt. Nelson Bunker Hunt is a business tycoon famous for trying to make a run on Silver (see here), an Equestrian, and something I've learned recently, a Jesuit for the Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem. The following information is an attempt to show the relationship between Nelson Bunker Hunt and "another gospel." The "Evangelical" Non-Denomination movement was and is funded by Socialists, Nazi-Sympathizers, Anti-Communists, Jesuits, and all in all evil people. There is a saying, "An enemy of my enemy is my friend." This thinking leads to 'frenemies' and an enemy who's a temporary friend ultimately will return to their natural state of being your enemy. God does not work this way. God's word tells us not to yoke with unbelievers. This group of Elitists believe it's okay to work with the enemy, to join hands, to make Covenants and oaths together for a common cause. Jesus did not have a separate gospel for Global Elites like some of the "Family" members would like to believe. I understand that all this information takes a turn down the shadowy world of conspiracy theories that the "New World Order" has Jesuits working for the return to Rome, but oddly enough, they really do have evil plans and they are increasingly revealing it themselves as though we should be grateful for their great ideas. You don't have to believe one thing in this post. It's not up to me to convince you that what we have been told and sold as an "Act of God" via a "Jesus Movement" is truly a conceived fabrication of men leading men and deceiving generations of Jesus Christs' sheep. The good news is, if you're truly called of God He can reveal the truth to you (the truth is Christian Society has chosen to follow men and not Christ and has conversely allowed idol worship, blindness, and delusion to take root). [article link]

All in 'The Family' is this politics or a cult? - First and foremost, this is not a conspiracy theory, nor a conspiracy in reality - What it is, is a horrible use of the gospel - something that men have been doing since it was first laid down - It takes the message of Christ and turns it into something political, something disgusting, something human - Instead of calling [admitting] to sin, these people think themselves above the mercy of Christ - If we are chosen, then we are chosen to repentance -- Watch the video below:
As I was watching some news last night, I saw this story on the Rachel Maddow show - and frankly, it's a bit creepy. I usually stop watching news by that late hour - else the children run screaming from the information overload. It concerns The Family, founded by Nazi-sympathizer, Abraham Vereide. As I was watching, I was figuring - 70 years ago? Um, right around the time all this gooblygook with William Branham started and the Manifest Sons of God. Actually, it is quite possible that these two crossed paths. (You may also want to check out this site as well.) -- Remember, these men who live in this house, all powerful, must surrender to being shepherded by another - and consider themselves 'chosen.' In other words, they may do as they choose for they are chosen for greatness in God, and will receive forgiveness. -- Note, from the above article: "At the 1990 National Prayer Breakfast, George H.W. Bush praised Doug Coe for what he described as "quiet diplomacy, I wouldn't say secret diplomacy," as an "ambassador of faith." Coe has visited nearly every world capital, often with congressmen at his side, "making friends" and inviting them back to the Family's unofficial headquarters, a mansion (just down the road from Ivanwald) that the Family bought in 1978 with $1.5 million donated by, among others, Tom Phillips, then the C.E.O. of arms manufacturer Raytheon, and Ken Olsen, the founder and president of Digital Equipment Corporation." -- One of the things that we must endeavor to do, is to make sure that we do not come off sounding like conspiracy theories. I detest them - they destroy when we should build up. They weaken us, because rarely ever are they true. First and foremost, this is not a conspiracy theory, nor a conspiracy in reality. What it is, is a horrible use of the gospel - something that men have been doing since it was first laid down. It takes the message of Christ and turns it into something political, something disgusting, something human. -- Instead of calling to sin, these people think themselves above the mercy of Christ. If we are chosen, then we are chosen to repentance. -- While the connection here between Ensign and Sandford will go unnoticed, it is well remembered that the Dominionists have stated time and time again that they seek to bring about a government of [Anti] Christ built on seven interconnected mountains - one of them being politics. Where else to start but politicians. [article link]

Completed: The Basic Christian blog History study is now completed! -- This completes both studies - The Basic Christian: blog Bible Study (2009-2010) - The Basic Christian: blog History Study (2010-2012) -- Thank you, to everyone who participated in the studies and also to all those who are still reading the studies - God bless everyone! ~ David Anson Brown
Update: Currently there are several projects in process regarding the Basic Christian Ministry. Among the next projects will probably be a Biblical study of the End Times and also it is my hope to present a Holiness Summit via website postings. Also the new Basic Christian Research Wiki page has begun and is well underway. The Holiness Summit would be an excellent opportunity to look at Holiness Doctrines to see where the Holiness Movement historically has been and also to see what changes can be made in order to better present the movement, revitalize the movement for today and help move it on into the future. -- Coming Soon: Holiness Summit 2012!! and Basic Christian: End Times!! [article link]

Supplemental Resources

Updated: 04-12-2012 Basic Christian (3181 Pages) - The BasicChristian.org Website Articles (PDF)
Basic Christian Full Content PDF Version. The BasicChristian.org most complete resource.
[article link]

Basic Christian: blog Bible Study - Genesis to Revelation - The blog Bible Study is dedicated in the name of Jesus, Christ, God, Son, and Savior (PDF)
The Bible study is dedicated in the name of Jesus, Christ, God, Son, and Savior. May the Lord Jesus Christ be honored by our devotions, our study and in our fellowship. May all the people be blessed and grow in the grace and knowledge of the love and presence of God our creator and our savior. Amen! [article link]

Basic Christian: blog History Study - Christian Church History - The 8 Kingdoms of the World (PDF)
Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, [Revised Rome - NWO] Antichrist, Millennial (1,000 year) Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ and the complete Christian Church History. [article link]

Basic Christian Wiki: The Basic Christian Research Wiki 'Common Christian Faith'
The Basic Christian Research Wiki 'Common Christian Faith' wiki website. [article link]

Basic Christian: Jesus Walk Holy Week 2012 - The Jesus Walk 2012 Holy Week 10 Day Timeline Devotion - The 12th Annual (Started in 2001) 10 Day Jesus Walk Easter Timeline Devotion - It will change your life! -- Friday March 30th ---> Easter Sunday April 8th, 2012 (PDF Available)
We are going to begin to look at some of the aspects of Holy Week regarding what actually happened during the final Amazing events of Jesus Christ while He was physically here on earth. We will be considering what His events accomplished and how His completed events affect us today both personally and individually as Christians and as a whole in the Christian Church. - God bless you ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

The Basic Christian: 2009-2010 'blog Bible Study' complete in 10 segments
1. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua
2. Matthew, James, Romans, Galatians, Hebrews
3. Judges, Ruth, 1st Samuel, 2nd Samuel, 1st Kings, 2nd Kings
4. Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum {Early period Prophets - Assyrian activity, attack on Jerusalem thwarted}
5. Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Obadiah, Daniel, Ezekiel {Middle period Prophets - destruction of Jerusalem, Solomon's Temple destroyed and the Babylonian captivity}
6. Luke, Acts, 1st Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st Thessalonians, 2nd Thessalonians
7. Mark, 1st Timothy, 2nd Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1st Peter, 2nd Peter
8. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations
9. 1st Chronicles, 2nd Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, Joel, Malachi {Later period Prophets - The return from Babylon, awaiting the coming Messiah}
10. John, 1st John, 2nd John, 3rd John, Jude, Revelation
[article link]

Basic Christian: (2009-2010) blog Bible Study - Genesis - Revelation (RSS)
The complete Basic Christian: Through the Bible blog Bible Study in RSS feed. [article link]

Basic Christian: blog Bible Study - Old Testament (RSS)
Basic Christian: Through the Bible - Old Testament - blog Bible Study in RSS feed. [article link]

Basic Christian: blog Bible Study - New Testament (RSS)
Basic Christian: Through the Bible - New Testament - blog Bible Study in RSS feed. [article link]

Basic Christian: (2010-2012) blog History Study - The 8 Kingdoms of the World - Christian Church History - Complete (RSS)
Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, [Revised Rome - NWO] Antichrist, Millennial (1,000 year) Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ and the complete Christian Church History. [article link]

Basic Christian: blog History Study - The 8 Kingdoms of the World (RSS)
Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, [Revised Rome - NWO] Antichrist, Millennial (1,000 year) Kingdom Reign of Jesus Christ. [article link]

Basic Christian: blog History Study - Christian Church History (RSS)
History of the Christian Church. [article link]

Basic Christian: Christian Faith Downloads - A Christian resource center with links to many FREE Mp3 downloads (Mp3's)
Christian Faith Downloads -- "1st Corinthians 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." [article link]

--Updated-- Basic Christian Adobe AIR (Version 4.52) -- FREE Download - Note: The 'Adobe Air' document [BasicChristian.air] can be downloaded to any desktop computer (PC or Mac) and also on some of the newer phones (To download and install - Right click this link) {Note: This is the 'Platform' Basic Christian resource format that I'm now using the most (though it doesn't have the universal search feature of a PDF file). It has all the Basic Christian documents [Contents] easily accessible and it also has the ability for each user to change font sizes [lower right slide bar], add comments [Comments Pod] and **also a section to add your own 'Platform' quick links [Favorites] to other websites a feature that I use daily to quickly visit several websites and blogs.}
The program provides excellent anytime devotions and is perfect as a gift for others. Most importantly the end user can create their own comments list, add links to other websites, blogs, RSS feeds, references and documents that once combined create an inclusive individual 'Platform' for Christian research, devotionals and study projects. [article link]

