Friday, August 06, 2010

Kagan To Be Sworn In As US Supreme Court Justice

Kent Klein Washington 06 August 2010

Photo: AP
President Barack Obama applauds Elena Kagan during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Aug. 6, 2010, to mark her confirmation to become the next Supreme Court justice.


Elena Kagan will be sworn in Saturday as the third woman on the nine-member U.S. Supreme Court, the nation's highest court. President Barack Obama Friday celebrated the upcoming event.

At an East Room reception, President Obama said the appointment of the fourth woman Supreme Court justice in U.S. history, and the third on the current court, is a significant step forward. "A sign of progress that I relish, not just as a father who wants limitless possibilities for my daughters, but as an American proud that our Supreme Court will be a little more inclusive, a little more representative, more reflective of us as a people than ever before," he said.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Kagan as a justice on Thursday, despite heavy opposition from Republicans, who say she lacks experience because she has never been a judge.

The 50-year-old U.S. solicitor general is Mr. Obama's second successful nominee to the high court. His first, Sonia Sotomayor, was appointed last year.

On Friday, the president praised what he called Kagan's formidable intellect and path-breaking career. He also said she will carry out the ideals of the U.S. justice system. "While those founding truths about liberty and equality may have been self-evident, they were not self-perpetuating. And it is the members of our highest court who do the vital and constant work of ensuring that they endure," he said.

Kagan pledged to work her hardest to support and preserve the U.S. Constitution and dispense justice equally and fairly under the law. "An obligation to protect and preserve the rule of law in this country, an obligation to uphold the rights and liberties afforded by our remarkable Constitution, and an obligation to provide what the inscription on the Supreme Court building promises: 'Equal Justice Under Law," she said.

U.S. justices are appointed for life. Kagan will succeed Justice John Paul Stevens, who recently retired at the age of 90.

Stevens was considered the most liberal member of the court, and Kagan is not expected to change its current ideological balance. The court has a five-member, conservative-leaning majority.

The Supreme Court's new session begins in October.

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Kanye West's 'Power' Video: Artists Break It Down


Aug 6 2010 6:44 PM EDT

MTV News caught up with art students, who say director Marco Brambilla is 'pushing the envelope.'
By Rochell Thomas


Ram-horned guards, floating nymphs, knife-wielding attackers, water flowing upward — huh?!?

If you can't make heads or tails out of the groundbreaking "video montage" Kanye West and artist Marco Brambilla produced for West's "Power," relax. You're not alone.

After the clip's Thursday premiere on MTV, Kanye tweeted: "It's not a video ... It's a moving painting!" During his recent talks with MTV News, Brambilla described the 90-second piece, which is made of 24 layers of video, as a "visual ballet." Others have called it a "living portrait."

A visual ballet painting? Yeah, that wasn't good enough for us either. So we consulted people who have devoted their lives to studying, analyzing and producing art, and they're confused too.

"What stood out to me was his ridiculous big chain. I don't know what that was all about," photographer Gianna Leofalcon said about the six-figure, gold medallion that depicts one of the oldest Egyptian deities, Horus.

"If that [chain] was real, he wouldn't be standing up," joked painter and illustrator Misha T.

"It symbolizes power," said graphic artist and rapper Wordspit. "Back in the day, [Egyptians] used to wear nothing but gold jewelry, and that was a sense of power with them. I feel like it symbolizes that."

Fellow graphic artist Suede Jury agreed: "The chain is larger than life. Everything about the video is larger than life."

"Yo, this dude, Marco. He's bananas, son," said painter Ibrahim Baaith. "And what's cool is that he's shooting all this and incorporating it into, like, a painting. He's not just taking classical images and just smashing it together. He's completely original, and I like where he and Kanye took it. He's definitely pushing the envelope."

The problem comes when you ask which direction the envelope is being pushed. Some say it permanently raised the bar for hip-hop videos, but Leofalcon said when it comes to male/female relations, "Power" goes the same old route. "What are all the women doing below him?" she asked. "What message is that sending? We're already dealing with inequality between men and women, particularly in hip-hop. I'm sick and tired of having a bunch of girls surrounding a man in videos in general.

"I would challenge Kanye to have a woman by his side to give the message that there is equality between him and a beautiful woman," she added.

"He's showing his position of power. He indulges in the women," Wordspit countered. "I could understand that you want him to have a woman by his side. It probably would have looked cool. ... But at the same time, Kanye is a loner. Kanye feels like he's alone. And I think that was one of the purposes of this video — to just show that even though I'm in a position of power. I'm still mortal."

Misha T broke down the video like this: "The song is called 'Power.' When you're on top, everybody's trying to bring you down to claim that spot. He's trying to show you this picture-perfect world where, yeah, you have goddesses surrounding you. But at the same time, you have guys trying to stab you in the back."

And that sword over his head? It's the Sword of Damocles. Don't even get us started on that ...
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Biden motorcade involved in accident in Queens

NEWSCORE

Last Updated: 5:59 PM, August 5, 2010

Posted: 5:51 PM, August 5, 2010



AP
In this photo released by the New York City Mayor's Office, Vice President Joe Biden, left, joins New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Gracie Mansion in New York,.That same month, a vehicle in Biden's motorcade traveling in Albuquerque, N.M., was involved in an accident, sending one sheriff's deputy to the hospital.

Part of a motorcade escorting Vice President Joe Biden was involved in a minor accident Thursday while traveling in Queens, N.Y., WNBC-TV reported.

Two officers with the New York Police Department motorcycle unit sustained minor injuries during the incident and were undergoing treatment at a local hospital, according to the report.

Biden was not delayed by the accident, who met with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg earlier Thursday.

It was the third motorcade incident in less than a year for the Vice President. In November 2009, a police car traveling in his motorcade struck another car in Manhattan.

Source: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/biden_motorcade_involved_in_accident_PZgQFY9XkkgWjeQEN4xpiM

Subtle Lure of Outward Adornment


August 01, 2010 click for audio


Dear Friends,


Welcome to Keep The Faith. It is wonderful to know that Jesus is coming soon, and that we are living during the most thrilling time in earth’s history. Thank you for joining us today for another message for our times.

