Which consequence is most likely as an account of the Star of Bethlehem counts on which year is granted as the year Jesus was born. Matthew wrote that Jesus was born during the time of Herod. According to Josephus, Herod passed away shortly after a lunar eclipse. This is ordinarily known as the eclipse of March 13, 4 BC. Coins released by Herod’s replacements record that they dated their reigns as beginning in 4 BC.
Corresponding to Matthew’s story, Jesus must have been born sometime between the beginning appearance of the Star of Bethlehem and the time the magi came in Herod’s court. As Herod prescribed the execution of boys age 2 and subordinate, the star must have caused its initial appearance within the previous two years. There was, however, no Roman census in 64 BC.
The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, is a star in Christian custom that purportedly unveiled the birth of Jesus to the magi (or “wise men”) and later led them to Bethlehem. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the magi were gentlemen “from the east” who were inspired by the appearance of the star to journey to Jerusalem in search of a king of the Jews. There they touched King Herod of Judea, who educated them that the child they sought was in Bethlehem, a nearby village. While the magi traveled to Bethlehem, the star came along again. Following the star, it arrived this time above the place where Jesus was born. The magi acquired Jesus with his mother, consecrated him homage, revered him and gave gifts. They then returned to their “own country”.
The episode is especially appreciated at planetarium shows during the Christmas holiday season, although the Biblical account suggests that the visit of the magi took place at least several months after Jesus was born.
Many Mexican and Latin Catholics are dismayed that the Cardinals picked a German Pope, Benedict XVI, over a Latin Pope. Latin and Mexican Catholics are some of the biggest supporters of the Catholic Church. Some Mexican, Latino and Hispanic Catholics are saying; “This just proves white men still run the world.” Many Mexicans who have proud Indian Aztec and Mayan Heritage whose civilization was destroyed by European Explorers and conquerors, which brought this religion with them are thinking twice about their loyalty to the Catholic Church.
One Mexican gentleman, ‘Jesus Gonzales’ we interviewed in Los Angeles came over the border recently looking for a job so he could send money back to his family in Mexico. He said he came with nothing and then joined the gang MS-13, because he can make more money to send home to his family. He sometimes worries about the risks of being in a gang, but his mom prays the Rosary for him to be safe. He says she is a strong Catholic, but he no longer wishes to go to church because the Catholic Church now has a German Pope and not a Latin Pope. He knows that when he sends money back to his mom that at least 10% goes to the church maybe more. He wishes she would not give the money to the church, but knows that his family has been strong Catholics for at least 100 years. “Besides, she does pray for me, so I do not get into any trouble with the law or hurt, I know she appreciates the money I send back to Mexico” he said.
Jesus also said; “The new Pope looks old, so maybe he will not live that long and then we can get a real Latino Pope.” He also said he is happy to live in America and can earn two to three thousand dollars per week with the gang instead of working in the fields stating; “there is a lot of work in Los Angeles to do,” but he is thinking on moving to another big city soon and moving up in the group, but first he must prove himself in the gang as well as his loyalty and toughness. He thinks eventually he may get back with the church when a new Latin Pope is appointed otherwise he and his friends are not going to go back.
Jesus said he likes the old Pope; “He seemed like a nice guy, but he was always slobbering and you could not tell what he was saying anyway.” My mother cried when she found out he died, she said he was one of the best Popes to ever live. “I do not know why my mother still goes to church now, but I am glad she prays for me, I think it helps” he says.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out. Proverbs 20: 5. It has been said that to be careful what you ask for you just might get it. The Bible says; ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7. What a blessing to know that whatever you ask for you will receive it as long as it is in line with the word of Jesus Christ. Did you know that we have powerful tools we can use which is our speech, and minds. The Bible tells us over and over again that if we ask for anything in Jesus name we shall receive it.
Lets look at James 3:4 it says Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are drive by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. It says at Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 17:20 it says A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
It is also mention in 1Peter 3:10 For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Wow!!! Is that wonderful or what to know that Jesus listens to your prayers. Now look at Mark 11:24 it says Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that you Father in heaven may for give you your sins.
Do you remember the fig tree? You can read it at Matthew 21: 18, but look at Matthew 21:21 Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea; and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. Now look At Ephesians 3:20 it says Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
We all need to know; By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not make out of what is visible. Hebrews 11:3 Take a look at Matthew 12:36 it says But I tell you that men will have to give account of the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. At Proverbs 28:23 it says He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue. So please build up a strong faith in Jesus Christ, and keep praying and asking in Jesus name.
Love Always,
Your Sister in Jesus Christ
Mellody Davis
Shrouded in mystery, fable and legend, nevertheless the Bible recorded the birth of Jesus Christ and follows His life up to about 12 years old.
To this day Jewish male children undergo Bar Mitzvah at the age of 13. This was not recorded by the Evangelists. Indeed, the life of Jesus is not considered again till the age of 30.
To accept that Jesus was just at home with His family is a plausible explanation, but not in keeping with the Gospels that say at the age of 12, Jesus was at the Temple, and the people marveled to hear Him.
Certainly, after His Bar Mitzvah, He would have been technically a “man” and no longer a boy, and would naturally continue to marvel the people. It would have been His right to speak in the Temple. There is no such record.
