Posts filed under ‘Religious – Christian – Prophecy’
The Many Faces of Anti-Semitism
What I cannot help but notice is that in some ways, the Church is going backwards. Years ago, around the 10th century A.D., the Catholic Church was the leader in the Crusades that were taking place. They believed (and still believe) that the Roman Catholic Church was God’s Church on planet earth. No other denominations or protestant churches would be considered.
Because of the Catholic belief (adopted through Augustine) that the Church replaced Israel (due to their rejection of the Messiah), it followed that the Church (as the Roman Catholic Church) took on the unfulfilled promises as well as authority that Israel possessed, but forfeited. Because of this authority, the Catholic Church saw (and sees) itself as Christ’s arm of judgment on the earth. This then produced many policies in which thousands were brutally tortured and/or killed for their defiance of the Catholic Church. This was only one of the factors which led to the Reformation.
However, during these Crusades, anti-Semitism ran amok. The Jewish people were blamed for “killing” Christ, even though the Romans played an equal part, making everyone – Jewish and Gentile – guilty of the offense. The Jewish people were hounded, told to give up Judaism, forced to “become” Christians and those who did not were summarily killed. Even Hitler believed in his twisted way that he was a Christian and because of that, had the power to do what the Catholic Church had done during the Crusades. This belief, affirmed by Darwinism, which came on the scene at that time, provided Hitler with the necessary fodder to forumulate his opinion that Jews were less than human. Apparently, Hitler never saw the discrepancy with stating he was a Christian, while fully involved in occult practices and anti-Semitism to boot!
So how does this tie in with what is being stated in this post? Simply this…because of the errant views of the Catholic Church, which wrongly believed that they had replaced Israel as God’s chosen “nation,” anti-Semitism became an accepted norm. Because of the power of the Papacy, as it was aligned with the state, it was difficult, if not impossible to stand against the church’s policies without danger of being executed for it. If the reader doubts this, all that is necessary is to read through a copy of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.
Because of the erroneous policies of the Catholic Church regarding their alleged position of authority, along with other intolerable and abominable doctrines such as indulgences, things eventually came to a head. Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Door and the Reformation had begun. Many like Luther put up a good struggle against the Catholic Church, in which it was hoped that they would modify their heretical doctrine of salvation by grace and works. The purchase of indulgences was one such aspect where it was taught that by placing money in the church’s coffers, a soul would fly free of purgatory.
Ultimately, the struggle continued long and hard, eventually necessitating people like Luther, Calvin and others to pull away from the Catholic Church. Other denominations sprung up, like Lutheranism. The main difference between Lutheranism and Catholicism (as well as other denominations that came into being during that time) was the disagreement over the doctrine of salvation. Catholicism essentially kept theirs and it should be noted that people are still encouraged within Catholicism to make a financial offering to the Catholic Church, creating less time for the penitent to remain in purgatory.
The one major thing that did not change after the Reformation was the Catholic Church’s view of Eschatology. It was still believed that the Church had replaced Israel and the Church now had the authority that Israel once had. That viewpoint has carried over to today, through Covenant Theology, Reformed Theology, Preterism and Replacement Theology. All of these viewpoints arrive at their conclusions because they allegorize Scripture. Rather than understanding the Bible in its most basic, plain sense, an allegorical interpretation is preferred; one which states that with the rejection of Jesus as Messiah, God finally decided to push Israel off the table, forever. His new favored “nation,” the Church, is what He deals with now and there will be no other entity.
Because of the continuation of this erroneous viewpoint, anti-Semitism is again on the rise. I personally, have spoken to Jewish believers who hate their own people; the Jews. While they want to evangelize them, they roundly condemn them for what is happening in the Middle East. To these folks, the Jews of Israel are the problem and as long as they remain in that area geographically, there will be no peace. This sound uncannily like many Arab leaders who have denounced the Jewish people for decades, however have come out with even stronger attacks in recent times.