First, I want to say thank you for your prayers and support. It means a lot to us and to God’s work at Keep The Faith. Please go to our website and check out the Prophetic Intelligence Briefings. We have more posted on our website than we can possibly put on CD. You’ll find them fascinating.

Some of you already know that I have recently taken on an associate speaker. Pastor Jeff Wehr is a powerful preacher with excellent material to present. I chose to add an associate speaker to handle some appointments that I cannot meet because I am overbooked. Pastor Wehr is available for appointments and I would recommend that you contact our office if you would like him to speak in your area.

My message today is of a different nature than most. I want to share with you what the Bible says about a principle that we need to understand in these last days. We are living in the most important time in earth’s history. Jesus is coming soon and we must put aside all pride and vanity, so that his Holy Spirit can be poured into our souls, and that God’s work on earth can be finished. God wants to use you to reach other souls, so your character maturity is the most important thing. May God help us all as we near the close of human probation, to live according to the Bible.

Let us turn in our Bibles to the book of Revelation 17. I want to show you something about the end-time people of God who will survive the coming onslaught. Verse three tells us of the great symbolic whore, or the wicked church that rules the world.

“I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, 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.”

Notice how this woman is dressed. She has beautiful colors. Why does she dress herself in these colors? It is because they are deceptive and she can use them to deceive people into following after her instead of Christ. She looks good, but she is rotten and filthy, and a great whore, because she commits spiritual fornication with the kings of the earth. In other words this is a geo-political church with a geo-political religion. The whore belongs to Satan.

This woman with the world-wide religion and geo-political power is Satan’s woman, or Satan’s church. And verse five makes this abundantly clear. “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” That’s pretty serious. She is not only a spiritual prostitute herself, but she is the mother of all false churches who teach false doctrine. She has taught them as her daughters how to practice their fornication with the kings of the earth. And if you are paying attention, you will notice that the leaders of the world are often in consultation with religious leaders of one type or another.

We also learn from these verses that this woman is decked with gold and precious stones and pearls. Have you ever wondered why the Bible portrays this woman as having all those ornamentations and adornment? I have, and I think it is significant. I believe that God is sending a message to his last generation people who will be paying attention in these last days, and that the way this wicked woman is dressed and the way that she adorns herself is a warning to all of God’s true people. They will do the exact opposite if they are faithful to Jesus Christ. They will not go after the false doctrines of the harlot churches who are in fact, the daughters of Rome. They have a simple faith, and they have natural adornment. After all, they are His people, not Satan’s.

Listen to the verse found in Revelation 12:1 describing the pure woman, or the pure church. “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”

Notice the contrast between this woman, or God’s church, and the whore. They are so different. Yes, their descriptions are symbolic. But the symbols used are familiar earthly representations. The one is simple in faith, as depicted by simplicity of adornment, not with gold and silver and man-made articles of jewelry, but with the sun, moon and stars. These symbols represent their characters, which are pure and undefiled by worldly appearance. They are high and lofty representations of God’s love and power and of heaven’s blessing. God’s people will simply be expressing the inward adorning of the heart.

But Satan’s people will be full of cheap, sensual and earthly lifestyles, including their music, entertainment, food and their adornment. The Bible makes this contrast between the two churches because our Heavenly Father wants it to be understood that there is in the sinful heart of man a desire to make the outward appearance more attractive to the human carnal nature.

The prostitute of Revelation 17 is involved in spiritualism. Her jewelry is part of her mystical system of worship. All pagan worship involved the worship of deities through the use of ornaments and personal decoration which supposedly had magical powers.

Psalm 135:15 says, ‘The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.”

So when we place on our bodies humanly crafted silver and gold ornaments we are glorying in the works of men’s hands. But we are doing much more than that. We are giving at least token homage to Satan’s principles. In a similar way, Protestants who break God’s holy Sabbath, and keep Sunday sacred, are also paying token homage to Rome by doing so, since it was Rome that change the Sabbath to Sunday for most of the Christian world.

This history of jewelry is very important to understand, especially in its relation to the fallen churches and the people who support them.

First, it should be noted that the wedding ring actually has its roots in spiritualism. Occultists make it clear that its history is rooted in the mysteries and secret teachings of the occult.

If you would like to do research on this, you can go to our website and find the text of this sermon and there you will also find links at the appropriate places for articles and books that give this background.

Manly Palmer Hall, for instance, in his occult book on the Secret Teachings of All Ages says that “this plain band of gold [wedding band]… bore witness of the union of the higher self (god) with the lower self (nature) and the ceremony consummating this indissoluble blending of divinity and humanity in the one nature of the initiated mystic constituted the hermetic marriage of the Mysteries.”

Sacred Texts Article

That’s strange, isn’t it? It is talking about spiritualism. The wedding ring also represents eternity and immortality of the soul, and various deities. This links it to pagan spiritualism.

The History and Poetry of Finger-Rings,

Rings were used among the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans
for various purposes. But mostly they had to do with spiritualism. In ancient pagan societies, all rings were magical and sacred. They were used for fortune-telling or divination. They were also linked to the prognostications of the zodiac. The ancient diviners also used enchanted rings to predict the future. Wearing the ring would bind the ancient diviners to power and energy so that they could conduct their magical activity, such as predicting the future and healing diseases.

Divination and Enchanted Rings

See also, Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated, Cathy Burns, page 300. (Text not available online. Check your local library).

In the Catholic Church, the Christianized version of pagan worship and occult practice, the pope wears a ring of gold with a costly emerald or other precious gem set in it. It is called the Fisherman’s Ring and is his symbol of succession from the apostle Peter, his symbol of authority. In reality, however, this ring is a mere adaptation from paganism.

Fisherman’s ring

There are many ways in which the Roman Catholic Church uses rings ceremonially. For instance, during the official liturgy of the consecration of a Bishop, “the Consecrator rises and blesses the ring… He then sprinkles the ring with holy water, and sitting with this mitre on, himself places the ring on the ring finger of the right hand of the one consecrated…” It is a symbol of the priest’s marriage to the church.

Consecrate Bishop

I explain this to you so that you will understand the imagery and meaning to the Catholic Church in using the ring on its priests. In addition to being a symbol of marriage to the church, it is a symbol of his office and powers. The ring is central to papal authority. Catholics who have a personal audience with the pope kiss his ring as a symbol of their submission to his authority.