Basic Christian: Mp3 List (PDF)
Basic Christian: Mp3 List (PDF) [article link]

Basic Christian: Video - DVD List (PDF)
Basic Christian: Video - DVD List (PDF) [article link]

Free Christian Select Mp3 Downloads (RSS)
**To download each file: "Right Click" and select "Save Target AS..." [article link]

Basic Christian: Select Mp3s List (PDF)
Basic Christian: Select Mp3s List (PDF) [article link]

Why is a Saddleback pastor teaching on the Kingdom Circles - In "The Mission" workshop, which was part of an International Ecumenical Fellowship, Saddleback Pastor Abraham Meulenberg and his wife Marieke spoke to a small group of attendees - The question is, does Meulenberg teach this? Or were those Kingdom Circles diagrams left over from a previous speaker, and Meulenberg taught on a different subject? (Video)
If you'll notice the diagram behind him, the Kingdom Circles are part of the session. Basically, it's a simple but highly questionable [completely wrong] evangelical tool that people are being taught to draw (sometimes called the "napkin drawing") to demonstrate how those of other faiths can enter the Kingdom of God without converting to Christianity. If you've not heard of this, you need to. The video from the Common Path Alliance as well as this article from the Jesus in the Qur'an organization explains it: -- {Note: In the misleading demonstration three circles are drawn first a lager Kingdom of God (KoG) circle and then two small identical circles supposedly representing Christians and Muslims outside the larger KoG circle, yes in the completely misleading diagram Christians are placed outside of the Kingdom with all the other unsaved Gentiles. Apparently the already saved Christians are still attempting to enter the Kingdom of God and in the demonstration Jesus is not mentioned so their kingdom is not the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Interestingly though not explicitly explained it seems that entrance into their KoG is not directly through the cross of Jesus Christ but apparently through special knowledge (Gnosticism), enlightenment (Occult), and works (i.e. Service and Tithes) it sound very familiar, is sounds like the New Age gospel.} -- Colossians 1:12-23 "Giving thanks unto the Father [God], which hath made us [Christians] meet [assembled] to be partakers of the inheritance **of the Saints in Light: Who [God] hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us **into the Kingdom [of God] of His dear Son [Jesus]: **In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: [Jesus] Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn [inheritor] of every creature: For by Him [Jesus] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is [Eternal] before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head [Authority] of the body, the Church: who is the beginning, the firstborn [Resurrection] from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father [God] that in Him [Jesus] should all fulness [Godhead] dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, **by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you [Gentiles], that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled In the body of His flesh through death, **to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the [True] Gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I [Apostle] Paul am made a minister ..." [article link]

What's Wrong With The Church - Round Table Discussion by RemnantXRadio (Mp3)
On this episode of Remnant X Radio, Brad the Nephilimkiller will be hosting another round table discussion on "What's Wrong With The Church." He will be joined by Dana and Shawn, our friends from Ohio! Please plan to join us as we discuss the failure of the American church. [article link]

SpiritualEyes Blog Via RevelationsRadioNetwork.com: The Godhead and the Deity of Christ -- The Download link is near the bottom of the page -- (Mp3)
This is a study of the Godhead; also called the Trinity, or the Tri-unity of God. The best definition of the Trinity is that there is only one God, but in unity of the divine and infinite Godhead there are three personalities, the Father, the Word (or Son), and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided. Again in simpler terms; There is only one God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three eternal and co-equal Persons; the same in essence but distinct in existence. [article link]

Westcott and Hort's Magic Marker Binge - Would you take a magic marker to your Bible and cross out words from passages? - The chart below illustrates what was done when the text used by Christianity for 1800 years was replaced with a text assembled by Brook Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort in the nineteenth century and used as the basis for the English Revised Version, which nearly all modern translations closely follow - The text shown here is the King James Version. Words, sentences, or entire verses in strikethrough illustrate portions that have been removed from the text underlying the KJV New Testament (Part 1 of 2)
Critics commonly charge that the traditional Bible text used by believers for 1800 years adds material, and that we should be thankful for Westcott and Hort who came along in the 19th century to restore the text of the New Testament that had been corrupt for 1800 years and during the entire reformation. This charge is of course made against evidence to the contrary, as you will find if you research the text lines (read other articles on this website). Further, it is interesting to note that one of these verses is this: Romans 13:9: For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The phrase "thou shalt not bear false witness" is missing from the modern critical text (and therefor most modern versions). Now I ask you: is it reasonable to assume that a scribe added a self-incriminating phrase to the passage? Isn't it more likely that "those who corrupt the word of God" (2 Cor. 2:17, KJV) removed the phrase which indicted them? [article link]

CHURCH HISTORY - Underprized: William Tyndale and the English Bible by David Teems
CBN.com -- 2011 was the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible (1611). And it is only right that we celebrate. According to scholars, the King James Bible continues to hold its place with the works of William Shakespeare as the greatest work of prose in the English language. The offspring of a poetic age, the KJB is part of our deepest cultural memory, and after 400 years, this great Bible not only remains a testament to what has proven excellent in our linguistic past, it has allowed God to speak to us in his accustomed beauty and highness, and with an English voice. But that is not the whole story. Truth is, each of the passages above had their beginning not with the King James translators, but in the translation of William Tyndale some eighty-five years earlier, at a time when an English translation of the Bible was not only against the law in England, it was punishable by death. While it certainly deserves the honors it has received, the King James Bible gets the applause that rightfully belongs to William Tyndale (1494-1536). 90% or more of the King James New Testament is Tyndale's translation, and most often word for word. Tyndale also translated roughly a third of the Old Testament (Genesis - II Chronicles, and Jonah). The following are Tyndale translations: Let there be light, Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, In the cool of the day, Am I my brother's keeper, Let my people go, Entreat me not to leave thee, The Lord bless thee and keep thee, A small still voice. Any study of Tyndale's wordcraft must also include his single word innovations such as: Jehovah, thanksgiving, passover, intercession, holy place, atonement, Mercy seat, judgement seat, chasten, impure, longed, apostleship, brotherly, sorcerer, whoremonger, viper, and godless. What is dumbfounding to me, and which is the point of this article, is how hidden Tyndale remains, how misprized, and how thoroughly uncelebrated. In his 2011 book, The Shadow of a Great Rock: A Literary Appreciation of the King James Bible, renowned literary critic and Yale professor, Harold Bloom, said that "Nearly everything memorable in the English New Testament is the achievement of the matchless William Tyndale and not of the early Christian authors. ... No honest critic able to read the koine original could resist the conclusion that Tyndale throughout transcends his proof-text [original ms] to a sublime degree." In his book, Jesus and Yahweh, Bloom, vociferously non-Christian, says also that William Tyndale is the "only true rival of Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Walt Whitman as the richest author in the English language," that only Shakespeare's prose "is capable of surviving comparison with Tyndale's." This is an endorsement of the first order. -- A memorial was placed in Vilvorde (Belgium) near the spot where Tyndale was martyred (there is a William Tyndale Museum in Vilvorde as well). In London, a statue of Tyndale was erected in 1884, and a stone monument overlooks the town of North Nibley, Gloucestershire, England, where he is thought to have lived as a child. He has been given a day of recognition by the Anglican Church (October 6), and a brief prayer (collect proper). These honors are well deserved, doubtless, but for his contribution to the English language, to English thought and piety, for all he has done to effect growth, aesthetics, motion, architecture and sound of the English language, Tyndale has been given what amounts to a formal nod, a gold watch, and a citation for his service. What fascinates me perhaps even more about William Tyndale are the conditions by which he translated the Bible. He was outlaw. His translation was outlaw. His very thoughts were outlaw. He was exile. He lived in poverty. He was continually hunted, and therefore he was forced to be on the move continually. And yet these elements, far from crippling the text, only empowered it. There is something magnificently alive in Tyndale's translation of "Romans 8:35. Who shall separate us from the love of God? shall tribulation? or anguish? or persecution? or hunger? or nakedness? or peril? or sword? As it is written: For thy sake are we killed all day long and are counted as sheep appointed to be slain. Nevertheless in all these things we overcome strongly through his help that loved us." -- The life Tyndale was forced to live was not unlike the Paul he translated. Much more than an exercise of the mind, his translation represents a kind of linguistic empathy. There is a certain cooperation between Tyndale and Paul in all that Greek. Indeed, something lives in Tyndale's Paul beyond mere equivalents of language. William Tyndale's story is one of true greatness, and yet he continues to suffer a curious injustice. Compared to English writers of greater name, but much less weight per pound, he is magnificently underprized, and thus remains in a kind of exile. Eventually his life was demanded of him. He was held in the dungeon of a castle in Vilvorde, Belgium for 500 days. He was denied both light and visitors. He suffered a mock trial, was led to a scaffold, strangled, and then burned at the stake. No symbol went unused. By strangling Tyndale, the Church thought to silence him forever. [article link]

