Quote of the Day

“Many American Evangelicals were outraged over the plans for a mosque to be built near the site of Ground Zero in New York City. However, we are not so outraged about building a tower of morality on the sacred site of the church. This rallying pole of morals, God and country is a lot like the old city’s motto to reach the heavens with our hands and building (Gen 11.4). In so doing this new construction of a monument to ‘Moralanity’ is obscuring the cross, which is the gospel monument to Christ, and his Christianity.

Erik Raymond, Irish Calvinist

I like that term “moralanity”. It defines one tentacle of the many-tentacled beast of apostasy within the American Church.

STILLBORN BABY BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE

What do you think?

A PREMATURE baby declared dead by doctors was brought back to life by his mother’s caresses and whispered words of love. Jamie Ogg was born nearly three months early with his twin sister Emily and weighed just 2.2lb. Emily was alive. But doctors at the birth told his parents that Jamie had died after they had spent 20 minutes battling to get him breathing. Then the “miracle” happened.

As the grieving couple, Kate and David, cuddled their “lost” son, saying their fond goodbyes, he started showing signs of life. After two hours of cuddles and kissing he then began to breath regularly and was given drops of breast milk from his mother’s finger.

more here

“To Jesus, Satan offered power and glory; To us, all he needs offer is celebrity and attention”

We used to sing that old gospel song, “I will cling to an old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown.” The scandalous scene at the Lincoln Memorial indicates that many of us want to exchange it in too soon. To Jesus, Satan offered power and glory. To us, all he needs offer is celebrity and attention.

A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they’ve heard the gospel, right there in the nation’s capital.

The news media pronounces him the new leader of America’s Christian conservative movement, and a flock of America’s Christian conservatives have no problem with that.

If you’d told me that ten years ago, I would have assumed it was from the pages of an evangelical apocalyptic novel about the end-times. But it’s not. It’s from this week’s headlines. And it is a scandal.

To continue reading: God, the Gospel, and Glenn Beck by Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The Next Great Awakening. . . . or Great Deadening?

This looks to be a very interesting series of messages at Herescope.

Part (1) Rallying Around the Seven Mountains

Day 6, we toured Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the many sites associated with our nation’s founding. In the mean time, David [Barton] and I flew back to New York City to be on the Glenn Beck Show with a group of about 7-8 pastors / Christian Leaders. Lance Wallnau flew in from Dallas to speak to the group in Philadelphia. Lance Wallnau was, as usual, exceptional in his laying out of how to see the culture transformed. After the show, David and I flew back to Philadelphia to catch up with the group once again. – Jim Garlow [1]

The quotation above came in the midst of this summer’s Next Great Awakening Tour, which was hosted by Pastor Jim Garlow and David Barton, to visit the tourist sights of the First and Second Great Awakenings in America. This quote was from a “quick report” by Garlow, who announced the tour “is going awesome!”[2] The tour included Speaker Newt Gingrich, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Rick Santorum, Rep. Bob McEwen, Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins, along with other notables.[3] Most significantly, the tour featured Lance Wallnau, chief promoter of the controversial New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) doctrine, the 7 Mountain strategy of taking Dominion.

This fact gains considerable significance with the news this week, as both Jim Garlow and David Barton are undergoing controversy after partnering in a political/spiritual rally with conservative radio host, Glenn Beck, a Mormon.

This event with Beck, and this tour over the summer, are indicative of a new way that the evangelical Right is conducting itself. Why were these high-profile evangelical and political leaders openly fraternizing with Lance Wallnau?! Do they agree with his mandate to “possess and occupy,” take “territory,” “take the high places,” and “conquer”?[4] And how can they possibly call this agenda of aggressive Dominion-mongering a “Great Awakening”?

That is the question that we will be addressing in a series of posts in the days to come.

To read this informative post go here

One bit of information especially got my attention,

The open schmoozing between the Tea Party and the New Apostolic Reformation “apostles” and “prophets” has continued unabated throughout the summer. But things have escalated with the entry of Glenn Beck, an influential Mormon, into the eclectic Tea Party/NAR mixture, especially with his “Divine Destiny” event tonight and his “Restore Honor” event tomorrow at the Lincoln Memorial. Everything suddenly seemed to switch gears from a purely Tea Party political event to a NAR-styled spiritual event.

“I Have a Dream” – August 28th 1963

On this day, August 28th, while Glenn Beck has gathered his followers at the Lincoln Memorial to hear his words of ‘wisdom’, I want to post Martin Luther King’s speech given at this same location in 1963.

For those old enough to remember hearing this on the evening news, it will bring back both disturbing memories of the segregation which still existed in many parts of America….and memories of the hope which arose at hearing King’s speech….hope that his words were true; That the ugliness we witnessed taking place in the south on nightly news broadcasts, that caused many of us to experience unspeakable sorrow and shame, would soon cease.

So, while Beck is ‘preaching’ his Mormon Manifest Destiny doctrine, attempting to steal Martin Luther King’s, George Washington’s, and Abraham Lincoln’s legacy, and announcing the “re-creation of the revolutionary “black robe regiment“, I’m going to share the I Have a Dream speech given 47 years ago today.

What the Mormon Church Says About The Constitution, America, and the Last Days

The message below was mailed out by Brannon Howse of World View Weekend this morning. You could call it a follow-up on the message earlier this week; Evangelical Tells Beck He’s “Off The Reservation”

Understanding the end-time beliefs of the Mormon Church and their view of America and the Constitution may help you understand “Glenn Beck’s Divine Destiny”.

The guest on my radio program today was Ed Decker, a former Mormon for twenty years before becoming Christian. On the program I played sound bites of a speech given by Mormon President Ezra Taft Benson entitled “Our Divine Constitution” and Ed responds.