I would agree with the individual who stated:
“In the Torah and the from Old Testament prophets, we are told of the Throne of David and we can read of the prophecies of Messiah who will rule the world from Jerusalem. There in lies the origin of anti-Semitism; it is the desire to block the future world rule of God through Judah, the Royal House of Israel, and the Throne of David.”1
This is really it in a nutshell. THE reason for the anti-Semitism that has been with us since the beginning of the nation has to do with the forthcoming reign of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ. Satan has pulled out all the stops to keep this from happening and even if he is not able to keep it from happening, he will still continue to fight against Jewish people because his hatred of them is so deep. Since Jesus – a Jewish man by birth – came from the tribe of Judah, from within Israel and it is this same Jesus who is not only Messiah to Israel, but Savior to Gentiles, is there a greater reason for Satan’s hatred? This was foretold by God way back in Genesis 3!
People believe that the Jewish people of today living in Israel are usurpers. They live where they do not belong. Since it is believed by many that the Church has replaced Israel, then they really have no right to be there! What needs to be asked is this: Would God allow any Christian to harbor hatred against any person or group of persons? The obvious answer is a resounding “no!” yet this is exactly what has been done and continues to be done against Israel today. The excuse is that Christian Zionists (those Christians who support Israel’s right to exist), harbor hatred against the Arab world. This is absolutely not the case. All people – Jewish and Gentile (including Arab) need salvation and that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ’s atonement on Calvary’s cross.
Anti-Semitism is Obvious: The difficulty though is that the amount of ire, vitriol and abject hatred for the Jewish people is what tells the story. Here are just a few quotes from top Arab officials and clerics who not only denounce Israel and Jewish people, but as you can easily see, have no love for them whatsoever:
“Israelis are apes and pigs” – Lebanese Cleric Fathi Yakan: Whoever Disputes Hizbullah’s Victory over the Descendents
of Apes and Pigs Has Mental AIDS (2006)
“I was dreaming a beautiful dream, which I hope will come true, and that we all agree upon it. I dreamt that we are the Arab Islamic States, not just Egypt, Lebanon, and Palestine. I was truly dreaming that we are the Arab Islamic States. Get a map of the Arab homeland, and erase the borders.
“Four conditions of the fatwa in order to kill an Israeli, one must make sure that he is a Jew, an Israeli, and that he is between 21 and 54 and if she is a woman, she must be between 21 and 34.” – Egyptian Cleric Safwat Higazi Explains His Fatwa, in 2006
Gholam-Ali Haddad ‘Adel: “The Muslims throughout the world say: Stop your support for Israel, or else don’t expect any kind of peace or reconciliation with the Islamic world.”
The real tragedy is that we are seeing and hearing this kind of thing more and more routinely and some of it is coming from the Church itself! We can be assured of the fact that not only will anti-Semitism grow as we move closer and closer to the time of the Tribulation, but it will become much more vitriolic and volatile. Sadly, it will also become much more acceptable.
Christians have no excuse. Israel has every right to protect itself from the onslaught of the terrorism she faces in many forms every day. If modern day Israel since 1948, is a fulfillment of Jeremiah 32:37-41, Ezekiel 20:34; 35:17-19; 36:33-35; 37:10-14; Isaiah 35:1-2; Micah 7:8-11; Amos 9:14-15 and many other Scriptural references, then anyone who stands against Israel is in effect standing against God Himself. That includes anyone who believes they are Christian.
There is nothing in Scripture which indicates that God is done with Israel. Quite the contrary. God has called Jewish people back into the land that He gave them. He will bring all of His plans for Israel to fruition, in His time and in His way. He will do this for the sake of His Name, because it is His Name that has been ridiculed by the nations because of Israel’s waywardness. But it is up to God to deal with Israel.
People who harbor anti-Semitism against the Jewish people had better realize what they are up against. They need to ask themselves why they hate Jewish people. There is NO good reason for hating anyone and certainly no good reason to hate a group of people because of their gender, race or culture. God will bring His plans to completion where Israel is concerned, regardless of who it is who attempts to stop Him. God is sovereign. He is fully sovereign and it is His sovereignty that will ultimately bring Him glory.
In the end, everyone will do God’s bidding. They will either do it voluntarily, or they will do it against their will, but they will bow to His authority, His sovereignty and in so doing, will bring Him the glory He so richly deserves.