Responding To Dr. Leth's Open Letter To Manny Silva
Dr. Carl Leth recently wrote "An Open Letter To Manny Silva" in response to my post about Olivet Nazarene University promoting contemplative spirituality. My response to that is below, followed after by the full text of his letter. [article link]

Final 2012 Version!! Basic Christian: Jesus Walk - Holy Week 2012 - The 12th Annual 10 Day Jesus Walk Easter Timeline Devotion - Starting Friday March 30th, 2012 and going until ---> Easter Sunday April 8th, 2012 (PDF)
We are going to begin to look at some of the aspects of Holy Week regarding what actually happened during the final Amazing events of Jesus Christ while He was physically here on earth. We will be considering what His events accomplished and how His completed events affect us today both personally and individually as Christians and as a whole in the Christian Church. - God bless you ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

Jesus Walk 2012 -- Garden Tomb in Jerusalem (Photo - Easter: Desktop Wallpaper)
Garden Tomb: A Color photo of a New Testament style tomb like the one Jesus was buried in. Arguments abound over whether or not this is the tomb of Jesus. Although this is not the traditional site, it is very similar to the tomb described in the Bible and is an excellent image for illustration. tomb, Jesus, burial, garden tomb, resurrection, Jerusalem. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2012 -- Shepherds Heart Bible Study: What does Easter Really Mean? Discover what Easter really means to Christians - Don't let the secular world "steal" this holiest of holidays from you! Grow closer to Your Lord by Giving Easter it's proper place!
In today's secular world, Easter earns millions of dollars for marketing companies - some of which are Christian companies. (Think Lifeway!) Pastel colored eggs, candies, and baskets scream "Buy Me!" from the supermarket shelves. The all-important "Easter Bunny" springs forth… seducing kids and parents into a market-driven frenzy of eggs, chocolate, and giving gifts. What's missing? The real meaning of the Christian Easter Holiday! Where's Jesus in all of this? -- Before I became a Christian, Easter was just another holiday. I knew it was about Jesus, but I didn't really care. I often skipped church on Easter, preferring to stay home. After all, if I didn't love God during the rest of the year, why "fake it" by showing up in a suit one day out of the year - hoping the pastor would count me as one of the redeemed? But…. AFTER I became a Christian, Easter took on a whole new meaning. Why shouldn't it? I mean, I LOVE Jesus. He lives within me. Easter became a special day of celebrating Jesus' victory over hell, death, and the grave. -- If I love Jesus and worship Him, then Easter becomes such a special day! Yet why do I see such apathy in other Christians when it come to celebrating the resurrection of our Lord? -- Why? I think it has to do with our culture, and how over-marketed we are. Everywhere we turn we're bombarded with messages to buy something. Every holiday has it's own theme, and Easter is no exception. Pastel colors bombard the eyes. Decorations are sold in most major department stores. I've even seen people put up "Easter trees" ... Just like a Christmas tree, but with eggs for ornaments. Why do Christians even fall for this? I mean, shouldn't we be "in the world, and not OF the world?" This is an important question, and I think the reason why most Christians give short shrift to Easter is because they don't want to face up to 3 basic truths of Christianity. -- As a pastor, I have heard the critique of my ministry that I spend too much time in the New Testament, and not enough time in the old. Fair enough. I do spend time in the New Testament. Part of that has to do with the fact that when I took a good hard look at Berean Baptist Church where I'm the shepherd, I came to the conclusion that as a church, we needed a fresh vision of who Jesus was. But just as a jeweler sets a diamond against a black velvet cloth to show it's luster, Christ makes the most sense to us when we see him in the grand perspective of our need of a savior. What are these 3 spiritual truths that we must embrace as Christians? ... [article link]

Jesus Walk 2011 -- Betrayal Tuesday: Robert Schuller's Glass House of God - But last October [2010], the reverend's church and TV show filed for federal bankruptcy protection after he spent nearly $50 million more than he had in dozens of bank accounts - Church officials have attempted to blame the crisis on Schuller's unswerving, daily commitment to aiding the poor - For example, during a four-month period when the ministry took in donations totaling more than $14 million, Schuller gave an average of just $22 a day to feed the poor, according to church records {Today Religious leaders continue to betray Jesus Christ just as in the days of Judas. Like Judas the betrayal is usually a threefold betrayal consisting of a betrayal of trust, finances and doctrine. Today it is imperative that we as Christians understand the doctrines [and the seriousness of them] that are being espoused from not just the pulpits but also the Sunday Schools and small groups as well. Financial openness and accountability is a must for every Church or fellowship and anything less than 100% financial accountability is a fraudulent act by any ordinary standard of business accounting practices. Thirdly, deceptive doctrines and fraudulent financial conduct can often most easily be discovered by realizing the betrayal of trust that is often already taking place when Church leadership is committed to and associated with unChristian associations and compromised individuals.}
By R. SCOTT MOXLEY Thursday, Apr 14 2011: Legendary Garden Grove televangelist Robert H. Schuller once noted, "High achievers spot rich opportunities swiftly." The creator of Crystal Cathedral, a best-selling author and star of Hour of Power broadcasts, Schuller has long served as Exhibit A of that credo. In the 1950s, he saw an opportunity to build a profitable church, grabbed it and-thanks largely to donations from poor and lower-middle-class folks trying to win the blessings of God-created an $89-million religious empire with hints of opulence. ... Records also show that the reverend wasn't a cheapskate in one charity case. Indeed, the recipients of his generosity weren't poor at all. They were a wealthy Newport Beach couple, Kenneth and Glenia Reafsnyder. Ken's first wife was a member of Buena Park's Knott family, founders of Knott's Berry Farm. He also palled around with actor John Wayne. In 1995, Schuller agreed to divert $4,000 a month in church donations to the Reafsnyders for the rest of their lives in exchange for a quarter ownership in the couple's home. Ken has since died, but the deal calls on Crystal Cathedral Ministries to continue to pay Glenia. In 2008, the ministry increased the payments to $4,500 a month while reducing its ownership percentage. This means that the church's current 8.5 percent portion of the house has cost more than $1,250,000-$55,000 more than the value of the entire house. Speaking of houses, over the years the Schuller family has purchased oceanfront property in Orange County, a Big Bear vacation house, a San Diego County time-share, a Colorado mansion and a Honolulu condo. Just before filing for bankruptcy, Schuller sold a San Juan Capistrano property that had been bequeathed to the church decades ago and pocketed $22.5 million. The reverend's son, Robert Anthony Schuller, has lived in a $2.2-million oceanfront Laguna Beach dream house worthy of an Architectural Digest feature. Fred Southard, a longtime Schuller aide, lives behind palatial, guarded gates in a 13-room, 13,600-square-foot Newport Coast estate that could fetch $3 million on the open market. ... In court filings, they've remained optimistic that, despite a 50-percent drop in church membership to 5,000 attendees, the ministry can eventually pay off all of the debt. To accomplish that feat, however, the Schuller clan is going to have to stir up the congregation and then, despite all the unsettling revelations, ask them to dig deeper into their wallets. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2012 -- Betrayal Tuesday: (F4F) P4 Fighting for the Faith: Rick Warren [sort of] Clarifies His Position Re: 'Chrislam' Islam (Mp3)
Rick Warren Clarifies His Position Re: Islam -- Pastor Rick Warren said he does not believe Muslims and Christians worship the same God. "We worship Jesus as God. Muslims don't," he wrote. "Our God is Jesus, not Allah." Source: www.ocregister.com/articles/muslims-343997-warren-christians.html -- {Note: This is a highly deceptive remark by Rick Warren in insinuating that there is more than one God and that Christians simply worship one God that we happen to call Jesus while Muslims simply worship their God that they happen to call Allah. In all it is a very misleading series of events and statements coming from the very deceptive and misleading Pastor Rick Warren. A simpler, better and more accurate comment is "God is Jesus, not Allah" while Rick Warren's convoluted and contrived rebuttal of "Our God is Jesus, not Allah" is simply disinformation that is designed from the start to be misleading in a dangerously deceptive way that is extremely harmful to the truth of Christianity.} [article link]

Jesus Walk 2012 -- Betrayal Tuesday: Dealing with Devils - A Phone Call To Chuck Smith by RemnantXRadio - This is a must listen you will get a truly unique look behind the Calvary Chapel curtain (Mp3)
I will be joined by a very special guest Alex Grenier of the website Calvary Chapel Abuse. We will sit down and discuss the CC movement and the patterns of abuse that are growing at an alarming matter. We will discuss his meeting with Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel lawyer Janet Carter. Just a warning, this will not be for the weak of stomach or those who freely drink down the Calvary Chapel Kool-Aid! Please plan to join us as we deal with Devils! -- This just in! We were able to get Chuck Smith on the phone and he was open and honest about his feelings toward Alex and the problems concerning the "movement". I was shocked at his willingness to talk. This is a must listen you will get a truly unique look behind the Calvary Chapel curtain - Check out our web-site @ www.remnantXradio.com [article link]