But in spite of their pagan origins and adaptation in so-called Christianity, rings and jewelry of all types are used commonly throughout society without hardly giving any thought to their meaning.

Actually, today both men and woman are adorning the body with all manner of the works of man’s hands. Have you notice all the body piercing lately among worldly people. They are only taking the fanaticism of jewelry and adornment to the next level. Anciently, body piercing and the use of body rings was very common among pagan worshippers and societies in general.

But we need to understand how God views the matter of outward adorning. Listen to what God says in Isaiah 3:16-21. Speaking of His apostate people, God points to the way they adorn themselves as evidence of their apostasy.

Speaking of the calamities that would come upon Judah, His church, God says through the prophet, “Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments,… the chains, and the bracelets,… and the ornaments of the legs,… and the tablets, and the earrings, the rings, and the nose jewels,…” And in verse 26, God says, “And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.”

Do you want to lament and mourn and be spiritually desolate? Of course you don’t. You want spiritual maturity and fullness of God’s power in your life, don’t you? By the way, “wanton eyes” are eyes that have been made up to look lewd and lustful. A “tablet” is a necklace. Note that the Bible condemns nose jewels also.

What do you think “bravery of their tinkling ornaments” means? In other words, the wearing of jewelry, or tinkling ornaments is bravado, or showy and proud.

Have you noticed how much jewelry people wear these days including nose jewels and tinkling earrings and other gaudy ornaments? Do you think that the expanded use of jewelry is a sign of the times? Is it a sign of apostasy and rebellion?

Here are the words of Jeremiah, chapter 4:30. “And when thou are soiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou… deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.”

Note that the prophet Jeremiah makes a connection between outward adornment, make-up and other ornaments with prostitution and fornication. Sexual immorality in scripture is often used to illustrate spiritual apostasy, isn’t it? When men and women leave God, they turn to ornamentation as a sign of their backsliding.

Here are the words of Ezekiel 23:40 “Ye have sent for men to come from afar unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments.”

God was criticizing His people, His church, for their makeup and jewelry, as a sign of their apostasy in going after strangers. In getting involved with the ecumenical movement, we are in fact, going after strangers. We have to change what we believe, what we teach, and the way we act, in order to be accepted by these strangers, just like those who painted their eyes and decked themselves with ornaments in Ezekiel’s day.

Hosea 2:13 says “And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgot me, saith the Lord.”

Baalim is the plural of Baal. Again, notice the connection between earthly outward adornment, spiritual prostitution, pagan worship and forgetting God. Those who worship pagan gods, or, in other words, false gods, are usually caught up in the use of outward adornment and jewelry.

The prophet Zephaniah said in chapter 1:7-8. “Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.” Strange apparel is that which is not approved by the Lord in the same way as the words “strange gods” are used.

Some people teach that the only scripture for Christians to follow is the New Testament. They say that we are “New Testament Christians” and that we don’t have to follow the principles of the Old Testament.

So, we had better have a look at the New Testament. But before we do, let me point out that though the true followers of Christ determine truth by searching the whole of scripture, the New Testament is just as plain as the Old Testament concerning outward adornment of the body.

When we examine the writings of Paul and Peter, for instance, two of the most notable apostles, we learn that neither of them give any room for the use of jewelry. Paul writes plainly on this topic. In 1 Timothy 2:9 he says “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.”

Paul tells us that God requires modesty, which is to avoid drawing attention to yourself. Jewelry and other adornments draw attention. By the way, shamefacedness means modesty and humility, and sobriety means to carry yourself with gravity or seriousness of bearing with without being sad.

And the apostle Peter also speaks plainly about adornments when he says in 1 Peter 3:3, “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel.”

In other words, we are to live in such a way that we do not draw attention to ourselves by our apparel, the way we fix our hair, or by wearing adornments. These things detract from the Christian’s influence. By the way “plaiting the hair,” refers to the ancient eastern practice of putting things in or on the hair to make it distinguished and supposedly “well-set.” They often used large head-dresses to draw attention of others to the wearer. It was apparently rather fashionable in Peter’s day to braid the hair in intricate and fancy braids.

The apostle Peter goes on to say. “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”

In other words, the character should be seen, not a superficial outward adorning of the body. Jewelry is corruptible and one day, it too will be destroyed.

As I implied earlier, all pagan societies used jewelry. The Bible tells us that the Egyptians used it (see Exodus 12:35, Genesis 41:42-44), because the Israelites were told to collect jewelry from the Egyptians before leaving Egypt. It was not so that they could wear it, but so that they could carry something of monetary value, and gold and silver jewelry was the ideal payment for all their labor as slaves.

The Midianites also used jewelry (see Numbers 31:1-2,7, 49-51), the Ishmaelites (see Judges 8:24, Psalm 83:2-7), the Medes and Persians (see Esther 3:8-12), the Ammonites, Moabites, the Children of Mt. Seir (see 2 Chronicles 20:22-25), the Philistines, the Zidonians, from whom the wicked Jezebel came (see 1 Samuel 6:4, 8, 2 Kings 9:30), and of course, the Babylonians (see Daniel 5:7, 13, 16-17).

Moreover, whenever Israel went into apostasy, they would try to supply the lack of spiritual adornment of character with outward adornment of body. We are reminded of the words of Isaiah that we read earlier about the “stretched forth necks,” the mincing as they walk, and all the ornaments of the head, neck, ears, nose, and ankles.

Have you noticed that God depicts apostasy with the wearing of jewelry? I believe that is significant. How often do you hear pastors tell their congregations what the Bible says about the many forms of adornment that their members bring to church? Often during evangelistic campaigns, evangelists excuse themselves for not preaching on adornment because they say, “these new members can learn about these things later.” But do pastor normally follow up? And if they do, how easy is it to convince the new member to remove their jewelry. That is one of the reasons I am sharing these things with you today. You need to know what the Bible says so you can take action if you need to, or so that you can help others. It is actually very important.

Friends, God is calling us to follow all of His counsel and to follow all of His laws. We are not to live to draw attention to ourselves. This is pride. God’s word to us is the most precious treasure we have. It is vital that we observe all that God commands us. Then we will prosper. Do you believe that too? How can any of God’s true people, men or women use earthly outward adorning when God’s word is so very clear both in the Old and in the New Testaments?