There is much speculation, but a lot of recorded incidents and connections. One very important one is Joseph (Saint) of Arimathea. Certain he was a rich man, and certainly he was able to speak (in Greek and /or Latin) to the Roman governor at a very sensitive moment, so he was certainly influential.
He gave his own tomb for the burial of Jesus, and paid for all the necessary burial formalities. There is no question he was close to Jesus, and as a member of the Sanhedrin, would have defended him in that assembly. There were more connections, and many very plausible.
Joseph of Arimathea was certainly wealthy, but how did he amass his wealth? Arimathea, is not a town or district at all, but a Greek compound word meaning Harima Theo (by the Grace of God).
He most likely came from Ramle or another town. He was said to be in the trade of metals; tin precisely. This would have theoretically put him in contact with England, where tin was mined and sent throughout the Roman Empire.
More speculation has Joseph related to Jesus directly. It is been written by early Church fathers that Joseph was the uncle of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Certainly the Gospel has them familiar as when Joseph was burying Jesus in his tomb, he was accompanied by Mary (the mother of Jesus), and Mary Magdalena.
Jesus Himself was familiar with Alexandria in Egypt (where He grew up) and as a major center of learning (the Library was there), Jesus would have also spoken Egyptian.
Since where there is so much smoke there must be fire, the story of the young Jesus being accompanied by Joseph, his uncle, on a journey to England is certainly possible.
The legend records the journey home, but with a diversion to Greece, and then into Asia Minor. There it is said that Jesus and Joseph departed, with Jesus joining another wealthy traveler with his son.
At the time, there were Buddhist missionaries all over Asia Minor, and indeed as far as Rome and Egypt. It is plausible Jesus had encountered one or more, and thus found His interest and way to India.
There are many records from early travelers to India having been shown or heard about Jesus’ time there.
The famous James Churchward in his major work Mu the Lost Continent describes such an encounter. There have been many others including Notovitch in 1888.
Aside from the fantastic speculation, many of the diversions from classic Judaism appear to be oriental in nature, and very specifically Vedic in nature.
Where the Jews were waiting for a Messiah, the Hindus have their belief in Avatars which are human incarnations of God.
So the missing years perhaps saw a journey from the Holy Land to Egypt, to England, passing central Europe into Greece, Asia Minor, and the Hindu Kush all the way to the Himalayas.
There, Jesus would have found the perfect environment to slowly become the world Avatar that He has indeed become.
There is no Hindu which does not accept Him as a divine incarnation.
Here is William Blake’s poem Jerusalem which alludes to such a visit…
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of Desire;
Bring me my Spear; O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of Fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant Land.
There have been many theories on Jesus the missing years and we hope you find our view thought provoking.
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The Daily Express (29/10/05) carried the headline ‘Maniac plots World War 3′ in its report on the threat of Iranian President Ahmadinejad to ‘wipe Israel off the map.’ A bit of hype to sell the newspaper or a real possibility?
Ahmadinejad’s victory in the recent Iranian election was organised by Ayatollah Yazdi, the most radical hardliner of the Islamic republic. Yazdi has praised Ahmadinejad’s administration as the ‘first Islamic administration in the history of the Islamic Republic.’ He controls Ansar Hizbullah, a militant organisation which is threatening the global deployment of suicide commandos and 50,000 fighters who have already been recruited. Leading these fighters, Mohammadresa Jafari has said, ‘The enemy is afraid that the culture of martyrdom will become a world culture of all who love freedom.’
Even those who supported the original Islamic revolution of Ayatollah Khomeini are now in despair at the direction Ahmadinejad is taking the country. Mohamed Abtahi was one time Vice President of Iran but has now resigned from office, warning that radical Islamist hardliners have recaptured all the control centres of power in Iran. ‘What lies ahead for us and for you is the long night of darkness,’ he warns. ‘These people will play the nuclear card just the same as the card of global terror.’
As Iran threatens to resume all activities relating to the enrichment of uranium, essential for building a nuclear bomb, this becomes a threat not just to Israel but to the whole world. Despite the fact that the Iranian regime follows Shiite Islam and al Qaeda is backed by Sunni Muslims, it is known that leading members of al Qaeda have found refuge in Iran which has been providing support, military training and equipment to the terrorists for years. The fact that Sunni jihadis and Shiites hate one another is no reason not to cooperate. They have a common enemy. The nightmare scenario is that Iran delivers to al Qaeda what the terrorists most desire - chemical and biological weapons for their holy war against the west.
Ahmadinejad made clear his global intentions just after his triumphant election victory. ‘We did not carry out the Islamist revolution in order to introduce democracy. Our revolution seeks to achieve worldwide power. The new Islamic revolution will cut out the roots of injustice throughout the world. The era of the godless regime, tyranny and injustice has come to an end. The wave of the Islamist revolution will soon reach the entire world.’ Ahmadinejad believes that the world is heading for a clash of civilisations in which Islam is the only credible alternative to Western domination. And he is convinced that Islam can and will win.
There is nothing more dangerous in the world than a religious fanatic who seeks to impose his idea of justice by force. Part of Ahmadinejad’s conviction comes from his belief in the second coming of the 12th Imam. According to the Shiite version of Islam the 12th descendant of Mohammed, known as the 12th Imam or the Mahdi, went into hiding in 941, some 1300 years ago. Shiites believe he will reappear when the world has become full of oppression and tyranny. They believe that he is hidden in the Jamkaran well in Iran, which is a place of pilgrimage for believers who drop their requests for help into the well in the hope that the Imam will read them and come to their aid.