Please remember that Glenn has said that he is a Mormon and to our knowledge has never publically renounced his Mormon religion. Glenn Beck said on his TV program on August 26, 2010, that the event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, August 28, 2010, will not a political event. A few days before this Glenn said the event will not be a Christian event but a God event. What God are we talking about? Is Glenn acknowledging that it is indeed all about a spiritual agenda that has been well laid out by leading Mormon leaders including the now deceased President of the Mormon Church, Ezra Taft Benson?

Glenn said that the money for this event was raised months ago. Did the Mormon Church assist in covering the costs for this event and if so for what purpose? Here are the sound bites we played on the radio program today from the speech given by Ezra Taft Benson.

Ezra Taft Benson: I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed His stamp of approval upon it.

Brannon Howse: This is out right heresy! We are told in Deuteronomy 4:2 not to “add to the word which I commanded you, nor take from it.” Saying the Constitution is “akin to the revelation of God” is adding to the Bible and is for sure lowering the supremacy of the Word of God and thus heresy. If the Constitution is akin to the Word of God, why has it been changed so many times?

Ezra Taft Benson: I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith….It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church-among others-men and women who understand and abide the principles of the Constitution.

Brannon Howse: It is the Mormon Church and “enlightened” Mormons that will save America? If America is to be saved it will not be by the false gospel and false Jesus of the Mormons following the principles of the Constitution that they have elevated to being equal to the words of God. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says that “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Part of the wickedness America needs to turn from is following the Jesus of the cults or the Jesus of Oprah’s New Age Movement. The very thing the Mormons are doing and many Christian Americans are following, will actually not help America but bring God’s judgment.

Ezra Taft Benson: Have we read The Federalist papers? Are we reading the Constitution and pondering it? Are we aware of its principles? Are we abiding by these principles and teaching them to others? Could we defend the Constitution? Can we recognize when a law is constitutionally unsound? Do we know what the prophets have said about the Constitution and the threats to it?

Brannon Howse: I am all for returning to the original intent of America’s Founding Fathers but the cross is higher than the flag and the Word of God is above the Constitution. If we really want to defend a Constitutional Republic we must get back to the Word of God; not the Mormon Bible and Mormon teachings on end-time beliefs and building God’s Kingdom on earth or the New Jerusalem in Independence, Missouri as they believe.

Ezra Taft Benson: We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: “Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction” (19 July 1840, as recorded by Martha Jane Knowlton Coray; ms. in Church Historian’s Office, Salt Lake City).

Brannon Howse: The Mormon Church, in recent years, has found itself in another public relations problem so Ed Decker says they have backed away from this belief. However, all Mormons know of this prophecy by Joseph Smith and believe the Mormon Church and its “enlightened members of this Church” will restore America’s honor.

Sound familiar?

Is this the goal of Glenn Beck’s restoring America’s Honor rally? Is Glenn Beck part of this Mormon movement that will restore America and usher in the “Kingdom of God” on earth? What does Glenn Beck mean by God? Does Glenn reject the Mormon god that was a man of flesh and bone that evolved to be the God of this universe by living a good Mormon life? Does Glenn believe he can become a god with many goddess wives that will populate their own planet? Does Glenn believe that Jesus is the brother of Satan that was voted by a council to come to earth?

By his own admission he has said that 80% of his life revolves around the Mormon Temple. Glenn owes it to all of us that have watched him to answer these questions particularly since Glenn has challenged the president to be public about his beliefs.

Ezra Taft Benson: Only in this foreordained land, under its God-inspired Constitution and the resulting environment of freedom, was it possible to have established the restored church. It is our responsibility to see that this freedom is perpetuated so that the Church may more easily flourish in the future. The Lord said, “Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land” (D&C 98:6).

Brannon Howse: So in the end, the big push for returning to the founding principles is for the goal of the flourishing of the Mormon Church? How many people are aware of this ultimate goal? How many Americans want to live in a Mormon theocracy? Before you say they are not for a theocracy you had better read the “Law of Consecration” that Mormons swear to in the LDS temple ritual.

Among other things, the officiator requests they swear to “consecrate yourselves, your time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed you, or with which he may bless you , to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for the building up of the Kingdom of God on the earth and for the establishment of Zion.”

Ezra Taft Benson: Our Father in Heaven planned the coming forth of the Founding Fathers and their form of government as the necessary great prologue leading to the restoration of the gospel. Recall what our Savior Jesus Christ said nearly two thousand years ago when He visited this promised land: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth” (3 Ne. 21:4). America, the land of liberty, was to be the Lord’s latter-day base of operations for His restored church.

Brannon Howse: So the god of the Mormons, who was once a man of flesh and bone, planned America so the gospel of the Mormon Church could be restored? When did Jesus visit the promise land, which they call America? You will only find that in the Mormon Bible. Notice Taft is quoting from the Mormon Bible where they say that Jesus declared that America would become the “Lord’s latter-day base of operations for His restored church.”

If Glenn Beck’s event on 8/27 and 8/28 are not political events but spiritual events don’t you think people should be aware of the spiritual and political agenda of the Mormon Church that Glenn has said 80% of his life revolves around? If Glenn said come to these two events to learn more about the Constitution of the United States which is equal to the inspired Word of God; how many Christians would still attend?

Sadly, I believe most American Christians have the knowledge and Biblical discernment of a gnat and even if Glenn publicly equated the Constitution as “akin to the revelations of God…” as did Ezra Taft Benson, they would still be at his beckon call because they are so hungry for a conservative leader and so eager to reclaim the founder’s original intent. I believe many self-professing Christians will betray God’s ordained Word which will surely guarantee that our destiny will be divine judgment.

It appears to me that “Glenn Beck’s Divine Destiny” is nothing more than a “divine” deception.

Click here to hear this radio broadcast

1980: The rise of the Religious Right as a political force

This is both an interesting and informative slice of history. It helps shed light on the uniting of politics and Christianity in America, 30 years ago. It also helps explain the apostasy many of our denominations and individual Churches and/or leaders fell into over time. (If time allows also read the story linked in the article.)