Where did all this adornment originally come from?

The Bible tells us that Lucifer was adorned with precious stones and gold. Ezekiel 28:13 says “Thou has been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: The workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.”

God made Lucifer gorgeous! He was full of beauty. Each of these stones is a different color, and in the glow of heaven’s light, especially when in the presence of God and Christ, Lucifer’s rainbow of color was magnificent. Just take a moment to imagine what such a being must have looked like. He was certainly the most beautiful created being there was. All heaven must have been impressed with his sparkling and stunning magnificence.

But Lucifer’s heart became proud and lifted up with conceit. He wanted to be like God. Let me read Ezekiel 28:15-16 to you. “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou has sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.”

Lucifer had the privilege of ministering before the almighty God in the throne room itself. But he wanted more. Isaiah 14:13-14 says of Lucifer, “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”

What a terrible tragedy. The most exalted and beautiful being ever created wanted to be higher still. He wanted to have the authority of the creator Himself. He wanted to be like God Himself. But because of his sin, Lucifer, now Satan, was cast out of heaven, and was removed from his position and another was put in his place.

When Satan rebelled, he rebelled in every area of life. Needless to say, he has perverted that which God intended to be good. Jewelry and adornments of all types have become a vehicle to exalt self.

And when Satan tempts poor human mortals, he tempts them to be like him. He wants us to be proud and lifted up too. In other words, he wants us to worship self.

So he uses every vehicle he can to manifest his rebellion in us, including music and entertainment, food, luxury, and adornment. There are other ways of manifesting pride, but all forms of gold, precious stones, pearls and other obvious ornamentation are his attempt to make you like him, proud and conceited, sometimes in a very subtle way. And since it is such a common thing in our society, it seems as if it is of little or no consequence. Everybody, it seems, does it.

Outward adornment reveals the true center of our own attention. It shows us that we are really interested in drawing attention to ourselves instead of God.

But it actually does more than that. The wearing of outward adornment by men or women, reveals the shallowness of our characters and the spiritual emptiness of our souls. Those who are mature Christians need no outer adorning, whether rings or necklaces, bracelets or broaches. Simplicity of dress is a principle of the Kingdom of Heaven. The adornment of Heaven is the character. What need does a true Christian have of any further recommendation?

Outward adorning is a form of vanity, which means to be showy, ostentatious, vaunting, and puffed up. While not everyone that wears jewelry manifests a proud or boastful spirit on the surface, there is nevertheless, an underlying self-centeredness.

Today, God’s church is shallow for the most part. It is seen in many ways. Often the sermons that are preached from modern pulpits are empty and provide little depth beyond the most basic gospel messages. Even more rarely are the church members encouraged to see the Bible in light of the end times, or to live in the Bible way.

The shallowness is often seen in the choice of music. Instead of the powerful hymns with rich and meaningful text, churches now often use praise choruses, which use superficial language repetitively. The emphasis of the music is on feeling, not character development or the grand themes of the gospel.

Another way in which some churches reveal shallowness is in the use of entertainment to lure worshippers into the pews, such as clowns, mimes and other caricatures, which misrepresent the gospel of the meek and lowly Jesus.

And yet again, this same superficiality is seen when there is an emphasis on ecumenical doctrines, or ideas based on common points of faith with other ecumenical churches instead of the truth that is especially provided for those living in the last days.

What I am saying is that there is a composite set of characteristics that go hand in hand when a church or its members lack spiritual depth. When our experience with God becomes shallow, it inevitably involves other forms of superficiality, including the use of jewelry and other adornments.

While there are some sincere and genuine Christians who use jewelry, it is because they do not understand the Bible principle concerning adornment. They are uninformed about the Bible teaching, and probably no one has ever taught them. While God may not hold them accountable for that which they did not have opportunity to know, neglect of following Bible counsel concerning how we should live, when it is revealed to us, is keeping us from knowing God fully and maturely.

A mature Christian is one who searches the scriptures diligently, praying for the Holy Spirit to speak to him or her about anything that is not in conformity to heaven’s principles.

Proverbs 8:13 tells us that “the fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way. That means that we will avoid the use of anything that tends to exalt pride or even the mildest forms of arrogance. This speaks to me, my friends, and to all of us. There are many ways in which we can carry ourselves with pride. We are prone to it, and unless we fight it with all our might, we will fall into the trap of Satan to be boastful and lifted up.

1 John 2:16 says that “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

You see my friends, we must crucify self and avoid anything that we could use to uplift our pride. Jewelry is one of the elements of the pride of life. But some might argue that they are not proud when they use outward adornment. But here is the difficulty. It is very subtle. Those who have become proud usually don’t recognize it, and they make excuses for it. They are deceived by it into thinking they are OK with God.

Do you remember how God dealt with Nebuchadnezzar’s pride? “The King spake and said, Is not this great Babylon which I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? While the word was in the King’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whosoever he will. The same hour was the thing fuflled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.” That’s Daniel 4:30-33.

Thankfully, Nebuchadnezzer repented of his sinful pride, and was eventually restored to the kingdom.

Think also about how God dealt with King Herod. We read about that in Acts 12:21-23. “And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration 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 him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms and gave up the ghost.”

Also, God dealt with the pride of Edom. “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.” That’s Obadiah 1:3-4.

You see, my friends, pride is very offensive to God. It is something that cannot be tolerated in the eternal kingdom, or else sin would repeat itself. Christ gives us the opportunity to voluntarily cooperate with Him to abase ourselves and learn to live a humble life. This is the underlying message of scripture.

Have you read Philippians 2:5-8 recently? “Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

And 1 Peter 2:21-23 tells us that “for even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously…”

Friends, this is the way we should live in these last days. We are to follow in the steps of Jesus in everything. Our lives should be modeled after His. He was our example. He did nothing to promote himself, but always to glorify His Father in heaven. We in turn, are to glorify Christ in every detail.

But listen to what God will do to those who are decked out with jewelry and other fashionable adornments. It is found in Jeremiah 4:30. “And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.”