Ahmadinejad has said ‘Our revolution’s main mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the 12th Imam, the Mahdi. We should define our economic, cultural and political policies on the policy of the Imam Mahdi’s return.’ His government held a formal cabinet meeting in which it was agreed to sign an agreement with the 12th Imam, the same way they signed a pact with the new president. The ministers then questioned how the hidden Imam would sign the agreement! The answer was to drop the agreement into the well at Jamkaran!
A large number of Ahmadinejad’s close allies are talking about preparing the ground for the hidden Imam’s imminent manifestation and seriously and explicitly relate it to Iran’s nuclear programme. They believe that resisting the international pressures and insisting on Iran’s right to have nuclear capabilities will help the manifestation of the Imam. Since they believe that the Imam will appear in a world that is full of oppression and tyranny they argue that they ought to help spread evil, tyranny and oppression in order to facilitate the coming of the 12th Imam. How do you deal with a government like that?
Both George Bush and Tony Blair have made statements indicating that they have not ruled out using force against Iran. Israel has never stood by when an enemy rises up threatening them with destruction. In 1981 the Israeli air force destroyed Saddam Hussein’s nuclear reactor at Osirak, putting an end to Iraq’s nuclear programme. The Iranians have stated that they will ‘open the gates of hell’ if they are attacked from outside. They could unleash terror attacks around the world, attack tankers in the Gulf and in the worst case close down the Straits of Hormuz through which 40% of the world’s oil flows out of the Persian Gulf. In this case such action would start a global recession which could make what happened after the Yom Kippur War in 1973 look like a picnic. In fact it could lead to World War 3.
The Iranian situation is beginning to look like a cocktail of all the elements of end time prophecy coming together. A belief in the reappearance of a false prophet is kindling the fire of a violent hatred of the west and of Israel. All this is happening in a country which is gaining nuclear power through help from Russia and is in possession of huge deposits of oil giving it great potential wealth.
The Bible indicates that the end time scenario will involve the nations of the world being drawn into the Middle East. In Isaiah 13 there is a prophecy about Babylon (Iraq / Persian Gulf area) which has an end time application with reference to the ‘Day of the Lord’ when the stars, sun and moon will not give their light and the Lord will punish the world for its evil (verses 10-11). In this prophecy it speaks of an army being gathered for battle ‘from a far country’. In the book of Jeremiah we also read that ‘a great nation and many kings shall be raised up from the ends of the earth’ to do battle against Babylon (Jeremiah 50.41-2).
Ezekiel 38-39 speaks of the War of Gog and Magog as a great nation to the uttermost north of Israel (Russia) is joined by allies including Persia (Iran) in an invasion of the land of Israel which results in the Lord intervening directly to save Israel and bring judgement on those nations which come against Israel in the last days. It is interesting that Russia is responsible for supplying Iran with the nuclear technology which is the main reason for Iran becoming such a threat to the whole world.
Jeremiah 25.32 speaks of a time when ‘Disaster shall go forth from nation to nation and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.’ In the attempt to stave off disaster the nations are looking for some way of regulating the world economy and preventing war. As the threats to the security of nations are all international in their nature, there is certainly a human logic to the idea of creating a global structure to deal with these threats. A number of end time prophecies indicate a coming together of the nations in some kind of world government.
The best hope of delaying the end time catastrophe is the overthrow of the regime of Ahmadinejad, not through intervention from the West or Israel but from within. In fact this is not impossible as even the mullahs who support the concept of the Islamic regime are becoming alarmed by his extremism. There are also a huge number of Iranian people who want to see an end to the mullahs’ regime altogether and a more open liberal government in power. Disillusion with Islam is creating openness to Christianity. Amongst Iranians in exile from the regime there is a growing movement to accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord. We should pray for Iran, remembering that in the Bible Persian kings were not all hostile to God’s purposes. Cyrus, ancient Persia’s greatest King, is called ‘His anointed’ by the Lord in Isaiah 45.1 and gave the edict for Israel to return from captivity and rebuild the Temple in Ezra 1.
Tony Pearce began Light for the Last Days in 1988 when he was working as a school teacher in north London and wrote a few articles about Bible prophecy which he circulated to his friends. It has now become a regular magazine appearing four times a year and distributed world wide. The website www.lightforthelastdays.co.uk contains past and present articles from the magazine.
RESPONSE TO PAULINE CHRISTIANITY: - The whole of Christendom is not Popery or Romanized but the Pauline influence is arguably the strongest doctrine in the whole of philosophy and theology. ‘The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity’ by Hyam Maccoby say these things on the back cover:
“Defying the accepted view of Jesus as creator of Christianity, Hyam Maccoby, a leading Talmudic scholar, offers a brilliantly argued, boldly provocative challenge to traditional theories about the origin of the Christian religion and leads us to a startling unorthodox conclusion. Maccoby claims that Paul rather than Jesus was the theoretician and architect of that amazing hybrid of Hellenism and Judaism we know today as Christianity, and that it was Paul alone who created a new religion through his vision of Jesus as a divine Savior who died to save humanity. This concept went far beyond the messianic claims of Jesus and, in fact, was an amalgamation of ideas derived from Hellenic religion, especially from Gnosticism and the mystery cults… Bold and scholastically scrupulous. (pg. xi) In my earlier book on Jesus, Revolution in Judaea, I showed how, in the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus speaks and acts a Pharisee, though the Gospel editors have attempted to conceal this by representing him as opposing Pharisaism… In the present book I have used rabbinical evidence to establish an opposite contention: that Paul, whom the New Testament wishes to portray as having been a trained Pharisee, never was one (pgs.4&5).