Jesus Walk 2012 -- Betrayal Tuesday: December 22, 2008: Focus on the Family Promotes Mormon Glenn Beck at CitizenLink - However, to promote a Mormon as a Christian is not helpful to the cause of Jesus Christ - For Christians to influence society, Christians should be promoting the central issues of the faith properly without opening the door to false religions {False religions including LDS Mormonism get their start from false spirit guides. Mormon founder Joseph Smith interacted with the false spirit guide he called Maroni and today the LDS Temple rites are designed to invoke spirit entities particularly those spirits with knowledge of the dead. For Dobson to embrace the false anti-Christian teachings of Mormonism to the extent that he is could indicate that Dobson is listening to false spirit guides and is not listening to the Bible.}
MADISON, Wisc., Dec. 22 /Christian Newswire/ - Focus on the Family has a story on Glenn Beck, a Mormon, on their CitizenLink Website. Glenn Beck was a CNN host and will move to Fox News in January. Beck is currently promoting his book, "The Christmas Sweater." The CitizenLink story focuses on Beck's faith and why he wrote "The Christmas Sweater." ... Through the years, Focus on the Family has done great things to help the family and has brought attention to the many social ills that are attacking the family. However, to promote a Mormon as a Christian is not helpful to the cause of Jesus Christ. For Christians to influence society, Christians should be promoting the central issues of the faith properly without opening the door to false religions. Some of the false doctrines of Mormonism include polytheism, an attack on the trinity, that Jesus was the spirit-brother of Lucifer, that God the Father is married to Mother God, temple baptisms for the dead, the Bible has missing parts and many errors. Christians are to stand up against the social ills of society, however, we are to put Christ first and His essential biblical truths. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2012 -- Betrayal Tuesday: Part 1 - Introduction: Exposing the Modern Church
It's true that there is a hidden NWO agenda [now more visible and more widely known to the public] and it's understandable that secular groups [i.e. UN, Think Tanks, Universities, CIA, Skull & Bones, etc.] would seek to impose a secular [ultimately Satanic] rule of order among all people and all Nations - But what is completely unacceptable is that so many in the Church movement [i.e. Chuck Smith, Dave Hunt, Norman Geisler, Jerry Falwell Jr., Rick Warren, John Piper, John MacArthur, Lee Strobel, R.C. Sproul, Brian Broderson, Ergun and Emir Caner, etc.] would so actively participate and join in an emergent Antichristian/Antichrist movement [of deliberate lies and deceit formed against the true Christian Church] to the extent that it is now completely reasonable to question whether (since 9-11-2001) they are any longer or [in some cases] ever were Christians? [article link]

Jesus Walk 2012 -- Betrayal Tuesday: Part 2 - Occult Signatures: The [NWO] occult communicates in a separate hidden but open manner that attempts [often successfully] to reveal their true intentions and identities to other occult groups but is generally masked to the general public
Occult (Satanic) signatures that are now commonly and widely used within the Christian Church -- the number 13 [or the reverse 31] as conference dates, numbers of topics or speakers, etc. Using Latin (Roman Catholic) names in Protestant ministries i.e. Norman Geislers 'Veritas' (Latin for truth) Seminary [V - a Hebrew 6 - is also considered occult - the number of fallen man] and Chuck Smith's 'Calvary' (Latin for skull) Chapel i.e. Skull (Satan's) Chapel [Pastor Chuck Smith might have been purposefully looking for a Satanic Signature in his 1965 move from his Riverside, CA ministry to the existing Calvary Chapel - Costa Mesa, CA fellowship]. - Other occult signatures include using a B&W bio photo as in the movie 'The Wizard of Oz' where reality, real life was portrayed in dull B&W while color was reserved only for the alternate Oz occult realm. Use of highly occult influenced bible translations notably the occult bible version NKJV. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2012 -- Betrayal Tuesday: WHAT'S GOING ON WITH DR. JOHN PIPER? {Note: About the Occult V (Victory, Vendetta) symbol - Shortly after the American Civil War the Occult symbol K came into prominence in America and especially in the just defeated Confederate States. In Occult lingo a more highly dedicated occultist would choose more K's i.e. the symbol KKK. However the symbol KKK quickly became detestable in all of America and went out of style. The ancient Occult symbol V always remained in prominence in Europe and like the KKK of America a European Occultist would add multiple V's and actually create the W - Therefor an Occult W is equal to an Occult KKK - Here is a recent photo of Pastor John Piper flashing the Occult W sign.} (Photo)
In Rick Warren To Be Featured At Desiring God 2010 - I was among the few who broke the story that Dr. Piper had made the ill-advised decision to invite Leadership Network's propped-up Purpose Driven Pope Rick Warren to DG 2010 as a keynote speaker. Then, as I shared in Rick Warren Doctrinal And Sound?, unfortunately it got even worse when Dr. Piper decided to defend his decision: At root I think [Rick Warren] is theological and doctrinal and sound. ... So whether one even knows it or not, Warrengate still is slowly simmering; Dr. Piper's choice here has had the rippling effect of people, even outside of any discernment ministries, beginning to look a little closer at his theology, educational background, and associations; e.g. his charismatic bent, his connection to Fuller Theological Seminary, and with the late Ralph Winter. I had received a tip from a source back in June of this past year; and as I followed up on it, it would eventually lead me to discover some disturbing information which I orginally began sharing in Questions Concerning Dr. John Piper and Dr. John Piper And Unanswered Questions. When I wrote those initial articles Dr. Piper was on his much talked about sabbatical; now however, he is back and a few of the mystic books I pointed in the latter piece are no longer in the BBC online library. ... What I just showed you here should give us real concern as the obstensibly Reformed, "happy," and "romantic," Calvinist Dr. John Piper is sounding less like a charismatic and more like a mystic as he points us to apostate teachers of Roman Catholicism and its spiritually bankrupt mysticism; and from what we can see, this has been going on for quite some time now. Perhaps, now that his discernment is so far off he's even promoting the double-minded Rick Warren, the time has finally arrived for some of his DG speakers to take a closer look at what's going on in this neo-Reformed camp. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2012 -- Betrayal Tuesday: March 07, 2012: Why has Liberty University [LU] (the same Liberty University of the Ergun and Emir Caner fraud) agreed to bring Mark Driscoll to teach on sex? - There's a new form of Christianity sweeping the U.S. Its main focus: sex
There's a new form of Christianity sweeping the U.S. Its main focus: sex. Don't be surprised. We already have a Christian denomination catering to every other worldview, comfort zone and obsession, so why not sex? As I said in "The Marketing of Evil": No matter what kind of person you are, a form of Christianity has evolved just for you. There's a politically liberal Christianity and a politically conservative Christianity. There's an acutely activist Christianity and an utterly apolitical Christianity, a Christianity that holds up a high standard of ethical behavior and service, and a Christianity for which both personal ethics and good works are irrelevant. There's a raucous, intensely emotional Christianity drenched in high-voltage music, and there's a quiet, contemplative Christianity. There's a loving Christianity and a hateful, racist Christianity, a Christianity that honors Jews as God's chosen people and a Christianity that maligns Jews as Satan's children. So, it was just a matter of time before we got a version of Christianity for people obsessed with sex. [article link]

Jesus Walk 2012 -- Betrayal Tuesday: March 11, 2012: Pat Robertson [Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), The 700 Club, Regent University] advocates [the Bush family drug trade] legalizing (marijuana) pot - [Wiki.com: Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (born March 22, 1930) is a media mogul, television evangelist, ex-Baptist minister and businessman who politically aligns himself with the Christian Right in the United States. He is the founder of numerous organizations and corporations, including the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), the Christian Coalition, Flying Hospital, International Family Entertainment Inc., Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation, CBN Asia and Regent University. He is the host of The 700 Club, a Christian TV program airing on channels throughout the United States and on CBN network affiliates worldwide.]
Former Republican presidential candidate and TV evangelist Pat Robertson's has flipped on his stand on legalizing marijuana. The straight-laced preacher's mind-blowing comments were made last Wednesday to the New York Times. It was merely an echo - and amplifying - of previous statements he's made about how the war on drugs has been unsuccessful. "Marijuana," he said, "should be treated legally like alcohol; offenders are wrongly locked up with violent criminals." ... Opponents to Robertson's proposal might argue that marijuana is an entry drug and by legalizing it, legal use of the drug might lead users to more powerful drugs. Scientific evidence would support such an argument. So, is Robertson right? That depends on whether taxpayers are willing to continue to pay for the imprisonment of pot users and dealers at such an extreme price. Further, the war on drugs has failed in that marijuana is more widely used today than when the "war on drugs" fired its first political shot. Well-known evangelical blogger Brett McCracken, managing editor of Biola Magazine at Biola University, said young evangelicals "laugh at Robertson, as a caricature of an evangelist and wouldn't see him as a role model, even if their cohort would be expected to be more open to legalizing drugs. That harsh assessment of the evangelist might just derail his efforts of legalize pot." [article link]