Outward adornments are vain. They reveal our basic insecurity and need to look a certain way in the eyes of our fellow man. In contrast with worldly adornments, Jesus spoke of the lilies of the field in Matthew 6:28-29. “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” You remember the story of Solomon don’t you? Solomon was full of vanity in all his vaunted glory. When Solomon left God, his heart was lifted up with pride. Christ was illustrating the need for character beauty. We are to reveal the graces of the Christian character, which will give us more beauty than gold, or silver, or diamonds, or pearls ever will.

The beauty that God gives you in your character is like the lily of the field. He does not intend for you to have to enhance yourself with attention-getting devices.

Your smile, and the twinkle in your eye is an adornment more beautiful than any jewels that you can put on your body. Your beauty in Christ is manifest by His presence in your life. This is the true adornment. The scripture says, “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof” Romans 13:14. This means that we are to avoid things that reveal pride. We are to present ourselves in the way that God made us, and in the way that He has recreated us.

What does God ask us to do with our jewelry and other adornments? He gave us clear examples in history. When Jacob was in trouble, he told his family to purify themselves and be clean. Here it is in Genesis 35:2 and 4. “Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean… And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears.”

And when God was angry with the church in the wilderness because of what happened around the golden calf at the base of Mt. Sinai, He said to Moses, “Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.” That’s Exodus 33:5-6.

The literal rendering of the text describing the Israelites’ response was that they “stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward” (See Exodus 33:6, NASB). The removal of jewelry symbolizes a change of heart. Nowhere in the Old Testament did God grant Israel permission to put their jewelry back on.

As we noted earlier, there was a time in Israel’s history when they were in a period of apostasy. Again they wore jewelry, but Isaiah 3 portrays God’s judgment against doing this. He accused them of pride because they were wearing jewelry. This demonstration of pride was sinful as is any demonstration of pride. He actually announced that He would strip off their ornaments.

Andrews University Source

As you can see, when God calls upon His people to present themselves to Him, He asks them to remove their jewelry. But this is more than just a temporary prohibition. They should have never had the jewelry on them in the first place. Note that the context of these verses has to do with cleansing from sin. In Jacob’s case, the family had offended their neighbors and deceived them. Now they were afraid and Jacob wanted to seek God’s protection. Therefore, he called upon his family to cleanse themselves by removing all forms of idolatry including their jewelry.

In the case of Moses, the people had sinned against God, and God was going to punish them for their rebellion. As a matter of repentance, they were to take off their jewelry and humble themselves before the Lord.

Think about this verse in light of what the Bible says about jewelry. It is found in Ezekiel 7:19-21. Speaking of the very last days, just before Jesus comes in the clouds of glory, we are told that all these things, which have been so valuable to us in this life, will be worthless. “They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord… And I will give it into the hands of strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.”

Furthermore, James 5:3 tells us that “your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.”

Gold and silver adornments along with their precious stones, will lose their value and their attraction to those who come under the wrath of God. These are all part of the idolatry of our times. But the prophet Isaiah tells us in chapter 2 verse 20; “in that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and the bats.” When we worship self, we show it by the way we adorn ourselves. By the way, adornment can include other things beside jewelry, such as lands, fancy houses, cars or even false piety. In Jesus’ day the Pharisees were broadening their phylacteries, and were enlarging the boarders of their garments. This was outward ornamentation which characterized false piety. (See Matt 23:6)

When we use outward adornment, we are in essence drawing attention to ourselves which is a form of self-worship and idolatry. These things, which are made with human hands, will one day be thrown to the moles and the bats.

In contrast we are to glorify God. Psalm 29:2 says “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” It is holiness of character only that is attractive to heaven. It is holiness of character with which we are to adorn ourselves.

Paul also tells us in Romans 13:11 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.”

Perhaps the most important reason that we are to adorn ourselves with holiness of character is because of the times in which we live. We are living in a wicked and degenerate age. It is the last days and we are to wake up and put off the works of darkness.

But more precisely, we are living at the time of the anti-typical Day of Atonement. All the types and ceremonies of the annual round of sanctuary services that was established by ancient Israel under God’s direction were to have an anti-typical fulfillment in the plan of salvation. Each year on the Day of Atonement, the people were to have a solemn assembly and were to afflict their souls (or humble themselves before God), as the sanctuary was cleansed. The cleansing of the sanctuary was about purifying the church and the people of all sin and defilement on the record books of heaven and in the hearts of the people.

The purpose of the cleansing of the sanctuary in ancient Israel was to symbolically remove the sins that had been placed on the sanctuary throughout the year by the sacrifices on behalf of the sinner. As you probably remember, the blood of the lambs that were slain was sprinkled in the sanctuary, symbolically removing them from the sinner, but also placing them in the sanctuary to be finally removed forever during the Day of Atonement.

Symbolically, this process was a type of what Christ is doing in the last days. During the anti-typical Day of Atonement, Christ is cleansing his church and his people of all sin, and showing them how to live without falling into sin. This is important because those who will go through the final time of trouble, or tribulation before Jesus comes, will be living in the sight of a Holy God without a mediator. The only reason we need a mediator is because we sin. But after the close of probation there will be no one to mediate because Christ will have left the sanctuary in heaven. That means that Christ’s true followers will have to live without sin for a period of time before Jesus comes, and then on into eternity.

They will not be on their own. Christ will be living in them through His Holy Spirit. They will have complete victory over all sin, and their lives will reflect His image fully and maturely. They will have afflicted their souls because of sorrow for sin. They will have humbled themselves before God in complete contrition and repentance. Christ will have filled the gaping holes in their lives because of sin’s damage. He will have been able to reveal to them all areas in their lives that are not like Him and that don’t reflect His character. They will have dealt with them and let go of them.

So in the present time, modern spiritual Israel is to do the same as ancient Israel in a spiritual sense. We are to afflict our souls and humble ourselves before God, not just on one day, but through our entire lives. We are living in the period of the anti-typical Day of Atonement, which began in 1844 and will continue until the close of probation.