To me, it also marks the time the (American) Evangelical Church began turning from dependence upon God (only), thus denying the power of the Holy Spirit.

quote..

EthicsDaily.com’s news analysis story recounts the transformation in American politics emerging from the Religious Roundtable’s National Affairs Briefing in 1980. By nearly all accounts, that event marks the rise of the Religious Right as a political force.

Contributing editor Brian Kaylor provides a who’s who list of Southern Baptist Convention takeover leaders who spoke at the event: W.A. Criswell, Adrian Rogers, then Southern Baptist Convention President Bailey Smith, Charles Stanley, James Robison and Ed McAteer.

The backstory that led up to that moment in Dallas is little known. Among the key early organizers of the Religious Right were Bill Bright, a Presbyterian, and Billy Graham, a Baptist.

See, Religious Right Linked Politics, Conservative Christianity

Wake Up! to the Real Dangers Glenn Beck Represents to the Church….

After hearing this on the air today, I searched around this evening for a clip or at least a link to share with my readers. The only one I could locate is the clip linked to below at youtube, posted by ‘The Young Turks’. I’m pointing this out to make it clear I’m not promoting the Young Turks channel. But, I do want you to hear Beck in his own voice stating what he hopes (believes?) will occur during his speech this Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial;

“I’m writing bullet points of the speech and um, you want to talk about trust in the Lord, um, i know people are going to hammer me saying its no Martian Luther King speech…of course its not…. You think I’m Martian Luther King?……”

“Instead of going for a speech writer or writing something very eloquent I’m only writing a few bullet points; and I’m doing that so I don’t get in the way of, uh, the Spirit in case he wants to talk…..”

Its the first 90 second segment: Glenn Beck On God, Blood & Goldline

What spirit voice do you think he’s expecting to speak through him, and what spirit do you believe really would be speaking ‘through’ him? If you don’t know (or God forbid, believe it would be the Holy Spirit) I’d like to point you to the post Ken Silva has up, particularly the links Ken included concerning the beliefs of those who practice Mormonism.

A sidenote; In case you think I’m making too big a deal about the dangers Glenn Beck presents to the Church in America, let me tell you, in recent days (this week in fact) disputes and heated arguments have broken out on at least two respected Christian forums causing a lot of confusion, concerning Beck and his ‘prophetic’ voice. God is not the author of confusion folks…we know that. Who is?

When looking for the clip I happened upon another one which shows the influence Beck already has in some Church circles;

Dr Carolyn Ann Smith, Dr CAS, with Word of Outreach Christian Center in Little Rock, AR asks the saints for pray for her husband and others who will be attending the events this weekend in Washington DC. Glenn Beck has called a special rally for Saturday in front of the Lincoln Memorial…. Let’s pray for Glenn’s event and that he will continue to be used mightily as a prophetic voice.

Pray for Glenn Beck and his Prophetic Voice

Help Israel with Bottles of “Living Water”

After spending the past few hours pouring over a number of ‘questionable’ items posted at various Christians news organizations, I discern the need of a nap in my immediate future. Case in point:

quote..

Calls to boycott Israeli goods are gaining strength as Israel’s foes attempt to alienate the Jewish State politically and economically.

Genesis Waters, LLC has initiated a grass-roots campaign to counter the boycotts. “Drinking Genesis Living Waters of Israel is a great way to support the Jewish State, break the boycotts and help victims of terror,” says Michael Gerbitz, founder of Genesis Waters.

“Christian Radio is the most effective way to deliver the message and promote the cause,” says Gerbitz. Genesis is seeking more radio stations to join its “network of supporters” and help spread the word.

This important project can be used as an effective fundraiser to raise funds for pro-Israel radio stations that choose to participate in promoting and distributing Genesis Living Waters of Israel.

Why bottled water? “Americans drink lots of bottled water – especially in the summer,” says Gerbitz. “Why not buy water from Israel and help Israel at the same time?”

Genesis Waters stands up to the world’s finest mineral waters. Its upscale bottle resembles Fiji Water with an attractive “see through the water” label depicting Israel’s green landscapes and flowing streams.

The water is bottled at a pristine source near the Sea of Galilee, alongside the Jordan River and is promoted as a “healthy and refreshingly pure experience for body and soul.”

Gerbitz explains that Israel’s water is called “Living Water” in the Book of Genesis, referring to an everlasting “Source of Blessing”.

He believes Israel is a source of blessing as evidenced by its “consistent achievements that benefit the world.”

“The company’s goal is to bless Israel,” Gerbitz declares. “It says in Genesis that those who bless Israel will themselves be blessed. Who wouldn’t want to be blessed?”

link

Genesis 12:3 must head the list of the most misinterpreted and misapplied scriptures ever.

John 4:10, Jesus, speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well: “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”

John 4:13-14, “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

John 7:37-39, “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.…”

Right-Wing Christian Militia Vows To Protect Florida Church Burning Qurans On September 11

Good grief.

quote..

Despite the city’s fire protection ordinances, the poorly-named Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, FL is committed to hosting “International Burn a Quran Day” on September 11. The church, which boasts an “Islam Is Of The Devil” message on a sign outside the church and as the title of its pastor’s book, insists “we will still burn Korans” on the church grounds despite being denied a permit. While the church may be fined one “armed Christian conservative group” aptly named Right Wing Extreme vowed Sunday to protect the church from any other harassment during the burning:

The Christian conservative organization Right Wing Extreme has offered its support and protection for the International Burn a Quran day.

Right Wing Extreme was founded in April of 2009 after the Department of Homeland Security’s report titled Right Wing Extremism.[...]

“We fully support Dove World Outreach Center and its efforts to put an end to the notion that Islam is a peaceful religion. Islam is a violent cult with the goal of world domination.” Says Right Wing Extreme founder Shannon Carson.