This explains the puzzling and ambiguous role given in the Gospels to the companions of Jesus, the twelve disciples. They are shadowy figures, who are allowed little personality, except of a schematic kind. They are portrayed as stupid; they never quite understand what Jesus is up to. Their importance in the origins of Christianity is played down in a remarkable way. For example, we find immediately after Jesus’ death that the leader of the Jerusalem Church is Jesus’ brother James. Yet in the Gospels, this James does not appear at all as having anything to do with Jesus’ mission and story. Instead, he is given a brief mention as one of the brothers of Jesus who allegedly ‘opposed’ Jesus during his lifetime and regarded him as mad. How it came about that a brother who had been hostile to Jesus in his lifetime suddenly became the revered leader of the Church immediately after Jesus’ death is not explained, though one would have thought that some explanation was called for. Later Church legends, of course, filled the gap with stories of the miraculous conversion of James after the death of Jesus and his development into a saint. But the most likely explanation is, as will be argued later, that the erasure of Jesus’ brother James (and his other brothers) from any significant role in the Gospel story is part of the denigration of the early leaders who had been in close contact with Jesus and regarded with great suspicion and dismay the Christological theories of the upstart Paul, flaunting his new visions in interpretation of the Jesus whom he had never met in the flesh.” (1)
So Paul and his Temple inbred idiots who inherited or sold out in order to get their positions are the creators of a history that is entirely opposite to what Jesus wanted for humanity. The Pharisaic and Mishnah saying that covers this perspective is a little less delicate:
… “A learned bastard takes precedence over an ignorant High Priest.” (2)
Paul’s own words tell us in Romans 11:2: ‘I am an Israelite myself, of the stock of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin,’,’ circumcised on my eighth day, Israelite by race, of the tribe of Benjamin, A Hebrew, born and bred; in my attitude to the law, A Pharisee (Philippians 3:5).’
Nothing in his early life actions would tell us that he was a Pharisee who supported the underprivileged (Or even in later life if one reads his thoughts about women) in laws and all societal structures throughout the Roman and Parthian Empire. A detailed and honest investigation can easily see the Pharisees have been ridiculed and given all kinds of negative publicity in the Gospels and from the evangelical pulpits of this very day. What better way to destroy someone, than to have your ‘front man’ write their dogma? This is classic espionage and ‘black ops’ intrigue! Mr. Maccoby gives us these further comments on the matter and we could have chosen many other scholars to say these things.
“Instead of the priests, the Pharisees looked for guidance to their own leaders, the ‘hakhamin’ (sages), who were not a hereditary class but came from every level of society including the poorest… The other verse quoted by Jesus from Leviticus, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ was also regarded by the Pharisees as of central importance, and was treated by the two greatest figures of Pharisaism, Hillel and Rabbi Akiba…
Jesus’ threat to the Temple was not subversive of the High Priest… rather it was the Jews who were framed by the Gospels, whose concern was to shift the blame for the crucifixion from the Romans to the Jews and their religion.” (3)
“When in the name of God {Nations or academia}, people hold black and white beliefs that cut them off from other human beings; when in the name of God, they give up their own sense of right and wrong; when in the name of God, they suffer financial deprivation; then they are suffering from religious addiction. When, in the name of God, people are made to feel unhealthy fear, false guilt, toxic shame, and destructive anger; when in the name of God, they have been emotionally, physically, or sexually abused; when in the name of God, they have judged themselves and others as inherently worth- less; then they have been subject to religious abuse… At that point, Father Leo Booth says, ‘God has become a drug. My name is Leo. I’m an alcoholic and religious abuser. I’m a recovering priest.’ {He was a Catholic who taught that non-Catholics receiving no catechism went to Hell.}
…Moses was told by God that his name was ‘I am who I am.’ Every child is born with a sense of ‘I am who I am’. The job of the family and the church is to orchestrate life so that the sense of ‘I AM’ can grow and expand. Chapter 5 painfully outlines how children raised by religious addicts have their ‘I AM’-ness ripped apart - how their sense of wholeness is split. This is a far cry from religion’s promise of at-one-ment.” (4)
PEACE: - Let us give credit to John Lennon and the ‘hippies’ who were strong enough to say NO! Their collective energy and thought or prayer has been useful in ending organized war among superpowers, now we need to extend a hand to those who are suffering within nations under the strong arm and insanity of national despots protected by international sovereign rights.
Author of Diverse Druids
Columnist for The ES Press Magazine
World-Mysteries.com guest ‘expert’
American Preachers Are At The Forefront Of The Travesties Committed Against God.
We in America have been very fortunate in the many privileges and freedoms that we enjoy. We have more freedoms and opportunities to pursue our dreams and goals than any other population of people on earth. Our country was founded upon freedom; with one of the main objectives being: to be able to publicly practice any type of religion that we so choosebe it Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Gnosticism, or any other. We have truly been blessed of God thus far.