Just like ancient Israel, our lives should reflect the solemn time in which we live. The purpose of the cleansing of the sanctuary is to humble ourselves. Whenever ancient Israel humbled themselves before God, they removed their jewelry and outward adornments. The Day of Atonement has no place for pride, and therefore no place for jewelry. After all, we are preparing the meet the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

My friends, this is a most important time to be alive. It is, perhaps the most important time for God’s people to reflect His image. We are preparing to receive the Holy Spirit in latter rain power, or at least we should be. Let us live like we truly believe that Jesus is coming soon. Let us not use anything in our lives that will only strengthen our pride and love of display and reduce our capacity to understand and receive the Holy Spirit. This is the time of all times when we must take ourselves and our faith in scripture very seriously.

Before we close, I want you to notice that I only quoted from scripture in this message. I believe that scripture is so clear on this poit that we don’t need anything more.

My message this month was inspired by a new book that has recently been released. It is called Jewelry, Ornaments, Personal Decoration and More… The Spiritualism Connection. It is 270 pages packed full of resources that will help you deal with this issue. It was written by Gwen and Rick Shorter, and is an excellent help in understanding the matter of adornment in light of the last days. If you would like a copy of this important book for our times, just send $16 USD to cover the cost including postage to U.S. addresses, and we will gladly send you one. International listeners should send $20 USD.


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And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

Matthew 24

1And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3And as he 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, and of the end of the world?

4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6And 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.

7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9Then 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.

10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25Behold, I have told you before.

26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30And 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.

31And 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.

32Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

33So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

37But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

50The 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,

51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them


Ezekiel 20



1And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.

2Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,

3Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.

4Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:

5And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God;

6In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:

7Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

8But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

9But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

10Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

11And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

12Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.

13But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

14But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

15Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;

16Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.

17Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

18But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:

19I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;

20And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.

21Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.

22Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.

23I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;

24Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.

25Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;

26And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.

27Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.

28For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.

29Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name whereof is called Bamah unto this day.

30Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?

31For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.

32And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.

33As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:

34And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.

35And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.

36Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.

37And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:

38And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

39As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.

40For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.

41I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.

42And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.

43And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.

44And ye shall know that I am the LORD when I have wrought with you for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

45Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

46Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;

47And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

48And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.

49Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?


King James Version (KJV)
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Monday, August 02, 2010

CAN ZIONISM BE CHRISTIAN?


CAN ZIONISM BE CHRISTIAN?

The idea that Jews do not need the Gospel or conversion is sometimes subsumed under the title, “Christian Zionism,” although the designation can simply mean Christians who support Israel. The term “Christian Zionism” ends up being like Silly Putty. Each person makes what they wish out of it.

One must realize that the term Christian Zionist can cover a wide range of beliefs. Elwood McQuaid articulates the most benign and simplistic view this way:

“At its root, Zionism simply means a commitment to the inherent right of the Jewish people to have an internationally recognized homeland in the Middle East — the place referred to by Jews today as ‘Eretz Israel.’ Whether or not people consciously utter the word about themselves, if they accept the concept of a biblically endorsed Jewish right to the land, they are Zionists.”19

But there was a so-called Christian Zionism (which said Jews do not need Jesus or the New Covenant), championed in the 1970s by Franklin Littell in his book, The Crucifixion of the Jews. Littell went so far as to classify any who do not see Israel as the suffering servant redeemed under the Old Covenant alone, guilty of “theological Antisemitism”20 and “major sin.”21 And he labels dissenters of his view as nothing more than “heretics and apostates” and “illegitimate rather than authentic expressions of Christian preaching and teaching.”22 It is unfortunate that Littell was able to argue from the anti-semitic statements and ideas of Reformer Martin Luther.

Littell also summarized succinctly the core of this strain of Christian Zionism, reprinting the statement released by an ecumenical council in 1973. The pertinent sentences include:

“The singular grace of Jesus Christ does not abrogate the covenantal relationship of God with Israel (Romans 11:1-2). In Christ the Church shares in Israel’s election without superseding it.”23

In a very strange twist, the man most responsible for popularizing the “Two Covenant” view (in the 1920s and 1930s) was a Jewish thinker and author named Franz Rosenzweig. Much like Hagee does today, Rosenzweig attempted to create a rationale for not evangelizing Jews while leaving intact the viability, authenticity and acceptability of both Judaism and Christianity. Predating postmodernism but in postmodern fashion, Rosenzweig argued that Jews had their own subjective truth inside Judaism and Christians had their own subjective truth in Christ. Both were right, according to Rosenzweig.

As well, Rosenzweig taught that Jewish blood inherently gave all Jews shelter under the Old Covenant (the New Covenant being only for Gentiles), but John 1:12-13 asserts that only receiving Christ gives salvation and linkage to the family of God and that the salvation given is given to those “who were not born of blood. ... but of God.”

Rosenzweig’s ideas were a master stroke of accommodation, tolerance and ecumenicity but simply are not true to the New Testament. Arguments like Rosenzweig’s, we must remember, appeared at least in germ form in the second century with Trypho and were soundly refuted by Justin Martyr.24 Church history shows that even the first inklings of a double way of salvation were never tolerated by the Church. Early Christians only affirmed what they knew the Bible taught.

Nearly everyone who champions this “Two Covenant” idea since Rosenzweig, knowingly or unknowingly, repeats his arguments. In 1949, Rosenzweig’s “Two Covenant” view was seriously demolished by Jakob Jocz in his book, The Jewish People and Jesus Christ.25

Jocz was astute in pointing out that election under the Old Covenant was national, whereas under the New Covenant in the age of grace election is individual. This is the key to understanding the “Two Covenant” error. Individual Jews and individual Gentiles must accept God’s offer of salvation in Christ.