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1 (from http://israelsmessiah.com/anti_semitism/spiritual_hatred.htm)
2012, Devils, Demons and Nephilim..oh my!
Cover of upcoming book
Lately, I have been reading a number of books that delve into the area of the Nephilim, found in the Bible in Genesis 6. What is interesting of course is that the Bible really does not say a whole lot about it. They are mentioned and since their presence occurs prior to the global Flood of which only Noah and his family along with all the animals were saved, it becomes clear that it was like due to their presence on the earth, that many became so evil. This level of evil required God to take drastic action. Everything had to go since there was nothing left untouched by the presence of the Nephilim, except Noah.
What I particularly find fascinating is the fact that even though God destroyed the earth, killing all human life, these same type of beings were found again in the book of Numbers, when the nation of Israel first approached the Land of Canaan. They were supposed to go in and conquer the land and God was also going to use Israel as His arm of judgment. Instead, out of the 12 spies that were sent into the land to scope it out, only two came back – Joshua and Caleb – with a report which indicated that they should go into the land to conquer it, because they believed that the Lord would surely give them the victory.
The other 10 spies basically stated that to go in and try to conquer the land would be a suicide mission. In the fact, the text states that the 10 spies said, “there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them,” (Numbers 13:33). So here again is the use of the word “Nephilim,” the same word that was used in Genesis 6. So the 10 spies saw the outward appearance of these giants, and in spite of what the Lord had continually done for Israel, and how He had overcome every obstacle for them, they could not see beyond the outward. Because of the report of the 10 spies, the people sided with the 10 spies and moaned, groaned and complained about it to Moses. In fact, in the next chapter – Numbers 14:10 – we see that the people were literally ready to kill Moses! It was only the Lord’s direct intervention that kept Moses alive.
Moving ahead a few thousand years to the life of Christ, we read His words as He explained to His disciples what it would be like in the end times, prior to His return. We find the text in the Olivet Discourse found in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. What is interesting here is how Jesus states that during the time prior to His return, the days will be very reminiscent of the days of Noah. Christ elaborates in Matthew 24:38-39 by stating, “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
So on one hand, Christ is saying that life will go on as normal for most. They will not see anything that makes them thing something strange is happening. But if we take our cue from Genesis 6, could it be possible that the time before Christ’s return will see a return of the Nephilim to the earth? If you talk to New Agers and Occultists, the testimony of “transmissions” they’ve received over the years points to this very fact. Interestingly enough, in a book I am just putting the finishing touches on titled Some of Satan’s Major Lies Seen as Truth, I discuss one aspect of church doctrine that has been denied for some time; the Rapture. Many within Christendom do not believe for one reason or another that the Rapture is going to occur. They do not see it taught in Scripture and because of that, they do not agree that it is an actual event.
Interestingly enough though, there are many within the New Age movement who have been taught this very doctrine, by aliens! Sounds bizarre? Of course it does, until you begin to see that these aliens may in fact be none other than demons and fallen angels masquerading as intelligent beings from other worlds. These beings who have the ear of many within the New Age movement, blatantly teach that one day in the not-too-distant future, a major evacuation of upwards of 20 million people will be taken from the earth in “the twinkling of an eye.” In fact, what they teach is very similar to what the Bible teaches and they use the verbiage from the Bible to drive their point home to these lost individuals who believe that “we are all god because god is in all and through all.”
The question then becomes, Why on earth would Satan waste time teaching LOST individuals a doctrine that is absolute fantasy?!” There can only be one reason; he knows it will occur. On one hand, he is teaching those who are lost that the event will happen, and at the same time, is getting the word out among many within Christendom that the event will not occur! He is playing both ends against the middle. If the event was not going to occur, there would be absolutely no good reason for teaching those within the New Age movement that it was going to occur. When it does occur, these folks will simply understand the reason for the event’s occurrence, which is that the 20 million people who have been taken, were evacuated because they are holding the planet and its citizens back from evolving to the next evolutionary and spiritual level! For those who may doubt this, do some research on the New Age movement and their teachings.