Unfortunately, many people have swayed from the moral and ethical guidelines that these freedoms were based upon, and are now pursuing personal desires rather than the desires of God. We are now transgressing very heavily against God in our conduct and in the abomination of redefining God’s Word, abandoning His Law, and replacing It with secular opinions.
This misrepresentation of God’s Word by America’s Christian leaders, coupled with their intolerance for other forms of religious worship, represents the main travesties committed against God. Instead of showing people the true ways to God, they are hindering the seekers of God, while they, themselves, are headed down a path that leads to Hell. Pride and greed are the main tendencies guiding many of America’s preachers, as they emulate each other, while seeking personal gain in the world.
Ninety five percent of the world’s Christian preachers live in America, or are influenced by American preachers. Most practice: promising worldly prosperity to the seekers of Godin direct opposition to the true teachings of God. Man cannot serve God and the world. God wants us to seek His ways and His Law, and to live our lives in total Faith in Him, not relying on things of this world to sustain or to deliver us.
These false prophets shall seemingly prosper only for a short time, before God’s Wrath will deal treacherously with them and with their lands. The Judgments that will befall America (referred to in the Scriptures as: ‘Babylon’ and ‘Babylon the great’), due to the mass transgressions of God’s Law by our leaders and people, will be so catastrophic that the world will be grieved and astonished.
These Biblical Scriptures depict the Transgressions of America’s Preachers:
“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” - Matt. 23:13.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” - Matt. 23:14.
“Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” - Mark 7:7.
“And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” - Mark 7:9.
“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” - IJohn 3:4.
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,” - Rom. 1:22.
“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” - Rom. 1:23.
“Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” - Rom. 1:25.
These Biblical Scriptures depict God’s Judgment on America:
“Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;” - Jer. 51:1.
“The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.” - Jer. 51:42.
“We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces: for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the Lord’s house.” - Jer. 51:51.
“Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan.” - Jer. 51:52.
“O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.” - Jer. 51:13.
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.” - Amos 9:8.
“For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, 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.” - Rev. 18:3.
“For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” - Rev. 18:5.
“And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:” - Rev. 18:11.
The graven images and idols referred to in the Scriptures are the symbols of: the Crucifix, the Cross, and of peopleall artifacts found in Christian churches. God’s Word tells us that no images should be used in, or be the subject of any worship directed to God. God’s religion is not Christianity, nor is it any other manmade religionit is a total commitment to one God onlyno sharing with partners or images.
We true followers of Godthose who worship only one God, and who do not follow the world’s ways can be assured of salvation and deliverance when that treacherous Day of the Lord brings Judgment upon America, and the world.
More is revealed on this subject of: False worshiping, as well as on the subjects of: God’s Knowledge, Creation, and Judgments, in the Guide Book: ONE GOD ONE WORD: The TRUTH About The KNOWLEDGE and WORSHIP of GOD. Visit: http://OneGodOneWord.com/ for additional information.
Clarence G. Wilson was called of God over twenty-five years ago, by the Grace of God, to be a servant of God. God has chosen to use Clarence in the service of propagating the true Word of God amidst all of the falseness that is so prevalent in America and in the world today. Clarence’s upbringing, which exposed him to the true Faith of God, and his life circumstances have played a major role in his God given mission. Through the Spirit of God, Clarence has been shown the Truth about serving God. The faith in, and love of God that Clarence learned in his early childhood, now help him to endure life’s ever changing circumstances, while giving God all the praise for bringing him through all of life’s situations. His life’s assignment and mission is to reveal this Truth to all of those souls who desire the Knowledge and the fulfillment of pleasing God in this life, which translates into Eternal Life for those sincere souls, when this life is over.
In determining why Christianity seems to have done so much harm in society (the crusades, the inquisition etc), one has to distinguish between people who have a relationship with Christ, and the institution which calls itself Christian. An institution can never be Christian.
Suffering comes about mostly because of the gift God gave us, “free will”, which is the gift that allows us to choose whether to love, or hate, which if the latter is chosen could cause much suffering. Without free will, however, we could not really love voluntarily. And without voluntary love, you just become a robot who cannot possibly love. Also with free will, God chooses to limit Himself as to His power as well as to His foreknowledge of an individual’s future, although He does know the over-all beneficial future of society. As I say, most suffering is caused by our use of free will, but some suffering is also caused by creation limitations, and spiritual warfare (because you can’t see this really taking place, doesn’t mean it’s actually not taking place). But this free will is also somewhat limited for the individual in that one’s free will is greatly influenced by generation after generation of free will decisions made by their ancestors. And from looking at the world around us, one can see that many of these decisions went in the wrong direction.
But then how do you know that there really is a God overseeing all this? It’s in the creation. It’s illogical to assume that chance really created rationality, so since we were actually created with a desire for meaningfulness, which is a part of rationality and a creator is always greater than his creation, our creator must be greater in personhood (a God) than we are. And our physical smallness compared to what’s out there in the universe should be no criteria for our importance to God. After all, we do have rationality. Another arguement for God’s existence is that we being imperfect as we all know, but continually striving for perfection, must have developed this idea of perfection from someplace, and the most logical place that we developed this from seems to be from a higher power (a God, for instance). And finally, can you imagine a planet spinning around the universe in perfect unison allowing human life to evolve as it has for as long as it has without completely breaking up with all its earthquakes and volcanoes taking place without a God being in control.