Right Wing Extreme insists that “President Obama is a Muslim who is intentionally destroying America’s economy, constitution, and has a socialist agenda aimed at bringing about a New World Order.” The group measures its “state of alert” through a “Defcon system.” Currently set at level 3, the “Defcon system” warns that the group’s “moral and ethical code are under moderate attack” and that the U.S. Constitution is only “partially intact.” According to their ethical code, members swear to defend the Constitution and recognize “that freedom comes by the shedding of blood and sacrifice.”

Link

I am really sick and tired of these so-called Christian groups and wacko organizations; and also tired of reading daily that the President is a Muslim.

Evangelical Tells Beck He’s “Off The Reservation”

Interesting article. Though in my opinion Beck isn’t just off the reservation, he’s off the planet (and his gourd).

quote…

On his radio show last week, Brannon Howse of Worldview Matters accused Glenn Beck of “bait and switch” tactics to bring Christians together into a coalition on shared goals and then draw them into Mormonism by using manipulative double language. “He’s setting up a conspiracy theory of hidden truths showing this to be a Mormon Christian country.”

Then on his show on Wednesday, Beck discussed an obscure archeological find, the Bat Creek Stone, that Beck believes has been hidden from the public by the Smithsonian Institution and others because it is evidence of ties between ancient Israel and Native Americans — which, although Beck did not say this explicitly, would also be evidence for claims (albeit recently disputed within the LDS Church) made in the Book of Mormon. Howse, on his radio show, said he was “stunned” to hear Beck “laying down Mormon teaching” and “when [Beck] started talking about the Bat Creek Stone. . . . I didn’t stay with it, it was just too weird.” (While Howse presented no evidence that Mormons have used the Bat Creek Stone to promote such a view, Beck’s use of it was characteristically wacky, as the theory he promoted has long been discredited by archeologists.) Howse continued:

He has swerved into theological and doctrinal realm in the last few weeks. He’s said things on the air that makes my skin crawl. . . a ‘works based’ theology that is based in Mormonism. . . . We are not serving the god of Mormonism that says you can be like God… a religion that said Jesus and Satan were brothers. . . . Leave your pagan—your cult—religion. . . .

more

The Lord Sends Strong Delusion

Below is a link to Steve Lumbley’s latest audio teaching. He has recorded an excellent, very timely message.

Apostasy Watch:  The Lord Sends Strong Delusion

“The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you”

The longer I walk with Christ, the more clearer this principle becomes.  Got a hunch folks, there’s going to be a whole lot of surprised people: especially people who have lived a life in which they have professed Christ and Christianity, but the type of fruit they produced says the opposite.

28But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 29He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. 31Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. (Matthew 21)

Just thinking and musing out-loud…

THE BETTER LAND

This blessed me. My hope is these few excerpts encourage you also….

James Smith (1802—1862) - The Better Land

THE BORDER LAND

“The time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day!” 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Aged Christian, your day is far spent, your journey is nearly ended! The greatest part of the wilderness is behind you! You have traveled many a weary mile, and have spent many a sorrowful day. But you have not much farther to go! You have not many more days to spend here in this bleak desert. You are just on the edge of the wilderness, on the borders of the promised land! Soon, very soon, your Lord will send his messenger to call you home. The year of release is just at hand. Do not, therefore, give way to fear. Do not hang down your head like a bulrush—but look up, for your redemption draws near! Let us talk together a little of the past, the present, and the future; and let us try and comfort one another with God’s own precious words.

We have not much time left—let us not waste it! We have not far to go—let us not loiter! We are in the border country—let us expect some glimpses of “The Better Land.” We are hastening from danger and a country that is doomed; let us not look back! Every step now brings us sensibly nearer home! Every hour counts, and the last hour will soon be here!

Let us attend to the Apostle’s admonition, “What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away” I would like you to be free from concern.” 1 Corinthians 7:29-32

Anxiety about temporal things does not befit us now. The world is to us like an inn, where we lodge tonight—but shall leave it tomorrow.

“The world passes away; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:17.

THE PROSPECT

“But I will see Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your presence!” Psalm 17:15

Present circumstances may be trying. The Lord may hide his face, or withhold sensible comforts. Providence may appear to frown, and temporal things may run counter to our wishes. Corruption may work powerfully within, and innumerable sins may stare us in the face. Comparing ourselves with what God requires—we may be depressed; and comparing ourselves with what Jesus was—we may not be able to discover more than a very faint resemblance.

But let us look forward! It will not be always as it is now. There will be a change, and a glorious change, soon! Others may have easier circumstances, they may be strangers to the conflicts we endure—and we may wonder at their prosperity. But what pleases them—would not satisfy us. Nor must we expect full satisfaction in this present world.

If we are hungering and thirsting after righteousness; if we are longing to be like Jesus; if we are pining and praying for the presence of God; there is a glorious prospect before us! We shall soon see our God!

We may now be vexed, wearied, and disappointed; but we shall awake in the likeness of Jesus! Our present privileges are great—but our future prospects are unspeakably glorious! “Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes—we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is!” 1 John 3:2

We shall be like him! O glorious privilege! We shall wake up in his likeness! O delightful prospect! My poor, afflicted, tried, tempted, and aged friend—lift up your downcast head! Look beyond your present circumstances, for your redemption draws near.

“For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have a home in Heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands!” 2 Corinthians 5:1.

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand!” Psalm 16:11.

(This is so rich, I may share more excerpts in the coming days)

Todd Bentley’s ‘restoration’ completed

Ha! I have nothing more to add….

Video: Rick Joyner update

(HT)

Quote of the Day, and Thoughts

Mormon Glenn Beck commenting during a radio interview with David Barton today, concerning his upcoming ’8/28 Restoring Honor rally’,

Beck: I think this is an opportunity to gather God’s people together and wake people up. And I just have this feeling that this is the beginning of something gigantic in this country, that it is spiritual awakening. What’s going to happen there will raise the hair on your arms. What’s going to happen there you will never, ever forget and I promise you, then next day when you read about it – if the press covers it – you will say “oh my gosh, I wish I would have been there.” This will go into the history book. This is Divine Providence. This is the Lord’s hand at work. This is a miracle.