Jocz further explains:

“The profound difference between Paul and the Synagogue ultimately turned round the question of the meaning of ‘Jew’. To Paul, a Jew is not defined by race or tradition, but by the moral qualities which link him spiritually to Abraham ... Israel to Paul is not defined in terms of race or colour, but faith.”26

George Foot Moore rightly observes, “For this national election Paul and the church substituted an individual election to eternal life, without regard to race or station.”27

This idea of not evangelizing Jews may be gaining some popularity lately in the American Church. More recently, an organization calling itself Bridges for Peace, led the way drafting a pledge to not proselytize Jews and got 50 local Christian churches and groups ranging from Catholic to various mainstream Protestant denominations to sign on. The document was given to Israeli legislators.28


Excerpt of -


THE OTHER GOSPELOF JOHN HAGEE
CHRISTIAN ZIONISM AND ETHNIC SALVATION
by G. Richard Fisher



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The Inclusive Gospel



Commentary by Roger Oakland
http://www.understandthetimes.org/

Eddie Gibbs and Ryan K. Bolger have co-authored Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures. This book is published by Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group. A claim posted at the top of the back cover states: “The Best Book Yet on the Emerging Church”. [1]

An endorsement for the book by Brian McLaren agrees with this assessment. McLaren states:

If you want to be truly conversant with emerging churches, this is the book to read… It recognizes the essential theological emphases of emerging churches, and it is based on actual conversations with over 50 people. [2]

Gibbs is Professor of Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of several books. Bolger is academic director of arts in global leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary. [3] The two authors have teamed up to provide an overview of the nine patterns or trends they see unfolding in the practices of the emerging churches. Their research took place over a period of almost five years. [4]

One of the trends the authors examine in detail is evangelism. Evangelism, they say, in the emerging church “involves sharing the deep experiences of life with those outside the faith”. [5] Emerging church leaders are not impressed by those who defend the Christian faith by promoting definitive answers to convince those who doubt the faith. [6]

In order to substantiate this trend, Gibbs and Bolger quote emerging church leader Pip Piper from Birmingham, UK, who states:

Evangelism or mission for me is no longer persuading people to believe what I believe, not matter how edgy or creative I get. It is more about shared experiences and encounters. It is about walking the journey of life and faith together, each distinct to his or her own tradition and culture but with the possibility of encountering God and truth from one another. [7]

Pip Piper’s definition of evangelization sets off a biblical alarm. Are not Christians instructed to give reasonable answers to non-believers why they have faith? If not, then why did Peter write:

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. [8]

What if someone who was “willing to walk the journey of life and faith” with someone who is committed to a faith that is in opposition to the Christian faith, lost their faith?

Wouldn’t this be evangelism in reverse? Where in the Bible are we instructed to join hands with pagans and consider their beliefs as a means of evangelism?

Apparently, Gibbs and Bolger believe the advantages of this style of evangelism outweigh the negatives. They write:

Christians can not truly evangelize unless they are prepared to be evangelized in the process. In sharing the good news, people are enriched by the spiritual insights, honest questions and depth of devotion demonstrated by those of other faiths. Including others involves listening to them, learning from them. Much of what exists in other faiths may not necessarily be hostile to the kingdom. Christians can learn a lot from other walks of life. [9]

I have searched the scriptures to find out if there is any precedent for this style of evangelism. The children of Israel were warned by the Old Testament prophets about joining hands with pagans, however, they ignored God’s warning. As Jeremiah proclaimed:

And the LORD said unto me, a conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers. Therefore thus saith the LORD, behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. [10]

In spite of such clear warnings from Scripture, Gibbs and Bolger provide a further example of what is believed to be successful emerging church evangelism by citing Spencer Burke, an emerging church leader from Newport Beach, California. Burke states:

However, the Christian tradition could hold to an inclusive model, not an exclusive one. We have a community hermeneutic. We read other sacred writings, then get back to the Scripture and decide together how to interpret what we have read from the literature that other religions hold sacred. [11]

The very thing that happened to the children of Israel is what is being repeated today, only this time in the name of Christianity. This pathway to deception is not only being repeated and ignored; it is being applauded by the promoters of the emerging church agenda. Gibbs and Bolger endorse Spencer Burke’s ideas by stating:

Burke’s community is prepared to learn from faith traditions outside the Christian fold. There is a Buddhist family in their church. As a community, the church visited a Buddhist temple. They participated in a guided meditation with this family. Burke celebrates the many ways God is revealed. He recognizes that the Spirit has been with these people all along. The community celebrates other traditions. They reach out to other traditions, and see them as beloved children of God. With a focus on kingdom rather than on church, people find that their relationship with other faiths changes. [12]

It should be apparent what is occurring as the emerging church evangelization program unfolds. Walls that once separated biblical Christianity from pagan religious belief systems are being demolished. Instead of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ that saves sinners from hell, the gospel has been redefined and totally nullified. The narrow pathway that Jesus proclaimed leads to heaven through faith in Him alone now has been broadened to permit open access for the sake of establishing the “kingdom”. [13]

Worse yet, the command by Jesus that we are to be “His witnesses” has been reinterpreted to mean the very opposite of what Jesus proclaimed. As Karen Ward has stated (from the Church of the Apostles, Seattle, Washington):

We do not do evangelism or have a mission. The Holy Spirit is the evangelist, and the mission belongs to God. What we do is simply live our lives publicly as a community in the way of Jesus Christ, and when people inquire why we live this way, we share with them the account of the hope within us. We are to love one another, and that creates its own attraction. Taking care of the sick and the needy - creates all the evangelism we need. [14]

The new evangelization program being promoted by the emerging church, while it may be in the name of Christ, is antichrist. A formula has been established to provide a bridge that has the potential to unite all religious beliefs in the name of Christ, by circumventing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the future we will see all faiths join together based on a common mystical experience accompanied by “lying signs and wonders”. The apostasy the Bible warned would be apparent in the Last Days is now fully underway. Only those who hold firm to God’s Word will be protected and delivered. This remnant of faithful believers will be viewed as old-fashioned narrow-minded holdouts who are a hindrance to the establishment of the “kingdom.” As Paul wrote to Timothy, in the Last Days:

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. [15]


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Eddie Gibbs and Ryan K. Bolger, Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, MI, second printing, December 2005

[2] Ibid. back cover

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid. p. 9

[5] Ibid. p. 130

[6] Ibid. p. 126

[7] Ibid. p. 131

[8] 1 Peter 3: 15

[9] Gibbs, Bolger, p. 131

[10] Jeremiah 11: 9-11

[11] Ibid. p. 132

[12] Ibid.

[13] Matthew 7: 13-14

[14] Gibs and Bolger, p. 135

[15] 2 Timothy 3: 12-13


Source: http://www.understandthetimes.org/commentary/c66.shtml

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They are the enemies of the cross of Christ


2Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

3For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

17Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

18(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

19Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Philippians 3:2,3;17-19.