So if there is a God, why doesn’t He seem to answer prayer? This is a difficult question to answer, but it’s probably due to the consequences of sin and spiritual warfare taking place around us, although in our prayers one can experience God being with us to comfort and heal us in any of the suffering we’re encountering. The basic function of prayer, however, is to build a faith relationship between God and ourselves, and petitionary prayer is only a small part of this faith relationship. But with petitionary prayer being the crux of the problem as to whether prayer works or not, you can never scientifically prove that petitionary prayer really works, because there are so many interconnected variables to look at in God’s scheme of things. Sometimes prayer seems to work, and sometimes it doesn’t, but here you have to realize our loving God has a much broader perspective as to what is really needed for society’s betterment, than we do while we’re here on earth. And as I said above, you also have to take into account the consequences of sin, and spiritual warfare
ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
Who is Jesus Christ? According to Christians, Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is also our Savior in that He saved us from our sin by suffering and dying on the cross and being raised from the dead. He was God’s sacrifice for us. It was like perfection saving imperfection. But we actually have to believe in all this so that we can then become wrapped up in our belief, or Jesus Christ, just like a Christmas package, so that when God looks at us, all that He can see is His Son (perfection), or Himself as if He were looking into a mirror. Now how do we know all this? By reading the Gospels. But how do we know that the Gospels are really trustworthy. To go into this, you have to look at the Gospels, not as the literal Word of God, but as historical documents. In doing this, you have to ask certain questions about these documents . 1) Do the documents portray eyewitness accounts. The Gospels do. 2) Do the documents contain irrelevant material not pertinent to the eyewitness accounts? Yes, they do. 3) Do the Gospels contain self-damaging material? Yes, they do. For example,the boldness of some of the women during this time period, and the statement Jesus made from the cross when He cried out” My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?” 4) Do all 4 Gospels have a consistency as well as a divergency in perspectives? Yes, they do. 5) Do the Gospels increase their legendary exaggeration? No, they don’t, even though they do have some supernatural events in them. 6) Is there any indication that the writers of the Gospels have an ulterior motive for writing them? No, there isn’t. In fact they could have faced persecution for writing them. 7) Can outside sources from that time authenticate the Gospels? Yes, they can and do. Do archeological findings substantiate many of the Biblical events related to us in the Gospels? Yes, they do. And 9) Were there many opponents of the Gospels at the time that could disprove the Gospels, but couldn’t? Yes, there were. These are all questions that should be asked to determine whether a document has historical merit or not. And if the answers are all in the affirmative, except for questions 5 and 6, then the document has historical authenticity. In this case from the answers given above, the Gospels appear to be authentic historical documents and can be used as historical evidence for the life of Jesus Christ. But there still seem to be many historical discrepencies within the Gospels. This actually can be explained away by realizing that the Gospels were never intended to be a biographical sketch of Jesus Christ, although there was much biographical material contained therein. The purpose of the Gospels was really to convey a message of salvation for the readers. In doing this, the discrepencies then become irrelevent. And finally the authorship and date that the Gospels were written are not essential elements to the credibility as to what the Gospels actually say, although from the Book of Acts it does seem to say that at least the first three Gospels were written before 60 AD, and that the authorship of Luke is almost a certainty, whereas the authorship of the other Gospels are closer to a certainty than not. But the bottom line is that there is enough historical authenticity in the Gospels to make them worth-while reading.
As I say, in general, the Gospels are historically reliable, but how about the resurrection? Here too, you have enough historical criteria to indicate that the resurrection actually took place. For instance, 1) There are 5 independent sources to indicate that the event took place (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul),with each giving individual eyewitness accounts of the occasion. 2) Jesus’s tomb was empty with His burial clothes neatly folded inside the tomb. This could have been easily checked out at the time by those opposed to the story. 3) The church’s sudden growth a few weeks after the resurrection. 4) The resurrection accounts also have many irrevelant material and some self-damaging material (such as the role of women in the event) that are common to early eyewitness based accounts. 5) There is a total lack of theological reflection in the narrative which is not true for most legendary accounts. 6) The conversion of Paul is unexplained without the resurrection. 7)Paul lists over 500 witnesses to the resurrection (1 Cor 15) who could always be cross-examined. The transformation of the Disciples which was a miracle considering their character before the resurrection. And 9) There is no motive for the authors to fabricate the story. They had nothing to gain, and everything to lose (their lives). Now does the resurrection prove that Jesus was also God Incarnate? No it doesn’t, but if you can take the Gospels as reliable historical documents, you find that Jesus does make such statements in them as, “I and the Father are one”, “If you see Me, you see the Father”, and “He who believes in Me, believes in the Father who sent Me”. This seems to show that Jesus really believed that He was God incarnate. And if the Gospels were fabricated, wouldn’t the story have ended differently before the crucifixion?
ABOUT THE BIBLE
What about the Bible? Can you believe all that you find in the Bible? But before this question is answered, you have to ask the question as to why God can’t be more obvious in what He really wants from us? The problem here is that even if He were, we probably would want to do our own thing anyway. There are several reasons for this. 1) The impression stupendous events have on us, such as miracles, are never permanent and fade away with time. 2) There are always other explanations available for anything you observe. 3) Divine things are never as clear in this world because of the spiritual warfare going on around us. And 4) God only wants a loving trusting relationship with us, and this requires a moral decision by us, not absolute proof which would require no moral decision having to be made whatsoever. Besides, nothing is ever absolute.