Jesus Walk 2012 -- Betrayal Tuesday: SBC: Florida Baptist Convention Statement on Gilyard [a convicted pedophile]: Passes the Buck to JBA, But They ARE Concerned About Church's Lack of [financial] Giving
"The Florida Baptist Convention has taken a proactive stance to encourage all churches to run background checks on employees and volunteers—as we do with every volunteer who works with children and teens in Convention-sponsored events and programs" - How ironic that this is brought up in the context of the Gilyard saga. Had Shiloh Baptist done a background check on Gilyard he would have come out clean back in 1993 - he had no criminal record. But he was KNOWN to be a serial adulter by Paige Patterson and Jerry Vines, and had confessed to having sex with women he had counseled in his churches prior to coming to Shiloh, yet a background check would never have revealed that when Shiloh hired him in the early 1990s. Of course now if we run a background check, he is a convicted sex offender. - Christa Brown and others have called for the Southern Baptist Convention to establish a database to track ministers who have been convicted of crimes, or credibly accused of serious misconduct. The SBC heavies have opposed such a system, and the Gilyard disaster is example #1 of why such a system is required. The FBC statement above painfully points this out. -- "Christ Tabernacle Baptist Church (sic) in Jacksonville has been affiliated with the Florida Baptist Convention since 1998. During that time, the congregation has not demonstrated cooperation as defined by our Bylaw 2, which includes participating in the Cooperative Program giving and providing statistical information. They have given nothing in the past six years." -- OK, that is interesting. Glad to know that in addition to hiring a pedophile and kicking the kids out of the church, they also are guilty of the terrible offense of not giving any money to the Cooperative Program. Who really cares that they have given no money to SBC missions, if they are putting a pedophile in the pulpit? [article link]

Jesus Walk 2012 -- Betrayal Tuesday: Say Goodbye to the Untouchable Preachers - God is shaking His church and removing corruption - But we share the blame for giving charlatans a platform - Our movement is eaten up with materialism, pride, deception and sexual sin because we were afraid to call these Bozos what they really are-insecure, selfish, egotistical and emotionally dysfunctional - If we had applied biblical discernment a long time ago we could have avoided this mess - "There is no way we can know how many unbelievers rejected the gospel because they saw the church supporting quacks who swaggered, bragged, lied, flattered, bribed, stole and tearfully begged their way into our lives-while we applauded them and sent them money"
I hate to compare any minister of God to a gangster. But the sad truth is that today there are a handful (well, maybe more) of unscrupulous preachers who share some of Capone's most disgusting traits. They are notoriously greedy. They are masters of deception and manipulation. They have bought their way into the charismatic religious subculture and used their uncanny hypnotic ability to control major Christian TV networks. And, like Capone, their days are numbered. Justice will soon catch up with them. These false prophets probably all started out with a genuine call from God, but success destroyed them. They were lured away from true faith by fame and money, and when their ministries mushroomed they resorted to compromise to keep their machines rolling. Now, in the midst of the Great Recession, God is closing in on them. But before we rejoice that these imposters are being removed from their pulpits and yanked off the airwaves, let's hit the pause button and reflect. How did these false preachers ever achieve such fame? It couldn't have happened without help from us. We were the gullible ones. When they said, "The Lord promises you untold wealth if you will simply give a thousand dollars right now," we went to the phones and put the donations on our credit cards. God forgive us. We were the undiscerning ones. When they said, "I need your sacrificial gift today so I can repair my private jet," we didn't ask why a servant of God wasn't humble enough to fly coach class to a Third World nation. God forgive us. We were the foolish ones. When it was revealed that they were living in immorality, mistreating their wives or populating cities with illegitimate children, we listened to their spin doctors instead of demanding that ministry leaders act like Christians. God forgive us. We were the naïve ones. When they begged for $2 million more in donations because of a budget shortfall, we didn't feel comfortable asking why they needed that $10,000-a-night hotel suite. In fact, if we did question it, another Christian was quick to say, "Don't criticize! The Bible says, 'Touch not the Lord's anointed!'" God forgive us. We have treated these charlatans like Al Capone-as if they were untouchable-and as a result their corruption has spread throughout charismatic churches like a plague. Our movement is eaten up with materialism, pride, deception and sexual sin because we were afraid to call these Bozos what they really are-insecure, selfish, egotistical and emotionally dysfunctional. If we had applied biblical discernment a long time ago we could have avoided this mess. There is no way we can know how many unbelievers rejected the gospel because they saw the church supporting quacks who swaggered, bragged, lied, flattered, bribed, stole and tearfully begged their way into our lives-while we applauded them and sent them money. When well-meaning Christians quote 1 Chronicles 16:22 ("Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm," NASB) to cover up corruption or charlatanism, they do horrible injustice to Scripture. This passage does not require us to stay quiet when a leader is abusing power or deceiving people. On the contrary, we are called to confront sin in a spirit of love and honesty-and we certainly aren't showing love to the church if we allow the charismatic Al Capones of our generation to corrupt it. ~ J. Lee Grady is contributing editor of Charisma and author of the new book The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale. Follow him on Twitter at leegrady. [article link]

Preparation for Holy Week 2012: The following links (MP3s) are material for consideration to help get us each individually into Holy Week 2012 in a reverent way and with a self-accessing attitude
Update 03-03-2012: After this group of postings there should be only one or two more blog postings of material until Holy Week 2012. Then the postings of Holy Week 2012 or shortly after would conclude the Basic Christian blog Ministry. ~ God bless everyone, David Anson Brown [article link]

!!Excellent -- Whats the Big Deal about the KJV - (YouTube)
Sam Gipp delivers the truth cleverly and effectively in this short docu-drama. [article link]

Antioch vs. Alexandria by Dr. Sam Gipp - [1:32:51] (YouTube)
The two distinct lines of manuscripts and their origin is the lecture topic at this King James Bible seminar given by evangelist Samuel C. Gipp, Th.D. [article link]

{Excellent!!} Remnant X Radio: No King But Jesus by Tish Bowling (Mp3)
On this episode of "No King But Jesus" Tish Bowling will continue her discussion about the first admendment. She will be covering, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. -- Please plan to join us! Peace and God Bles to his Elect! [article link]

(F4F) P4 Fighting for the Faith: Rick Warren [sort of] Clarifies His Position Re: 'Chrislam' Islam (Mp3)
Rick Warren Clarifies His Position Re: Islam -- Pastor Rick Warren said he does not believe Muslims and Christians worship the same God. "We worship Jesus as God. Muslims don't," he wrote. "Our God is Jesus, not Allah." Source: www.ocregister.com/articles/muslims-343997-warren-christians.html -- {Note: This is a highly deceptive remark by Rick Warren in insinuating that there is more than one God and that Christians simply worship one God that we happen to call Jesus while Muslims simply worship their God that they happen to call Allah. In all it is a very misleading series of events and statements coming from the very deceptive and misleading Pastor Rick Warren. A simpler, better and more accurate comment is "God is Jesus, not Allah" while Rick Warren's convoluted and contrived rebuttal of "Our God is Jesus, not Allah" is simply disinformation that is designed from the start to be misleading in a dangerously deceptive way that is extremely harmful to the truth of Christianity.} [article link]

(F4F) P3 Fighting for the Faith: The Praise Music of Chrislam? - Where's Glen Beck? - Walter Martin, the Maze of Mormonism
Walter Martin, the Maze of Mormonism. [article link]

StandUpForTheTruth.com: P2 Christian apologist and talk show host Chris Rosebrough (Fighting For The Faith) was recently the featured guest on Stand Up For The Truth radio show - Via: SolaSisters blog (Mp3)
Christian apologist and talk show host Chris Rosebrough (Fighting For The Faith) was recently the featured guest on Stand Up For The Truth radio show. From the Stand Up For The Truth website: "We know that the God of the Bible is not the same god of the Qur'an. Yahweh of the Bible became flesh 2,000 years ago to be that perfect lamb, the Son, the atonement for our sins. The Jesus we believe in is God. But Allah of the Qur'an did not have a son. There was no atonement, no hope of a Messiah, and no grace for sinners. The Christian God and the Muslim Allah cannot be one and the same. And yet there are a growing number of Christians and Muslims who are combining the faith–syncretizing the two into one. That's called Chrislam, and it is heresy. -- This week the Orange County Register reported in an article that leadership of Pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church believe that Muslims and Christians believe in the same God. Is the article accurate? Is that truly what these leaders believe? Our guest today has communicated with Rick Warren twice in the past few days, and it's as close as anyone has gotten to America's Pastor to hear in his own words what is going on. -- Chris Rosebrough is host of a daily two-hour internet radio program, Fighting For The Faith, heard around the world on Pirate Christian Radio, a broadcast group he started in his hometown of Indianapolis. Chris is at the forefront of those contending for the truth of God's Word." [article link]

(F4F) P1 Fighting for the Faith: Do Muslims & Christians Believe in the Same God? - OC Register Story Claims that Folks at Saddleback [Rick Warren] Believe Muslims & Christians Believe in the Same God
OC Register Story Claims that Folks at Saddleback Believe Muslims & Christians Believe in the Same God. [article link]

(F4F) Fighting for the Faith: About Any Word From God - Sermon Review "Vision 20/20" by Bob Guiglione of Calvary Chapel of Delaware County
Sermon Review "Vision 20/20" by Bob Guiglione of Calvary Chapel of Delaware County. [article link]