Barton: And it really is. It’s an intervention of God. And a lot of times when he shows up, it’s not the way you thought he was going to show up, but man the results are always his and it’s really good the way it works out.

Beck: And that’s kind of the point of 8/28: you just have to stand where the Lord wants you to stand. He’ll explain it to you when the time comes. You can feel the presence of the Lord. I mean, the Spirit is so strong. When you two hundred, three hundred, five hundred thousand people on the Mall in that space right there between Washington and Lincoln with the Reflecting Poll – a spiritual space in our nation – the Spirit of the Lord is going to be unleashed like I think you’ve never felt it before.  (HT)

After reading this, a dream I had 8-9 years ago came to mind.  It was one of only a few dreams in the last 30 years, which I know came from God. It was also the only dream, which on awakening I was told by the Spirit of God to immediately write down.  It was 3am, but obeying, went to the computer, typed it out and then sent it to my dear friend and sister in the Lord, Helen.

While I won’t go into every detail, it concerned a soon coming deception which would be so visually powerful, a great number of Christians would be taken in by it– convinced it was “of God”.  In the dream I saw  it..and saw people falling on their knees shouting, “Its God, it’s God! “

There was much more but wisdom tells me to end with this: Those who were deceived were shut out…barred from entering in.

Glenn Beck is not that deception, but he is a deceiver perpetrating ‘a’ deception. When that dream come to mind this evening my immediate thought was,

“If Christians are so easily deceived by a Beck today, what chance will they have in standing against the powerful deception I was shown in my dream?”

Answer; None.

Perhaps that truth is why the Holy Spirit brought it to mind tonight….

Eternity has fallen out of vogue, even in the church…

Rick Frueh has posted a very timely message, which I hope is only the first of a series. It concerns lost doctrines, of which there are many. Lost, in the since that the Western Church no longer sees them as vitally important. I came face to face with this concerning the blood of Christ some years ago when I realized in many Churches today, it is never mentioned. One Pastor actually said he never brought it up to his congregation for fear it would “freak them out”.

Anyway…..

This message concerns the particular doctrine of Eternity

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We no longer build upon the concept of eternity. Everything is now earthly and temporal. Whether it be economics or politics or even our lives themselves, everything is measured by the finite and fleeting as opposed to the eternal. And what could possibly be the reason for such thinking? Simply, unbelief.

In reality the church by and large only believes doctrinally in eternity but as a practice most western believers live as though eternity did not exist or at least they are not willing to place their entire life within the framework of eternity. And against that unbelief what becomes the focal point of our lives? We do.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

So many saints have gladly given their lives for the sake of Christ, and in so doing, they manifested a faith that not only believed in eternity, but substantiated that belief with the greatest of all manifestations. And today we hear precious little about eternity and its rewards and punishments. Christianity has evolved into a set of rules and morals and even a political force with which the culture can be manipulated without altering anyone’s eternal destination or transforming anyone’s heart.

Many call it a “culture war” which is nothing more than a self righteous attempt to politically engineer society with a strategy void of redemption and at opposition to the gospel itself.

Eternity has fallen out of vogue even in the church. Hardly anyone even pauses to feel any fear or apprehension anymore. Everyone will die one day and everyone will spend a conscious eternity somewhere. But if that be true then what could possibly be more important? And if that is indeed true than why do we live as if eternity was a myth?

Please continue reading here: Doctrines of Days Gone By – Eternity

“Glenn Beck’s Divine Destiny”

Am I the only one who finds this downright spooky? You know, if Beck wasn’t a radio and Fox news personality but instead had appeared on the world scene as solely a Religious leader, he would have been looked upon as a certified cult leader/nut, by sane Christians (and the world) from the get-go.

quote..

Beck’s messianic religiosity took the next logical step this week, when he announced a new event scheduled on the eve of the 8-28 rally. Employing his characteristic humility, the event will be titled “Glenn Beck’s Divine Destiny” and will feature “nationally-known figures from all faiths.” Beck describes the evening as an “eye-opening” event “that will help heal your soul.”

Glenn Beck, Holy Warrior

Eventual Understanding

Vincent Cheung posted an interesting message, which addresses the question we all find ourselves asking at some point in our walk; Why the Wicked seem to prosper.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (Psalm 73:2-3)

One of the enduring questions that Christians agonize about is the prosperity of the wicked.

Asaph, the writer of Psalm 73, saw that the wicked lived without problems, infirmities, and burdens. They increased in pride and violence, in wealth and followers. And they even boasted, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?” Yet trouble did not befall them, and their success continued unabated. Asaph was so disturbed by this that he had a crisis of faith. He thought, “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.” It seemed to him, as it appears to many others, that if anyone should be rich, strong, and happy, it should be the one who serves God in faith and reverence.  Why are the wicked rewarded, and the righteous punished?

Even in this dismal condition, Asaph remained faithful at a crucial point. As he thought about this, the matter became “oppressive” to him. But he realized that if he had vented to others, “I would have betrayed your children.” Many preachers and theologians today speak as if they are agents of the devil and of unbelief. They identify with men’s bitter complaints against God in the name of empathy. They encourage men to unleash their suspicion and resentment against divine providence even in prayer, or especially in prayer, and assure them that in doing so, they would only be imitating the prophets and the best of the saints.

Instead of saying, “Be still and know that he is God, lest you blaspheme in your mind or in your speech,” they say, “He is your father! Blast him with all you’ve got!” This, in fact, seems to me as the majority view. But Asaph makes a right judgment – they are traitors, not teachers and comforters. They encourage God’s people to blaspheme, and to do it right to his face.

Then, Asaph was held up by God’s power, and guided by God’s counsel (v. 23-24), and as he drew near to God, he perceived the answer that resolved the whole matter. He “understood their final destiny,” and realized that the wicked prospered because God placed them “on slippery ground.” He surrounded the reprobates with comforts and with friends so that they would increase in pride, and so that they would become callused in sin. The prosperity of the wicked is not a reward, but a snare.