Now getting back to the Bible. It’s true that there are some unbelievable stories contained therein, but in a sense, you have to look at the Bible as a baby carriage carrying the baby, whereby the baby carrage can have many defects in it, while the baby cannot, although sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between the two. Also many of these so-called defects are really not defects at all, but a way of making a point allegorically that couldn’t be made more effectively in any other way. After all, the Bible is basically not an historical or scientific book, but a book to show us how we could be redeemed. Now if you consider the Lordship of Jesus as portrayed in the Gospels as authentic, you have to consider the Bible itself as being authentic, because Jesus uses so much of the Old Testament in His teachings In other words, the Gospels’ authenticity lends itself to the authenticity of the rest of the Bible. Besides the Bible seems to have a unity of purpose despite the diversity of its authorship, prophetic, and archaeological accuracy in many instances, and the Bible as a whole has given many people tremendous spiritual uplifts thoughout the centuries. Therefore if you consider the Gospels as being historically authentic, you also have to trust the Bible as a whole in being historically reliable as well. But why so much violence in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, whereby sometimes whole groups of people are killed under a loving God’s direction? One has to realize that one has to measure one kind of evil against another, especially if the particular evil you want to stamp out is going to interfere with God’s universal plan for redemption Besides, you still have the after-life to sort out what’s right or wrong.
But with one authoritative Bible, why do we have so many Christian denominations with different translations and interpretations of the Bible? There are basically 3 reasons for this. 1) Primarily because of the sinfulness of the church, in that, despite the fact that Jesus prayed for unity among His children (John 17), our pride and arrogance insisted on our divisiveness. It’s amazing that Jesus can still minister through this sinful church. 2) Some churches view the authority of the Bible in different ways, such as the Roman Catholic Church which views the Bible, Church Tradition and the Pope as equal in authority, and the Fundamentalists
who view the Bible simply as a Supreme Legal Document. And 3) some churches have honest differences of opinion on how to interpret different portions of Scripture, such as the role women should play in the church,, due to the fraility of our human understanding. But the central message in all these traditions is still the same in that Jesus Christ died for our sins and saved all of us who believe in Him. And although the Bible is the prime source for this central message, God can speak to us in many other ways as well.
Now, what happens to those who aren’t Christians? I’m not sure, but you should investigate and study the non-Christian’s philosophy of life and belief, and see how it compares with that of Christianity to perhaps find out. Most belief systems do have much good in them, but do they contain as much truth in regard to this as Christianity does? I don’t think so, because no other belief system provides an adequate solution in how to handle sin the way Chrisitnity does. So whatever belief system you do choose, this will guide you in how you might want to live the rest of your spiritual life. But you really have to study all the belief systems in order to discover what suits you best.
ABOUT CHRISTIAN LIFE AND DOCTRINE
Most belief systems feel that a Perfect God could accept imperfect or sinful human beings into His Heavenly Kingdom, because, after all, He is Perfect and He can accept anybody He desires.. And those He desires are those on balance who are better benefactors than sinners. But the question remains, “Can Perfection ever accept imperfection, or sinners, into His Heavenly Kingdom? If God does, wouldn’t the sinners pollute His Kingdom. just as dirty water would pollute pure water. Many believe they wouldn’t, but if they would, Christianity has a way around this. Christianity says that God came down to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, mingled with humanity for awhile teaching them about God, died on the cross absorbing our imperfections or sinfulness within Himself, and finally was resurrected as Perfection after only 3 days.. And those who believe in this Jesus Christ have placed around themselves this perfection so that when God sees us He only sees His son, Jesus Christ. In other words, it’s like our being wrapped up like a Christmas present, with the wrapping being our belief in Jesus Christ, so that when God looks at us, He only sees the wrapping or Perfection (Jesus Christ), and not our own sinfulness. It’s similar to God looking into a mirror at Himself. We still remain sinners, but God really doesn’t see this. But as we put more and more of this wrapping around ourselves, the wrapping begins to seap more and more into our hearts, and as this happens we begin to change and become much more loving and forgiving. But you have to believe in Jesus Christ for this to happen and for you to enter into His Heavenly Kingdom.
But what about those who don’t believe in Jesus Christ? Do they go to Hell as the Bible suggests? According to the Bible, Hell is described as a gruesome place, and nobody in their right mind would want to go there. And being such a gruesome place, it seems that only those who have committed the most horrendous sins should ever go there. This creates quite a dilema for the Christian belief, because we Christians believe that those who don’t believe in Jesus Christ go there, but we also believe that God is very fair and just, and that He wouldn’t just throw these non-believers into such a horrendous place as Hell if they’re basically good people. After all, they never committed such horrendous acts whereby they deserved such horrendous punishment. God must have provided another alternative for them. Perhaps a type of Purgatory for them after death. Or perhaps Jesus died for them on the cross also, even though they did not consciously know Him or were incapable of knowing him, such as infants retards, or mental incompetents but did God’s bidding anyway to the best of their ability. But to make sure that they’re accepted by God, we Christian should still continue to share our faith with others. Hell, as I see it, is really only for those who have commited horrendous acts, such as Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Sadam Hussein, unrepentent criminals or assassins, and the political suicide bombers . And God’s not really putting them there. They’re putting themselves there by their own free will of so much hate and cruelty. And at the end of time, according to the Book of Revelation, they will be totally destroyed by God.