Remnant X Radio: Thugonomics - An Introduction to Shiloh - A Christian Commune P4 (Mp3)
On this episode of Remnant X Radio we continue our Thugonomic series with An Introduction to Shiloh - "A Christian Commune - The Tale of Jeanie Murphy" Shiloh is a very important piece to the Thugonomic puzzle as we study the behaviors that manifested themselves there. We will gain a glimpse into the mind of one of the most dangerous men in the American Church....John Higgins! [article link]

Remnant X Radio: Thugonomics - Birds of a Feather - The Fowl Spirit P3 (Mp3)
On this episode of Remnant X Radio we will be advancing the story with the latest edition of "Thugonomics" entitled, "Birds of a Feather." We will look at the linkage between John Higgins and his friend David Berg, between the recruitment of members for House of Miracles and The Child of God Cult. A lot of folks do not know that John and David worked on a few things together and shared ideas. You will be surprised at how much of the Children of God Cult is in Calvary Chapel. -- Your homework will be to google "Children of God." [article link]

{Highly Recommended!!} Remnant X Radio: Thugonomics - John Higgins And The House of Miracles P2 (Mp3)
On this episode of Remnant X Radio we will pick up our story about John Higgins and we will focus on the "House of Miracles" What was it, where was it? And why do we care? We will release another legal document and perhaps a portion of the secert recordings. -- Please hit us up on facebook! [article link]

Remnant X Radio: Thugonomics - The Dark Side Of CC - The Gun Slinger P1 (Mp3)
On this episode of Remnant X Radio we will be doing an expose Dark Side of Calvary Chapel. After countless hours of research and interviewing former members of his church (and fellow attendees of Shiloh) we will share with you what our research found. I will start at the beginning of John's career and you will see where this journey begins, Shiloh Youth Revival Center (which should just be a show in itself). We will follow the money and the trail of deceit and cover his claims, the missing money, the sale of the church building and the out of court settlement. -- Prepare yourself for the Calvary Chapel version of Mafia Wars! [article link]

THE EDGE AM: February 18th, 2012 -- Douglas Hamp - Genetic Manipulation; Angels, Aliens, and the Antichrist Revealed (Mp3)
Douglas Hamp is a specialist in ancient languages including Biblical Hebrew and Koine Greek. Doug says something ominous is coming upon the world: it is Satan's final effort in the battle to destroy the image that man was created in, which has been raging since the beginning of time. If Satan can destroy the image, then he can avert his own destruction. The prophecy of Genesis 3:15 states the serpent will one day mix his seed with humanity as a counterfeit of the Messiah. Jesus told us that the last days will be like the days of Noah when fallen angels mixed their seed with humanity. In the Book of Daniel we read that “they” will again mingle with the seed of men. How so? Satan will use man's desire to be his own god to deceive him into believing the ultimate lie – that his fallen messengers are both the creators and saviors of man. He will not do this openly but will deceive mankind through demons which are masquerading as ”aliens” who are spreading the message that the inhabitants of the earth can evolve to be like them and obtain transcendent powers. Finally, the seed of the Serpent will come; he will be a man who will be greater than his fellows, who will understand sinister schemes and shall rise up and become the Antichrist. That day of fulfillment is nearly upon us! [article link]

Contending for Truth: Exposed: Tim LaHaye, Chuck Missler, Jerry Falwell, Sun Myung Moon, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Benny Hinn, Kathryn Kuhlman, Paul Crouch, Chuck Smith, Hal Lindsey, Rick Joyner, The Pope, TBN, Calvary Chapel, CNP, Knights of Malta & Many More -- Part 1 (Mp3)
Welcome to the new Contending for Truth website! We are excited to have an opportunity to streamline the site, focusing more on the content and delivering the teachings to you. God Bless you, Dr. Scott Johnson. [article link]

Contending for Truth: Exposed: Tim LaHaye, Chuck Missler, Jerry Falwell, Sun Myung Moon, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Benny Hinn, Kathryn Kuhlman, Paul Crouch, Chuck Smith, Hal Lindsey, Rick Joyner, The Pope, TBN, Calvary Chapel, CNP, Knights of Malta & Many More -- Part 2 (Mp3)
Welcome to the new Contending for Truth website! We are excited to have an opportunity to streamline the site, focusing more on the content and delivering the teachings to you. God Bless you, Dr. Scott Johnson. [article link]

Contending for Truth: Exposed: Tim LaHaye, Chuck Missler, Jerry Falwell, Sun Myung Moon, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Benny Hinn, Kathryn Kuhlman, Paul Crouch, Chuck Smith, Hal Lindsey, Rick Joyner, The Pope, TBN, Calvary Chapel, CNP, Knights of Malta & Many More -- Part 3 (Mp3)
Welcome to the new Contending for Truth website! We are excited to have an opportunity to streamline the site, focusing more on the content and delivering the teachings to you. God Bless you, Dr. Scott Johnson. [article link]

Contending for Truth: Exposed: Tim LaHaye, Chuck Missler, Jerry Falwell, Sun Myung Moon, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Benny Hinn, Kathryn Kuhlman, Paul Crouch, Chuck Smith, Hal Lindsey, Rick Joyner, The Pope, TBN, Calvary Chapel, CNP, Knights of Malta & Many More -- Part 4 (Mp3)
Welcome to the new Contending for Truth website! We are excited to have an opportunity to streamline the site, focusing more on the content and delivering the teachings to you. God Bless you, Dr. Scott Johnson. [article link]

BigDealKJV.com: What's the Big Deal about the KJV (episode #1) - New Support Website (Video)
When does the next episode come out? We will be filming May 21-25, 2012. The next episodes will be available in early June 2012. Our goal is to film 2-3 episodes at a time, producing a total of around 10 episodes. If you would like to assist us in this endeavor, please donate today. [article link]

Why choose the KJV Bible? Kent Hovind Explains.... (YouTube)
Uploaded by TheLORDismySheperd1 on Jan 6, 2009: It is often said that all Bible versions are basically the same, that their differences are just minor wording changes. Read the following comparison between the King James Version and the best-selling modern Bible translation, the New International Version, and then decide for yourself whether or not this is true. *If you ask me, it looks like Satan himself removed the words; considering just WHICH words were removed.... (Read closely - wish I had BOLD! Oh and remember, this is JUST the NIV. There's about 20 other versions of the bible JUST as corrupt!) --- Why did Jesus come to earth? Luke 9:56 KJV For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. Luke 9:56 NIV and they went to another village. Matt. 18:11 KJV For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. Matt. 18:11 NIV (missing) --- Is repentance important? Matt. 9:13 KJV ...I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Matt. 9:13 NIV ...I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. --- For whom did Jesus die? I Cor. 5:7 KJV ...Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: I Cor. 5:7 NIV ...Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. --- In Whom must you believe to be saved? John 6:47 KJV Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. John 6:47 NIV I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. --- Was Joseph really the father of Jesus? Luke 2:33 KJV And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. Luke 2:33 NIV The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. --- Did Jesus give His disciples power to heal? Mark 3:15 KJV ...power to heal sickness, and to cast out devils. Mark 3:15 NIV ...authority to drive out demons. --- If it's hard to do, should we just remove it? Mark 11:26 KJV But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mark 11:26 NIV (missing) --- Who is in charge? I Cor. 10:28 KJV But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake: for the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof: I Cor. 10:28 NIV But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake --- How must we deal with our enemies? Matt. 5:44 KJV ...Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. Matt. 5:44 NIV ...Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. --- Where did Jesus go? John 16:16 KJV A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. John 16:16 NIV In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me. --- All this has been checked out by me as FACTUAL. But don't take my (or Kent Hovind seen here) google it all yourself, BY ALL MEANS! Here's some great links to get you started! http://www.chick.com/reading/books/158/158_08.asp -- http://www.chick.com/information/bibleversions/articles/kingjamesbible.asp [article link]

KJV vs modern translations a preview (YouTube)
The Bible has been translated many times and word in it has been purposefuly mistranslated to fit satans delusion over mankind about what the bible really stands for.changing words in the bible has made many difference's with the church and people's interpretation so this video is made to show people that the best version to read is the original kjv as all the other bibles has been contaminated with misinformation from the devil to deceive mankind. for weekly prophecies and earth changes updates please visit http://www.truthtellers.org/index.html [article link]

KJV 1611 or 1769 (YouTube)
Uploaded by husky394xp on Feb 17, 2011: In this video I look at the changes to the KJV Bible that occurred between 1611 and 1769. I will show that these changes are based on font, spelling, and printer error. I discuss the difficult manual printing techniques that would have been used to publish the KJV in 1611, and why it would be almost impossible to avoid errors in the earliest printings. There were many thousands of changes related to SPELLING and FONT. But the actual word changes amounted to only 400 for the total Bible. That comes out to roughly 1 printing error for every 3 chapters. By 1638, 72% of these errors were fixed. All of the corrections were finished by 1769, and the King James Bible went on to become the greatest book ever in the history of the world! Here are some links to the articles and videos mentioned by me. -- Great article on the "Myth of Early Revisions": http://www.biblebelievers.com/Reagan_myth-early.html --- Old Press Demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-BEI_4D7tQ --- Guttenberg Press Demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOAVAV9gAmY --- Modern printer showing type-setting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByNucPCXxjQ --- 1611 Photographic Reproduction: http://lifelineprinting.com/bibles.htm [article link]