Asaph realized something else. He perceived that God did not leave him with nothing, but he had the only thing that mattered – God himself. He wrote, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” The suffering of the righteous is to keep them alert in the spirit, and to compel them to mature in knowledge and godliness.

Full article here: The Prosperity of the Wicked

Over the last 30 years I found peace concerning this question and about many (many!) things I don’t understand, by just simply trusting God. After all, I’m unable to see the complete finished picture–the beginning and end of a matter; He is able and does.

Reading Vincent’s short message brought to mind an old song we use to sing in my Church. If I recall correctly I’ve posted this clip before. But for some reason I feel like sharing again. Brothers and sisters, we will indeed, farther along, understand it all. All the questions will be answered when we finally gaze into the beautiful face of our Lord Jesus.

“I Laugh, I cry”…at Conservapedia

Its always a toss-up as to what immediate reaction I’ll have when reading the headlines at Conservapedia; those unintentional ‘joksters’, (the Schlaflys) who claim their website offers the only true “American conservative Christian viewpoint” on any number of issues,  are so over the edge, (these are the same people re-writing the New Testament to remove any words which could be mistaken for promoting liberalism) that its hard to believe any sane Christian listens to them.

Case in point; a story on their front page today…

Are you an atheist man hoping to get married soon, but you have no marriage prospects in sight? Consider reading Conservapedia’s articles: Atheism appears to be significantly less appealing to women and Atheism and marriageability.

Given that atheism appears to be significantly less appealing to women, atheists are a minority in the population and that people tend to marry people with similar values or who resemble their parents or themselves; this would suggest that male atheists may find it more difficult to find prospective female partners for marriage.

Move on over Holy Spirit! We no longer need to depend upon you–NOR do we need to PREACH CHRIST and Him crucified. We’ll just point out to male atheists that they need to be Christians (or at least say they are), in order to have more then an ‘ice-cubes chance in hell’, in finding a wife!

It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. John 16

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? Romans 10:14

Orthodox Idolatry

The Holy Spirit has led me to yet another hard hitting message today. This one is written by Rick Frueh (Following Judah’s Lion blogspot).

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…

Secular freedom is nothing more than idolatry. Fallen man seeks to rule himself by means of numbers and political leverage. Freedom outside of Christ is benign and related to all other concepts and non-human creations. It can be used for good and evil as well; many times simultaneously. And why do men desire freedom and not persecution? It is because we are selfish and desire to attribute to God that which benefits us most. Hence, many Christians believe that secular freedom is God’s will for everyone and they seek to protect their own freedom through any means necessary, including violence. But it all is a misguided mirage.

Case in point: A young boy named Chaim Witz, who was born in Haifa, Israel, came to America with his Jewish mother. She had lived under Nazi occupation in Hungary and they both were excited at the opportunity to come to the land of the free. When asked to raise her right hand to pledge allegiance to America at the immigration office, she made the Nazi salute. The immigration officer informed her that she would no longer have to make that salute again. The young boy loved America and grew to be an industrious young man. He prospered through the freedom provided by America and he became a United States citizen. He supported the policies of President George Bush and is an outspoken patriot who unabashedly professes his love for America and her freedom. He supports Israel as well. You may know his stage name as Gene Simmons, the demon faced bass player for the band called “KISS”.

The freedom in America provided a forum for spreading debauchery. You see, secular freedom is neither good nor evil, but it is fallen. Take, for instance, a tree. One man cuts one down and builds a home for unwed mothers in which the gospel can be shared. Another man cuts one down and builds an Islamic mosque where people worship Allah. Another man cuts one down and builds a house in which he can lure and molest little children. You see, the tree is neither good nor evil, and can be used for either. But that tree is fallen, and when we worship freedom we are every bit an idolater as those who worship nature. They worship a tree, others worship a concept. Both are idolatry.

Secular freedom has become an idol even among believers. They say it is God’s will and yet God doesn’t seem to provide secular freedom for His Chinese followers. And why do American believers desire to protect their freedom? If it was so the gospel can be spread without persecution then those believers would witness much more then they do. At the core of this fascination with freedom is selfishness. And playing a large part in this selfishness is the comfort of a western lifestyle. And democracy, man’s invention to govern himself, has crept into the church.

Watch and listen as those who preach submission to authority castigate any president who they deem undesirable and a threat to their freedom, to say nothing of their wealth. And all while still disingenuously teaching the sovereignty of God and our contentment with His workings.

Preachers will teach their congregations the glories of letting adversity shape our lives into the image of Jesus Christ. They will exhort believers to submit to hateful employers and they will even teach wives to pray for and be humble before their unsaved husbands. But when it comes to politics and secular freedom they will openly veer away from their own teachings and their listeners will not even recognize the paradox.

Men love freedom more than they love God’s Word. And they will take Peter’s exhortation about being happy when we are persecuted, and Jesus’ teaching about rejoicing in persecution, and constrict them to some personal interactions, but not when it comes to freedom, so called. The Revolutionary War was at its core a rejection of authority and a response to taxes.

But is that what believers find in the New Testament? Where are the songs and hymns sung with joy in the midst of a dark and perverse culture? Why does the church recoil at anything that disrupts their lifestyle or goes against the moral comfort they purport to embrace? Secular freedom is fallen and can be used by God and used by the Devil as well. It is not to be desired or rejected, but like everything it must be looked upon as part of a tapestry of God’s providence and sovereignty, but surely not something which we fight to keep as if it was God’s will for everyone. Freedom outside of Christ is often a dangerous thing, and not just as a forum for sin, but also as a spiritual lullaby that puts the church to sleep.

National freedom has become a narcotic to the church, and combined with an unholy embrace of the evil nation in which we live, the church is lukewarm at best. When we champion secular and national freedom, we have lost our freedom in Christ which is the only true freedom. We cannot serve two masters and love them both. And all our protestations about Christ being first fall on deaf ears when we compromise our allegiance by lending our “love” to all sorts of religious and secular causes.