I was born in New York City in 1931, grew up on Long Island, graduated from Roanoke College in Virginia with a BA Degree in Political Science, and from New York Theological Seminary with a Masters Degree in Religious Education. I became a committed Christian in 1958, and after a number of years became a committed Ecumenical Christian. After my conversion though, my greatest sin of sexual obsession was greatly relieved by my discovering that being active in a social nudist (both sexes) camp for 3 years would do this for me. This changed my life most dramatically. In the secular world, I worked as an accountant in various companies for about 25 years in New York City, then moved down to Argentina and worked for about 23 years as a Business English conversationalist teacher with some of the top managers. I also became a Stephen Minister (trained counselor) while down here. Married twice (the last to an Argentine) widowed once, no children, one cat. You can contact me via (corbinwr@yahoo.com).
For many students of the Bible who are sincerely struggling to establish some type of clear and relatively stable theological perspective, the concept of God as sovereign God is a very important doctrine that demands serious study. It is not sufficient to simply acknowledge that God is all-knowing, all powerful and omnipresent, but we must have some understanding of the nature and essence of God at a deeper level so that the significance of His sovereignty is known in a meaningful way.
From a very early age, I had always been taught that “God can do anything but fail.” I was told that God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, loving, just and so on; that nothing happens in life that was in contradiction to His will. And yet, the world was (and is) wrought with the terrible realities of injustice, persecution, and oppression. In my mind, I could not conceive of a God who permitted so much wrong to prevail in the world in which He was ruler. I often thought to myself, Was it God’s will that Blacks should be enslaved and accorded an inferior status in society? Was it God’s will that Hitler and his regime should torture and murder six million Jews? Was it God’s will that thousands of innocent children should be slaughtered or fall victim to crimes of all kinds and treated as objects rather than people? If God is just and in charge, then why are the innocent called upon to die or suffer so needlessly?
The book of Isaiah stands out in my mind as having been of tremendous help as I grappled with these and other questions. I read about how Assyria had become a threatening world power and had defeated Judah where Isaiah had lived and prophesied. How God acts in history became clearer to me as I understood the destruction of God’s people by a pagan nation. In the final analysis, Assyria unwittingly became the instrument of God’s purposes. Assyria seemed to be in control, but, in reality, was not. God was and God is.
Slowly, I began to comprehend the truth behind my cloud of questions. I began to see that history, past, present and future is indeed in God’s control and that He acts within the freedom of His own economy toward accomplishing His purposes. Therefore, I cannot say that God wills all that happens. But, what I can say is that whatever happens, God is Lord over it.
In events where men in their freedom defy God, forces like Nazism, slavery, and communism inevitably develop. Yet, even these forces are brought under God’s sovereignty. God is not defeated by a Hitler or Stalin, nation or country. On the contrary, God is able to make such use of them that in time His purposes rather than man’s are affected.
My personal perspective no longer takes into account the questions of the human condition as it relates to God’s justice. Rather, I see God’s justice as it relates to and in the midst of the human condition. I firmly rest in the knowledge and assurance that God is in final control.
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In the oxford dictionary and in the study of the creation of the oxford dictionary it is known that the word Hell is a Germanic word which was introduced into the English language well after the biblical stories and religious fictional works of Christ were created. The concept of Hell does not Pass the smell test and therefore anyone who does evil cannot go there because it does not exist; it is simply a scare tactic which uses fear to control people and it makes sense that the use of fear would be used in a religious context to manipulate the feelings and control religious followers.
So who thought of the word Hell? Hell, I don’t know? And no one living really knows, but we do know it came from a Germanic word and it has nothing to do with Jesus Christ or our heavenly Father or any of this other garbage purported by Past Period, Present Period or Future Period religions.
Consider if you will the idea of Hell and the implications. You would need to create such a place and keep it heated, which would cost a lot of energy and anyone who was evil certainly would not want to pay the bill.
So it makes sense that Hell would be cold not hot if there was a Hell in the first place. The concept of Hell does not Pass the smell test and whoever thought of it, obviously was not very intelligent to consider it all through. Think on this in 2006.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
Do archeological findings substantiate many of the Biblical events related to us in the Gospels? Yes, they do. And 9) Were there many opponents of the Gospels at the time that could disprove the Gospels, but couldn’t? Yes, there were. These are all questions that should be asked to determine whether a document has historical merit or not. And if the answers are all in the affirmative, except for questions 5 and 6, then the document has historical authenticity. In this case from the answers given above, the Gospels appear to be authentic historical documents and can be used as historical evidence for the life of Jesus Christ. But there still seem to be many historical discrepencies within the Gospels. This actually can be explained away by realizing that the Gospels were never intended to be a biographical sketch of Jesus Christ, although there was much biographical material contained therein. The purpose of the Gospels was really to convey a message of salvation for the readers. In doing this, the discrepencies then become irrelevent. And finally the authorship and date that the Gospels were written are not essential elements to the credibility as to what the Gospels actually say, although from the Book of Acts it does seem to say that at least the first three Gospels were written before 60 AD, and that the authorship of Luke is almost a certainty, whereas the authorship of the other Gospels are closer to a certainty than not. But the bottom line is that there is enough historical authenticity in the Gospels to make them worth-while reading.