Satan knows his time is short and he has only one card left to play in the form of the Antichrist. He is setting the stage (with God’s permission) to mount a fullscale offensive against God the Son, as He returns at the end of the Tribulation/Great Tribulation. We know it will not succeed, but he has to try anyway.
These are some interesting times; moreso than possibly any other period of history, due to the proximity with the events of Matthew 24. Some things have already occurred and each day draws us closer to the end. Just as it was in the days of Noah, when he preached for 120 years that the end was coming, so is it today. Noah preached and people laughed. We preach and people laugh, saying “Where is the promise of His coming?” (cf. 2 Peter 3:4)
Psalm 2 informs us that God has the last laugh, but even then, He offers salvation to those who recognize their need for it. The time is short and even if the Tribulation/Great Tribulation is 1,000 years away from today, no one knows when their last day on this earth will be. It seems to me that it is too much to risk by putting off a decision that will make a difference in eternity.
Many within this world are currently looking to 2012 as the final countdown and last hurrah of present earth. They believe an end will come (though not the biblical end), and a new beginning with occur after that. The truth is that the end will come; the end of this age. Christ returns and sets up His kingdom from which He will rule for 1,000 years. Those who are His share that time and forever after that with Him. Those who are not, will not. It is very simple and very plain. Those who ignore the warnings are putting their very souls at risk. I pray that you will recognize your need for Him as Savior.
Covenant of Works
How many things seem to be occurring today that can easily be described as things which only take place during the End Times? Now I realize that of course not everyone believes in the End Times. Many think it’s all a bunch of nonsense, created by people who want nothing more than to either 1) make a fast buck feeding on people’s fears, or 2) feed on people’s fears.
However, some things simply cannot be ignored and for the astute individual who tends to notice things in society, it would appear that the world is in a bit of an upheaval. There are many opinions and searching hard enough will allow anyone to find an opinion with which they agree. The reality though is that I do not want an opinion. I want to know what the Bible teaches and to me, it certainly appears as though many aspects of God’s Word are coming to fruition. Only time will tell if it is the Bible that’s coming true, or simply the overworked imagination of people who want to believe it.
Preterists are individuals who believe that much of prophetic discourse has already occurred, with the Tribulation/Great Tribulation having occurred in A.D. 70, when forces of Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple. If that’s the case, then we have nothing to worry about, do we? Preterists (and many Covenant Theologians) also believe that Jesus “returned” during that period of time, in judgment against Israel and the Jewish people. This is one of the large reasons these folks also believe that God has washed His hands of Israel completely and permanently. In so doing, He is now concerned with the Church, which is believed by many to be the New Israel.
Preterism, an offshoot of Covenant Theology has only been around for a few decades. Covenant Theology itself really began in earnest in the early 1600s and was popularized mainly by Louis Berkhof. The main tenets consist of two covenants (some say a third is included, but this is rare): Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace. The former offered salvation to Adam and Eve based solely on works. They were to obey God and had they done so, they would have been granted eternal life. Once they fell through the sin of disobedience, Covenant Theologians say that God instituted the Covenant of Grace, which has been the overarching covenant since then.
The Dispensationalist, on the other hand, believes that God’s method of salvation has always been the same; based on faith and never works. Adam and Eve transgressed God’s law outwardly (a work) due to what they believed inwardly. At first, they believed God, evidenced by avoiding the forbidden fruit. The Tempter came along and induced them to conclude that God was a liar. At this point, they opted to believe Satan, while at the same time, choosing to disbelieve God. This disbelief was an inward attitude, which merely manifested itself in the outward act of actually eating the fruit.
God’s salvation has always been based on faith. It was never works. I realize that Covenant Theologians often point to C. I. Scofield and his poorly worded note for John 1:17, in which he states, “As a dispensation, grace begins with the death and resurrection of Christ (Rom. 3. 24-26; 4. 24, 25). The point of testing is no longer legal obedience as the condition of salvation, but acceptance or rejection of Christ, with good works as a fruit of salvation…”[1] (emphasis mine)
This particular (and unfortunate) bolded phrase was modified in later editions to reflect the truth of God’s Word and the actual meaning of Scofield. It is extremely unfortunate that he wrote this as he did, without proper clarification, because it certainly appears as though he is stating that obedience directly connects to and results in, salvation. This is not true and can be clearly seen by the rest of his study notes included throughout the Scofield Study System Bible.