The western followers of Jesus have created a cleaver way to circumvent God’s Word and incorporate fallen issues into their spiritual portfolio, even suggesting the Father’s approval. And being blind they profess to see.

Secular and national freedom is a mirage and a counterfeit. It can be used of the evil one when believers transition from viewing it as a gospel tool to embracing it as an idol. And let us be perfectly honest, much of the “love” given to earthly freedom has to do with the comfort and prosperity it affords us, and the feeling of political power as well.

If a believer actually fully viewed this earthly freedom as a conduit for the spreading of the gospel, then why would he save up money to spend upon himself? And what, pray tell, cross do we bear when we live in and defend a cultural ambiance designed for our own comfort and well being? And while believers all over the world live in oppression and poverty, we western believers revel in our freedom and use stories of present day martyrs to excite and entertain our hearts while we fare sumptuously.

Many Jews that were carried off to Babylon eventually embraced the gods of Babylon. Some meshed Jewish traditions with Babylonian idols. And so it is today as believers have embraced the gods of democracy and freedom and brought that strange fire into their lives and the gatherings. Until we throw off that yoke we will remain a very small irritant in this hedonistic culture but void of any authentic spiritual power. Our existence has become an acceptable and unremarkable element in a dark and fallen culture, and yet our Sunday gatherings are designed to make us feel good about ourselves and our God and to tout this present Babylon as the “greatest nation on earth”.

And God remains silent as we speak falsely for Him. But at least we are free…or are we.

Need to ask…

Quick question; does the newest post look ok…in other words, does it look any different then previous ones? I’m breaking in a new computer with a system which is totally foreign to me (yes, i was unfaithful to Bill Gates, ahaha)

Everything is so different i just want to be sure any new posts are showing up the same as always…

Saving Faith: ITS COUNTERFEITS

This is a very good but sobering excerpt from A.W. Pink’s, Studies on Saving Faith

There are those who have a faith which is so like that which is saving as they themselves may take it to be the very same, and others too may deem it sufficient, yea, even others who have the spirit of discernment. Simon Magus is a case in point.

Of him it is written, “Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip” (Acts 8:13). Such a faith had he, and so expressed it, that Philip took him to he a genuine Christian, and admitted him to those privileges which are peculiar to them.

Yet, a little later, the apostle Peter said to him, “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God… I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity” (Acts 8:21, 23).

A man may believe all the truth contained in Scripture so far as he is acquainted with it, and he may be familiar with far more than are many genuine Christians. He may have studied the Bible for a longer time, and so his faith may grasp much which they have not yet reached. As his knowledge may be more extensive, so his faith may be more comprehensive. In this kind of faith he may go as far as the apostle Paul did, when he said, “But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets” (Acts 24:14). But this is no proof that his faith is saving.

An example to the contrary is seen in Agrippa: “King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest” (Acts 26:27). Call the above a mere historical faith if you will, yet Scripture also teaches that people may possess a faith which is one of the Holy Spirit, and yet which is a non-saving one. This faith which we now allude to has two ingredients which neither education nor self-effort can produce: spiritual light and a Divine power moving the mind to assent. Now a man may have both illumination and inclination from heaven, and yet not be regenerated. We have a solemn proof of this in Hebrews 6:4-6. There we read of a company of apostates, concerning whom it is said, “It is impossible to renew them again unto repentance.” Yet, of these we are told that they were “enlightened,” and had “tasted of the heavenly gift,” which means, they not only perceived it. but were inclined toward and embraced it; and both, because they were “partakers of the Holy Spirit.”

People may have a Divine faith, not only in its originating power, but also in its foundation. The ground of their faith may be the Divine testimony, upon which they rest with unshaken confidence. They may give credit to what they believe not only because it appears reasonable or even certain, but because they are fully persuaded it is the Word of Him who cannot lie. To believe the Scriptures on the ground of their being God’s Word, is a Divine faith. Such a faith had the nation of Israel after their wondrous exodus from Egypt and deliverance from the Red Sea. Of them it is recorded “The people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31), yet of the great majority of them it is said, “Whose carcasses fell in the wilderness… and to whom sware he that they should not enter into His rest” (Hebrews 3:17,18).

It is indeed searching and solemn to make a close study of Scripture on this point, and discover how much is said of unsaved people in a way of having faith in the Lord. In Jeremiah 13:11 we find God saying, “For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto Me the whole house of Israel, and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord,” and to “cleave” unto God is the same as to “trust” Him: see 2 Kings 18:5,6.

Yet of that very same generation God said, “This evil people, which refuse to hear My words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing” (Jeremiah 13:10).

The term “stay” is another word denoting firm trust. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord” (Isaiah 10:20); “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

And yet we find a class of whom it is recorded, “They call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel” (Isaiah 48:2).

Who would doubt that this was a saving faith! Ah, let us not be too hasty in jumping to conclusions: of this same people God said, “Thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass” (Isaiah 48:4). Again, the term “lean” is used to denote not only trust, but dependency on the Lord. Of the Spouse it is said, “who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved?” (Song of Solomon 8:5).

Can it be possible that such an expression as this is applied to those who are unsaved? Yes, it is, and by none other than God Himself: “Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity… The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, “Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us” (Micah 3:9,11)

So thousands of carnal and worldly people are leaning upon Christ to uphold them, so that they cannot fall into Hell, and are confident that no “evil” can befall them. Yet is their confidence a horrible presumption. To rest upon a Divine promise with implicit confidence, and that in the face of great discouragement and danger, is surely something which we would not expect to find predicated of a people who were unsaved. Ah, truth is stranger than fiction. This very thing is depicted in God’s unerring Word.

Rick Joyner and The Oak Initiative

Joyner and the rest of these 7 Mountain dominionists don’t even try to conceal their true agenda anymore. And we know what their real agenda is…

OK, moving on….