The History of the English Bible by Evangelist Shutt (YouTube)
Comments: Great message. So many good points made! Thank you for uploading this video! Praise God for the King James Bible! husky394xp 11 months ago. [article link]

(F4F) Fighting for the Faith: - iBaptism? (F4F032312.mp3)
Islamic Friendly Bibles - Jimmy Carter's Unskillful Use of Scripture - Basic Rules for Rightly Understanding the Bible - iBaptism? - Doug Pagitt Interviews John Shelby Spong - Two Great Sermons by Pastor Jeremy Rhode. [article link]

Holiness Legacy E-Newsletter March 2012: Welcome to this March issue of the Holiness Legacy eNewsletter - I hope you are enjoying this monthly publication - If you are finding it to be a blessing [to] you please find the "Forward email" link at the bottom and send it to your friends and contacts - We [seek] God's blessing [in] this effort and want to share our Holiness Legacy with as many people as possible (Note: Website link only - currently there is not yet a direct online newsletter link)
Today there is much confusion about preaching holiness. In many churches where I preach holiness, people will come and say, "Wow, that was a great sermon. We have not had a holiness sermon preached here for a long time." Then when I talk to the pastor, he or she will say, "I preach holiness every Sunday." One pastor said, "I can't believe it, I preach holiness every Sunday, they just don't recognize it." -- Well, what could be the problem? Could it be that there has been such a reaction against the legalistic [i.e. 7th Kingdom (wordly, self focus) of this world] approach of preaching holiness that we have moved into another one-sided fad? I remember a sermon against cowboy boots because wearing them would make the person proud. There was a time when two trips to the altar was the norm with little focus on a relationship with Christ or a life to be disciplined. There was more of a focus on legalistic rules to follow, most of them in the negative. -- Today we hear life sermons. They emphasize how to live first, but there is not much emphasis on the divine work of grace to empower and enable one to live a holy life. Could it be that the time is right for us to bring the two approaches together? We need the message of living a holy life, but we need to receive the divine experience and be filled with the Holy Spirit who gives us the grace to live out God's plan for holy living. -- We can't live a holy life alone in our own power. Yes, we can discipline ourselves, but it is always with an inner struggle. God put in place a plan for us to to be set free from the bent toward sin. We need the kind of doctrinal preaching that will lead people to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit so they can have a holy relationship with a holy God. Let's use the Biblical terms like Sanctification [8th Kingdom - The Eternal Kingdom of Jeus Christ] so people will understand them when they read about them in the Word. There has never been a greater need for the church to preach the wonderful message of [8th Kingdom] holiness. Let's proclaim it! ~ Dr. Louie E. Bustle - President, Holiness Legacy - www.holinesslegacy.com -- {Note: The Holiness movement has a history of men and women being Servant Leaders and in that capacity both men and women have pastored as servants representing Holiness pulpits to the congregation. But especially in this day and age it is not wise to let another person male or female have authority over you and sincerely a diverse and capable group of elders, leaders and mentors can and should have an equally or even a more significant impact on Christian and spiritual matters both for the group and for individuals.} [article link]

REVIVAL TRUTHS by Charles G. Finney -- WHAT EVANGELICAL FAITH IS: Since the Bible uniformly represents saving or evangelical faith as a virtue, we know that it must be a phenomenon of the will - It is an efficient state of mind, and therefore it must consist in the embracing of the truth by the heart or will - It is the will's closing in with the truths of the Gospel - It is the soul's act of yielding itself up, or committing itself to the truths of the evangelical system - It is a trusting in Christ, a committing the soul and the whole being to Him, in His various offices and relations to men - It is a confiding in Him, and in what is revealed of Him, in His Word and providence and by His Spirit -- {Note: Charles G. Finney taught and adhered to a system of the Biblical Law being delivered to the unsaved unto a personal repentance then followed by the preaching of the Gospel unto a personal Salvation followed by a personal lifelong Guidance in Christian instruction - A guidance [often starting with a person attending an altar call] that is intended to lead to personal growth [sanctification] in the Christian life - But the weakness of guidance can be that at times when guidance is applied incorrectly it results in both a return of the Biblical Laws now 'for the believer' as well as a new instituting of the ordinances and customs of man as the guidance of man becomes a type of law in itself therefore putting the Christian believer under a double strain, the strain of the Law and the strain of the Customs of man - Remember to keep a relationship with God, as just that, a personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ! - A relationship that God Himself has initiated and instituted and a relationship that will be completed but only with us involved!}
WHAT IS IMPLIED IN EVANGELICAL FAITH:
1. It implies an intellectual perception of the things, facts, and truths believed. No one can believe that which he does not understand.
2. Evangelical faith implies the appropriation of the truths of the Gospel to ourselves. It implies an acceptance of Christ as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. The soul that truly believes in Christ, believes that He tasted death for every man, and of course for it. It apprehends Christ as the Saviour of the world, as offered to all, and embraces and receives Him for itself. It appropriates His atonement, and His resurrection and His intercession, and His promises to itself. Christ is thus presented in the Gospel not only as the Saviour of the world, but also to the individual acceptance of men. He saves the world no further than He saves individuals. Evangelical faith implies a personal acceptance and appropriation of Christ to meet the necessities of the individual soul.
3. Faith is a state of committal to Christ, and of course it implies that the soul will be unreseveredly yielded up to Him, in all His relations to it, so far and so fast as these are apprehended by the intellect.
4. Evangelical faith implies an evangelical life. This would not be true if faith were merely an intellectual state or exercise. But since, as we have seen, faith is of the heart, since it consists in the committal of the will to Christ, it follows, by a law of necessity, that the life will correspond with faith. Let this be kept in perpetual remembrance.
5. Evangelical faith implies repentance towards God, that is, a turning from sin to God.
6. Evangelical faith implies a renunciation of self-righteousness. It is impossible for one to embrace Christ as the Saviour of the soul, any further than he renounces all hope or expectation of being saved by his own works, or righteousness.
7. Of course it implies peace of mind. In Christ the soul finds its full and present salvation. It has found its resting-place in Christ, and rests in profound peace under the shadow of the Almighty.
8. It implies hope, as soon as the believing soul considers what is conveyed by the Gospel, that is, a hope of eternal life in and through Christ.
9. It implies joy in God and in Christ. St. Peter speaks of joy as the unfailing accompaniment of faith, as resulting from it.
10. Present evangelical faith implies a state of present sinlessness [covered by the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7)]. Observe: faith is the yielding and committal of the whole will, and of the whole being to Christ. This, and nothing short of this, is evangelical faith. But this comprehends and implies the whole of present, true obedience to Christ. This is the reason why faith is spoken of as the condition, and as it were, the only condition, of salvation. It really implies all virtue.
-- When contemplated as an attribute of love, it is only a branch of sanctification. When contemplated in the wider sense of universal conformity of will to the will of God, it is then synonymous with entire present sanctification. Contemplated in either light, its existence in the heart must be inconsistent with present sin there. Faith is an attitude of the will, and is wholly incompatible with present rebellion of will against Christ. This must be true, or what is faith? -- REVIVAL TRUTHS by Charles G. Finney [article link]