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Sunday, August 01, 2010

The Everlasting Gospel


6And 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,

7Saying with a loud voice,
Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

8And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

9And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice,
If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

11And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name
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12Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.


Revelation 14:6-12.

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Saturday, July 31, 2010

Abraham Lincoln on the Jesuits

On June 8th 1864, President Lincoln told Charles Chiniquy his views on the Jesuits & their involvement in the Civil War: (As Recorded in Father Charles Chiniquy who was a Roman Catholic priest for 25yrs. in his book, "FIFTY YEARS IN THE CHURCH OF ROME." 1886 edition p.699-700)

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Anglican Panel Rejects Proposal to Cut Episcopal Church


WorldTue, Jul. 27 2010 10:49 AM EDT


By Lillian KwonChristian Post Reporter


A 15-member committee that includes the Archbishop of Canterbury recently rejected a proposal that The Episcopal Church be separated from the rest of the global Anglican Communion.

During closed sessions on Saturday, members of the Standing Committee acknowledged the anxieties felt in parts of the global body about sexuality issues but agreed that separation would inhibit dialogue on the issue and would therefore be unhelpful, according to the church body's news service.

The proposal was brought by Dato' Stanley Isaacs from the Province of South East Asia. It came months after The Episcopal Church – the U.S. body of Anglicanism – ordained its second openly homosexual bishop. The Rev. Mary Glasspool, a partnered lesbian, was consecrated as bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles in May.

The move was seen as another act of defiance of Scripture and the 77 million-member communion. Anglican leaders had agreed to a moratorium on the consecration of bishops living in same-sex relationships a number of times since 2004. The Episcopal Church consecrated its first openly gay bishop in 2003.

While rejecting the proposal, Standing Committee members agreed to defer further discussion on the matter until progress on a listening project had been considered. Currently, Anglicans worldwide are participating in "The Continuing Indaba and Mutual Listening Project," which is intended to open the ears of Anglicans to the experiences of homosexual persons.

During the five-day Standing Committee meeting, which concluded Tuesday, in London, the Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, acknowledged that the credibility of some of the executive structures was being openly questioned and that criticisms were being directed at the committee itself.

Earlier this year, a number of conservative Anglican leaders resigned from the Standing Committee after expressing their discontentment. Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda wrote in a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury that he disapproved of the participation of leaders from The Episcopal Church in the committee, noting that they are "the very ones who have pushed the Anglican Communion into this sustained crisis."

He also opposed the "enhanced responsibility" of the Standing Committee and the "diminished responsibility" of the primates – the chief bishops of the Anglican Communion's 38 provinces. Only five primates are represented in the committee. Bishop Mouneer Anis of the Middle East had resigned in February saying his presence had no value and that his voice was "like a useless cry in the wilderness."

The Standing Committee meets at least once a year and oversees day-to-day operations of the Anglican Communion Office.
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Southeastern Iran struck by magnitude 5.8 quake


August 1, 2010


Tehran Times Social Desk


TEHRAN – An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale struck the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman on Saturday.

The epicenter of the earthquake was the town of Negar. The quake happened at 11:22 a.m. local time, the Tehran Seismological Center said.

There have been no reports of casualties but many homes have been damaged.

Rescue teams have been dispatched to the stricken region from the neighboring cities, an official from Kerman’s Red Crescent said.

20 percent of buildings have sustained 15 to 40 percent damages, the local official added.

“Due to the town’s ancient structure, today’s earthquake damaged about 700 houses,” Ali Reza Kazemi, the mayor of Negar, told the IRNA news agency.

Saturday’s earthquake comes only a day after a 5.7-magnitude quake hit the northeast city of Torbat-e Heydariyeh at 6:20 p.m. local time injuring at least 270 people.

A powerful earthquake devastated the historic city of Bam in Kerman Province in 2003, killing about 27,000 people.

Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, with several major fault lines covering vast areas of the country.
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The Ecumenical Movement


The Ecumenical Movement has arrived. This movement was inspired by Satan to gather all of the world's religions together under the umbrella of the Pope and Roman Catholicism. Those who doubted the Book of Revelation have, once again, been proven wrong. Even some so-called Fundamental or Fundamentalist Baptists have decided to join in with this movement.

Perhaps you are wondering what this "Ecumenical Movement" is? The Apostle John was quite amazed when he saw a vision of the Great Whore in Chapter 17 of Revelation. John was told that this Whore was a city, the city of Seven Mountains. Those who know geography, quickly recognize that this is the city of Rome. Rome is where the Vatican is. Rome is the seat of the Great Whore of Revelation.

Many these days hope for change, and seek to join up with the Great Whore and commit spiritual fornication with this Great Roman Catholic Whore. In today's apostasy, it is often thought to be "cool" or "in" for preachers to fornicate with this woman of ill-repute. Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), Bill Gaither, and others are on the forefront of this Ecumenical Movement, leading the drum beat back to Rome.

Bapticatholics and Pseudo-fundamentalists like the late Jerry Falwell are also leading the way back to Rome. Billy Graham and his son Franklin Graham are strongly pushing for Christians to join in spiritual fornication with this Great Whore.

Even movies such as the anti-Semitic Mel Gibson's "The Passion of The Christ" are helping Satan to promote the Whore. Yes, it does seem like most of Christendom is moving back toward Rome. Do indeed "All Roads Lead to Rome"?

In Revelation, Jesus commanded Christians to "come out" from the Ecumenical Movement. If you are a Christian, then you must obey Jesus and the Bible and "come out" from the Great Roman Catholic Whore. To disobey and refuse to come out from her is to disobey a direct command of Christ Himself.

If you are lost and have fallen into the Ecumenical Movement Sin, then you need to repent from committing fornication with the Great Whore, and trust Jesus to save you from your sin. Jesus can save you from any sin. The blood of Jesus covers sin!

Resist Evil. Say no to such sin. Trust Jesus. Do it today. Then get into a good Fundamentalist Baptist church. Don't put it off. Get ready for Eternity. Live for Jesus. Jesus is coming back again very soon. Get ready! .

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P.S.
In opposition to the last statements in the above (otherwise Biblically-sound) article; I don't recommend joining any church that worships on Sunday!
Arsenio.
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