This caught my attention tonight at RWW, Oak Initiative Warns Democrats “We’re Coming After YOU!”

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A few weeks back, I wrote a post about Rick Joyner and The Oak Initiative, one of the “prophetic intercessor” groups that, like Lou Engle and The Call and Cindy Jacobs and General International, are becoming increasingly active within the more “mainstream” Religious Right.

Like The Call and Generals International, The Oak Initative is a member of the Religious Right “supergroup” known as The Freedom Federation and Joyner, along with Engle and Jacobs, participated in the group’s “Awakening” conference earlier this year, sitting on a panel on “Pastors and Political Activity” with Rick Scarborough and Richard Land.

Later this month, The Oak Initiative will be hosting its first ever Oak Convention in South Carolina which is scheduled to include Joyner, Samuel Rodriguez, Lance Wallnau, Jerry Boykin, Cindy Jacob, and others where they will discuss methods for gaining influence over their version of the 7 Mountains:

At this time it is important to establish a leadership forum that focuses on the current major areas of dominant influence and crisis, including:

1. Spiritual and moral
2. Government and politics
3. Media
4. Economic
5. Social Issues
6. Environmental
7. Education

To do this we want to establish a leader and a council to address each of these spheres. Organizing this will be one of the major goals of the August Oak Convention. We will be establishing each of these with a Chairman, Asst. Chairman, and a staff devoted to both Research and Communications. The purpose of these councils will be to provide an accurate assessment of the great issues of the times, and to propose answers and solutions to them.

And among the ways they hope to do this is by creating their own “Christian Intelligence Service” and building their own media empires…

Did you grasp that?….Joyner and his pals are creating a “Christian” Intelligence Service! Quick, get your bibles out folks, and please find the calling or ‘office’ in Christ’s body which needs to be occupied by forming a Christian version of the CIA!

Read more here and here

As I said, these power hungry folks don’t even attempt to hide their ultimate agenda or their political involvement;

*Watch the Oak Initiative’s latest ‘political’ video posted at youtube: The New Political Ad – For 2010

The Great Divide between Church and Synagogue

The website, Messianic Good News, has many excellent teachings. I thought over the past two years I’d read them all, but came across one today which somehow I’d missed. In light of the continued growth of the Hebrew Roots Movement, its definitely one worth reading.

In his introductory remarks to his scholarly work “The Jewish people and Jesus Christ” Jacob Jocz writes:

“Both Judaism and Christianity are the result of a major controversy which took place during the first century and the first half of the second century. This controversy was of a theological nature and centred round the significance of Jesus of Nazareth. Our study has led us to the conviction that the general view, which holds that Judaism remained unaffected by the Christian episode, is untenable. Judaism had been deeply affected by the rise of Christianity and was pushed in the opposite direction. The opposition between the two creeds is thus an integral part of their separate existence. Only in opposition to each other do they learn the truth about themselves.”(1)

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary defines “anti-Semitism” as: “hostility to or prejudice against Jews.” Much has been written about Christian anti-Semitism and in the two thousand years since the rise of Christianity there have no doubt been grave injustices perpetrated in the name of Christ, just as the intense persecutions in the early church were instigated by the Synagogue. But the real argument is a theological one. The question of who is Jesus stands at the centre of the great divide between Church and Synagogue.

In recent times there have been efforts to bridge the divide from both sides, but the only way to bridge the gap between the Risen Christ whom Christians worship and the Jesus whom Rabbinic Judaism could accept is by reducing him to the stature of another Jewish Rabbi. Referring to one such attempt Jocz comments:

“It is obvious that the Jesus whom Cournos has stripped of all theological and dogmatic significance, in order to make him acceptable to the Jewish taste, has simultaneously lost all his peculiar uniqueness, which both attracts and repels the Jew. Jesus, secularized and divested of all his religious meaning, ceases to be important.”

He goes on to state:

“The real controversy regarding Jesus takes place, not on the plane of secularized idealism but on the plane of religious truth. It is essentially a theological controversy which can only be carried on in its full significance between the Synagogue and the Church.(2)

The first members of the Christian Church were all Jews. They continued to worship in the Synagogue until they were forced to separate themselves from the unbelieving Jews by the introduction into the regular Synagogue liturgy of the Birkat-ha-minim which pronounced a curse against heretics.(3) Although it has undergone revisions, the fact that the Church Fathers complained that “the Jews curse the Christians in their Synagogues three times daily” supports the conclusion that it was designed to force the Jewish Christians out of the Synagogue. Eventually the synagogue came to exclusively represent those Jews who rejected the Messiah, especially after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. The Bar-Cochba rebellion cemented the divide between the two groups as the Jewish Christians could not give their allegiance to another claiming to be the Messiah, while their failure to support the Jewish rebellion against Rome was interpreted as a national betrayal.

The persecution against the church in the first two centuries emanated primarily from the Synagogue and was specifically directed against Jewish-Christians. The apostle Paul, before his conversion, was himself a zealous persecutor of the followers of Christ, even approving of the murder of Stephen (Acts 8:1).

He was totally hostile to the church, which was at that time predominantly comprised of Jews and completely prejudiced against the claims of Jesus Christ. In other words, there were Jews who were violently opposed to fellow-Jews because they had become followers of Jesus Christ. Did this make them anti-Semites? When Paul subsequently came to believe in the claims of Jesus and taught that the Jews who rejected Jesus were cut off from Israel did this make him an anti-Semite?

Glenn Beck Claims “The Mantle of Martin Luther King”

This guy is really (really) nuts.

Someone commented correctly;

If Glenn Beck was on the radio 45 years ago he would have accused Martin Luther King, Jr., of being involved in a Communist conspiracy to destroy America.

Glenn Beck Claims “The Mantle of Martin Luther King”

Looks like its not just the Elijah List crowd bestowing and/or claiming mantles today….