The Holiness Movement by Gary Gilley -- The Holiness Movement actually traces its roots to John Wesley (June 28, 1703 - March 2, 1791) in the eighteenth-century, who taught sort of a two-tiered salvation - The first tier [John 20:22, Luke 24:45 - initial individual salvation by faith - Feast of Firstfruits] was conversion or justification, in which one is forgiven and freed from past sins - The second tier was "entire sanctification" [Acts 2:4 - individual experiential Holy Spirit empowerment - Feast of Pentecost] which liberated one from their fallen nature, or at least the tendency toward sin - It is found as we pursue righteousness (2 Timothy 2:22) - The [Righteousness Movement] Holiness Movement was in many ways a reaction to the dead orthodoxy and lifeless spirituality that infiltrated so much of Christianity during the nineteenth-century
Revivalists, in the early 1800s, such as Asa Mahan (president of Oberlin College) and evangelist Charles Finney advanced Wesley's theology. They taught "that sinners had the natural ability to believe, and that evangelistic methods could overcome their 'moral' inability through the persuasive power of the Gospel." "Finney and Mahan applied this same understanding to the Christian's growth toward spiritual maturity. To be sanctified, they insisted, required only the same kind of simple, instantaneous faith one exercised to be converted." In 1836 both men experienced what they called "baptisms of the Holy Ghost" which they believed not only freed them from committing sin but also removed their tendency toward sin. Contributing to the spread of this "Holiness" doctrine were the popular camp meeting revivals of the first half of the 1800s, the ministry of Phoebe Palmer (1807-1874) (who taught that sanctification could be reached instantaneously by an act of faith) and the "Prayer Revival" of 1857-1858 (sometimes called the Third Great Awakening). There was also much unrest in Methodist circles as many felt the denomination had lost its fervor. The Wesleyan Methodist (in 1843) and the Free Methodist (in 1860) left the denomination to form the first Holiness denominations. Until the 1890s the Holiness Movement was largely a Methodist phenomenon, but as the Methodists settled more into mainstream Christianity tensions escalated into a schism which resulted in new, non-Methodist, Holiness denominations. These included the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana (1880), Church of the Nazarene (1908) and Pilgrim Holiness Church (1897). The Holiness adherents saw themselves as the true descendents of the Wesleys and practiced strict moral ethics, abstinence from worldly pleasures and amusements and a strong belief in entire sanctification (also known as the "second blessing" and the baptism of the Holy Spirit). More importantly "Holiness teaching offered 19th-century evangelicals a means of overcoming their sectarian conflicts. Doctrine might divide, but the experience of a pure heart would unite all true believers against the threats posed by religious formalism, atheism, and Roman Catholicism." This Holiness emphasis would continue to be spread throughout the 19th century by individuals and groups as diverse as the Salvation Army, Quakers, D. L. Moody, Hannah Whitall Smith, the Y.M.C.A., the Keswick Movement and Oswald Chambers. A brief explanation concerning some of those might prove helpful. ... Maturity in Christ is expected of every believer; freedom from spiritual battle with the world, the flesh and the devil is attained only in the next life. At the same time, we must be careful that we do not over react to Holiness philosophy and believe that godliness is attained through our own self-determined efforts of obedience. We are certainly called to obedience, but it is not a self-energized, self-motivated or self-obtaining obedience. It is an obedience made possible only because of the power of God in our lives. This is the consistent teaching of the New Testament, but we will direct our attention to Romans 8:12-13. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Peterson, once again, summarizes things well, "Holiness of life is not simply attained by moral effort nor even by striving to keep the law of God. It is not even a matter of 'letting go and letting God.' Practical holiness involves 'putting to death' in our lives what God has already sentenced to death on the cross ('mortification') and living out the new life given to us by the indwelling Christ. Human effort is required, but not apart from, nor distinct from the activity of God's Spirit, who subdues the flesh as we mortify it in His power, and as we set our minds upon the things of the Spirit." -- Holiness of life should be the heart-felt desire of every Christian. But that holiness is not found in either short-cuts or self effort. **It is found as we pursue righteousness (2 Timothy 2:22) laying aside the deeds of the flesh (Colossians 3:5-10) through the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16) and as we behold the glory of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Holiness Movement was in many ways a reaction to the dead orthodoxy and lifeless spirituality that infiltrated so much of Christianity during the nineteenth-century. However, its [explicit] remedy, a second blessing [based more on human ability] resulting in the eradication of sinful tendencies and a higher life not available to the unbaptized, went beyond the teaching of Scripture. As is often the case in reactionary movements, the cure [i.e. a cultural salvation, human based rules salvation] may be as bad as the [original sin] disease. [article link]

Let God Lead Us: A Return to Holiness -- The Biblical Basis for the Doctrine of Holiness by Dr. Kenneth Geiger
Introduction: This study is based upon the premise, and the writer holds the view, that both the Old and New Testaments constitute the divinely inspired Word of God, inerrant in the originals, and the final authority for life and truth. This is the official position of the National Holiness Association and, quite uniformly, the view of Wesleyan-Arminians everywhere. Therefore, the Bible provides an authoritarian basis for the doctrine of holiness. Careful exegesis under the leadership of the Holy Spirit will not only communicate with the prophetic voice of "thus saith the Lord," so much needed in our day, but will contribute a dynamic force to the message of full salvation and deliverance from both the penalty and power of sin. ... From the very beginning God progressively revealed His holiness to man, as man was capable of understanding that holiness. The grandeur of the creation has given to men of all ages, notwithstanding the effects of the curse because of sin, a sense of awe (cf. Ps. 69). This is a step in developing the concept of the holiness of the Creator, and it accounts for the rise of the multiplied religious superstitions all over the world as man has sought peace with a force greater in power aud purity than himself. -- Before we examine a number of Scriptures which set forth the holiness of God, **let us be reminded that holiness is not essentially power as expressed in the creation and other works of God; it is essentially a moral purity. Wiley states, "Holiness as it relates to the Father, expresses the perfection of moral excellence which in Him exists unoriginated and underived." It is not only a principle of divine action, but it is incumbent upon His creatures. It is important that we take careful note of the Bible teaching which relates the holiness of God to man. Again Wiley says, "It is evident that holiness is not only the inward character of God as perfect goodness but consistency with this character as a standard for His own activity; and further, it is a requirement for His morally responsible creatures." ... The Epistle to the Ephesians has become a favorite as a basis for preaching holiness. ... This New Testament book also deals with the growth aspect of the holy life in chapter 4. After presenting the church universal, the Apostle [Paul] identifies the various functions of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for the "perfecting [completing - achieving] of the saints." This process is to continue until "we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect [complete] man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Jesus Christ." While absolute perfection cannot be realized in this life, **we can achieve Christian maturity: "That henceforth we be no more children" (4:14). This process will culminate in the glorification of the church, as described in chapter 5, verses 25-27: "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." The present tense in the book of Ephesians is impressive and significant. They were at the time of Paul's writing, saints (1:1). Now, we as they, are in Christ (2:13), and none are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints (2:19). **Now we have access to God (2:18). Now the power of God works in us. "Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (3:20). It was a happy day in my life, after a period of confusion resulting from oft repeated cliches, and so much theoretical preaching which was not Bible based, that the Bible itself began to speak to me and its total message was fully redemptive. ***The atoning work of Jesus Christ was adequate for my deepest need, for both time and eternity. This truth is so vast and so profound that we will always be reaching out to comprehend and appropriate it. This study has touched only the surface. Nothing has been said about the typology of holiness. Such works as A. B. Simpson's two volumes, The Holy Spirit, are especially valuable to such a study. I am convinced that the Bible is relevant, and that there is a Biblical basis for the doctrine of holiness. [article link]

Basic Christian: Mp3 List (PDF)
Basic Christian: Mp3 List (PDF) [article link]

Basic Christian: Video - DVD List (PDF)
Basic Christian: Video - DVD List (PDF) [article link]

Free Christian Select Mp3 Downloads (RSS)
**To download each file: "Right Click" and select "Save Target AS..." [article link]

Basic Christian: Select Mp3s List (PDF)
Basic Christian: Select Mp3s List (PDF) [article link]

-- The Basic Christian: blog Postings are on an Extended Hiatus --
The blog postings are scheduled to conclude for Holy Week 2012 with the Jesus Walk 2012 Timeline Devotion -- Starting Friday March 30th ---> Easter Sunday April 8th 2012

Basic Christian: Jesus Walk - Holy Week 2013 - The 13th Annual 10 Day Jesus Walk Easter Timeline Devotion - Starting Friday March 22nd, 2013 and going until ---> Easter Sunday March 31st, 2013 (PDF)
We are going to begin to look at some of the aspects of Holy Week regarding what actually happened during the final Amazing events of Jesus Christ while He was physically here on earth. We will be considering what His events accomplished and how His completed events affect us today both personally and individually as Christians and as a whole in the Christian Church. - God bless you ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

The Pierre Statement on Biblical Doctrines by confessing Christians - As the Christian Church there are areas where we can all Agree to Agree! (PDF)
Over the years the Christian Church has virtually been defined by its vast ability to disagree. In fact the quote "let's agree to disagree" can almost be the new banner of Christianity. Some people readily point out and wonder if there really is a Christian truth because the Church itself agrees on very few Christian tenants. But this is not really an accurate reflection because the Church does agree on many things and is united on many beliefs. This is a discussion list where we as Christians can "Agree to Agree" and then the next time someone says "the Church doesn't even agree" well here are some areas of agreement. - These topics are starting beyond the already given basics of Christianity in that Jesus Christ is God born of the Virgin Mary, Himself a Godly encounter physically among humans yet remaining consistent with the Triune nature of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is Divine and without sin. He was rejected by mankind crucified and died. His death is the Full Payment for all of the sins of the world. His resurrection is of Everlasting Life and provided to those who personally receive Him as God and their Savior. Jesus is the rightful and righteous Ruler of the world and He will physically return to righteously reign, rule and judge His creation that we call the universe. -- "1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures" - All the best, God bless everyone ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

Basic Christian: Christian Faith Downloads - A Christian resource center with links to many FREE Mp3 downloads (Mp3's)
Christian Faith Downloads -- "1st Corinthians 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." [article link]

Basic Christian: Select Internet Mp3s - Basic Christian select Mp3 downloads from various internet websites - FREE Downloads (Mp3s via RSS)
The Basic Christian resource for select Mp3 downloads from various internet websites. -- Selected as a part of the original 2003 Tract-CD Project the Basic Christian Ministry was asked to share two PDF resources [Basic Christian: Theology, Biblical Proof Jesus is God] with the Tract-CD project and in return a CD of Mp3's was mailed to the Ministry. -- These are some of those original Mp3s plus many more new mp3s have been added for download. [article link]

The Basic Christian: blog Postings have Concluded -- It has been my blessing, honor and privilege to be able to serve and share with the Church the body of Jesus Christ ~ God bless you, David Anson Brown
Psalms 70:4 Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee: and let such as love Thy Salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. -- Holy Bible

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