It is unfortunate that his position was not clarified prior to the publication of the 1909 version of his study Bible. It would have been good had he stated his position more unmistakably by making the distinction between obedience within the arena of, and because of the exercise of faith. As I have shown throughout this book so far, the reason people were counted righteous at all had to do with their attitude before God, which was the result of their faith in Him and His Word. This right attitude is what enabled God to credit their faith as righteousness, looking ahead to the cross of Christ. It was also from this right attitude that the proper obedience flowed. Obedience stems from having the right faith, not the other way around. Scofield certainly knew and taught that and it is unfortunate that he failed to explain it more clearly in that note he wrote for John 1:17.
His verifiable understanding of salvation is seen at the front of this very same 1909 edition of the Scofield Study Bible. In a short, one-page article he wrote titled “A Panoramic View of the Bible,” he states “(5) From the beginning to end the Bible testifies to one redemption. (6) From beginning to end the Bible has one great theme – the person and work of the Christ.”[2] Here, as well as in other portions of his notes, his full understanding of salvation can be easily grasped.
The tragedy is that in spite of all attempts to prove that the Dispensationalist does not believe that God has two different methods of salvation, it seems to be to no avail, as many continue to assess and charge the Dispensationalist with believing just that. It is clear however, that the Covenant of Works does express salvation in terms of man’s effort in having to earn it. One wonders then, why there is such a seeming sanctimonious attitude with many Covenant Theologians regarding what they believe to be the error, or even heresy as some say, within Dispensationalism, when their own system is the one that actually teaches two methods?
In spite of this, things will continue most likely as they are, with many Covenant Theologians continuing to believe that Dispensationalism is heresy, in spite of the fact that it is the Covenant Theologian who believes and espouses two methods of salvation; one based solely on works (prior to the fall), and one based solely on grace (after the fall).
Like the error taught regarding salvation, many within the Covenant Theological system also err seriously when it comes to the area of Eschatology, or the study of End Times. Their use of the allegorical method of interpreting Scripture, places them in the position of being the subjective determiner of Scriptural truth. This is in spite of the fact, that the symbolism used within Scripture is either explained in that particular passage, or somewhere else in the Bible, leaving no room for idle imaginations.
In the end, each person must come to their own conclusions regarding what the Bible says about the End Times. Has all of it already taken place except possibly the last few chapters of Revelation, or is much of is still ahead of us? The way this world seems to be moving, appears to be a clear enough indication that it is yet before us. Should this give rise to panic and fear? Only if you are not a Christian. Christian, what about your attitude and demeanor? Now is the time to be about our Father’s business and this will not happen if we are concerned only about what the world has to offer us, which is nothing permanent. We need to walk in the Spirit and seek to glorify Him. This can only be done by submitting ourselves to Him in order that His will might be done in and through us. That is our calling. May we respond in humble submission.
[1] Rev. C. I. Scofield, D.D. Scofield Study Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 1909, 1917), v
[2] Rev. C. I. Scofield, D.D. Scofield Study Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 1909, 1917), 1115
The Coming AntiChrist
The Return of the Antichrist by Patrick Heron
Just purchased a new ebook from Patrick Heron dealing with the End Times and the man of lawlessness who will attempt to overthrow God’s rule once and for all. The book, titled The Return of the Antichrist, goes into some detail, bringing new information to light. While Heron is careful to stay very close to the Bible, he points out some things that others may have missed, alluding to the fact that the AntiChrist comes from a specific place (as discussed in Revelation), which means he cannot be a human being fully inhabited by Satan. Heron believes the AntiChrist is actually one of the fallen angels spoken of in Genesis 6. In fact, there’s information pointing to the fact that he may well be the actual “king” of the pit, who many have thought to be Satan.
There is some great insight in Heron’s book and I highly recommend it for anyone who is serious about wanting to know more regarding the End Times. Since it’s downloadable after purchase, you can have it immediately from here: http://nephilimapocalypse.com/shop/Scripts/20intro.asp
StudyGrowKnow 